Chapter 13 Hiking 1 Hiking
Zugspitze is the highest mountain in Germany, at 2,962 meters above sea level, according to Wikipedia.
After enduring a group of yelling locals for a full three hours to reach your destination, you finally find out where you're supposed to go.
And now, you stand unharmed on the observation deck at the summit with two other outsiders, lost in thought.
You can't blend in with the locals, and of course, none of you really wanted to get close to them anyway.
The only thing that shows you're "in cahoots" with those locals is the identical Jack Wolfskin you're wearing.
Yes, the random bus you took to school on a weekday turned into a green, soft-seat bus after you suddenly felt sleepy and took a nap, carrying you and the other people on the bus who were participating in the hiking group to Pai.
When you wake up, you're wearing the windbreaker that you tried so hard to destroy.
Even after taking into account Xiaoming and Sister Y's opinions, you threw it into the street-side clothing recycling bin, and now it has mockingly reappeared.
Freedom, courage, and exploration of nature.
Ha ha.
The weather outside was foggy and gloomy, and you saw your haggard face reflected in the windowpane. The blue tint of the tempered glass made you look even paler.
There were about 15 people in the car, but thankfully, the number hanging over the heads of outsiders always made it easy to find your own kind.
You don't know their nationalities in the real world yet, but you still cleverly used Sister Y's method to contact someone through the "Shake" feature.
She's a girl too. But she's much more unlucky than you.
She woke up directly on this bus.
You should quickly send her that set of basic rules. She seems quite flustered—which is understandable. In fact, according to Sister Y, she's rarely seen anyone accept everything so quickly and calmly and handle it so well.
Y has already visited four countries, making her a true foreigner. However, she hasn't had much luck, visiting mostly small African and South American countries she'd never even heard of, and encountering terrifying events related to local indigenous beliefs and witchcraft.
Listening to her share those stories makes you feel like you're about to have a nightmare.
Now, the girl's hands are clearly shaking as she types, resulting in numerous typos in every sentence.
You patiently comfort her, but all you can do is share your experiences and say some nice things.
"Do you know what the rules are in this current scenario?"
"What should I do? I can't speak any language at all, and my English isn't good either."
"I'm scared."
The girl sent you a series of messages.
Your typing hand froze for a moment, then you sent a "hug" emoji.
"If you want to survive, you have to be strong and accept it."
"Remember every rule and the key points I told you, but of course you still have to analyze the specific situation yourself."
"If you're scared, lower your head, don't look them in the eye, and stay silent. It's as if being a Yazhou person means you can increase your chances of being ignored just by not speaking."
The last sentence is also a sharing of Sister Y's personal experience. You might think it's nonsense at first, but upon closer inspection, it makes a lot of sense.
Just like the real-life Deguzi Xiaoming, who can speak Deguzi, she instinctively chooses to remain silent, acting as a "non-existent" Yazhou person.
"Is it okay as long as I don't speak and they don't notice me?" the girl typed tremblingly.
The girl's name is Xiaohong. She is a high school student. She was arguing with her mother and rebelling the day before. When she woke up, she found herself here.
She has always been a good child. Even when she argues with her mother, she secretly thinks that she is afraid her mother will be sad, and that she can eat an extra bowl of rice cooked by her mother the next morning.
"Sister, is God punishing me?" Little Red sobbed. She remembered not to attract attention, but she couldn't hold back her sobs in the end.
Before you could say anything to calm Xiaohong down, the locals who were playing purely noisy, lowbrow music suddenly stopped and surrounded Xiaohong.
Surrounded by this group of strong and robust locals, both men and women, Xiao Hong was so overwhelmed by their dense shadows that she dared not utter a sound.
She couldn't even type to the kind older sister for help, and could only watch her tears fall and hit the phone screen, sending the sister a string of emojis in succession.
“Aleshgut?” someone asked “kindly.” Then a mechanical, yet subtly excited, echoing sound followed.
"Aleshgut?"
"Aleshgut?"
Is everything alright?
Tsk, things would be better if it weren't for these people.
Turn off your phone screen, and the screen full of "I will always be watching you... forever..." turns black. Don't dwell on it. Just stand up, squeeze through the crowd, and while saying "Are you sure you know her?", find Xiao Hong, hug her as if you know her, and sit down next to her.
Seeing that the crying little girl had found a companion to comfort her, the group of locals finally returned to their seats with expressions that were hard to tell whether they felt regret or relief.
You know, they're still observing you.
You only let go of Xiao Hong's almost frozen arm when the music and noise started up again.
This child, though seemingly timid, actually took your embrace as a safe haven, crying her eyes out. Now she's calmed down and gave you an embarrassed smile.
