Chapter 111: Day and Night Reversed
On the seventh and eighth days of the journey, Gu Fan and the others decided to rest during the day and travel at night, thereby reducing the risk to its lowest conceivable extent.
After passing these few days in relative peace, however, the irregularity of their sleep patterns was beginning to take a toll. Nobody voiced their grievances, for the eerie sounds echoing from the recorder still haunted their minds.
They knew they couldn’t go on like this – not Lu Yi and Jie, who knew Gu Fan was intent on finding all twelve missing students, nor anyone else. If they kept going, not only would their chances of finding the missing students dwindle, but their own chances of falling into danger would increase. It just wasn’t worth it anymore.
Not only Gu Fan and his group, but also Teacher Liu, Xu Haowen, Qin Jia, had started harboring the idea of retreat - they too, thought of turning back while it was still possible.
They gathered to discuss the options: continue forward or turn back. As expected, the vast majority of the people wanted to return home. Even getting this far proved their courage, so slipping away wouldn’t be a disgrace.
The only ones who hadn’t voiced any opinion were Professor Luo and Du Jun. After a long bout of silence, Professor Luo finally sighed, shaking his head with a wry smile: "You all are young, you have your whole lives ahead of you. There’s no need for you to take risks for an old man like me. I am old and my health diminishes day by day. If I turn back now, there might never be another chance for me to set foot on this land. Despite holding the title of a professor, I have made no significant contributions in my years of studying foreign history and culture. This might be my only chance, hence I must continue ahead."
Everyone fell silent, not sure what to say. Could they really just abandon Professor Luo?
Teacher Liu clenched his jaw and slapped his thigh: "Oh, what the hell. You molded me into the teacher I am, I can’t just abandon you now. I have to go with you."
Xu Haowen and Qin Jia also asserted, "Don’t try to get rid of us, professor. If we retreat at the first sign of danger, then what’s the point of doing archaeology at all? Isn’t that what you always used to tell us?"