Global Collapse-Chapter 695 - 660: Happy Yuan Festival to everyone_1

Why?

Why was Earth so hostile to him? This was what Gu Mian had always wanted to figure out. And now, it seemed like he had found some clues.

As Gu Mian thought, he took out a stack of photos from his pocket. Fatty was the first to exclaim in astonishment. He looked at the thick stack of photos; each of them showed people who resembled Gu Mian.

"So many Doctors," Fatty said, seeming a little dazed. "Is this heaven?"

"I found these in a photo studio in this world," Gu Mian said, arranging the photos on the car. "A Chu Changge led me there."

Not long after entering this place, Gu Mian had encountered a ghostly figure resembling Chu Changge. With that figure's guidance, he found these photos in the photo studio and somewhat uncovered the secret of the world's reincarnation.

"It must have been that version of me who found the photos in the studio and led you there," Chu Changge said, wiping the blood trickling down his temple. "Did he attack you?"

Gu Mian looked up and thought for a moment. "No."

"Theoretically, we should lose all reason after turning into monsters, even attacking ourselves." Chu Changge thought of the ghostly version of himself that had first emerged from the dense forest. That version of him was undoubtedly devoid of any sanity.

"In fact, even Xiao Qiao didn't attack me. I've seen another Xiao Qiao in this world too." Gu Mian thought of the figure below the restaurant building. "At first, she just watched me secretly from the bottom of a building. When I discovered her, she panicked and hid in a closet. She didn't show any aggressive behavior from beginning to end."

The other ghosts in this world, however, were different. Gu Mian's lethal power against ghosts was widely acknowledged, yet those ghosts fearlessly swarmed him upon sight. From this, it was clear they truly had no cognitive functions.

"Maybe Guardians are truly different," Chu Changge said, looking at the array of photos before him. "Even if they become monsters, they might still recognize the ones they're meant to protect."

Fatty wiped the corner of his eye. "Why the sudden poetry? What you said actually kind of touched me."

As he spoke, he reached out to touch the photos. "So, are these the messages that the previous Brother Chu wanted to pass on to us? What do these photos represent? Do they mean that in the Low-Dimensional World there are many Doctors? But these people look slightly different from the Doctor."

"The ghost from the Death Scene Instance also mentioned seeing the Doctor at the crematorium, right? Could it have been these people it saw?" Fatty was confused.

To understand matters of the Low-Dimensional World, of course, they had to ask an NPC from that world. Gu Mian looked at Coach Che, who was currently driving. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Feeling Gu Mian's gaze, Coach Che shuddered. "Don't look at me! I don't know anything! I didn't even know this world was like this before. If I had known, I wouldn't have come for anything. I didn't benefit from it, and I almost got swallowed. Now, I just want to hurry to the bus station and escape from this godforsaken place!

"I'm just a poor NPC who only wanted to earn money to repair cars! Please spare me!"

Seeing Coach Che almost on the brink of tears, Gu Mian shifted his gaze. He wasn't some vile villain who would threaten a pitiful NPC with a chainsaw.

It was alright; even if Coach Che didn't know, there was another NPC here.

Gu Mian picked up the cellphone from beside the car seat. He hadn't hung up when he got out of the car, to avoid having to redial. The person on the other end of the phone apparently had the same idea, as neither side had hung up, allowing the call to continue.

"I didn't expect you to actually save all of them. I suppose this counts as a good ending." Clever Xiao Qiao, who apparently knew Gu Mian had picked up the phone, spoke, her voice emanating from the receiver.

As Gu Mian listened to the voice on the phone, he glanced at the unconscious Xiao Qiao lying on the ground. The voice sounds like the same person, but how can their actual states be so different?

"Indeed, it's a good ending," Gu Mian replied perfunctorily, then continued, "We're investigating a group of people who look very similar to me. Do you know about their existence?"

This NPC seemed to be a key figure in the Seventh World. She should know what these individuals who resembled Gu Mian were.

But she fell silent.

After a long while, Gu Mian heard the NPC's voice again.

"I've heard they are 'vessels.'"

Vessels? Humans as vessels? Gu Mian frowned. "Vessels for what?"

"I'm not too sure. I've only heard that there are quite a number of these individuals in other worlds too, and it likely has something to do with you."

So even the only NPC in the Seventh World doesn't know what these people are for?

Looking at these people who shared his likeness, Gu Mian asked, "Could I be one of them?"

Coach Che had previously proposed the "dimensional replacement" theory in the Courtroom Instance. The theory stated that the Low-Dimensional World knew of a magical secret and was able to evenly replace the higher and lower dimensional worlds.

These people could very likely be the 'vessels' meant to contain this 'secret.' And I might be the only successful product among all these vessels, created by the Low-Dimensional World and thrown like a bomb to Earth. As a result, Earth has been attempting to assassinate me for twenty years.

The more Gu Mian thought about it, the more reasonable this hypothesis seemed.

"You certainly have a vivid imagination," the person on the other end of the call replied. "You're not one of them. As far as I know, they were created in an attempt to imitate you, so you have no connection with the 'vessels' whatsoever."

So, it seems I am still different, Gu Mian thought, touching the bandage on his head. With such a unique origin story, I could be the protagonist of a novel on Qidian.

"Why are they trying to imitate me?" Gu Mian threw out another question.

This seemed to stump the person on the other end of the line.

"Perhaps it has to do with your uniqueness. Maybe your existence poses a threat to Earth, so the Low-Dimensional World wants to replicate a few more of you. But this is purely my speculation… To be honest, compared to others, I don't know much because I was created very late. For some matters, you'd get more accurate answers if you ask NPCs from other Higher worlds."

After thinking for a few seconds, Gu Mian asked, "Other people? Could you recommend a few?"

Nearby, Coach Che pricked up his ears, wanting to hear which unlucky soul would be recommended.

Clever Xiao Qiao, showing no awareness that she might be selling out her 'teammates,' calmly stated, "In each of our worlds, there's a crucial figure. Some proclaim themselves gods, while others blend into the crowd, hidden in some corner of the world. I haven't had much interaction with them, so I don't know their exact locations.

"However, I do know the names of key figures in two of these worlds. They might be able to answer your questions."

Gu Mian excitedly fished a pen out of Fatty's inventory. "Quick, tell me."

After a few seconds of silence, the voice on the other end said, "One is the key figure in the First World, named 'No. 1'—a very fitting name.

"The other is the key figure in the Fourth World. I've heard other NPCs call him the Evil God, but I know his original name: 'Slaughter.'"

Evil God, Slaughter... I've already had significant interaction with this 'big brother.' Quite an intimate interaction, in fact. I single-handedly destroyed several of his statues, yet this Evil God generously gifted me a leaf brooch. Oh, and a spray bottle, but I used that up long ago. I never thought this Evil God's name would be so melodramatic.

"And what about you?" Gu Mian asked, still holding his pen. "After all this time, I still don't know your name."

Silence again from the other end. This time, she was silent for several minutes. Just as Gu Mian was about to ask if she was still listening, the person on the other end finally spoke in a peculiar tone.

"Xingyun. My name is Xingyun."