She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 462

Morris said, "We should trust her. Since she left a letter saying to give her 72 hours, we'll wait."

...

Deep within the mountain range, the scent of death mingled with the freezing mineral dust.

Loyce leaned heavily against the icy rock wall, her breathing ragged.

One of her legs was bent at a highly unnatural angle. Waves of blinding agony washed over her, and a sheen of cold sweat broke out across her forehead.

Her tactical suit, which wasn't exactly thick to begin with, had been slashed in several places by jagged rocks. The blood seeping from her wounds froze almost instantly in the frigid air.

Despite the severe trauma, not a single groan of pain escaped her lips. Maintaining icy, calculated rationality, she pulled medical bandages from her kit. Gritting her teeth, she manually realigned her dislocated bone.

The excruciating pain in the freezing environment made her tremble violently. Sweating despite the cold, she managed to gather some sturdy deadwood and tightly splinted her leg, ensuring the fracture wouldn't worsen.

She then injected herself with a heavy dose of painkillers. While waiting for the medication to kick in, she leaned back against a tree trunk for a brief rest.

The process was agonizing, yet Loyce's eyes were astonishingly bright. She raised her right hand; her fingers were wrapped tightly around an irregular, multi-faceted crystal. In the dim light, it refracted a bizarre, shifting glow of eerie blue and dark purple. This was the strange, toxic source that had poisoned Forrest.

She carefully stowed the crystal into her backpack. Then, she checked a sample bag strapped to her side, which contained a slightly smaller ore that gleamed with a pure, silver-white metallic luster.

It was a serendipitous find—a highly pure, rare mineral hidden deep within the veins of the mountain.

Pinned to her chest was a body camera. Taking advantage of her brief rest, she angled the lens to capture her surroundings. The camera had recorded all the hazards she encountered on the way in, mapping out the deepest sections of the mine and the most optimal route.

This footage would be crucial to minimize the danger when her oldest brother inevitably sent a team back in.

Once everything was secured, Loyce forced herself up and began the grueling trek back.

The weather rapidly deteriorated on her return journey. Most of the markers she had left along the way were washed out or covered. She was prepared for that, but she wasn't prepared for the sudden aftershock that violently rattled the ground beneath her.

The rock layer gave way in an instant. Before she could even react, Loyce plummeted straight into a deep, pitch-black natural sinkhole.

Fortunately, the bottom of the pit was piled high with years of decayed leaves and soft mud, cushioning her fall. Combined with her quick reflexes to adjust her posture mid-air, she managed to avoid any fatal injuries.

"Just my luck."

Lucian had charged back into the mountain range alone. He had rushed in blindly, but his memory was exceptional. Even with the terrain slightly altered by the aftershocks, his mind perfectly mapped the route toward the deepest part of the mines.

Along the way, he managed to spot the faint traces of the markers Loyce had left on the tree trunks. Though some were entirely gone, he was able to lock onto her general trajectory.

Even so, the chaotic weather and brutal terrain caused him to take a few wrong turns. It wasn't until night fell and the hail started that he finally found himself on the right path.

Using his tactical flashlight, the beam reflecting off the slushy snow, Lucian stepped onto a patch of ground and immediately felt a slight shift beneath his boots. Cautiously backing away, he crouched down and tapped the earth with the heavy pommel of his dagger. Beneath the roar of the rain, he heard the distinct, hollow echo of an underground cavern.

A sinkhole.

He carefully navigated the perimeter and found the massive opening. Shining his light down into the abyss, he saw her. Loyce, half-submerged in the freezing water at the bottom of the pit.

Loyce had been doing everything in her power just to stay conscious. When the hallucination of footsteps drew closer and a beam of light cut through the dark, she weakly lifted her head.

The rain blurred her vision, but it perfectly outlined the tall, broad-shouldered silhouette of the man standing at the edge.

Under the freezing downpour, Loyce sincerely thought she was dreaming.