Live Streaming: Great Adventure in the Wilderness

Chapter 374: Chapter 372: That’s it? (Two in One)

The enormous moon rose slowly outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the entire hall was bathed in the cold, watery moonlight. The shadows of the window panes were cast upon the backrest of a long bench, where two men sat at either end—one animatedly talking about his dreams, the other listening quietly.

Strangely, it was Huang Tianming who did the talking, and Bi Fang who listened.

Learning that Bi Fang was planning to go to Mount Everest, the reaction of this security guard before him was far stronger than imagined, and he was more excited, his face flushing red as he spoke about his desire to save money for travel and adventures.

Huang Tianming spoke for a full fifteen minutes before he smacked his lips and asked, “Climbing must be expensive, right?”

Bi Fang nodded slightly, “Yeah, about two hundred thousand or so per trip.”

“Ah, really, I really, really want to go, to see the snow-capped mountains, the very high snow-capped mountains.” Huang Tianming looked up at the moonlight, then down at the uniform he wore, suddenly heaving a sigh. His face, which had been flushed with excitement, suddenly lost its color like a deflated red balloon, “You’re so lucky, handsome and knowledgeable, strong in everything you do. I have nothing, I’m poor and unattractive.”

Bi Fang scratched his eyebrow, the sudden change in tone caught him off guard, he couldn’t help but recall his own arrival in this world.

So destitute he couldn’t afford meals, relying on the generosity of friends listed in his phone book to get through those first few days. What should his life have been like?

Perhaps he wouldn’t have been able to join the CWCA?

Thinking this, Bi Fang raised an eyebrow, suddenly he had an idea, “Do you have something you can give me?”

“It’s really nothing, no need, uhmm? What, what?”

Huang Tianming was halfway through his refusal when he was taken aback, thinking he might have misheard.

That’s not right.

It was you who sprained my arm, normally shouldn’t you be giving me something? Asking me for something, what’s that about?

Seeing the other man taken aback, Bi Fang urged him a couple of times, “Do you have anything? Anything will do, preferably something lightweight and durable, even a piece of cloth is fine.”

“Oh, yes, I have something, this is my ID lanyard that I carry with me every day. It got torn when I slept on the table at noon today, I’ve been keeping it in my pocket since.”

Out of professional habit, and since it was his idol, Huang Tianming didn’t make a fuss, he took out a blue cord from his pocket.

Just as Bi Fang reached out to take it, a familiar call sounded again, interrupting their conversation.

“Hey, Old Huang, where are you? Is everything okay or not? If it’s fine, get over here quickly, you already took leave last month, don’t slack off!”

“Eh, coming right away!” Huang Tianming stood up reflexively, replying loudly, then turned to apologize to Bi Fang, “Sorry, I got so carried away with the chat.”

“No worries, it’s my fault after all.”

Bi Fang himself had caused the other’s sprain; listening to a conversation was the least he could do.

“Well, if it’s okay, then I’ll be going.”

Huang Tianming felt regret but still nodded, watching as Bi Fang turned and left through the main doors.

Approaching midnight, with the hall almost empty, Huang Tianming, still shocked by the conversation about climbing Mount Everest, watched as the figure exited and gradually moved further away, and for some reason, on impulse, he waved and shouted at the man disappearing into the darkness.

“Keep it up, I will definitely see you reach the summit! The world’s number one!”

With one hand in his pocket, Bi Fang listened to Huang Tianming’s shouts and smiled silently, looking up at the man standing with his back to him as he raised his right hand high, a blue cord naturally falling before it was firmly grasped.

“Number one!”

…

“Huff.”

Bi Fang slowly exhaled, his breath long and continuous, as if, to the careful observer, he had stopped breathing.

He cast aside the thoughts in his mind, knowing dwelling in the past was pointless. The best way to meet life was to treat the future kindly.

Finally having a moment to himself, Bi Fang earnestly felt his new status, every breath long and measured. A clear and immensely effective power revealed itself within him.

It was as if his body had been cleansed by clear water from the inside out, feeling much lighter. Just like that, Bi Fang even felt his vitality had increased, the vitality of his organs, muscles, and bones seemed to have all improved.

It was like an ordinary sedan used for delivering tofu had its old, rusty antique engine replaced with that of a race car’s. On top of that, it was filled with fuel, every cell developing, emitting a high-pitched roar, his body hair standing on end, giving him goosebumps!

If his previous self was like wearing a “lead suit,” now he had shed the “lead suit,” with clear ears and sharp eyes, feeling light all over.

The cold midnight wind blew as if he had been transported to an icy world. A black storm swept across everything, a tiny figure swung his ice axe on the rock wall, struggling upward,

The storm couldn’t shake the determined figure, the cold couldn’t freeze the warmth of his heart.

