Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 160: Mysterious Big Boss

Chapter 160: Chapter 160: Mysterious Big Boss

"No way!" Gu Fan and Lu Yi were a bit frightened, looking at the woman standing thirty steps ahead of them, Lin Xi, who seemed both familiar and strange. Her temperament had greatly transformed, her fierce eyes carried an air of dominance, the smile on her lips a touch of disdain.

With a flourish of Lin Xi’s hands, flames suddenly erupted in the corners of the room. These unexpected bursts of fire further illuminated the room, startling Gu Fan and Lu Yi.

As Lin Xi walked, she muttered words that sounded like a mantra. With each step, the room underwent a change, and a blue light sparked up under her feet, as though a path was being laid out for her.

At that moment, Lin Xi’s eyes radiated an inviolable and holy vigor. As this vigor surged, the twelve classmates felt as though some force was hollowing them out from within, their expressions twisted in pain.

Seeing this, Gu Fan wanted to say something, but was completely dumbstruck. Even when he saw Lin Xi approaching, he quickly stepped aside to let her pass, retreating to the side with Lu Yi.

Lin Xi moved towards the stone wall, the mantra she was chanting increasingly resonant. The wall, as though reacting to her voice, began to shake, and soon, the entire room followed suit.

The entire imperial mausoleum seemed to be shaking violently under a powerful force, with Gu Fan and Lu Yi having trouble maintaining their balance. They were absolutely terrified, unsure of what to do next.

Gu Fan finally understood why Du Jun had said that no matter what Gu Fan did, no matter how hard he tried to turn the tables, he would still end up being the loser in the end.

"Du Jun, Du Jun, this time I’ve truly lost to you," Gu Fan couldn’t help but grimace. Suddenly, the key in his hand, as though drawn by some force, flew away and landed swiftly in Lin Xi’s hand.

Lin Xi collected the key and reinserted it into the rock wall. Then, without touching the compass, she placed her hand above it. Once her hand began to move, the compass followed suit, completing the final step that Gu Fan had been unable to before.

Seeing this, Gu Fan couldn’t help but ask Lu Yi, "Well, bro, any ideas?"

Lu Yi pulled a grimace: "She owes me two hundred yuan. I guess I won’t be getting it back."

Gu Fan shook his head: "Looks like you’ve sent your money down the drain."

Lu Yi retorted, "And what are you thinking about at this time?"

Now it was Gu Fan’s turn to grimace: "Guess I can hold off on booking a hotel room now."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yi was shocked: "I was just throwing out an idea, but I didn’t actually think you were serious about booking a room with her."

Gu Fan shot Lu Yi a contemptuous look. That Lu Yi could make such a conscienceless statement at this time was beyond belief.

However, as the rotation of the compass completed, Lin Xi closed her eyes and spread out her hands like she was feeling something. The twelve classmates displayed even more painful expressions, their faces extremely pale, clearly indicating a dangerous situation.

Gu Fan looked around, panic clouding his mind. But he knew he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing, so he mustered the courage to shout, "Lin Xi, stop it, you’re going to kill them."

Hearing this, Lin Xi took a while before finally opening her eyes. She lowered her hand, turned around, and looked coldly at Gu Fan. That aloof look in her eyes was as if she were looking at a complete stranger, which chilled Gu Fan to the bone.

Su Hui who had just rushed over, saw this scene and was just as horrified. She didn’t know what to say or do, only feeling that Lin Xi’s momentum overwhelmed everything, suffocating her.

Lin Xi also noticed Su Hui and the unique little box in her hand. With a wave of her hand, the box soared out of Su Hui’s grasp.

"No way!" Su Hui could hardly believe it. She saw the tiny box fly out of her hand and into Lin Xi’s. She really sensed the transformation in Lin Xi; the domineering power, supreme authority, and the cold statement: "This doesn’t belong to you guys."

The palace was shaking violently, with stones falling as if on the verge of collapse. Gu Fan, Lu Yi, and Su Hui wobbled unsteadily amidst this intense turbulence.

Nevertheless, Lin Xi stood firmly. With a mere snap of her fingers, a hidden door in the wall opened. She turned and walked through the doorway, pausing to glance back at a struggling Gu Fan.

Suddenly, a powerful force pulled Gu Fan towards it. When he managed to compose himself, he saw Lin Xi standing in front of him. Seeing that familiar face but strange look in the eye sent a shiver down his spine.

Lin Xi passed the little box to Gu Fan and said indifferently, "Keep this safe for me."

