Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared-Chapter 55 - Changes in the Ancient Town

55: Chapter 55 Changes in the Ancient Town

55 -55 Changes in the Ancient Town

The old town was not a very accessible place, as it wasn’t a famous scenic spot and didn’t have any special shuttle bus service.

Fortunately, Su Hui had a car, and it was just the right size for the five of them.

It suddenly made Gu Fan feel immensely relieved and grateful that Su Hui was able to join them this trip.

Not only did she provide another pair of hands for assistance, but she also lent them her car for transportation.

Perhaps it was all meant to be.

Trusting their previous memory of the journey, Gu Fan and his group once again reached the ancient town.

The moment they set foot in this place, the thought of everything that happened that night unsettled the hearts of Gu Fan, Lin Xi, and Lu Yi.

Since it was winter, there weren’t many tourists visiting the town.

Besides, the place was not conveniently connected, so the visitors were usually from not too far away or families and friends who decided to take a stroll during the weekends.

Considering all these factors, Gu Fan reckoned that regardless of anything, there would definitely be a relatively larger crowd during the weekends.

And a larger crowd could serve well to conceal their tracks.

Upon their arrival in the ancient town, under Gu Fan’s lead, they headed straight for the old man’s shop, hoping to get some answers to their doubts soon.

To their surprise, the shop was closed.

It was already late in the morning, yet the shop was not open for business.

Not finding the person they were looking for was a disappointing start to their journey, creating a foreboding feeling among them.

However, that did not mean giving up.

Gu Fan asked around but nobody seemed to know where the old man was.

They mentioned not having seen him for several days.

Was it going to be a wasted trip?

Gu Fan was slightly disappointed, but he decided to stay in the town for another day and find accommodation for the night.

Perhaps there wouldn’t be any new discoveries or changes, but since they were already here, there was no rush to head back.

Therefore, they decided to stay at an inn near the old man’s shop in case he suddenly returned and they could be the first to know.

After settling their accommodations, Gu Fan, Lin Xi, Su Hui, Lu Yi, and Jie decided to head toward the hill where the incident occurred.

Along the way, there were tourists chatting and laughing, creating a harmonious atmosphere without anything amiss.

They quickly reached the location of the hidden room, but the door to the room was locked.

It appeared impossible to enter again for further investigation, leaving them despondent.

However, Jie commented: “This chain locking the door is in no way sturdy.

It can be easily broken.

I even brought tools.”

“Seriously, you brought that too…” everyone looked at Jie in astonishment, making Jie seem like a habitual thief.

In a fluster, Jie quickly explained, “My family used to lock our doors like this.

There was once when we forgot our keys, which is why I have experience with this.”

“Your experience has indeed come in handy, but it’s broad daylight now.

It would be too conspicuous.” Gu Fan then suggested, “Let’s come again at night, just like the last time.”

Lu Yi expressed some concern: “Gu Fan, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

The students who had mishaps all entered the hidden room.

We were lucky not to have gone in.

Now you intend to enter, isn’t it a bit…”

Upon hearing this, Gu Fan was taken aback.

Was it really necessary to take such a risk?

Not just Lu Yi and Jie, but even Su Hui wasn’t keen on entering.

She was also worried about some bizarre curse related to the hidden room.

At this moment, Jie had a bright idea, “By the way, I brought a drone.

We don’t need to go in ourselves, I can just send the drone in.”

Everyone immediately gave Jie a thumbs-up.

True to the saying, “the more the merrier.” Having an extra friend when traveling can always open up more possibilities.

Alright, as they had to wait for the night, they decided to go back to the town to rest first.

But on their way back, they encountered several locals who gave them strange looks.

This look was familiar.

Gu Fan remembered that the townsfolk had the same gaze when they first visited.

Therefore, he concluded that those looking at them this way were most likely locals rather than the tourists.

Suddenly, a thought struck Gu Fan.

Was this how the locals looked at every visitor, or just their group?

So, Gu Fan carefully watched the locals along their way and found that his suspicion was correct.

These locals seemed to be looking at them differently, barely even noticing the other tourists.

At this moment, Gu Fan was utterly baffled.

“Why are we being singled out?

Moreover, what’s so special about us that we are given such distinct treatment?

Aren’t we just like any other tourists visiting this ancient town?”

The reason certainly couldn’t be because Lin Xi and Su Hui were too attractive.

The locals’ gaze wasn’t one of awe towards beauty.

After they got back to their accommodations, Gu Fan quickly gathered everyone to relay his observations.

This revelation left everyone in shock.

