A faint glimmer of hope surfaced as he considered the chance that Holden might have escaped before the catastrophe unfolded.
âThat has to be it,â Adrian reassured himself.
He knew Holden well, and he believed Holden wouldnât just perish like that.
Maybe Holden had escaped before everything exploded.
They had been separated during Bennettâs car explosion but had found each other again before.
Holden was definitely okay.
If someone like Moss could exist in this world, why couldnât Holden, the good guy, survive this?
Realizing time was of the essence, Adrian knew he needed to leave swiftly and remain vigilant for any sign of Holden.
He rose to his feet, brushed off the dust on him, and wiped his tears.
With determined steps, he departed from the devastated site carrying Ariana.
As dusk approached, Adrian finally saw someone from his team-Shawn.
When Shawn caught sight of Adrian and Ariana, his face beamed with relief.
He dashed over and said, âIâve finally found you! Bennettâs guys are looking for him, too; I was worried weâd be too late.
â
Just as Holden had expected, unable to reach Holden and the others, Shawn and his team had opted to encircle the entire mountain.
In a sudden shift, Shawnâs attention moved past Adrianâs shoulder.
Confused, Adrian turned to see what had caught Shawnâs eye, but all he saw was a wide, overgrown field.
âWhat are you Looking at?â he asked.
âWhereâs Mr.
Fredrick?â Shawn inquired, his face knitting with concern.
âIsnât he with you?â
A dark shadow crossed Adrianâs face, his voice rough as he responded, âHolden⦠Heâs been harmed.
â
Adrian quickly recounted the dire events that had unfolded at the metal house.
The new
s shook Shawn deeply, almost causing him to stumble.
âHow could something have happened to Mr.
Fredrickâ¦â Shawn gazed upward, his voice filled with urgency and worry.
âWhere exactly is this metal house? Weâll turn over every rock if thatâs what it takes to find Mr.
Fredrick!â
Although Adrian was not taken aback by Shawnâs reaction, it nonetheless reopened his own wounds of sorrow.
Despite harboring a thin thread of hope that Holden might still be alive, he had not encountered Holden on his way here, and it hadnât been long since they had split up.
It was likely that something bad had happened to Holden.
With a voice laden with emotion, Adrian said to Shawn, âIâll lead you to the metal house soon, but first, we need to ensure Arianaâs safety.
Moss injected her with an unknown substance, and sheâs still unconscious.
Iâm deeply concernedâ¦â
Hearing this, Shawn swiftly arranged for Ariana to be taken to the hospital.
His team sprang into action, and a helicopter soon arrived.
Shawn personally assisted Ariana into the helicopter and watched intently as it took off, his eyes tracking the tiny dot until it disappeared from view.
He then turned to see Adrian slumped against a tree, appearing exhausted.
Shawn asked him if he was okay, but Adrian offered no response, his gaze lost in the distance.
Thinking he hadnât spoken loudly enough, Shawn cleared his throat and repeated his inquiry, louder this time.
Finally, Adrian snapped out of his daze.