Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 98: Incompetent Guide

Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Incompetent Guide

Originally a three-day journey, a sudden emergency situation occurred. Xu Haowen had probably fallen prey to the unfamiliar environment, resulting in him becoming ill and unfit to continue the journey. Consequently, the team decided to stop for a while.

This was nothing short of a miracle. Gu Fan and Lu Yi announced that they would forge ahead to handle everything and wait for the rest at the destination.

Professor Luo agreed. He advised Gu Fan and Lu Yi to be cautious along the way. He even thought highly of the two young people, considering them considerate for the overall group. Little did Professor Luo know of the secret motives behind Gu Fan and Lu Yi’s actions.

In their desperate attempt to find a suitable guide and give Professor Luo an explanation, Gu Fan and Lu Yi hurried their way to New Night City.

Once again setting foot in this city, Gu Fan was reminded of past events. Xia Yue’s disappearance was an obligation he could not shirk off. This time, Gu Fan intended to bring back all the missing students.

Regardless of the heavy emotions, Professor Luo was due to arrive in two days. By then, he would ask about the guide from Lu Yi. If Lu Yi could not provide one, who knew how angry Professor Luo would be?

"Find a guide. Hurry up and find a guide." Gu Fan and Lu Yi started to search all travel agencies in New Night City, visiting each one, telling them about their intention, hoping to find a suitable guide to lead them to some remote and unexplored places.

As soon as the travel agencies heard that they were archaeologists about to venture to more remote places, they refused after seeing the map that Gu Fan brought along. Each travel agency had their own rules and standardized routes, they couldn’t arbitrarily visit unknown places. This was to ensure the safety of their customers. God forbid anything should happen-- they wouldn’t be able to justify it.

They were refused by eight travel agencies in just one morning. This got Gu Fan extremely worried. If they had no guide, how could they possibly venture into the deserted wilderness?

"What do we do? What do we do?" Gu Fan was anxious. Lu Yi was even more distressed. He didn’t want to be scolded and belittled by Professor Luo later. Although this old man seemed kind and amicable, everyone has their limits.

Just as Gu Fan and Lu Yi planned to try their luck at the next travel agency, they suddenly saw a man pushed aggressively out of a nearby travel agency. The man stumbledclumsily, barely stabilizing himself. With a bewildered expression, he retorted to the shop, "Boss, it’s a misunderstanding! It’s not what you think."

A slightly overweight man with spectacles displayed a fierce expression. "Still able to speak? Under the name of our travel agency, you’ve been taking groups of tourists off the regular routes. If anything happened, wouldn’t we be blamed? Can I keep an employee like you? Get lost, now!"

The man seemed to be in his thirties. He tried his best to explain, "Boss, it’s not what you think. I just wanted to create new travel routes. As you know, everyone currently complains about overcrowding at the tourist sites. Everyone’s following the same route, resulting in a potential safety concern."

"What a lame excuse. Get lost instantly!" The overweight man had obviously run out of patience. His voice hardened further, "Just because you’ve been to many unexplored regions since you were little makes you any greater? Not to mention you taking trips off the regular routes without company authorization, you’ve even done so when the company specifically told you to lead a group tour! What are you really up to?"

The man’s expression took on a wronged look. "Such so-called standard routes don’t allow tourists to see the real wonders of the wilderness! This inevitably leads to customer deception. I’m familiar with the unexplored regions and, in my opinion, the trips there are worth it."

The boss shouted loudly, "You should be clear about where is dangerous and where is relatively safe. As a guide, your primary duty is to ensure the safety of tourists, not acting on your own preferences."

"I’ve been to many unexplored regions. It’s clear to me where is dangerous and where is safe. Your so-called ’safe, standardized routes’, in reality, are to minimize the cost for the travel agencies. You are only considering your own interests." The man defended himself, but even before he could finish, he saw a pile of things thrown at him and swiftly ducked.

The boss yelled one last time, "These are all your things. Take them and get out! Don’t ever appear again."

"If you won’t keep me here, there are other places that will." The man murmured under his breath while collecting his things, "Wait till I get some money. I’ll open my own travel agency and compete with you. I’ll bankrupt you. I, the boss, will rule the world!"

Gu Fan and Lu Yi watched from the sidelines. Obviously, this was a guide who didn’t respect the rules, had been sacked because of this, and could be a risky choice. But it was also said that the higher the risk, the greater the return. Perhaps, only someone like this man could fulfill their requirements.

