Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 1352: Joining the Enemy’s Camp

Chapter 1352: Chapter 1352: Joining the Enemy’s Camp

Both parties clutched each other tightly, unable to break free, their eyes locked in a fierce stare.

Spectators crowded around, eager to watch a rare fight against someone from Organization X and not wanting to miss an exciting moment.

Gu Fan no longer cared who his opponent was, he just returned punch for punch as they came his way.

With one arm each entwined, they could only exchange blows with the other hand—punch for punch in close combat where dodging was nearly impossible.

The bodyguard’s punch hit Gu Fan’s face, and Gu Fan retaliated with a punch to the bodyguard’s face with neither gaining an advantage.

"Damn, that hurts!" Gu Fan’s facial injury from the night before hadn’t yet healed, and now being hit again and unable to use the Vajra Body Protection only added to his pain. The battle turned against him, and his morale began to wane.

The bodyguard, perceptive of Gu Fan’s retreat, intensified his offensive, landing three consecutive punches on Gu Fan’s head, making Gu Fan see stars and lose his sense of direction.

A brute force approach wasn’t working, so Gu Fan suddenly sank his body down, pulling the bodyguard off balance, then leaping up to lock the bodyguard’s neck in a Cross Lock.

The situation flipped in an instant, the bodyguard unable to escape, all his strength futile.

Gu Fan simply restrained the bodyguard briefly, feeling it was enough, he then let go. Both men rolled to the side, resuming their standoff.

To an untrained eye, it seemed a draw, anticipating the fight to continue.

But to those in the know, it was clear that Gu Fan had won. Had he not intentionally released the hold, the bodyguard would never have escaped the Cross Lock—Gu Fan was giving the bodyguard a way out.

"Do you want to keep fighting?" Gu Fan felt troubled as he didn’t want to cause more trouble or attract attention.

The bodyguard dropped his fighting stance, straightened his clothes, grunted, and walked away.

"That’s it, then!" Gu Fan exhaled, feeling a surge of relief and pain as he lowered his arms.

The crowd looked at Gu Fan with astonishment, as if surviving a fight with someone from Organization X and living to tell the tale was miraculous.

After the bodyguard left, Gu Fan also made his way out, and the spectators, now without a show, dispersed.

Gu Fan quickened his pace back to his residence, contemplating the bodyguard’s motives for attacking. If he hadn’t guessed wrong, something was about to happen.

Reaching the door of his temporary residence, Gu Fan took out his keys to unlock it, but he gingerly pushed the door open. Behind it was a small mechanism that would tell him if anyone had snuck in during his absence.

Before leaving, Gu Fan had sprinkled some ash in the door crack, then closed the door. If someone sneaked in, the door’s movement, even if slightly forceful, would disturb the ash at the bottom, leaving a trace on the floor.

Gu Fan opened the door just enough to squeeze through, then looked down to see the traces of ash on the ground were minor, caused by his own entry.

It was actually a double trap—if the traces were from Gu Fan, he wouldn’t bother about it.

But if someone with ill intentions noticed the mechanism, they would attempt to clean it. Ash traces aren’t easily removed, and despite their efforts, the floor would still show traces, albeit less noticeable.

When Gu Fan saw the marks on the ground, not very prominent yet spread over an area, it suggested that someone had indeed snuck in again.

The traces on the floor were unmistakable, confined to the range of Gu Fan’s door-opening distance. This wasn’t the work of others; Gu Fan had done it himself.

He’d taken the same cautious measure with the windows, ensuring everything was fail-safe.

After checking thoroughly, Gu Fan concluded no one had broken in tonight. So, he began another task, cleaning, getting his den ready for an important guest.

Only half an hour had passed when Gu Fan, almost done tidying up, heard the sound of a car approaching.

Resources were scarce in Dark City; those with cars were mostly from Organization X, and only nobility had the luxury of sedans.

"The inevitable will always come; there’s no use hiding," Gu Fan told himself, maintaining his composure, staying cool.

The knock at the door echoed. Gu Fan took a deep breath and then went to answer it.

Upon opening the door, Gu Fan feigned surprise, as if not expecting Catherine to visit.

"You seem quite surprised to see me," Catherine said with a slight smile, then added, "Won’t you invite me in to sit?"

"Of course, it’s an honor," Gu Fan quickly replied with an expression of delighted astonishment, promptly inviting Catherine in and quickly preparing a seat for her.

Catherine sat down, her several bodyguards standing behind her, quite a presence.

"Your place is cleaner than I expected," Catherine remarked as if surprised. Gu Fan simply responded, "I’m a person who likes cleanliness, I always clean regularly."

"I like cleanliness too, but I have servants to do it for me," Catherine said with a light smile.

Gu Fan muttered to himself internally, "Nonsense, if I hadn’t guessed you were coming, why would I bother cleaning so vigorously?"

Previously, on Dark Avenue, when Gu Fan encountered Catherine, he requested to join her ranks, but she ignored him and walked away.

Afterward, Catherine’s bodyguard attacked Gu Fan, prompting a fight between them that became quite intense at times until, suddenly, the bodyguard stopped and walked away.

The unprovoked attack followed by an abrupt cessation was indeed baffling, but after considering the previous events, Gu Fan surmised that Catherine wanted to recruit him, hence sending her bodyguard to test his strength.

Gu Fan felt that the recent skirmish must have passed the test of his strength. He thought that if he were Catherine, he would surely send someone to invite him to join.

What Gu Fan hadn’t anticipated was Catherine personally visiting him, such an unknown, which seemed quite illogical.

Catherine started chatting with Gu Fan casually, appearing rather friendly.

Gu Fan also maintained a respectful demeanor, engaging in sporadic conversation with Catherine, while internally becoming more guarded against this woman.

Gu Fan felt there had to be more to Catherine’s visit than just small talk and a simple invitation to join, surely some matter of importance brought her here personally.

As they chatted, Catherine finally got to the point, "So, do you still want to join Organization X and work under me?"

"Of course!" Gu Fan replied without hesitation, with no room for doubt, also displaying a mix of steadfastness and overwhelming joy.