Secretly Married for 4 Years, He Regrets to Tears After the Divorce-Chapter 203: Locking Down the Location, Determining the Search Area
In the darkness before dawn, the Lancaster family’s home was brightly lit.
The entire family was gathered together, staring at the massive satellite map on the wall with a mixture of anxiety and excitement.
Theodore Lancaster typed "Sarankal" into the system’s database.
His fingers trembled with excitement. This was the first truly concrete clue they had received in over a year.
He was certain, with a powerful premonition, that this time they would finally find his son, Adrian Lancaster.
However, the search results were disappointing.
There were no records of "Sarankal" in the system.
Unwilling to give up, Theodore Lancaster tried every possible spelling, testing them one by one.
He tried every phonetic variation imaginable.
But after trying them all, he still came up with nothing.
...
It was as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown over the family. They pursed their lips, their expressions grim, and no one spoke a word.
They had experienced this same psychological whiplash nearly every day for the past year—hope and despair coexisting, a silent, formless torture for every member of the Lancaster family.
"It can’t be missing." Claire Sterling finally broke the silence, her tone firm and serious.
"Wren and I dreamt of this place at the same time, identical in every detail. How could it possibly be a coincidence?"
"This is clearly fate. Adrian is sending us a distress signal through our dreams again."
Wren Sutton agreed. "I think so, too."
The odds of two people having the exact same dream were infinitesimally small.
And yet, this impossible thing had actually happened, so vivid and intense that it was impossible to ignore.
Lucia Lancaster and Julian Lancaster also supported their mother, Claire Sterling’s, point of view. They both felt that a place named Sarankaman must exist somewhere on Earth.
"Let’s think of other ways to search," Lucia encouraged everyone.
An idea suddenly struck Wren Sutton. "We should contact historical geographers, anthropologists, and researchers of primitive tribes. They might have valuable information."
Julian Lancaster nodded, sincerely impressed.
"Wren’s right. The more ancient and mysterious a tribe is, the more likely it is to be found in historical records rather than on a map."
Lucia Lancaster had a moment of realization. "How did I not think of that? Wren, you’re a genius."
Wren Sutton replied humbly, "There’s strength in numbers. We’ll figure it out together."
Hearing this, hope reignited in Theodore Lancaster’s heart.
There was no time to lose. He immediately used his connections to contact top scholars, experts, and professors at home and abroad specializing in historical geography and human development.
Theodore Lancaster also created a dedicated group chat, adding all the top experts. The Lancasters joined as well, so everyone could share information and communicate.
[Sarankal]
Theodore Lancaster sent the keyword to the group, imploring the experts to look for any possible connections from an academic perspective.
The task was not easy. It was like finding a needle in a haystack—not only time-consuming but also mentally grueling.
While the professors and scholars searched for clues in a vast sea of literature, the Lancasters weren’t idle either. Everyone was fully committed, burying themselves in thick, ancient tomes in search of answers whenever they had a spare moment.
Their sincerity moved the heavens.
Seven days later, a professor specializing in primitive tribal cultures made a breakthrough discovery. He immediately shared the relevant information in the group chat.
[A 19th-century explorer’s journal mentions a tribe with a name that sounds almost identical to "Sarankal," meaning "Guardians of the River." The tribe is located deep within an undeveloped primeval forest, isolated from the outside world.]
[The journal records that they worship a River God and hold a grand sacrificial ceremony every full moon, praying for the River God’s favor to bring good weather and fortune to the tribe.]
[The terrain of this region is remarkably similar to what Mrs. Lancaster described in her dream, including hidden underground rivers, dense, towering jungles, turbulent rapids, and the tribe’s iconic totems.]
[Even more exciting, by comparing the descriptions in the ancient text with modern satellite imagery, we have now roughly identified a search area of about 2,000 square kilometers. Although the location is still vague, this has significantly narrowed down the search zone.]
As soon as the news broke, the group chat exploded with activity.
[Thank God! Thank you, Professor Gray!]
[This is fantastic! We’ve finally narrowed down the location of Sarankal.]
[It’s in the Southern Hemisphere, near a tropical rainforest.]
[Even if we have to turn the whole world upside down, we will find Sarankal and we will find Adrian.]
Theodore Lancaster put down his phone and, with a heart pounding with excitement, called a family meeting.
He stood in the center of the study. Behind him was an updated electronic map, its massive high-definition screen clearly marking the search area with a red circle.
"I’ve decided to personally lead the search and rescue team to this region."
His voice was resolute and left no room for argument.
"Now that we have a clear search area, I’m certain we’ll be able to find Adrian."
Lucia Lancaster immediately stood up, her gaze just as determined. "Dad, I’m going too."
Julian Lancaster followed suit. "I’m going too."
Theodore Lancaster looked at the siblings, feeling gratified, but he disagreed.
"No. You two are staying here."
"Dad!" they protested in unison.
Theodore Lancaster walked over to them and reasoned with them earnestly.
"If we all go, who will take care of the family and the company?"
"..."
"Lucia, it’s a man’s job to handle things outside and a woman’s to handle things at home. You need to stay here and take care of your mother, your sister-in-law, and the children. Only then can I leave to rescue your brother with peace of mind."
With her father putting it that way, Lucia Lancaster relented. "I understand, Dad. I’ll take good care of everyone at home."
Theodore Lancaster nodded, then turned and clapped his younger son, Julian Lancaster, firmly on the shoulder.
"Julian, you’re in charge of the company. You’ve seen the intense turmoil and all the absurd things that have happened internally over the past year."
The two of us worked hard to get this chaotic situation under control. We can’t let all that effort go to waste."
In your own words, you can’t hand your brother back a complete mess."
Julian Lancaster’s expression was serious. He couldn’t find any words to refute him.
After careful consideration, he made a solemn decision.
"Dad, don’t worry. What my brother comes back to won’t be a mess. I’ll hand a thriving Rhodes Group back to him. Dad, I’ll listen to you. I’ll stay."
"Good!"
Over the past year, Theodore Lancaster’s opinion of Julian Lancaster had gradually changed. He had been too one-sided before and hadn’t fully understood his younger son.
Now it seemed his younger son was also capable of shouldering responsibility and had taken a great deal of the burden off him.
Just then, Sean Sterling and Caleb Caldwell walked into the study side by side.
Sean Sterling’s relationship with the Lancaster family needs no explanation—Claire Sterling was his paternal aunt.
"Uncle, take me with you. Adrian is my cousin. I can’t just sit back and do nothing."
The Caldwell Family and the Lancaster family were old family friends. The two families were close, and Caleb Caldwell had long considered Adrian Lancaster his own brother.
"One more person means more strength. Uncle Lancaster, I want to go with you too. Adrian always protected me when we were growing up. This time, it’s my turn to help him. I can take care of myself and I definitely won’t cause any trouble for the rescue team."
True friends are revealed in times of hardship.
Theodore Lancaster was deeply moved.
Looking at their determined eyes, he finally nodded in agreement. "Alright. With you two joining, I feel even more confident."
Lucia Lancaster walked up to Caleb Caldwell.
Although the two hadn’t officially started dating, they had the bond of growing up together, and their relationship had never been distant.
"Thank you, Caleb Caldwell. You have to come back safely."
There was reluctance in Caleb Caldwell’s eyes, but this was something he had to do.
He took Lucia’s hand earnestly. "I promise you, I’ll be back."
Lucia Lancaster nodded, her voice gentle. "Okay. I’ll wait for you."
After everything had been said and all arrangements were made, Wren Sutton, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up. "I want to go with the rescue team."
