Maja's heart skipped a beat as she sat motionless on the wooden bench of the boat, her eyes staring blankly into the distance.

When Beck boarded the vessel, the first thing he noticed was her faraway gaze.

He immediately walked over and gave her shoulder a gentle pat.

"The sea's chilly, and dawn's breaking soon. You should change out of those wet clothes," he said with a touch of concern.

Maja almost shook her head in refusal, but the first light of dawn was already spreading across the horizon, followed by a shout

that jolted everyone to attention.

"Over here!"

She quickly stood up and made her way towards the commotion.

It wasn't so much that they had found lan, but rather his jacket, aimlessly drifting on the water's surface.

From her vantage point, Maja could see the island's sky, where smoke slowly ascended, hinting at the horrific battle that had raged

the night before.

She withdrew her gaze, ready to plunge into the sea, but Beck stopped her.

"There are plenty of people searching down there. If lan's in the water, he'll be found."

Without a word, Maja grabbed a pair of binoculars and began scouring the sea.

Helicopters buzzed overhead as part of the massive search effort. With such a large-scale operation, even if lan had drifted far, he

should have been found by now.

Maja's brow furrowed as she peered into the deep, vast ocean. Could he have sunk to the bottom?

Ignoring Beck's protests, she insisted on launching a lifeboat to search for lan herself.

spoke into his walkie-talkie, asking the chopper pilots

she searched for

in the distance, and without hesitation, she rowed towards

the branches, her heart felt as though it

tree, obscured by its girth and the leaves floating around, making him

to

the helicopter above and then plunged into

his arm was caught on something, blood diluting in the seawater, the wound sickeningly

she steeled herself and yanked the object

was unconscious and his

difficulty, Maja dragged him onto the lifeboat and rowed towards the larger

the helicopter swiftly landed, and a team rushed lan to

the hospital corridor

had passed, and she

asking someone, "So, has the island been

was devastated by the blast. The explosives were buried there long ago, likely

to wipe out everyone. Less than twenty locals survived.

have been reduced to ruins and sunk

an eyebrow. If someone wanted the island gone, why not just

trouble of detonating bombs?

Sanders, we also found a peculiar underground chamber with a woman inside.

wanted to bring her back, but she won't leave the chamber. She faces the wall, her eyes

bandages—probably blind, possibly someone of

she leave

by an electric shock.

respond, he noticed

informant away and turned to

"Maja, you're awake."

"How's lan?"

"He's still under observation."

her, his eyes and brow

receiving lan's emergency signal from the island. Beck

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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