Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 1931-1940

No, no. Josephine quickly shook off these thoughts, got up, and headed toward the bathroom. She took a wet tissue and rubbed her eyes while thinking about Ethan. He was leaving for the Arctic today, and his phone signal wouldn’t be very good from now on.

So, it wouldn’t be easy to find him anytime. It would depend on luck.

For this reason, she especially went to a bookstore in the afternoon and bought a bunch of books about the Arctic to read. It was as if reading these books would bring her closer to Ethan.

Since the evidence in this case against Katrina was solid, and Josephine’s grandfather had also exerted pressure, the trial was scheduled for tomorrow.

As a victim, Josephine also received a notification to attend court for the trial. Her attendance was absolutely required, and Wren also promised to accompany her.

Early the next morning, Lydia Folly and Wren drove to the Supreme Court. When they arrived, they happened to see Katrina being escorted out. She had disheveled hair, her hands were cuffed, and her mental state was very poor. When she saw Josephine sitting in the spectator seat, she trembled with anger. Even from a distance, one could feel Katrina’s intense hatred in her eyes.

Josephine calmly looked back at her.

The Sullivan Family also came, and Ivanka gave Josephine a fierce glare as if Josephine was a criminal for not forgiving Katrina.

However, Josephine didn’t buy into this victim-blaming mentality. She crossed her arms and watched the scene as if it were a play.

After all the charges against Katrina were read out, the presiding judge looked up and said to Katrina, “Based on the nature of the case and the evidence presented in court, Katrina Sullivan will be

sentenced to serve in prison for three years and eight months.”

Katrina closed her eyes tightly. Although the nearly four-year sentence was not long, for her age, it was the best time of her youth. She could only spend it in that confined space from now on.

Josephine was satisfied. Although she thought that Katrina would be sentenced longer, she accepted the court’s decision.

“Katrina! My Katrina!” Katrina’s mother cried and called out to her daughter from her seat as her heart broke into pieces.

Josephine decided to leave, and at that moment, Ivanka chased after her from behind, somewhat angrily shouting, “Josephine, are you satisfied now?”

Josephine turned around and looked at her while saying, “No. I’m not entirely satisfied, but I accept the outcome.”

“What else do you want? My sister has paid such a high price for this matter. Josephine, can’t you be more magnanimous and kinder as a person?” Ivanka was filled with anger as she lectured Josephine.

Josephine’s face darkened. “Ivanka, your sister deserved her punishment, and she deserves this outcome. The ones lacking kindness are you and your sister. It’s too late for you to advise me to be magnanimous.”

“You…” Ivanka gritted her teeth in anger because she had also come to hate Josephine. This incident turned the two sisters against each other and fueled Katrina’s intense hatred toward her sister. It was all Josephine’s fault.

“Joey, let’s go!” Wren pulled her away.

Once they were in the car, Wren expressed her indignation. “Ivanka is so unreasonable! She’s blaming you for everything.”

“I don’t want to lower myself to her level,” Josephine said calmly.

Just then, Wren’s phone rang, and she received another gossip news. “Tori went to meet a person in charge last night and was kicked out. She’s finished!”

“She brought it upon herself,” Josephine said. Since the moment they harbored ill intentions toward her, they should have anticipated the consequences.

Of course, Josephine was able to retaliate so effectively because of her grandfather’s influence. If she were just an ordinary girl with no connections, her outcome would have been different. Perhaps she would have faced online bullying, and those who were driven to despair would consider ending their life and leaving this world.

Therefore, she was fortunate.

The situation with Katrina had come to an end, and Josephine secured her position as a news anchor. In the company, no one questioned her abilities anymore, and the company culture had been cleansed.

There were no more scheming and backstabbing in the office now. Even if there were any, no one dared to bring them out in the open.

It was true that Josephine’s promotion from a reporter to a news anchor was something that would arouse envy. However, now that everyone was aware of her capabilities and her powerful background, no one dared to mess with her anymore.

Today, she was sitting in her office and having a break when she received photos of the Arctic landscape that Ethan sent. He was dressed in mountaineering gear in his selfie, which was taken in an

old-fashioned manner from a bizarre angle, but Josephine could tell that he enjoyed his work in the Arctic very much.

Looking at the photos, she couldn’t help but smile. She also wanted to go to the Arctic, but considering the extreme cold there, which she might not be able to withstand with her physical condition, she could only admire its landscape through Ethan’s photos. Recently, she had started working out, perhaps to be better at keeping the man company. Even if he isn’t around me, I’ve got to start disciplining myself. I can’t be lazy anymore.

