Chapter 102: Lost in the Snow Mountain 05

Chapter 102: Lost in the Snow Mountain 05

The ashen snow-capped mountain was shrouded between dark clouds, with snowflakes swirling across the sky, ravaging every inch of land. The piercing cold wind howled incessantly, swallowing all other sounds in the world.

On the southern cliffside of the snow mountain, atop a steep snowy slope.

The group was divided into three segments, ten people slightly ahead, followed closely by eight others.

A dozen meters away from these two groups, a towering figure wielding dual axes stepped through the snow, following closely behind. His eerie gaze pierced through the blizzard, landing on the back of someone ahead.

When Qin Fei turned around, his eyes met Jack the Ripper's gaze through the layers of people.

Jack smiled.

Qin Fei turned his head expressionlessly.

Half an hour ago, the entire Dawn Squad took turns trying to strike up a conversation with Kong Siming, but failed.

Captain Wen Ren Liming walked out of the tent with a grim face, signaling Jack the Ripper to give it a try. The outcome was predictable.

Jack the Ripper's style was simply too much for ordinary humans to bear, and Kong Siming fainted on the spot, his eyes rolling back in fright.

Qin Fei pinched his acupoint for half an eternity before barely managing to wake him up.

Wen Ren Liming's poor move directly exacerbated Kong Siming's skittishness.

After waking up, he refused any contact with anyone else, only willing to speak to Qin Fei, treating the other players as if they were air.

Wen Ren Liming had no solution to this, and could only temporarily set Kong Siming aside.

Teams pulled members into the tent, where everyone discussed their next steps.

Wen Ren Liming believed that they should descend the mountain first.

"Currently, we have too few clues related to the instance. From the background of the instance, the village at the foot of the snow mountain should be one of the key breakthrough points."

Wen Ren placed the rules and the torn map in the middle of the circle they formed.

The contamination on that notebook was too severe, so he had to store it in his personal space after a brief perusal.

Although the clear rule required players to reach the summit, the secret to Zhou Li's death was clearly not something a barren mountaintop could provide answers to.

According to normal instance settings, the closer to the summit, the higher the level of danger.

To rashly ascend the mountain without any preparation would be far from a good strategy.

Wen Ren looked at the players in the tent.

He wasn't worried about opposition from his team members regarding this decision, but Mi Yang, Little Qin, Jack, and that white-haired youth were not easy to deal with.

Fortunately, Wen Ren's proposal was reasonable, and it was unanimously approved within the tent.

"The NPC mentioned that they ascended the mountain at noon that day and set up camp as night fell."

Qin Fei spoke.

"It took less than half a day to climb to the campsite. If we start descending now, theoretically, we can return to the village before nightfall."

Qin Fei extended a pale hand, tapping the location of the specially marked village on the map.

Wen Ren's gaze towards Qin Fei was filled with complexity.

Frankly speaking, he hadn't taken the other party seriously at first.

Indeed, Little Qin had caused quite a stir outside the instance, single-handedly infuriating Butterfly to no end, which meant he must have some skills.

But his appearance was too deceptive, making one inadvertently lower their guard upon a glance.

Moreover, regardless of anything, he was just a player who had recently advanced to the high tier.

Compared to the other veterans present, he was undoubtedly still a rookie.

But now.

Mi Yang shrugged, adopting a "I'll follow Little Qin's lead" attitude.

The guiding NPC seemed to have been bewitched by Little Qin, becoming his exclusive accessory.

Wen Ren sighed, glancing subtly at Jack.

He hoped this guy would be sensible and hold off on making a move.

Otherwise, the Dawn Squad might have no choice but to clash with him.

Wen Ren's myriad thoughts flashed by in an instant.

The man's stern face revealed a somewhat warm expression as he said to Qin Fei:

"We'll pack our luggage now and depart as soon as possible."

"Oh, right." The captain, kept in the dark, feigned nonchalance as he secured benefits for his team, "After we pack up the tent, I'll temporarily store it. We can take it out when needed. Do you have any objections?"

Qin Fei had no objections; the big shots held all the cards.

