Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 1273 Volunteers

Chapter 1273: Chapter 1273 Volunteers

At that moment, many footsteps approached—it seemed reinforcements had arrived. This panicked Lu Yi and Ouyang Jin, who hurriedly shouted, "Everyone, don’t come over, get down quickly."

Some people had just rushed over and had not yet understood the meaning of these words when they saw a group of frenzied people sprinting toward them, which terrified them into retreating immediately.

"Get down, get down quickly, they only attack those who are moving!" Lu Yi shouted several times.

The reinforcements quickly took the correct action, each lying down on the ground, even their breaths were slowly inhaled and exhaled.

This helped for now, with more and more people lying down. Although this way they weren’t attacked, it was extremely awkward for everyone; they couldn’t just lie there forever.

"What should we do, think of something quick!" Lu Yi was also anxious, then he saw a familiar figure stand up—it was Gu Fan.

Seeing Gu Fan’s courageous demeanor, everyone pinned their hopes on him.

The crazed people saw Gu Fan stretch and immediately, one by one, with teeth bared and claws out, they pounced toward him, but each one who approached was sent flying by Gu Fan.

Roars filled the air as the frenzied people continued their relentless onslaught from all directions, forcing Gu Fan into a frenzied response, repelling one side only for several more to attack from another.

"I’ll draw these guys away, you all retreat quickly," Gu Fan said as he fought and moved in one direction, drawing all the frenzied people away with him.

Once the surroundings were safe and no frenzied people were left, everyone slowly got up and then swiftly escaped the area.

Ouyang Jin was somewhat worried, "Will Gu Fan be alright by himself? He still owes me a lot of money."

"That guy is slick—if he can’t beat them, he’ll run. Trust me, he’ll be fine," Lu Yi was full of confidence in Gu Fan.

In response, Ouyang Jin still looked pessimistic, "The problem now is that we still don’t know how these people went mad so suddenly; we’re completely unprepared."

"Yeah, that really is a problem," Lu Yi couldn’t help but start worrying about Gu Fan.

At that moment, Lin Xi, Su Hui, Irina, and General Horton arrived with their troops, just catching up with the fleeing Lu Yi and Ouyang Jin, noticing that far fewer people were there compared to when they had set out.

Reuniting with the main force, everyone felt much relieved, but Lin Xi, not seeing Gu Fan, immediately asked, "Why are there only a few of you, where is Gu Fan?"

Lu Yi explained what had happened, which got Lin Xi very worried, "Are you kidding me? Now is not the time to act tough!"

Just as Lin Xi was about to use magic to rush out, suddenly, a rustling noise came from the trees, as if something was moving up there, immediately alerting everyone.

"Everyone, hold your fire, it’s me." Gu Fan jumped down from the tree, landing steadily, his clothes a bit torn, indicating that the crazed people had indeed troubled him.

Seeing Gu Fan return safely, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Su Hui inquired, "How did it go, did you discover anything?"

Gu Fan shook his head, "I was just focused on escaping and never figured out what exactly drove these people mad. But while escaping, my mind got a bit hazy, and I started feeling irritable. However, once I jumped onto the tree, I felt better."

"What do you mean, bud, you almost went mad too?" Everyone was concerned for Gu Fan and examined him thoroughly, confirming that he seemed normal.

Gu Fan himself wasn’t very sure, "I don’t know what it was, maybe I almost went mad like them."

Ouyang Jin added, "I also found it strange, since we lay on the ground, no more people suddenly went mad."

Hearing this, Su Hui furrowed her brows, pondered for a moment, then said, "That makes sense. I think there’s something in the air, a scent that induces madness, and this scent rises upwards."

Lu Yi, enlightened, "Since we were lying on the ground, we didn’t smell it, and since Gu Fan was up in the tree, the scent dispersed as it rose, so he wasn’t affected either."

Irina agreed with this theory and then said, "Even though we know the reason these people went mad, we still don’t know where this scent is coming from. We can’t keep crawling forward forever."

Gu Fan nodded, "Right, we do need to clear this up."

Some mercenaries were getting anxious, "What about the people who have already gone mad? Is there any hope for them?"

This question touched on a critical issue. Indeed, was there still hope for those who had gone mad, or should they be abandoned?

Gu Fan, seeing a crowd looking at him with hope-filled eyes, suddenly felt a great weight of expectation.

Lin Xi, seeing Gu Fan looked at as a hero, thought that she mustn’t let him lose people’s trust. So, she immediately stated, "Everyone rest assured, as long as there’s a glimmer of hope, we will not give up on any of our companions. Let’s work together to bring them back."

Hearing this, morale was greatly boosted. Everyone’s spirits were lifted, as if Lin Xi’s words meant no obstacle was too great to overcome.

Gu Fan saw Lin Xi so enthusiastically supporting him and establishing his prestige, felt grateful for his girlfriend, although what was said could not easily be taken back.

"First, we need to figure out the extent of this scent and whether there’s any hope of recovering those who have gone mad after smelling it," Gu Fan proposed these points, then solemnly looked at the crowd of mercenaries, "I need a volunteer, someone who must be prepared to sacrifice for everyone."

Upon hearing this, everyone shifted their gaze, avoiding eye contact with Gu Fan, indicating that no one was prepared to make such a sacrifice.

After waiting for a while, still, no one volunteered, and just when Gu Fan was at a loss, Ouyang Jin walked over smiling, "Gu Fan, I trust you. I’m willing to volunteer, but the price..."

Gu Fan was torn between laughter and tears, "Buddy, raising your price is reasonable under these circumstances, but it still feels odd to me."

"How so? Isn’t it that no one else is willing to sacrifice the individual for the greater good? I might as well do it." Subsequently, Ouyang Jin raised the price by one million, immediately making Gu Fan give up on the idea, as the cost of using someone had become ridiculously high.

Some people heard there was money to be made as cannon fodder and thus many volunteered, craving the one million, confirming the adage, "Heavy rewards produce brave men."

Everyone felt that Ouyang Jin, as Gu Fan’s good friend, trusted Gu Fan enough to risk his life, so why not vie for the one million too? This also confirmed another saying, "Fortune favors the bold."