BXBX NOVEL Chapter 112 - 109: The Gap Between People
“Don’t struggle, because the more you struggle, the faster you sink.”
Bi Fang kindly reminded the panicked individuals.
Paralyzed in the quicksand, Du Chuan didn’t dare to move; looking at Bi Fang’s well-intentioned face, he felt a chill.
He wanted to curse out loud, but feared that the rising and falling of his chest would hasten his sinking. The suppressed anger made Du Chuan’s face turn bright red.
Du Chuan couldn’t understand how Bi Fang dared to do such a thing during a live stream.
Wasn’t he afraid of dying?
Many discerning viewers also began to worry. Even if wet quicksand wasn’t lethal, if word got out, it would surely strike a blow to Bi Fang’s reputation.
Although their fans were aware of what happened, the masses didn’t care about the truth; they only believed what they wanted to see.
Bi Fang knew this, but he didn’t care.
For him, the greater loss would be letting such clout-chasing antics occur rather than losing some favor with the general public.
They had to be nipped in the bud!
The previous sunburn and water intoxication had been their own doing; now, it was Bi Fang’s real counterattack!
In the future, those who sought to leech off his popularity would definitely think twice because of this incident—they wouldn’t dare to bet whether Bi Fang would lend a hand should they find themselves in peril.
However, Bi Fang had no intentions of killing anyone. The danger of wet quicksand was actually not very high. It was more about psychological intimidation.
Dutch scientists had conducted several experiments and found that while one would sink to an extent in wet quicksand, it wouldn’t result in complete submersion.
Most deaths were caused by other factors, such as being at the seaside where, failing to be rescued in time, one would drown when the tide came in…
The real danger lay in dry quicksand.
Being trapped in a silo full of grain, that was the truly fatal risk.
Even now, Bi Fang was not sure he could escape on his own.
So, he dared to lead these people here, confident that it wouldn’t result in any fatalities.
As a public figure, Bi Fang was aware that his actions were scrutinized and magnified.
While punishing the offenders, he still had to avoid casting a negative shadow; that was his true consideration.
In the desert, one doesn’t just stumble upon a patch of sand that’s a vastly different color for no reason. The only possibility for such a scenario is the presence of wet quicksand.
Because the sand is soaked with liquid, the air bubbles in its internal structure are displaced by water. When light travels through air and water to hit the sand’s surface, its path changes, creating total internal reflection.
The light trapped by the water can’t escape, hence the color looks darker.
By the same logic, there must be an underground river beneath this patch of quicksand. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be possible for so much water vapor to seep through.
Too bad it’s unusable. He couldn’t dig a well in the midst of quicksand.
Bi Fang sighed, but he did everything he was supposed to on the surface. In order to avoid criticism, he had to personally demonstrate how to survive when deeply submerged in quicksand.
“Everyone thinks quicksand is frightening simply because it’s been demonized by movies and TV shows. In fact, if they didn’t jump out of the car, they’d be safe. They just need to stay inside the car and wait for rescue.”
Bi Fang jumped into the quicksand and, gasping for breath, he shuffled slightly to sink faster.
“A car with its doors closed has a lower density than the human body. As long as they stay inside and open a window, they’re not in any danger.”
Shuiyou watching saw the jeep Bi Fang was pointing at. It was only partially sunk with its hood still visible, stuck in the quicksand without sinking any further.
So all the panic from those people earlier was for nothing?
Du Chuan and the others subconsciously clenched their fists, feeling embarrassed.
Although they couldn’t see the comments, they could imagine how the viewers would mock them; it felt as if they were being stripped and tortured in front of everyone.
It was more unbearable than being sunburned into stupidity.
What?
They were already foolish?
Then never mind.
[Advanced Mockery, this is definitely Advanced Mockery! ]
[At the end of the day, they have no real skill. Dare to come to the desert for clout, isn’t that just courting death?]
[The contrast is clear. Initially, there wasn’t much of a highlight in this livestream, but as soon as these people showed up, they handed Master Fang another hot search!]
[Why is no one concerned about Master Fang jumping into the quicksand…] [You newbies don’t understand. The ones above clearly haven’t seen Old Fang self-buried in a blizzard. We old fans are used to this. You newcomers need to adapt!]
[Now I just feel that Old Fang is showing off, I don’t sense any danger at all.] [Majestic arrogance for thirty thousand miles! One show dazzles the nineteen provinces!]
[Glasses Man: Thank you, I’ve been packed in.]
[Those of you over there, watch closely and learn well! Master Fang is doing this for you, repaying evil with kindness. I’m moved to tears, uuu.]