Lu Yi cautiously said, “Gu Fan, don’t scare us.

Did you overthink it?”

However, Su Hui shook her head, “I thought I was the only one who noticed that.

It seems it’s really true.”

“No way, even you, Sister Su, are saying this.

Does this mean we’re in trouble?” Lu Yi felt a headache coming on and started massaging her temples.

Just like that, they were being targeted.

Su Hui said again, “My intuition tells me that something is very off about this ancient town.”

“Of course, there’s a problem.

The first student to go missing disappeared on a mountain around the outskirts of the ancient town.” Lu Yi shook her head and sighed, then gave a few dry laughs, “Maybe we should just turn back now, I am genuinely worried.”

However, Gu Fan said, “It doesn’t necessarily mean we’re in danger.

The people of the ancient town might be hiding something.

They want to tell us but can’t, just like that old man.”

“That makes sense.” Lu Yi thought of the old man who had spoken in a loud yet cryptic manner, talking around matters rather than being straightforward.

She really wanted to give that old man a piece of her mind.

Lin Xi chimed in, “So what do we do now?

Do we stay put until nightfall, or…”

“Let’s stay put, conserve energy, and save some strength, just in case.” Gu Fan held the view of ‘better safe than sorry,’ and was determined not to go wandering about any more than necessary.

Su Hui, on the other hand, started searching the room, especially the corners and likely hiding places, with everyone guessing that she was looking for hidden cameras.

Everyone was on edge until Su Hui confirmed there weren’t any cameras, which allowed them to breathe a sigh of relief.

Although they decided not to venture out, Gu Fan still made a point of observing the surroundings.

He opened the window and looked out for a while, observing the people coming and going, his brow furrowed.

“What’s wrong, you have that look again.

Don’t tell me you’ve thought of something bad.” Lu Yi was a bit scared.

Every time Gu Fan adopted that expression, it was followed by a bad revelation.

Gu Fan simply said, “Do you remember how many people were coming and going in the ancient town last time we visited?”

After hearing this, Lu Yi began paying more attention, “Now that you mention it, it does seem a bit strange.

Last time we were here, there were fewer tourists, and the busy streets were mostly filled with local residents, most of whom were middle-aged or elderly.

Now, there seem to be more tourists with backpacks than last time.

However, the streets don’t seem busier.”

“So you’re saying the local residents have decreased.” Gu Fan’s brow remained furrowed as he continued observing, adding, “Maybe it was just a coincidence the last time.

Perhaps most of the residents happened to be out when we visited, and this time, they are all at home.”

“We can’t rule out that possibility…But overall, compared to before, it seems like the same number of people coming and going, but the difference is the decrease in residents and increase in tourists.” A weird feeling crept up on Lu Yi, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Gu Fan added, “Let’s make another comparison.

Last time, the majority of the residents seen around the ancient town were middle-aged and elderly.

This time, it seems like the elderly are in the majority.

What does that suggest?”

“You mean that the number of elderly people we see on the streets during our first and second visit to the ancient town stays approximately the same, and we perceive a decrease because there are fewer middle-aged people.”

Gu Fan shook his head at this, “We can’t draw a conclusion based on the current observations.

We need to observe tomorrow’s situation to confirm this.”

You have a keen observation, I didn’t see you have such a gift for detection.” Su Hui walked over, quiet yet smiling.

She felt more and more that the case had many mysteries to be solved, which only served to fuel her determination to expose the mastermind behind these events.

****

At this time, Hai, who was camping in the wilderness, received a message that Gu Fan and his team had been spotted in the ancient town.

Pictures were also sent.

“No way, they actually dared to come back.” Hai looked at the photos and his face paled at once because the photos included Gu Fan, Lin Xi, and his younger brother, Jie.

“Oh my God, why did you have to get yourself involved in this mess.” Hai was really worried, he looked flustered.

Suddenly, he received a call from Sister Leng asking about the whereabouts of Gu Fan and Lin Xi.

Hai heaved a sigh, “Sister Leng, don’t worry.

The people you are looking for are already in the ancient town.

It seems they are also investigating some clues.

I will keep a tab on them.”

Upon hearing this, Sister Leng was shocked, “No way, they actually have the courage?

They’re just college students.

They surely don’t think that by returning to the ancient town, they can uncover some useful clues to solve this mystery.”

Hai responded, “Perhaps they’ve discovered some clues, which is why they’ve returned for investigation.

Furthermore, the female cop, Su Hui, is also here.

I have a feeling they’re not here on a whim, they have a direction.”