A month passed in the blink of an eye. Every day, Josephine would send Ethan photos and videos of herself at work. Since his signal reception was irregular, it would be more convenient to send videos instead.

Ethan, too, often took photos of the Arctic for her before explaining some natural phenomena hardly seen by ordinary people whenever he had time. He would also take pictures of wildlife. This man always had the mentality of an upbeat young man, infecting those around him with a kind of enthusiasm for life.

Every day, Josephine’s greatest pleasure was to open her mailbox; a smile of delight would curve her lips the moment she saw the email he sent her. Then, she would read the email repeatedly, which became the happiest and most enjoyable thing in her life.

The base in the Arctic was part of a project that had taken Ethan’s company nearly a decade to build. This project was implemented way back when his father was president; now that Ethan had taken it over, it progressed even more rapidly to completion and was getting closer and closer to their goal. However, the abundance of resources here attracted the prying eyes of countries around the globe, who came scrambling for these resources.

Ethan had been dealing with these troubles until now, and everything was going well with the project.

Returning to his room from a meeting, he opened the door and sat down before his laptop. Like Josephine, his daily source of happiness was receiving messages from her. Though separated by a long distance, their hearts kept getting closer through their online messages as they drew love from each other.

Today, Josephine took her assistant out for a stroll and took some videos of herself on the street. She even took a video of herself feeding pigeons, and Ethan couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of her laughing. The girl in the video was just as upbeat and confident as when he first met her, with a kind of spirit that attracted him very much.

Just then, a young and pretty female assistant engineer in the base opened the door to his room. Having just taken a shower, she came on purpose in an attempt to seduce Ethan. After all, there were very few women here, and she considered herself attractive. Even though the man here was very austere, she believed she could succeed in hitting on him with a bit of seduction. “Do you want me to get you a cup of hot coffee, Mr. Quarles?” Dressed in a sexy slip dress, she deliberately leaned over the man’s desk.

Ethan’s face grew frosty at once with a look of rejection in his stony eyes. “No, I don’t. Get out!”

The female assistant engineer was involuntarily startled. She had tried this in front of every other man here. She could sleep with any man as long as she wanted to, but the man she desired the most was Ethan, the young, handsome, hunky, and rich boss. She turned around, not forgetting to say, “Okay, Mr. Quarles. If you need anything, I’m willing to be at your service anytime.” She was still unwilling to give up. Maybe he’s only been here for a while. If he stays longer, will he still be choosy? He’ll surely want me to serve him.

After hearing the door close, Ethan shifted his gaze back to his laptop screen to look at the girl’s bright smile captured in the video. How could I possibly do things that would hurt her?

No, not in this lifetime, Ethan whispered to himself. He couldn’t bear the consequences of her leaving him. If he lost her, everything in his life would lose its meaning.

“Josephine, I miss you,” Ethan murmured softly to the woman on the screen.

At this moment, someone was lurking in a cave outside the communication range of the base. They had come here with only one purpose—to kill Ethan.

“President Presgrave has instructed us to deliver results within a week. We must find an opportunity to carry out our mission.”

“As long as we complete this task, each one of us will receive 150 thousand. We must stay focused for the sake of the money.”

When they heard about the money, they felt a burst of energy wash over them as killing intent filled their eyes. Some photos were displayed on the adjacent wall, and at the forefront was their target, Ethan.

Underneath Ethan’s photo was a list of international engineers.

There were too many people in this world who would rather gamble their life away in pursuit of their own interests.

…

Ethan was just about to go to sleep when he heard a knock on his door. The identification system next to him showed that it was King, the chief engineer of his base.

He opened the door and asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Mr. Quarles, our system detected a faint signal, but it’s definitely not from our company. I suspect someone is approaching our base.”

“Can you pinpoint their exact location?” Ethan asked, his brows furrowed. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. On top of him facing two assassination attempts here, he had also gone through similar events throughout his life. He was adept at dealing with such situations.

“Not yet, but they should be hiding in a cave. We will monitor the situation carefully. Please be careful in your future travels, Mr. Quarles.”

“I understand. Keep a close eye on this,” Ethan instructed.

“I will inform you immediately if there are any developments. Goodnight, Mr. Quarles,” King uttered and left.

Ethan went back to his bed after that. Great interests always came with dangers, and his family had had to deal with pirates and negotiation tasks with various countries over the years. He had even taken life with his own hands in the process.

Now that the company was under his control, he was well aware of the risks that lay ahead.

