Chapter 102

Digging through the tunnel proved to be an uphill battle. Each time they broke through, only more yellow sand greeted Nolan and the recue team.

This could mean only one thing: the collapse was far more severe than anyone had guessed.

Refusing to give up, the rescue team consulted the site's blueprints and started excavating a different path.

Yet again, their efforts unearthed nothing but more sand.

Doubts crept in among the rescuers, and they started to fear that the entire underground structure had already caved in.

The site manager, face drained of color, shook his head. "That's impossible. This tomb complex is massive. If everything below had given way, we'd see a crater on the surface. The ground's still holding steady."

Still, no amount of technical talk could change the truth that the danger inside was far greater than anyone expected.

All the conversation around him became a distant blur as Nolan's mind could no longer process what anyone was saying.

Any sense of,pain had vanished. He was completely numb.

The only thought left in his mind was that Eleanor was trapped somewhere in the darkness.

He would search until he found her, no matter what it took.

Time dragged on, hours blurred into days and nights.

Wave after wave of rescue teams came and went.

But each effort ended the same way, no sign of a way in,and no trace of the missing. Nolan barely registered anything around him, clawing at the sand with raw, bloodied hands, desperate to dig his way closer, inch by agonizing inch.

At last, Ryland showed up, leaping from his car and pulling Nolan back from the rubble.

"Nolan! You have to stop! This isn't helping! If you keep going, you'll destroy your hands," Ryland pleaded, desperation in his voice.

But Nolan seemed deaf to his friend's cries.

Determination burned in his reddened eyes, leaving room for nothing else.

He couldn't pause for even a second.

Stopping wasn't an option.

Eleanor was somewhere beneath the wreckage, and only he could reach her.

Fueled by sheer willpower, Nolan broke free from Ryland's grip and charged toward the ruins yet again.

Not far away, Lillian stood quietly, her vision clouded by tears.

She wept for Nolan, for Eleanor, and for the emptiness looming over her own heart.

The thought of losing Eleanor felt unbearable. She couldn't even picture life without her.

Despair spread like a slow poison through the crowd.

One expert team after another showed up,but not a single group managed to devise a workable rescue plan.

The reason soon became clear: this catastrophe hadn't been an accident, and it was orchestrated.

All their expertise and training suddenly seemed pointless in the face of sabotage.

With science offering no solutions, people began to seek comfort in prayers.

Across the Internet, #PrayForButterfly rocketed to the top of the trending list.

Fans everywhere swapped out their profile photos for images of hope and filled their timelines with glowing virtual candles, pouring heartfelt words into prayers and wishing with all their might for a miracle.

Yet, no miracle appeared.

The critical first 24 hours slipped away with nothing but uncertainty.

Nature offered no mercy, and a gentle rain started to fall, making everything even more grim.

Every passing minute chipped away at any remaining hope.

Cries of anguish hung in the air, echoing from both the officials who had come to help and the devoted fans who could do nothing but pray.

Lillian had long since run out of tears, slumped against Ryland, drained and hollow.

Nolan, meanwhile, stayed rooted before the wreckage.

Rain ran down his face, soaking him through, his clothes smeared with mud and streaked with blood.

He stood motionless.

There had never even been a real chance for Nolan to tell Eleanor how he truly felt. He hadn't wanted her because of what happened three years ago, or because of some passing fascination-but because his whole world needed her and her alone.

Now, that confession would remain locked in his heart forever.

Just then, a young fan who had traveled from miles away stepped forward, her hands trembling as she clung to a bouquet of flowers, fighting to hold back her tears.

For the first time in hours, a flicker of life returned to Nolan's empty gaze.

He sprang toward her, yanked the flowers from her grip, and slammed them to the ground.

"Enough! Get out of here! All of you! Eleanor will be fine! She's going to make it! Don't you dare jinx her with your pity!" he yelled, voice ragged with desperation.

The crowd around him recoiled at his outburst, a stunned hush settling over them. No one dared move any closer.

Everyone felt the tragedy of it.

A brilliant businessman and a legendary archaeologist, a match that seemed destined for greatness, were cruelly torn apart by life and death.

Suddenly, through the oppressive silence, a piercing scream erupted from somewhere on the edge of the gathering.