Chapter 441: 440
Swiss Army Knife, KSG-4 Rope from Italy, a full set of climbing equipnt, and helts, wedges and the like… Ye Tian shook his head, wondering if Yingzi must have mistook him for an old man. It was rely a snowy slope, was there a need to prepare as if for a parachute descent?
Ye Tian put so commonly used items into his backpack, secured the stones, and pressed down the Scripture Banners and Hada between the rocks’ crevices. As he stood up to leave, he picked up a stone, threw it upwards, and paid his respects towards the mani pile, muttering so words about hoping the Gods and Buddhas would bless him, his actions mirroring those of a charlatan.
The glacial surface was vast, with the main peak of the Himalayas positioned on the western side which has steeper faces, residing within Nepal. The 1980s saw a climax in climbing Mount Everest, making the steep southern face a beloved challenge among nurous climbers.
Ye Tian was only slightly aware of these things, initially thinking it was a bit exaggerated. Anyone who had successfully summited or even attempted and failed tends to overly dramatize such events to intimidate those hopeful of succeeding. But now, seeing the glacier in person, Ye Tian felt sowhat shaken by those so-called terrifying rumors.
It was true what they said; it’s genuinely dangerous!
Nearly a hundred ters of glacier dropped vertically, the slippery ice walls nearly reflective enough to see one’s silhouette. Below was an endlessly white expanse which, upon staring too long, could cause dizziness. A slip here ant certain death. That white might not even be snow, possibly ice spikes instead.
Chu Tianying had previously ntioned that the glacier was the weakest link along the national border, with defense forces limited to erratic drone surveillance. Still, despite this, no one dared to risk their lives here. It was definitely a deadly endeavor. Drug trafficking could find safer routes. Besides, in such a deserted place where even passage was difficult, who would think about smuggling drugs?
Ye Tian smirked, wondering when he had beco so timid.
The cliff was bitterly cold with biting winds, and evening approached rapidly. Just monts ago, the thick sunset was visible, and now darkness began to cast over the land. A lone figure stood on the cliff’s edge, appearing desolate yet robust.
Ye Tian chewed gum as he started drilling holes in the cliff. This was a ticulous task; when drilling holes in a glacier, one must carefully scoop out the ice bit by bit. Too much force could likely crack the ice, causing the wedge to slip out due to insufficient grip. But too little force would also easily lead to the wedge falling out – both scenarios were deadly, and absolutely not to be taken lightly. The correct way to drill holes was to ensure they were far enough from the cliff edge and to drill at least five holes in a zigzag pattern. This would provide sufficient grip for the rope and ensure safety. Even if two or three of the five wedges were to fall out, it would still maintain safety. Moreover, the zigzag pattern of the five holes would distribute the force optimally.
Ye Tian’s drilling speed was not comndable; struggling with a small chisel, it took him ages to drill a decent hole, fussing as slow as an old woman in labor. Finally, after making five holes, he cautiously hamred the wedges in, tied the rope with care, and cautiously lowered it down to test the rope’s tensile strength, which was still acceptable. Letting go, he threw his backpack down. A dull thud ca from below, and a cold sweat broke out on Ye Tian’s palms. He suddenly rembered the threat of avalanches. If the vibrations just now had really triggered an avalanche, he thought bitterly, not even drilling five hundred holes would save his life.
After securing the carabiner at his waist, Ye Tian began descending step by step. The soles of his boots were wrapped in linen torn from a black backpack; rubber soles were utterly useless on this kind of ice surface, causing him to stumble with each step.
By controlling his body’s force through his waist and keeping his feet perpendicular to the ice, he slid down step by step. With every bounce, Ye Tian’s heart skipped a beat. “This is literally playing with death!” he thought to himself. After all the battles he had survived without losing a single part, dying here would be ridiculously tragic!
Gradually, as he slid further down, Ye Tian’s heart tightened even more. The slipperiness of the ice, particularly the natural ice accumulated over hundreds or thousands of years, was unimaginably slick, smoother than any lubricant. Despite the linen wraps, Ye Tian could hardly manage the condition where one step slid three tis. Sotis, if he was lucky, he could stabilize montarily on a piece of rough ice; if not, he just kept slipping. Each slip provoked curses under his breath, cursing anyone he could think of until he regained stability and continued downward. Nightfall was setting in, and even the last rays of sunset had disappeared, increasing the oppressive feeling and psychological pressure. Cold winds began howling through the valley. Even his thermal clothing was useless, and it was fortunate that upon leaving Reconnaissance Company, Little Sichuan gave him a fox fur shoulder cape which proved quite effective. However, his hands and feet suffered greatly, with Ye Tian feeling the intense pain of swelling in his fingertips. Each step on the ice lacked sensation, but every bounce brought imdiate and severe pain, causing his hand to shiver. Later, even his hands beca numb, and the pain reflex faded.
Sliding down further, Ye Tian glanced below but could see no end, with the darkness making everything even more indistinct. He reached into his pocket with a free hand and took out two chili peppers, gifts from Little Sichuan ant to ward off the cold.
Chewing on the peppers, Ye Tian started to reassess.
He initially thought the descent would take an hour, at most two hours, but based on his current pace, descending this hundred ters within two hours seed impossible. Moreover, the plumting temperature was too severe. If this continued, he would freeze to death before even reaching the ground or possibly be turned into human jerky by the bleak north wind.
“This is damnably bad luck!”
Standing on an ice bump he spat out on the ice wall, he tried moving his toes and fingers, but the situation was grim. Tissues were freezing and dying, and worst-case scenarios seed increasingly likely to occur.
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