Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 1287: The Moving Stone Statue

Chapter 1287: Chapter 1287: The Moving Stone Statue

Uniform footsteps shook the ground with force, and although the figures had not yet arrived, an aura of deadly intent already permeated the entire scene, intimidating everyone’s hearts.

No one knew what they were about to face; palms were sweating from tension, and some even trembled.

Statues, a group of animated humanoid statues, charged toward Gu Fan and his companions as if they were alive, forming a surround.

"Open fire!" Someone yelled, and instantly the mercenaries began to shoot wildly.

For a moment, gunfire roared, and bullets flew erratically as mercenaries shouted bravely to bolster their courage, displaying a fighting spirit.

However, bullets merely chipped away small pieces of the statues and did not cause substantive damage nor stop their advance, which left the mercenaries in a panic—shooting while retreating.

Lu Yi spotted the problem, "These statues, I’ve seen them before at a lake. Could it be..."

"That’s right, they’re all people and animals that drank from the lake and turned into statues," the artificial intelligence Xiaolan suddenly popped up, giving Lu Yi a fright. He then covered his heart and protested, "Do all you artificial beauties have a hobby of popping up and scaring people?"

Artificial intelligence Xiaolan hurriedly apologized, "I’m sorry. I wanted to address your doubts before finishing you off, so you don’t die in confusion."

Hearing this, Gu Fan, Lu Yi, and Ouyang Jin all looked at artificial intelligence Xiaolan with scorn.

Gu Fan asked another question, "If they are statues, they should look like statues. Why can they move?"

"You ask a very good question. This is our proud creation. We’ve invented a potion that can turn people into statues—hard as stone in their bodies but still alive—hence, they can move, albeit stiffly." Explained Xiaolan, and everyone seemed to understand.

"How about that, are you satisfied with my service? Don’t forget to give a good review," Xiaolan said proudly. And then there was a wail; a mercenary had been punched and sent flying by a statue.

With a pained expression, Lu Yi said, "Artificial beauty, I really want to give you a good review, but only if you could spare us a way out."

"Don’t always count on others to give you a way out. The way out is to fight for it yourself. The most important thing for a person is to rely on themselves, right?" Xiaolan said earnestly, giving an impression that the words made sense, though there seemed to be something off with them.

A mercenary was struck down by a statue, then several more trampled over him. The outcome was needless to say.

Gu Fan, desperate, threw a punch and hit a statue hard, but his fierce fist failed to break the solid surface or repel the statue.

"Damn, so sturdy!" After his punch had no effect, Gu Fan found himself on the receiving end of the attacks and was knocked down by a return punch from a statue.

Lu Yi quickly went to help Gu Fan up, but the statue followed up with a second punch.

"Block it for me!" Lu Yi raised his shield to block firmly. The ancient shield from the Super Civilization was sturdy and withstood the test. The statue’s punch, however, was heavy and powerful, and Lu Yi was unable to hold it off, tumbling to the ground.

Seizing the opportunity, Gu Fan got back on his feet. His Vajra Body Protection intact, he roared and punched with great force, relentlessly attacking.

One punch, two punches, three punches—Gu Fan hit the statue continuously until it finally could not withstand the blows, crumbling entirely into scattered rocks.

Witnessing the scene, artificial intelligence Xiaolan showed admiration instead of anger, "Looks like you’re the strongest here. Then I’ll give you special attention. Flatten him for me."

Obedient to the command, more statues moved toward Gu Fan.

Now with no escape, Gu Fan had to face it head-on, again exerting all his strength, breaking a second statue, only to be assaulted by the third and fourth statues.

The statues weren’t fast, and at first, Gu Fan could easily dodge their attacks. But as more statues encircled him and his room to maneuver shrank, his troubles began.

One statue firmly grabbed Gu Fan, immobilizing him, as others approached and punched him repeatedly, causing him intense pain, so much that even Gu Fan with his Vajra Body Protection nearly spat blood.

Clamping his jaw tight, Gu Fan leaped up and kicked two statues, averting the immediate crisis. Then he focused intently, trying to break free.

Drawing on his power, Gu Fan forcibly shattered the statue’s arms and then hammered its head off.

"You’re so strong!" Xiaolan watched excitedly from the sidelines, even cheering Gu Fan on. Her relaxed demeanor suggested she didn’t believe that Gu Fan’s solo performance could turn the tide.

The two statues Gu Fan had knocked down were unable to get up—rigid bodies, clumsy movements.

Other statues tried to come over but were hindered by the two on the ground, unable to chase after Gu Fan.

"This...," Gu Fan was struck with a realization. Although the statues were solid and strong, their obvious weakness was their lack of agility.

So Gu Fan yelled, "Attack their legs, make them fall! Once they fall, we’ve won."

Hearing this, everyone sprang into action. Some pounced directly, grasping the statues’ legs and pulling hard to take them down.

Others took ropes, teamwork involving two people per rope, each holding an end as they encircled the statues’ legs, using the ropes to trip them.

The situation was turned around just like that. With more and more statues unable to rise after falling, there was no longer any suspense to the battle. Morale surged, and some even began to cheer.

Artificial intelligence Xiaolan, with a grim face, remained silent, evidently in a foul mood.

Lu Yi came over and spoke, "Sorry, artificial beauty. We were just lucky to find these statues’ weakness, so you couldn’t finish us off. You were right; we can only carve out our path, not wait for someone to go easy on us. Thanks for the valuable life advice."

Xiaolan managed a forced smile in response, "Congratulations on temporarily escaping danger. I didn’t want you to get finished off so easily; there’d be no fun in that. The more you resist, the more amusing the game is for me, especially you, Lu Yi, right? I’m hoping you’ll last a bit longer because I have a special program planned for you."