So, Gu Fan and Lu Yi went to help him tidy up his things. The man expressed his appreciation.

Gu Fan started a conversation, "Can I ask if you are a guide?"

"I used to be, but I just lost my job. So, I guess I’m not a guide anymore." The man heaved a sigh. His face was filled with a grieved look.

Gu Fan added, "Whether you’re a licensed guide isn’t important. What matters is that you’ve been a guide, you can guide people, and most importantly, can you take us to where we want to go?"

"Where do you want to go?" The man asked, a look of confusion and caution on his face as he regarded the stranger before him.

Gu Fan pulled out a map, pointing to a spot on it. "We want to go here. Are you capable of taking us?"

The man’s face turned grave as he glanced at the map. "You’re seeking the ancient kingdom of Qian Ye?"

"You know about the ancient kingdom of Qian Ye?" Gu Fan was surprised. His map was an un-deciphered duplicate given by Professor Luo, with several areas impossible to understand and no mentioning of Qian Ye. Yet upon mere inspection, the man discerned their destination was the ancient kingdom of Qian Ye. It seemed he was the real deal.

As it turned out, the man’s father had been a guide who many years ago led an expedition meant to seek the ancient kingdom of Qian Ye.

Though they didn’t find it, the man’s father mapped the track of their journey and recorded their experiences and the sceneries they encountered in a notebook.

The man had spent his life traversing the wilderness, drawing on his childhood experiences of roaming with his father. This gave him a knack for guiding and helped him land a job as a tour guide.

But in response to Gu Fan’s request, the man shook his head. "The place you’re seeking is difficult, dangerous, and quite eerie. I’ve journeyed through the wilderness for many years and even I’ve never dared go there. It’s a wicked place, my father used to say so."

"Don’t tell me you’re inflating the price," Gu Fan said, a look of suspicion on his face. The man, appearing slightly embarrassed, responded, "How could you think that of me? It’s simply an unusual, scarcely explored area, one I’ve never been to. There is a risk involved. Aside from the standard guide fee, I’d need to charge a bit extra for the risk. This isn’t price hike, just good business."

Of course, Gu Fan thought, this man was indeed slick. However, the man had been able to work out the kingdom of Qian Ye simply by glancing at the map, making him the ideal guide. Even if this cost extra, it didn’t matter since he wasn’t the one paying.

After intense bargaining, both parties settled on thirty thousand. The man then directed Gu Fan to meet him at a village bordering New Night City while he made preparations.

Gu Fan noted down the man’s contact information and struck a little agreement. He asked not to mention that they found their guide by sheer luck to avoid arousing suspicion or skepticism, which might lead to a last-minute change of mind about using his services. Instead, they should claim he was recommended by a relative of Lu Yi—as that could make him seem more trustworthy.

The man agreed to this rationale, much to the relief of Lu Yi. The problem of finding a guide seemed to be solved.

But Gu Fan didn’t feel at ease. This guide was found by sheer luck on the streets. Was he trustworthy? Gu Fan remained apprehensive, particularly considering he had been dismissed by a travel agency.

Thinking it over and for caution’s sake, Gu Fan decided to keep looking. He spent the afternoon scouting more travel agencies, but the results were the same—they all refused to venture where Gu Fan and his team intended. None of them seemed to know of their destination had anything to do with the ancient kingdom of Qian Ye.

So it seemed they had no other choice. The man was their only option, and hopefully their trust in him was not misplaced.

Lu Yi wasn’t as concerned. He felt he had done a good deed in solving the guide situation. He was grateful for his good fortune—firstly, Xu Haowen’s inability to adapt had delayed their journey, which gave him time to find a guide. Then he found an appropriate guide. Surely the luck of a good person couldn’t be too terrible.

However, what Gu Fan and Lu Yi did not anticipate was that from the moment they set foot in New Night City, they had been targeted.

Leng Le had traced Gu Fan’s whereabouts and informed her accomplice in New Night City to keep a close watch. Meanwhile, she also began her preparations; she was set to depart for New Night City that evening.

"Brave little guy, you really are headed in that direction," Leng Le thought to herself, a small smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. She found herself increasingly interested in what Gu Fan, an apparently ordinary young college student, was capable of.

"Nevertheless, regardless of what prodigious moves you have up your sleeve, in the end, I will be the victor. Let’s see how this plays out," she said to herself.