"Sister, I'm so sorry."
You two then employed a skill typical of Yazhou people: sitting and using your cell phones. Instantly, 100% of your attention was lost.
"It's nothing. Besides, you see, many crises can be resolved using common sense as long as you don't break the rules," you explained to Xiaohong.
"Okay, I understand. But sister, after six countries, will we really be able to go home? Can I really hold on until then?"
"Yes, I will." You patted her shoulder firmly.
The rest of the journey is just you chatting with Xiaohong, helping to ease her fears and giving yourself a chance to reflect on the events of the past few days from another perspective.
You are also messaging Sister Y, asking about the current situation.
Xiaoming is always busy, so you can't always bother her. But Sister Y is the opposite; she seems to live there.
"When I was in the Philippines, I met some outsiders from Europe in real life. I thought that maybe one day I would also encounter a European instance, so I asked them a lot of questions." Sure enough, your one sentence earned you a long speech from Sister Y.
"In the dungeon country, the best-case scenario is that you only need to perform a single-line task like going to school and going home. In this way, you can get through the time smoothly as long as you stay away. The worst-case scenario is that you have to join the locals' community and do activities with them because you triggered some Easter egg."
"Of course, what you're doing now has obviously triggered the 'hiking community' Easter egg. Remember, people from Ouzhou love hiking, even the hardcore kind of hiking like camping in the mountains."
"How is the Easter egg time calculated?" you asked hurriedly.
You're worried that this will cause you to miss your lab class the day after tomorrow. Even if it doesn't kill you, it'll probably leave you badly injured.
"You don't need to worry about that. An Easter egg, as the name suggests, is an extra, like a dungeon within a dungeon? Anyway, the only thing you need to pay attention to is to follow the things that the people of Ouzhou would do in real life."
"Smile and greet passersby, and remember to smile naturally and happily; no matter how narrow the road is, always walk on the right; keep quiet, don't disturb wild animals, and don't pick plants; don't use an umbrella, it looks unnatural; and finally, I think there's more to this than meets the eye—pay attention to signs and don't trespass on private property. Although guns are restricted in Germany in reality, who can say for sure here?"
Sister Y sent you each of these tips with detailed explanations. You gratefully replied, "Received, thank you." Then you asked, "You shared so much experience with me, I don't know how to repay you. Where do you live? Just give me a nearby address, I'll go buy some food and leave it for you nearby."
You know that Sister Y can't possibly lack these things, but you really don't have anything else to offer in return for her kindness.
Sister Y seemed to have left for a while, and only replied a few minutes later: "No need, helping you is helping me too. Keep the money and food for yourself."
Alright then. You can't just force a thank-you gift into someone's hand.
You chatted with Xiaohong and Sister Y for a while, then took a short nap.
When I opened my eyes again, we had arrived at our destination.
After getting off the bus and gathering together, you realize that another outsider is someone from a real Western country.
The number above his head had dropped to 0, and he looked anxious and uneasy, glancing at you all but hesitating whether to come over.
After all, to him, you and Xiao Hong are not the same kind of people in any world.
In the end, he still came towards you.
Since we can't communicate anyway, it doesn't matter if we're foreigners or from the same country. You think this way, nod to him, take out your phone and use its built-in, amazing translation function to translate the rules for him.
It's not just about his survival, but mainly about avoiding the situation that Sister Y once mentioned, where he was dragged down and ended up being attacked by the whole group.
He was taken aback at first, but after reading it carefully, he showed you an expression of immense gratitude. Pointing to his heart, then to the sky, he no longer guarded against you, but instead followed behind you, quietly like a quail waiting to be carried away by the great master.
And so the team set off.
Even on a weekday, many wealthy and leisurely middle-aged and high-income seniors, fully equipped with gear, still come to climb this highest peak, or several other secondary peaks.
These hidden gems of the Alps within Germany almost encompass the country's top peaks.
You should greet people with a smile, keep your head down and don't talk or wander off... There is no danger at all, this trip is practically a real hiking trip.
The mountain air still carried a hint of coolness, and the road beneath our feet wound its way up to the distant, mist-shrouded mountainside.
Your backpack, which was empty, is now automatically filled with water, energy bars, and essential equipment.
The foot of the mountain is covered with lush vegetation, and you are surrounded by verdant forests, the fresh air carrying the scent of pine. As you begin your walk, the sound of your footsteps blends with the faint murmur of a distant stream, creating a natural symphony.
Gradually, you traverse a dense forest, and the path begins to steepen. As sweat drips down your face, the forest is gradually replaced by towering cliffs, and the scenery before you becomes increasingly expansive.
