Chapter 155 Snow Leopard (Thirteen)
"Meow~"
On a cloudy day, the mountains were covered with gray fog, as if covered by a layer of gauze.
Yu Yijun stretched slowly, squatted on a big rock and washed his face with his paws, his ears filled with noisy shouting.
"Snow Leopard! Mountain God! Are you there?"
"Oh, I'm so cold, Snow Leopard, please save me!"
"Help me!"
"Meow!" I'm not here! Don't cue!
Yu Yijun shook his big furry tail, yawned out of boredom, and was too lazy to pay attention to the third batch of cunning little people today.
However, if they were allowed to wander around in the mountains all the time, not only would the noise they made disturb the animals, it would also scare away the pigs' prey.
This mountain has a very high altitude, estimated to be around 8,000 meters. Even if it is not ranked first in the world, it can be ranked in the top 100.
Most of the little people have limited abilities. After climbing to about 5,000 meters, they start to pant and give up climbing.
The problem is that most mountain goats only climb to this height.
As you go higher, the temperature gets lower and the oxygen content in the air becomes thinner.
Even the snow leopard, the ruler of the alpine regions, is active at an altitude of only six thousand meters.
Once the altitude exceeds seven thousand meters, there are neither mountain goats nor drinkable water sources.
Except for the little man who is unruly and adventurous all his life, no beast is willing to challenge that height.
Nowadays, the bipeds frequently go into the mountains and call for the snow leopards clamorously.
When the mountain goats heard the noise, they were so scared that they hid themselves or fled to other mountains.
The prey in Yu Yiyun's territory was becoming increasingly scarce, and no mountain goats had been found for two whole days.
He learned from his mistakes and felt that this was not a solution.
The little man must leave his mountain, otherwise he will have to move again before the new territory even warms up.
“Meow.”
Life is not easy, Pig sighed.
Fortunately, our pigs have super strong execution capabilities and are well versed in human weaknesses.
Hearing the little people coming into the mountain still calling him persistently, Piglet finally made up his mind, jumped down from the big rock with his paws, and approached the group of people quietly.
"I'm so tired. I've been looking for Leopard Shadow for a long time but I can't find him. Where is he hiding?"
"Hey, look, that's the place they said they encountered a snow leopard, right? Let's go over and take a look!"
"No, don't! It's starting to get foggy. What if we get trapped when we climb up?"
"Uh...if I get trapped, will the snow leopard come and rescue me?"
"Sensible advice: don't play with your own life. Even more sensible advice: go to the hospital and see a neurosurgeon."
"That is to say, there are so many of us, can the snow leopard be rescued? Don't cause trouble for him. Let's get down the mountain quickly while the fog is not thick."
Several people went into the mountains with great effort, but did not even see a single snow leopard hair, and returned along the same route in disappointment.
After walking only two steps, the person in the middle suddenly screamed "Ah", scaring the people on both sides so much that they shuddered.
"You scared me! Why are you yelling for no reason?"
"Who of you tapped my shoulder just now?"
"I don't have any."
"How can I tap your shoulder when I have a hiking stick in my hand?"
"Then... maybe I made a mistake?"
The person who was speaking had a particularly uncertain tone.
The feeling of the pat on my shoulder is still very clear, and it is definitely not an illusion.
The next section of the road is narrow, and several people cannot walk side by side. They can only pass in a front-to-back order.
Those in the middle of the line pass through the narrowest place.
Just as he turned the corner, another high-pitched scream was heard.
"Ah! Who tapped my shoulder again?"
“It was just a pat on the shoulder, don’t be so…” The person in front turned around and his expression instantly became terrified.
"H-what?"
The man moved his lips for a long time and asked cautiously, "Just now...did someone really tap you on the shoulder?"
"Yes, I took the photo at this location!" he said confidently, "I did it twice in a row. I can't be wrong."
The person in front swallowed and said in an even more horrified tone, "But... there is no one behind you."
"..." The person who was patted on the shoulder was stunned and too scared to turn around.
Even so, he still remembered that he had just turned the corner and his companion was still stuck at a high place and could not catch up.
There couldn't be anyone behind me when I was tapped on the shoulder just now.
