Chapter 438 Hope Against Hope
Bradley strained his ears, trying to catch every sound.
Harper said, "First off, grab onto this tree like your life depends on it. No dozing off. Just hang tight. Someone's gonna come get you. Nobody's leaving you behind."
"Got it," Bradley grunted.
"And when you hear anything, wave that red scarf. That's how they'll spot you, got it?"
Bradley nodded like crazy, whimpering.
It felt like her feet were sinking into quicksand, the pressure making Harper weaker and weaker, like all the air was being squeezed out of her.
Harper barely parted her lips and croaked, "Bradley, if you see a little girl named Agnes, that's my daughter. Tell her I love her so much. She's always been my pride, and I'm so glad she came into this world."
Her voice was fading fast.
Harper's mind was swallowed by darkness, her breath slipping away, her body losing all strength.
Harper felt herself losing her grip. She could barely hear Bradley's cries.
As she was about to be swallowed up, Harper thought of all the people she hadn't said goodbye to. Clayton, Jasper, Molly, Jessica, Zoey...
And Francis.
She wished she had told him she missed him, too.
Before blacking out, Harper forced a smile. If life had to end in loneliness, she wanted her last moment to be with a smile.
Was she scared? Hell yeah, Harper was scared. She was terrified and full of regret for not saying proper goodbyes. But if she had to do it all over again, she wouldn't leave Bradley behind. Even if there was just a slim chance, she'd still try.
Radiant City Airport.
Francis, dressed in a sharp black suit, stood tall and elegant like a pine tree. He held a bouquet of red roses, a symbol of his love that seemed out of place with his sharp attire. But Wesley had said roses were the start of gifts for a wife.
Francis hadn't told Harper he came to the airport early to catch the same flight home with her. This time, Victor stayed in Northfield to keep Agnes safe.
As soon as Francis turned on his phone, he saw a bunch of missed calls, the most prominent being an emergency alert.
[Whispering Village hit by a massive landslide. Residents evacuated, casualties unknown.]
The roses fell to the ground, petals scattering everywhere. Francis bolted out of the airport!
In Whispering Village.
Francis stood frozen on the outskirts of the scene, his posture noble and solitary.
The little peaceful village Harper had shown him was gone. All he could see was dirt, rocks, and debris, a scene of utter devastation.
Francis's heart shattered bit by bit. "Harper," he couldn't hold on any longer and dropped to his knees, his heart filled with silent screams. 'Please, Harper, please...'
Behind him, two dust-covered bodyguards in black also fell to their knees. With dry, hoarse voices, they said, "Mr. Getty, we've searched this entire area, and there's no sign of Ms. Murphy."
The disaster hit the village hard, but thanks to some quick rescue work, the casualties were kept low. The village was pretty small to begin with. Most of the volunteer team had made it out, but five people were still missing, including Harper and Bradley.
"Ms. Murphy stayed behind to save a kid, so she missed her chance to escape, Mr. Getty..." One of the bodyguards croaked.
Before he could finish, a mouthful of blood spurted out. Francis's pale lips were stained with crimson, the blood trickling down.
"Mr. Getty!" The bodyguards rushed forward in a panic, trying to support Francis, but Francis raised his hand to stop them.
Francis, who had been on his knees for a long time, stumbled to his feet, his voice icy and cold as snow, "Get a helicopter here now, boost the search team, and turn this village upside down if you have to, but find them for me."
The bodyguards jumped into action.
Soon, a helicopter landed in a big clearing. Francis boarded the helicopter, put on special goggles, and made a gesture. The helicopter started flying low.
After circling a few times, there was no sign of life, not even a trace of any living creature. The whole ground was a gray wasteland, devoid of any life.
Nearby Whispering Peaks still had occasional mudslides, making it a dangerous area that shut out everyone.
After circling twice, the bodyguard with him in the cabin looked disheartened.
Finding Harper and the kid seemed impossible.
Francis's eyes were glued to the gray expanse below, his handsome face pale with despair. In such circumstances, was there any chance of survival?
He didn't want to give in to fate. God wouldn't be so cruel to him. No way!
Seeing Francis's pallid face, the bodyguard softly advised, "Mr. Getty, maybe you should go back and rest. Let us handle this..."
"45 degrees north, tilt!" Francis suddenly ordered coldly.
The pilot obeyed and tilted the helicopter. The bodyguard was surprised to see a red ribbon fluttering on a bare tree. The closer they got, the clearer it became. It was a small, mud-covered kid waving a scarf.
Francis's eyes narrowed sharply! That scarf was a volunteer scarf, one Harper had shown him. The dust mask on the kid's face wasn't something the small village would have as well.
He grabbed the equipment from the bodyguard beside him and put it on. "Let me go."
The bodyguard was stunned and mumbled, "Mr. Getty, you..."
Before he could finish, Francis had already descended the rope from the helicopter.
The pilot adjusted the angle. Francis seized the opportunity and leaped, grabbing a thick branch. Then, he waved his white-gloved hand, signaling that he had successfully landed on the tree.
Bradley had been holding on for a long time without sleeping, his body weak and trembling, clearly terrified.
Francis took Bradley's hand, holding him securely in his arms, and asked in a deep voice, "Can you speak?"
Bradley nodded, and then shook his head.
