Chapter 104: Lost in the Snow Mountain 07

Chapter 104: Lost in the Snow Mountain 07

"Wu Meng."

"Wu Meng—"

In the gloomy and vast night, an extremely ethereal voice came intermittently, its tone deep and ethereal, like a ghostly murmur that could captivate one's heart without them realizing it.

Wu Meng was first taken aback, but soon, his expression became dazed.

His pupils rapidly expanded, the black area growing larger and larger, even exceeding the original size of his eyeballs, until it covered the entire eye.

Massive snowflakes mixed with ice chips pelted down under the onslaught of knife-like gales, the exposed skin rapidly losing heat, becoming colder than a corpse.

The blood flow slowed, and the brain's cognitive functions nearly ceased.

"Wu... Meng..."

That voice continued to call out.

Wu Meng couldn't help but take a step forward.

And another step.

The voice came from the dense forest, and for some reason, Wu Meng was certain of this.

The snow underfoot was both deep and thick, and with each step, Wu Meng would sink most of his lower leg into the snow.

The bone-chilling cold penetrated his waterproof shoes and mountaineering pants, assaulting his skin and bones, but Wu Meng was oblivious.

That voice had consumed all his rationality.

At that moment, Wu Meng had only one thought.

Enter that dense forest!

Enter that dense forest!

Wu Meng's speed was getting faster and faster!

His limbs were now filled with strength, each step firm and resolute. He ran through the snow, that voice etched into his mind, ringing incessantly without any pause.

An involuntary smile formed on Wu Meng's face, twisted and strange, as if some expectation was about to be fulfilled. He raised his hand and reached out into the void.

Closer!

Getting closer!

The dense forest was within reach!!

The charred and contorted tree trunks grew straight upward, vine plants resembling scales entwined around the branches.

The tree roots looked like tangled hair, or wriggling snakes, twisting and sinking into the snow.

Those standing trees stretched into a vast expanse under the night sky, boundless and endless.

It seemed that once you took a step inside, you would be lost forever.

Wu Meng didn't sense any danger at all, his pace not slowing down in the slightest!

Just as he was about to stride into the dense forest, a tremendous force suddenly struck from behind.

Wu Meng still had one foot stuck in the snow, his outstretched hand unable to retract in time, and he lost his balance.

He swayed a few times but still couldn't steady himself, and he fell face-first into the ground with a thud!

"Mmph!"

The head buried in the snow emitted a muffled groan. Analyzing the tone, it seemed that he had been caught off guard and had a mouthful of snow.

Behind his pitiful body, a young man with a calm expression stood with his arms crossed, watching Wu Meng without any emotion.

His eyelids were slightly lowered, closely observing every move Wu Meng made. If anything unexpected happened, he was ready to kick him again at any moment.

Ying Huo stood nearby, his mouth slightly agape.

Seeing his nearly one-meter-nine tall, burly companion kicked into the snow from mid-air, he felt as if he was experiencing an illusion.

He reached out and pinched his own ear.

Ouch, it hurt.

Ying Huo looked at Qin Fei's harmless, gentle, and delicate face, then recalled his decisive action when faced with extreme danger, and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Looks can be deceiving...

Ying Huo secretly swallowed and rubbed his hands on the hem of his clothes. "Um, is he okay?"

Qin Fei blinked innocently.

"I don't know."

His tone was nonchalant.

"After all, I just lightly touched him. The snow is so soft, there shouldn't be any major problems, right?"

Ying Huo: "…"

Lightly.

Could you really call that a light touch?

He had clearly heard the sound of Wu Meng's bones cracking!

But desperate times called for desperate measures. Qin Fei had kicked out to save Wu Meng's life, and even if his shoulder was broken by the kick, it was what Wu Meng deserved.

Without saying an extra word, he gave Qin Fei a grateful look.

"I'm fine—"

A muffled reply came from the snow.

Wu Meng struggled to get up, flailing his arms.

