Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 112: Crisis Lurks Everywhere

Chapter 112: Chapter 112: Crisis Lurks Everywhere

This was the ninth night, with an evening chill still lingering in the night air. Gu Fan, Du Jun, and Ouyang Jin were having hushed discussions whilst watching the drone footage in the early part of the night.

According to Ouyang Jin’s estimations, perhaps they would be able to reach the desert by the 11th day. This was one of the major differences between the ancient map and the present one. Wasn’t the land of the ancient Qianye kingdom free of desert during its time?

Although the task seemed daunting, their primary objective was to accurately mark their current location on the modern map. Ouyang Jin was confident in his ability to achieve this, as he rigorously calculated the distance each day.

Having replayed the maps multiple times, Gu Fan sighed and said, "We must find a common point on both maps before entering the desert, or it will be difficult to navigate once we’re in."

Ouyang Jin came up with an idea. "The ancient map shows three cities in the Qianye kingdom. We don’t necessarily have to head towards Qianye City. We could aim for the other two cities instead. If we find at least one, we could perhaps combine the clues from both maps."

"That’s a good strategy, although Professor Luo mentioned that the other two cities in the Qianye kingdom survived for centuries after the capital was destroyed overnight. It’s going to be difficult to find those ruins," Gu Fan responded.

Ouyang Jin took out his notebook and said, "My father’s notes mention that they changed their direction to the north after discovering that area because of scarce water resources. And if you look at the ancient map, there’s a lake to the east of the Qianye kingdom."

"Modern maps don’t mark the lake, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. If we find the lake, it will give us a sense of direction." Gu Fan felt that this could be a feasible idea, especially since their water supply was depleting, and they needed to find a source to replenish it.

Ouyang Jin continued, "The ancient map depicts a small city very close to the lake, southeast of Qianye City. If we find the lake, and the ruins of that city, it will validate that we’re on the right path."

Gu Fan nodded in agreement. "Alright, we’ll change our direction to the north and search for the lake tomorrow."

However, Ouyang Jin was not optimistic. "My father’s notes state that they found the lake, but there’s no guarantee it still exists. If we don’t find it, we’ll have to change our course and look for water elsewhere, diverging from our original destination."

"For safety, let’s follow your plan," Gu Fan said and was about to finish his statement when Du Jun suddenly gasped, as if he spotted something suspicious on the drone footage.

Gu Fan and Ouyang Jin immediately tensed, with Gu Fan jumping to his feet to survey their surroundings. Although the campsite was lined with caltrops, better safe than sorry, right?

Ouyang Jin and Du Jun focused on the drone footage, circling the camp once more, only to find out that it was just an animal running by. A sigh of relief followed; as long there were no ogres, or even wolves, they wouldn’t be too alarmed.

Gu Fan was about to return to his tent, assuming that the first half of the night would be uneventful, when he suddenly noticed multiple animals swiftly moving around the edge of their camp through the drone footage; an alerting sight for Gu Fan.

More than one animal, there were several, including herbivores and wolves running in horror, as if facing imminent danger.

"Could there be something wrong?" Noting the wildlife frenzy, Gu Fan decided to investigate the situation at the camp’s edge. The alarming sight of wild animals running amok only escalated his anxiety.

"Something’s not right, get everyone up," instinctively sensing danger, Gu Fan gave the order with a roar that severed the peaceful slumber of the camp. Everyone bolted out of their tents amidst fright, clueless about the crisis awaiting them.

Not just the wild animals running around in chaos, even Ouyang Jin’s camel started to get jittery. A sense of dread hung over everyone as they wondered what threat loomed over them.

Everyone started packing hastily while Jie guided the drone ahead to find out what was frightening the wildlife to such a degree, even wolves were terrified.

Even in the darkness, the light from the drone illuminated the area as it flew about a kilometer ahead. Jie then spotted a massive wave of shadow rolling in. Its speed wasn’t staggering, but the sheer scale of it gradually spread towards their location.

Wherever the shadow passed, no living creature dared to tread. Several animals, who had taken the wrong turn out of panic, were quickly engulfed by the shadow, and even the wolves fell amidst their cries.

"My God, what is that?" Jie was frightened, and so was everyone else. They picked up their pace, hoping they could evade this calamity.

Ouyang Jin looked at the footage from the drone and quickly went pale, "It’s the legendary cannibal ant army. If they catch up to us, there will be nothing left of us in no time."

"Oh no, there’s so many of them, it’s too dangerous," Jie turned pale, so did everyone else.

