Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 358: Such a Big Place

Chapter 358: Chapter 358: Such a Big Place

After entering, the fog had cleared and everyone used flashlights to illuminate their surroundings. It was a distinct view. This place felt like a city with buildings collapsed everywhere and overgrown with weeds, creating a sense of desolation.

While Gu Fan and the others walked along the streets, they were stunned at the many collapsed buildings. "Who built this city here, and why did they leave?"

Although one thing is certain, the Eternal Life Clan had been here, but in the end, they chose to leave.

Gu Fan believed there must be reasons that made this place uninhabitable. It’s best to tread carefully.

The place was enormous. The group walked for a while without seeing the end of it. Endless streets, countless buildings, and the feeling of helplessness if anything was hidden here. Finding it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Searching for the ancient country of Qian Ye in the foreign lands felt the same, but at least they had a map to confirm their location. Now, Gu Fan had nothing in his hands, not even a direction to search.

Gu Fan carefully pondered and then said, "Important things are definitely stored in important buildings. Everyone, keep an eye out for any building that appears different from the others or taller, or even more majestic."

Lu Yi shook his head with a sigh, "Please, everything is in ruins. There’s no point distinguishing heights or judging the grandeur of these buildings."

After hearing this, everyone couldn’t help but sigh and shake their heads, agreeing with Lu Yi’s observation that this might not be a very effective approach.

"The center, if I were an important figure, I would definitely build the symbol of my power at the most central location or occupy a specific direction. It could be possible in any direction: north, south, east, or west." Gu Fan’s words were sensible, but the old problem remained—without a map, they had no idea of their exact location.

At this moment, everyone had a thought in their minds - "When will we find what we are looking for?" Overcoming the obstacle of the water gate was already difficult and now they seemed to have wasted their efforts.

Looks like they could only rely on luck. Even Gu Fan was clueless. The team’s morale was pretty low. They could only hope for their boss to give up and then return home together.

At this time, Gu Fan was worried about Lin Xi and Su Hui. He wondered if they encountered any dangers or if they too had found this place.

Qin Jia shared her concern, "Do you think there could be any traps or mechanisms here?"

Lu Yi let out a breath of relief as Qin Jia voiced his concern. He had wanted to say the same thing but held back his words for fear of being labeled a doomsayer. If they did encounter any traps, it wouldn’t be because he jinxed the situation, but rather because their concerns were valid.

However, Gu Fan replied, "This is a city, a place where many people lived; it’s not possible to have traps everywhere. If there are any, they must be within very important buildings."

"You’re right. I agree." Their boss continued marching forward fearlessly.

Seeing their boss courageously leading, Gu Fan felt a lot more relieved. Having such a figure leading the way for everyone was indeed assuring. Suddenly, he thought that if possible, it would be best to let bygones be bygones with their boss. Even if they couldn’t be friends, they didn’t have to be enemies.

However, this place was too vast. Searching in such manner wasn’t an effective approach, so Gu Fan suggested that they should split up to look.

"That could work, but Gu Fan, if you’re thinking of taking this opportunity to escape, I advise you not to. If you encounter any trouble later, no one will be there to help you. Plus, it’ll lower the degree of my trust in you," their boss implied with a smirk, a stern look in his eyes.

"Rest assured, I won’t do something so stupid. You’re my biggest reliance right now." After saying this, Gu Fan left with Leng Le and Lu Yi.

"Wait, take this." Hai handed a walkie-talkie to Gu Fan, reminding him, "If you encounter anything, or discover anything, use this walkie-talkie to tell us."

"Rest assured, I will definitely listen to you." Gu Fan took the walkie-talkie and then left.

After seeing Gu Fan leave, Hai’s face darkened, "Boss, aren’t you afraid of Gu Fan playing tricks? I really don’t have much faith in him."

"What’s there to fear? With Leng Le around, no matter what tricks Gu Fan plays, there’s nowhere for him to run." The boss believed that he had everything under control; hence he had allowed Gu Fan and his group to travel independently.

Gu Fan, Leng Le, Lu Yi, Du Jun, and Qin Jia had just started going their separate ways when Du Jun suggested abandoning their boss, feeling that it was too dangerous to follow him.

However, Gu Fan shook his head, "The biggest danger just now wasn’t the boss, but being in this place that appears calm yet induces unease. We need the boss’s protection, and the boss needs our help. Mutual assistance is the only way to possibly make it out alive."

Still, Du Jun insisted, believing that Gu Fan was asking for trouble.

In response, Gu Fan shook his head, "If you don’t approve of my plan, Du Jun, you’re free to leave on your own. I won’t stop you."

"What?" Du Jun felt a chill in his heart. To let him leave with Qin Jia just like that, the two of them wouldn’t last long.

Lu Yi couldn’t help but speak up, "Du Jun, even if we really want to ditch the boss, just think about it, do we have enough food and water? The boss probably had taken that into account, which is why he was confident to allow us to act independently."

At these words, Du Jun could only grit his teeth silently. Realizing the flaws in his thinking, he said reluctantly, "I admit, I’m a bit flustered right now and I didn’t think things through. But one point is for certain — we can’t continue to follow that devil. Who knows what he’d do with us to achieve his goals in the end."

After hearing Du Jun’s statement, Gu Fan nodded, "You’re right in being concerned, Du Jun."

Feeling helpless, Gu Fan had to ponder his next move. They couldn’t afford to neither follow the boss nor abandon him. They were stuck in a predicament.

Suddenly, a piercing scream came from the walkie-talkie. It was one of Hai’s subordinates who had encountered danger. The low growl of a wild beast could even be heard, which made one’s hair stand on end.

Then, Hai spoke through the walkie-talkie, "Everyone, gather immediately. Emergency gathering."

Knowing the severity of the situation, Gu Fan quickly led the team back, praying in his heart not to encounter whatever had caused the commotion on their way.

Thank heavens, they didn’t encounter any danger along the way. Upon arriving at the meeting point, they almost bumped into a flustered Hai.

Hai hurriedly asked, "Did you guys encounter anything?"

Gu Fan quickly answered, "We haven’t run into anything, but it seems that one of your people did?"