Encounter
After lunch, the group members lined up again in order to prepare for departure.
"Everyone, check the soles of your shoes. If there are any loose stones stuck in them, remove them immediately, otherwise you'll easily slip," said Lao Zhou, the team leader, while checking everyone's hiking boots.
"Alright, let's get ready to go. The journey this afternoon will be even more difficult, so let's all work together to conquer the snow mountain!" Old Zhou returned to the front of the group and continued to encourage everyone.
As the altitude continued to rise, altitude sickness caused Liang An and some other members of the group to suffer from splitting headaches. Ling Xiao slowed down and walked with them at the back, telling them strange and wonderful stories about the local herders to distract them.
His clear voice echoed in his ears from time to time, and Liang An felt a long-lost sense of peace. The lack of oxygen seemed to become easier to bear, his headache gradually subsided, and his steps were no longer heavy. Finally, he arrived at the advance camp at an altitude of 3,800 meters in the evening.
The group members quickly set up their tents in the cold wind, ate a simple meal, and then crawled into their sleeping bags early to ward off the biting cold.
Conditions at the advance camp were limited; only two people could squeeze into a tent. Liang An lay alone in his sleeping bag, while Ling Xiao and Lao Zhou were still on patrol. They wouldn't return to their tents to rest until they confirmed that all the team members were safe.
This time, Liang An and Ling Xiao tacitly chose to sleep in the same tent again. They did not discuss it in advance, as if it were all a matter of course.
With a rustling sound, the cold wind rushed in as the tent was opened and closed, only to be quickly driven back outside.
Ling Xiao's tall stature made the tent seem even smaller. He quickly rubbed his frozen face, took off his down jacket, and crawled into his sleeping bag.
As soon as she lay down, she turned her head and met Liang An's warm eyes, which held a gentle smile.
"Can't you sleep?" Ling Xiao asked softly.
"The wind outside the window sounds like the howl of a wild beast; I wonder if there are wolves?"
"Haha, this is a fixed route, filled with human presence, so wild animals generally won't come near it."
Ling Xiao looked at Liang An's sincere face with pleasure. He thought that perhaps it was because they had hit it off at first sight. He couldn't help but think about him and want to be good to him.
"You've had a long day, get some rest. We need to set off even earlier tomorrow and allow enough time to get to the next outpost."
"Okay, goodnight!" Liang An quickly closed his eyes, relaxed his body, felt the fatigue creeping in, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
"Good night!" Ling Xiao said silently, stretching out his long arm to turn off the light.
In the darkness, two slender figures huddled together through their sleeping bags. Liang An lay on his side, slightly arched, his back pressed against Ling Xiao's chest and abdomen through several layers of fabric, his head resting against Ling Xiao's chin, as if he were being embraced from behind by Ling Xiao. With each breath, they moved in unison, dispelling the loneliness of the cold night.
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At five o'clock in the morning, the group members were woken up by Lao Zhou's whistle. They got up one after another, quickly got ready and washed up, ate a simple breakfast, and then gathered together.
Team leader Lao Zhou and several mountaineering instructors guided the group members in putting on their professional equipment.
The instructors took turns checking the crampons, ice axes, and safety harnesses on the team members, repeatedly confirming that they were wearing them safely.
"Make sure your crampons are firmly secured, your ice axe is gripped correctly, you use your core strength effectively, and you must remain calm and steady in the face of danger." Team leader Lao Zhou patiently instructed them through a megaphone.
Shortly after setting off, we arrived at an 800-meter-long ice slope with a gradient of nearly 45 degrees.
Old Zhou led the team at the front, using his ice axe to carve out footholds on the ice. The team members, in groups of five, were connected by ropes and moved forward one by one along the footholds.
Liang An followed Ling Xiao in the last squad, feeling the crisp sound of crampons stepping on the ice and the ice shards splashing up when ice axes chiseled into the ice.
The thin air made progress even more difficult. The group members moved in small steps, as if small flames were burning in their chests, and the ice slope seemed to stretch endlessly ahead.
Time flew by, and finally, around noon, the group members reached a relatively flat area.
Then snowflakes began to fall from the sky, quickly turning into a heavy snowfall, and visibility decreased more and more.
Old Zhou led the team to a huge ice rock, where everyone huddled together to temporarily avoid the wind and snow.
Liang An and Ling Xiao stood facing each other, took off their gloves, and rubbed their frozen hands together. Ling Xiao warmed Liang An's hands by rubbing them together and then put them in his own coat pocket to keep them warm with his body heat.
He then wrapped Liang An's head tightly, leaving only his eyebrows and eyes exposed, and then held Liang An's head against his chest to protect him from the wind and snow.
Liang An nestled against Ling Xiao's chest, the howling wind in his ears and the warm embrace before him a feeling he hadn't experienced since his parents' passing.
Suddenly, a commotion arose from the edge of the ice stone, attracting everyone's attention.
"There's a big icy rock on the gentle slope ahead. Let's go over there and take shelter from the snowstorm." As the voice rang out, five figures walked closer and closer amidst the swirling snow.
"Boss, there are other teams too, and quite a few of them!"
As the five people approached each other, the wind and snow intensified, and they stopped making a sound, huddling together with the other members to shield themselves from the wind and snow.
