Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 109 A Recording Pen

Chapter 109: Chapter 109 A Recording Pen

After half a day of hard labor and much shoveling, the hole was twice its original size, but nothing was dug up. Just when everyone felt they were wasting their energy, a rabbit suddenly darted out and ran away. This unexpected scene startled everyone.

"So it was just a rabbit, then we have nothing to worry about." Gu Fan said, patting his heart, honestly admitting that he had been scared as well. After all, everyone had been worried about uncovering some creature.

With everything alright, everyone packed up and embarked on the sixth day of their journey, continuing to chat and laugh along the way as if they had forgotten about the terrifying rumors.

This was what Gu Fan had also hoped for: that everyone would travel with a lighter heart rather than live in fear every day. But not everyone could forget the image of a creature, its limbs resembling a human’s, recorded by the video camera, at least Gu Fan couldn’t.

"An ogre? Do they really exist in this world? Why hasn’t it been reported?" Gu Fan wondered and shook his head in bitter amusement. Even if ogres or some such creatures did exist, to avoid unnecessary panic, they wouldn’t be casually reported.

"Damn, it looks like this journey is more dangerous than I thought, I still don’t even know who the enemy is?" As Gu Fan pondered this, he suddenly spotted a dead wolf lying not far away, torn apart.

Not only did Gu Fan see it, but everyone else did too. Lu Yi couldn’t help but exclaim, "What’s going on? Has the wolf become starved and mad, resorting to cannibalism among its pack?"

At this time, Professor Luo and Ouyang Jin were walking and discussing, marking something on the map. Curious, Gu Fan approached to greet them and find out what they were doing.

Professor Luo and Ouyang Jin were estimating their route and current location. They took out a small notebook to document the journey of the past few days, jotting down everything they had seen such as some distinct features of the hills for future reference.

To find the ancient Qian Ye Kingdom, they had to fully understand the exact location indicated on the ancient map. To understand the ancient map, they had to try to merge it with the modern map. As of now, they were still finding it difficult, so they had to take it one step at a time.

If they were lucky enough, they might find the landmarks indicated on the ancient map, which would help them to decipher the ancient map easily. Of course, there were other methods, but this was the only one that Gu Fan could think of at the moment.

After half a day of travel, everyone was not in good spirits, feeling excessively tired and in desperate need of rest.

Seeing everyone’s exhaustion, Gu Fan, despite his resilience, wondered if they should only travel half the day or even rest for an extra day to recuperate.

Just then, someone shouted, "Look, is that the rock we’re looking for?"

At these words, everyone looked towards the distance, and about two hundred meters ahead, they saw a stone jutting upwards like a lance. It was exactly as described in Ouyang Jin’s father’s notes.

"We’ve found it, this is it!" Ouyang Jin excitedly urged his camel to go faster. With this major discovery, everyone followed suit as if they had just glimpsed hope.

Gu Fan was even more pleased. Finding this stone meant that its location could be marked on the modern map, connecting Ouyang Jin’s father’s notes to the modern map.

The next goal was simple: whether Ouyang Jin’s father’s notes contained descriptions of landscapes similar to those in the ancient map. If they did, the notes could be linked to the ancient map, making a merger of the old and new maps possible.

"Great, let me have a good look!" Just as Gu Fan was leafing through Ouyang Jin’s father’s notes, someone exclaimed, "Look, there seem to be two Jeeps over there?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Fan’s first reaction was of the poachers they had encountered earlier that night. They too drove Jeeps, which made him quite nervous. He hoped to himself, "Surely not, not again."

As they drew closer, everyone recognized the Jeeps as those of the poachers from the previous night. It was indeed a small world.

"Be careful, everyone!" Gu Fan warned everyone while discussing with Ouyang Jin if they could avoid the Jeeps. However, what they saw subsequently left Gu Fan puzzled. Apart from the two overturned Jeeps and a messy campsite, there was nothing else.

Gu Fan then questioned, "Strange, where are the people?"

One Jeep was overturned, and there were blood stains on the ground. It looked like something terrible had happened here. Everyone dismounted their camels, took out their weapons, and cautiously approached.

There was no one, not a single one of the five poachers seen previously was present. This gave everyone a bad feeling. Could it be that they had fallen prey to a wild beast?

