CHAPTER 349: CHAPTER 349: RESCUED

Compared to her worry for the child, what concerned her more was the child’s father.

Even though she knew the chances of survival were slim, she was still unwilling to believe something happened to him.

"Where are we?" she asked.

Seth Fairchild stood up, stretching his arms that were sore from holding her while sleeping, and said, "On a small island, the rain outside has stopped. We’d better go outside and wait for the rescue team to find us."

Shannon Quinn got up from the ground and walked towards the cave entrance with somewhat unsteady steps.

Seth followed closely behind her.

The rain had stopped outside, but the sky remained gloomy. Seth led her through a patch of jungle to the seaside.

The sand was wet, still bearing marks from last night’s rain.

Shannon walked barefoot to the shoreline, gazing at the now calm sea, her eyes misty yet carrying a trace of expectation and hope.

Seth stood by her side, wanting to comfort her somehow, but didn’t know how to start.

He naturally hated Landon Sutton; he used to think it would be great if Landon died someday.

But now, seeing Shannon like this, he actually hoped that Landon could be lucky enough to survive...

Yet everyone knew how slim that possibility was.

"... How far are we from there?" her eyes absentmindedly focused on the distant horizon, she asked.

Seth glanced at her and replied, "Not sure, I felt like I swam dragging you for about half an hour."

Upon hearing this, Shannon turned her head to look at him.

Last night she didn’t know whether it was due to the cold seawater or the heavy rain, or the grief of not finding Landon, she had fainted.

If it weren’t for Seth, she probably would have been a floating corpse by now.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Although she didn’t really like Seth before, now he was at least her lifesaver.

Seth smiled, "Go and sit on those rocks over there. I’ll see if I can find something to eat."

Shannon turned to look at him and asked again, "When can we go back?"

Seth: "There will definitely be a rescue team coming around these next few days to look for survivors. We should be able to return soon, but right now we need to find something to fill our stomachs, especially since you’re pregnant."

After speaking, Seth turned around and ventured back into the jungle.

Shannon gazed down at her slightly protruding belly, gently caressing it with her hand, silently praying for the baby’s well-being and hoping for the safe return of the child’s father.

She remembered when the cruise ship was sinking, she handed him a life jacket.

But in the ensuing chaos, as the ship sank deeper into darkness, she couldn’t be sure if he had managed to put the life jacket on...

She hoped that, at this moment, he too was on some unknown island like her, waiting for the rescue boats to appear...

Seth managed to find some wild fruits and caught fish in a stream.

He lit a fire to grill the fish and handed it to Shannon, "Make do with this."

Shannon sat by the fire, looked at Seth, then reached out to take the grilled fish skewered on a branch, taking a small bite.

No delicacy, at that moment, would have been palatable to her.

She wasn’t used to the fishy taste, and after trying a few bites, she handed the fish back to Seth, "You eat it."

Seth looked at her and asked, "Not used to it?"

Shannon shook her head, "Can’t eat it."

Seth: "Eat something for the baby."

Shannon: "I’ve had some fruits, I’m full, you have it."

Seth was silent for a moment, then took the grilled fish, thinking to himself what else he could manage to find her to eat in such circumstances.

He knew she wasn’t just unwilling to eat; she wasn’t accustomed to such food.

After finishing the fish, Seth busied himself again in the jungle, while Shannon sat by the beach, gazing at the vast blue sea.

For the first time, the sea didn’t seem so beautiful.

"Someone’s been here before, found a small pot – clean it up and it’s still usable, can boil you some hot water to drink."

He spoke, setting down a pile of firewood, then went to the sea to carefully clean the muddy pot.

Shannon gathered her coat and softly asked as she approached, "Need any help?"

Seth turned to glance at her, "Add some firewood over there; I’ll be making you some soup to drink soon."

Shannon looked at Seth, sensing that he wasn’t so annoying after all.

The salvage operation on the sunken ship was underway; luckily, this part of the sea wasn’t too deep, not posing much difficulty for the salvage work.

Simon Rhodes stood on the salvage vessel, watching as bodies were brought up one after another, each time anxiously anticipating finding Landon’s whereabouts, yet hoping not to see him in such a state.

The shore was lined with anxious families, who would kneel and wail upon confirming the remains.

Another concern for Simon was that if only one of Landon and Shannon survived, it would be the greatest sorrow and tragedy...

As night fell, the salvage work couldn’t progress quickly, no one rested, and cold bodies continued to be retrieved, leaving everyone in low spirits.

Shannon and Seth sat on the beach, watching the daylight turn to darkness, with only the small fire illuminating a small area.

Shannon hadn’t said much all day, but she was still willing to eat for the sake of the child in her belly.

Seth turned to look at her, the flickering flames casting constantly changing shadows and contours on her face.

He said, "If you’re cold, come closer to me, we can warm each other."

Shannon merely glanced at him without moving.

She naturally wouldn’t want any intimate contact with him when she was conscious.

Last night, he hadn’t taken advantage of her, but after she came out of the water, her clothes were soaked, and she was shivering constantly. The cave was damp, and that little fire wasn’t enough to provide warmth, so he had held her in his arms to warm her cold body.

At that time, looking at her weak breathing, he was genuinely worried she wouldn’t make it.

Thankfully, after her body warmed up, she recovered.

"The wind is strong outside; how about we go back to the cave?" Seth suggested.

Shannon kept looking at the sea without replying, only standing up after a moment.

Seth thought she agreed to go back to the cave, so he stood up to lead the way, but then he saw her still gazing at the sea and pointing in a direction, "Look."

Following her gaze curiously, Seth spotted a flickering light coming across the sea. He said, "It’s probably a rescue boat, quickly add all the firewood, make the fire bigger!"