But whether it was because Qin Fei's kick was too heavy or because Wu Meng had fallen too hard, in any case, after struggling for a while, he couldn't pull his head out of the snow.

Wu Meng: "…"

Help! Help! Help!

He wasn't killed by the mental pollution of the instance, but instead was nearly suffocated in the snow!!

On the brink of death, Wu Meng's mind finally managed to turn, and with a flip of his hands, two long knives materialized from his innate abilities appeared in his palms.

The cold, shiny blades supported him in the snow, and Wu Meng finally succeeded in using them to pull his head out.

"Whew—"

It was truly wonderful to still be able to breathe fresh air!

Only then did Wu Meng realize how terrible what had just happened to him was.

He turned around resentfully, but when he saw the two red handprints on Ying Huo's face, his mood suddenly turned from sorrow to joy.

"Hahahaha!!" Wu Meng laughed heartily, holding his stomach.

Compared to being slapped, he felt more dignified having been kicked in the butt!

Now it was Ying Huo's turn to look aggrieved.

"Stop laughing, let's go back," Ying Huo urged, his face flushed.

Although the dense forest was right in front of them, neither of them, now in their right minds, had any intention of exploring it.

In the rules of the mountain climbing, the part about the dense forest had been contaminated, but based on what they had experienced, the possibility of the dense forest being "dangerous" was far greater than it being "safe."

On this perilous night, the players wanted nothing to do with the dense forest.

Wu Meng opened his attribute panel and found that his SAN value had dropped by more than 20 points in less than five minutes, and now the number was dangerously close to the critical point.

Cold sweat broke out again on Wu Meng's back.

He hurriedly took out a restorative potion and poured it into his mouth, feeling a chill run down his spine.

If it hadn't been for Qin Feifei's kick earlier, who knew what would have happened to him now?

Ying Huo's thoughts were not much different from Wu Meng's at this moment. The two of them were in low spirits, their faces heavy, and they walked forward in silence.

Not until they had gone a long way did Wu Meng忍不住turn to look back.

The dense forest that had been right in front of them was now far behind them. The gnarled trees were blurred by the night, almost blending into the snow. In the depths of the dense forest, a blood-red glow flashed and disappeared.

Wu Meng froze for a moment, rubbing his eyes.

The red light didn't appear again.

...

Compared to these two, Qin Fei was much more relaxed and happy.

The young man had his hands in his pockets, humming a tuneless melody, and his steps on the snow were so light that he seemed to be flying.

System notifications rang incessantly in his ears.

Qin Fei could be sure that after this incident, many of the viewers in Wu Meng and Ying Huo's live streams had already resolutely thrown themselves into his arms.

On the scrolling comment interface that moved with his field of vision, compliments were flying wildly.

"My wife is so strong, my wife is so strong!!"

"The streamer is really strong, calm and rational. I've watched the Snow Mountain instance four or five times, but this is the first time I've seen a streamer who can withstand mental pollution while also pulling their companion back."

"What? You ask why my wife didn't come over when someone called his name? Ah, well, that's probably because the person calling his name wasn't me~~"

"But, am I the only one who spent gold coins to buy the footage of the streamer slapping and rewatched it repeatedly—"

"Me too! Me too! I hate that those two slaps weren't on my face!!!"

Flattery never hurt anyone, and no one disliked hearing praise.

The corners of the youth's mouth rose in pleasure, and the fine eyelashes could not hide the light flowing in his eyes.

An unfamiliar, cheerful bell sounded in his ears, and a moment later, the system notification arrived as expected.

[Congratulations to player Little Qin for receiving a "Spectacular Fireworks" gift from a viewer! The reward points will be settled collectively after the live stream ends.]

"The fireworks prop comes with traffic recommendations. Please continue to work hard, streamer, to bring high-quality content to a wide audience!"

As the announcement fell, a firework display that only Qin Fei could see suddenly bloomed under the deep sky.

