Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 649: Preparations

Chapter 649: Chapter 649: Preparations

It took Gu Fan the entire day to finally plot out the lines on a photocopy of the map. As he predicted, these lines combined to form a circle, the route he believed the island was moving along.

Now he knew the route, and when the island surfaced, but the exact location remained a mystery. Even if they knew the island would rise up today, at which point of this long route would it happen?

Gu Fan was troubled again. He didn’t even know the speed at which the island moved. Surely he couldn’t just wait indefinitely at one spot and hope for the best.

Plus, the mapped out route was a circle. So was the island moving clockwise or counterclockwise? It was another mystery to be solved.

"This is too difficult. It feels even harder than going to the Outlands and journeying through the Yuxueyun Mountain," Gu Fan started pulling at his hair again, finding no inspiration.

"Hold on, if I were Lisa, living in a moving home, what would I do?" Gu Fan spread out the map and began to mark down locations where he had come across Lisa recently.

The first time was on the island where the Pirate Gang lived, the second time was on another pirate group’s island, and the third time, when they clashed with Lisa, was the location where the sinking island was sighted.

"That’s it!" Gu Fan had deduced it - Lisa was always heading east. So if he imagined himself as Lisa, he’d want to remain close to home for a quick return at dawn, especially as his nest was mobile. Therefore, he’d stay within the moving path of his home.

From the last time, Gu Fan recalled that Qian Feng had cast a spell in a somewhat northeastern direction. He concluded that the island was probably making its way around the route in a counterclockwise direction. He could then roughly estimate the current position of the island.

Now Gu Fan had a plan. Starting from where they saw the sinking island and heading east along the route before veering northeast, they needed to change their course immediately.

Deciding to take action, Gu Fan immediately discussed his plan with Su Hui, Du Jun, and the captain, instructing them to steer the ship in the direction he had worked out, regardless of any fog they might encounter.

Hearing about Gu Fan’s bold plan got the captain rather nervous. Surely Gu Fan wasn’t implying that he was prepared to run into Lisa again?

No, Gu Fan didn’t want to run into Lisa again. But knowing that the island they sought was Lisa’s hideout, they had to prepare for the inevitable. Besides, it would be better to encounter her outside her territory - confronting Lisa on the island, her home turf, would definitely put them at a disadvantage.

Su Hui pulled Gu Fan aside, expressing her concerns, "Gu Fan, I agree with your views and plans, but have you considered how we will get rid of the Big Boss? Don’t forget, he still has Lu Yi."

Gu Fan nodded, "I know. I thought about how to get rid of the Big Boss but didn’t come up with a quick solution. So I decided to continue the cooperation with him."

Su Hui was quite surprised by his response, but soon understood his intention: "You’re worried that we can’t handle this on our own, aren’t you?"

"Exactly, Lisa’s crew is formidable, and Qian Feng is even harder to deal with. Our enemies are many, so my idea is to put them all together. No matter how chaotic the situation becomes, I’m prepared for it." Gu Fan shared his approach, which seemed like the best way to tackle multiple enemies at once: using one against another.

Su Hui decided to support Gu Fan’s bold plan, and feeling resolved, he sought out Leng Le to inform the Big Boss that they needed to meet.

When the Big Boss came on board with Hai and Lu Yi, they saw everyone gathered in a meeting, their expressions saying "we were just waiting for you three."

"All right, now that everyone’s here, let me share my deductions." Gu Fan shared the crucial information he had laboriously figured out and even posted the map on the wall for a better understanding.

After listening to Gu Fan, many were dumbfounded, hardly able to believe the lengths his thoughts had gone to.

"Okay, we’ll do as you say." The Big Boss expressed his admiration for Gu Fan, then asked, "What do you need us to do next?"

Gu Fan nodded, "Yes, as you all know, the island only surfaces during the time of the fog, and the fog won’t last long. Once it clears, the island will sink back down. So apart from mastering the timing to get on the island, we also need to train ourselves to dive continuously."

Hearing this, Lu Yi immediately protested, "Diving? Are you joking? You’ve said that the island is Lisa’s hideout, how can we possibly compete with them underwater?"

Gu Fan explained, "We have to learn diving as a necessary skill just in case. We don’t have time, while following the route, we will use a half day to practice diving."

"Alright, I agree. And I have a diving certificate, I can teach everyone." Su Hui’s words immediately roused everyone, as they all signed up willingly for diving lessons with a newfound confidence.

Seeing everyone so enthusiastic about diving, Gu Fan couldn’t help but sneer. Just earlier they were all worried when he mentioned diving.

Alright, the meeting was over and the Big Boss was about to leave back to his own ship, when Gu Fan stopped him – a move that caught the Big Boss by surprise. "What is it, Gu Fan? You don’t have a special mission for me, do you?"

Gu Fan responded earnestly, "Not a mission, but rather a wish for a successful cooperation. I don’t want to end up in a bloodbath due to conflicting interests. If there’s still an immortal method on the island you’re looking for, destroy it. I only want to find the way to control the Destiny Stone. I hope our interests don’t conflict."

The Big Boss hesitated for a moment, then grinned, "Sure. Although I’m a bit brutal, there’s something I’m better at than all of you combined – keeping my word. As long as our interests don’t conflict, our relationship is a cooperative one."

Despite his words, everyone was still not at ease. Unable to hold back, Lu Yi remarked, "So you do admit you are brutal."

The Big Boss looked at Lu Yi with a profound gaze, said, "Alright, since Gu Fan, you trust me enough to share all you know with me, it shows that we have built the trust necessary for our cooperation. Now Lu Yi, you go back to your group, and Leng Le, you come back with me."

Everyone thought this was a good suggestion but Lu Yi wasn’t too pleased, "What’s this supposed to mean, Big Boss? You’re not trying to weasel out of the money you owe me from mahjong, are you?"