The next afternoon, Ethan was in a meeting with several high-level executives when an employee rushed in. “There’s been an avalanche, and more than a dozen employees are trapped underneath. They are in urgent need of rescue!”

At that, Ethan commanded in a solemn voice, “Immediately halt all ongoing projects and initiate the rescue operation.”

He stood up after giving the order, but King immediately stopped him. “Mr. Quarles, it’s not advisable for you to go.”

“It’s a matter of life and death for our employees. I have to go,” Ethan replied. As the boss, he couldn’t shirk any responsibilities while being present.

After Ethan left the base, his bodyguards quickly arranged a convoy of six vehicles to protect him as he headed to the mining site where the accident happened. There were numerous vehicles rushing ahead for the rescue operation along the way.

A substantial amount of rescue supplies had already been set up five kilometers outside the mine, and the security personnel were carrying out those who were injured from inside. When Ethan arrived, he quickly got out of the car to inspect the situation. Fortunately, those being carried out still showed signs of life.

At this moment, two outsiders were blending in with the crowd of rescue teams. However, everyone was so focused on the rescue that they were oblivious to the duo’s presence. Their eyes fixed on Ethan in the snowy field revealed their murderous intent.

“Mr. Quarles, the situation is worse than anticipated. There are over twenty people trapped below. We must set off explosives to make a path, but it may trigger other reactions. Because of that, we haven’t decided on what to do next.”

“Assess and execute the most favorable plan,” Ethan commanded.

“Yes, Mr. Quarles.”

As Ethan took a deep breath, the bright white snow reflected on his handsome face, making his calm and composed demeanor stand out.

“Mr. Quarles, there’s a natural cave entrance on the back mountain. We can enter from there, but we aren’t entirely sure if it’s safe. We dare not go in recklessly.”

Ethan, who had many years worth of exploration experience, was perhaps more qualified than the engineers here. He turned to his assistant, Jacques, and ordered, “Jacques, please get me a set of equipment.”

Jacques’ face paled with fear. “Mr. Ethan, you can’t go in there.”

“It’s urgent. We can’t afford to worry about everything now. There are over twenty lives in there waiting for me to rescue them.” Ethan only made this decision after careful consideration.

“But—”

“No buts. Hurry,” Ethan instructed in a low voice.

Reluctantly, Jacques and one of the bodyguards went to retrieve the expedition equipment. Meanwhile, the chief engineer, King, took the opportunity to advise Ethan, “Mr. Quarles, you don’t have to walk into danger yourself. Please let the rescue team handle the rescue mission. You are too important to do something like this.”

“I have eight years of experience in exploration. I am more capable of handling unexpected events than anyone here. I’m going in,” Ethan insisted.

King felt deeply moved when he heard that. This was the most humane employer he had ever worked for.

“In that case, please be careful, Mr. Quarles. I will oversee the rescue on land.”

Jacques soon brought two sets of equipment over, to which Ethan frowned after examining them. “You’re going in too?”

“Wherever you are, I’ll be there, Mr. Quarles.” Jacques huffed, “I can’t leave you alone.”

Ethan, however, spoke in all seriousness. “You don’t have the experience in this. You can’t go in. Stay here.”

Jacques was sullen after hearing that. However, the bodyguard beside him took the equipment out of his hands. “I will go with Mr. Quarles.”

Six other bodyguards behind him had already prepared their equipment. They were Ethan’s accompanying team.

When two men hiding not far away watched as Ethan prepared to go in for the rescue, they exchanged glances with a hint of delight in their eyes.

They had finally waited for the perfect opportunity. Ethan would personally participate in the rescue mission for the disaster that was actually the two men’s doing. They had installed a powerful explosive at the entrance of the cave, causing it to collapse.

Their initial plan was to draw the main forces of the base to this location so that it would be easier for them to assassinate Ethan if he remained in the base. They hadn’t anticipated that Ethan would personally participate in the rescue.

Even though Jacques was worried, he knew he couldn’t persuade Ethan. He could only step forward and remind, “Mr. Ethan, please be careful. You must come out immediately if it gets dangerous.”

“I know,” Ethan replied. He was aware that this rescue mission carried risks, but there were over twenty workers still trapped underground. He wanted to help as long as he could be of assistance.

Over twenty people set off from the rear cave entrance for the rescue. They took the lead and entered the cave, while Ethan, accompanied by the six bodyguards, descended into the cavern using a suspension rope.

The main rescue efforts were focused in front. At the cave entrance, four engineers and two assistants remained on guard. They had set up a communication station to maintain contact with the people inside the cave. This belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.

