“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 at 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, at 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.
