Everyone grew excited along with him. As long as the detector picked up any change, it meant their chances of survival had just gone up. These kids were the future – they were only in their teens. How could lives so young be lost like this?
Everyone threw themselves into digging through the rubble, desperate to get the children out as fast as possible. The oxygen below was running low, and now it was a race against time. Every second mattered. Any delay would shrink the chances of survival. Everyone understood that.
So, in this moment, no one slacked off. Every single person was giving their all in one focused direction. Even the principal, who had been so disliked at the start, was now tossing bricks aside, trying to clear the debris and give the kids a better shot.
Seeing this, Grace called over to Arnold to help. And with that, she rolled up her sleeves, ready to pitch in herself. Arnold was clearly uneasy.
“Madam, wouldn’t it be better if you stayed off to the side and rested? Let us handle the heavy work.”
But Grace rejected him firmly. “My child is still down there. You think I can just stand by and do nothing? Stop joking. If you’ve got the strength to argue, use it to move more bricks.”
Arnold lowered his head in shame, unsure of what to say. “You’re right, Madam. That was narrow-minded of me.”
Arnold immediately recognized his mistake. Seeing him like that, Grace didn’t have the heart to say more.
“Alright, don’t overthink it. The most important thing right now is saving them. Everything else can wait. What matters is that the kids come out of this safe and sound. Only then will there be more possibilities ahead.”
Her words moved many of those present, and everyone began working even harder in unison. Very soon, the rubble above Lucas was cleared away. A few pieces had fallen onto him, but none of that mattered now. When John saw the top of Lucas’s head, he was so thrilled he nearly jumped for joy.
“I see him! I see the top of the kid’s head!”
Everyone pushed even harder, and after digging another two meters down, Lucas finally saw the light. But the moment he was rescued, he immediately pointed toward a collapsed wall and said, “Save Aurora first – she’s right over there.”
At the sound of the name “Aurora,” Grace’s eyes lit up. She quickly directed the rescue team to dig in that direction. She couldn’t believe it – they’d found her daughter so soon. She just hoped Aurora could hang in there, that nothing would go wrong. Grace couldn’t take any more heartbreak. She couldn’t bear another blow.
The team nodded at Lucas. “Good kid, we’ll get you out first, and then we’ll go for that little girl. Don’t worry. We have to go one at a time.”
After being reassured over and over, Lucas finally agreed. Off to the side, the principal watched, squinting at Lucas‘ face. He didn’t recognize him at all. Even on the surveillance footage, this boy’s face had never appeared. When had he gotten here? Could this be the sixth student Will was talking about?
Chapter 768