Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 93: Preparing the Plan

Chapter 93: Chapter 93: Preparing the Plan

On the first day of summer vacation, Gu Fan received a phone call that stirred him up. It turned out that Professor Luo had managed to decipher the blueprint, and it indeed revealed the location of the ancient kingdom of Qian Ye.

Gu Fan quickly visited Professor Luo together with Teacher Liu. Upon entering the room, they saw Professor Luo brimming with excitement: "We’ve found it! We might really locate the ancient civilization of Qian Ye and solve a historical mystery, I..."

"Wonderful. The research value brought by finding the Kingdom of Qian Ye is immeasurable." Teacher Liu was also ecstatic, seemingly happier than if he had won a grand prize.

Professor Luo showed Gu Fan the blueprint and compared it with the current map. The markings on many places matched perfectly, which gave them real hope of locating the ancient kingdom of Qian Ye.

"Excellent, congratulations, Professor!" Gu Fan quickly congratulated. This put Professor Luo at ease: "I’ve spent most of my life studying foreign historical cultures, without many remarkable achievements. Perhaps, this expedition would make my life more meaningful and valuable."

Gu Fan readily agreed: "Yes, I also believe that throughout life, we should strive for things that are meaningful and valuable."

Upon hearing this, Professor Luo looked at Gu Fan with admiration. Feeding off this energy, Gu Fan quickly proposed: "As it is summer vacation now and I have free time, I wonder when Professor Luo plans to embark on the archaeological expedition to find Qian Ye. I would like to seize this opportunity to be part of this grand quest."

Professor Luo’s face instantly clouded with difficulty, making Gu Fan feel that the matter might be challenging.

Exhaling deeply, Professor Luo explained: "Gu Fan, it’s not that I don’t wish to take you but it’s not as simple as setting out for the expedition. First, we need a plan. Second, we need funding. I’ve already approached the higher-ups, but the funds are tight right now. Many people are applying, and they can’t approve all."

"What if you handle the planning, and I take care of the funding, Professor Luo?" As Gu Fan suggested this, both Professor Luo and Teacher Liu looked at him with astonishment, wondering if Gu Fan was wealthy enough to utter such statement casually.

Gu Fan quickly clarified: "I’m not a wealthy person, but I do know a wealthy classmate who has been bothered by people’s non-recognition of him. Everyone says his achievements come from his parents, so he has been eager to prove his worth and wants to do something."

"Oh, I understand." Professor Luo glanced at Teacher Liu, as if asking, can we trust Gu Fan?

Teacher Liu nodded in approval: "It’s rare to see a student so passionate for our country’s archaeology. It is commendable and we should support him."

The meaning behind Teacher Liu’s words was that he approved of Gu Fan. Consequently, Professor Luo agreed: "Alright, if you can genuinely help us secure funding, I may consider taking you and your classmate on the expedition."

First, the application for funding might take a while, and Professor Luo was eager to make some achievement. Second, Professor Luo was growing old, and he wanted to accomplish his career peak while he had the strength. Lastly, he figured that while archaeological expeditions might be strenuous, they weren’t generally perilous; it would be feasible to bring a few students along.

Thus, Gu Fan and Professor Luo reached an agreement. Professor Luo began to plan, estimate the required funds and make a list of necessary items to purchase. Meanwhile, Gu Fan rushed back to call a meeting, especially with Du Jun, without whom the meeting wouldn’t be possible.

When everyone gathered, and the meeting concluded, Gu Fan intended to ask Du Jun for money. Du Jun faltered before speaking: "Gu Fan, it’s not that I don’t have money or am unwilling to spend it. I can contribute a million, but are you sure this matter is related to the ancient Kingdom of Qian Ye?"

"Won’t we know once we get there? If there’s even a slight hope of finding our missing classmates, we owe it to them to try. Isn’t that what you believe too?" Gu Fan’s question put Du Jun in a quandary. He scratched his head and, finally, after slapping his thigh, decided to finance the expedition.

With the funding issue resolved, next was the preparation work. They needed to buy a lot of things: camping tents, insect repellants, self-defense tools, and much more.

Professor Luo provided a list, and Gu Fan organized everyone to purchase the items separately to gather all items within the shortest time possible. Gu Fan believed that the sooner they departed, the higher the chances of finding their missing classmates. As for the clues in the ancient kingdom of Qian Ye, they would leave that to fate.

In just three days, Gu Fan had managed to purchase everything on the list. Excitedly, he reported to Professor Luo, who was taken aback by the extent of their purchases.

Gu Fan explained that there would be several people on the trip, including himself, his girlfriend, the wealthy classmate who had provided funding, and their two other male classmates. They all wanted to use the summer vacation as an opportunity to get out and explore.

