Chapter 1020
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Chapter 1020 Bare-handed Climbing
Lin Qiye frowned when he heard these words.
He shook his head without saying anything more.
At the bottom of the cliff, Lu Baoyou resolutely grabbed the protruding rock at the lowest point with bare hands, forcibly dragging his tired body and moving inch by inch along the nearly vertical wall.
The howling wind whimpered in his ears as he gritted his teeth, moving forward slowly but steadily like a tireless machine.
Soon after, a second figure emerged from the snow and stopped at the bottom of the cliff.
Fang Mo, wearing cold-weather gear, stuffed the empty compressed biscuit wrapper back into his pocket and gazed thoughtfully at the towering cliff before him.
He could see a dark figure moving upward at about one-tenth of the way up the cliff.
He’s already made it there…
A hint of conflict flashed in Fang Mo’s eyes.
After pondering for a moment, instead of climbing the cliff directly, he sat down and began to meditate.
Time passed second by second. Only when the sun in the sky had moved directly overhead did Fang Mo slowly open his eyes, determination flashing within them.
He reached out, grabbed the protrusions on the cliff, and began climbing up nimbly and swiftly.
By this time, Lu Baoyou had already climbed half the total height of the cliff, leaving him far behind.
Shortly after Fang Mo began climbing, Su Yuan, Ding Chongfeng, and other stronger recruits also crossed the frozen lake and arrived at the foot of the cliff.
“So high?”
Ding Chongfeng looked up at the nearly vertical towering cliff and couldn’t help saying, “Can we really climb this?”
“…I don’t know either.” Su Yuan’s expression was extremely complex. “In extreme sports, free climbing is already one of the most dangerous activities. I’ve done some free climbing before, but neither the height nor the treacherousness could compare to this cliff…
This is already a plateau with thin air, and with the interference of snow and wind, it would be extremely dangerous even with protective gear, let alone climbing bare-handed.”
“Instructor Lin will probably protect our safety.”
“If that’s the case, the probability of failure would actually be higher.” Su Yuan said calmly. “Free climbing tests not only the climber’s strength and endurance but also willpower.
For free climbing at this height, once you start, there’s no turning back. Even if you’re exhausted and can’t persist halfway through, you can only keep climbing upward because even if you want to rest midair, your muscles are constantly tensed while fighting against the wind and snow.
During the climb, as the climber’s strength gradually reaches its limit, under the dual torture of fear and exhaustion, people will uncontrollably develop thoughts of giving up.
In real free climbing, when facing life and death situations, people tend to unleash their potential, forcing themselves to complete the final stretch. But if given an escape route at this point, many people might surrender before even reaching their limits.”
“A test of willpower then…” Ding Chongfeng looked up at the towering cliff and sighed, “Well, let’s go up, we’ll have to face it sooner or later.”
“No.”
“Hm?”
“We need to rest.” Su Yuan said seriously. “I said that once free climbing begins, there’s no turning back and no time to rest midway, so before we start, we must adjust ourselves to the best condition possible.
This challenge tests not only physical strength, endurance, and willpower but also calmness in extreme situations.
In free climbing, the most taboo things are impetuousness and arrogance, which can cost lives.”
Ding Chongfeng nodded thoughtfully, “I understand, sharpening the axe won’t delay the woodcutting. We’ll rest until afternoon before starting the climb.”
After speaking, Ding Chongfeng looked up again at the two figures slowly climbing the cliff, concern appearing in his eyes.
…
Large beads of sweat rolled down Lu Baoyou’s cheeks, quickly turning to frost and falling through the air.
He gritted his teeth, his eyes fixed firmly on the barely visible top of the cliff, laboriously moving his hands and feet.
His body was trembling uncontrollably, and his sensation in his hands and feet had become almost numb. He had crossed the snow plain and frozen lake without rest, then climbed nearly four-fifths of the cliff in one go, pushing his body to its absolute limit.
He knew he was about to fail.
But he couldn’t accept it.
He had already climbed almost to the top of the cliff, just a little bit more to go. To make him give up now was impossible!
What if he had reached his limit? What if his consciousness was becoming fuzzy?
He refused to accept it!
Climb! Forget everything else, just climb up!
He absolutely could not lose here.
Lu Baoyou relied on his terrifying willpower to move his nearly senseless limbs, like an unkillable cockroach, crawling upward bit by bit through the wind and snow…
But no matter how strong his willpower was, the human body always has its limits.
Rip!
Just as Lu Baoyou’s right foot stepped on a protrusion, it completely gave way, and his entire body suddenly slipped from the cliff, helplessly falling through the cloud layer toward the ground below.
Those recruits who had just started climbing or were preparing to climb all exclaimed simultaneously as they saw Lu Baoyou, who was about to reach the top, falling from the sky.
In the middle of the cliff, Fang Mo’s eyes slightly contracted at this sight.
Without any hesitation, his body swiftly moved sideways along the cliff to the center of Lu Baoyou’s falling trajectory. His right hand formed a claw and forcefully dug into the hard cliff surface, gripping tightly.
Then he reached out his left hand and grabbed Lu Baoyou’s wrist.
The terrible kinetic energy tore at Fang Mo’s body. He let out a painful grunt but didn’t let go, blood seeping from his fingertips where they dug into the cliff, already injured.
“What are you doing?” Lu Baoyou hung in the air, swaying in the fierce wind, and spoke coldly, “Let me go.”
“You’ve climbed so high with such effort, if you fall you’ll have to start over from the beginning.” Fang Mo frowned.
“Then I’ll start over from the beginning.” Lu Baoyou looked at the top of the cliff, complexity flashing in his eyes. “I was arrogant this time, I should pay the price.”
“But…”
“You don’t think that after I fall, I won’t be able to climb back up again, do you?” Lu Baoyou sneered, “Fang Mo, do you really think I’m useless? Do you think I can’t accept defeat?
If I made a mistake then I made a mistake. I don’t need your charity to reduce the price I should pay.
Even if I fall and have to return to the starting line, I’ll come back and surpass everyone…
Including you.”
After speaking, Lu Baoyou suddenly broke free from the grip, his figure quickly falling into the cloud layer below the cliff.
