Global Collapse-Chapter 604 - 572: Xiao Gu Must Strive to be Strong!_1

The NPCs had already begun raising their hands to vote, and it seemed more were in favor of immediately closing this instance.

The demon on the high podium was eagerly watching the "First Instance NPC Representatives Conference" below, almost unable to resist rushing down to vote himself.

Not far from the demon, Gu Mian was also watching the crowd's voting process with interest.

These NPCs don't know I still have another Dungeon Entry Ticket, Gu Mian mused. Even if they vote me out of the instance this time, I can just come back in. If things really develop that way, the expressions on these NPCs' faces when they see me again will be quite something. Even if the Recycle Station instance is prepared for me after this and I can't get in next time, it won't stop me from stirring up trouble in other instances. Can't get hung up on just one tree, right? If I can't get into the Circus Dungeon, there are other instances I can enter.

However, the "violation" these NPCs mentioned did pique Gu Mian's interest.

He sat on the princess's throne and contemplated, A violation? Would terminating a normally running instance midway be a violation? Are these rules jointly established by Earth and the Low-Dimensional Worlds?

These NPCs seemed terrified of the punishment for such a violation. But they were even more afraid of ending up like Coach Che and Mr. Green.

Speaking of Mr. Green…

Gu Mian looked around for the small eyeball Mr. Green had given him before they entered the instance. But the eyeball was nowhere to be found now. It probably vanished when the group of NPCs mentioned, "Mr. Green's big iron cage from the instance is still here."

Realizing this, Gu Mian's gaze swept past the high platform to the ground. Sure enough, not far away, near a garbage heap, he saw several large iron cages. Gu Mian recognized these large iron cages. They were from the Crazy Guessing Words instance—Mr. Green's instance.

The small eyeball was indeed hovering around those large cages, looking somewhat dejected.

Others weren't as leisurely as Gu Mian.

When Fatty arrived, panting, at the location Chu Changge had indicated, he found him using the "Supernatural Editor Simulator" to write something next to a hole in the ground. The Supernatural Editor Simulator was a pen-shaped special item Chu Changge had obtained during the dragon boat event, capable of slightly modifying non-living objects. Chu Changge was currently writing the word "Expand" beside the hole with the pen.

As expected, the hole widened slightly. The Supernatural Editor Simulator's ability was limited; the hole only expanded by a few centimeters. However, it was enough for Xiao Qiao to stick her entire head in.

"Brother Chu," Fatty panted, running to Chu Changge's side. "Why did you call me over? I saw those NPCs holding some kind of vote. They're deciding whether to end this instance early."

"What's the result of the vote?" the Fortune-teller asked nervously, pulling Xiao Qiao's head out.

Fatty shook his head slightly. "They had just started voting when I left, so no result had been decided. But I think most of them favor ending the instance early."

Fatty's guess was correct. The NPCs' voting had already concluded. Gu Mian, watching clearly from above, saw that including the patrol officers, nine NPCs were present. Seven voted to close the instance immediately, and two voted against.

"In that case, I'll notify headquarters that we're closing this instance. It'll take a few minutes for the buffer time," the male patrol officer said, taking out a walkie-talkie. "The instance will close shortly after." He pressed the call button on the walkie-talkie and spoke to someone on the other end. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The remaining NPCs gathered and began to discuss.

"Sigh, this is the only way now. Let's get Gu Mian out first and deal with things later."

"Nothing should go wrong in these few minutes, right?"

"By the way, where are his teammates? I saw that Fatty nearby just moments ago. How did he vanish in the blink of an eye?"

"I saw him leave in a hurry earlier."

As soon as this was said, everyone fell silent. They looked left and right but couldn't find any sign of Fatty.

The female patrol officer suddenly spoke. "Right, that Fatty mentioned earlier they entered this instance to find something. When I asked what he was looking for, he was vague. He only said they were looking for something belonging to the goddess from the Angel Redemption instance. But that goddess has no valuables here. I guess they must be looking for something else."

"There are only a few useful items in this recycle station. Damn it… they can't actually be here for the Circus Dungeon Entry Tickets, can they?!"