Learning that Gu Fan intended to bring four other students along caused Professor Luo to feel some disagreement. This is an archaeological dig, not tourism. If something happened, he must look after students who couldn’t handle rough conditions. What if something unfavorable occurred outdoors? It would be tough to explain to the student’s parents.

Based on Professor Luo’s viewpoint, he would only let Gu Fan bring his girlfriend and the rich second-generation sponsor. Thus, Lu Yi and Jie were ruled out from the trip.

Of course, Gu Fan preferred involving as many allies in this operation as possible. He also wished for Lu Yi and Jie to partake, but he couldn’t defy Professor Luo. He feared Professor Luo might go into a huff and stop inviting him altogether.

What should he do? Gu Fan found it tough to decide when seeking solutions at home. One day, late at night, Su Hui flung the door open and walked into the room, enraged, blurting out, "Don’t mess with me. I am furious."

"What happened? Someone misjudged you?" Interestingly, whenever Gu Fan saw Su Hui returned from her detective work, though late and exhausted, she never seemed upset. But after becoming a police officer, she would return home daily needing to vent.

"Do you know what weird encounter I had today? A man over six feet tall was too scared to walk past a young puppy by his door. He even called us over to resolve this. When I arrived, I was struck dumb. The sight of a grown man trembling in fear of a small dog, got me speaking up. Guess what? He reported me! Ever since I began working, I’ve completed every assignment successfully, I’ve never been reported. When have I ever had to suffer this kind of humiliation?" Su Hui looked so furious she seemed about to crush her phone at any moment, scaring Gu Fan into maintaining a safe distance. Then, he replied, "Guess it might be because the stubborn criminals you used to beat up had no grounds to report you."

"That’s one way to put it." Unable to let go of her anger, Su Hui shot an icy glare at Gu Fan cowering in a corner. Her eyes narrowed menacingly, "Gu Fan, I haven’t instructed you on combat techniques in a while, haven’t I? My mistake, my negligence. I’ll immediately make up for it." As she finished these words, Su Hui advanced like a ferocious tigress, scaring the life out of Gu Fan.

"Wait a minute, Sister Su. Listen, I have something planned. I can’t get injured." Gu Fan dodges around a table, frantically trying to maintain his safety distance from Su Hui.

"You are such a big man, how can you be afraid of getting injured? This must be due to my indiscipline. Come over here." Not giving up, Su Hui kept running after Gu Fan to catch him, working out a strategy for a surprise attack.

"No way, not happening!" Gu Fan had no intentions of becoming a target for Su Hui’s frustrations and rage. In speed, even if Su Hui is agile, she is still a woman. He didn’t believe she could have such an advantage.

The two ran circles around the table. If Su Hui sped up, Gu Fan would hasten. If she slowed down, he’d do the same, maintaining a constant distance, leaving Su Hui at her wits’ end.

With no choice left, Su Hui huffed down onto the sofa, her frustration evident. Then, as if all her grievances surged up, she showed an anguished, tearful expression that only enhanced her pitiable appearance further.

Feeling regret, Gu Fan reckoned he might have been inconsiderate towards Su Hui’s feelings, so he approached to comfort her.

The moment Gu Fan was within reach, Su Hui sprang up like a tiger, caught his arm and applied a Cross Lock. The triumphant laughter that followed sent a clear message, "Ha ha ha, I knew you would fall into my trap."

"Sister Su, you can’t be serious." Gu Fan protested. But it was of no use; he was under Su Hui’s mercy now, at her disposal.

Gu Fan begged, "Sister Su, I am about to leave for an adventure. I can’t get injured. Please spare me. Ouch!"

"Adventure! Where?" This piqued Su Hui’s curiosity, and Gu Fan shared his plans with Professor Luo. She was taken aback initially, but a sudden cheerfulness overcame her, "Great! I’ll come too. I can protect you, and also take a vacation. A change of scene."

"But Professor Luo won’t let me bring so many people." Barely finished, Gu Fan felt a surge of pain from his arm as he heard Su Hui questioning, "Can’t you just devise a way? Do you really want me, a delicate woman, to stay behind and look after the property? What if I run into trouble?"

"If trouble finds you, they’d only be in for more trouble." Gu Fan had barely finished when another wave of pain shot through his arm, swiftly replying, "Alright, alright. I’ll figure something out. I’ll try persuading Professor Luo. I’m confident he would welcome a skilled and justice-driven police officer such as you."

"That’s more like it." Satisfied with his response, Su Hui finally released Gu Fan.

Feeling like he just escaped death, Gu Fan sighed quietly, thinking, "My days ahead seem pretty grim. I won’t dare to increase the rent."