Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 1414 - 144: Plans Go Awry

Chapter 1414: Chapter 144: Plans Go Awry

Late at night, Gu Fan hadn’t slept. He sat cross-legged on the roof of Li’s house, arms folded, his gaze fixed on the direction of the Dark Gate. It had to be said that Li’s house was ideally located, as one could even spot activities at the Dark Gate. Li came up, admiring Gu Fan’s patience. He had been waiting for several hours without showing any sign of slack. Of course, this was a matter of life and death for Su Hui, Lin Xi, Irina, and Lu Yi. How could Gu Fan afford to relax? If the operation failed, it would mean unnecessarily handing over four comrades to the enemy. The first phase of the plan had succeeded; now it was all about the second phase, needing to intercept the enemy’s vehicle midway. "It’s about time! Are you ready?" Gu Fan’s voice was somewhat tense, as the stakes were high and there was no room for error. Li nodded, "Their passes are with me, they’ll definitely come this way." "Good, they’ll definitely fall for it." Gu Fan’s plan was simple: before the cargo handlers set off, have Li invite them for a drink again and prepare some barbeque, making them sweat profusely and take off their jackets. Gu Fan would then create a distraction around the house. At which point, Li would cooperate by stepping outside to check, even cursing to keep Gu Fan away from the vehicle. Driven by curiosity and responsibility for their vehicle, the cargo handlers would inevitably come out to check, but they left their jackets inside, which presented an opportunity for Xue Xue. Taking advantage of the moment, Xue Xue stole two of the cargo handlers’ passes to the Tower of Darkness—passes that not even members of Organization X might possess. Although Gu Fan and Li were also members of Organization X, they didn’t have these passes. Once things had settled, Li continued drinking with the two men, all getting drunk, which left the cargo handlers confused. Before departing, they failed to properly check their jackets, and generally, they wouldn’t suspect that items in their jacket pockets could go missing. Hours later, as the cargo truck drove on the Road of Death, Li called to inform them that their passes to enter the Tower of Darkness were lost. The cargo handlers grew anxious as this was no trivial matter; without passes, even if they transported the cargo back, they wouldn’t be able to enter Dark City. Thus, they agreed with Li that once they returned to Dark City, they would immediately seek him. The cargo handlers wouldn’t suspect Li had secretly taken their passes since he had stepped outside first and returned after them, giving him no opportunity to steal. They would just assume they had dropped them accidentally. To further dissipate the cargo handlers’ suspicions, Li showed them around his home while drinking, allowing them to explore each room, creating the impression that Li was the only resident. Besides, the cargo handlers wouldn’t see any use for Li to take those passes since the passes had to match specific identity tags, and without the corresponding tags, they couldn’t enter the Tower of Darkness anyway. This was how Gu Fan’s plan unfolded, and all he needed to do now was wait patiently. When the cargo truck approached the Dark Gate, Gu Fan knew his chance had finally come. He immediately picked up the walkie-talkie to call the others to action. Yes, if the cargo truck went directly from the Dark Gate to the Tower of Darkness, Gu Fan wouldn’t stand a chance. Thus, the truck had to be rerouted, and that route had to be carefully chosen. Gu Fan had thought of this, having the cargo truck stop at Li’s doorstep so that while the cargo handlers went to retrieve their passes, he could open the truck and let Lin Xi and Su Hui escape. However, the few households living around Li posed the greatest risk to this plan—if they saw what was happening, it would be troublesome. So, Gu Fan carefully studied the mandatory route from the Dark Gate to Li’s house. He noticed that in one section of the road, fewer houses had their lights on at night, indicating fewer residents, and this spot was the most suitable for action. However, plans changed when the cargo handlers declared they couldn’t reroute the truck, as it would be severely punished if discovered. Thus, the responsibility fell on Li to deliver the passes. Initially agreeing, Li then glanced back at Gu Fan with a look that seemed to ask, "There’s been a change, what should we do?" Gu Fan’s brow furrowed deeply as he thought rapidly. The cargo handlers’ request wasn’t unreasonable; if Li insisted on rerouting the vehicle, it would only arouse suspicion. The first priority was to determine where the truck was now and how the surveillance coverage was in that area. Li then contacted the cargo personnel under Gu Fan’s direction, finding out the current position of the truck parked some distance from the Dark Gate, but still within a risky visibility range. With surveillance and guards from the Dark Gate watching from afar, releasing Su Hui and Lin Xi from the truck posed a significant challenge. There was no time for delays, as that would raise suspicion; Gu Fan and Li hurried to the agreed location, while Gu Fan also thought of a plan. "What to do? What to do?" Gu Fan’s brow was deeply furrowed, showing his urgency—there was no choice but to force their hand, yet doing so would mean all his previous efforts were wasted. Gu Fan took a good look at the agreed spot, noting that the truck was parked near an alley. If he could just slightly force the truck into the alley, there might be a chance. Just then, the cargo personnel called Li again, urging him to hurry as per the rules they couldn’t delay, otherwise it would look suspicious. Li assured them he would be quick, and his response also sparked an idea in Gu Fan. Moments later, Li called the two cargo handlers, approximating that in his hurried driving he had collided with another vehicle, striking his head and bleeding a bit. Hearing the bad news, the two cargo handlers grew anxious since they couldn’t reroute or keep waiting. Li then suggested that on Dark Avenue, they should find an alley to pull the truck into. As long as they didn’t go too far, it wouldn’t count as unauthorized rerouting, and no one would see them. Plus, he would come immediately after dealing with his situation, promising it would be quick. At this point, the two cargo handlers felt they had no other choice and so backed the truck into a nearby alley, waiting patiently for Li to arrive. "Alright, it’s up to the others now," Gu Fan took a deep breath, adjusted his mindset, and then picked up the walkie-talkie to make contact with Ouyang Jin and the others.