The ghost infant, shivering from the cold in its domain, crawled out and perched on Qin Fei's shoulder to watch the spectacle unfold.

On the peak of the mountain, where death and darkness permeated the air, the starry sky glittered brilliantly. Fireworks burst across the heavens like silver blossoms, silent yet deafening.

It was... quite a sight.

A familiar flutter stirred in his heart, as if he had witnessed a similar scene somewhere before.

The black crystal ring on his ring finger emitted a faint warmth. Qin Fei's eyelashes fluttered, and he extended his hand to gently twist the ring.

Was the source of corruption trying to communicate with him?

What did It want to say?

Qin Fei lightly tapped the surface of the ring, but no new sensations came from it. He squinted his eyes and gazed at the sky.

The brief fireworks vanished in an instant.

Even after returning to the tent camp, Qin Fei still felt unsatisfied.

Ying Huo and Wu Meng, still shaken by their experience, squeezed into the large tent. Qin Fei returned to the smaller four-person tent, which was empty.

Startled, he turned around and lifted the curtain of the adjacent tent.

Sure enough, everyone had crowded inside.

Some players sat cross-legged on the ground while others leaned against the sides, hunched over. The nine people filled the not-so-spacious tent to capacity.

The moment Qin Fei entered, the space within the tent became even more cramped.

"You're back," Mi Yang exclaimed upon seeing Qin Fei enter. His eyes brightened momentarily before he irritably tugged at his hair at the back of his head and glared fiercely at Kong Siming in front of him.

Kong Siming had been terrified half to death by one of Qin Fei's ghost stories that afternoon, and the aftereffects lingered until dinner had ended.

When Qin Fei mentioned needing to use the restroom earlier, Kong Siming almost followed him, but Qin Fei managed to shake him off after much effort.

Kong Siming, Mi Yang, and Cen San Ya were originally in the smaller neighboring tent.

At a glance, Qin Fei realized that something must have happened during his absence.

"What's going on?" His gaze swept over Kong Siming's face,

Sweat beads the size of beans trickled down Kong Siming's forehead. His hands repeatedly clenched and released, crumpling a corner of the waterproof mat on the ground into a wrinkled mess.

Mi Yang sighed and tossed something onto the mat in front of Qin Fei's feet.

"Take a look for yourself."

Qin Fei looked down at the square metallic object beneath him, and his pupils suddenly constricted.

Lying on the ground was a smartphone.

It was a brand-new model, without a screen lock password set. Qin Fei picked up the phone from the ground, and the screen automatically lit up.

"This phone..." Qin Fei frowned as he fiddled with it for a moment, sensing something amiss.

"There's something wrong with this phone. Many of the apps can't be opened; it seems the instance has imposed restrictions."

Mi Yang sighed, reaching up to rub his temples wearily.

This phone belonged to Kong Siming, who had taken it out of his inner pocket shortly after Qin Fei left.

Mi Yang had exploded at the time: "Why didn't you take it out earlier if you had a phone?"

After they found Kong Siming, they had asked him targeted questions, including whether he knew any clues worth investigating.

But all Kong Siming did was shake his head, refusing to speak.

Yet now, after half a day had passed, he suddenly produced a phone!

Mi Yang couldn't help but suspect that the guy had done it on purpose.

Thinking about it, Mi Yang glared at Kong Siming again with resentment.

Kong Siming sat slumped in the corner of the tent, his eyes vacant, seemingly oblivious to the light and sounds of the outside world.

"I asked the NPC why only he had a phone and why none of us did."

Mi Yang lowered his voice, speaking in a tone that Kong Siming couldn't hear, to Qin Fei.

"He said that everyone brought phones when they climbed the mountain. We lost ours, probably somewhere during our escape last night."

In short, the only clue they could use now was Kong Siming's phone.

"The only apps that can be opened on Kong Siming's phone are the messaging app and the photo gallery. All other apps are disabled, and there's no signal on the mountain, so we can't access the internet."