Ouyang Jin also suggested that those poachers who hunted animals secretly in the wilderness often encountered dangerous beasts. Something happening to them wasn’t unusual.

This explanation reassured everyone quite a bit. But Gu Fan was wondering what kind of creature was capable of turning over a Jeep and shredding tents. Could a wolf really do that?

Su Hui picked up a crossbow from the ground, weighed it in her hand, and decided it felt right for her, so she kept it as her weapon. The others watched enviously, but didn’t dare to compete with Su Hui for it.

After inspecting the surroundings for anything useful, Jie unexpectedly found a recording pen on the ground. It must’ve been left behind by the poachers. Although the battery was dead, Jie planned to charge it.

Upon seeing the stone that looked like a sharp thorn, Ouyang Jin gave it a thought before saying, "It seems we’re all pretty tired from these past few days. Why don’t we camp here for the night and set out tomorrow?"

"Here?" Many people were unwilling. Who knows what those poachers experienced here?

Ouyang Jin theorized that the poachers hadn’t taken proper precautions. If they made good use of the jeep for protection, it could serve as a substantial defense against wild beasts.

Upon hearing this, everyone found his reasoning plausible. So, as per the guide’s suggestion, they decided to camp there for the night.

The rest of the afternoon was a hustle. Tents were set up, dinner was prepared, and then they enjoyed their free time resting, chatting, taking pictures, and waiting for the sun to set.

As night fell, the bonfire was ignited. Everyone sat together, eager to hear about Jie’s findings. The poacher’s recorder had been fully charged, stimulating everyone’s curiosity as they listened intently.

The recording played a man’s voice, documenting their daily activities, places visited, animals hunted, estimated prices; he seemed quite pleased, feeling he could reel in a fortune.

Everyone expressed unanimous loathing towards these poachers. Despite the national prohibition on hunting, these people risked breaking the law for personal gain.

As they listened to various audio segments, including some making crude jokes about an encounter with a fierce beauty, everyone couldn’t help but laugh. It was clear that the recording had taken place after the poachers had tangled with Su Hui, and their memory of her was vivid.

Each recording was short, simply narrating their experiences, but as they listened, there came an unexpected pause, as if the person recording had been interrupted.

The sudden silence felt odd to everyone, creating a sense of unease. The recording captured some other noises. Could it have accidentally recorded when the poachers met with an accident?

After a while, the voice in the recorder emerged again: "Boss, there is movement over there. It seems like wolves?"

"Everyone be careful, grab your weapons!"

Everyone guessed what had happened next. It seemed the poachers had indeed encountered a beast as fierce as they had suspected—a wolf.

Right then, a panic-stricken voice came through the recording. "That’s not it, boss. It doesn’t seem to be a wolf but a person. No, not a person either. I don’t know what it is? It’s moving weirdly? They’re coming, they’re coming!"

Gu Fan furrowed his brows. Everyone else grew tense, pricking up their ears to listen closer.

"Behind you, be careful behind you!" A terrifying voice resonated from the recording pen: "My God, what on earth are these things, Ah... Ah... Ah..."

Screams of terror and despair echoed, full of fear and panic. Strangely, they were accompanied by a gnawing sound unlike any wild beast. As the recording played, everyone’s faces turned ashen with trepidation.

Without delay, Gu Fan stood and scanned their surroundings nervously; even the plethora of hidden spikes did little to comfort him.

A chill breeze swept through, making everyone shudder. Lin Xi and Qin Jia were visibly trembling.

"Ouyang Jin, I have a question. Have we already left the area you’re most familiar with?" The question from Gu Fan made everyone’s heart skip a beat in terror, and they went silent.

Ouyang Jin nodded solemnly, his face flushed white with fear. As for everyone else, their dread was beyond words.

"We shouldn’t stay here any longer. We leave tonight!" At Gu Fan’s command, everyone sprung into action, dismantling tents and packing their bags. Thanks to the afternoon’s lengthy rest, they had enough energy to set out.

As per Gu Fan’s instructions, Jie launched the drone to monitor the surroundings, on high alert for any signs of movement.

Gu Fan and Su Hui were in charge of keeping watch. Standing on either side with flashlights scouring the area, their hearts pounded with fear, dreading an unexpected encounter.

Once everything was packed away, they hastily set off, eager to distance themselves from this place. They even urged the camels to move faster, fearful of some horrific creature pursuing them from behind.