Since being rescued earlier, Nicola, gradually recovering from the shock, stayed close to Jane.
In her eyes, Jane was now like the angels her mom had told her about-saving not only her life but also the people in the village and many schoolmates.
This beautiful big sister was the best person in the whole world.
So, when she heard the team leader’s words, Nicola didn’t speak. Instead, she looked up at Jane with a pitiful gaze, like a homeless little pet, clutching onto Jane’s clothing.
She didn’t want to leave this beautiful sister. She didn’t want to go to any “safer place.” She just wanted to be with this beautiful sister.
Jane noticed Nicola’s reluctant and pitiful look, and a faint smile played on her lips.
She found Nicola adorable, especially considering the little girl had just lost her mother and experienced such a painful and heartbreaking situation. It was natural for her to seek comfort and dependence on others.
Jane slowly crouched down, extending her hand to caress Nicola’s head. Her eyes softened as she comforted the little girl, “Nicola, be good. This uncle isn’t a bad person; he’s here to rescue you. Listen to sister; this place is dangerous right now, with aftershocks possibly happening anytime. Go with this uncle to a safer place, okay? Take care of yourself, and when sister is done, I’ll come find you.”
“But… sister, will you really come to find me?” The little girl lowered her head, hesitated for a moment, and timidly asked.
Jane nodded solemnly, making a sincere promise, “Yes, I will for sure!”
Then, she extended her right pinky finger and said to Nicola with a smile, “If you don’t believe me, let’s pinky swear, okay?”
Only then did Nicola reveal a smile, extending her hand. The two fingers, one large and one small, hooked together. Jane said with great seriousness, “Pinky swear, hang for a hundred years and don’t change…! Okay! Now quickly follow the captain uncle; this place is very unsafe.”
Jane was too busy comforting Nicola, completely unaware that the earlier pinky swear scene had been observed by several nearby journalists who happened to be collecting material, capturing the moment with their cameras.
“Alright, I’ll take Nicola away and bring them to the safe town hospital first.” The team leader spoke in a deep voice.
Jane stood up, “Thank you, and we still haven’t found the person we’re looking for. We’ll check nearby to see if there are others.”
At the same time, Nana was anxiously searching for William.
“William! William! Where are you!” Nana looked around, shouting William’s name, but there was no response.
She had already helped the rescue team save five or six people but hadn’t found the person she was looking for.
As dusk approached, Nana became increasingly anxious.
Once it got dark, the difficulty of the search would suddenly increase.
And with each passing moment, the danger to William also grew.
Nana was, after all, a girl. After struggling for so long, her physical strength was nearing exhaustion, and she could only lean on her knees, panting heavily.
“Nana!” After seeing Nicola off, Jane noticed Nana’s figure in the distance. She quickly jogged over, supporting Nana’s arm, and asked with concern, “Still haven’t found William?”
Nana shook her head while trying to catch her breath. She spoke intermittently, “No… I’ve searched for a long time. Rescued so many people, but I haven’t seen any sign of William, Jane, what should we do…? Could something have happened to him?”
Nana’s voice carried a hint of tears, and she felt an overwhelming concern.
At this moment, the rescue team leader, escorting recently rescued teachers and students, approached Jane. He greeted her, “I’ll take them to a safe place in town. I’ve left some team members for further rescue. You’ll handle things here; it’s up to you.”
Nana was on the verge of collapse. Every second felt unbearably long for her.
Struggling to keep her composure, Nana rushed over, grabbing the sleeve of the man’s rescue uniform. She cried hysterically, “Have you seen William? Have any of you seen him? Tall, slim, small eyes, black hair! Is he hurt?”
Seeing the man helpless and silent, Nana rushed to the students, asking the same question like a madwoman.
“Nana!” Jane forcefully pulled her away, gripping Nana’s shoulders, “Don’t do this.”
Seeing Nana in this state, Jane also felt an intense heartache.
However, without finding William, any comforting words at this moment would sound hollow.
Nana grabbed Jane’s arm in return, tears falling one by one, “Jane, tell me, where is William? What if something happened to him…”
Jane bit her lip, “Nana, calm down! William is fine; trust me, we’ll find him. Just calm down a bit, okay?”
Jane understood Nana’s feelings. If it were Patrick trapped under the rubble, uncertain about life or death, she might be even more frantic than Nana.
“Teacher Lawrence seems to be in the classroom…” At that moment, a student weakly spoke up.
“What did you say?” Nana excitedly looked at the student, “Do you know where William is?”
The student’s lips were stained with dried blood due to injuries, making speaking difficult. “Teacher Lawrence, our teacher… The earthquake was so sudden, and Teacher Lawrence didn’t have time to run out…”
What?
Didn’t have time to run out?
Nana’s heart sank suddenly.
Nana’s eyes reddened gradually, her hand still gripping Jane’s wrist, unconsciously applying pressure.
Jane heard the words of those children and felt a bit worried but still comforted her, “Nana, calm down. Let’s listen to them slowly.”
Several students also spoke up at this moment, “Teacher Lawrence was lecturing at that time… when the earthquake struck suddenly. He organized us to run out of the teaching building, but the building collapsed afterward. We didn’t see Teacher Lawrence running out…”
“Where is your teaching building?” Jane asked in a firm tone.
She appeared unusually calm at this moment, while Nana was already panicking; she couldn’t afford to be chaotic.
Jane furrowed her brows and analyzed, “Since William didn’t manage to run out, he must be buried under the teaching building. Now… there should still be time!”
“Over there.” The first boy who spoke pointed to the left.
Nana didn’t have time to think. Like a madwoman, she ran in that direction.
Jane directed the bodyguards, “All of you, go there. Put all your efforts into finding William!”
“Yes, Miss North!” The dozens of bodyguards answered respectfully, following behind Nana, rushing toward the direction of the teaching building.