Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 1396: You Have Made Great Contributions

Chapter 1396: Chapter 1396: You Have Made Great Contributions

In the Dark Primitive Mountain forest, Li dragged a bulky suitcase, panting heavily from the effort it took just to pull it into the woods and sighed internally at the sheer exhaustion.

Li glanced at the towering ancient trees around him, which shielded him from the sun, and felt that this would do. He then unzipped the suitcase and let Xue Long out.

Xue Long, who had been hiding in the suitcase along with items that provided cover, was finally able to come out during the day.

"Good, we finally escaped. You guys did great." Xue Long checked his arm and found his injuries had almost healed. He was also feeling more revitalized and believed that it wouldn’t be long before he could fully defend himself, especially since they were in the Dark Primitive Mountain Forest, which meant he didn’t have to worry about sunlight.

Li plopped down on the ground, thinking to himself that although Tai’s method was effective, it was too labor-intensive and time-consuming.

Gu Fan’s method was simple. The town had two exits, one leading to the Dark Primitive Mountain forest and the other away from it.

Gu Fan figured that the Hunter’s Guild would most likely believe Xue Long would exit through the first one since it was closer to the Dark Primitive Mountain forest, thus offering a greater chance for escape.

Therefore, Gu Fan sent some people to meet allies through the first exit, the one near the Dark Primitive Mountain forest. The enemy would surely be drawn there, and once they discovered Xue Long wasn’t there, they would wonder which direction he had escaped.

For caution, Gu Fan paid several people to take suitcases and leave the town through the second exit. This way, the Hunter’s Guild would definitely assume that Xue Long was smuggled out in a suitcase.

What troubled the Hunter’s Guild the most was that several people carrying suitcases left the town. How could they begin to check each one, and which should they track first? The Hunter’s Guild was short-staffed. Tracking one might result in losing the trail of others.

And while Li was dragging the suitcase containing Xue Long out of town, he still headed towards the Dark Primitive Mountain forest, which was the first exit.

Currently, the Hunter’s Guild most likely thought that Xue Long had gone against expectations and used the second exit, assuming he had already escaped the town, not realizing he actually took the first exit closer to Dark City.

Using falsehood to create truth and truth to create falsehood, not to mention mixing the two—it wasn’t just Li who admired Gu Fan, even Xue Long felt that Tai was brilliant.

At that moment, a few members of Organization X arrived—they were originally tasked with diverting the attention of the Hunter’s Guild. They had thought they were doomed but were unexpectedly spared.

"Thank you all for the hard work!" Xue Long felt relieved seeing a few people at his side, then asked, "What about the people who came to support us?"

His subordinate replied, "They know you are okay, they’re relieved, and they went back to their previous surveillance point to continue monitoring Gu Fan and the others."

Hearing this, Xue Long felt deeply ashamed; he was supposed to lead a spectacular attack on Gu Fan and his group. Yet, before they could act, he was nearly annihilated and even had to call for those monitoring Gu Fan to rescue him.

Thinking about facing accountability from Xue Wang and how it would prevent the Western and Northern Aristocrats from holding their heads high, Xue Long suddenly didn’t want to return. But with the outside being unsafe, he opted to flee quickly.

"How strange, why hasn’t Tai arrived yet?" Li had just brought this up when he heard a complaining voice, "Are you worried about me, or do you think I’d betray you?"

Gu Fan had returned, looking very exhausted. He had been monitoring the exit all this time; if he saw that the Hunter’s Guild had discovered Li’s trail and was catching up, he would immediately send up a flare.

Upon seeing the flare, Li would quickly change clothes and find a safe place to hide both the suitcase and Xue Long.

When the Hunter’s Guild caught up, seeing a Li who had changed clothes without a suitcase, they would most likely overlook him. After all, they had seen several people along the way—it wasn’t feasible to stop each for questioning, as that would be too time-consuming.

Xue Long, looking at Tai seriously, beyond gratitude, there was also acknowledgement: "Today, I, Xue Long, am alive thanks to you, Tai. Remember your merit, I’ll make sure you are rewarded when we get back."

Gu Fan immediately expressed, "It’s an honor to serve Organization X."

"Don’t say that, we at Organization X never let down those loyal to us. You’ll definitely have your rewards, a promotion awaits you upon return, a nice place to stay, and a few beauties too," Xue Long, evidently pleased, promised several rewards, which made others green with envy.

Gu Fan then added, "Although the plan was my idea, I couldn’t have done it alone."

Hearing this, Xue Long chuckled: "Right, everyone has merits in this escape. There will be rewards for all when we get back, no one will be left out."

"Thank you, Lord Xue Long," everyone expressed their gratitude, their envy of Gu Fan lessened.

Xue Long, seeing this, admired Gu Fan once more for not taking all the credit, staying cool-headed, and knowing how to avoid making others jealous or envious.

Suddenly, Li was surprised to see Xue Long’s wounds healing faster, indicating that Xue Long was regaining his full capabilities, and quickly informed him.

"Excellent!" Xue Long also noticed his body nearly fully restored, feeling the returning strength within, more excited than anyone.

Gu Fan was curious, "Lord Xue Long, what exactly did that hunter use to weaken your powers?"

Xue Long’s face darkened: "I don’t know, but that Jian Qi is truly sinister. It can infiltrate my body and temporarily impair my abilities. We must report this to the organization immediately."

A few stepped forward eager to prove themselves: "Alright, Lord Xue Long, let’s head out immediately. The real reinforcements should be arriving soon, and by then, we can strike back."

"Good, let’s strike back for revenge," Xue Long declared fiercely, though internally, he felt a lingering fear. The hunter’s skills were too formidable; facing him again might not bring the same good luck as before.

Li wanted to say, just forget it, cherish the life you’ve regained, but he didn’t dare.

Gu Fan put on a willing facade to accompany Xue Long through hell and high water, yet he was considering another strategy. Now that Lin Xi and Su Hui were free from Organization X’s surveillance, the next step was figuring out how to sneak them into Dark City, since Gu Fan couldn’t always fight this battle alone.