Duan Nan added gravely.

"We've already gone through everything we could on the phone. There are some mountaineering-related materials in the photo gallery. The content in the messaging app is limited; there's a group for the Y University Mountaineering Club, but most of the messages are trivial chatter or preparations for the climb."

Ding Li explained.

Qin Fei nodded and swiped through the contents of the photo gallery.

In Kong Siming's phone, there was a folder named "Graduation Trip," containing preparation materials for the graduation mountain climb.

There were details about the mountain itself, nearby cultural stories, climbing routes, and accommodation arrangements.

—Unfortunately, these had little relevance to the players.

Just as recorded in Member No. 1's mountaineering notes, the original destination for Y University Mountaineering Club's graduation trip was another snow mountain named Edelstein not far from this snow mountain.

However, Mount Toromond, where they were now, was a decision made by the mountaineering club on the fly.

Qin Fei directly adjusted the photo album to the most recent date.

Sure enough, on July 10th and 11th, Kong Siming had saved several photos related to Mount Toromond in the album.

One of them was a photo of the map of Mount Toromond.

It was the one that got blown away by the wind in the afternoon.

There were also other photos. From the blurry pixels and the watermark in the lower right corner, it could be determined that these were all screenshots that Kong Siming had saved from his browser search.

Qin Fei swiped through the photos one by one.

Snow mountain.

Snow mountain.

Still a snow mountain.

In the white expanse, there were no landmarks.

In fact, even if there was a photo mixed in that wasn't of Mount Toromond but of Mount Everest or some other snow mountain, the players wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

Qin Fei swiped through a few more photos and finally saw something that piqued his interest.

It was a photo of a building, taken from an indoor angle with dim lighting. The entire photo was dark, barely allowing one to discern the ceiling and walls.

This photo was a screenshot, with text describing the image still visible below it on the webpage.

"Temple in the snows of Mount Toromond, photographed in 1973."

There were a few more photos following it, taken from different angles.

"We also studied these photos earlier," Mi Yang said, noticing Qin Fei zooming in on the photo with two fingers and examining it closely. She got up and walked over to him.

"Unfortunately, we didn't find anything useful."

The photos were too dark, only revealing that the temple was very old, seemingly made of wood. There was nothing in the photos that showed what was enshrined inside the temple.

"I guess there might be a rule in that temple that doesn't allow photography of the deity?" Duan Nan speculated.

After all, this was a common rule in many temples or Taoist monasteries, prohibiting the casual photographing of statues of deities.

Ding Li hung his head dejectedly. "That makes some sense, but who knows?"

They didn't even know where the temple was.

After finally finding a cell phone, they thought they could make progress in the instance dungeon, but instead, they only uncovered more mysteries without any real gains.

It was truly frustrating.

As for NPC Kong Siming, he was uncooperative.

Even Feifei, who could usually win his favor, had limited success. Once the questions touched upon the core of the instance, the NPC would immediately act as if he was about to go crazy.

Whether it was genuine madness or feigned foolishness, they couldn't tell.

Qin Fei didn't respond. He was still zooming in on the last photo.

The photo was a picture of the photographer and the temple together. The man, wearing a thick down jacket, had his face obscured by a hat and a turned-up windproof collar, making his features indiscernible.

He stood at the entrance of the temple, which had a pair of large gray wings printed on the door. They resembled the wings of a butterfly or moth, with an eye looking upward on the left side of the wings and another looking downward on the right.

Wings.

Eyes.

Qin Fei immediately recalled the gray moth that Wu Meng had caught in the snow earlier.

Throughout the photos, the exact location of the temple within the snow mountain was never shown. However, in the final photo taken from outside, showing the left side of the temple's entrance, a shadow caught Qin Fei's attention.

Dark, slender, and straight, if one didn't look carefully, they might mistake it for an image distortion caused by the camera shaking.

