Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 119: Giant Monster Fish

Chapter 119: Chapter 119: Giant Monster Fish

Another scream rang out, another person from a different team was being dragged away. He flailed on the water surface, struggling fiercely, but to no avail. Whatever was in the water was pulling him towards the center of the lake, and he ended up submerging into the water.

It was the second occurrence, people from that team were obviously targeted. This bought some escape time for Lu Yi and the others, but they could only swim so slowly.

Unfortunately, ripples began to form on the lake surface, coming toward Lu Yi’s team. They could faintly make out something breaking the surface of the water, setting Gu Fan on edge, urging everyone to hurry.

"Oh no, not again," Lu Yi turned to look, something that resembled a fish fin was drawing near, immediately turning his face pale in fear.

Su Hui came forward, wielding the poacher’s crossbow targeting the peculiar object on the water surface. However, she was not good with the crossbow and missed the first shot, immediately reloaded for another.

Lu Yi was becoming frantic, shouting as he swam, "Sister Su, seriously, how could you drop the ball at such a crucial moment!"

Su Hui didn’t respond, she needed to concentrate. Just as her second arrow had locked on its target, the lake surface suddenly became calm, and the unidentified thing had apparently submerged.

Gu Fan was sure that the creature hadn’t given up. He heard yet another terrified scream from the other team, and even saw something leap up to swallow the man as he was dragged into the center of the lake.

"What on earth is this?" Not only Gu Fan’s team, but the other team also shone many flashlights onto the lake, revealing everything clearly.

With a stern expression, Gu Fan spoke, "There’s likely more than just one. Everyone be careful."

At this time, Xu Haowen was the first to swim up, followed by Jie, then Lu Yi. Now, only Du Jun was left. If they could make it to the shore, they’d be safe.

Ouyang Jin, being exceptionally generous, went into the water to pull Du Jun, trying to get him to shore more quickly. It seemed his respect for this man’s wealth was sincere. This made people sigh: it’s good to have money.

However, just as Du Jun was about to make it to the shore, he suddenly stopped, his face full of horror. He glanced back at his foot submerged in the water, tried to move again, but he was stuck. His foot was entangled by something.

"Not good, pull me quickly!" Du Jun yelled, tightly gripping Ouyang Jin’s hand. Teacher Liu and Professor Luo also held on to Ouyang Jin, but despite their combined strength, they couldn’t pull Du Jun back.

Gradually, a powerful force was pulling Du Jun step by step back into the water. No matter how hard Ouyang Jin, Teacher Liu, and Professor Luo tried, they couldn’t stop it.

Lu Yi, Jie, and Xu Haowen, who had just swum back, were completely drained. They could only watch anxiously, unable to lend a hand.

Lin Xi and Qin Jia wanted to help, but were stopped by Gu Fan. He told the two frail women to stand back. And then he saw something like a red tentacle shooting out from the water, sticking to someone from the other team. Amidst a shrill scream, the person was dragged into the water.

"Damn it, it’s dangerous, step back!" Gu Fan issued another warning. Lin Xi and Qin Jia were sensible enough to retreat immediately. Everyone understood that the creature in the water was horrifying. Not even the shore guaranteed safety.

Indeed, just as Professor Luo was preparing to pull Du Jun onto the shore, a kind of tentacle-like object shot out from the water and stuck to his shoulder. He too, was being pulled into the lake by a strong force.

It had been difficult enough to pull back Du Jun alone, scaringly so with Professor Luo added, suddenly making the situation much more critical. Fortunately, Lu Yi, Jie, and Xu Haowen had regained some strength. They quickly grabbed Professor Luo’s legs and body, holding on tightly. It was only with the combined weight of the four of them that Professor Luo wasn’t pulled into the water.

"Damn it", Su Hui, holding her crossbow, couldn’t find a target. First the darkness had been an issue, then the creature submerged deep under water. Although the water was clear, it was not transparent to the bottom, making it difficult to find a target.

Gu Fan wanted help from the other team, but they were scared out of their wits and retreated hastily. No one dared to approach the water.

"Don’t count on others, rely on ourselves." Gu Fan said to Lin Xi and Qin Jia, letting them return to camp to gather equipment. Right now, what was needed were weapons.

Buying some time, Gu Fan bravely rushed forward and kicked at the tentacle holding Professor Luo. It was a really solid kick. The tentacle seemed to feel pain and quickly retreated, leaving Professor Luo safe.

"Quick, get Professor Luo back first," was Gu Fan’s first thought, prioritizing the elderly and weak. But this left him in a dangerous situation. The tentacle returned with vengeance, quickly attaching itself onto Gu Fan’s arm, forcefully pulling him towards the water.

"You bastard, don’t push it," Gu Fan was furious and struggled fiercely, but the pulling force was too strong. He couldn’t resist it at all. Even with the help of Teacher Liu and Ouyang Jin, Du Jun not only couldn’t get onshore, he was inching further into the water.

