Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 1327: Vying to be the First

Chapter 1327: Chapter 1327: Vying to be the First

Time trickled away, and the door was barely pushed open a crack; hope was within sight, but so was despair, inching closer.

The floor had collapsed four-fifths of the way and was now right under everyone’s feet. Panic filled their hearts, and it felt like they were running out of strength.

"Don’t look back, just put every ounce of energy into pushing this damn door open, believe in me," Gu Fan bellowed forcefully, to steady the troops.

Hearing Gu Fan’s roar, everyone’s will to survive was reawakened; they clenched their teeth and pushed against the door.

A piece of the floor gave way, and someone screamed as they fell, sending a chilling shriek that made everyone’s hearts turn cold.

At this moment, Lin Xi took action, diving down to catch the falling person, and then brought them back to the surface, placing them on solid ground.

Witnessing this scene, everyone was stunned for a second; then they pushed against the door with even more effort.

The gap in the door had opened, but it was only wide enough for one person at a time, so Gu Fan immediately ordered that the women should go through first, followed by the others in line. Those who weren’t in line continued to push the door.

Irina and Su Hui received special treatment, passing through the door one after the other, but they didn’t abandon their companions; they clung to the door, pulling with all might from the other side to widen the gap.

Initially, everyone passed through orderly one by one, but as the floor’s collapse neared, many began to panic, trying to push forward out of turn, and the line quickly descended into chaos.

Gu Fan’s brow furrowed; chaos in the ranks would spell the end of the hard-earned hope they had fought for.

After weighing the situation, Gu Fan knocked a few queue-jumpers trying to force their way forward to the ground and shouted, "You’re all well-trained; you should understand what chaos will bring!"

Another cry of horror, and another person fell, but Lin Xi caught them and pulled them back up.

"With me here, with Lin Xi here, what else are you worried about? I’ve said it; I’ll get all of you out safely," Gu Fan’s resolute words, combined with Lin Xi’s actual capability, calmed everyone like a tranquilizer.

At this moment, the artificial intelligence Xiaolan began to laugh: "Lin Xi, you indeed have the ability to save people, but it seems to take you a bit long to save one. What will you do if two people fall one after the other?"

"What?" A chill went through Gu Fan’s heart, followed by another section of flooring collapsing, and someone else falling through.

Lin Xi didn’t hesitate and dove down to catch the person, her heart racing as she anticipated what was coming next. Any moment now, a second person would fall, but her supernatural power could only save one at a time.

Sure enough, before Lin Xi could pull one person up, a second fell, and she could do nothing but watch and listen to the despairing cries from the endless darkness below.

The AI Xiaolan laughed smugly: "Gu Fan, what was that you just said? That you could save everyone? Then give it a try."

Gu Fan remained silent, giving a solemn look to the self-congratulatory Xiaolan, then turned resolutely and continued to push the door with all his might.

Some followed Gu Fan’s lead in a last-ditch effort; others selfishly scrambled for the escape route.

Grief-filled wails came one after another, as one person after another fell with the collapsing floor.

Lin Xi could save one person but not immediately rescue a second; her supernatural power and physical strength were draining, and pulling each person up became increasingly difficult.

However, thanks to everyone’s efforts, the door opened wider, and it seemed that with one final push, the gap would be large enough for two to pass through.

"How could I be so foolish; why didn’t I just deal with the strongest one?" At this moment, Xiaolan smiled slyly and snapped her fingers.

Zhuo Hang was pushing with all his might when the ground beneath him suddenly gave way, and he plummeted downward. In an instant, he realized what had happened.

"This is bad!" Everyone’s heart sank with him; without Zhuo Hang, they had no strength to push the door. And what if the gap remained only wide enough for one person at a time?

Hope was lost; everyone rushed for the one escape route, smashing into each other, the queue instantly dissolving into chaos.

"Get out of the way, move!" General Horton swung his fists and kicked to clear a path to escape.

When violence ensued, it only added to the chaos, prompting more to strike out in their desperation to survive. They pushed and kicked at each other, forgetting all about companionship and unity.

AI Xiaolan was pleased with this view; it was her masterpiece, the scene she wanted to witness.

Gu Fan watched as everyone fought over the path; he felt dejected and powerless, sighing inwardly at this defeat.

But then the unexpected happened. The previously immovable door gave way due to the collective pressure and the burst of will to survive, opening just enough to easily allow two people through.

Xiaolan, who had just been laughing, now had her smile frozen, while Gu Fan, too, paused for a moment, looking at the crowd pressing towards the door, their speed of entry significantly increased.

At that moment, Zhuo Hang leaped up and landed back on the ground. He had thought that without him, it would be disastrous, but surprisingly, the crisis had turned into safety.

In the end, most people made it through safely, but Gu Fan felt no relief, managing only a wry smile before he too moved towards the interior of the door.

At the doorway, Gu Fan waited for a while, watching Lin Xi kneel on one knee, panting heavily, wiping sweat from her brow.

Because the floor had nearly all collapsed, Gu Fan couldn’t get across, or else he truly wanted to lift Lin Xi into his arms.

To keep Gu Fan from worrying, Lin Xi mustered her strength and flew across, landing beside him. The moment she touched the ground, her legs gave out, and she fell into Gu Fan’s arms.

"Are you alright?" Gu Fan could feel the weakness in Lin Xi as he held her, and it pained him.

Lin Xi managed a smile through her exhaustion, smoothing her disheveled hair: "It’s nothing, just a bit tired. I’ll be fine after some rest."

"That’s good to hear!" Gu Fan then lifted Lin Xi up and marched firmly into the door.

With such an outcome, AI Xiaolan was least pleased, having watched a group nearly destroy each other for a chance at life. Her plans were about to come to fruition, but then this had happened.

"It seems these people are truly not simple," Xiaolan closed her eyes in thought, then as if she had a realization, she smiled in acceptance and vanished on the spot.