Francis's eyes were dark, his whole demeanor colder than it appeared.
Francis asked, "Who gave you this scarf?"
He spoke with restraint, fearing that any slip might shatter his hope.
Bradley's small, tear-streaked face was filled with fear. "A lady," he said.
A night of terror and hunger left him unable to form complete sentences, but he remembered the most important part. "She said she was Agnes's mom."
In an instant, a storm of grief surged in Francis's dimming eyes.
Harper woke up with a painful groan.
She slowly opened her eyes, feeling sore and aching all over, but a sense of joy rose within her—she was still alive.
Harper lifted her arm to brush the hair from her face and survey her surroundings. What she saw nearly stripped her soul out of her body. She had been pushed into a depression halfway down the mountain, with a 300-foot drop below her, and beside her was an old, worn-out tire.
Harper remembered that as she was losing consciousness, the mud had pushed her, and her survival instinct made her grab onto the nearest object. It must have been this tire that kept her from being buried.
But now, her situation was almost as dire as being buried. The depression she was in was barely big enough for one person to stand, and any movement could send rocks tumbling down. Harper even doubted whether the depression could support more than fifty pounds.
And it looked like it would be dark in less than two hours. She couldn't rely on luck to keep her from tumbling down if she fell asleep.
Harper noticed some thick vines not far from the depression. She tried to reach for them. As soon as she moved, loose rocks above her started to fall.
Harper pressed herself against the rock wall, watching as the falling rocks hit the tire and rolled down without making a sound.
It was clear how deep and unfathomable the ravine was.
Harper clung to the rock wall, not daring to move, even breathing cautiously to avoid dislodging more rocks. The longer she stood, the more her body ached. Harper didn't know how much longer she could hold on. She had no signaling devices and couldn't call for help. Staying here was as good as waiting to die.
She was feeling utterly hopeless when she heard voices not far away.
"Is anyone there? Anybody!"
"Ms. Murphy."
"Harper."
The last call was like a thunderclap. Harper heard it clearly—it was Francis!
What was he doing here? Wasn't he in Northfield?
Harper opened her mouth and shouted excitedly, "Francis..."
Before she could finish, another rock was dislodged and fell. She froze, not daring to move or make a sound, watching as the voices calling her name gradually dispersed.
Harper was frantic. In her desperation, she noticed the slightly swaying vines and had an idea. She tried again to grab the vines and finally managed to get hold of two. She carefully tied the two vines together and started to shake them gently.
The vines were long, with their roots on the ground, and even a small movement could cause some disturbance on the surface.
Harper hoped this would attract attention.
Now that she saw a glimmer of hope for rescue, Harper wouldn't choose to climb the vines. After all, the vines had been exposed to the elements and might not support her weight.
On the ground.
Francis was searching with only four agile bodyguards.
This area was still unsafe, and few people could enter. The government was also conducting search and rescue operations. Francis was searching here because Bradley had pointed out the direction. Bradley had remembered the direction Harper was swept away and kept it in his mind.
The search area was quite large, and the others had gone to search elsewhere. Francis thought about moving to another location too, since they had found nothing here.
Just as he was about to turn, he noticed a vine on the ground move slightly. He frowned, thinking it was just the wind, and didn't pay much attention.
Harper could no longer hear the rescue voices and felt despair. The ground beneath her was becoming soft and slippery from the rain, and the depression she was in showed signs of giving way.
She knew she couldn't stay any longer; this spot was about to collapse.
Harper tugged on the vines, feeling their resilience. With a determined mind, she wrapped the vines around her wrist and tightened them.
She tried to transfer her weight to the vines. Just as she was about to climb up, more rocks fell. The ground beneath her split open with a huge crack.
Harper slid down rapidly. She let out a scream, the ground she had clung to for survival now gone.
With no other choice, she bit her lip, swaying her body to try and brace her feet against the wall.
She had once watched Jasper rock climb but had never tried it herself. Now, she instinctively mimicked his climbing moves, pressing her feet against the rock wall and inching upward. Fortunately, her body was light, and the vines could support her weight.
Harper carefully, painfully climbed step by step. Hope was in sight; she was only two steps from the ground.
Suddenly, with a dull snap, a vine broke. Only one vine remained, far from enough to support her weight.
Harper was frantic, ignoring the falling rocks, and quickened her pace.
The support suddenly vanished, the other vine snapped, and her heart nearly stopped! Her arms instinctively reached for the ground, but she grabbed a loose rock, teetering on the edge of the abyss. Fear gripped her, and she tensed, eyes tightly shut.
Suddenly, a strong force grabbed her wrist! Harper's body slammed against the rock wall, halting her fall. Her arm felt like it was being torn apart, the pain excruciating.
Harper looked up with effort. In the chaos, Francis's beautiful face appeared before her. Their eyes met, and without a word, both had tears in their eyes.
"Francis..." Harper's voice was choked with sobs.
She had thought she was surely going to fall! She hadn't expected Francis to turn back and witness such a perilous moment.
Francis held her tightly, his eyes icy, staring at her, and sobbed, "Give me your other arm."
Francis tried to move his other arm, but it was extremely difficult.
Francis was lying flat on the ground. In this situation, pulling her up with just his hands was almost impossible.
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