Qin Fei shook his head honestly, his pigtails bouncing behind him, while Mi Yang shook his head in agreement beside him, the two resembling a pair of sitting bobbleheads.

Wen Ren was deeply moved by this sight, silently labeling them both as "broad-minded and uncalculating" good people in his heart.

So far, things were progressing smoothly.

Alas, just as they were about to set off, another small mishap occurred.

Wenren sent the most harmless-looking female player in his group to try and flirt with the NPC again.

And she failed.

Not only did she fail, but it somehow triggered something in Kong Siming.

Suddenly, Kong Siming pointed at Jack the Ripper and shouted, "Keep him away from me"!!

Then he lay down on the spot, rolling around and throwing a tantrum, forcing Jack the Ripper to agree that during their entire descent down the mountain, he would keep a distance of at least 15 meters from him.

"If he doesn't agree, I'll die here!!"

Kong Siming's acting skills surpassed anything Mi Yang had ever seen in his life, including all the medical nuisances and insurance frauds he'd witnessed. He rolled in the snow, leaving a clear outline of his body.

Mi Yang was stunned, lowering his voice to ask Qin Fei secretly, "What's going on?"

In the tent, everything seemed fine; Kong Siming looked like a fragile little rabbit who had been frightened too much. How did he suddenly turn into this?

Mi Yang's suspicious gaze fell on Qin Fei.

It was said that after an incident, the beneficiary was the prime suspect.

Aside from his scary appearance, Jack the Ripper didn't have any real conflict with Kong Siming.

Mi Yang couldn't believe this drama wasn't related to Qin Fei's good son!!

Qin Fei smiled lightly, pursing his lips and blinking, "It has nothing to do with me."

He had merely "hinted" a few things to Kong Siming unintentionally.

Who could have thought that the other party would implement them so thoroughly?

With his superb acting skills, Kong Siming successfully repelled the ill-intentioned bounty hunter, earning himself the privilege of holding onto the corner of Qin Fei's clothes throughout their descent down the mountain.

Qin Fei had a tail hanging behind him as he walked, asking Mi Yang, "Who is that white-haired guy?"

The white-haired youth chose to follow alongside Qin Fei's team during their descent, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Since his appearance, he hadn't opened his eyes once, yet his actions weren't hindered.

The north wind was fierce, and a blizzard swept across the sky. White snowflakes landed on his hair, blending seamlessly with his strands.

Mi Yang was speechless at Qin Fei's description: "That person is Cen San Ya, a well-known player in the Black Feather Guild."

Unlike Dark Fire, although the Black Feather Guild consistently dominated the top of the guild rankings, they acted very low-key. Their guild base wasn't open to non-internal players.

Mi Yang frowned, "This person is a bit sinister. If there are no surprises, he should be a precognition type. Anyway, try not to offend him."

Although Cen San Ya looked as fragile as if one could poke him and he'd shatter into eight pieces, he never teamed up with anyone.

He went through each instance alone but managed to survive in A-level live-stream worlds, which proved his strength.

"San Ya?" Qin Fei listened to a lot of words, but his focus was completely off.

The young man's mouth twitched slightly.

This person's preferences seemed even more unpredictable than his Princess Feifei.

Mi Yang sneered, "Capital YI ER SAN's SAN, crow's YA. Do you think everyone names themselves as poorly as you do?"

Cen San Ya was originally named Cen San. The character "Ya" (crow) was added after joining the Black Feather Guild. This was a habit among the upper echelons of Black Feather, who liked to include bird-related nicknames in their aliases.

The instance rules said not to call out player names, but it was obvious that this wasn't a high-risk rule that would cause immediate death.

As for whether it would lead to other consequences—

Who cared? After all, Cen San Ya wasn't their companion. Besides, which player hadn't been called by their name before? Even if they didn't say it to their face, they would talk about it behind their backs.

If there was trouble, they would face it together. It wasn't a big problem.

Mi Yang felt no guilt in taking advantage of Cen San Ya, just as Qin Fei felt justified in secretly using Kong Siming against Jack the Ripper.

The morally bankrupt mother didn't notice that while they were talking, the white-haired youth silently turned around and glanced at Qin Fei's position.