However, four men suddenly approached the six of them 15 minutes later. Just as the latter were about to question their identities, silenced bullets instantly took their lives.

“Get in,” the leader of the men commanded. “Our target is Ethan Quarles. Kill him.”

Subsequently, more than ten people equipped with ropes emerged and leaped down the cave. This was both a rescue mission and a murder plot.

The personnel in front only noticed the dead staff when they arrived at the signal center half an hour later. They immediately reported the incident to King, who was the chief commander.

“What did you say? They’ve all been killed? By whom?”

“There are some footprints at the scene, and these footprints disappear at the entrance of the cave. Chief Commander, these people have also gone underground. Surely they are not targeting Mr. Quarles?!”

King’s face turned grave. These people were most likely the ones they had detected through the external signals the previous night. He instantly realized that they might be responsible for this disaster. Not only that, Ethan was their target.

“Quick… Quickly contact the nearest rescue team and request immediate reinforcements. We’ve come in contact with enemy forces,” King urgently commanded. It seemed that relying solely on the base’s rescue efforts was no longer sufficient; they needed to deploy more rescue personnel.

His greatest concern was Ethan’s safety. Since he hadn’t had a chance to learn about everything that had transpired, it was too dangerous for him to be inside the cave at this moment.

Suddenly, a loud explosion as if something had detonated underneath came from underground.

The terrifying tremors proceeded to knock King to the ground. He crawled on the floor and shouted in distress, “The president is in danger!”

All rescue operations immediately came to a halt. But strangely enough, due to the earthquake-like tremor, some rocks blocking the cave entrance rolled away, revealing a passageway.

“Chief Commander, good news! The earthquake just now opened up the cave entrance. We only need to wait a little longer before we can go down and rescue them.”

“Quick, prepare yourselves to go in for the rescue,” King instructed. He then grabbed someone next to him. “Assign four people to me. I’m going to the back mountain to take a look.”

After reaching the back mountain, King was left dumbfounded. The cave entrance, which had been smooth just moments ago, was now completely blocked by the snow that had fallen from above. The entrance was nowhere to be seen.

“Mr. Quarles!” Startled, King fell to his knees with his hands covering his face, his mind blank.

He was at a loss for what to do in this situation. He didn’t even have a rescue plan, and he had no idea about the situation or if there had been a collapse below. How were the people trapped inside supposed to survive?

“Mr. Ethan! Mr. Ethan!” Jacques ran over from behind. His eyes nearly popped out, and he almost fainted from shock when he saw the situation in front of him.

“How could this happen? King, you have to save Mr. Ethan!” he shouted at King, who was standing there as a feeling of helplessness filled him.

Half an hour later, the more than twenty trapped miners in the mine were rescued, none of them with serious injuries. Meanwhile, a large-scale rescue team had been contacted to conduct a land rescue for Ethan and his group.

King was anxiously wiping away his cold sweat, while Jacques held his phone, taking deep breaths but hesitated to call the Quarles Family. The plight before their eyes was too despairing.

The entire cave entrance was buried deep in snow, and even if they wanted to dig through it, it was already beyond the best time to rescue the people underneath. Moreover, they had no idea about the condition inside the cave. Now that there had been an earthquake and an avalanche outside, no one could imagine what was happening inside the cave.

“Mr. Ethan must be alive. He must be alive,” Jacques repeatedly reassured himself.

King soon turned to him. “Jacques, quickly contact the people from the Quarles Family. We must let them know about the current situation.”

“But…how can I contact them? We don’t even know if Mr. Ethan is safe or not. We will only give his family a fright.”

“Jacques, calm down. We need someone from the Quarles Family to come here.” King shook Jacques by the arms forcefully. He knew that neither of them could shoulder this responsibility.

“O-Okay. I will call Mr. Edward right away.” After saying that, Jacques walked in a certain direction and dialed Edward’s number with trembling hands after distancing himself a bit.

“Jacques! Did something happen?” A dignified elderly male voice rang out from the other end of the call.

“B-Bad news, Mr. Edward. Mr. Ethan is in trouble!” Jack stammered.

“What? What happened to Eeth?”

“After Mr. Ethan went into the cave, there was a sudden earthquake and avalanche. The cave entrance was buried, and he was trapped inside. We have no news from him so far.”

“What?” Edward’s voice trembled with worry. “Why did he go into the cave?”