Despite being well-prepared for an emergency evacuation, Gu Fan had only taken out essential items, with other belongings safely packed away. They geared up to retreat at the earliest possible moment.

Packing up five tents was slow, and removing the tent pegs even slower. Everyone was in a state of anxious desperation, but the more rushed they were, the slower it seemed to take. There was a lingering thought of abandoning everything and making a run for it.

But the problem was, without the tents, how would they spend the night? Without the tent pegs, how would they ensure their safety at night? Why did they have to encounter such a situation?

The black shadow of the cannibal ant army was getting closer - only five hundred meters from the camp. They had only managed to pack up two tents, half of the tent pegs were collected and all their luggage was placed on the camels.

"Hurry, hurry up. Prioritize the tents. As long as we get on the camels, we can start running and we’ll be safe." Gu Fan strongly believed this and gave a warning - if the black shadow of the cannibal ants was estimated to be only two hundred meters away, they should abandon everything and run.

It was now a race against time. Gu Fan felt that he had never been this tense and excited in his life. Thanks to everyone’s efforts, they managed to pack up all the tents and with the protection of thick gloves, they were not afraid of getting hurt by the pegs, which were also mostly collected.

"It’s one hundred and fifty meters away, everyone, run." After Jie’s words, everyone jumped onto the camels. It was in the dead of the night and they couldn’t see the darkness approaching, but they could feel something terrifying getting closer from behind.

Ouyang Jin urged the camels, and everyone started to gallop. They refused to believe that ants could outrun camels.

However, after they ran nearly two hundred meters, they were stunned. The animals they had seen running past them earlier were now running back in terror as if they had encountered danger ahead as well.

Under the surveillance of Jie’s drone, the footage taken made everyone gasp in shock. Not only were there a large number of cannibal ants behind, but also in front, forming a pincer attack.

Ouyang Jin turned pale, "Oh no, we have fallen into the hunting ground of the cannibal ants. They had surrounded this area long ago, and now they are gradually closing in."

"You’re kidding, right? You mean we have ants on our left and right as well?" Just as Gu Fan finished speaking, they heard the cries of many animals. They could see many animals running wildly, appearing to be at a loss of what to do.

Gu Fan immediately said, "If we force the camels to charge through, what are the chances of success?"

Ouyang Jin looked serious, "There’s a certain possibility, but all the camels will definitely end up as food for the cannibal ants in the end. And if the camels fall midway, we will also end up food for the ants."

Professor Luo suddenly shouted, "Something’s wrong, look behind!"

Everyone turned back in horror. The black shadow of the cannibal ants was so close that if they didn’t run now, it would be too late. But where could they run to? Didn’t they see the animals that had run forward turning back? There was danger ahead too.

They saw it, they saw the black shadow pressing in like a wave from the front. It was just as Ouyang Jin said; this entire area had been completely surrounded by the cannibal ant army.

At this time, Jie shot a drone footage showing a slope on a hill that they could possibly climb up to.

Now was a crucial moment. If they chose to charge forward, they would face a quarter of the cannibal ant army, and there was a chance they could get through. But if they climbed the hill, there was a possibility of being completely surrounded by the ants, and they wouldn’t even be able to attempt to charge through then.

Everyone was in a state of indecision. The pressure on Gu Fan was immense; everyone’s lives were at stake, and there was no room for mistakes.

The cannibal ants from all sides were getting more and more numerous, they were completely surrounded. The animals that did not manage to escape bounced around amidst the ant swarm for a moment before collapsing, becoming engulfed by the cannibal ants.

Seeing how quickly those animals fell, Gu Fan understood, even the camels wouldn’t be able to break through. Once a large number of cannibal ants climbed up the legs of the camels, the camels would topple over. The initial plan of a forced breakthrough was unfeasible, so the only alternative was to go up the hill.

Under Gu Fan’s shout, Ouyang Jin immediately led the team, rushing towards their only hope - that slope, while the cannibal ants around them continued to tighten the encirclement.

"Damn, how could this be!" At this moment, Gu Fan realized he had been too naive. First the poachers, then the wolves, and then the ogre. He used to think that the ogre was the most terrifying, but now he realized, even the ogre couldn’t deal with these cannibal ants.

The saying, "even elephants can be consumed by enough ants", used to seem exaggerated to Gu Fan, but now it didn’t seem exaggerated at all. Even a stampede of thousands of horses may not be able to withstand this swarm of cannibal ants.

"Up, get up there! My God, hang in there, hang in there!" Ouyang Jin reached the slope first, but the steep incline made it difficult to climb up. He was extremely anxious; the danger was closing in.