Seeing Gu Fan in trouble, Lu Yi and Jie acted without regard for their safety. But they were so depleted, they just collapsed again.

At the critical moment, Su Hui shot an arrow, which this time hit the target. The sharp arrow whistled through the air, severing the tentacle that held Gu Fan. He narrowly escaped danger.

"My God, help!" Gu Fan had barely spoken when he saw that Teacher Liu was losing his grip on Du Jun. The situation was precarious.

Speaking is slower than acting; Gu Fan grabbed Du Jun’s hand, momentarily preventing him from being pulled into the water. But Du Jun’s grip was weakening; he was entirely reliant on Gu Fan’s strength.

Ouyang Jin also couldn’t hold onto Du Jun any longer. Reluctantly, he let Gu Fan take his place. Grinding his teeth, he strived to pull hard. But the monster’s power beneath the water was just too strong—overwhelmingly so.

Du Jun was panicked as more than half his body had been pulled into the water, even Gu Fan’s feet were being drawn in. If this continued, both would face disaster.

"This can’t be it, it can’t!" Gu Fan exclaimed. Although his will was strong, his strength was finite, and he was unable to resist the pull.

Lu Yi, Jie, Xu Haowen, Ouyang Jin, and Teacher Liu were all drained, but they still tried to help. However, they’d barely made a move when more tentacles shot out from the water, almost ensnaring them.

"Oh my God, you kidding me!" Lu Yi moaned in anxiety. They couldn’t get close to Gu Fan and Du Jun at all; the situation was too dangerous.

Worse yet, a pool of blood spread across the once crystal-clear lake, presumably from those who had been dragged underwater. It was horrifying to imagine what had happened to them.

Ripples appeared on the lake surface as a fin broke above water, revealing a monstrous silhouette, which sent chills down everyone’s spine.

A massive fish, about two meters long with a reddish-yellow body and fin spines like daggers, surfaced. Its eyes were serpent-like, and as it opened its mouth, a row of sharp teeth were revealed, along with chunks of flesh and blood.

"Oh my God!" Everyone gawked in fear at the sight of this monstrous fish. It swooped down, seemingly impatient to savor its next meal—Gu Fan and Du Jun.

As the fish lunged forward, showing its massive array of fangs, both Gu Fan and Du Jun were paralyzed with fear, unable to think or act.

At the last, perilous moment, Su Hui shot a critical arrow that hit the fish in the eye, knocking it back into the water.

"Nice shot, Sister Su. We can always rely on you at crucial times." Lu Yi said, just as Su Hui responded with a stern expression, "What are you waiting for? Shine your flashlights on the water. There’s more than one monstrous fish."

Upon hearing this, everyone took out their flashlights and pointed them in different directions. After the recent disturbance, the natural clarity of the lake was obscured, rendering it impossible to spot the monstrous fish.

Seizing the moment, Gu Fan and Du Jun tried to scramble back to the land. But before they could escape, Du Jun felt a grip tighten around his foot, and a mighty force pulled him back.

This time, two monstrous fish were working together. Gu Fan couldn’t maintain his grip and became frantic. Was he about to lose a comrade?

Just as everyone was in despair and out of options, Lin Xi returned at Gu Fan’s behest with an electric baton and tossed it to Gu Fan. Their last shred of hope.

Accepting the baton, Gu Fan’s teeth clenched. Without hesitation, he screamed, "I’m sorry, Du Jun. Bear with it!" Then, he plunged the baton into the water.

The strong electric charge that coursed through the water caused Gu Fan and Du Jun’s bodies to convulse. It was a seemingly comical sight, but the danger involved was known only to them — it was a desperate last-ditch effort.

There was a thrashing on the lake surface as the monstrous fish also seemed unable to withstand the electric shock. Gu Fan’s plan had worked.

"What are you waiting for? Quickly save them!" Su Hui’s words snapped everyone into action, and they jumped into the water to rescue the numbed Gu Fan and Du Jun.

Lin Xi, Qin Jia, Professor Luo, were in charge of illuminating the area with their flashlights. Su Hui stood tense, her crossbow aimed at the lake’s surface. If the monster fish attacked again and the arrow didn’t hit its mark, the consequences would be unimaginable.

When Gu Fan and Du Jun were finally rescued ashore, they quickly retreated from the lake’s edge. The terrifying creatures that lurk within the oasis still filled them with dread.

"Oh, thank God, we’re finally safe." Gu Fan gasped for breath, Du Jun likewise. Both collapsed on the ground, the others promptly sitting down. Even thinking about the recent close call instilled fear in them. How close they came to losing a teammate.

"Is everyone okay?" Su Hui was the last to retreat. She continued to hold her bow and arrow, aimed at the lake.