The sudden pull not only dragged Bearded Man underwater, but nearly toppled the people holding the rope as well. Seeing this, Ke Yi decided Bearded Man was as good as dead and secretly stopped pulling, keeping only a loose grip on the rope so he wouldn't get dragged in too.
After the scream, a faint red stain spread across the sea's surface. Hoodie Woman pulled desperately on the rope, but she was no match for the mysterious force beneath the water.
Bearded Man's screams gradually turned into broken cries of pain. Caught between the two opposing forces, his body felt as though it would be torn in half, and the pain nearly made him lose his grip on the rope.
With things having come to this, he could no longer worry about wasting anything. Without hesitation, he pulled an item out of his backpack and hurled it beneath the surface-
A sharp snap rang out, as though something had been knocked away. Then the tension in the rope everyone was holding vanished in an instant.
"Quick! Pull me up!"
Bearded Man struggled to climb up with both hands as he urged everyone on in panic.
Hoodie Woman immediately put all her strength into hauling up the rope. The players beside her pulled as well, some sincerely and others only pretending. Ji Xie glanced at the fine beads of sweat on Li Xian's forehead and stepped forward to help.
The moment Ji Xie lent a hand, the rope rose a considerable distance. A few seconds later, Bearded Man was lifted clear of the water.
Only after being dragged onto the deck did he release his death grip on the hemp rope. By the time he came to his senses, all his strength had drained away, and his hands were trembling too