Gazing at the empty, boundless streets, Bi Fang put on his hoodie’s hood and slowly started running toward home. The total distance was less than twenty-six kilometers, which the transformed Bi Fang did not regard as significant at all.

A hundred minutes later.

Bi Fang leaned against his front door, breathing heavily, sweat dripping down his temples, yet his face showed no signs of fatigue, even a smile.

Twenty-six kilometers, a hundred minutes, this speed was not world-class. The increase in maximum oxygen intake brought significant improvements in endurance and recovery, but his physical condition hadn’t improved much; there was still a long way to go to reach the top.

But in terms of endurance alone, Bi Fang was very satisfied. Leaning against the door, he could clearly feel his heart beating steadily and strongly, he had plenty of energy left!

And after just a few minutes of resting, he felt much better overall.

And for climbing, the most important things are endurance and recovery. Those with high maximum oxygen uptake are very suitable for the extreme sport of mountain climbing!

…

The next day, a neatly dressed Bi Fang pulled out a black peaked cap from the wardrobe and placed it on his head, grabbed his backpack, and walked out to the yard. Outside the gate, Yao Jun, similarly equipped, honked the horn. In the car, Wang Yongbo, with huge panda eyes, sat in the back seat.

Poor guy, worried that Wang Yongbo might try to stop him, Bi Fang didn’t notify Wolf Fang of his plans right away, and even the promotional poster was done by someone Yao Jun found and sent it over.

As a result, Wang Yongbo only knew about Wolf Fang’s Wolf King’s mountain climbing expedition a mere ten minutes before Bi Fang’s fans, and after learning about the difficulty from some professional outdoor streamers, he had not slept all night. Early in the morning, he had found Yao Jun and joined him in the car to look for Bi Fang.

Yao Jun honked the horn twice more: “Hurry up, didn’t you say time is tight? It’s already nine o’clock.”

“What’s the rush?”

Wang Yongbo watched as Bi Fang got into the car and knew that at this point, it was impossible for him to stop him; he could only hand over the boarding pass to Bi Fang, “Think about it, even though we posted the promotional posters early yesterday morning and started hyping it up, if you really don’t want to go, it’s no big deal. Just create some video to fudge it. This mission was very tight, and at most, everyone will just be a bit disappointed; it won’t cause too much of a reaction. Your fans are very loyal; once they start watching, they hardly ever leave, so even if they are disappointed, there will be almost no impact on the live stream. As for Wolf Fang, I won’t even get into that… Anyway, we’ve all been treating you like a VIP.”

As an executive at Wolf Fang, Wang Yongbo was fearless at this moment, and his words clearly indicated that Wolf Fang was especially keen on having Bi Fang on board.

Bi Fang smiled, amused. Being VIP was an exaggeration. The company was a business, not a charity; the fact that they gave leeway and showed consideration was already quite a gesture of goodwill.

Even if he demanded a raise on the spot, Wolf Fang wouldn’t refuse immediately but would start considering it right away. However, Bi Fang didn’t see the need. Jacking up the price on the spot wasn’t something a real man would do.

Initially, when Wolf Fang made such a sincere offer before he had fully proven his value, Bi Fang naturally wanted to reciprocate. Just receiving what he was entitled to was enough.

“Did you take care of everything I asked you to?” Bi Fang fastened his seatbelt and turned to look at Yao Jun.

“Everything’s ready. The guides, the camera equipment, I’ve arranged it all for you. Jerret and the others have also gone ahead. The gear you sent over yesterday has arrived too. Oh, and I got this special item you asked for; be careful with it. I had to rush to find someone who could get it; there are only these two sticks, no extras.” Yao Jun opened the glove compartment and handed over two silver-white metal cylinders to Bi Fang.

“Good, two sticks are enough, one as a spare.”

“Right. It’s a shame Lin Chang isn’t as free to join; otherwise, he would definitely want to be part of the excitement.”

Wang Yongbo, who was sitting in the back seat, leaned forward curiously, examining the metal sticks with fascination, “What are these? Climbing equipment?”

“Haha, that’s a secret. Huh, President Wang, what are you still doing here?” Bi Fang was about to tease him with the answer when he suddenly noticed that Wang Yongbo was still in the back seat. Turning his head, he gaped in surprise—how come he was even wearing sportswear now?

Bi Fang, accustomed to seeing Wang Yongbo in suits and penguin outfits, rubbed his eyes as they stung from the unusual sight. He thought Wang Yongbo would have left after finishing his business, but something seemed off now.

Wang Yongbo scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed: “To be honest, climbing Mount Everest has always been my dream.”