Under the cover of long eyelashes, a faint golden glow flickered.

...

The player group continued forward along the route indicated on the map.

Descending the mountain was harder than ascending. Many steep slopes were so difficult to traverse that they could only go down backward. As time passed, the warmth efficiency of their clothing seemed to be gradually decreasing.

Qin Fei's foot sank into the snow, and he struggled to pull it out of the snow pit.

His waterproof hiking boots hadn't been soaked through by the snow, but the pain in his toes hidden inside the shoes grew stronger.

When passing by the edge of a cliff, Cen San Ya suddenly collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

"Holy shit!!"

Duan Nan was closest to Cen San Ya and almost jumped off the cliff in fright.

He hurriedly turned the person over, and a trail of blood from the nose was left on the pale face, dripping onto the snow.

Duan Nan: "…"

What was with this appearance of someone suffering from a terminal illness and not long for this world??

Duan Nan looked helplessly at Mi Yang, and the person in his arms slowly woke up at this moment.

He also followed to look at Mi Yang and Qin Fei for a moment, supporting himself on the ground, determinedly wanting to stand up despite his injuries.

Duan Nan pressed him down: "Buddy, don't move."

He could trip and fall flat on level ground, and when he fell, he bled all over his face. Duan Nan was now very afraid that if Cen San Ya used a little force, he might break his arm again.

"Help me... up..."

Cen San Ya's tone was weak, as if he didn't know what politeness was.

Mi Yang raised his chin: "Help him."

After Duan Nan found the campsite, his physical condition had recovered well, and the SAN points he had lost were basically replenished with potions. He could still carry a person.

But Ding Li was a bit worried and ran over to lend a hand to Duan Nan. The two of them pulled Cen San Ya up from the ground, one on each side.

Then the three of them stood there together, looking at each other.

Ding Li & Duan Nan: "?"

Cen San Ya, his breath faint: "Can't walk..."

Ding Li & Duan Nan: "..."

Understood, you want us to support you, right?

Where did you get such a big face from!!

Although they cursed in their hearts, Cen San Ya's near-death appearance didn't seem fake, so the two players had no choice but to support him forward.

Fortunately, Cen San Ya was thin as a rail, not much heavier than a skeleton, so it wasn't difficult to support him.

The wind and snow grew stronger, and the dark clouds overhead rolled like waves. Mi Yang looked up and said with concern, "Is there going to be a blizzard?"

The rules for climbing mentioned blizzards, which would definitely not be good things.

Cen San Ya was being supported by the two people walking behind, giving off a subtle feeling of an old lady taking a leisurely stroll in the extreme cold survival scenario.

Hearing Mi Yang's words, he suddenly replied in a low, weak voice, "No."

His voice had a faint echo, and if one didn't pay attention, it would seem as if the sound wasn't coming from his throat, but from some strange, unknown corner.

Mi Yang hadn't expected Cen San Ya to respond to him and looked back in surprise.

Kong Siming muttered like a nagging wife: "How come we're not there yet, how come we're not there yet..."

His eyes were filled with tears, and he looked terribly frightened. The falling snowflakes and every rock beside him seemed to have become monsters that could harm him at any time in Kong Siming's eyes.

Qin Fei patted his hand reassuringly, "Don't panic, we'll be there soon."

He asked naturally, "Did you take this road when you went up the mountain?"

Kong Siming was stunned as he recalled.

Then he shook his head, "I can't quite remember."

"When we went up the mountain...the atmosphere was relatively relaxed at first."

"Everyone was worried about Zhou Li, but to boost morale, we still chatted and laughed."

"It wasn't until we passed that road."

"That road..."

"That road-"

Kong Siming's eyes suddenly widened to an incredible size, and there was a trend of getting bigger and bigger, his facial features gradually distorting.

Damn!

The players around him cursed inwardly.

This guy's mental fortitude was too poor, why did he get possessed by a ghost so easily?

The rules said that if a companion was acting strange, one should ignore it.

But Kong Siming's appearance was really hard to remain calm about.

The players tried to control their gaze, not looking in the direction of Kong Siming, but in the next second, they heard a crisp slap.

"Smack!"