But Qin Fei didn't think so.

The young man narrowed his eyes slightly, forming a vague conjecture in his mind.

Qin Fei stood by the entrance of the tent, staring blankly at his phone. The other players didn't know what he was thinking.

Ah Hui and another male player named Guliang from their team were studying the damaged map together. It was the one they had obtained from the neighboring Dawn Squad earlier.

The two of them tried to locate the temple on the map and figure out why they had gotten lost today.

"It just feels weird no matter how you look at it," Ah Hui complained, touching the tip of her nose.

This map was probably quite old, with many details worn away. Ah Hui and Guliang had to use the magnifying glass in their backpacks to barely make out the words on the map.

"The direction we took was correct, exactly as indicated on the map," Ah Hui said.

"And there aren’t any temples marked on this map either."

What was the use of an inaccurate map? Was it deliberately misleading players as part of the instance dungeon?

Ah Hui felt something was off: "If this map is meant to be a distraction, isn’t it too obvious?"

A fake map that could lead people to their doom should at least have the ability to pass for real.

It should be correct in inconsequential areas to confuse the players and make them believe in its content. Only when they were led to a dangerous place would they suddenly realize that there was no turning back.

That was how a fake map should work.

How could it be like this one, where anyone holding it and following it for two kilometers would discover its flaws?

"Then this map is just a piece of scrap paper," Ah Hui couldn’t figure it out. "Could we have made a mistake? Maybe the map is correct, and something else is wrong?"

Guliang didn’t quite understand. "Huh?"

Duan Nan, however, got what Ah Hui meant. "Ah Hui means that the map is right, but we went in the wrong direction."

"That’s right." Ah Hui nodded. After a moment of hesitation, she said, "For example, if the compass is broken…"

They might have been led astray.

There were no compasses in the Central City’s item store. All the compasses they had came from the backpacks of Y University Mountaineering Club members.

Ah Hui felt that these items might not be entirely trustworthy.

Cen San Ya, who had been silent all along, suddenly interjected, "No problem."

"What?" Ah Hui turned to ask, confused.

Cen San Ya: "The compass, no problem."

He couldn’t judge if the map was correct, but the compass did indeed point south.

"Ouch." Ah Hui pinched her nose in frustration.

What Cen San Ya said was very credible, but if the compass was fine, why had they kept going in the wrong direction?

"Perhaps, maybe, the instance dungeon inflicted mental pollution on us?"

When players mentioned words like "instance dungeon," they lowered their voices to avoid being overheard by Kong Siming. They conversed in hushed tones like underground operatives making a secret rendezvous, which was rather exhausting.

Suddenly, a loud shout came from Qin Fei’s side.

"What the f**k?!"

The one who shouted was Ding Li.

Qin Fei was still studying Kong Siming’s phone, with Ding Li and Mi Yang watching closely.

"What happened? What happened?"

Ah Hui and Guliang hurriedly stood up.

Ding Li’s face was pale, as if he had just experienced a great shock. He pointed shakily at the phone screen.

"You, you look…"

Qin Fei closed his eyes and handed over the phone with a grim expression.

The screen displayed the lock screen interface.

Kong Siming’s phone settings were strange. Since there were no secrets, anyone who picked up the phone could bypass the lock screen by pressing the side button and directly access the internal app page.

Qin Fei had swiped down from the top of the phone to reveal the lock screen.

Like most smartphones, all unread messages and notifications were piled on the lock screen.

The Y University Mountaineering Club had entered the snow mountain yesterday morning. Due to the lack of signal in the mountains, the latest notification was from noon yesterday, the 11th, at 12 PM.

But.

When Qin Fei scrolled down, he unexpectedly saw a local news message from early yesterday morning.

"Nineteen-member mountaineering team enters the mountains to commemorate deceased classmate, has been out of contact for over 24 hours, life or death unknown, rescue teams are conducting an all-out search and rescue operation."