Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 101 Content of the Notes

Chapter 101: Chapter 101 Content of the Notes

When Gu Fan, Lin Xi, and Lu Yi returned from their excursion, they found Professor Luo sitting inside the house with a heavy expression on his face as though he had encountered some sort of difficult problem. Further to this, both Teacher Liu and Ouyang Jin also appeared troubled.

Gu Fan noticed a book on the table around which they were seated. Looking quite old, it must be the journal that Ouyang Jin had mentioned of his father’s expedition into the foreign territories, bearing notes about the events that had transpired on the journey.

"What’s the matter with you all? You all look so grim." Gu Fan asked, after which he saw Professor Luo sigh, reflecting an air of perplexity.

It was Teacher Liu who spoke up, "We’ve read Mr. Ouyang Jin’s father’s notes. Thirty years ago, he led a team into the desolate territories in search of the ancient Qianye Country, and he was the only one to return alive."

"Ah, that’s dangerous." On hearing this, Gu Fan felt a sense of unease. Lin Xi and Lu Yi also looked rather pale – this was definitely not good news.

Ouyang Jin added, "When my father handed his notes over to me, I was mostly working outside and rarely came home. In addition, my father’s handwriting was very poor and the initial part of the content seemed unremarkable, so I didn’t really look into it. But, today Professor Luo meticulously went through my father’s notes and found a good amount of notable information."

"What did you find? Is it really that dangerous?" Driven by curiosity, Gu Fan picked up the notebook from the table and began to read it seriously. Despite the poor handwriting that made it difficult to comprehend, Gu Fan was more interested in the content.

Ouyang Jin’s father had noted every day’s events after setting out. The initial twenty days seemed normal, but what happened afterwards could only be described as mysterious.

The team, on the twenty-first day, encountered a sandstorm which reduced the size of the expedition team by half, underlining the dreadful nature of the storm. But what was more terrifying was the note suggesting that, even within the veil of sand, Ouyang Jin’s father had faintly heard the screams of people and had even seen a figure being dragged away by something.

Just reading up to this point left Gu Fan covered in cold sweat – the contents of the notes were simply too eerie.

In archaeology, sometimes one needs to venture into untouched territories, which inevitably comes with certain risks. Having had such experiences, Professor Luo was not afraid, but the events in the notes were unlike anything he had ever encountered before which left him feeling rather unsettled.

Gu Fan glanced at Professor Luo, who in turn, looked at Gu Fan. Their eyes met as if asking the other’s opinion: Should they continue or retreat?

If the events detailed in the notes were to come true, they would be facing extremely dangerous situations. Professor Luo had not expected such circumstances. He would be responsible for the safety of everyone in the team, and should any mishaps befall any of the students, he would be blameworthy, having to explain the situation to their parents.

Even though Professor Luo was resolved to dedicate his remaining years to the quest he had been pursuing all his life and was willing to make sacrifices for it, he couldn’t selfishly risk the lives of his students.

Gu Fan also had similar concerns; he wanted to rescue his missing classmates but didn’t want to put Lin Xi, Lu Yi, Jie, or Su Hui in danger.

The atmosphere sank into silence, everyone hesitating, undecided about whether to proceed or withdraw.

Just then, Su Hui returned. Seeing everyone’s concerned expression, she was puzzled until Lin Xi explained the situation. After understanding, she shook her head, "You’re scared of a thirty-year-old journal? You’re all men. How can you achieve greatness with this attitude?"

Hearing her words, Gu Fan couldn’t help but chuckle self-deprecatingly. He thought, indeed, how shameful it was to have their fear significantly aroused even before facing the actual danger.

"While I’m not suggesting that Ouyang Jin’s father conjured up his notes, we shouldn’t dismiss the possibility of illusions or misinterpretations. Humans can make mistakes. What he saw, felt, and wrote down might not be the most accurate. He could have been mistaken," Gu Fan suggested, providing everyone with a flimsy reason to keep going.

Ouyang Jin also chimed in, "Honestly, I’ve led several expeditions into the foreign territories over many years and haven’t encountered any strange events. I don’t fully believe the unusual stories written in my father’s notes."

Gu Fan nodded, "We will proceed according to plan, but we need to be extra cautious."

"Yes, this is a thirty-year-old journal. Time has changed many things in these three decades. We may not necessarily encounter what they did." When Teacher Liu spoke up, it was decided that the team would continue its journey.

