Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared-Chapter 57 - A Broken Key
57: Chapter 57: A Broken Key
57 -57: A Broken Key
In the dark forest, the sound of many footsteps could be heard.
It seemed like a lot of people were coming.
Gu Fan and Su Hui were tense, prepared to fight their way out if needed.
Gradually, the sounds of footsteps lessened, becoming faint as if the crowd was moving away from them.
This surprised Gu Fan and Su Hui.
Shortly after, they saw Lin Xi, Lu Yi, and Jie running towards them.
The first thing Lu Yi asked was, “Are you two alright?
From the noise earlier, it sounded like a lot of people were fighting.”
“It’s nothing, we’ll talk about it when we get back.” Gu Fan glanced at the key in his hand that looked as valuable as scrap metal.
They had just risked their lives for such a worthless trinket.
When everyone returned to the inn, they gathered in one room to examine the key.
After a lot of pondering, they still couldn’t make sense of it.
Moreover, the text on it appeared to be in a foreign language.
Lu Yi couldn’t help but sigh, “What the hell is this thing?”
With a serious look, Su Hui said, “Let’s forget about what this thing is for now.
What I’m thinking about is the background of those two groups who were fighting in the forest.
Gu Fan, what are your thoughts?”
“One group dressed like special agents and the other group dressed rather ordinarily—they might be the town’s residents,” said Gu Fan.
After this statement, their faces turned pale.
If Gu Fan’s guess was correct, wouldn’t they be walking right into a trap by staying in this ancient town?
However, Gu Fan reassured everyone: firstly, it wasn’t certain if one of the groups was actually comprised of the town’s residents; secondly, even if they were and had ill-intentions towards them, their best opportunity would have been in the mountains.
Given that they didn’t attack there, it was unlikely they would attack in the town, where other tourists were present.
Everyone found Gu Fan’s reasoning convincing, but they were still afraid.
Gu Fan also warned them not to be careless, especially now when they were dealing with opponents who even Su Hui, the policewoman among them, found formidable.
It was unknown how many other skilled fighters they had on their side.
Lin Xi was a little scared, “Why don’t we run away under the cover of darkness?
I’m afraid the townsfolk might have a sudden change of heart and decide not to let us go.
Then we’d be in big trouble.”
Gu Fan shared this concern.
The adversaries wouldn’t dare to strike during the day, but there were seven hours until dawn – if they could survive till then, they would be safe.
Su Hui disagreed with running away at night.
They still didn’t know everything about the enemy, and the surroundings were desolate.
If the enemy ambushed them on the road, it could be disastrous.
Either travel at night and risk an attack, or stay in the town and potentially be surrounded.
They were stuck.
All they could do was hope for divine protection.
Gu Fan suggested that they all stay in one room for the night and take turns standing guard.
He suggested bringing out any self-defense items—like anti-wolf sprays and retractable batons—just in case.
To everyone’s surprise, Lu Yi had actually bought a shield off the internet, and he held it with an practiced air, causing Gu Fan to tease, “Why didn’t you get a samurai sword too?”
Lu Yi replied straight away: “That thing’s too long, hard to carry.”
“This is good, look at my preparation,” said Jie, taking out a slingshot and a fruit knife.
As he was mainly carrying drone equipment, his preparations for self-defense were rather sparse.
The three guys started to compare their gear like children, each thinking that theirs was superior and the other’s impractical.
Watching this, Su Hui felt a headache coming on.
She thought that managing this immature group was going to be tough.
At that moment, Jie received a phone call.
He was surprised, then asked, “Hey, bro, it’s quite late.
What can I do for you?”
Hai’s voice came from the other end of the line, “I just got home and noticed you weren’t here.
Given that it’s winter vacation, you shouldn’t be staying at the school dorm, right?”
Jie immediately replied, “That’s right.
I’m on a trip to an ancient town with some classmates.
That’s why I’m not home today.
How come you didn’t announce your arrival home?”
“I also came home on an impromptu errand.
Well, since you’re out, just make sure you stay safe.” Hai repeatedly reminded him, then hung up.
At that moment, in a desolate field, Hai sighed, looking deeply worried.
He spoke to the beautiful woman beside him, “My younger brother is fine and doesn’t seem to be in a rush to leave the ancient town.
I think those people should be safe.”
“Who would have thought that even your brother would get dragged into this?
This might also be good—it’s like having an extra pair of eyes for us,” Sister Leng said as she watched the still brightly lit ancient town with a binoculars.
Then she added, “That Su Hui’s skill isn’t bad.
Even you had trouble with her.”
“Give me five more minutes and I promise she won’t be able to get up,” Hai said, wincing slightly as he twisted his neck, feeling a little sore.
