He rose to his feet, brushed off the dust on him, and wiped his tears. With determined steps, he departed from the devastated site carrying Ariana.

As dusk approached, Adrian finally saw someone from his team-Shawn.

When Shawn caught sight of Adrian and Ariana, his face beamed with relief. He dashed over and said, “I've finally found you! Bennett's guys are looking for him, too; I was worried we'd be too late."

Just as Holden had expected, unable to reach Holden and the others, Shawn and his team had opted to encircle the entire mountain.

In a sudden shift, Shawn's attention moved past Adrian's shoulder.

Confused, Adrian turned to see what had caught Shawn's eye, but all he saw was a wide, overgrown field. "What are you Looking at?" he asked.

“Where's Mr. Fredrick?" Shawn inquired, his face knitting with concern. “Isn't he with you?"

A dark shadow crossed Adrian's face, his voice rough as he responded, “Holden... He's been harmed.”

Adrian quickly recounted the dire events that had unfolded at the metal house.

The news shook Shawn deeply, almost causing him to stumble.

“How could something have happened to Mr. Fredrick..." Shawn gazed upward, his voice filled with urgency and worry. “Where exactly is this metal house? We'll turn over every rock if that's what it takes to find Mr. Fredrick!"

Although Adrian was not taken aback by Shawn's reaction, it nonetheless reopened his own wounds of sorrow.

Despite harboring a thin thread of hope that Holden might still be alive, he had not encountered Holden on his way here, and it hadn't been long since they had split up. It was likely that something bad had happened to Holden.

With a voice laden with emotion, Adrian said to Shawn, "I'll lead you to the metal house soon, but first, we need to ensure Ariana's safety. Moss injected her with an unknown substance, and she's still unconscious. I'm deeply concerned..."

Hearing this, Shawn swiftly arranged for Ariana to be taken to the hospital. His team sprang into action, and a helicopter soon arrived.

Shawn personally assisted Ariana into the helicopter and watched intently as it took off, his eyes tracking the tiny dot until it disappeared from view. He then turned to see Adrian slumped against a tree, appearing exhausted.

Shawn asked him if he was okay, but Adrian offered no response, his gaze lost in the distance.

Thinking he hadn't spoken loudly enough, Shawn cleared his throat and repeated his inquiry, louder this time.

Finally, Adrian snapped out of his daze.

"Just give me a sec, Shawn," Adrian said, rubbing his face. "I'm feeling really dizzy and nauseous."