The next task was to map out a route based on Gu Fan’s blueprint and the notes on the journal left by Ouyang Jin’s father. This was likely to take a day, which gave everyone a chance to rest another day.

Upon understanding, Gu Fan also expressed empathy. Finding the ancient country of Qianye is not going to happen overnight. Furthermore, there were inherent dangers, necessitating route plans and strategies. Without them, the journey would be haphazard and would pose troubles for everyone.

Consequently, Professor Luo, Teacher Liu, and Ouyang Jin began to plan the route. They threw themselves into research, working from afternoon until late into the night. Despite multiple revisions, they still could not reach a common ground.

Every location mentioned in Ouyang Jin’s father’s notes, their geographical features, and characteristics, were all attempted to be integrated onto the map. But even after repeated deliberations, their plans remained unsatisfactory and had to be dismissed.

The difficulty was real. The ancient Qianye was roughly mapped by Gu Fan, but long years had drastically changed the surrounding landscape. For instance, a nearby lake had dried up, buried by sand over time. Locating the lake would have been a clue to proximity of Qianye, but was no longer an option.

Combining the map with the content from Ouyang Jin’s father’s notes required intellectual effort and continuous reasoning. Luckily, with Professor Luo’s expertise in the history and geography of foreign cultures, and Ouyang Jin’s familiarity with the current geographical state, their collaborative endeavor finally led to deciding the departure route.

Having mapped out the route, they prepared to take their first step. This was, at least, a good start. Everyone was to rest for the night and set off first thing in the morning.

The living conditions here were modest, with only three rooms in Ouyang Jin’s house. The women occupied one room while the men were split between the remaining two. The night deepened, and soon everyone was off to sleep.

But at this moment, Leng Le and Hai quietly approached the village. Their team had rented a courtyard for a hefty sum, equipped with multiple camels and advanced instruments.

Leng Le kept glancing at her phone, confirming Gu Fan’s location. The tracking signal presented no issues. A smirk filled her face, followed by a smug thought, "he cannot escape my clutches; it’s high time he accepted his fate."

However, Hai showed signs of concern, "The latest update states that their team set off three days ago and branched out in groups into the sparsely populated outer regions. Our team hesitated to follow in their tracks without knowing their whereabouts."

Leng Le appeared perplexed upon hearing this, "What are they up to? They don’t have a map or a direction. Still, taking a step ahead."

Hai shook his head in confusion, "This is puzzling. Twelve students have already gone missing. If their team was capable of locating the destination, they would have already taken action. Why did they wait until Gu Fan moved? Their actions seem to correlate with that of Gu Fan."

"Exactly. It feels like this youngster isn’t just a pawn anymore, but someone leading us all instead." Having said that, a mischievous idea dawned on Leng Le, and she started chuckling, "Why not just wait for Gu Fan to reach a deserted area, then with our larger group, we could overpower them and steal the map."

Hai opposed this idea, "If we can’t resist the urge and resort to force, their group might use force too. A violent scuffle before even finding the destination isn’t worth it."

"Indeed, it doesn’t make sense." Leng Le furrowed her eyebrows, pondering deeply. Then she asked again, "Any news from the boss yet?"

Hai shook his head, "We haven’t heard from the boss in a while. But, I have sent the latest developments via email. Hopefully, he gives us some instruction; I’m afraid we may bump into danger with our reckless actions."

"What danger, exactly? You don’t genuinely believe in that rumour of Queen Qianye being a cannibal, do you?" After saying this, Leng Le couldn’t help but laugh a little.

Hai immediately responded, "Of course not. But danger is real. Remember, the boss once formed a team to look for the ancient Qianye, but not a single one returned."

"That was thirty years ago. Who knows what they encountered back then? It could’ve been just a sandstorm. It doesn’t necessarily have to be anything drastic. Don’t overthink." Leng Le spoke casually, yet her expression was somewhat serious.

Hai continued, "I used to not believe in such things, but ever since I started working for the boss, I realized it’s better to believe than not. A lot of things seem strange just because they can’t be explained by current science."

"Alright, regardless of the potential dangers ahead, we have people to lead the charge. Besides, your brother, Jie, is also with Gu Fan. Aren’t you worried about his safety?" After asking, Leng Le watched Hai’s reaction meticulously.

Hai appeared deeply anxious, "To be honest, I’m extremely concerned, so much so that I can’t even eat. So, I’m trying to find a way. Besides my brother, Gu Fan still has value. We can’t just let them face danger recklessly."