“It’s a complicated situation. At first, there was a collapse in the mine, and then the workers discovered a natural cave that likely connects to the mine at the back of the mountain. Mr. Ethan then went down with a rescue team, but then the earthquake struck.”

“I’m coming right away,” Edward said firmly.

As Jacques panted heavily, he suddenly heard a message notification from Ethan’s phone. As it was Ethan’s work phone, Jacques had the authorization to check it. He took a look at it and saw a message greeting Ethan.

‘I miss you. What are you up to?’ It was from Josephine.

Jacques sighed. Even though he didn’t have much contact with her, he knew that she was the woman who had Ethan’s heart.

He didn’t reply to the message, but Josephine soon sent another one, saying, ‘You promised to take pictures of the aurora for me. When are you going to take them? I’m waiting!’

‘Is the signal weak again?’ Josephine continued. ‘Reply to my message when the connection gets better. I miss you.’

Jacques struggled with whether or not to tell her about Ethan’s current situation. After a few seconds of mulling over it, he believed that Josephine needed to know. Ethan and Josephine might never have had a chance to see each other again if Jacques didn’t tell her.

With a profound sense of despair, he replied to Josephine’s messages. ‘Miss Jacobson, something just happened to Mr. Ethan. He is trapped in a cave. I will inform you immediately if there are any updates. I am his assistant Jacques.”

After sending the message, he ran in the rescue team’s direction.

…

At the same time in the country, Josephine went to attend a meeting after sending the message to Ethan because she knew that the man couldn’t reply to her immediately due to poor signal.

The meeting lasted for an hour and a half, and when she returned to her seat, she had just regained her composure when she remembered to check for Ethan’s reply. For her, seeing Ethan’s replies was the one happy thing she anticipated the most.

As expected, she saw a message when she checked her phone. She couldn’t help but smile. I knew he replied to me, she thought while reaching out and clicking into the message and reading it carefully.

Her mind went blank for a few seconds then, and she felt as though her soul had been sucked out of her body. Her eyes were fixated on the message as she repeatedly read the message.

“Ethan.” She only seemed to find her voice after she took a deep breath.

Something happened to Ethan!

No! No, that will never happen. Feeling faint, she stumbled and held onto the desk to prevent herself from falling to the ground.

Her heart felt as if it was being gripped by something, and an overwhelming thought soon came to mind. I have to go to the Arctic. I have to go to the place where Ethan is. I have to see him there.

Josephine managed to find her phone and call the number Donna gave her despite her shaking all over.

The moment the call got through, she heard Donna’s choked-up voice on the other end of the call. “Joey, did you already know that Ethan got into an accident?”

“Mrs. Quarles, I want to go to the Arctic. I want to go to the place where something happened to Ethan,” Josephine insisted. She sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

“Joey, I can get someone to send you over if you want to go. Ethan’s father is already on his way there. I wanted to go, but he wouldn’t let me.” Donna was already sobbing at this point.

“Mrs. Quarles, I’ll go on your behalf,” Josephine announced firmly. As she held her tears in, she quietly prayed for Ethan’s safety.

She believed that nothing would happen to him, and he would return to her side in one piece.

Donna asked her to go to an airport overseas where a rescue team sent by the Quarles Family would pick her up and head to the Arctic. They had gathered from all parts of the world at this airport before they took off, and Josephine managed to catch up to them before they departed.

Josephine rushed out of the office and barged into Atticus’ office, urgently announcing, “Mr. Kowalski, I have to go somewhere far to attend to an urgent matter. Please find someone to replace me for my work.”

After saying that, she didn’t say anything else and sprinted out of the room and the company’s premises to go home to pack. She needed to get to the airport as soon as possible.

She returned home and frantically searched for her passport. Heidi, who was still hanging laundry to dry in the yard, asked curiously when she saw her daughter come home so early. “Joey? What are you doing at home at this hour?”

Josephine then emerged with a bag on her back and said to her mother, “Mom, I need to go on a trip for something urgent. Don’t worry about me.”

“A trip?” Heidi asked, “Where are you going?”

“To a very faraway place. I need to see Ethan.”

“Are you going on a trip with Ethan?” Heidi asked, confused. However, she wouldn’t worry if Josephine was with Ethan.

Josephine could only lie to her. “Yes, I’m going to see him.” She couldn’t help the tears welling up in her eyes as she turned around.

“Okay, go ahead! Be safe! Do you have all your documents with you?”

“I have them all, Mom. I’m off.” Josephine quickly went to her car to head to the airport.

