Chapter 15 — Mist Peak Rescue Team

"The first slope, right behind the cave entrance, requires lowering a stretcher with a rope," Vu A Tua said, standing at the edge of a steep rock slope about fifteen meters, the wind blowing sideways causing his voice to have to scream to be heard clearly. "You can't walk through this part, it's too slippery, too steep."

Khanh Van nodded, her eyes scanning the terrain to find an anchor point. A large, sturdy block of stone lay about four meters from the edge of the slope — strong enough to bear the weight of both the stretcher and the person accompanying it.

"Kien, you and I will set up a stretcher lowering system with dual pulleys," she said, already starting to remove the rope from the backpack that Uncle Tong had prepared since morning. "Long, you and Tua keep the stretcher steady, don't let it rotate or hit the cliff during lowering."

The whole group coordinated quickly, each person taking the correct position that had been practiced countless times during regular training sessions. Khanh Van tied the rope around the anchor block, tied a double figure-eight knot, tested the strength with a strong tug, and then installed a load-reducing pulley system — a mechanism that allows a person to control the speed of lowering a weight many times greater than their own strength, as long as the operation is done with proper technique.

"Bao Anh, do you hear me?" Khanh Van bent down and looked into the eyes of the woman lying on the stretcher, firmly fixed with safety belts wrapped around her chest, hips and legs. "We will lower you down with a rope. It may feel a little wobbly, but you are completely safe. Just breathe evenly, don't strain."

Bao Anh nodded weakly, her eyes shining with fragile but genuine trust for the strange woman who had become her only hope at this time.

Kien attached a second control rope to the stretcher, acting as a direct chaperone next to Bao Anh during the descent — a task that required him to both balance himself on the steep cliff and constantly adjust the stretcher's position to avoid collisions.

"Ready?" Khanh Van asked, his hand placed on the belay device, ready to control the lowering speed.

"Ready." Kien nodded, one hand firmly holding on to his own rope, the other hand placed on the edge of the stretcher.

"Ha!"

Khanh Van began to drop the rope through the belay device at a slow, controlled pace, never taking her eyes off the stretcher that was slowly lowering along the cliff. Every inch of string that slides through her hand is calculated, felt through the resistance, through the vibration of the string — any unusual change could be a sign of a problem that needs to be addressed immediately.

The wind gusted once, causing the stretcher to sway slightly, and Kien quickly used his hands to push it away from the cliff, avoiding it hitting the protruding rocks. "It's okay!" he shouted over the sound of the wind. "Continue to lower!"

Khanh Van continued to drop the rope steadily, sweat began to form on her forehead even though the surrounding air was cold - intense concentration always requires a physical price that outsiders can hardly imagine. Uncle Tong, although not present here, taught her this principle from the beginning: in high-tech rescue, controlled slowness is always safer than uncontrolled speed, even though on the surface it seems like it is wasting precious time.

After about five tense minutes, the stretcher finally reached flatter ground at the bottom of the slope, and Kien quickly unfastened the rope and re-checked Bao Anh's condition.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"It's okay..." Bao Anh replied, his voice still weak but somewhat steadier than when he first woke up. "Thank you."

Khanh Van relaxed the rope, checked the system one last time before starting to descend himself, using the familiar abseil technique, kicking the cliff with both feet to control the speed. In less than a minute, she stood firmly on the ground with the whole group.

"How many more passages like this?" she asked Tua, untying the strap from her belt.

"At least two more before reaching the main, easier trail." Tua looked up at the sky, where darkness was falling faster because of the thick layer of clouds, accompanied by distant thunder echoing from the horizon - a sign that the storm was getting closer than expected. "But we have to be faster, Van. It's about to get dark, and this storm doesn't sound small."

Khanh Van nodded, looking down at Bao Anh still lying on the stretcher, her breathing had become a little more even thanks to the position and warmth maintained, but there was still a long and dangerous road ahead before they could be considered truly safe.

