?Chapter 1585:


    That was when he noticed the young man who had just spoken to his granddaughter standing perfectly still, not following her. He remained rooted in ce, watching Maia’s receding figure, his eyes deep andyered with a conflicted emotion that lingered like a silent ache. It looked as though he wanted to chase after her and speak, yet forced himself to stay.


    There was none of the cold detachment of a stranger, nor the polite distance of a mere acquaintance. It felt instead like two lovers in the aftermath of an argument left unresolved.


    Dominic narrowed his eyes, his stare turning keen. He shifted his gaze from Maia—throwing herself stubbornly into the rescue work—back to the young man standing rigidly behind her. Out of habit, he rubbed his chin and muttered under his breath, “Just who is this man, anyway?”


    He angled his body toward one of his adjutants. The officer caught the hint at once and jogged over.


    “Did you call for me, General Watson?”


    Dominic lifted his head, his sharp eyes locking onto Chris.


    ??????t ????e??y????е ???? ??e??d??n?? ???? ??????????ve???.??о??


    “Dig up every detail about him. I want his entire background on my desk within the hour.”


    Nearly an hour passed. The valley trembled beneath the deafening grind and roar of heavy machinery.


    Working in relentless coordination, massive machines and dozens of soldiers gradually forced open a narrow breach in the mound of debris, leaving only enough space for a single person to squeeze through.


    “Move! Get inside now! The first seventy-two hours are our best chance. We cannot afford to waste them!” Dominic ordered.


    Several soldiers, their harnesses secured with safety ropes, surged forward without the slightest hesitation and disappeared into the opening.


    Pressure coiled tightly in the air, stretched to its absolute limit. Dust choked every breath, carrying with it the metallic sting of blood. Maia remained behind the caution line, her lips pressed together in silent prayer, fingers clenching the fabric at her side so fiercely that the color drained from her knuckles. Chris stood barely two feet away, his posture rigid, his face carved into cold, unyielding lines.


    Each passing second dragged heavily.


    Five minutes crawled forward with agonizing slowness, refusing to pass.


    Then atst, the walkie-talkie erupted with a burst of fractured static and urgent voices. “Report! Survivors located! We have survivors!”


    A surge of renewed energy swept across the rescue site, breaking apart the suffocating tension that had settled over everyone.


    But reliefsted only a moment.


    The transmission continued, the voice strained and urgent. “The reinforced vehicles held their shape and prevented total copse. Hurry—we need hydraulic cutters immediately! One of the injured is only partially conscious. Prepare a stretcher. We have to extract them carefully.”


    A new obstacle became immediately clear. The opening that had just been carved out remained dangerously narrow and structurally fragile. Though rescuers had managed to force their way inside, the survivors suffered severe injuries, making extraction through the cramped passage nearly impossible without worsening their condition.


    “General Watson! The opening cannot amodate a stretcher!”


    The moment the report reached him, Dominic’s expression hardened, his brows snapping together in sharp fury. He pivoted toward the engineering officer beside him, his voice slicing cleanly through the surrounding mor.


    “What are you standing there for? Reinforce the structure immediately. Open the entrance wider!”


    “Understood, sir!” The engineering unit snapped into motion without dy.


    .


    .


    .