Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared-Chapter 1650: Familiar Opponent

Inside the Demon Refining Island Base, Gu Fan, Lin Yue, Leng Feng, and Gu Xiaojin walked together, pretending to be part of the base’s personnel as they patrolled and searched.

The base was massive, housing at least a hundred thousand people with constant movement between floors. Once Gu Fan and the others blended in, finding them would be akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.

Gu Fan’s current goal was to return to the room they had initially entered, and use the ventilation system there to leave the Demon Refining Island Base—essentially, to exit the same way they had come in.

This problem also left the enemy commander at a loss. He was trying to figure out how these people had managed to infiltrate the Demon Refining Island Base, especially since no entry or exit points had been activated in the past three days, and surveillance hadn’t captured any signs of an approach, not even from a fly.

Just then, the image of the Dark Overlord appeared on the monitor, his cold, emotionless face making the commander tremble as he quickly saluted.

"Ning Qi, I already know what’s happening on your end. If I hadn’t contacted you, when exactly were you planning to report to me?" The Dark Overlord’s icy voice made the commander, Ning Qi, turn pale, sweat dripping down his face.

Ning Qi lowered his head in terror, stammering, "Forgive me, Master. I have no idea where the breach occurred or who it was that rescued Leng Feng."

The Dark Overlord let out a faint smile filled with hidden meaning. "Let me tell you who infiltrated the Demon Refining Island Base—it’s me, from the past. A version of Gu Fan who traveled to this era from the past."

"What? It’s the past you?" Ning Qi was stunned, her face changing as the situation suddenly became far more complicated.

The Dark Overlord continued, "That’s right. I know my own abilities better than anyone, so I don’t blame you for the base’s breach."

Hearing this, Ning Qi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she might evade punishment after all.

But the Dark Overlord’s expression grew firm. "Listen carefully, Ning Qi. Your master is the present me, not the past me. Now I’m giving you this command, and you must carry it out. Even if you have to face the past me, you’ll confront him head-on and show him what you’re capable of."

"Y-yes..." Ning Qi reluctantly accepted the task, feeling strange inside. The Dark Overlord’s order felt as though he was instructing Ning Qi to beat himself up.

"Take this chance, Ning Qi, because it might be your only opportunity to thoroughly thrash me." With that, the Dark Overlord gave a cryptic smile and the monitor went dark.

The room fell silent, but Ning Qi’s heart raced faster. This Gu Fan, the Gu Fan from the past—it was all a bit convoluted. She felt at a loss, unsure how to properly handle the situation.

"Past Gu Fan, don’t blame me. It’s the Dark Overlord who’s forcing me to go against you," Ning Qi muttered to herself, clenching her teeth as she began issuing orders to her subordinates, deploying additional personnel to guard the exits.

But something was off. As Ning Qi cooled her mind to analyze, a question began to surface. Since the Dark Overlord knew that Gu Fan from the past had arrived in this era, why had he chosen to imprison Leng Feng here? The Dark Overlord himself had said that he understood his own abilities better than anyone else.

In other words, the Dark Overlord knew that Gu Fan would inevitably infiltrate the Demon Refining Island Base and successfully rescue Leng Feng.

Ning Qi couldn’t wrap her head around it—if the Dark Overlord could foresee all this, why wasn’t he personally guarding Leng Feng, directly confronting Gu Fan?

It made no sense. The Dark Overlord had detained Leng Feng here, seemingly just to let Gu Fan rescue him while jumping through hoops. What was the purpose of all this?

From Ning Qi’s understanding of both the Dark Overlord and Gu Fan, it couldn’t possibly be that simple. There had to be some deeper motive behind his actions.

Suddenly, a ridiculous thought occurred to Ning Qi—surely, the Dark Overlord wasn’t orchestrating this entire situation just to let Ning Qi vent her frustrations by attacking the Gu Fan from the past?

"Wait a minute." Ning Qi grew concerned about one crucial aspect—the secrets of the Demon Refining Island Base. Under no circumstances could Gu Fan discover them.

She immediately issued new orders to seal off key laboratory doors and secure the experimental subjects.

Although she still didn’t know the Dark Overlord’s true intentions, Ning Qi refused to be anyone’s pawn. While following his orders, she was also trying to figure out his plans.

Ning Qi had always been a clever and scheming woman. When she first encountered Gu Fan, she had managed to toy with him effortlessly.

At this moment, Qian Xue entered the command room with an indifferent expression. "You called for me."

Ning Qi nodded, explaining the situation, which left Qian Xue momentarily stunned.

"Go, find Gu Fan and complete the mission. I can plead with the Dark Overlord on your behalf, offer you—and the Shennv Xuanhui—a chance." Ning Qi spoke with an air of superiority, brimming with smug satisfaction. fгeewёbnoѵel_cσm

Qian Xue stiffly nodded and accepted the task, though her gaze toward Ning Qi remained filled with disdain.

Years ago, when Gu Fan had manipulated all those in power and begun orchestrating events from behind the scenes, his relationships with former comrades who had shared life-and-death struggles started to fracture. Eventually, Gu Fan became the Dark Overlord.

One such opportunity was seized by Ning Qi, who became the first to defect to the Dark Overlord, devoting herself entirely to his service.

With her talents, Ning Qi gained the Dark Overlord’s trust and played a key role in his struggle against the Shennv Xuanhui.

During one such conflict, Qian Xue was severely injured and captured.

Qian Ying fell victim to Ning Qi’s treachery, perishing tragically.

As for Qian Feng, she vowed never to surrender and swore to fight the Dark Overlord to the bitter end. If not for Gu Ling’s earnest pleas, Qian Feng might have already...

Eventually, the Dark Overlord granted Qian Feng leniency, allowing her to live as long as she never appeared before him again. To this day, Qian Xue had no idea where Qian Feng was, or whether she was alive or dead.

Hatred—of course, Qian Xue loathed the Dark Overlord with every fiber of her being. But she detested the Shennv Xuanhui’s traitor, Ning Qi, even more.

Qian Xue could never forget the day Ning Qi, under the guise of protecting Qian Ying while she cast a spell, shot her and pierced her body.

The enmity had been etched into Qian Xue’s heart ever since. She knew she couldn’t challenge the Dark Overlord directly, but she had been biding her time for an opportunity to exact revenge on Ning Qi.

Unfortunately, with the Dark Overlord’s support, Ning Qi, Ye Yue, and Lie Kong—all those who had defected to his side—had grown far stronger. Ning Qi’s current strength now vastly surpassed Qian Xue’s.

Lost in deep recollection, Qian Xue’s hatred unknowingly seeped into her expression.

Ning Qi noticed it, furrowing her brows in displeasure. She issued a warning: "Let me remind you, Qian Xue, you are the last hope of the Shennv Xuanhui. Don’t do anything reckless."

"Y-yes..." Qian Xue caught the undertone in Ning Qi’s words and quickly lowered her head. Despite the bitterness in her heart, she feigned submission.

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