As the audience sent a barrage of messages, Bi Fang, trapped in quicksand, felt his lower body heavy as iron, sinking desperately and tightly gripped by the quicksand.
The pressure in the quicksand was much greater than in water. When it rose to his chest, Bi Fang found it hard to breathe, each inhalation and exhalation requiring much effort.
The immense pressure squeezed his lungs, trying to force all the air out.
Even so, Bi Fang waited until the quicksand had covered half his chest, leaving only his shoulders exposed—while the audience watched in horror—before he began demonstrating how to survive.
“I said it before, when you fall into quicksand, never panic and struggle. That will only make your situation more dangerous,” he explained.
Bi Fang took a deep breath, but even the slightest movement seemed to cause him to sink deeper.
This depth was already extremely dangerous. His body was almost entirely submerged, and even the smallest movement could cause changes in the surrounding environment, making it very difficult to exert any force.
“Heartbeats, breathing—the slightest tremors actually change the structure of the quicksand around us, causing us to sink deeper. It’s like triggering an avalanche just because a leading icicle fell, which then leads to a natural disaster.”
“This is also why I hoped they would stay in the car and not come out, because a car is inanimate; it doesn’t move.”
Du Chuan and the others felt their hearts stabbed once more, each stab deadly. Is shrimp gentler than a pig’s heart?
It’s so terrifying.
I don’t even want to live broadcast anymore.
Amid Pan Wei’s sobbing, Bi Fang handled the situation with ease.
“The first step to surviving quicksand is to shed everything you’re carrying.”
Bi Fang took off his backpack and dropped it onto the sandy ground, a step that required no explanation and was easily understood.
“If possible, you should also remove your shoes. They create a lot of resistance when you try to pull your feet out, especially those kinds of boots with flat, hard soles. But I’m sunk too deep; in this situation, it’s best not to force it.” “Next, you need to increase the surface area in contact with the quicksand. Just like I’m doing, you slowly shift your body. Remember, you must move slowly— don’t hurry, because hurrying won’t help with such a big problem.”
The audience was really paying attention, but they almost laughed out loud at his last sentence.
[666, such a big problem, and the host has got it under control.]
[Give up struggling.]
[The one opposite seems to be learning seriously. It looks like they were paying attention.]
[Can they afford not to be serious? Not listening is a death sentence]
[Little Sunflower Father Fang’s class is now in session!]
[Planting a big tree for the host, sending a rocket*l—go for it! All the best!] “Has anyone learned to swim backstroke? The process is similar to that, but the speed needs to be many times slower to avoid intense environmental changes.” “Quicksand’s reactions to external forces are unpredictable, which means every movement you make must be slowed down so you can catch any harmful changes in the quicksand.”
As Bi Fang leaned back slowly, the audience could clearly see his back sinking, but soon the large part of his chest emerged.
“Whew, it’s much easier to breathe now, not as difficult as before.” Bi Fang gasped a few breaths and continued to explain, “Lying back increases the surface area under pressure, distributing the upper body’s pressure over the quicksand, reducing the pressure on your feet so they slowly come to the surface. During this process, there may be brief sinking, but don’t be afraid. It’s necessary.”
Bi Fang looked down, watching his belly slowly rise as he gently began to rock from side to side.
“Once you feel your feet loosening, you should immediately roll onto your side and free them. This may dirty your clothes, but it is the quickest and safest way to escape.”
The quicksand had now turned thick and sticky, like mud, with Bi Fang’s face smeared with quite a bit of it.
That’s another characteristic of quicksand.
As soon as the surface of the sand is disturbed by movement, it rapidly “liquefies.” The surface sand becomes loose, and the shallower layers start to run down quickly; they become thicker and thicker as more moisture seeps in. When Bi Fang’s legs had fully emerged from the mud-like quicksand, he started to use a swimming-like motion, inching and struggling to the edge of the quicksand.
Quickly resting his head on the dry sand, Bi Fang gritted his teeth and propped his upper body onto the ground.
This process was extremely draining, and after having “swum” in such resistant quicksand, he was already beginning to tire.
His arm muscles were slightly sore, but Bi Fang didn’t rest. Taking a break would let the energy dissipate, and it would take more energy to get going again.
He clenched his teeth and with a roll, he finally got ashore!
Du Chuan and the others were stunned.
Could the gap between people be this wide?
Covered in mud and after rolling in dry sand, Bi Fang took deep breaths, then sat up, turning to give a thumbs-up to the drone.
He had succeeded!