The two men looked at each other, their faces pale with fear.
Just at this moment, his companion jumped down the natural stone steps and came behind him in three or two steps.
"Hey, why is there a red handprint behind you?"
“…”
“…”
After these words were spoken, the whole audience fell silent.
Desolate mountains, red handprints, and every element of horror.
"Wow--!"
Suddenly, a sound similar to a child crying appeared in the quiet mountains.
A few people were so frightened that they quickly quickened their pace and rushed down the hillside without looking back.
After making sure that the little man had run far away, Yu Yiyun climbed out from the cliff behind and looked up at the black-headed tragopan whose cry sounded like a crying child.
"Meow." Good bird, great cooperation.
"Meow meow meow!" I promise to never rob your bird's nest.
“Wow wow—”
The black-headed tragopan flapped its wings, cried sadly, and flew away in circles.
That night, terrifying rumors that the mountain was haunted flooded all major social media platforms.
Several climbers described the situation vividly and showed off their jackets with bloody handprints on them.
As the 'mountain god faction' and the 'haunted faction' each have their own opinions, this mountain has been pushed to the forefront and attracted the attention of many netizens.
[There are mountain gods and ghosts, this mountain is full of feudal colors]
[I believe in the haunted sect, after all, they have evidence! How do you explain the red handprint? ]
[The test results showed that the red color was sheep blood, and I don’t know where it was rubbed from. If there was no mountain god, how do you explain that person being trapped for so long and still being able to survive? How do you explain the blanket on his body and the gnawed backpack?]
[It's hard to explain? It's just a snow leopard that got bored and opened a human's bag to look for food]
[First, snow leopards do not eat human food. Second, no snow leopards have ever been photographed in that mountain before.]
[I think both schools are quite fantasy, has anyone verified it? ]
[With such high popularity, there must be people who want to take advantage of this wave of traffic, just wait]
[We urge all netizens not to disturb the lives of wild animals out of curiosity. Your frequent visits to the mountains have caused a large number of wild animals to change their activity patterns and even change their habitats. If there are really snow leopards in the mountains, they will lose a lot of prey because of your curiosity.]
[+1, assuming that the mountain god who saved us is really a snow leopard, is this how we humans repay him? Be a human being!!!]
[We would like to advise some people who enjoy entertainment and internet celebrities who have no bottom line for traffic to respect the ecological environment of wild animals. This haunted incident may be a warning from the mountains to us.]
[Humans have destroyed too much, leave them a clean place]
…
After several rounds of negotiations, sober netizens finally gained the right to speak, leaving those who wanted to use the "mountain god" to make a fuss speechless.
The relevant departments listened to the public's suggestions and restricted tourists from climbing the mountain for safety and animal protection reasons.
Just when netizens thought that after the ban was implemented, the true identity of the "mountain god" would always remain a secret.
Not long after, a nature photographer released a set of photos.
In some of the photos, the mysterious "mountain god" was captured chasing a blue sheep.
Everyone originally thought that once the mountain god’s veil was lifted, the mystery would be lost.
After seeing the true appearance of the "mountain god", netizens who follow the snow leopard community became even more excited.
[Ahhh, little leopard!!! Little leopard, I see you again, woooo, the protection organization said they couldn’t find you after the spring, I thought you were gone]
[No wonder I haven’t photographed a snow leopard before. I recently took one. It turns out that our little leopard has moved here~]
[Congratulations on becoming independent, you have circled your territory so far away, what if you miss home and your mother? ]
[If you miss home, just go back the same way. Big cats have very good memories and will definitely remember the way home]
[Really? I remember people picking herbs in the mountains saying that little leopards often get lost.]
——You are the one who often gets lost!!!
We pigs are always addicted to food and are mysteriously confident in our sense of direction.
As a result, after inspecting the territory today, Yu Yiyun couldn't find his sleeping nest again.
"Meow?" Wow, where are you?
The pig walked around seven or eight times but still couldn't find the bedroom.
He lowered his cat-like head, stared silently at the rocks under his feet, and decided to find a random place to stay for the night.
Anyway, there are nothing but stones in the nest. If there is no leopard waiting for me, it makes no difference where I sleep.
