Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 429

Chapter 429: 429

"Bro, bro, are you all right?" Lu Yi waved a hand in front of the man’s face, but he remained impassive, like a wooden puppet.

Looking around, Lu Yi noticed that several others were in the same state. He found this very puzzling, wondering what on earth was going on with these people.

A sudden realization came to him. He remembered a television social experiment he’d once seen: a bunch of people would agree to assemble somewhere, each freezing in a chosen pose, whether reading a newspaper, lovers gazing at each other, or just checking a watch. All aimed to pique the curiosity of passersby, immobile until an agreed-upon time, at which they’d suddenly come to life.

Lu Yi figured those around him were participating in something similar, which he found quite amusing. But then it struck him as odd - such performances usually took place in airports or train stations, so why were these people doing it on the street?

While he was still puzzling over this, the group all moved in unison and dispersed.

"Well, it seems it was really that kind of an event," Lu Yi didn’t pay it much mind, ready to continue his search for Ning Qi’s car as guided by Gu Fan. But then he noticed something off - all these people were now heading in the same direction, the very one from which he had come.

"Strange?" Lu Yi sensed something wasn’t right. He followed these people and noticed that although they were now mobile, their eyes still bore the vacant look of before. Even those in pairs hadn’t exchanged a word with each other.

He had a bad feeling about this and promptly sent a text message to Gu Fan.

Receiving the message, Gu Fan’s expression changed slightly. As he was about to react, Zhang Yang excused himself, bringing Yang Xinran along to step out.

Only Gu Fan, Lin Xi, Li Xiaoyan, and Gu Ling remained in the restaurant, an increasingly precarious situation. Their adversaries were closing in, and Gu Fan had no intention of getting his sister Gu Ling involved.

"Alright, we should also go." Gu Fan’s words and his meaningful gaze left Lin Xi in full understanding. She nodded her head in agreement, and they all left the restaurant together.

Upon stepping out of the restaurant, Gu Fan said, "Xiaoling, you go back first. I still have something to deal with." With that, he took Lin Xi’s hand and led her in a particular direction.

"What the heck? Now you’ve got a sister-in-law, you’re going to abandon your real sister? What kind of big brother does that? I’m going to tell mom and dad." Gu Ling huffed in discontent. Li Xiaoyan comforted her, "Come on, wait till you have a boyfriend too. Then you’ll understand your brother."

At that moment, Gu Fan was desperately trying to get as far from the crowd as possible with Lin Xi. He was sure they were after Lin Xi and was convinced that as long as they kept their distance, Gu Ling would be safe.

Lin Xi looked back nervously, noticing a large number of people following them. They seemed like ordinary pedestrians at first glance, but Lin Xi had a bad feeling nonetheless.

"What’s there to fear?" asked Gu Fan nonchalantly, "So many people are watching, Qian Ying wouldn’t dare make a move."

Lin Xi agreed, but she was still worried: "If Qian Ying came, she must have a plan. And with her personality, she may well throw caution to the wind."

Upon hearing this, Gu Fan sighed in exasperation: "Damn it, why did you have to be friends with such a person in the past?"

Lin Xi immediately retorted, "Can you blame me for that? Who hasn’t made a few bad friend choices when they were young?"

"Alright, alright, no more of this," muttered Gu Fan, as he quickened his pace towards the parade floats. By this time, the festivities were coming to an end.

Indeed, large crowds were emerging from the parade, returning like a wave of people.

Not only were there people coming from the front, but also from the back. They were completely surrounded, with no other way to turn.

Looking around, Lin Xi frowned and commented, "I’m pretty sure most of the people behind us are under Qian Ying’s control. You can tell from the way they’re walking, all in sync."

"Really?" Gu Fan was taken aback, but he nevertheless decided to attempt to cut through the crowd with Lin Xi.

However, the crowd was so dense that he couldn’t make his way through. He could feel the press of bodies all around him and, despite holding Lin Xi’s hand tightly, they were forced apart.

"Dammit!" Gu Fan was certain someone had intentionally squeezed between him and Lin Xi.

Lin Xi was jostled around in the crowd, which was a very uncomfortable experience. Looking around, she noticed hostile eyes staring back at her from all sides and realized her predicament - escape was almost impossible.

Several hands had already grabbed Lin Xi’s arm, forcefully trying to lead her away. One even said, "Don’t resist in vain. Just come with us."

Lin Xi wanted to use her supernatural powers to break free, but that would have been too extreme and endangered many innocent people around her. Moreover, it would cause such a fuss that even Su Hui wouldn’t be able to cover it up. She felt she had no option but to go along.

"Fine, I’ll go with you," she said, glancing once more at her surroundings. But she wasn’t tall enough to see Gu Fan anywhere in the crowd. She could only hope he was safe.

The crowd was so dense that, after being separated, Gu Fan couldn’t see Lin Xi at all, swallowed as she was by the sea of people. Alarmed, Gu Fan immediately called for help on his phone.

"Du Jun, listen carefully. Watch the surveillance cameras outside your door closely. Lin Xi may have been taken, and your location is a compulsory passageway." Gu Fan’s urgent words put Du Jun on high alert. Du Jun and Qin Jia immediately began keenly scanning the surveillance footage, not daring to blink.

The street was long, with only two directions to proceed. Thus, while it was difficult for Gu Fan and Lin Xi to escape, it also meant that there were no alternative routes for the perpetrators to take if they were abducting Lin Xi.

At one end of the street, Du Jun and Qin Jia were closely monitoring the surveillance cameras. The entrance of the restaurant had facial recognition cameras installed. If Lin Xi passed by, they’d definitely know.

Gu Fan monitored the other end, making sure there was no reverse flow back against the tide of people. Realizing there were barely any people here, he could confidently deduce the direction in which Lin Xi was being taken.

Gu Fan waited a while longer before informing Lu Yi and Jie to prepare for the second interception. He estimated the timing to be just right and checked with Du Jun whether he’d spotted Lin Xi.

But Du Jun’s response left Gu Fan feeling a chill. Lin Xi hadn’t passed through the restaurant entrance at all.