LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 426: 424 The Gecko Crawls on the Wall
Chapter 426: Chapter 424 The Gecko Crawls on the Wall
Bi Fang climbed steadily upward, terrifyingly stable as if he were not a human, but truly a mountain-climbing machine.
Apart from the sound of the wind, the live stream room was filled only with his deep and rapid breathing.
The audience trembled, their mouths agape, their lungs involuntarily expanding with each breath, again and again.
Gazing at the nearly vertical Mount Everest on screen, Rob was covered in cold sweat; all his strength and courage drained away with it. He couldn’t stand, couldn’t move; the only thing active was his brain.
If possible, he truly wished he could fly to Mount Everest right now, pry open Bi Fang’s skull, and see if the emotion “fear” even existed within, or if he remained within the biological category of “humans.”
Fear? Bi Fang didn’t know, maybe he did, maybe he didn’t.
At that moment, he had completely entered “the zone,” with his mind focused solely on climbing, free of any other thoughts, even though at such a height, with oxygen so scarce, it was impossible to keep his brain highly active.
So he shut down all other functions that hindered thought, discarded emotions, distractions, and troubles, leaving only consideration for the next point of contact.
The future and the past were cast aside, leaving only the present.
Now, there was a glimmer of hope for survival.
The only problem was, Bi Fang wasn’t a true machine.
At an altitude of 8398.37 meters, Bi Fang stopped on a jutting ice ledge that could hold two people standing. With a foothold, he could finally slow his momentum and rest for a while.
He breathed deeply, settling his oxygen-deprived state after the intense exertion. The thin, chilly air poured into his lungs through his mouth, cold as shards of broken knives, slicing through his windpipe and alveoli inch by inch.
The earlier sprint had left Bi Fang somewhat dizzy, which could affect his judgment. For this reason, he had to stop and rest. Without a supply of oxygen, he had to conserve energy. After a few deep breaths, the discomfort finally subsided.
He had started the ascent at 8,000 meters around 5:30, and now the time had reached 7:00.
He had also stopped for a while at 8,200 meters, resting for a quarter of an hour. So far, everything was going smoothly, with the expectation of reaching the summit by noon, leaving plenty of time to retreat.
With this in mind, Bi Fang took a water pouch from his pocket and sipped it slowly, the warm water quickly soothing his throat. Then he took out an Energy Bar from his pocket and devoured five big ones in succession.
At this moment, the King Fish’s Stomach finally proved its worth. The food followed the path down his throat to his stomach, rapidly colliding with the gastric acid. The stomach churned, breaking down the food, continuously digesting it, and swiftly replenishing energy for Bi Fang’s body, alleviating fatigue.
Puba in the live stream room also figured out Bi Fang’s plan, and it had to be said, it was hard to imagine a climber so young having such a precise and cautious plan.
Bear in mind, just a few dozen meters ahead was “the Balcony”!
A bare plateau at an altitude of 8,400 meters, a landmark surface which many climbers call “the Balcony.”
The large protruding rock allowed climbers to briefly stop and rest, but Bi Fang decisively stopped after climbing another 200 meters, not lured by the so-called achievement of reaching a “landmark.”
This was like when playing a game, and the boss was about to die, but its attacks were coming as well. Just one more strike would finish the boss, but Bi Fang chose not to make that strike, promptly retreating to find another opening for attack.
[Stopping every 200 meters for a rest, fifteen minutes each time, to avoid muscle relaxation while fully resting – a very precise plan. What’s more admirable is that less than a hundred meters ahead is “the Balcony,” but he still controlled the desire to reach the goal and forced himself to stop and rest, which is remarkable.]
[A thousand words converge into two, awesome.]
[Isn’t it WTF?]
[WTF awesome.]
[Only four hundred meters left, an excited heart, trembling hands.]
[Adventurer, Joe William, 48 years old…]
[To the person ahead, something’s off with you.]
“Animals that roam the mountains all year round must have good meat quality.”