The pig curled up, found a flat rock, and held the tail in his arms as a comfort doll.
After shaking the tip of its tail, the pig's sleepiness suddenly disappeared.
I still remember when I was a little snow leopard, I often held my mother's tail in my arms when I slept.
Although he is already very big, he can't hang on his mother's tail like a young leopard cub.
Ram still uses his tail as a cat teaser to coax the pig to go to bed early.
When Feifei and Yuanyuan were the youngest, they liked to grab each other's tails.
After fighting for the last bit and being tired of playing, he hugged his tail on both sides and snored in his sleep.
Nowadays, Zhumi is far away from home and he is the only leopard on the whole mountain.
The snow leopard is a lonely beast. Looking around the mountainous areas, there are no rival animals that can even be called natural enemies.
Yu Yiyun continued to think about the Qinling Mountains, Yellowstone Park, the African grasslands, and the Pacific Ocean...
It seemed that there was no place as quiet as it was now, and the only sound my keen hearing could detect was the wind.
The pig, who was born unable to stand loneliness, lost all sleepiness and got up to look down at his territory.
really.
It’s still too early for me to be independent!
Today's leopards cannot adapt to the snow-capped mountains where there are no other leopards of their kind, nor can they adapt to the lonely life of a king.
Before truly achieving independence, Zhumi wants to leave his ghost steps on more hilltops.
The top hunter who ruled this mountain flicked his tail and crossed the 'border' he had just drawn for himself.
After leaving the territory, Yu Yiyun looked left and right and decided to go home for a walk first.
The gestation period of snow leopards is about three months. Ram gives birth to cubs in late spring and gives birth to younger brothers and sisters around late summer.
As long as Yu Yiyun can grasp the time accurately, he can catch the newborn cub.
Although Ram had a strong maternal instinct, she even expelled her beloved son without mercy.
But it doesn’t matter!
It's always OK for piglets to steal cubs~
In addition to her lovely younger brothers and sisters, Yu Yiyun is also worried about Feifei and Yuanyuan.
After being stray leopards for half a year, the siblings finally returned to their biological mother. However, Lily had been locked up in the zoo for half a year, and her wildness had been worn away. I wonder if she has adapted to life in the wild.
In spring and summer, food is plentiful.
Even if we can't catch the blue sheep, we can still fill our stomachs by eating marmots and plateau rabbits.
After autumn, Lily could no longer catch the blue sheep, and the three of them would starve.
Yu Yiyun was worried sick from afar, and decided decisively to return to her hometown to visit the animals she cared about before exploring the world.
The Himalayas are an arc-shaped mountain range, unlike the east-west Qinling Mountains, where the direction can be determined by the sun.
In addition, the Tibet Autonomous Region is vast and sparsely populated, and the mountains are natural borders, so there is no need to dig tunnels.
Zhumi walked along the mountain road for two days without seeing a single sign.
"Meow!" It's okay, I've walked this road before... right?
Less than two months after leaving his hometown, Yu Yiyun looked to the left and then to the right, unable to decide which way was the right way home.
"Meow." Don't worry, I can always find the way.
Pig turned on the cat radar and thought that there were only two paths in front of him, with a 50% chance of success, so he might as well take a big gamble!
Yu Yiyun did what he said and gently wagged his tail.
The furry tail fluttered down and pointed to the right.
"Meow~"Okay, then I'll go to the left.
The leopard took a step with its paws, taking the path opposite to the direction its tail was pointing.
Tail: I can’t carry it, I can’t carry it!
As he walked forward, Yu Yiyun felt that there seemed to be more bipeds coming and going, all heading in the same direction.
Piglet didn't want to be disturbed by the little man, so he climbed up the mountain and crawled over the middle of the mountain.
After climbing for two or three days in a row, Yu Yiyun not only failed to shake off the little man, but could see tents set up by humans as soon as he came down the mountain.
"Meow?" Pig tilted his head curiously.
There are no large villages or cities nearby. Why are these people gathering here? Are they holding a celebration?
Looking around, there is barren land everywhere. What kind of celebration would choose such a desolate place?
“Meow.”
I really don't understand you humans.
Yu Yiyun gave up thinking and decided to climb up the hillside to the next mountain covered with ice and snow.
