Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 1216: The Puppeteer Behind the Scenes

Chapter 1216: Chapter 1216: The Puppeteer Behind the Scenes

Just when the situation was tense and embarrassing, with everyone at a loss, Gu Fan spoke up, "Let me guess, you’re here with the same goal, planning to use the River of Survival to reach the deepest parts of the Dark Primitive Mountain."

The members of the Flame Mercenary Corps were astonished; from their expressions, it was clear Gu Fan had guessed their intent correctly.

Irina was puzzled, "Why would you choose to set out at night? If you don’t want others to discover your departure, you could have simply waited a few more days."

To this, Gu Fan replied, "Because by tomorrow morning, many mercenary groups will set out into the Dark Primitive Mountain. No one knows what routes these groups will take, and it’s possible we would run into them. It’s hard to ensure that our movements wouldn’t be detected. Second, setting out tonight and moving slowly will allow us to pick up the pace tomorrow once the various groups have entered the forest and drawn the attention of most monsters."

"Is that so?" Irina looked at the Lightning Mercenary Corps and then at the Flame Mercenary Corps, unable to fathom why two mercenary groups were involved in what seemed like a very secretive operation.

Now was not the time to clarify the intentions of the two groups, but rather how to defuse the deadlock. Gu Fan suggested, "Since we all share the same goal, and I believe we’ll encounter many dangers along the way, it might be necessary to put aside our differences and act together for now. Alternatively, we could settle it here and now, but I guarantee it would be a bloodbath, and in the end, there might not be any need to head out at all."

"Alright, I agree," the boss of the Flame Mercenary Corps quickly consented, while the Boss of the Lightning Mercenary Corps took a moment to think and felt they had no other choice.

Just like that, the three groups formed a temporary alliance and began to prepare for their venture.

Lu Yi couldn’t help but exclaim, "Damn, I never expected we could hitch a ride like this. We’re really in for a long haul."

Gu Fan shook his head, "Our goal is to enter Dark City. The ideal scenario would be to wait until early tomorrow morning after the mercenary groups have advanced into the Dark Primitive Mountain to draw fire. Then we could take the Death Road and probably reach safely."

"Now, it seems we’re tangled up in the secret operations of the Lightning and the Flame mercenary groups. Even if we wanted to leave now, they wouldn’t agree," Su Hui said and curved the corners of her mouth, "Curiosity killed the cat."

"No, not necessarily!" Gu Fan’s gaze didn’t waver, "Even though our plan is disrupted, there might be an unexpected windfall. Ever since I encountered that bloodthirsty tiger, I’ve felt that there are deep secrets hidden within the Dark Primitive Mountain. Perhaps we could uncover these secrets through this action."

Lin Xi nodded, "I understand. It’s no coincidence that Organization X set up its headquarters here; they might be guarding the biggest secret of all."

Just when everyone felt this unexpected mission might yield unforeseen gains, Lu Yi interjected, "Sorry to interrupt everyone, but we’re here on a rescue mission. Think about Jie."

Gu Fan had already made up his mind, "So much time has passed; if something has happened to Jie, we couldn’t reach him on time anyway. If Jie is still alive, he might have fallen into the hands of Organization X. Then, we inevitably will have a fierce conflict with them. Perhaps knowing the secrets of Organization X will be more advantageous to us." And with that decision, he would venture deep into the Dark Primitive Mountain with the two mercenary groups to investigate the truth.

Lu Yi felt that Gu Fan had made a logical point, but, concerned for their companion, still wanted to rush to Dark City.

Ouyang Jin pulled Lu Yi aside, gestured towards Irina, and whispered softly, "If I were with the Hunter’s Guild, I would definitely want to know the secrets of Organization X. So it’s certain Irina and the others will go. This means if we insist on rushing to Dark City, we would have to fight alone, with slim chances of success. Gu Fan has considered this carefully."

"So that’s it!" Lu Yi finally understood that Gu Fan had made a comprehensive decision and chosen the most ideal plan.

Actually, Gu Fan was also anxious; saving a life was like fighting a fire, and it had been nearly half a month since he had learned that Jie was in trouble. But after calming down, he knew rushing wouldn’t help; the most optimistic approach now was to assume Jie was still alive and could hold on for a long while.

Gu Fan speculated that if Organization X had indeed captured Jie and knew he was Gu Fan’s life-and-death comrade, then, considering Organization X’s cunning, they would surely use Jie as a bargaining chip to threaten Gu Fan in the future. Therefore, Gu Fan believed there was a strong possibility that Jie was alive.

However, rescuing someone from the enemy’s stronghold was extremely difficult. How would they act without a bargaining chip? Now, Gu Fan felt as if fate had handed the bargaining chip to him, and it was up to him to claim it.

Su Hui stepped over to Gu Fan and whispered a reminder, "If the Dark Primitive Mountain truly holds Organisation X’s secret, then they will surely guard it well and prevent it from leaking out. But how did the Lightning and Flame mercenary corps come to know about it?"

"You mean, someone is guiding them from behind," Gu Fan frowned, suddenly sensing a conspiracy.

******

At this very moment, in another room, the bosses of the Lightning and Flame mercenary corps were sitting together, each eyeing the other with disdain, unwilling to engage, creating a stalemate.

The enigmatic figure in a mask sat on the sofa, legs crossed, observing the discord between the two leaders with interest.

Finally, the boss of Lightning couldn’t bear it any longer, "What’s the meaning of this? We had an agreement that I would have exclusive rights, but you called in another group."

At this, the masked figure smiled faintly, "Because your group alone would bite off more than it could chew and fail. Therefore, we need a second group. You wouldn’t want to walk away empty-handed, having lost men and resources, right?"

The boss of Flame wore a brooding expression, "Cooperation isn’t a problem, but Organization X has been guarding this secret and won’t let us have it easily. Following your logic, have you arranged for a third mercenary group?"

"Rest assured, the third group consists of my own people; there won’t be anyone else coming to share your spoils." After saying this, the masked figure offered each boss of the mercenary groups a glass of wine, "Here’s to a successful collaboration. To the downfall of Organization X’s foundation, to us taking their place, and to a world without Organization X."

"Fine, we’ll trust you." What else could they say? Both mercenary group leaders silently accepted the arrangement and, after a toast, drank it down.

Leng Le silently observed, astonished internally, wondering if the masked figure could actually take down the colossal entity that was Organization X? She worried that stirring Organization X into a frenzied retaliation might result in collateral damage—even to her, Leng Le.

Suddenly, the two mercenary corps received news that a third party had unexpectedly joined the fray, and among them was someone called Gu Fan.