Finally, the snowstorm subsided and visibility returned to normal. Old Zhou immediately reorganized the team and led everyone to continue forward.
Snow fell on the ice, making the road even more slippery. The group members held tightly to the safety ropes and moved forward slowly with small steps.
The unfamiliar five-person team did not go alone; they followed behind Ling Xiao's team as if they were new members.
"Wen Zhi, can you overtake them faster? This pace is too slow."
"Who am I doing this for? You're so bad at this and love to play, you tricked me into skipping class to go hiking, and I almost had to carry you up the mountain."
Wen Zhi, what is he doing here?
Liang An slipped and lost his balance instantly. Ling Xiao quickly tightened the rope, used one hand to lift him up, and helped him regain his footing. The other members of the team felt the rope tighten and stopped in time, turning back with concern.
"What's wrong? Are you alright?"
"It's alright, you just slipped. That's how it is on snowy mountains, accidents can happen at any time. Everyone, stay focused and calm down." Ling Xiao raised his hand to signal the team to stop. He half-embraced Liang An, gently patting his back, waiting for him to calm down.
"I'm fine, let's keep going," Liang An said softly.
Seeing that he had returned to normal and that the other teams ahead were still moving normally, Ling Xiao said, "Hold on tight to the safety rope and keep going. Everyone pay attention to the pace of the other team members, form a fixed rhythm, cooperate with each other, and be careful."
"Boss, it looks like someone slipped and fell up ahead."
Upon hearing this, Wen Zhi looked up and saw a tall, upright figure surrounding a slightly shorter figure. They were both covered up, making it impossible to see their faces clearly; only their blurry figures were visible.
"Stop gossiping, visibility is starting to drop. Hold on tight to the safety rope and move forward quickly."
"Wen Zhi, why don't we take a car back to the campsite ahead?"
"Can you shut up? I skipped class to come out with you, and none of the other guys complained, but you just keep babbling on and on," Wen Zhi said irritably.
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In the evening, the team finally arrived at the assault camp at an altitude of 4,200 meters. The camp consisted of several large tents, with a few emergency ambulances parked nearby, and a thick layer of snow had accumulated outside the tents.
The group members were frozen stiff as they trudged toward the main tent.
Stepping inside the tent felt like coming back to life. The main tent was circular, with a fire in the center and a large iron pot hanging above it. Boiling snow water steamed out, dispelling the chill inside. Because the space was small, the group members sat huddled together, gently shaking their stiff hands and feet.
At this moment, Wen Zhi and his group also arrived at the main tent, where they sat down in empty seats.
Liang An did not remove his mask, only revealing his eyes. He leaned against Ling Xiao and observed Wen Zhi diagonally opposite him through the gap.
Wen Zhi occasionally chatted lazily with his companions, seemingly a little impatient, and not very interested in anything around him. Most of the time, he just stared blankly at the fire.
"Would you like some hot water?" Ling Xiao asked, turning his head.
Liang An shook his head, looking listless. Ling Xiao didn't force him, letting him lean on his shoulder and pretend to doze off.
"The tents for tonight's rest are set up at the campsite; they're all large communal sleeping areas, 20 people per tent, so feel free to group together. Hot water is provided in the main tent. Have a quick dinner and then go to rest," the team leader, Lao Zhou, called out.
Ling Xiao brought Liang An a bowl of instant noodles, gesturing for him to finish eating quickly and go to rest.
Liang An hesitated for a moment, then pulled off his mask and quickly finished his instant noodles. After finishing, he didn't put the mask back on, but instead sat among the crowd, inconspicuous because Ling Xiao's figure blocked his view.
He no longer deliberately avoided Wen Zhi, but secretly observed him out of the corner of his eye, and found that Wen Zhi never noticed him.
Although they happened to be in the same tent, they were like travelers from two parallel worlds, their eyes never meeting, existing without being perceived.
This time, fate did not seem to immediately bind them together; they appeared at the same time but did not intersect, a realization that relieved Liang An.
After a quick wash, Liang An followed Ling Xiao back to the dormitory.
The tent was bathed in a warm yellow light. Ling Xiao had already taken two spots on the inner side. He bent down, pushed aside the stacked sleeping bags, and gently pushed Liang An to the innermost part of the tent, indicating that he should lie down.
Once Liang An was settled, he immediately crawled into another sleeping bag and lay down next to her, shielding Liang An between himself and the inner wall of the tent.
He adjusted his posture and leaned outwards, giving Liang An more space, while leaving just enough space for himself to turn over on the other side, effectively separating the other people's sleeping area from the outside.
Noisy footsteps could be heard outside the tent. Ling Xiao reached out and tucked the edge of Liang An's sleeping bag around his neck. He patted Liang An's back gently through the bag and said in a low voice, "Go to sleep. The noise outside won't disturb you."
Liang An was grateful for Ling Xiao's gentleness and thoughtfulness. He was like a warm barrier, isolating her from the noise and crowds of the outside world, and relieving the fear and depression caused by Wen Zhi's appearance.
The night was deep, and a cold wind whistled and howled across the tent roof, whipping up heavy snow. Inside the tent, the breathing of everyone mingled, creating a strange echo with the sound of the wind outside. The sleeping bags billowed gently, nestled together yet undisturbed, as they struggled to fall asleep despite the chest tightness caused by altitude sickness.
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