The black-haired youth with the bun slapped Kong Siming across the face, the sound ringing out clearly.

The players beside him couldn't help but feel the pain in their faces as well.

Kong Siming was instantly slapped awake: "Why did you hit me??"

He protested, his normal facial features still trembling slightly, as if warning:

If you don't give me a satisfactory answer, I'll continue to mutate.

Qin Fei lied without batting an eye, "There was a mosquito, I helped you swat it."

???

What kind of thick-skinned person could say such a thing with a clear conscience? Did it look like there would be mosquitoes in the icy snow?

But the simple NPC really believed it, stunned for a moment before looking at Qin Fei with gratitude.

"Oh, t-thank you. You're truly a good person."

The players: "…"

Qin Fei was reshaping his companions' worldview with his actions. However, the other team walking ahead encountered a monumental problem at that moment.

Wen Ren Liming's expression was stern as he stopped in his tracks.

He turned around to face Qin Fei and Mi Yang.

"There's no path ahead."

Wen Ren Liming announced a fact that was difficult to admit.

He held a map in his hand,

and had been following the directions indicated on it.

However, what lay ahead was indeed a sheer cliff.

Regarding the discrepancy between the map and the route through the snowy mountain, Kong Siming had mentioned it to Qin Fei and the others inside the tent. Qin Fei had truthfully relayed this information to Wen Ren Liming.

But the map was the only reference the players had in their hands. Before setting out, they had used the map to assess the direction of the mountains.

The players believed that even if there were errors in the details of the map, the general direction was correct.

Following the map's guidance, combined with a compass, descending the mountain shouldn't be too difficult.

But now, the reality was right in front of them.

The path down the mountain was cut off.

They had no way forward and could only turn back.

"But we've been walking downhill all along," Ding Li frowned tightly. "We could see the cliffs along the way; this direction should be correct."

If they were to turn back and find another way, how would they do it?

They wanted to descend the mountain; it was impossible for them to take an upward path.

"Lost?"

When Kong Siming heard these two words, it was as if a switch had suddenly been flipped, and he squatted down while clutching his head.

"It's over, everything is over! It's like this again!!"

Helpless sobs were forced out from deep within his throat.

"Weren't things the same when we were climbing up? We were clearly following the right path, but no matter what, we couldn't reach the place indicated on the map."

The mountain path was rugged, and in front of some cliffs or slopes, they could even see their intended destination from afar.

But no matter how hard they tried, they could never truly reach their goal.

"There's something wrong with this mountain!!" Kong Siming cried out in anguish. "It wants to trap us to death, it wants to trap us to death!"

"Can you guys take me out of here? Are we all going to die here? Aaahh—"

Qin Fei slapped the back of the NPC's head, waking him up before he could transform.

Although even if this NPC transformed, he probably wouldn't cause much damage.

His tendency to go crazy at any moment was indeed annoying.

Her Highness decided to solve this problem once and for all.

"Stop saying such discouraging words!" Qin Fei's tone was fierce.

Despite his slender build, the young man's strength wasn't small, nearly slapping Kong Siming into the snow.

Kong Siming was startled and looked up.

"How can this mountain trap you to death? It's just a mountain."

Qin Fei looked down at Kong Siming from above, his expression inscrutable.

His tone carried arrogance and a subtle disdain, as if speaking to Kong Siming was already a favor to him.

"If you really can't go on, jump down from here. Could you possibly land back where you started?"

Qin Fei pointed to the bottomless abyss beside them, where large swirls of snow fog, carried by the raging wind, diffused in the depths, forming strange shapes.

Kong Siming didn't dare to jump.

Kong Siming hiccuped and sobbed, staring blankly at Qin Fei.

"Think more about what you can contribute to the team. Don't always think about what the team can do for you."

Qin Fei patiently advised.

"You see, the people in front can read the map and lead the way, while those in the back are responsible for observing the terrain and covering the rear. There's only you."

Eating and waiting to die, doing nothing, and only knowing how to hold everyone back.

Qin Fei didn't finish his harsh words, but Kong Siming was at least a college student. He quickly understood the implications of Qin Fei's words, and his face flushed red.