Tears streamed down her face throughout the journey. When she arrived at the airport, she boarded the earliest connecting flight. Even though she hadn’t reached her destination physically, she was mentally already in the Arctic.

The layover took Josephine two days. After the anxiety-filled journey, she finally met up with the rescue team at the airport. It was a team composed of the world’s top snow rescue experts. Not only were they sufficient in manpower, but they were also equipped with the most comprehensive equipment.

Josephine sat by the window of the large plane that took off. When the middle-aged woman sitting beside her saw her tired face and reddened eyes, she gently advised, “Miss Jacobson, please get some sleep. We still have thirteen more hours to go.”

Josephine had only managed to doze off briefly during the journey. Being woken up by a nightmare every time she fell asleep made her reluctant to sleep again. But at this moment, she truly needed a good rest because the harsh cold weather of the Arctic required her to have a healthy body.

“I have some sleeping pills here that can help you catch some shut-eye.”

“Please give me one. Thank you.” Josephine needed the assistance of medication.

After taking a pill, Josephine looked at the clouds passing by outside the window. Her gaze flickered, and her eyes eventually closed when she fell asleep.

She went on and slept for six hours, which was enough rest for her.

Looking at the snowy landscape outside the window, Josephine thought her heart flew to the Arctic along with this vast expanse of snow. Will they manage to rescue Ethan? She desperately hoped for good news as soon as she landed.

After enduring the passage of time, the plane finally touched down. Dozens of SUVs were waiting at the airport on the snowy mountain. Josephine had to put on her thick down jacket. The cold of the Arctic was more intense than any chill she had ever experienced, but her high-strung nerves made her ignore this cold. Sitting in one of the vehicles, she looked ahead, eager to reach the rescue site as soon as possible.

After about three hours of travel, they finally arrived at the base and set off from there to the place where the accident happened. It was already close to evening by now, and the surroundings gave the impression that they were standing on the edge of the Earth and were about to enter another world.

There were no signs of human presence in this desolate and frightening space.

Josephine’s heart kept beating faster. When she noticed the increasing number of snowmobiles on the roadside, her chest tightened, and tears started swirling in her eyes. She couldn’t calm down when her heart was filled with fear, unease, and even hopelessness.

Just then, Josephine heard someone asking right ahead. “Which car is Miss Jacobson in?”

Looking over, she saw a familiar face. Jacques had received a call from Donna who instructed him to take good care of Josephine. So, upon hearing that Josephine was in the rescue team, he approached the people to ask about her whereabouts.

“Jacques,” Josephine greeted when she stepped out of the car.

Jacques rushed up to her. “Miss Jacobson, you have finally arrived safely.”

He looked at her with eyes that expressed comfort. “Please don’t be disheartened. We must have faith in Mr. Ethan.”

“Please take me to where it happened.” Josephine grabbed his arm, pleading.

Jacques nodded and led Josephine toward the concealed site of the accident. All they could see there was snow piled up after the avalanche. It clearly wasn’t something humans alone could solve. Even if they wanted to dig, they had no idea how long it would take.

Humanity appeared minuscule in the face of nature.

Josephine gazed at the endless expanse of snow before her, her heart growing colder by the second. She asked, “Where is the entrance?”

Jacques pointed to a general area. “The entrance is in this area. There was an exposed entrance nearly two kilometers long before the avalanche, but we can’t find the exact location of the entrance now.”

Suddenly swaying, Josephine fell on the snowy ground on her knees. The tears she had been holding in instantly broke free as she covered her face, desperately trying to control her sobs.

The accident she had imagined and the scene she witnessed were completely different. She thought the entrance was merely covered by snow and could be excavated. However, what she was seeing was utter hopelessness!

“Miss Jacobson….” Influenced by her sobs, Jacques also took off his glasses and wiped his moist eyes. He sensed Josephine’s despair.

Everyone who came here shared the same sentiment—desperation and helplessness. The rescue efforts seemed impossible.

“Please don’t be pessimistic, Miss Jacobson. We have opened up a new rescue passage that reaches the rescue area through the mine where the incident occurred. We are currently assessing the conditions inside, and once we confirm the feasibility of the rescue, we will immediately initiate it,” Jacques reassured her.

A strong sense of hope appeared in Josephine’s teary eyes. She asked, filled with excitement, “Really?”

“Yes, there is still a great possibility for rescue. The reason Mr. Ethan went into the cave was to rescue our employees. Based on our investigation, there is a possibility of a route between the caves in the front and back mountains. So, let’s hold onto hope and wait! There will be good news.”

