Gu Mian tore open a packet of ginger sugar powder, poured it in, then screwed the lid on tightly and shook the thermos vigorously.

Gu Mian noticed that as he shook the thermos, Fatty, whose face had previously been frozen, now showed a startled expression.

Only when he finished shaking did Fatty stammer, "You know, Doctor, it could explode if you shake it like that..."

Gu Mian said nothing.

「」

By the time Fatty had fully recovered, half an hour had passed.

To escape the cold, Gu Mian had deliberately driven the car into a pitch-black parking lot.

The wind wasn't very strong here.

Notably, there were actually people in this parking lot.

After they drove in, the trio saw a few beams of light in the dark parking lot, and the roar of engines reached their ears.

Several cars had been started.

Each car that had started was packed with people.

Fatty looked at those cars, his expression uncertain. Are they using the car's AC for warmth? he wondered.

It was indeed freezing outside.

Just walking a short distance made their toes go numb.

Chu Changge also looked at the cars that had started. After a closer inspection, he commented, "The cars that have started are mostly large vehicles, like minivans and SUVs. And look at the other cars around; many of them have their doors ajar, as if their owners had been here recently but left in such a hurry they didn't even close them."

Fatty, wrapped in his blanket, nodded. But what did all this mean?

Chu Changge seemed to notice Fatty's confusion. "This suggests that the gasoline in all these cars might have evaporated completely," he explained. "Some people might have a habit of storing gasoline in barrels, and that gasoline wouldn't have evaporated. So, these people gathered..."

Fatty understood.

Those who still had gasoline gathered, looking for large vehicles that could accommodate them all, then started the heaters.

Those without gasoline had come here hoping to turn on their car's heater, only to find their fuel tanks empty. They had to leave immediately; it was too cold to stay outside any longer.

For some reason, Fatty suddenly felt a sense of desolation.

If I hadn't met the Doctor, I'd probably be out there silently enduring this cold right now. No, wait, I'm still enduring the cold now, but... this is different...

As Fatty sipped his hot brown sugar ginger water, wrapped in his blanket, his thoughts began to wander. Even though our car doesn't have a heater, I don't feel any worse off than those people with their heaters running...

Gu Mian's car, with the three of them inside, had naturally attracted the attention of others.

But those people had no time to pay attention to anyone else; their own fuel shortage already had them at their wits' end.

By now, Gu Mian had driven the car a bit further from the other vehicles and parked.

Fatty was wrapped in three thick blankets and had gulped down a large thermos of steaming hot brown sugar ginger water. He felt quite content and was beginning to doze off.

Just then, as Fatty was drifting off, he heard Gu Mian ask, "Who was An Tusheng talking to when he said that?"

Fatty's drowsiness vanished instantly. He widened his eyes, staring at the person before him.

The bright headlights of the Spirit Car shone through the windshield, illuminating Gu Mian's profile.

There was no discernible expression on his face. The shadows cast by his brow bone and the bridge of his nose perfectly concealed his eyes, making it impossible to read his thoughts.

Fatty looked at Gu Mian's half-lit face, then surreptitiously shifted back a little, almost drawing level with Xiao Hong behind him.

Once he had moved closer to Xiao Hong, he hesitantly asked, "Which comment?"

He looked as guilty as a thief.

Seeing this, Gu Mian suddenly chuckled. "I was just asking casually. Why are you so nervous? Though I always feel like you two are up to something strange behind my back, it's surely nothing bad, right?"

Fatty had seen Gu Mian smile many times. But for some reason, I find his brilliant smile right now rather terrifying—even more so than the leering grins of some Evil Ghosts in certain instances.

Beside them, Chu Changge suddenly pinched the bridge of his nose.

Fatty turned to look at him. Chu Changge's face was almost swallowed by the shadows, but Fatty could at least see his lips moving. "About that last instance," Chu Changge began, "Gu Mian, what are your thoughts?"

He had changed the subject directly, using a rather crude method.

Unexpectedly, Gu Mian picked up on it. "The fact that an instance can generate a 'spirit' is indeed surprising. As for the two organizers you mentioned earlier... let's call them Organizer No. 1 and Organizer No. 2 for now."

"Organizer No. 1 is the one that initially launched this global game. It's harmless to players, and its goal is human evolution... However, if I may be so bold, I'd add another objective: to kill me. And even though this might overstate my importance, I feel this speculation is very reliable."

"Organizer No. 2 is the one that appeared later, taking charge of events. Perhaps it will also take over instances that guarantee death? Organizer No. 2 is clearly opposed to Organizer No. 1. But, judging by An Tusheng's situation, it seems Organizer No. 2 doesn't have the direct authority to meddle with instances. Maybe it's secretly modifying them?"

Chu Changge nodded. "Correct. There's a key point in the Fairy Tale City instance: after An Tusheng awakened, someone gave him a 'pen.' That's why he gained the ability to rewrite the instance, which led to the entire instance's mutation."

And this 'pen' couldn't possibly have been given by Organizer No. 1. So far, Organizer No. 1 seems unaware that any instance has undergone a mutation.

Moreover, that organizer always acts in the players' best interests and would never tolerate a situation where players are slaughtered.

And after his mutation, An Tusheng suddenly appeared before them, said some incredible things, and bluntly stated he was acting at someone's behest.

But before he could finish those incredible words, a mysterious voice interrupted him.

Gu Mian recalled that the 'Fairy Tale City' instance had eight players.

The three of them took three slots. Adding 007, the 'strongest supermodel in history' Fatty had met, and Xiao Qiao, that made only six. Two players hadn't appeared.

So, did the voice that interrupted An Tusheng belong to the remaining two missing players? Or was it another NPC?

"And also, Doctor..." Fatty suddenly spoke in a low voice, "have you noticed something?"

Noticed what? Gu Mian wondered.

Gu Mian looked at Fatty, who was clutching his thermos tightly.

He seemed to hesitate for a moment before continuing, "That An Tusheng, he forcefully modified the instance data, didn't he? No, perhaps it wasn't even data anymore in that instance... If the game discovers this mutated NPC, what will happen to him?"

Gu Mian tilted his head, thought for a moment, then flashed Fatty another brilliant smile. "Like me?"

Gu Mian is smiling a bit too much today, Fatty thought.

He shivered violently, pulled his head further into the blankets, and said no more, his entire being exuding an air of 'what can be understood intuitively need not be said.'

Beside them, Chu Changge remained silent for a moment, then said, "Anything not part of the plan is destined to be forcibly erased."

Gu Mian glanced at him. "Why do I always feel like you're talking about me...?"

He had faced far too many assassination attempts from life itself, ever since he was a child.

So much so that I often fantasize that I'm a virus, and the assassins life sends after me are just diligent antivirus programs. It's just that this antivirus software is a bit weak; it's been trying to kill me for over twenty years and still hasn't succeeded. And this current global game feels like the antivirus software using its ultimate, last-resort move. Though it might be somewhat different, overall, it's pretty much the same...

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