Global Collapse-Chapter 690 - 655: Almost A Thousand - s Now_1

By this time, Gu Mian had already settled into the passenger seat of the car.

Fatty also jogged back and hopped into the car, panting. He sat in the back seat, leaned over the backrest of Gu Mian's seat, and said, "Doctor, that Miss Xiao Qiao just now…"

Gu Mian, holding his Big Data Search, asked, "Have you ever watched a horror movie?"

Fatty didn't understand why Gu Mian was asking this. "I've seen some."

Gu Mian patted Coach Che, who was in the driver's seat, signaling him to drive towards the nearest arrow on the screen. With a depressed expression, Coach Che started the vehicle.

With Coach Che doing the hard work, Gu Mian didn't need to drive. Over the roar of the engine, he explained to Fatty, "Have you ever seen the movie *Triangle*?"

Fatty recalled the plot of the movie, a dazed look on his face. "I had some guesses before, but hearing you say it so definitively, Doctor, it still feels a bit unbelievable."

"There's nothing unbelievable about it," Gu Mian said, looking at the screen of his Big Data Search. There were too many arrows on the screen, and he couldn't distinguish which one was the living Chu Changge, so he could only check them one by one. "This world is a standard Ouroboros timeline. Time here forms a loop, and everything keeps repeating."

"Chu Changge and the others are right in the middle of this relentless cycle."

Coach Che was a skilled driver; by now, they had already reached the nearest arrow.

Gu Mian saw a familiar black shadow standing by the roadside.

It lingered for only two seconds before disappearing.

Gu Mian noticed that most of this shadow's fingers were missing.

"Not this one." After staring at the empty spot for a while, Gu Mian averted his gaze and gestured for Coach Che to proceed to the next arrow.

Then he continued explaining to Fatty behind him, "The Xiao Qiao we just saw was from a previous timeline. That Xiao Qiao died in the past."

Fatty recalled the sight of Xiao Qiao turning into a monster.

He looked gloomy. "So the previous Miss Xiao Qiao and Brother Chu are both dead?"

"Correct," Gu Mian nodded. "And they've died more than once."

They might have died hundreds, perhaps thousands of times.

The densely packed arrows on the screen almost overlapped, too numerous to count.

They hadn't originally belonged to the Ouroboros timeline but were forcefully thrown here by Earth. This made it impossible for the time reset to erase them; those who died became monsters, permanently stuck here.

The car approached another arrow.

Gu Mian saw another deceased Chu Changge.

Silence fell in the car.

Coach Che drove on to the next destination.

Fatty felt a little breathless. There were simply too many arrows on the screen. Searching like this, who knew when they would find the right person?

It was such a waste of time.

But they had no other choice. Gu Mian had no skills for finding people, and the Big Data Search—the only tool they could use—showed countless Chu Changges. They had no clear direction.

Gu Mian also knew they were pressed for time. "We'd better find them fast. I suspect this world isn't looping for no reason; it's probably using the loops to avoid something."

He looked out the car window.

Outside was a desolate, dead city.

It was quiet here. The only sound was the wailing of the Evil Ghost tied to the back of the car, dragged along by the speeding vehicle, crying out loudly.

"This world has no living creatures; it seems to be on the brink of extinction. Xiao Qiao also mentioned their world was entering its twilight." Gu Mian frowned. "I guess this world started looping to prevent its own demise."

"The alarm is most likely a precursor to the world's end. I think when the alarm sounds, the loop won't be far behind."

Therefore, Gu Mian had to find all four of them before the alarm sounded.

Once the alarm rang, the ghosts all over the world would go berserk. Combined with the world collapsing, no ordinary person could survive.

By now, Coach Che had driven past arrow after arrow.

Without exception, all they saw were people who had died in the past.

"Unless something unexpected happens, this world will keep looping to prevent the apocalypse," Gu Mian said, looking down at the Big Data Search in his hand. "It probably doesn't want any more complications and is single-mindedly trying to prevent its own destruction."

"But Earth tossed Brother Chu and the others here," Fatty said, staring intently at the road ahead, trying to spot any living people. "Earth wants to use this world to kill Brother Chu and the others. Even if it fails, luring you in, Doctor, would be excellent. If you came in, you might just obliterate this Seventh World. Earth would probably be thrilled with that outcome."

In any case, Earth always came out ahead.

The Seventh World was the one losing out. It had been quietly trying to save itself, not even participating in any instances, yet Earth had dumped four people into it. Then, these four had lured Gu Mian in.

Its future was sure to be glorious.

It must be utterly speechless right now.

"Doctor, I have a question," Fatty's voice suddenly came from the back. "Even if we save Brother Chu and the others this time, what about next time? And the time after that? The world keeps looping, and new versions of them will be refreshed. Will future Brother Chus still die?"

Probably.

Unless this world is completely destroyed and the loop stops.

This thought made Gu Mian turn to Coach Che, who was driving with a gloomy expression. "You don't have a cell phone on you, do you?"

Coach Che was momentarily stunned by Gu Mian's sudden question, then, as if realizing something, he shook his head. "I'm miserable enough already! Are you planning to rob me too? I literally have nothing valuable left on me!"

He was telling the truth.

In the last instance, Gu Mian had almost taken money from his pants.

Only after Coach Che's denial did Gu Mian pull a mobile phone from his white coat pocket.

[Trans-dimensional Mobile Phone]

This device could be used to call an important NPC in an instance, provided that NPC had a communication device.

Mr. Green once said there was a super high-level NPC in this world, but they only existed in legend.

That legendary NPC was probably the only living being in the Seventh World.

Using the Trans-dimensional Mobile Phone here, the only person he could call was that super high-level NPC.

Hopefully, that NPC has a communication device.

Gu Mian stared at the phone in his hand for a moment. During that time, Coach Che drove past several more black shadows, but they still hadn't found the real Chu Changge.

"The NPC of this world definitely knows some clues. If possible, I hope to learn the location of Chu Changge and the others from him," Gu Mian said, looking at the phone as he pressed the dial button. "He might also know how to stop this world's loop, but he probably won't tell me."

The phone went, "BEEP. BEEP."

Gu Mian wasn't sure if the so-called high-level NPC had a communication device.

This call might be completely pointless.

Unexpectedly, the call was answered quite quickly.

It was as if the other party had been waiting for this call.

"Hello"—Gu Mian heard a voice from the earpiece, both familiar and unfamiliar.

Damn it, it's the intelligent version of Xiao Qiao.