Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 1420: It Turns Out to Be One of Us

Chapter 1420: Chapter 1420: It Turns Out to Be One of Us

Everyone held their breath and focused intently, staring hard at the movements of the other side, striving to adjust their mindset, trying their best to prevent their hands from trembling.

However, after a good while, there was still no movement from the opponent, who seemed to also be adopting a wait-and-see approach, as if they were also uncertain about a guaranteed victory.

If the enemy did not move, neither would we, and if we did not move, the enemy also remained still. The silence around was extreme, so quiet that one could only hear one’s own heartbeat, a form of invisible pressure descending upon us.

Gu Fan thought that the adversary’s tactics were too similar to his own side—both lacking confidence and not striking rashly, unlike the method of annihilating the fourth squad.

Judging from the scene, it was clear that the enemy’s strength completely overwhelmed the fourth squad; there was no question of lacking certainty in victory.

Hence, Gu Fan shouted, "Who are you?"

The other side responded as well, "And who might you be?"

Gu Fan did not give in, "I asked first, you answer first."

The other replied, "We are from Organization X’s East Nobles, which faction are you?"

"Holy shit, turns out it’s our own people. We’re from the West Nobles." The captain spoke and then he was the first to step out, and seeing this, the others also came out from behind the trees.

The East Nobles also emerged, their equipment similar to Gu Fan’s party, with only slight differences in the emblems on their sleeves.

Although there was some discord between the East and West Nobles, in the face of a common enemy, everyone quickly banded together.

Gu Fan counted, and there were at least thirty individuals from the East Nobles, with a total of fifty when both squads combined. The increase in numbers gave everyone a certain confidence—not in defeating the enemy, but in survival. Because with more people, if everyone scattered and fled, the likelihood of escaping was much greater.

The two captains exchanged information and discovered that the East Nobles were in a similar situation, with two of their squads also having encountered attacks—one brutally massacred, and the other cleanly dealt with, leading them to suspect they were facing different enemies.

It seemed that apart from the Hunter’s Guild, there was another terrifying and bloodthirsty enemy, likely harboring a deep hatred for Organization X.

Gu Fan felt that, given the current circumstances, withdrawal was the safer option. It felt like if the search went on, it was only a matter of time before everyone encountered that savage adversary. An enemy that could easily take down more than twenty could just as easily take down fifty.

But the higher-ups of both the East and West Nobles simultaneously issued orders; now that they had joined forces, they decided to continue the search for the enemy together after the rendezvous.

What could the captains do but reluctantly lead their teams forward, all the while praying that their luck wouldn’t be too terrible and they wouldn’t run into that cruel enemy.

Someone looking up noticed traces of damage on a tree trunk. Could it be that the enemy was capable of leaping about, moving atop branches with ease as if walking on flat ground, like a vampire?

Thus, everyone couldn’t help but speculate that the enemy was most likely Xue Yin and that the operation was meant to prevent Xue Yin from encountering the Hunter’s Guild.

The captain understood based on such speculation; which is why both East and West Nobles could not cease their search operations, instead hastening the pace of each squad.

With this development, the higher-ups would definitely send more vampires here, and even the Xue Clan itself might personally come. With the Four Great Nobles, eight true members of the Xue Clan arriving, who could stand against them?

Gu Fan revisited the map, roughly figuring out the positions of the Four Great Nobles and the different squads. It was a near encirclement of the region, making it extremely difficult for either the Hunter’s Guild or Xue Yin to escape.

But the problem was, Xue Yin was still in the Dark City, and the savage enemy wasn’t Xue Yin—Gu Fan was clear about that.

"Who is it, who could it possibly be?" Gu Fan recalled something, that Xue Yin pretended to escape the Dark City and then sneaked back quietly.

Subsequently, Organization X was sent in large numbers to search the Dark City. As a result, a pair got ambushed and wiped out, with rumors suggesting it might have been Xue Yin’s doing.

But Gu Fan was shocked at that time because Xue Yin had left the Dark City for only a short while before returning; it couldn’t have been Xue Yin’s doing.

Afterward, Gu Fan questioned Xue Yin and received confirmation that it wasn’t her doing.

At that time, Gu Fan really could not understand; if it wasn’t Xue Yin, who could it be? However, thanks to this person, Organization X was misled into believing that Xue Yin had already escaped, so they no longer continued to search the Dark City.

When Gu Fan fell into thought, Li nudged his arm, interrupting his train of thoughts. Gu Fan heard Li ask, "What are you thinking about? Now is not the time to be distracted."

Gu Fan snapped back to reality; it certainly wasn’t the time to ponder, but rather to stay fully alert to the surroundings, and be extremely cautious.

"Hold on!" The captain suddenly thought of something and then looked puzzled.

Someone immediately asked, "What’s wrong, Captain? You seem very tense; please, don’t scare me."

The captain’s face darkened, "Xue Yin is a vampire, right? She’s been away from the Dark City for a while now, hasn’t she? It’s been quite some time since she’s fed, hasn’t it?"

Everyone nodded, responding, "Yes," not understanding why the question was posed.

Gu Fan was the first to realize, "At the scene of the fourth squad, they were all torn apart, but none had any bite marks on their throats."

Reminded by this, the East Nobles recalled that the squads of theirs who had been attacked were in the exact same situation.

"It doesn’t look like it’s Xue Yin," the squad leader said, which suddenly made everyone more tense. Why did it seem like there was an enemy even more terrifying and vicious than Xue Yin?

Just then, the walkie-talkies crackled to life; the higher-ups had initiated their movements, moving the command post forward, with all vampires already dispatched, heading towards the possible locations of Xue Yin.

The squad leader was about to report his suspicions, but Gu Fan stopped him. Firstly, it was merely conjecture, and secondly, with the higher-ups in action, many troubling matters would be resolved, and everyone would be safer.

After some discussion, everybody unanimously agreed with Gu Fan’s idea and decided against reporting. After all, they were all keen to return alive. The Xue Clan and vampires had ample strength to handle the situation; as mere humans, how could they possibly guarantee their own safety?

From this, Gu Fan could see that these people’s loyalty to Organization X wasn’t very high. After all, given such a dangerous organization known for its extremism and disregard for subordinate lives, it was difficult to ensure their undivided devotion.

Suddenly, Gu Fan thought of something, "Wait, did anyone see the fourth squad’s walkie-talkies or other communication devices?"

"No one saw them? Could it be..." The squad leader immediately understood, his heart suddenly sinking, an ominous premonition welling up within him.