"This..." Before Gu Fan could react, he saw Lin Xi turning around and disappearing quickly into the dark tunnel. Gu Fan took a deep breath and said to Lu Yi and Su Hui, "Quickly come here, we need to leave. This might be the way out."

"We’re in a hurry too, but are you sure this is a way out?" Lu Yi asked while running, joining Gu Fan and Su Hui as they sprinted into the secret passage.

"Whether it’s a way out or not, we have no other choice but to take the gamble. Do you have any other options?" Gu Fan glanced back at the collapsing room filled with twelve coffins. His heart sank; he felt useless. The stones kept falling, and dust filled the air.

"Sorry! I’ve done my best!" Gu Fan gritted his teeth before him, Su Hui, and Lu Yi dashed through the passage. They didn’t know where it led, nor the status of the others, but could only hope everyone was safe.

"I hope nothing happens to anyone!" Gu Fan was running when he collided with Jie and Professor Luo. After they woke up and realized the entire underground palace was collapsing, they saw an unnoticed door in the wall. Whether it was opened by falling stones or someone else was unclear, but Jie and Professor Luo ran inside it and unexpectedly bumped into Gu Fan.

Regardless of the circumstances, as long as everyone was reunited, it was a good thing. The five of them continued running in the secret passage. Now, not only was the palace collapsing, but the secret passage was as well. Gu Fan could see many stones falling behind them, he didn’t want to get hit.

They were tired, exhausted from running, but everyone continued to press forward. Lu Yi gritted his teeth in determination, feeling like his legs were about to give way. He complained, "Gu Fan, don’t accuse me of being unfaithful. If you ever get me involved in something this dangerous again, I’ll beat you up."

"You don’t have to tell me, I don’t want to do this again," Gu Fan panted as he continued to run, his heart pounding erratically.

Lu Yi shouted, "What if there’s a next time!"

Gu Fan responded, "Then I’d allow you to beat me up and stop me from entertaining such thoughts."

Su Hui, who seemed to have noticed something, interjected, "Have you noticed? This tunnel has a slight upward incline. This might indeed be a way out."

"Really?" Gu Fan, who was skeptical just moments ago, spotted a bright light ahead. They sprinted towards the brilliant light, which had to be sunshine. Everyone was running towards hope.

Running into the bright light, they gave it their all, and finally emerged. They were back on the surface - the tunnel had indeed been a way out.

"My God, you guys are here too?" Teacher Liu, Xu Haowen, Qin Jia, and Ouyang Jin had already arrived. Everyone was mud-splattered and disheveled.

Seeing everyone safe, Gu Fan was overjoyed. "Thank God you’re all safe." As he finished his sentence, the tunnel they had emerged from collapsed with a loud crash and was reclaimed by the desert.

They had made it by the skin of their teeth, and everyone was elated. Wasn’t a near-death experience worth celebrating?

Of course, it was a joyous moment to have survived, but Gu Fan couldn’t shake off his sadness. The thought of the twelve classmates buried beneath the earth put a damper on his spirits. He couldn’t accept that the person who had caused all this was...

This time, Gu Fan felt like he had lost terribly. They had done so much, only to end up with such a result. It was a hard reality to accept.

Suddenly, Lu Yi patted Gu Fan’s shoulder, pointing straight ahead. Following his direction, Gu Fan could make out twelve coffins in the distance. His spirits were immediately lifted, and he ran over to the coffins.

"Thank God, we were really blessed this time." Jie and Lu Yi followed suit, their spirits equally high.

Professor Luo noticed too and couldn’t help but sigh, "You’ve got to be kidding."

"Maybe things aren’t as bad as we imagined." For once, Su Hui showed a relieved smile. Gu Fan shared her sentiment. The twelve coffins signified more than just hope for their classmates.

Ouyang Jin, on the other hand, seemed downcast. Looking around at the surrounding desert, he said resignedly, "Du Jun, my benefactor, where are you? You better not back out on your promise."

*****

Meanwhile, Leng Le and Hai had also narrowly escaped death, followed by just five others. Looking out at the vast desert, they felt lost and defeated.

Just as morale was low, they spotted someone standing atop a dune in the distance, hands behind his back - was that not their boss?

Leng Le called out, but their boss remained silent, looking out into the distant horizon. His poignant words rang out, "Congratulations, you’ve reclaimed what’s yours. Now, let’s continue the unfinished game."

On a distant hill, Lin Xi looked on,, quietly turned around, and left without saying a word.