Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 430: Still Meddled After All

Chapter 430: Chapter 430: Still Meddled After All

There was nothing at either end of the street. Could a person just disappear into thin air? With a furrowed brow, Gu Fan thought that Lin Xi would never have left without a fight. Even if she had to consider innocent bystanders, she would have definitely left some sort of clue behind.

Gu Fan walked while searching the streets for any trace but saw nothing. The streets were nearly deserted at this late hour; only a few individuals wandered back and forth. Compared to the previous hustle and bustle, it seemed particularly desolate.

"Where could she be?" Gu Fan did not want to lose Lin Xi. Just as he started to panic, he saw Lu Yi and Jie coming over.

Soon, Lu Yi and Jie quickly learned what had happened. They were stunned; never had they expected the adversary to take advantage of the crowd in such a manner.

Feeling guilty, Gu Fan had thought that blending into the crowd would help disguise their movements. However, he miscalculated and the enemy used the crowd as a cover to whisk Lin Xi away instead.

Lu Yi was a bit puzzled: "It can’t be. With Lin Xi’s skills, she could make many people fly into the sky with just a snap. How could she have been captured so easily?"

"I’m also baffled!" replied Gu Fan, worry etched across his face. Just then, Du Jun and Qin Jia arrived and handed Gu Fan a cell phone.

"What’s this?" Gu Fan was way too clear about the situation, his expression was far from optimistic.

Du Jun looked apologetic: "I’m sorry Gu Fan, Lin Xi knew you would never agree, so she asked me to keep this secret. She surmised she might be captured and had me prepare this tracking device."

With a look of disbelief, Gu Fan responded: "If that’s the case, she could have told me from the start. Instead, she waited until she was captured to tell me about the tracking device. So, did Lin Xi deliberately risk her own life to lure Qian Ying out because she knew I wouldn’t agree?"

"I... " Du Jun hesitated, "I also thought it was risky, but Lin Xi was adamant, she didn’t allow me to tell you, I..."

"Enough, let’s not talk about that now. The most important thing is to get Lin Xi back." Gu Fan took the phone, activated the tracking device, and found that the signal was nearby; the enemy hadn’t taken Lin Xi far away.

Even Du Jun was surprised: "No wonder my surveillance didn’t capture Lin Xi’s movement. So, they were still around."

"There are more than one restaurant here, right?" Gu Fan glanced at the restaurant diagonally opposite, furrowed his brows, and deduced from the signal that Lin Xi was likely in that restaurant.

"Could it be that the enemy has taken control of that restaurant as a temporary base?" Lu Yi, observing the two security guards at the door of the restaurant who were stopping customers from entering, guessed.

It was now almost certain that Lin Xi was inside. If their guess had been correct, then the restaurant would be full of people under Qian Ying’s control, but why hadn’t Lin Xi resisted yet?

Gu Fan’s guess was right. Lin Xi had indeed been taken to the restaurant. Unfortunately, the enemy had used a kind of incense that could put people to sleep, and Lin Xi was now unconscious, unable to fight back.

Ning Qi made her appearance in the restaurant once she had made sure that Lin Xi wasn’t pretending to be unconscious. She looked at Lin Xi’s face with great interest, her lips curved in a smirk: "Lin Xi, no matter if you’re Queen Qianye, you’re still in my hands. After I take you away, I’ll be free."

A man standing nearby said, "Ning Qi, bring the car around. Let’s leave here as soon as possible."

To ensure that Lin Xi couldn’t escape, they had had to use the sleep-inducing incense. But if they had used it on the street, people would have easily noticed. So, they brought Lin Xi to the restaurant before applying the tactic.

Ning Qi nodded and then left through the back door. She didn’t pay attention to the little girl she saw outside but focused on finding the car, desiring freedom.

The little girl looked up at the restaurant, her brow furrowing as if sensing something.

"Strange, why do I have this bad feeling again?" Gu Ling wondered but decided not to interfere. Nevertheless, her curiosity was hard to resist. Seeing a window not fully closed, she carefully climbed in.

Qian Ying had cleverly chosen a restaurant about to undergo a trial operation. As a result, there were fewer people around, making it easier for her to control. It was also more convenient for her to manage the premises.

Having captured Lin Xi, Qian Ye released control over the majority of the passers-by and let them disperse, keeping only the staff of the restaurant. Too many people would risk exposure.

Currently, Lin Xi was lying unconscious in the hall. A woman controlled by Qian Ye occasionally put a bottle of fragrant liquid under Lin Xi’s nose to ensure she stayed unconscious.

The woman, representing Qian Ye, stroked Lin Xi’s face with a smirk: "Second elder sister, you are as beautiful as ever and as charming as ever, what a pity that you decided to betray us."

"Do you remember, second elder sister, how you used to scold me? I was really scared of you back then. But things are different now, you have fallen into my hands."

Qian Ye felt triumphantly certain of victory. However, she didn’t realize that Gu Ling, who had foiled her plans previously, had slipped in again, and had found her way into the surveillance room.

Because of the trial operation, there were no customers serving the restaurant and very few staffers. The surveillance room was only occupied by one person, who had been manipulated by Qian Ye and sent outside to guard the door, leaving the surveillance room empty.

Gu Ling looked at the multiple surveillance screens and noticed one screen where a woman was sitting cross-legged, motionless as if asleep. Struck by the strangeness of the scene, Gu Ling took a closer look and realized it was the woman she’d seen in the teaching building last time.

"No way, it’s her again," Gu Ling sighed regretfully. Seeing that the entire restaurant was filled with enemies, she regretted her decision to sneak in due to curiosity.

Just as Gu Ling was planning to sneak out, she saw some movement in the hall’s direction. A few men were escorting a woman into a room. With a closer look, it was apparent that the woman was her future sister-in-law.

"You’ve got to be kidding me." Gu Ling was dumbstruck. Quickly, she closed the surveillance room’s door. Her mind was a whirl of confusion, and she didn’t know what to do. She tried to calm herself, reminding herself to be cool and collected.