1253 Fighting in Unison (1/2)

While Salem was alone and in danger, no one looked at him.

During this time, everyone assembled several sets of brackets to form another pair of ladders. The difference now was that the two long aluminum alloy poles that formed the H-type ladder were covered with white cloth. This was no longer a ladder. It was an extra-long stretcher.

Salem began to climb back, as he had expended a lot of energy during the journey. The way back was achievable only through sheer willpower.

When he climbed to the center, the long ladder started swaying under the influence of his weight and movement.

Suddenly, there was another torrent of activity. The off-road vehicle trapped in the quicksand suddenly fell.

The aluminum alloy bracket with a circular cross-section was slippery at the other end, and it was placed on the roof rack. When the off-road vehicle moved, the bracket also slid.

Salem was caught off guard, and his body swayed along with the long pole. His hands were full of sweat, and he could not catch the long pole. His hand slipped, and he fell.

Any fall less than two meters in height would cause minimal damage, even if it was not sand but a cement road. The key was that he did not land on his hand first. However, what lay below Salem was not ordinary sand—it was sinister quicksand.

Everyone exclaimed out loud over what they saw. Salem could only see the endless night sky above him as his body entered free fall.

The stars in the night sky seemed to form Sihwa's face. She was smiling at him. He reached out to grab her face but could never touch it.

”It's a pity that I haven't seen her yet…”

Salem thought that he would die. Despite escaping the seas the previous time, he was now destined to be swallowed by quicksand.

His back touched the ground first. However, the sensation of the ground did not feel like sand. It was more like bouncing on a trampoline. He felt a strong recoil as he landed.

”Hey! Use some strength!”

Zhang Zian and several others were divided into two groups. Each group carried a long pole. Using all the muscles in their arms, they raised the poles high and held them steady in place.

The extended support ladder, despite being severely bent by Salem's body weight, was nevertheless strong enough to catch and hold him.

”Pull back! Pull back!”

They saw that was Salem was safe and lifted the poles while walking backwards. They continued doing so until they had brought him to safe land. It was only then that they lowered the poles.

The unsettled Salem was saved by the others and wanted to thank them. However, Peter Lee interrupted and shouted, ”Pull!”

Another off-road vehicle started its engine, and the traction rope was stretched taut. They were trying to pull the trapped off-road vehicle out of the sand.

If it was on solid ground, the tires might have enough grip. However, in soft sand, the power generated from the off-road vehicle was reduced to only about 30% to 40%, possibly even less. A lot of sand was thrown into the air. The off-road vehicle that was stuck moved a little. Alas, it only sank in deeper.

If this continued, even the new vehicle might be dragged into the quicksand.

”Everyone, pull together!”

Peter Lee ordered that all the idle people, including Salem and Wei Kang, who had just escaped tragedy, line up along the leash and engage in a tug-of-war. They held the rope with both hands and dug their feet in the sand. Their buttocks fell backwards, giving them extra strength to help pull. Some people put the rope on their shoulders and faced backwards, much like pulling a tracker.