Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 121: Several Doubts

Chapter 121: Chapter 121: Several Doubts

Dawn broke, and another team was the first to pack up and leave. Perhaps due to the loss of a companion the night before, their mood was pretty low. They just waved a greeting and left.

As Gu Fan was packing, he watched the team leave with a furrowed brow, seeming suspicious of something.

Seeing this, Su Hui came over and asked, "What is it, kid? Did you find something?"

"Yes, Sister Su, I really need your guidance." An excited Gu Fan pulled Su Hui aside and began to ask for her advice. The first question was, "Sister Su, I heard that this team was formed online by people who didn’t know each other and came here to explore the wilderness."

"Well, there are a lot of teams like that. People from all over the world form teams to explore all parts of the world. There’s nothing strange about it." With a shrug, Su Hui appeared unaffected.

Gu Fan nodded, "In theory, it’s a commonplace and reasonable occurrence. But this team has only formed for a dozen days. Wouldn’t it be too early to get acquainted enough to casually nickname each other?"

"Probably not, did you find something?" Su Hui glanced at Gu Fan, Gu Fan glanced at the departing team, and Su Hui too followed his gaze towards the departing figure.

Gu Fan looked worried, "Last night, the two people who were on watch in that team were calling out nicknames, and they sounded very familiar with each other even though they claimed not to know each other."

"I see, you suspect that team because of your previous speculation." Su Hui finally understood why Gu Fan was acting strangely; he had spotted a flaw with that team.

However, this alone wasn’t enough to prove Gu Fan’s suspicion was correct; they needed more signs to prove that the team was indeed problematic.

Gu Fan scoffed, "Despite what just happened, they went off just like that. Shouldn’t they report to the police, or wait here for the police?"

"Yeah, it doesn’t add up." With that, Su Hui also fell into contemplation.

Gu Fan added, "I suggested reporting to the police last night, but they insisted that it would be better in daylight. I think they don’t want to alert the police."

"But why?" Su Hui pondered, confused.

Then, Gu Fan made a guess, "What if the police came? Would they advise us and them to turn back?"

"Indeed! That’s it, then their expedition team would have to return and disband. They don’t want to disband, they want to continue, but why? " Su Hui felt that things were not that simple, and a chill creeped over her.

Besides, Gu Fan had noticed that they had seen three teams, three, and they had all encountered them in the past few days. The frequency was a bit too much.

Su Hui furrowed her brows, "You mean each of these three teams is not simple, each has a purpose."

Gu Fan nodded, "I asked yesterday. The person said that there are very few teams formed online for exploring the wilderness. The wilderness is so vast, yet we have bumped into three teams. Also, these teams, like us, are heading towards the desert. What are the odds of all this happening?"

But after some thought, Su Hui disagreed, "I know what you mean, it’s because our team is in this area that other teams may appear. You’re suspecting these teams of targeting us. But if I were them, I’d just understatedly follow. Why would they show up and camp with us in the oasis? It doesn’t make sense."

In response, Gu Fan heaved a long sigh, "If there is such a possibility, then everything makes sense."

"Really? This is still just speculation, but..." Su Hui looked half convinced and uncertain.

Gu Fan added, "I asked yesterday. This team has been on the road for about the same length of time as us. Too many coincidences often mean no coincidence."

"It appears to be fate."." Su Hui sighed slightly, then appeased with a smile, "Regardless of whether that team had issues, if it wasn’t for them last night, one of us might have been in trouble. They took the danger for us. Let’s thank them."

That statement indeed made sense, Gu Fan had to admit. They really should be grateful to that team for their timely appearance.

However, at the moment, it was just speculation. Gu Fan didn’t want to draw conclusions prematurely, so he and Su Hui agreed to keep this a secret. At the same time, in order to ensure that no one else encounters danger in this oasis like they did, they kindly left a sign warning others about potential safety hazards before they left.

Suddenly, Gu Fan thought of something. If it was true that many teams from foreign areas had been exploring here recently, the occurrence of such a lake would have already been reported, and safety warnings would have been in place.

