Global Collapse-Chapter 590 - 558: The Clown Turns Out to Be My Own!
"I heard that the NPCs in that instance used to pay a lot of money for the special item 'Clown' and then threw everything they bought into the recycling station. It seems like they don't want players to interfere with their instance."
"Recycling station?" Gu Mian inquired.
Mr. Green scratched his head. "It's basically a huge dump where all the scrapped and unused items are thrown. I heard from the folks working there that it's quite a peculiar place."
Fatty leaned over. "Is the recycling station also an instance?"
Mr. Green nodded slightly. "Yes, it's mentioned as an instance."
Hearing this, Gu Mian's expression grew strange. "You NPCs are really something. According to Coach Che, you guys even use that train that can travel through different worlds as an instance, as well as the food-processing factory. Now you're telling me that even the recycling station is an instance. You guys are truly remarkable."
Mr. Green puffed out his cheeks. "It's not like we have a say in this! Half of the game treaty rules were drafted by you Earthlings. It wasn't our idea to use important spots as instances; it was Earth's."
As he said this, his puffed-up cheeks deflated. "And even if important locations are made into instances, generally nothing bad would happen, unless..."
Mr. Green trailed off, his gaze lingering on Gu Mian for a few moments before he fell silent.
This time, he didn't seem to have any intention of fleeing.
Fatty asked curiously, "Why did you run just now?" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
Mr. Green held his head high. "Wasn't I just scared that Gu Mian would ask some earth-shattering, soul-stirring questions? What if he asked me how to blow up dozens of instances at once?"
"You have a way?" Gu Mian asked.
"Of course not," Mr. Green quickly shook his head. "I was just afraid that if I couldn't answer, you'd get angry, tie me up, and hang me outside the window."
Gu Mian's gaze searched for a rope. "Am I that kind of person?"
Fatty continued to ask, "So, Mr. Green, do you know the name of the recycling station instance? Is it just called 'Recycling Station'?"
"Of course not," Mr. Green shook his head. "I heard the instance's name is quite peculiar, but we all just call it the 'Recycling Station.' We never specifically asked what its real name is."
Gu Mian was stumped.
To join in the fun at the Circus of Love and Justice, he first needed to get his hands on the special item "Clown." To acquire this item, his only current option was to visit the "Recycling Station." But no one knew the actual name of the Recycling Station instance.
Seemingly sensing Gu Mian's thoughts, Mr. Green said, "Even if you go to that instance, there's no guarantee you'll find what you're looking for. While the instance might not be dangerous, it's a chaotic mess; it's a dumping ground for several worlds."
"Think about it: you might not find something specific even in one junkyard, let alone one containing trash from several worlds. The circus people threw the special items in there precisely because they didn't want players to get them."
At this moment, Fatty suddenly slapped his thigh. "Doesn't Miss Xiao Qiao have that thing? I used it not too long ago."
Gu Mian looked at Chu Changge. "I remember Xiao Qiao has a special item called 'Big Data Search,' right?"
Chu Changge nodded slightly. Indeed. This item could search for the location of a desired item once its name was input. However, it could only be used once a week.
When Gu Mian entered the Old World, Xiao Qiao had used this item in the real world to find a player who had previously entered the Old World. This provided the clue that none of the "all-time top-ranked players" could leave the Old World.
Of course, Gu Mian hadn't complied with this rule.
Soon, Fatty lured Xiao Qiao into the room with a bowl of yam and pork rib soup.
Mr. Green glared at Xiao Qiao, who was sitting before the coffee table, head down and engrossed in her food, and exclaimed, "This kid is useless for scheming!"
Gu Mian watched as Xiao Qiao used her chopsticks to pick up a pork rib from her bowl.
Her grip wasn't steady, and the meat slipped from her chopsticks back into the bowl, splashing soup all over Gu Mian's face.
Gu Mian: "..."
A rare hint of embarrassment flickered across Xiao Qiao's usually deadpan face.
She grabbed the hem of Xiao Hong's skirt nearby and used it to wipe Gu Mian's face.
Xiao Hong: "?"
Chu Changge was the first to ask, "Xiao Qiao, I remember you have a special item called 'Big Data Search'."
Xiao Qiao nodded honestly.
"Can it be used in instances?"
Xiao Qiao nodded.
"Can it search for special items?"
Xiao Qiao nodded and said, "It can search for anything!"
Fatty had borrowed it from Xiao Qiao not long ago. A few days prior, he had hung his washed clothes out to dry in the courtyard downstairs. When he went to collect them, he discovered that Gu Mian's frequently worn gray shirt was missing.
He always carefully clipped the clothes when hanging them; it was impossible for the wind to have blown it away.
Fatty searched for a long time but found nothing. In the end, he had to borrow Xiao Qiao's special item to locate it.
He eventually found it in the cabinet where Xiao Hong hoarded her lychee soda.
When Fatty pulled the shirt out, he was nearly bitten by a snarling Xiao Hong.
Of course, Fatty had to wash the shirt again. He then anxiously waited for it to dry, not leaving its side for a moment.
Gu Mian was unaware of this incident.
At this moment, he had already taken the "Big Data Search" special item from Xiao Qiao's hand.
It was a special item that looked very much like a cell phone. Xiao Hong eyed it covetously from the side, seemingly desperate to snatch it for a selfie.
Gu Mian held the special item, studying it for a while before handing it to Chu Changge. "You try using it to search for that special item."
Due to Gu Mian's peculiar nature, he couldn't use most special items, so he directly gave it to Chu Changge to perform the search.
Chu Changge took the item, thought for a moment, then keyed in: "The special item needed to enter the Circus of Love and Justice instance."
A small loading circle appeared beneath the input box. After spinning a few times, it displayed several lines of text:
"You may be looking for 'Clown Mask.' Now searching for nearby 'Clown Mask.' Please wait..."
"..."
"..."
"Sorry, cannot locate the item."
"Due to the vast amount of data, this item's search range is limited. It is recommended you search again when within 800 kilometers of the item's potential location."
Seeing these lines, Gu Mian exclaimed in surprise, "So, there's no such thing within 800 kilometers?"
Chu Changge pushed up his glasses. "I'm afraid so." Moreover, the special item required to enter the Circus Dungeon wasn't called 'Clown,' but 'Clown Mask.'
Mr. Green also saw the text on the screen and chuckled nervously. "Ah, my mistake..."
So, to get the Clown Mask, they had to enter the Recycling Station instance. But they still didn't know the actual name of the Recycling Station instance.
Fatty suddenly had an idea. "Which world does the Recycling Station instance belong to? If we knew that, perhaps we could ask NPCs from the same world. They might know the Recycling Station's name."
Xiao Qiao, who was still engrossed in her meal, suddenly looked up. "Don't know. Haven't heard. No idea."
With that said, she immediately resumed her battle with the pork ribs in her bowl.
Liu Ruyan was also called into the room shortly after. After listening to Gu Mian and the others' descriptions, she too shook her head. "To the best of my knowledge, there's no such place in the Old World."
Mr. Green also had no idea which world the Recycling Station belonged to.
