Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 311: Tonight

Chapter 311: Chapter 311: Tonight

"Can somebody please tell me what we’re supposed to do?" Lu Yi cried out in desperation, squatting on the ground. He truly couldn’t move another step.

Gu Fan surveyed their surroundings. Several of the windows were shattered, and the door seemed ready to collapse. A large hole had gaped open in the roof. The situation looked grave.

Darkness fell, and the blizzard intensified. Their situation worsened by the minute, causing everyone to worry. Even if they took refuge inside, the small wooden house might get blown over.

Old man Tian checked the wooden house, then remarked, "It’ll barely hold up. We can live in it. Let’s put up tents for the night."

This was a solution with no other options. Everyone knew they had no choice but to act quickly. In this snowy weather, they couldn’t light a fire, so they had to put on as many clothes as possible.

Lu Yi couldn’t help but complain, "The desert in the outer regions was so hot we nearly died, now this icy, snow-covered place is so cold we’re about to freeze. Can’t we pick a spot with better natural conditions for our explorations?"

"Quit bitching. Where’s your shield? I need to fill in the hole in the roof." Gu Fan stretched out his hand asking for it as soon as he said it.

"Fine then. For everyone’s sake of a good night’s sleep, I’m willing to sacrifice a bit." Lu Yi handed his shield over to Gu Fan as he said those words, an unwilling expression on his face, "Remember to give it back to me when we set off tomorrow. This shield is really important to me, it once saved my life."

Gu Fan nodded, "I understand, even if I lose you, I won’t lose your shield."

"Not exactly the most comforting sentence," grumbled Lu Yi, but before he could finish, Gu Fan pulled him over to help with the roofing. After all, Gu Fan would require assistance to climb up at the roof.

Old man Tian returned from outside, carrying a bunch of twigs and started nailing them to the windows, blocking the broken parts as much as he could. In the end, however, many gaps remained.

Gu Fan managed to nail the shield atop the roof after much effort. But the hole was so large that the shield only covered two-thirds of it, leaving the rest exposed.

Before the sun went down, they repaired as much as they could. Given the lack of tools and materials, they’d done the best they could. Yet, they still felt the chill of the incoming wind.

Seeing their dispirited faces, Gu Fan said with a laugh, "We’re going to have to climb mountains next, and there won’t be any houses on the tops of those. We’ll have to rely on tents and sleeping bags to fend off the bitter cold. Take this as our early experience."

"Bro, your words aren’t comforting at all." Lu Yi let out a sigh. He was too exhausted to say anything else, and so no one needed to worry about his habit of playing the doomsayer.

Nearly everyone had set up their tents. Following the previous strategy, two people shared a tent: Gu Fan and Lu Yi, Jie and Xu Haowen, Ouyang Jin and old man Tian, and Su Hui and Zhuo Hang.

No one had any issues with this arrangement except Su Hui, who felt slightly embarrassed. Although her relationship with Zhuo Hang allowed them to share a tent, after the arrangement was announced, everyone’s eyes hinted at profound admiration. It was as though they were saying, "Look how considerate we are, creating chances for you two."

Feeling teased by everyone, Su Hui and Zhuo Hang were incredibly embarrassed. Suddenly, the blizzard outside strengthened and a bone-chilling wind swept in. Everyone shivered and hurriedly crawled into their tents.

Jie asked, "Who’s going to keep watch tonight? Anyone can stay awake without freezing itself?"

Ning Qi pondered for a moment, then shook her head, "Forget it. Everyone should get a good rest tonight. No need for anyone to keep watch. If anything happens, we’ll all going to suffer together."

"Alright, when it’s time for watch duty, we do it together, when it’s time to rest, we rest together." Gu Fan also agreed and everyone else decided to take the gamble.

As the howling cold wind outside filled his ears, Gu Fan tossed and turned in his sleeping bag within the tent. He kept thinking and couldn’t fall asleep. The Ice and Fire Glowworm couldn’t possibly fly in such a violent snowstorm. The threat could be negligible, and predators such as wolves seldom moved in these conditions. In theory, nothing should happen. However, Gu Fan had a bad feeling. Was it because they were on the route Ning Qi’s team was supposed to take and yet nothing unusual had occurred?

"Ning Qi, what are you planning to do?" Gu Fan didn’t believe Ning Qi and her group would just sit idle. If not today, it would surely be tomorrow.

Gu Fan began considering how he would act if he were Ning Qi planning to do something unspeakable. How could she break away from Gu Fan’s group? Could she just say that each group should go their separate way?

Ning Qi’s team was now down to four members, and their weaponry was lacking. They would certainly fall into danger if they encountered a pack of wolves. Ning Qi’s team should be well aware of this, so it was unlikely they would willingly part ways with Gu Fan’s group.

"If I were Ning Qi, how could I carry out my secret operation without anyone noticing?" Gu Fan thought hard and then suddenly realized something – Ning Qi suggested not having a night watch tonight; could her action be happening tonight?

Gu Fan immediately shared his thoughts with Su Hui via text message. Su Hui also knew to keep an eye on Ning Qi’s group, but the problem was, what if she fell asleep?

Gu Fan utilized a method he had used before. He set an alarm clock to wake him in around two hours, then he would check whether Ning Qi and her group were still around.

However, Su Hui had a better idea. Everyone in the tent could take turns keeping a watch. Simply put, Gu Fan wouldn’t sleep for the first half of the night, listening for any sounds, while Su Hui would cover the latter half.

Su Hui believed that if Ning Qi’s group was planning anything, there would certainly be some noise. Especially the semi-broken door, which would definitely creak if it were opened.

Gu Fan listened carefully, but under the howling of the violent snowstorm, the door seemed to be barely holding up, creaking on its own. So, Su Hui’s judgment may not be entirely accurate.

This was the perfect time for Ning Qi’s group to take action: everyone was resting under heavy storm and there was no one on night watch. Gu Fan was convinced that tonight was the night. No matter what, he had to hold on and figure out what Ning Qi’s group was really after. What if it clashed with what his group wanted to achieve?

Upon further contemplation, Gu Fan came up with a good plan. Jie had brought a drone this time and hadn’t used it yet. Gu Fan placed Jie’s drone in a corner and connected it to his mobile phone, preparing to lie in ambush.

"Ning Qi, don’t let me down." Gu Fan clenched his teeth in anticipation, keeping his eyes glued on the screen without any trace of laxity.