Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 586: Lack of Food and Drink

Chapter 586: Chapter 586: Lack of Food and Drink

Even though they escaped, it was only from the pirate-infested island, and they were still inside the perilous Triangle Sea Area. According to Xiaohu, their real dangers and trials were just beginning.

Everyone was curious about how Xiaohu ended up here. Growing more trusting of Gu Fan and the others, he shared his story.

Previously, Xiaohu had joined a summer camp and came to the Triangle Sea Area for fun. Tragically, the ship he was on encountered a tsunami. Xiaohu was very young then and could not recall the details clearly. He only remembered the world spinning around him, his fear reaching an all-time high, before falling into the icy-cold sea. Upon waking up, he found himself on a pirates’ island.

After hearing Xiaohu’s story, everyone understood. It seemed that the pirates had saved Xiaohu. Even though they owed their lives to them, Xiaohu had been treated like a slave, beaten frequently and left beside death’s door multiple times. With Xiaohu bearing scars all over his body, they reckoned the debt had been paid off.

Regardless of whether they sympathized with Xiaohu’s plight or loathed the pirates’ actions, their first priority had to be escaping from the Triangle Sea Area. Only then would they be truly safe, and only then could Xiaohu return home.

Gu Fan asked, "Xiaohu, you can tell me now, right? The pattern of the Triangle Sea Area’s fog?"

Upon this, Xiaohu nodded, then pointed at the moon in the sky and said, "The terrible fog only appears when the night sky’s moon is obscured by clouds."

"So that’s how it is!" Gu Fan finally obtained some valuable information. Then he asked another question, "So, if we stay on an island, the fog, no matter how thick, won’t affect us, right?"

Xiaohu nodded vigorously, "Yes, if we reach any island within the Triangle Sea Area before the fog sets in, then we are safe."

"Good, thanks." Gu Fan was thrilled, now they could minimize the threat of the fog.

Lu Yi couldn’t help saying, "Then we just have to guard against the pirates. Now that we’ve finally managed to shake them off, we just need to watch our backs to check if they follow."

Everyone thought Lu Yi made a good point, but Xiaohu disagreed, "No, it’s not like that. There are many pirate groups in the Triangle Sea Area. Each of them stays on an island and don’t infringe upon each other."

"What do you mean? Do we still risk encountering other pirate gangs?" Everyone’s heart sank with Xiaohu’s confirming nod.

Xiaohu continued, "Actually, the most dangerous thing is not pirate gangs. Because in this Triangle Sea Area, aside from the fog, there are many unknown dangers. Several pirate gangs that ruled the sea area for years vanished overnight."

Hearing this, everyone broke out in a cold sweat. This was truly terrifying. Even the pirates, who knew the Triangle Sea Area best, weren’t doing well, let alone themselves.

Gu Fan didn’t want their morale to plummet. He laughed and said, "All right, it’s thanks to Xiaohu that we now know how to avoid the fog. As for the rest, we will face it as it comes."

Su Hui also encouraged everyone: "That’s right. We’ve overcome this obstacle, so maybe we can do it again the next time around."

Gu Fan nodded, "Now that we have a map, I believe we can leave here soon." After saying this, Gu Fan took out and unfolded the map to show the captain, hoping to use his sailing experience to get them out of the center of the Triangle Sea Area.

The captain studied the map carefully. Meanwhile, Gu Fan noticed the disheartened expressions on the faces of the other crew members. He immediately understood why they were so downcast—roughly half of the crew had been lost, and they were surely feeling the weight of their missing comrades.

After scrutinizing the map for a while, the captain furrowed his brows, then said, "This map is well drawn, but not professionally so. However, I can grasp the general idea. As long as our luck holds, I am confident I can get everyone home."

"Great, thank you, Captain." Not only was Gu Fan relieved, everyone else was as well. They were even just a breath away from cheering; with the captain’s assurance, they felt much safer.

However, Lu Ji poured cold water on everyone’s excitement, "Sorry to bring everyone down, but we lost all our supplies. Without anything to eat or drink, the question is whether we can hold on until we get home."

Upon hearing this, everyone’s hearts sank. Without supplies, they wouldn’t last a few days, especially with so many mouths to feed and hydrate.

Gu Fan immediately asked, "Captain, how long do you estimate it will take us to reach a safe place?"

The captain pointed to a spot on the map, "The closest place should be East Land. I estimate it will take us three days to get there because I’m not familiar with this area. That’s my optimistic guess. If we encounter foggy weather, we’ll have to stay on an island, which would delay us."

After hearing the captain’s not-so-encouraging words, everyone’s morale dropped even further. Without food and water, how could they possibly last for three days?

But then the captain added, "If we’re lucky and manage to sail away from the center of the Triangle Sea Area in one day, we might encounter a business freighter. Then we could ask them for help."

This indeed was a good plan, and everyone felt the situation might not be as bad as it seemed.

Gu Fan thought about how they had sailed towards the pirate-controlled island in the center of the Triangle Sea Area for two nights and a day when the pirates hijacked their freighter. So, Gu Fan believed it was not impossible to sail away from the center of the Triangle Sea Area in one day. In fact, the odds were quite high.

"There is hope, there really is hope." Whilst Gu Fan was thinking this way, he suddenly felt something was off. The ship was slowing down and eventually, it stopped moving completely.

The captain also noticed this and immediately ran back to the bridge, asking, "What’s going on? What’s happened?"

The crew shook their heads, indicating that they didn’t know. They suspected it was an engine failure, and someone had been sent to check.

"How can it break down at this crucial moment!" Gu Fan felt a sinking feeling in his heart. He was well aware that they were racing against time to escape the center of the Triangle Sea Area. Any extra delay could mean trouble.

Suddenly, Gu Fan had a thought and quickly turned his head to look at Gu Ling, but all he saw was Gu Ling’s blank expression, totally oblivious to why Gu Fan was looking at him.

"Oh, it’s fine." Gu Fan breathed a sigh of relief. Since Gu Ling didn’t sense any danger, it meant that they were safe, at least for now. Gu Fan thought they could finally rest for a while and regain their strength.