If you get closer, you can hear the sound of flowing water, proving that there is at least a spring on that mountain.
After living in the mountains for so long, Yu Yiyun has summed up some rules.
To determine whether a mountain has enough prey, the first thing to do is to look for water.
Water is the source of life for all living things. As long as water is found, life can take root here.
Zhu Mi thought secretly, "Did I climb over this mountain when I came here?" At the same time, he found the nearest road and jumped to the next mountain.
After climbing a few steps along the rock, Yu Yiyun vaguely heard a conversation, the accent and language of which were not those of locals.
"The weather is clear, the wind force is level 2, and the temperature at the top of the mountain is predicted to be -16 degrees Celsius. It is really good weather for climbing. Our goal today is to challenge the altitude of 6,000 meters and then return to the base camp at 5,200 meters."
"Okay, I've completed a week of acclimatization training and can handle mountains at six thousand meters."
"As a coach, I must remind you that even if you can handle a 7,000-meter mountain, it doesn't mean you can climb this mountain. There are four camps ahead, and the entire climbing process will take at least a few weeks. You can give up at any time, don't force yourself."
“I understand that challenging the highest peak has always been my dream.”
The highest peak?
The highest peak!
Yu Yiyun raised his cat head and finally realized where he had crawled to.
Mount Everest, the undisputed highest peak in the world.
I couldn't find it when I wanted to find it, but now when I want to go home, I found it.
[Pig is speechless.jpg]
It is summer now, which is not the best season to climb Mount Everest.
However, countless people have already gathered at the base camp to undergo weeks or even months of adaptive training, waiting to challenge the summit when autumn comes.
The average temperature in summer is high and the ice and snow on the top of the mountain melt, which can easily cause the road surface to become slippery, the ice surface to crack, and even avalanches.
However, the advantages brought by summer are equally obvious.
Many ordinary tourists who just want to sightsee and don’t intend to challenge their limits will choose to come here when the weather is warm and admire the magnificent mountains and rivers from afar.
Those who want to reach the summit will also use the surrounding lower mountains and the lower altitude areas of Mount Everest to train in advance.
No wonder Pig met so many little people setting up tents along the way.
In addition to its height, Mount Everest attracts explorers from all over the world.
It also relies on its rich natural environment and material resources to nurture the region's flagship species, the snow leopard.
According to statistics, there are at least hundreds of snow leopards in Mount Everest and its surrounding protected areas. The population density is much higher in the area where Yiyun stayed before.
Snow leopards are called "barometers of the health of high-altitude ecosystems" and to a certain extent reflect the integrity of the ecological environment in high mountain areas.
As one of the most representative natural landforms in the world, Mount Everest has relatively complete protection measures.
Yu Yiyun followed the sound of water and soon after crawling, he smelled the scent of his own kind marking their territory.
“Hoo—Hoo—”
The pig, who has never had a sense of boundaries, broke into the other party's territory, making chuffing sounds like a motorcycle, and greeted the lord, the snow leopard.
Lord Snow Leopard sensed the presence of the invading leopard and was about to run over to beat him up.
Hearing the friendly sound of a motorcycle, she was confused for a few seconds and then cautiously poked her head out.
"Huh?" Enemy beast, why did you come to my house?
"Meow." Hello, I'm a leopard from outside the province. Do you want to climb the mountain with me?
“……Oh?” What does that mean?
Lord Leopard looked at Zhumi in confusion, with bewilderment written all over his face.
She couldn't understand what the foreign leopard said, and even if she did, she couldn't comprehend it.
There is no concept of "reaching the summit" in the snow leopard's cognition.
They live in high mountain areas and migrate according to the distribution of their prey.
When the temperature is high in summer, snow leopards will expand their range of activities to an altitude of around 6,000 meters.
No matter how high the place is, the blue sheep cannot go up, and the snow leopard has never thought of going up.
Even though snow leopards are gifted, they can withstand thin air and extreme temperatures of minus 40 degrees Celsius.
But altitudes over 7,000 meters would also make snow leopards feel uncomfortable.
So far, all the snow leopards living on Mount Everest have never thought about enjoying the scenery on the top of the mountain.
