Chapter 363: Li Lei to the Rescue
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Xiao Ling!”
“Xiao Ling!”
Many people screamed from the intercom.
“Move away from the mountain! Move away from the mountain!” The coach and Li Lei anxiously yelled together.
She quickly grabbed the rope to change direction, but the wind suddenly became stronger. Only then did she realize how frightening the mountainous region was. The paraglider could not be controlled under the disturbance of the turbulent flow. In the blink of an eye, it lost its balance, and she only felt that she was spinning. The front half of the paraglider overturned, and the entire paraglider felt like a spinning top as it started to tumble downwards.
“Stabilize! Stabilize! Use full stall to regain balance!” The coach shouted.
Full stall? When she was receiving training, she heard her coach mention this skill before. As it was achieved by free falling to regain stability, it was very useful but also very dangerous. It was an advanced stunt and not part of the regular training regime. Xia Ling only heard about the theory and steps before but had never actually done it.
However, she had no better idea in front of her. Seeing that she was losing even more control and was nearing the ground, she would be crushed if she did not try a full stall. It was better if she gave it a try.
She took a deep breath and pushed both brakes to the limit at the same time.
At that moment, she heard Li Lei cursing in rage—
“That’s c.r.a.p! Open the parachute! Just open the parachute! This rookie can’t do a full stall at this height! Xiao Ling, open the parachute!”
However, it was already too late. The powerful force during the full stall caused the parachute to buckle forward, causing the ropes to entangle. Not only was she unable to regain control, but the situation also became more chaotic. Her falling speed accelerated, and she felt a strong sense of weightlessness. The wind swiftly swept past Xia Ling’s face, and there were sharp mourning sounds.
In the intercom, Li Lei tensely screamed. “Open the parachute! Open the parachute! The b.u.t.ton is just in front of your chest!”
Xia Ling had a difficult time lifting her hand. She wanted to press that b.u.t.ton, but with the huge centrifugal force, she could not do so. The shadow of death was so close to her that she experienced the same familiar feeling from when she fell down from the stage.
Could it be that this was how she was going to die?
No, she was unwilling to accept this!
She hurriedly tried hard to control the rope, and she did not know how she did it, but she felt that the momentum of the crash suddenly stopped and the folded part of the paraglider was partially restored.
Only then was Xia Ling relieved. She felt a gust of wind blowing, and suddenly, the entire paraglider was out of control again. It was spiraling at an alarming speed, and the vast mountainous area in front of her was getting closer and closer…
Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain. She heard the sound of broken bones.
For a moment, Xia Ling felt as if her soul had left her body, and her mind was blurry. Even the world felt far away from her. She did not know how much time pa.s.sed. It felt as long as a century, but it may have been a few short seconds. She gradually heard the noise from the outside world. Li Lei was anxiously calling her and screaming. “Xiao Ling! Xiao Ling, are you ok? Xiao Ling, say something! Don’t scare me! Xiao Ling!”
She opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but she only started coughing. Her chest cavity was shaking, and her internal organs were severely hurt. She only felt a sweet liquid coming out from her throat, and the back of her hand was covered in blood.
“Xiao Ling! Xiao Ling!” Li Lei’s voice was quivering, and he changed his tone.
“I… Cough, cough, cough…” She coughed a few more times before she managed to say, “I’m… fine…”
“Are you hurt? Why are you coughing so badly?!” After hearing her voice and finding out that she was still alive, Li Lei’s voice was not so shaky anymore, but it was still concerned and pressing.
Xia Ling gasped. “I don’t know… I think it’s an internal injury from the blow. However… it’s not serious…” As long as she did not die after hitting the cliff at such a high alt.i.tude due to the wind, it was not considered serious.
As she answered Li Lei, she looked up to observe her environment.
Luckily, she realized that she was hanging from a peach tree that was growing on the side of the cliff. No wonder she was not dead. However, the paraglider’s parachute rope was entangled in the branches, and she was swaying unstably on the tree and could not see the ground when she looked down. She did not know how long she could last.
“Xiao Ling, hang in there. Don’t move!” Li Lei shouted through the intercom. “Relax yourself and maintain your balance. The rescue helicopter will arrive soon!”
She softly acknowledged him. She glanced down and did not even know how far she was from the ground. She only felt the peach blossom petals gently brush against her body as they drifted down the cliff, twirling in the sky and quickly disappearing.
She moved her arms to hold on to the rope tighter.
A searing pain was felt as she moved.
She drew a cold breath and realized that her left hand was hanging weakly and blood was dripping from her sleeves.
“Xiao Ling?!” Li Lei heard her grimace in pain and was worried.
“My left arm… I think it’s broken.” Xia Ling said.
“Tolerate it! You’ll be fine! The helicopter is almost there! Hold on!” Li Lei’s heart was pounding. He knew how bad her injury was but tried to cover up his fear and anxiety to encourage her.
Xia Ling gritted her teeth and watched as the grey clouds acc.u.mulated in the sky. The sky darkened and the wind became stronger.
The helicopter was approaching her.
“No way!” From the intercom, an unknown male voice was heard. “The cliff is too steep. The helicopter can’t land!”
Xia Ling was disheartened. Did that mean that n.o.body could come to her rescue?
“Is there any other way?!” Li Lei loudly asked through the intercom.
“We can only throw a rope down to let the injured person climb up.”
“Her arm is broken!” Li Lei was enraged. “You have to go down to help her!”
“We’re helpless!” It was still that unknown man’s voice. “Even if her arm isn’t broken, we don’t know if the rope will be thrown at the right place and how much weight the tree can withstand. The wind is also strong. I’m afraid that if the helicopter goes too near, the tree branch will break!”
“I don’t believe that there’s no other way!” This time, it was her coach’s voice. “Save her!”
“There’s no way out! The rain clouds are coming, and the helicopter can’t stay in the air for too long. We need to turn back immediately!” That unknown man’s voice became very cold.
“You can’t be like that!” The coach scolded. Even Lin Yunan’s voice could be heard as he pleaded the helicopter not to give up. However, the rescue helicopter was indifferent. It circled the area two times, turned around, and flew away with a large roar of its engine.
Xia Ling watched the helicopter leave as the wind raged around her. The paraglider was swaying unstably like a small boat in the storm, and the branch looked like it could break at any time and fall into the abyss. Was she really going to die here?
There was dead silence on the other end of the intercom.
Suddenly, Li Lei spoke clearly and calmly. “Give me a set of paragliding equipment.”