Bi Fang’s eyes widened as he sized up Wang Yongbo, who was 165 cm tall and weighed 165 kg. He couldn’t believe his eyes. How could the Sherpa people even carry him!

“What’s that look for?” Wang Yongbo got a bit angry, feeling that Bi Fang’s gaze was very impolite. “I know my own limits. I don’t intend to climb. I’ll just stay at base camp, not go anywhere, and just watch you reach the summit up close!”

Bi Fang sighed with relief. Although few people climb Mount Everest, countless tourists visit every day. Wang Yongbo was just one of them, going along for the excitement like Yao Jun.

The only one climbing was him.

But then Bi Fang hesitated, scratching his head before deciding to forewarn him, “President Wang, the base camp is at five thousand meters too. Yao Jun will be fine, at least he’s young, but your physical condition…”

“What? There’s such a thing?” Wang Yongbo turned pale with shock, his complexion quickly turning ashen, but then he recovered, waving his hand dismissively, “No problem. I still want to go. I’ll stay in the hospital if I have to see you reach the summit! Besides, without going, how do you know for sure I can’t do it. Damn it, don’t underestimate me!”

How does a man in his forties manage to roar like an anime protagonist?

Bi Fang felt a headache coming on but figured there was no need to worry too much. Every year, many people who believe they won’t get altitude sickness eagerly head to Everest, only to be rushed to the hospital soon after.

They’re quite experienced in handling such cases already.

Half a day later, a horrific wail rose in the air.

“The oxygen tank! Quickly, give me the oxygen tank! Ugh!”

Bi Fang supported Yao Jun and Wang Yongbo on each side, his face exuding speechlessness while simultaneously pulling the pre-prepared oxygen bottles from his bag.

Anticipating that Wang Yongbo might not believe it, Yao Jun, how could you be this weak too?

Originally, the oxygen canisters were just a precaution, but unexpectedly, they had indeed become necessary.

Wang Yongbo took an oxygen canister and deeply inhaled, his pale complexion finally regaining some color. He looked at Yao Jun, who was also looking unwell, and mercilessly taunted him, “Hahaha, that’s it? You’re even worse than a fatty like me, gasping harder than I was.”

“Damn, I miscalculated,” Yao Jun weakly inhaled the oxygen, puzzled, “I’ve been exercising the past few days, so why isn’t it doing any good?”

“Forget it,” Bi Fang helped the two sit down on the side and explained, “The more you exercise, the more likely you are to suffer from altitude sickness because training keeps your muscles highly active with a higher metabolic rate, ultimately leading to increased oxygen demand. You’ve suddenly come to a place with thin air, the oxygen supply naturally can’t keep up. That’s why it’s advised to stop exercising a week before going to high altitudes. It’s also my fault for not reminding you, but even if I did, it would be too late. With the short time frame, stopping for just a day or two wouldn’t help.”

“Okay, so it’s like that,” Yao Jun nodded weakly, just as he was piecing things together and realizing what was wrong, “Wait, that’s not right, you exercise crazily more than I do, how come you’re fine?”

Bi Fang raised an eyebrow, mercilessly mocking, “You’re comparing yourself to me? I may have a high oxygen demand, but my oxygen intake is even stronger! At least this much stronger than yours.”

Yao Jun watched as Bi Fang pointed towards the sky and almost passed out from anger.

Elsewhere, many of the people who had just gotten off the airplane were suffering from varying degrees of altitude sickness. None were as unaffected as Bi Fang, but unfortunately, not everyone was as well-prepared as he was.

“Young man, do you have any more oxygen canisters? I’m really feeling terrible, feel like vomiting.”

“Sorry, I only prepared two, and look, they’re both in use now.”

“Doctor, doctor, someone’s fainted here!”

In the crowd, some people were even starting to stagger.

“Look over there, someone’s selling oxygen canisters!”

“I want one too, I want one too!”

“Hurry, give me one!”

“Sir, oxygen canisters are Three Hundred Yuan each.”

“Three Hundred Yuan, are you fucking robbing me? It only costs a few Yuan to get oxygen at the hospital for an hour!”

“Robbing people isn’t as profitable as selling oxygen canisters. Sir, do you want it or not while you’re on the ground?”

Yao Jun, holding his forehead, was extremely uncomfortable: “How long will it take me to recover from this?”

Bi Fang thought for a moment: “Probably a few days, depending on the person’s constitution. Maybe you should just go back. If something really goes wrong, it would be quite a hassle.”

“No way, not even if I die!” Yao Jun’s face flushed with determination, looking at the oxygen canister peddler nearby, and with a wave of his hand, “I’ve got plenty of money. Over there, give me a hundred oxygen canisters first!”

Bi Fang sighed.

“Eh, why bother?”