Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared-Chapter 1696: Can’t Escape

Just as Li Shi was about to ask more questions, a sudden gunshot startled her, and she was immediately pulled into the shadows by Gu Fan.

The two men from earlier had unexpectedly drawn guns, and five more people emerged from the town—each armed—pointing their weapons at the group.

"You?" At this moment, everyone understood. These seven sinister-looking men with ruthless gazes were clearly fugitives.

What could be done? Despite their numbers, the group dared not resist. The guns left them no choice; they complied with orders, clasping their hands behind their heads and squatting on the ground.

The boss of the seven saw the situation was under control and exhaled slightly, then said coldly, "You shouldn’t have come to this place."

Upon hearing this, the group inwardly cursed their misfortune. Who’d want to come here and stumble upon seven gun-wielding criminals?

Someone recalled seeing these seven men’s faces on a wanted list. Apparently, they had stolen a lot of goods and then vanished without a trace. The authorities were still hunting them down. Who would’ve thought they’d end up hiding in this abandoned town?

The other six stood ready for orders, while the boss wore a cold, indifferent expression, as if life held no meaning for him. He paced slowly, deep in thought.

To avoid having their presence exposed by the group, the boss decided to seize control of the situation. His heartless and calculated mind reached a deadly decision within moments.

The boss circled the group once, then gave a signal with his eyes for the other six men to act.

At that moment, Gu Fan and Li Shi, hiding in the dark, saw the seven men preparing to open fire and instantly realized the worst was about to happen.

"What do we do about our classmates?" Li Shi was frantic, but powerless. She and Gu Fan were just high school students—how could they match up to seven armed fugitives?

In truth, if the nearly thirty people in the group decided to fight back, they could prevail. But fear had paralyzed them all. Cowering on the ground, heads down, they remained oblivious to the murderous intent brewing among the seven men.

Just as the danger reached its peak, someone suddenly stumbled out, covered in blood and terror-stricken, crying out as they ran, "Help me! Someone save me!"

Gu Fan and Li Shi froze in shock. Wasn’t this the wife from the missing couple earlier? How had she ended up in such a state? What had happened?

"What happened!" Even the seven fugitives were stunned, momentarily pausing their plan to kill.

The driver, Uncle Blacky, the woman in red—each person looked up, staring in disbelief at the bloodied figure. Her terrified expression and the crimson stains on her body suggested she had experienced something unspeakably horrifying.

The woman seemed unfazed by the menacing energy of the seven fugitives and their guns; she only cared about running toward the crowd.

The group quickly brought her over, frantically asking, "What happened? Where’s your husband?"

Clutching the driver’s collar like a lifeline, the woman struggled to form coherent words due to shock, but the rising fear and despair in her demeanor were palpable to all.

"Something’s there... something’s in this town..." After a moment, she finally managed to say something understandable.

The boss’s brows furrowed, and he barked, "What thing? What the hell are you talking about?"

The woman stammered, "I don’t know... It appeared suddenly, dragged me and my husband away... and then it... it took my husband..."

The dark surroundings were punctuated by a cold gust of wind, sending chills down everyone’s spine—even the seven fugitives broke out in cold sweat.

"We need to leave! Get out of here now!" The woman clung tightly to the driver, urging everyone with frantic desperation. Her fear was so extreme, it bordered on hysteria.

The group also wanted to escape, but the seven fugitives wouldn’t allow it.

The boss fired a shot into the sky and shouted, "No one leaves without my permission, not a single one of you!"

In response, Old Three stormed forward and slapped the woman across her face. "You think you can scare us by making up some story?" he snarled.

"I’m not lying—it’s real..." The woman tried to continue speaking but received another brutal slap.

Old Three’s tone grew harsher. "Shut up! We’ve been here since daytime, and there’s been nothing—this town is empty. Other than us, there’s nothing here!"

An elderly man stepped in to mediate, explaining, "Perhaps she mistook something for a threat. She’s been terribly frightened—don’t be too hard on her."

"Spare me your nonsense!" The fugitives dismissed the explanation with an arrogant sneer, issuing another warning to the crowd.

The woman hid behind someone, trembling uncontrollably, whispering faintly, "There’s something... there’s really something here..."

Several people nearby heard her and felt a surge of unease creeping into their hearts.

Under the forceful orders of the seven fugitives, the group was compelled to move deeper into the town.

Once the fugitives and the group had walked off into the distance, Gu Fan and Li Shi cautiously emerged from their hiding place, their minds racing with confusion. What kind of place was this town?

At the moment, saving the group was out of the question. Their only option was to escape and find help elsewhere.

Gu Fan and Li Shi decided to retrace their steps and flee the town, aiming to find a location with cell signal.

Suddenly, a strange sound rang out behind them—a sharp whooshing noise as though something had zipped past them.

Gu Fan and Li Shi turned around instantly but saw nothing. Fear gripped them, their bodies trembling. The eerie atmosphere of this place overwhelmed them with dread.

Recalling the bloodied woman’s terror-stricken face and her gruesome condition, Li Shi shuddered uncontrollably.

Gu Fan, being a boy, steeled himself as much as he could. With renewed courage, he grabbed Li Shi’s hand and ran toward the tunnel entrance.

Whatever was here felt even deadlier to Gu Fan than the seven armed fugitives.

But Gu Fan and Li Shi were limited by their two legs, their pace and stamina no match for their pursuers. They had just reached the tunnel entrance, panting heavily, when the sound of a vehicle closing in sent panic flooding through them.

The criminals seemed to have spotted Gu Fan and Li Shi and immediately accelerated, roaring after them with ferocious speed.

With no other choice, Gu Fan and Li Shi braced themselves and sprinted into the tunnel. Even knowing they might not outrun them, they had to try.

"You fools! Do you really think you can escape? Two legs won’t outrun four wheels—never!" The criminals sneered coldly.

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