The leopards couldn't understand why they saw humans coming one after another to adjust the highest point, and some people were buried forever in the snow mountains for this.
What’s the point of climbing to a high place if you can’t catch the mountain goat?
The local snow leopards never dreamed that an alien leopard would appear and invite them to the summit.
“Hoo-hoo.”
When the lord Snow Leopard saw Zhumi crossing his territory and climbing up the slope, he kindly told him: I've been there and there were no mountain goats.
"Meow~" I know~
Yu Yiyun wanted to climb to the highest point, not for hunting purposes, nor to challenge the snow leopard's physical functions.
The biggest motivation that drives him is nothing more than the four most useful words: I'm here now.
Arriving at the highest peak in the world, who wouldn’t want to climb up and take a look?
Yu Yiyun climbed up a bit and met a snow leopard eating breakfast.
Smelling the scent of a strange leopard, the snow leopard thought it was the female leopard next to it and called out loudly in vigilance.
"Meow." Hello, Leopard, do you want to climb the mountain with me?
Leopard also didn't understand, so he pounced over and blew air at Pig.
Zhumi, who was already a big leopard of nearly two years old, dodged nimbly and pinned the leopard lord to the ground with his claws.
"Meow." Leopard, do you want to climb the mountain with me?
"...Woo woo woo." The leopard lord was unable to move. He flapped his wings twice and said in a cowardly manner: I lost. I give you the prey and the territory as well.
Lord Leopard also became independent not long ago, changed his territory several times, and was defeated in every battle.
After losing so many times, Lord Leopard has learned his lesson and starts begging for mercy once he is at a disadvantage.
There are plenty of prey in summer, and as long as you don’t get hurt, you can catch a lot of blue sheep!
“Meow.”
Yu Yiyun asked three times in a row, and seeing that Lord Leopard refused to agree, he let go of his claws in disappointment.
Just as he was about to leave, the leopard lord turned over, jumped to the high hillside without any reluctance, and left his territory.
"Meow?" Leopard, aren't you going to eat your marmot?
Yu Yiyun picked up the marmot and chased the leopard who had not yet had breakfast.
The former lord Leopard, who had lost his territory, planned to run to a higher altitude.
He knew that there were few leopards there, so there would definitely be no animals competing with him for territory.
As a result, I climbed for a long time with great effort.
When he lowered his head, he saw that the leopard that had just taken over his territory was still following him closely.
The former leopard lord did not have time to rest, fearing that the leopard would use despicable tactics again and rub him to the ground.
The poor leopard crawled for a long time, thinking that he had finally gotten rid of him.
The altitude of this area is over 6,000 meters, which is almost out of the survival range of snow leopards. Normal snow leopards would not even bother to visit this area.
The former lord Leopard had just squatted down, planning to find a place to take a nap, when the haunting voice sounded behind him again.
"Meow." Leopard, your breakfast.
"Huh!" You're so annoying!
The former lord, the leopard, felt aggrieved and helpless. He was chased by the ferocious enemy beast and continued to climb higher with great effort.
The strange thing was that no matter where he climbed, the enemy beast would always chase him, like two magnets attracting each other.
"Meow." Leopard, breakfast.
"Meow!" Leopard, your breakfast is frozen.
"Meow meow meow!" You are not good. Good Leopard must eat on time.
At the same time, people staying at the Everest Base Camp took out binoculars to admire the majestic mountains, and suddenly saw two furry creatures moving at high speed.
"Oh my god, the snow leopard has climbed up!"
"How is that possible? Snow leopards never go to such high places."
The story of "Snow Leopard Climbing the Mountain" was so bizarre that word quickly spread from one person to another, and everyone in the base camp came out to watch.
Seeing the two of them chasing each other and reaching an altitude of more than 7,000 meters, people fell silent.
"...It would take me at least half a month to climb that high."
"You are already very good. I can't do that in my entire life."
"Why not just give them the oxygen bottles and climbing equipment and let them reach the summit for me."
"Is it possible that snow leopards don't need jackets or oxygen tanks to climb mountains? The starting point of their birth is beyond the reach of many people."
“Is the gap between humans and leopards so huge?!”
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