Josephine then followed Jacques to a tent, where she saw an elderly man exuding an aura of dignity standing in the middle. Jacques introduced him, “This is Mr. Edward Quarles who is overseeing the rescue operation.”

Now that Josephine was seeing Ethan’s father for the first time, she finally understood where the mixed-race genes in Ethan came from. The noble aura emanating from the older man was like that of a centuries-old aristocrat.

Although Edward was worried about his son’s safety, he remained composed as he attentively listened to the opinions of the rescue team members to make decisions.

Josephine soon arrived at the front of the mine where the dark atmosphere overwhelmed her as she stood there. For her to feel the chills down her spine even just by standing here, she couldn’t begin to imagine how helpless the people trapped inside would feel.

Ethan, you must live, Josephine prayed in her heart.

The first rescue team descended into the mine early the next morning. After conducting a risk assessment, they decided to proceed with the rescue operation.

The shadow of death loomed within the cave. Miraculously, everyone in Ethan’s group survived the earthquake. Although some of them were injured by falling rocks, their wounds had been bandaged.

Ethan himself was fortunately unharmed. He actively encouraged his subordinates to find ways to save themselves because he knew how challenging the rescue would be from the outside.

“We’re going to die here, for sure. We can’t get out at all,” one distraught employee shrieked. Consumed by the fear of death for too long, he had already lost his sanity.

His words affected everyone in the cave, instantly shattering their already fragile morale. The will to survive was at an all-time low, and fear had completely wiped off any trace of hope from their faces.

Ethan approached and crouched down, supporting his distressed subordinate. With a determined gaze, he assured everyone, “Don’t worry. We will be rescued. The Quarles Family can gather the best rescue forces from around the world. All of us will make it out safely.”

These words were meant for both his subordinate and himself. Ethan didn’t want to die here, and he refused to abandon the hope of survival.

He had a lover and family waiting for him outside. At this moment, he was sure that his family had arrived on this snowy mountain. He hoped that his subordinates hadn’t told Josephine about this incident, at least not until he was out of there safely. He didn’t want her to worry.

Josephine, I will definitely make it out alive to see you, Ethan vowed.

Even if he was on his last breath, and he had to crawl out of the cave, he would do everything in his power to see the light of day again.

The rescue operations outside proceeded intensively. Various equipment was set up on the flat ground, and rescue teams entered the mine one by one.

Their entry represented the hope and chance for life of those trapped underground.

Later, Jacques persuaded Josephine to return to the base and rest. The nighttime temperatures here were too low, and women were prone to hypothermia under this kind of temperature.

“Miss Jacobson, if you want to see Mr. Ethan return safely, you must ensure your own well-being. If something happens to you, Mr. Ethan will definitely chew my head off,” Jacques advised earnestly.

Although reluctant, Josephine ended up agreeing to his suggestion. Before getting into the car, she grabbed Jacques’ arm and urged, “If there’s any news about the rescue, please inform me immediately.”

“I will, I promise,” Jacques assured her.

Josephine returned to the base and was directly escorted to Ethan’s room. As she pushed open the door, the sight of some documents and a cup on the desk tugged at her heartstrings.

“Miss Jacobson, there’s hot water here. You can take a shower. If you need anything, just let me know,” an assistant said.

“Thank you, I appreciate it.” Josephine nodded. She had no problem conversing in Chinese.

After the door closed, Josephine sat at Ethan’s desk and looked at the computer. The documents on the side had his signature on them. She gently picked up the pen he had used, holding it in her palm as tears uncontrollably streamed down her face.

The quieter and more alone she was, the harder it was to let her fragility show.

The news of Ethan’s accident had been kept under wraps, and the outside world was still unaware of it. There would be a significant impact on the stock of the Quarles Group otherwise. Speculation from the public could cause the stock price to potentially plummet.

Ethan was the sole heir of the Quarles Family. If something happened to him, the shareholders of the Quarles Group might start having other thoughts.

Edward was also arranged to stay at the base overnight because the Arctic temperatures at night were unbearable for the human body, and precautions had to be taken to prevent hypothermia.

The rescue teams were ensuring safety and maintaining the temperature inside the mine. At this moment, six rescue teams had entered the mine, advancing through six different tunnels that potentially connected to Ethan’s location.

Ethan and his team had been trapped in the cave for over a hundred hours by now. As for their supplies, resources were not an issue as long as they were still alive.

However, the crucial outcome the rescue teams needed to determine was whether the people inside the cave were still alive. There would be hope for a successful rescue only if they were alive.

