Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 1244: Only Moving Forward, No Way Back

Chapter 1244: Chapter 1244: Only Moving Forward, No Way Back

General Horton forcibly calmed himself down. Having experienced many battles, he had developed courage beyond that of an ordinary person and knew very well how terrifying it could be to lose his composure and throw his ranks into disarray.

General Horton didn’t say anything; instead, he lit a cigarette, appearing as if it were no big deal.

Seeing that General Horton was not anxious and remained composed, everyone felt as if they had been injected with a strong dose of hope, which significantly reduced their inner fear.

Gu Fan saw this and couldn’t help but admire General Horton; as a commander, he was the spiritual pillar for everyone. If he didn’t falter, the team wouldn’t be in disarray, and where there was order, there was a chance.

When General Horton saw everyone’s anxious expressions, pinning their hopes on him, he simply said, "I know it’s difficult now, the situation is dangerous, but there is only one way for more of us to survive, and that is to march forward as if placing ourselves in a situation of life and death."

Upon hearing this, everyone was startled. Even a regular large force had been annihilated. Was it still possible to continue forward?

Facing scepticism, General Horton was about to explain when Gu Fan stood up and said, "It’s quite simple now. The regular large forces, ten thousand in number, couldn’t all have been annihilated. They must be desperately fleeing and scattering. And the monsters chasing them will also be spreading out to pursue. It’s like casting a net. If we retreat too, we will definitely be caught in this net and it will be difficult for us to escape."

Everyone suddenly realized. The vampire creatures were focusing on chasing the regular forces that were fleeing. It would be easier to overlook a mercenary force that continued to march forward, offering a slight chance at life.

"Worthy of being General Horton, this is the best plan that could be thought of right now." While everyone was appreciating General Horton’s thorough consideration, General Horton was paying attention to Gu Fan, surprised to find that Gu Fan’s judgment matched his own despite his young age.

Another question came up: "If we continue moving forward, exactly how are we going to escape this hellish place?"

General Horton’s expression became slightly grave: "Generally speaking, there are only two ways in and out of the Dark Primitive Mountain. One is the path of death, but that leads to Dark City. The other is the River of Survival. This river runs through Dark Primitive Mountain, and if we keep following the River of Survival, I believe we can get out of here."

Upon hearing this, everyone started discussing animatedly, since this escape route was only theoretically feasible, since the River of Survival passed by Dark City and went deeper into Dark Primitive Mountain, a place rumored to be even more dangerous.

However, ultimately everyone chose to trust General Horton’s judgment and felt that they could continue moving forward.

"Alright, since there are no objections, let’s set off immediately." Commanded by General Horton, everyone sprang into action and began packing up.

Lu Yi quietly approached Gu Fan and spoke, "Buddy, you actually concurred with General Horton, thinking that moving forward is the best option."

In response, Gu Fan smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Actually, wouldn’t it be the best choice if everyone retreated together?"

"What, you mean you’re setting us up?" Lu Yi and Ouyang Jin were very tense. "You spoke with General Horton as if it were sensible earlier. Now you tell me that retreating is actually the best option."

Su Hui came over to explain, "Think about it, with the regular large forces scattering, the vampire creatures chasing them are also dispersally pursuing. And us, over two hundred people, would be retreating as a group. Do you think these scattered vampire creatures have a better chance against our two hundred people?"

"Of course, we have a better chance. Not only are there two hundred of us, but we also have a few among us with exceptional skills, including Zhuo Hang." Speaking of which, Ouyang Jin grew puzzled, "If that’s the case, why are you still insisting on moving forward?"

It was Lin Xi’s turn to chime in, "Because we have to move forward, and so does General Horton, which means, if we were to retreat, we wouldn’t be following these two hundred people. Without us, and without General Horton, do you think these two hundred would make it out?"

"I see," Lu Yi said, understanding the situation. Yet, he overheard Gu Fan add, "Originally, I thought everyone should follow their conviction, choose their own path without blaming others. Those who want to retreat can retreat, those who wish to go on with us can continue forward. Let fate decide for everyone."

"Yeah, I think that’s a good idea," said Lu Yi, not understanding why Gu Fan would support General Horton in convincing everyone to move forward together.

Gu Fan explained, "Because I’m interested to see if there is someone behind General Horton, what exactly General Horton is plotting to do. He needs people to accomplish it, so I’m helping him keep the manpower."

Ouyang Jin had objections, "Why worry about what General Horton does? He does his thing, we do ours, and it should be fine as long as we don’t interfere with each other."

"I don’t want to just finish dealing with the threat from Organization X, only to give others a chance to exploit," said Gu Fan resolutely. He had been through too many such situations, always dealing with the obvious enemies only to be blindsided by hidden ones.

Su Hui and Lin Xi both expressed support for Gu Fan’s actions, determined not to let the hidden enemies succeed this time.

"Fine, since it’s also beneficial for those people, let’s move forward together," Lu Yi finally agreed, though Ouyang Jin was busy pondering over what pretext to use for raising prices.

Suddenly, Lu Yi realized something and scanned the surroundings, shocked to discover someone was missing: "Wait, where’s Zhuo Hang? What place has he run off to now?"

Su Hui replied, "He went to check out the battlefield to understand what exactly the regular large forces encountered. In theory, this place’s vampire creatures should have been almost completely eliminated by us, and the regular forces shouldn’t be encountering much danger. Why then such severe casualties?"

Gu Fan speculated, "We’re quite close to Dark City now. If I were Xue Wang, I’d take action before being driven to my doorstep."

"That’s true, but that was a regular force of ten thousand well-equipped and well-trained soldiers. Does Organization X have that many vampires?" Just as Lu Yi voiced his doubts, someone answered his question: "Yes, more than you can imagine."

Zhuo Hang directly jumped down from a tree, his body plummeting but landing steadily, his clothes fluttering in the wind as he made a stylish return. However, his expression was tense and there were bloodstains on him, indicating he had been through a tough battle.