Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 132: Ready to Go

Chapter 132: Chapter 132: Ready to Go

The sandstorm was lessening, and the howling winds were weakening, making it easier to see figures running around in panic, being entangled by sand snakes, and hear the desperate screams of fear.

"Stay strong, we must stay strong!" Gu Fan tried to remain calm, but every now and then, when a sand snake streaked past them not far away, it pushed his nerves to the limit.

They didn’t know how long the sandstorm had lasted, and standing still was becoming unbearable. Their legs were now buried in the sand, and it was a struggle to move.

"Are we really doomed to be buried alive in the sand, even if the sand snakes don’t eat us? Do we have no other choice?" Just when Gu Fan felt helpless, thankfully the sandstorm finally ceased.

They checked the time and realized the sandstorm had lasted for six hours. After the storm, all traces of life seemed to have disappeared, except for them struggling in the sand.

Using his height advantage, Gu Fan was the first to free himself. Without resting, he quickly dug out the sand around Lin Xi, rescuing her.

Su Hui was capable enough to free herself without help, but it left her completely exhausted. She could only sit on the ground, panting. It was indeed a thrilling experience.

After rescuing Lin Xi, Gu Fan couldn’t dig anymore. He looked at Du Jun and Qin Jia, who were still trapped in the sand, desperately in need of assistance.

At that moment, familiar shouts rang out, bringing Gu Fan immense joy. Upon turning back, he saw that it was Lu Yi and Ouyang Jin. Astonishingly, everyone was there and alive.

They had relied on the mountain to withstand the sandstorm. As they remained still, they did not attract the attention of the sand snakes.

Ouyang Jin, who was riding a massive camel, deterred the sand snakes. His herd of fifteen camels running around scared the snakes. Even one snake could get crushed under their weight.

The sand snakes were smart. When buried in the sand, they could feel intense vibrations from above and knew to steer clear.

Everyone was safe, a stroke of good luck amid misfortune. Unfortunately, not a single one from the fifty-person group guarding Gu Fan had survived. It was as if the sandstorm was a divine order, with sand snakes clearing the path.

While it was good that everyone survived, they were uncertain about what to do next. From the looks of it, they were outnumbered and could not confront the opponents.

Calling the police seemed like a good idea, but their mobile signals had been disrupted. If they wanted to stop the looters, they had to rely solely on themselves.

Ouyang Jin believed that even if they could return in time, find the police, and rush back, the looters might have already left. They didn’t know the extent of the damage and theft that Qianye Country might have suffered.

Lu Yi shook his head: "Folks, I don’t think we’re capable of confronting hundreds of people. I don’t believe any of us can defeat a hundred single-handedly, not even Sister Su. So, I propose we head back. We’ve done our best."

Many agreed with Lu Yi’s suggestion, seeing no better choice. It appeared that most supported the idea of return.

Only Professor Luo sighed heavily: "You are all young, you can go back. My old bones are of no use, and I’ve nothing to lose. I’ve always despised grave robbers who destroy historical artifacts. I won’t leave. I’ll fight them to the end."

"Here we go again!" Jie was confused, wondering if it’s going to be the same as before.

As expected, Teacher Liu spoke up: "What are you saying, teacher? Without you, there would be no me today. How can I leave you alone here? I’m staying too."

Xu Haowen and Qin Jia also affirmed their positions: "Teacher, you’ve always educated us that the first duty of archaeologists is to protect historical artifacts before we can have a chance to study them. We must face tomb robbers fearlessly in the process, defending our nation’s cultural relics and not backing down cowardly."

Despite this, Lu Yi shook his head: "Your spirit is admirable, but the problem is that there are too many tomb robbers now. Hundreds of them. Has anyone of you seen such a large group?"

Professor Luo let out a bitter laugh: "Yes, what Lu Yi said is correct. As archaeologists, we should protect historical artifacts at all cost, but if we seriously can’t... we can’t risk our lives."

Gu Fan nodded, adding: "Exactly. If there is a glimmer of hope, we will fight to the end. But sadly, we’re outnumbered and outgunned." Frankly, Gu Fan also wanted to find their twelve missing classmates. Now that they finally know where they are, but the difficulty and danger are too great. Maybe the sandstorm was their last chance from heaven; otherwise, I’m afraid...."