"Go on," she said, signaling the group to lift the stretcher, continuing their journey down the mountain amid the falling night and the storm roaring somewhere behind them, like an animal chasing prey that had slipped out of reach.

Son walked right behind the stretcher, one hand still not leaving Bao Anh's shoulder even though the road was bumpy, forcing him to constantly adjust his steps to avoid tripping. Nam walked next to him, carrying a light bag, his eyes still glued to Bao Anh with a worry that had not subsided since she woke up.

The second steep section appeared after only about ten minutes of travel, not as high as the first section, but the rock surface was much more slippery because of the thick layer of damp moss. Khanh Van stopped the group and quickly assessed the situation.

"This section is shorter, but slippery," she said. "I'll use the same technique, but this time I'll go with the stretcher. Kien holds the belay."

"Are you sure?" Kien asked, his eyes a bit hesitant — this was the first time that day he proactively asked for her opinion on her own abilities instead of just following orders, a small but noticeable change in the way the two of them interacted.

"Sure." Khanh Van has started attaching the strap to the belt. "You keep the rhythm steady, I'll signal if you need to adjust."

The second defeat went more smoothly than the first, perhaps because the group got used to the necessary coordination rhythm. Khanh Van walked close to the stretcher throughout the lowering process, one hand holding the edge of the stretcher tightly, her eyes never leaving Bao Anh's face to promptly detect any signs of deterioration.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly as she descended.

"Fine... just a little dizzy." Bao Anh replied, his voice was somewhat clearer than before, although still very weak.

"We're almost there. Come on."

When the two landed safely, Khanh Van breathed a sigh of relief, signaled Kien to release the rope from above and begin to follow. The group gathered and quickly checked Bao Anh's condition again before continuing.

“The last section, long but not too steep, leads straight out to the main trail,” Tua said, pointing ahead, where the darkness had swallowed all but the faintest outlines of the terrain. "From there, I will meet Uyen Nhi and the support team."

Khanh Van looked at the clock. The remaining light was too weak to clearly read the number, so she had to turn on a small flashlight to shine on the glass. Twenty minutes past five. They had been on the mountain for more than eight hours since receiving the first news, and the battle was not yet over.

"Go on," she said, her voice somewhat hoarse from fatigue but her will still unwavering. "Don't stop until you meet Uyen Nhi."

The whole group continued to move in almost complete darkness, with only small flashlights from a few headlamps illuminating a narrow circle right in front of each person's eyes. Long and Tua took turns carrying the stretcher, while Kien accompanied them to assist whenever the rough terrain caused the stretcher to wobble. Khanh Van went last, her eyes constantly scanning back to make sure no one was left behind, and at the same time listening for any sounds from the front signaling the arrival of the support team.

The wind whistled through each crack in the rocks with an increasingly fierce sound, and the cold raindrops now began to fall in large beads, soaking through each layer of clothing even though everyone tried to cover Bao Anh as much as possible with a small waterproof tarpaulin stretched above the stretcher. Every step on the ground has now become more slippery, requiring extreme concentration so that no one in the group will slip and fall in this dense darkness.

"Is it far?" Son asked, his voice was hoarse because he had to shout continuously through the wind the whole way.

"Not far," Tua replied, although he wasn't entirely sure in this near-zero visibility condition. "Try your best."

Khanh Van pressed the radio, her voice trying to stay steady amid the howling wind around her. "Uyen Nhi, can you hear me? We are approaching the main trail. Bao Anh's condition is temporarily stable but still needs to be checked carefully as soon as we meet."

"Listen clearly, Ms. Van." Uyen Nhi's voice rang out, somewhat broken due to the weak signal but still clear enough to hear the familiar stability in it. "You and the support team are about five hundred meters away, carrying spare stretchers and oxygen tanks. We'll meet soon."

That sentence, although simple, was enough to give a little more strength to the group, which was gradually exhausted after many hours of struggling with the terrain and harsh weather. They continued walking, each step carrying the hope that the destination, even though it was far away, was getting closer every minute.