While Salem was risking his life alone, the others did not just watch him like he was a monkey.
Using this time, everyone assembled a few more sets of scaffolding to form another ladder.
The difference was that the two long aluminum alloy poles of the new H-shaped ladder were wrapped in white cloth. This was not a ladder, but a very long stretcher.
Salem began to climb back. His physical strength had been consumed on the way there, and he could only rely on his willpower to hold on.
When he reached the center, the long pole was affected by his weight and movements, and it began to swing again.
Suddenly, the quicksand flowed again.
The off-road vehicle that was stuck in the quicksand suddenly fell down.
The aluminum alloy bracket with a circular cross-section was slippery, and the other end was on the roof rack. When the off-road vehicle moved, the bracket also slid.
Salem was caught off guard, and his body shook violently with the long pole. His palms were full of sweat, and he had used up a lot of strength. He could no longer hold the long pole, and his hand slipped, and his body fell from the air.
At a height of less than two meters, even if it was not sand below but a cement road, as long as one did not hit the ground head first, he would not fall too badly. If it was sand, it would be even better. However, what was below Salem was not ordinary sand, but dangerous quicksand.
In the midst of everyone's exclamations, Salem's heart went cold. There was only the endless night sky in his field of vision, and his body fell in free fall.
The stars in the night sky seemed to form Sihwa's face, smiling at him.
He reached out to her face, but he could never touch it.
It's a pity that I haven't seen her yet …
Salem thought he was going to die. He had escaped from the offshore current, but he was still swallowed by the quicksand.
His back hit the ground first, but it was not the touch of sand that came from his back. It was like falling on a trampoline. There was a strong elasticity in his back.
"Hey! Use your strength! "
Zhang Zian and a few strong people were divided into two groups. Each group carried a long pole of the bracket. Their faces were red, and the muscles in their arms bulged as they used all their strength to hold on.
The extended bracket was bent like a crescent moon by Salem's weight and impact, but it still caught him.
"Pull back! Pull back! "
Seeing that Salem was safe, they carried the scaffold and retreated until Salem was in a safe area. Only then did they put the scaffold on the sand.
Salem, who was still in shock, was pulled up by others. Before he could thank them, he heard Peter shout, "Pull!"
The other jeep started up, its tow rope stretched taut as it tried to pull the trapped jeep out of the sand.
If they were on flat ground and the tires had enough grip, there might be hope. However, in the soft sand, the off-road vehicle would only be able to exert 30% to 40% of its full strength, perhaps even less. The tires spun madly, flinging out a large amount of sand. The off-road vehicle that was being dragged along moved, sinking even deeper into the sand.
If this continued, even the trailer might be dragged into the quicksand.
"Let's go!"
At Peter Lee's command, all the people who were free, including Salem and Weikang, who had just escaped death, lined up like a tug-of-war along the lead rope. They held the rope with both hands, their feet sinking deep into the sand, and their buttocks falling back. They used all their strength to help pull the rope back. Some people carried the rope on their shoulders, facing back, and pulled like trackers.
The two women, the female detective and He He, also came over to help. There was no space on either side of the rope. They pushed the jeep from the side and back, contributing their strength.
Even Famous bit the rope and tried its best to help.
"One, two, three!"
Everyone shouted and exerted their strength in unison. The rope made their palms and shoulders red.
The jeep stuck in the sand moved again. It was being dragged back bit by bit, overcoming its own weight and the suction of the quicksand.
Everyone retreated step by step. Every step meant that they were closer to victory.
The entire body of the jeep was exposed, but they couldn't relax at this time. Otherwise, it would definitely sink again.
Everyone gritted their teeth and tried their best.
The force from the rope suddenly loosened, and everyone used too much force. They fell down like bowling pins, forming a human pyramid.
The trapped jeep was finally dragged to a relatively solid safety zone.
Everyone was sweating profusely, lying on the ground, panting. Their throats were so dry that they couldn't even speak. Their bodies and faces were covered in sand.
Although they were tired, their hearts were full of a sense of accomplishment.
Together, they had completed an incredible feat. They had united to overcome the power of nature. The distance between everyone — whether in a physical sense or a spiritual sense — had never been so close.
They were truly like a team.
Someone had rested enough. He struggled to stand up and open the door of Wei Kang's car.
The sand inside the car flowed out.
They tried to start the engine. The sound of the engine was a little off, and it couldn't start smoothly.
Everyone decided to wait until tomorrow to try again. It would be best if it could be repaired. If it really didn't work, they could only transfer the materials and instruments in the car to other cars.
As for the jeep that had attracted them here, they now knew that the car was also trapped by quicksand. However, it was too dangerous in the dark, and after so long, there was no movement in the car. Even if there were survivors, they were afraid that they had already left the car. There was no need to worry.
In addition, everyone adjusted the direction of the front of the car and used the high beams to focus on the car. Through binoculars, they found that it was a heavily modified Toyota jeep. The year of production could not be seen, but it seemed to have been stuck in the sand for a long time. The possibility of survivors was very low.
Peter Lee ordered that for safety's sake, all vehicles retreat 50 meters to camp. Even Wei Kang's car, which could not start, was dragged back 50 meters.
Usually, by this time, everyone would have already finished dinner and started resting. However, they had been delayed until now.
Wei Kang sighed again and again, deeply regretting his rashness.
Zhang Zian and the students comforted him. It was difficult to say that it was his fault. It was normal for people to react slower with age. Besides, Wei Kang's eyesight was not very good, and he was wearing glasses.
Everyone's excitement had not passed. They first set up their tents, then buried the pot to cook while talking about the thrilling scene that had just happened.
Zhang Zian was the same. He was both excited and fearful.
Quicksand was impossible to guard against. Fortunately, only one car had been trapped, and at least the materials had been saved. This was a blessing in disguise.
They had not even reached the legendary Devil's Sea, and they were already in danger. Was that area really as terrible as Nabari had described?
There was also the modified jeep stuck in the sand. Who drove it into the desert? Where did its owner go?
Everything was unknown. They could only wait until tomorrow to investigate.
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