Chapter 101

Due to the relentless workload in Otrad, Eleanor and Dyer barely had a spare moment to relax, let alone argue.

The days blurred together, each one so packed that their phones sat untouched for ages.

Meanwhile, Nolan kept glancing at his screen, waiting for a reply that never came, his irritation starting to grow.

"Not even a single message when she's done working," he grumbled, planning to stash his phone away for good.

Before he could, a breaking news alert flashed across the screen.

"Breaking News! Partial Collapse at Blackwind Catacombs,Rescue Operations Underway!" Nolan's eyes widened in alarm.

His hands shook as he tapped into the article.

The story detailed how famed archaeologist Dyer Curtis and his apprentice had been excavating in the Blackwind Catacombs when disaster struck. Both had lost all contact with the outside world, and their condition was now uncertain.

Every word hit Nolan like a punch to the gut.

No way.

That couldn't be.

Eleanor was strong and resourceful, always full of surprises. Nothing should be able to touch her.

Perhaps the news reports were simply making the situation sound worse than it actually was.

Still, that brief moment of optimism faded fast, giving way to a rising sense of panic.

Fear overtook him, and he called out desperately,"Erick! Get the jet ready, right now! I'm flying to Otrad!"

Erick, stunned by Nolan's panic, moved without hesitation. "Right away, Mr. Stewart!"

Two hours later, Nolan's car screeched to a halt at the disaster site.

Whatever hope he had left instantly shattered.

He found himself staring into a wasteland of thick,yellow dust, the swirling sand blotting out any sign of daylight.

The Blackwind Catacombs had vanished completely.There wasn't a single structure left, not even a trace of where the entrance had been.

Right then, devastation hit Nolan like a tidal wave.

Driven by desperation, he lunged at the site manager, grabbing him by the collar, eyes wild with anguish."Tell me where Eleanor is! Where did she go?"

The site manager trembled in fear, barely able to form the words. "The whole site caved in without warning. There was a massive collapse... Miss Warren and Mr. Curtis... they... they got trapped inside. There wasn't enough time to get out..."

Terror kept him from saying anything more, worried this man might snap completely.

Nolan did just that, breaking free from reason.He sprinted straight for the rubble, heart pounding wvith fear.

Eleanor was trapped somewhere in that chaos.He couldn't let her face it alone!

Thankfully, Erick reacted fast and pulled him back."Please, Mr. Stewart, stay put! There's still hope.They've only been trapped for two hours."

Only then did Nolan snap out of it.

Right.

Panic had clouded his judgment.

Just two hours had passed; there had to be air left.

She could still be alive!

That flicker of hope pushed him into action, and he immediately joined the rescue team, desperate to carve out a new passage.

Every pocket of fresh air they could create might be the difference between life and death.

Unfortunately, Otrad's harsh, dry climate made the soil as tough as stone.

Shovel blades snapped one after another.

Nolan's palms were soon covered in raw blisters.

No matter how hard they worked, the tunnel still hadn't broken through.

Frustrated, Nolan hurled his shovel aside and stormed over to the site manager, grabbing him by the collar. "Where's your equipment? Bring in the excavators now! If anything goes wrong, I'll take the blame!"

Antiques and relics were valuable, but not more than someone's life. The site manager knew that.

Still, he hesitated, worry etched on his face. "It's risky. The ground underneath is hollow. If we use heavy machinery, everything could cave in completely, and then there'll be no chance at all!"

That left them with just two choices: keep digging by hand or wait for the professional rescue team to show up with more precise gear.

When he heard this, Nolan's glare grew even sharper,his eyes burning with accusation. "Why wasn't safety guaranteed from the start?"

If he had had any idea how risky this was,he never would have allowed Eleanor to set foot near the site.

The site manager, shrinking under Nolan's fierce stare, finally spoke up. "We did a full safety inspection before anyone went down. Everything was cleared, and there were no signs of danger. No one could have predicted..."

Such a massive collapse happened without warning. He didn't get a chance to finish before rushing to add, "Mr. Stewart, the rescue team will be here in thirty minutes. Please believe me, we're doing everything possible to get them out."

It was only at that moment that Nolan released his grip, turning back in silence to join the rescue team.

But no matter how much they struggled, it wasn't enough.

Every effort felt useless.

Their hands alone just couldn't break through.

Relief finally came thirty minutes later, when the expert rescue squad reached the scene.

Smaller, specialized tools were put to work immediately.

But then, something happened that lefteveryone in shock.