A deep green stream appears before you, flowing down the rocks in the mountains, its waters crystal clear and imbued with the unique colors of minerals.
The sunlight dispelled the fog that had enveloped them all along, and under this warm light, the stream looked like a jeweled ribbon encircling the canyon.
Several locals stopped, lay down on the rocks, and cupped the icy stream water in their hands to wash their faces or drink it directly from the water.
You don't understand, but you're doing the same thing with Xiaohong. As long as you don't become assimilated by them, it's always good to try to imitate their behavior.
That guy comes from that culture, so he's definitely more adept at it than you guys.
That said, the water here is indeed sweet and refreshing, somewhat like the spring water in some famous tea-producing regions in China.
As you ascend the stream, the path becomes increasingly narrow, with towering cliffs rising into the clouds on either side. Moss grows on the rocks along the canyon's sides, and occasionally, a few resilient little flowers can be seen blooming in the crevices.
This hiking group, led by locals, went further and further off the beaten path. You might have been worried about some terrifying mountain tales, but they just found some bare, sloping rock faces and started nailing nails to wrap around the climbing ropes.
You're quite strong, and the slope of the cliff isn't too bad. If you follow their movements and have that boy's help, climbing up won't be a problem. Xiao Hong, on the other hand, is a fragile high school student who studies all day; her upper body strength is completely insufficient.
Seeing this, the boy simply gestured and carried Xiaohong on his back.
That's good, you'll catch up with the main group soon.
Finally, after a difficult rock climb, you arrived at an open meadow.
This place is truly a tranquil paradise nestled halfway up the mountain. Lush green grass carpets the ground, and several cattle and sheep graze leisurely, seemingly undisturbed by the distant mountains.
When the group saw the supply boxes placed by volunteers, they put a few coins into the donation box on the side and then took out energy drinks or sodas to gulp down.
Then we'll rest here for a bit and replenish our energy.
Sitting on the grass, the blue sky above is clear and blue, with white clouds drifting slowly by. A gentle mountain breeze caresses your face, carrying the scent of grass and earth. In the distance, cows chew on grass, occasionally letting out a soft moo, while some sheep curiously approach to watch you, adding a touch of life to this tranquil meadow.
Little Red nudged your arm and sent you a message: "Sister, it's so comfortable here, and it's quite fun."
Don't you also enjoy this moment of tranquility? But you must tell Xiaohong the harsh reality: "There is no true peace here. If you become complacent, a crisis will occur."
Xiao Hong was startled by your words, and looked around warily and timidly. You patted her on the shoulder.
They continued on their way shortly afterward.
As the altitude increases, the vegetation gradually thins out, and the temperature begins to drop significantly. The path underfoot becomes steeper, and in some places, you even need to use both hands to maintain your balance. The color of the rocks also changes from dark gray to lighter as the altitude changes.
You have been traveling for almost 5 hours, and it is already 4 pm. The sky is beginning to darken.
Could it be that these locals are really going to insist on hiking to the summit?
As you gaze at the impossibly high mountaintop, a host of ghost stories about camping come to mind.
Fortunately, they weren't that ruthless.
After walking for another ten minutes, you arrived at the cable car station.
Standing inside the fully transparent, high-capacity cable car, you can take in all the scenery.
The sky, which was gradually turning golden, reflected the image of Lake Aibi, nestled among the mountains, making it look like a sapphire, quietly set among the peaks.
Everyone was awestruck by the magnificent view. You stood there quietly, your gaze lingering, as if this moment could last forever.
Everyone, including you, Xiaohong, and that boy, raised their phones to take pictures.
To give you outsiders a better view, the tour leader even pushed aside the locals who were crowding around and taking pictures.
We quickly reached the observation deck at the top of the mountain. After buying some drinks and snacks and enjoying the scenery for a while, the tour leader decided to set off again.
It turns out that this place is about ten meters away from the actual mountain peak.
You can only get there if the weather is good. Because this route only has two thin steel cables, even the safety equipment has to be prepared by the tourists themselves.
Obviously, you came here with so much equipment in your backpacks for this purpose.
There was a huge golden cross on it, shining brightly.
You pull Xiaohong along, signaling her to slowly climb up with you, keeping her distance from the locals.
This is the most dangerous part of the journey; we must avoid any mistakes.
Seeing that you slowed down, the boy seemed a little confused, but he still stuck together with you.
Your guess was right again. The moment you stepped onto the rock face to continue climbing, a strange gust of wind suddenly appeared, bringing a thick fog that enveloped the mountaintop.
A note from the author:
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I slept all day Sunday, and I hate my sleep schedule… I completely changed this entire hiking post, so I posted it before I even woke up.
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