Shortly, a quarter of an hour passed, and Bi Fang didn’t indulge in the feeling of relaxation. After getting up and moving around, he continued forward.
The sun had already risen, and the temperature had risen slightly, but Bi Fang estimated that the current temperature was still below minus thirty degrees Celsius, perhaps it could rise to around minus twenty-five degrees by one o’clock in the afternoon.
The advantage of the equipment finally manifested at this moment, even though Bi Fang appeared to be wearing “thin” clothes, he only felt a slight chill, which disappeared after a brief movement.
The shoes on his feet were the same; they wouldn’t let water seep in or cause toes to stiffen from the cold.
Looking around, he could no longer see the long, magnificent mountain ranges, only a few peaks showing their tips.
The surrounding area was all flowing pale golden clouds, which would turn white once the sun rose higher.
At this moment, Bi Fang’s heart was as vast and silent as if he was living in a dreamland.
No people, no cities, no trivial matters of life, only the sky and clouds, and the high mountains that stretch between heaven and earth.
Fortunately, solitude wasn’t a bad thing; at least Bi Fang didn’t have to worry about being “stuck in traffic” due to a crowd.
The climb continued, and Puba kept explaining various matters to increase the audience’s engagement.
“Before we make a final push, we often empty our bowels in advance, especially for women, it’s a good idea to use the toilet once more before departure, because untying the safety harness and down pants is really inconvenient.”
“At this altitude, another important thing is to avoid falling asleep during the ascent. I once experienced such exhaustion that I nearly walked in my sleep, which is extremely dangerous. At very high altitudes, drowsiness occurs, and usually, the sleep in the previous two or three days is also insufficient. People often fall asleep while climbing and tumble down cliffs; if there’s no safety rope, death is almost certain.”
Viewer: “…”
That’s a bit outrageous.
“My personal experience is to keep a few throat lozenges or pickled plums in your mouth, or listen to music; continuous thinking is required, having a dialogue with your own soul.”
Bi Fang did not understand Puba’s commentary, as he was fully occupied with combating the rock face in front of him.
Bi Fang found a nearly vertical rock face on the path he had chosen. It wasn’t tall, only about ten meters or so, but it genuinely lay across his route.
Seeing this, Bi Fang wanted to detour, but though the rock face was not high, it was incredibly wide. The distance to bypass it was somewhat long, over a hundred meters, and there were at least several seventy-degree steep slopes along the way.
He measured in his mind and realized that climbing over would consume less energy.
With no choice, Bi Fang braced himself for the challenge. He packed away his ice axe, tightened his gloves, and prepared to rock climb with bare hands.
Such terrain was not uncommon, but it was usually climbed by a team working together with safety ropes for guaranteed protection, which is completely different from solo climbing.
“Generally speaking, rock walls that are too steep won’t be covered with ice and snow, because gravity and friction make it impossible for ice and snow to hold firmly, plus high winds mean that even above the snowline, there are many exposed rocks.”
“Though the ice axe is tough and sharp, it can only be used on ice faces. Rock faces are too hard, which increases the risk of damaging the ice axe. Generally, ice axes come in T and B types, with B being sharper and T tougher. But even with the T type, the strength of the pick is great, it can’t be used solely on rock faces, so you have to climb rocks when encountering the terrain like this.”
High-altitude mountaineering seeks to be lightweight; spare equipment is not carried in excess, just like this time, Bi Fang only brought three ice axes. If one were damaged, the journey ahead would become very difficult.
Inside the live streaming room, Puba explained conscientiously.
Bi Fang’s palm grabbed a protruding rock, and his body hugged the wall, inching along like a gecko, rapidly ascending by stepping on the stones beneath his feet.
The double-layered gloves maximized the prevention of slipping, and the ice claws on the soles of his feet were firmly wedged into the rock fissures; with at least three points of contact, he moved up steadily.
But accidents always seemed to catch people off guard.
When he reached a third of the way up the rock face, Bi Fang secured his body, freed his right hand, but found that within the entire circumference of his arm, there wasn’t a single protruding rock.