“You men are all about face.
Forget about Su Hui.
Instead, think about that key.
It’s probably the key to the main gate.
Now it’s ended up in the hands of some college students.
We can afford to wait, but they must be very anxious,” Sister Leng chuckled ominously, as if anticipating an impressive show. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
Hai nodded, “True, I believe they will do whatever it takes to recover it.
Even if these students manage to leave the ancient town, we’ll manage to snatch it from them.”
“Right, but remember, whoever makes the first move seizes the initiative.
If that key is snatched first by those people, do you think we still stand a chance?” Sister Leng’s words, carrying a certain pressure, made Hai and the others feel that action must be taken urgently.
A look of difficulty showed on Hai’s face, “Alright, I’ll take some men and go to the ancient town to snatch the key.”
“No, no, no.
If you do that, it will cause a stir.
What we need to do first is to ensure the safety of the students.
Once their safety is ensured, the key will not fall into the hands of those people.” The implication in Sister Leng’s words seemed to dawn on Hai.
Hai quickly followed up, “Sister Leng, are you suggesting that…
we should be the ones to protect the students?”
“Exactly.
We have our men in the town disguised as tourists.
Tell them to stroll around the streets at night, take some pictures, and such – an active presence will deter our adversaries from acting hastily in full public view.” Sister Leng finished speaking, a smile flickering at the corner of her mouth.
Understanding her plan, Hai immediately relayed orders over the phone.
Then he heard Sister Leng triumphantly declare, “Once we ensure the students can leave the ancient town safely, they become our prey.”
Hearing this, Hai was somewhat anxious, “Sister Leng, there’s something I need to ask you for.
My younger brother is among them…”
“I know.
I’ll tell my men to be careful.
Your brother won’t be harmed.
I don’t intend to kill these students.
As for Su Hui, she’s a bit tough to handle.
You can deal with her.” After saying this, Sister Leng put away the telescope and fixed Hai with a serious look, “Ever since I came here, I haven’t seen the big boss.
Where is he?”
Hai replied, “The big boss went to another location.
Some unearthed artifacts were discovered there.
It seems they’re from the Great Night Country.
We don’t know if they contain information about the ancient Qian Ye Country.”
“Interesting, very interesting.
It’s rumored that the sudden disappearance of the Qian Ye Country has something to do with the Great Night Country’s interference.
Maybe a discovery truly awaits.
Twelve sacrificial victims, seven students have disappeared so far.
We need five more.” Sister Leng’s enthusiasm grew as she spoke.
Hai expressed his confusion, “But according to the information we have, fourteen entered the secret chamber.
That’s a reasonably large gap from twelve.”
Sister Leng answered, “What if one of the twelve sacrificial victims were to meet with an accident en route?
Wouldn’t you have replacements?”
“Oh, I see.
So, even though we need twelve sacrificial victims, we need two additional ones in reserve.
That’s why fourteen students went into the secret chamber.” It seemed to dawn on Hai, and he found Sister Leng’s explanation quite reasonable.
Another thought crossed Hai’s mind, and he couldn’t help but ask, “By the way, Sister Leng, since you’re here, who’s monitoring the other students?”
In response, Sister Leng shook her head, “We were following the students to understand the movements of those people.
After the one called Zhou Yu disappeared last time, I had my men investigate, and they indeed discovered many things.
Now, we no longer need to keep a close eye on those students.
Let them disappear if they want to.
We have a new target now.
That’s what we’re focusing on.”
Hai frowned, “Our adversaries are not to be underestimated.
While we are observing them, they might be observing us too.
I have a feeling we need to be more careful in the future.”
“True, our adversaries are serious contenders, but their strength pales in comparison to the big boss.
You don’t need to worry.” Sister Leng finished speaking with a derisive smile.
“Sometimes I think, should we take further action, securing all the initiative in our hands, instead of following their pace?”
Hai sighed as he shook his head, “Following their steps, letting them lead us to the final destination, is the big boss’s idea.
Please don’t act recklessly.
Our attempt to snatch the key has probably exposed us.”
However, Sister Leng was nonchalant about this, “We’ve been exposed for quite a while now.
They’re likely aware of our existence.
Sometimes, there’s no need to beat around the bush.”
“Aren’t you afraid that once they find out we exist, they will delay their actions?” Hai worriedly questioned the situation.
However, Sister Leng simply replied, “That’s why we must grab the key.
We need to give off the impression that we’re ahead, making them anxious and forcing them to take more actions.”
“Ah, I see.
You have considered this more comprehensively, Sister Leng.” Hai didn’t know what to say.
Though the plan seemed to be deviating from the expected course, they had already committed.
Perhaps it could indeed evolve as Sister Leng had predicted?