Although it was all just speculation, too many signs suggested that something was not right about the team. They were too suspicious.

After packing up their things, the team set off again, this time to look for the ruins. If this oasis was indeed the lake to the east of the ancient map of Qianye Country, the ruins could very well be the small city to the southeast of Qian Ye Country, thus aligning the ancient map with the modern one.

As they journeyed on, everyone was quiet. The chilling events of the previous night, along with the wolf pack, man-eating ants, all made the team anxious about other dangers that might await ahead.

At this point, Lu Yi couldn’t help but say, "I refuse to believe that there could be more dangers waiting for us in such inhospitable desert conditions."

After hearing this, everyone thought it made sense. Aside from worrying about sandstorms, it was unlikely that there would be wolf packs or man-eating ants. However, Ouyang Jin extinguished all their illusions with one sentence, "Don’t be naive, there are plenty of creatures in the desert. No matter where, however harsh the environment, after thousands and millions of years, some organisms will adapt to survive."

"You really know how to lift our spirits," Lu Yi said with a gloomy expression. "Are you trying to scare us to dissuade us from moving forward? So everybody goes back, and you get the rest of your payment."

"How is that possible? How could I be that kind of person?" Ouyang Jin retorted, although his smug smile gave away his true nature.

However, after experiencing several life-and-death incidents, Du Jun believes that each increase in the rate ensures a smoother journey the next time, making the pay hikes absolutely necessary. So, Du Jun gave Ouyang Jin another five thousand.

Ouyang Jin was extremely grateful, his face full of joy. Since it was Du Jun’s money, no one else could interfere. Moreover, Du Jun’s generosity spurred Ouyang Jin to work even harder, which was beneficial for everyone. So there was no inclination to refrain Du Jun from his spontaneous acts of charity.

However, many people thought Du Jun was somewhat unfortunate. He was the one who was attacked by the wolf pack that night, and this time he was almost dragged into the water by strange fish. Du Jun had faced more dangers than anyone else, so if he wasn’t talking about turning back, then no one else had a reason not to move forward.

While leading the group forward, Ouyang Jin marked the location of the oasis on the modern map, and started hypothesizing. If this oasis was indeed the east lake of Qianye Country, then, based on what they currently knew, he could align the modern map with the ancient one, and then they ought to be able to indicate the approximate location of Qianye City on the modern map.

Professor Luo was very satisfied after looking at it, "Great! We only have the final stretch to the buried ruins."

Seeing Professor Luo so delighted, Lu Yi immediately chimed in, "Yeah, we’re not far from discovering historical sites, from making a worldwide sensation, and from all of us getting on television."

Upon hearing this, everyone chuckled, easing some of the tension. Professor Luo who also agreed with the sentiment, after all, it was his rhetoric.

Jie also couldn’t help but say, "How’s that for a correct decision, Professor Luo? When you agreed to let us join your team, we didn’t let you down, did we?"

"Indeed, without you all, it would be impossible for Teacher Liu, my two students, and I to get this far alone," admitted Professor Luo sincerely after all they had gone through. Without Gu Fan, there wouldn’t be this guiding map, without Lu Yi, they wouldn’t have found such a competent guide like Ouyang Jin, without Du Jun’s financial support, they wouldn’t have come this far. Everyone’s contribution was significant.

On the other hand, Professor Luo’s students Xu Haowen and Qin Jia hadn’t done much other than follow along, fortunately, Lin Xi and Jie from Gu Fan’s team hadn’t been of much use either.

However, the one who contributed the most was indeed Gu Fan. Because everything started from him, his effort led to the formation of this team. Both Professor Luo and Teacher Liu couldn’t help but feel fortunate to have met Gu Fan.

Professor Luo was so impressed with Gu Fan that he had forgotten his initial worries about Gu Fan’s other motives for organizing this team. He even started considering the idea of nurturing Gu Fan as an archaeological enthusiast.

Gu Fan’s performance over this time was evident to all. Ouyang Jin may have been the guide, and everyone may have listened to Professor Luo’s commands, but the person who had effectively mobilized everyone was certainly Gu Fan.