Frantically gesturing with his free hand, he roared, “Move! Get out now!”
“Hold on—we’re coming back for you!”
“Understood! Ugh!” The moment the words left his lips, Eric released a strangled groan of pain. The wooden beam pressing against his spine finally surrendered to the crushing pressure, splintering and collapsing onto him while barely preventing total structural failure.
Only heaven knew whether the next heartbeat would entomb him completely.
But mercifully…
Eric lifted his gaze upward.
Hadley had reached safety. Eric had no remaining concerns to burden his heart. If catastrophe claimed him now, at least he knew with certainty that Hadley truly cared for him. He could face death without a single regret. He released a quiet, bittersweet chuckle—pure joy intertwined with profound sorrow. Tears clouded his vision as he whispered her precious words like a sacred prayer: “Together, together.”
“Mr. Scott!”
The rescue team soon returned, their voices echoing down. Heavy-duty equipment clanked in their capable hands.
“Just hold steady, Mr. Scott!”
They worked with meticulous precision, maneuvering their gear to assume Eric’s burden as the structural support.
“Mr. Scott, we’re in position! On my count of three, move quickly, understood?”
“Understood!”
“One, two, three!”
Thunder roared through the earth as the narrow cavity imploded, sending violent tremors through the rain-soaked ground. Phillips staggered on the surface, the soil beneath his feet shuddering like the aftermath of an earthquake.
M ?ρ ν.
“Mr. Scott!” Phillips gestured frantically to the bodyguards, and they surged forward as one.
The rescue team hauled Eric upward, the lifeline around his waist their only connection as they extracted him in the final seconds. Even so, massive chunks of debris crashed down onto his back with devastating force.
A guttural groan tore from Eric’s throat. The crushing blow drove him to one knee, his body nearly crumpling to the earth as blood erupted from his lips.
“Mr. Scott!” The cry pierced the air.
Thankfully, the rescue team’s quick reflexes prevented his complete collapse.
“Mr. Scott!”
Phillips and the bodyguards rushed to Eric’s side, their arms forming a human scaffold around his battered frame. The sight of his ashen complexion streaked with crimson drained the color from their faces.
“Move now! Get him to the ambulance immediately!”
“Right away!”
One bodyguard swept Eric into his arms and sprinted toward the waiting ambulance.
.
.
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