At this moment, Du Jun chimed in: "What are we afraid of? Since we’ve come this far, there’s no reason for us to back down now. Don’t forget all the hardships we’ve overcome along the way. We’ll fight even if there’s no hope, not to mention for a shred of hope. I fully support Professor Luo. I don’t believe there’s no such thing as justice."

"No way, you’re really brave, Du Jun." Lu Yi and Jie were sizing Du Jun up. He seemed to have grown taller, as though this pampered rich kid was not afraid of dying.

Du Jun looked at Gu Fan contemptuously: "What would you do? If you’re afraid of dying, if you want to give up, then be my guest. I won’t stop you. Even if I’m the only one left, I’ll go save them, those twelve classmates. At least I’m not like some people who make grand promises but do not follow through. I show everyone with my actions that I’m serious."

Hearing this, Lu Yi jabbed Gu Fan with his elbow: "Come here, buddy. This looks like a provocation. You’re not going to let it get to you, are you?"

"Of course, I am so composed." Gu Fan smirked, then with a meaningful smile, he looked at Du Jun: "Fine, Du Jun, you go ahead with your heroic act with Professor Luo. We won’t keep you company anymore, our apologies."

Upon hearing this, Professor Luo remained calm. After all, he also didn’t want everyone to risk their lives with him. As for Du Jun, he wasn’t showing any disdain, but rather looked tense, as if he were facing a difficult predicament.

"All right, all right, I was joking. How could I abandon my comrades? If we’re in this together, then we should stick together. Let’s fight the grave robbers to the end." Gu Fan suddenly said this, leaving everyone stunned. A taken aback Lu Yi hurriedly dissuaded him: "Buddy, don’t be impulsive. This is about all of our lives. Think it over."

"I have thought it through, that’s why I decided to do this." After saying this, Gu Fan glanced at Ouyang Jin, trying to hint at the pros and cons to Lu Yi.

Yes, judging from Ouyang Jin’s attitude, he would definitely follow Du Jun, his moneybag. Without a reliable guide, how would they go home? So, with the situation as it is, everyone had to work together to get through this.

Once he understood, Lu Yi slapped his forehead, looking helpless: "Fine, fine. Let’s do this, and hope we’re not collectively stupid this time."

Gu Fan consoled him: "Don’t worry, this time we have hundreds of people fighting up front for us. If there’s any danger, they’ll take the brunt of it. This may be our only hope."

Lu Yi suddenly realized: "Right. In case there’s danger in the underground river, we have people to scout ahead for us. It couldn’t be better."

Su Hui added: "Alright, now that we have made up our minds, let’s embark. They left three rubber rafts, just enough for us."

"Our weapons are still in the tents." Lin Xi was a bit anxious. As a girl, she didn’t have the courage and could only pin her hopes on the wolf repellent spray.

The tents were mostly buried by the sandstorm. Everyone understood the importance of the weapons, and started digging despite exhaustion and dirt. They did their best to excavate Ouyang Jin’s tent as there was a shovel inside.

With the shovel, excavating the other tents became easier. Meanwhile, fortunately, their camp was secure, otherwise, the tents might have been blown away by the storm, and they would have lost all their weapons.

After spending most of the day, they finally unearthed all the tents. Gu Fan’s dagger, Lin Xi’s wolf repellent spray, Lu Yi’s shield, Su Hui’s baton, Du Jun’s stun baton, Jie’s baseball bat, and Ouyang Jin’s shovel, they were all set to counterattack.

Compared to them, Professor Luo, Teacher Liu, Xu Haowen, and Qin Jia never thought of fighting, hence they didn’t have weapons. At this point, they envied Gu Fan and the rest.

"Alright, let’s pack all our belongings and put them on the camels." Under Ouyang Jin’s direction, everyone exhaustedly packed up all their belongings and placed them on the camels.

Ouyang Jin made sure the camels were tethered securely, surrounded by caltrops. Then he distributed a bottle of water to each person and said, "I don’t know why I’m foolish enough to take risks with you, but since we’ve taken this step, if you don’t back down, neither will I. Let’s rest for an hour and then we’ll set off." As he spoke with emphasis, Ouyang Jin saw their puzzled faces, as if they were waiting for what comes next.

Ouyang Jin couldn’t help but ask: "What’s the matter, why are you looking at me so strangely?"

Lu Yi answered directly: "Normally, you would say something about raising the price, which is more your style."

"To hell with it, I’m running at a loss today," Ouyang Jin retorted.