The six rescue teams kept close communication, reporting their positions and sharing any relevant information.

Deep inside the cave, Ethan and his team were also trying to find a way toward the main mine tunnel, as their retreat had been blocked.

Instead of a natural one, Ethan suspected that the initial earthquake was caused by someone detonating explosives at the entrance behind them, which resulted in the entire cave shaking.

He recalled the unidentified signal King had reported to him about, but he didn’t want to add to his team’s anxiety at this moment. He instructed his team to only move forward and not backward to avoid encountering the mercenary group that might be behind them.

After analyzing the situation, Ethan deduced that the mercenaries had indeed intended to seal off the entrance, burying them all inside the cave.

However, they hadn’t anticipated that the explosion would trigger a massive avalanche, burying themselves as well under meters of snow, leaving them with no chance of survival.

On the other hand, although some members were injured by falling rocks, at least no lives were lost. With Ethan and his team’s retreat blocked, they had no choice but to proceed forward since they had entered the cave.

“Mr. Ethan, please take a look at this.” One of the bodyguards called out to Ethan.

Hearing that, Ethan took a flashlight and approached the bodyguard who then asked him to reach his hand into a small hole. As Ethan reached out, he felt a cold gust of wind rushing out from the hole. His face lit up with joy in that instant. This indicated a ventilation opening. If they could clear this passage, they might be able to go deeper into the mine.

“Please organize the manpower to dig this hole. It just needs to be wide enough for one person to pass through,” Ethan commanded.

After three hours of effort, a hole wide enough for everyone to go through was finally opened. In the darkness, they could only see a bottomless cave. Ethan led the way, with his team following behind. At that moment, the confidence of the rescue team grew stronger. Ethan was like an alpha wolf, becoming everyone’s hope and reliance.

They didn’t know how far they had walked in the darkness when they encountered another obstacle. However, according to the distance measured by the engineers, they were no more than 100 yards away from the mine where the trapped employees were. It meant that they were highly likely to reunite with the trapped workers inside the cave.

“Trust me, everyone. I will lead you out of here, back to the surface, and reunite you with your loved ones. Each person will receive a reward of one hundred thousand. You must have faith.” Ethan’s voice echoed in the darkness like a ray of light, giving everyone hope.

With the will to survive and wealth to motivate them, their confidence was boosted, and everyone was even more determined to get out.

At that moment, another team was heading toward Ethan. They, too, discovered various ventilated caves and carved out a passage, delving deeper into the other end.

In the darkness, the two groups kept getting closer and closer. Finally, one of the reconnaissance team members exclaimed with excitement, “Movement ahead! The instruments are showing significant fluctuations in sound waves.”

“Could it be animals?”

“No, it’s unlikely for animals to survive in these underground tunnels.”

“Wait, the sound waves are regular. It’s human-generated sounds. It’s coming from the front, less than fifty yards away from us.”

“Quick, dig forward!” The rescue team captain was overjoyed. They had finally found the missing team members. It was an unprecedented piece of good news.

Finally, at about ten yards from each other, the engineers on Ethan’s side also heard the sound. “Hush, everyone, listen. There’s sound ahead,” he demanded.

Everyone fell silent, holding their breath and listening intently. True enough, they heard rhythmic tapping, a sort of signal.

“It’s Morse code! It’s us! We’re going to be rescued!” exclaimed one of the engineers, filled with joy.

Everyone relaxed at once, finally obtaining a glimmer of hope. In the darkness, Ethan’s forehead was covered in a layer of sweat, but ultimately, he, too, breathed a sigh of relief.

With that, the engineers on this side responded with the same Morse code. The rescue team received the signal and erupted in joy. Finally, there was news, and it was a definite one. However, due to being

deep inside the cave, they couldn’t relay the message. They could only concentrate all their efforts on the rescue.

The rescue team immediately gathered other members and started digging a pathway together. At this moment, among the team members with Ethan, two engineers had been injured by falling rocks but had persisted until now. However, they were beginning to experience hypothermia due to the cold weather, and they needed rescue as soon as possible, as their lives were at stake.

Ethan comforted his team members while taking the digging tools from his subordinates and continued to dig forward. In front of them lay a completely obstructed pathway. Even though they were only a dozen meters away from the rescue team on the other side, a significant amount of excavation work was still required.

After continuous efforts from both sides, finally, after six hours of excavation, they were able to communicate through a hole.

“Are you injured, Mr. Quarles?”

“I’m fine, but three of my employees are. Please rescue them as soon as possible,” Ethan said anxiously, not losing focus.