"Did that Fatty run off in such a hurry because he knows the instance is about to close, and he's gone to find the entry tickets?"

"Damn it, we need to find those people quickly!"

"We absolutely cannot let Gu Mian enter that dungeon!"

"I saw that Fatty heading in that direction just now!" An NPC pointed, and everyone immediately rushed off that way.

Meanwhile, Fatty, who was checking the group chat, saw a message from Gu Mian.

[Gu Mian]: The instance will close in a few minutes. Those NPCs are coming for you.

Fatty turned pale. "Oh no, Brother Chu! The vote is over, and they're going to close the instance! And the Doctor said those NPCs are coming for us!"

The Fortune-teller wiped the sweat from her forehead. "What are we going to do now…" She looked helplessly at the hole in the ground, which was only big enough to fit a head. Unless someone present knew bone-shrinking techniques, there was no way to retrieve the clown mask from underneath.

The Fortune-teller glanced at 007, who had arrived recently. Among those present, 007 was the slimmest. The Fortune-teller quickly sized up 007 but concluded that even she wouldn't fit into the hole.

007 had followed Fatty here. She had been searching for the clown mask when she saw Fatty rushing in this direction. After a quick search through the trash in her hands, she had also walked a few steps this way and spotted Chu Changge and the others gathered there. Now, being stared at by the Fortune-teller made 007 feel a chill run down her spine. She rubbed her arms and took a few steps back.

They weren't far from the high platform. It would take the NPCs less than two minutes to reach them. If they weren't done before the instance closed, they would be caught.

Chu Changge, however, showed no signs of panic. He looked at Fatty. "Give me the disc."

Fatty clutched his pocket. "You're not going to throw it into the mouse hole, are you?"

From Chu Changge's demeanor, it seemed he intended to throw Brother in there to have him retrieve the mask. Although Brother was a ghost, he didn't seem to have the ability to shapeshift. Tossing him into the mouse hole would just get him stuck. Moreover, if the disc was in the mouse hole and not in their possession when the instance closed, then Brother would be left behind in this instance.

Chu Changge refuted Fatty's assumption. "Not long ago, this disc absorbed a monster. If a ghost can enter and exit this disc, then the 'Believer' presumably can too."

The Fortune-teller understood. "You mean, throw the disc into the mouse hole and then release the monster? To make it break through the ground? But won't the monster get crushed to a pulp in the hole?"

"There's no other way now. In the character excerpts from Exile World, this Believer has immense destructive power and won't die easily," Chu Changge said, adjusting his glasses. "We can only gamble now—gamble that the Believer can break through the ground here. We're out of time."

"But whether the disc can even release the monster is another question," the Fortune-teller said, her eyes wide.

Just then, they heard some commotion in the distance. "They should be this way…" The NPCs were approaching.

Fatty grew agitated. "In that case, let's grab Brother first and ask him!"

007 looked at Fatty. "What are you expecting? Can he say anything other than those two words?"

Both of them spoke rapidly, barely pausing for breath, giving the Fortune-teller a headache.

She shook her head and took out a bundle of red thread—a tool she used for fortune-telling. "If that monster can really break through the ground, we'll use this to tie the disc. After the monster is released, we'll immediately pull the disc back up."

The disc had a hole in the center, perfect for tying a string. The Fortune-teller's suggestion was feasible.

Brother had already been summoned by Fatty. 007 saw Fatty whisper a few words to Brother. Then, Fatty turned and announced to the others, "He says the monster can be released!"

007 had a strange expression. To be fair, the man who had crawled out of the disc earlier had only shouted "Sister" a few times. She had no idea how Fatty had managed to interpret those shouts as an affirmative answer.

"Anyway, let's hurry!" The Fortune-teller could already hear footsteps. She knew the NPCs would see them in just a few more steps.

She quickly tied the red string to the disc and, after getting Brother's consent, tossed the disc with the string attached into the mouse hole.

Just as she finished, the Fortune-teller heard shouts from behind. "I see them! They're here!"