Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared-Chapter 577: You Are The One We Need

When dinner time arrived, Xiaohu brought out the food. Frankly, the meals weren’t good, and everyone else was struggling to eat, yet Gu Fan didn’t mind. He engaged Xiaohu in friendly conversation: "So, your name is Xiaohu, right? How long have you been here? You look about eighteen."

Xiaohu didn’t reply; he wanted to leave as soon as he set down the food. However, Gu Fan called after him: "We all come from the same place. We speak the same language. In a foreign land, we can help each other."

In response, Xiaohu curtly remarked: "You can’t even save yourselves. How are you going to help others?"

"If you help me, I can help you. I don’t need you to do much; just answer a few questions and chat with me. That in itself would be a great help. I promise, if we have a chance to escape, I will take you with us," Gu Fan stated. Immediately, Lin Xi chirped in, "The ransom should be ready soon, and we can add a bit more to get you out as well. It’s obvious you don’t belong here and you’re not like them. You must want to go home, right?"

When Xiaohu heard the phrase ’go home’, he was visibly moved. However, years of fear dictated his actions, silencing any thoughts of returning home.

Gu Fan noticed Xiaohu’s flicker of hope quickly fade, so he continued to encourage him: "I mean it. You just have to answer a few questions. We don’t need you to set us free; we will find our own way out. When that time comes, we won’t forget your kindness. We will definitely take you with us. Don’t you want to go home? Are you really content with staying here forever?"

After some hesitation, Xiaohu finally asked, "Alright, what do you want to ask?"

Gu Fan’s first question was, "Is the appearance of the fog in the center of the Triangle Sea Area predictable?"

Xiaohu nodded, "Yes, but I can’t tell you."

"Then you know the pattern. When we make our escape, if I take you with us, will you tell me?" Gu Fan opted to gamble on Xiaohu. If his gamble paid off, they could slip away unnoticed. If it didn’t, they’d have to part with a bang.

Xiaohu didn’t either affirm or deny Gu Fan’s suggestion. His eyes widened in surprise, seemingly unable to figure out what Gu Fan was planning.

Finally, Xiaohu’s face fell, "Don’t waste your energy. I know some things about the Triangle Sea Area. They won’t let me leave."

"That’s exactly what I was hoping for, someone like you," Gu Fan exclaimed, his spirit lifted. If not for their cage, he’d have loved to give Xiaohu a hug.

Having Xiaohu on board, someone knowledgeable about the fog, meant they could navigate through the heart of the Triangle Sea Area. That was one step closer to gathering all the information they needed.

The next question from Gu Fan was quite obvious, "The pirates must have a lot of ships. Where do they dock them and how many are usually guarding?"

Xiaohu, taken aback, quickly retorted, "Don’t even think about it. Even if you escape, they’ll catch up with you. You can’t get away. You’re not familiar with the Triangle Sea Area, let alone the patterns of the fog."

Gu Fan confidently replied, "We might not know the fog’s pattern, but you do. And that’s enough."

Despite this, Xiaohu shook his head, "It’s useless. Even though I know when the fog appears, I rarely go out to sea. I’m not that familiar with the center of the Triangle Sea Area either. You won’t be able to escape, even with me."

"There’s no need to worry about that, just answer one more question," Gu Fan asked Xiaohu seriously, "The Triangle Sea Area is complex with numerous islands. For the pirates to do as they please here, they must have their own nautical maps. Otherwise, how would they plan their operations?"

Xiaohu agreed, "Yes, there is. One is kept in the pirate leader’s room, and another in the meeting room. Every operation is planned using these maps in the meeting room."

"Right, exactly as I suspected. Thank you," Gu Fan exclaimed, the corners of his mouth turning up to a satisfied smile.

Lin Xi then noticed something intriguing: the pirates inhabited the area at the base of the mountain where there was a cave. She had observed several pirates exiting the cave with damp legs.

She turned to Xiaohu urgently, "Does that cave lead to where the pirates dock their ships?"

Caught off-guard by their discovery, Xiaohu nodded reluctantly.

Gu Fan noticed Xiaohu’s concern and reassured him with a smile, "Don’t worry, we can’t escape. We’re just making conversation. You have nothing to worry about. Also, if we manage to leave, we’ll take you with us because we can bring you home."

The phrase ’bring you home’ once again touched a chord in Xiaohu. Just then, a mean pirate appeared. He kicked Xiaohu aside and started swearing, clearly displeased.

Xiaohu reluctantly translated for the group, "If you don’t come up with the ransom money by tomorrow, we’ll have to resort to some unsavory measures."

"I understand. It’s fine," Gu Fan replied, clearly unaffected. He looked at the pirate with amusement. Meanwhile, Lin Xi recognized the same pirate as the one who had touched her face and slapped her.

Lin Xi was boiling with anger, but Gu Fan gently reminded her the time for retaliation had not yet come, asking her to hold on a little longer.

Suppressing her wrath, Lin Xi still carried an intimidating aura. Her intense glare made the pirate’s ferocious eyes waver. In fact, he didn’t dare make eye contact with Lin Xi.

Once the pirate left, Xiaohu sighed, "I’m sorry. If the ransom isn’t paid by the third day, there’s nothing I can do."

"It’s alright. You’ve already helped us a lot. Just your presence alone is a great help to us. Thank you," Gu Fan spoke with an underlying depth of sincerity which furrowed Xiaohu’s brow. Gu Fan appeared dependable but the current predicament didn’t seem like something he could handle.

"Good luck then," Xiaohu said dejectedly before he left.

Watching Xiaohu’s lean figure recede, Gu Fan sighed, "I wonder what he went through to end up in a place like this."

Lin Xi nodded, "Yes, seeing his fear, life here must be hard. He’s constantly bullied. Gu Fan, we have to help him."

Upon hearing Lin Xi’s words, Gu Fan smiled, "I knew my girlfriend was kind-hearted."

Both Qin Jia and Xu Haowen felt helpless, "Can you stop showing off your affection? We still have a day before we decide on our escape plan. This is a tense moment."

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