"I, I…"

He seemed to also begin feeling rather embarrassed about his melodrama, rubbing the back of his head as he stood up from the ground. "Sorry, bro. I was too fragile and caused trouble for everyone." "I, I, I will definitely change!" He looked at Qin Fei with sparkling eyes—just like always, completely ignoring the other players. The NPC gave Qin Fei a deep 90-degree bow, leaving all the players dumbfounded. The relationship between the instance's NPCs and the players. Could it be like this?!! Wen Ren Liming was greatly impacted. The blow of getting lost was somewhat dissipated, and he silently led the team to turn around. The sky was darkening at an extremely fast rate, with heavy clouds hanging low overhead. However, the players' pace was getting slower and slower. The continuous cold eroded their vitality, and even worse, they got lost again. Kong Siming's expression changed repeatedly, thinking of Qin Fei's slap, but in the end, he said nothing. The players' moods were no lighter than Kong Siming's. The path they took when they came was clear and singular. There was no technical difficulty in retracing their steps. No matter how they thought about it, there was no possibility of getting lost. But they did get lost. The nineteen people stopped at an open space, and the two members of the Dawn Squad walked forward for a bit, responsible for surveying the terrain. "We need to set up camp again," Wen Ren looked up at the sky and then said. It was about to get dark soon. Rule number 2 required the players to avoid traveling at night as much as possible. Now that they were lost, they could only spend the night on the snowy mountain. If possible, Wen Ren Liming was extremely unwilling to spend the night on the snowy mountain because their supplies were not sufficient. Nineteen people, yet they only had one tent and one set of bedding. Meanwhile, since the snowy mountain was an instance that included survival elements, unlike other instances, the players' physical reactions were very clear and distinct. For example, drowsiness, fatigue, hunger... If they didn't find their way down the mountain soon, they might even starve to death on the mountain. Wen Ren silently exhaled. "Let's set up camp here." He stopped. The snowy mountain seemed to have no evening, with day and night rapidly alternating. Darkness surged, swallowing the clear outlines of everything in sight. Wen Ren Liming looked at the other players, hesitating to speak. Although the only tent was with them, the Dawn Squad couldn't possibly enjoy it exclusively. After some consideration, Wen Ren proposed a compromise. "The tent can accommodate a maximum of ten people at a time. I suggest we take turns keeping watch tonight, while the rest return to the tent to rest, changing shifts every two hours." Actually, if they squeezed hard enough, over ten people could fit into one tent, but then they wouldn't be able to sleep. After hearing Wen Ren's words, Qin Fei showed a surprised expression. "Is it necessary?" the young man raised his eyebrows and said. Wen Ren Liming always had the final say in his own team. Although Qin Fei hadn't stated his reason for opposing, Wen Ren already felt a faint displeasure rising in his heart. Unnecessary. What was unnecessary? Was it unnecessary for ten people to squeeze together, or was it unnecessary to take turns keeping watch? Mi Yang remained silent, seemingly not intending to intervene in the impending dispute. "Do you have a better arrangement?" Wen Ren Liming asked indifferently. He assumed that Qin Fei thought it wasn't comfortable enough for ten people to squeeze into one tent. However, if they split it further, the players' rest time would definitely be insufficient. Players who were still fixated on enjoying themselves in the instance were either extremely powerful or utterly lacking self-awareness. Captain Wen Ren obviously categorized Qin Fei as the latter, crossing his arms and sneering. "What if I insist on ten people in one tent," Wen Ren said icily. Qin Fei blinked. "If you insist on ten people in one tent," Qin Fei sighed softly. His tone seemed regretful: "Then, you can have the big tent."

As he spoke, he pressed his right palm down, and suddenly two long, neatly packed objects appeared out of thin air on the empty ground in front of him.

"Since we can't make up ten people, your team has eight members, and we'll add one more - him."

Qin Fei extended his finger to point at Jack the Ripper.

"Together, that makes nine people, all sleeping in the large tent."

Qin Fei had arranged everything crystal clear for the Dawn Squad.

"The rest of us will just have to squeeze into these two smaller tents."

Wen Ren Liming: "…"