Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared-Chapter 1694: Going on a Trip Together

The journey had been smooth all the way, and everyone thought they could reach their destination safely and peacefully. But then, something unexpected happened.

The bus driver was on this route for the first time. Due to a moment of carelessness, he failed to exit the highway in time and had to continue driving for 100 kilometers, which was quite far from the intended destination.

The passengers were furious and kept criticizing the bus driver, who repeatedly apologized.

Gu Fan kindly tried to calm everyone down, saying that complaints wouldn’t help now and hoping the driver could get everyone to their destination without making any more mistakes.

The bus driver assured them emphatically that he would handle things responsibly.

With nothing else to say, the passengers eventually stopped complaining. Some even closed their eyes and began to rest.

Gu Fan hoped that no more twists and turns would occur and that they could arrive smoothly at the destination, but something unforeseen happened again.

After exiting the highway, the bus driver intended to re-enter it going in the opposite direction but, being unfamiliar with the area, started following the navigation system. Unfortunately, they encountered road construction ahead, and the path was blocked. Stumped, the driver had to switch to an alternate route via the GPS.

The alternate route turned out to be a longer detour, and as the bus followed it, the way became increasingly remote and unsettling.

Dusk gradually settled in. Judging from the situation, everyone felt they’d be unable to reach the destination tonight. Worse still, no one knew exactly where the bus was anymore, as signals were poor and the navigation system became unreliable.

"Oh my god, are we lost?" someone said with panic. The desolate surroundings had no signs of villages or shops, not even a person to ask for directions.

The bus driver considered stopping the vehicle, thinking that continuing forward aimlessly would only make them more hopelessly lost. Frustrated, he wondered aloud about the misleading GPS that had led him to some remote mountain area, where the narrowing roads made turning around nearly impossible.

At this moment, they spotted a signboard with the words "Shiluo Town" written on it.

Someone remarked, "Looks like there’s a small town ahead. Why don’t we go take a look?"

Everyone agreed that finding a town was better than wandering aimlessly here, so the bus headed toward Shiluo Town.

The driver had no choice but to brace himself and drive forward, only to see a dark, pitch-black tunnel ahead, giving off a sinister vibe.

Typically, tunnels have illumination, but this one didn’t—almost as if it was privately dug. They had to rely entirely on the bus headlights for lighting.

Faced with the pitch-dark environment, everyone instinctively felt a sense of fear and suggested not proceeding any further.

The problem was, the tunnel was too narrow for the bus to turn around, so they had no choice but to continue forward, hoping to find a spot to reverse once they reached Shiluo Town.

The bus drove through the dark tunnel for a full twenty minutes without reaching the end. Occasionally, something would dart past the bus, startling everyone.

Gu Fan speculated that it might be bats and urged everyone not to scare themselves unnecessarily.

After what felt like endless time, the bus finally emerged from the tunnel, and before them was a small town encircled by mountains.

Perhaps because it was night, the road leading to the town was desolate, without a single soul in sight.

Li Shi checked her watch. It was only eight in the evening. Even if this place was usually quiet, most people wouldn’t be staying in their homes without venturing out at this hour. There should at least be some lights, right?

Yet the town’s buildings remained entirely submerged in darkness—not a single light was visible. Wasn’t that bizarre?

Some speculated that the entrance road to the town might be empty, but perhaps there would still be people walking through the town itself.

However, as the bus slowly entered the town and its headlights illuminated the scene, everyone was shocked—the buildings were dilapidated, walls had collapsed, and weeds grew rampant. It was clearly an abandoned town.

One by one, the passengers got off the bus, surveying their surroundings. The shops lining the streets—whether grocery stores or supermarkets—were all empty and deserted.

They had hoped to find a place to stay in this town temporarily, but who could’ve imagined encountering such a sight?

Finally, the town offered enough open space for the bus to turn around, but then came another problem: the bus broke down and wouldn’t start.

"What is this supposed to mean?" Everyone’s faces were filled with dismay, feeling this trip was riddled with bad luck.

The driver began inspecting the vehicle but couldn’t pinpoint the issue right away and grew increasingly anxious. He was acutely aware of how far away they had deviated from the highway, and if the bus couldn’t be started, walking out on foot would be arduous.

The passengers began to complain, continuing to gripe about the driver, the faulty GPS, the broken-down bus, and even the eerie town.

Although Gu Fan didn’t want to listen to the endless complaints, he silently admitted the sheer misfortune of the situation. If even one of the problems—the driver, the GPS, the bus, or the town—hadn’t malfunctioned, they wouldn’t have faced this predicament tonight. But apparently, everything decided to go wrong.

What now? Would they have to temporarily make do sleeping on the bus overnight?

Someone suggested that everyone return to the bus quickly because the abandoned town might harbor dangerous wild animals.

At the mention of feral animals, some of the more timid passengers immediately showed signs of fear. After all, surrounded by mountains, such a possibility couldn’t be ruled out entirely.

But Gu Fan calmly said, "If there are dangerous wild animals, it’s probably wolves, tigers, lions, or maybe some venomous snakes. Look at how developed this town seems; it used to be inhabited by people for a long time. Generally speaking, there wouldn’t be any wild animals here."

The others thought it made sense. If feral beasts were truly around, they would’ve been dealt with long ago by the townspeople.

Nowadays, with poor transportation and other factors, abandoned towns had become more common, so it wasn’t too surprising to encounter one.

Previously, Gu Fan had read online about people exploring abandoned towns, making them seem mysterious and exciting, as if such towns held fascinating discoveries.

Those live streams were popular and attracted many viewers and comments. It had once ignited Gu Fan’s curiosity, making him fantasize about gathering a few friends to explore an abandoned, uninhabited town himself.

Never did he expect to find himself in one today. Unfortunately, with the poor signal, he couldn’t livestream this outdoor adventure of an abandoned town.

At this moment, Li Shi couldn’t help but shake her head and sigh. "What was supposed to be a good trip has led us to such a buzzkill place. I wanted to relax, but now I feel even more stressed."

"Yeah, who could’ve seen this coming?" Gu Fan, too, felt downcast. Looking at the empty town, he felt the cold wind sweep across him. For some reason, uneasiness began creeping into his heart.

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