I am a Big Player
Chapter 301 - 299, Camp No.1 (Second Update)_1

Chapter 301: 299, Camp No.1 (Second Update)_1

Before setting off, the Sherpa people would conduct a formal prayer ritual, for they revered Mount Everest, the Goddess of the Sky, and held their own beliefs.

They even opposed men and women, men with men, or women with women engaging in indescribable acts upon this sacred mountain, and sometimes, when the weather suddenly changed, the Sherpa would point to the skies and say, "Bad luck is coming, surely someone is getting it on."

Of course, they definitely didn’t use the term "getting it on," and Ren He didn’t quite understand their logic...

The Sherpa dictated that one could only officially enter the mountain after the prayer ritual had been performed, but in reality, their faith was always quite adaptable... If their priest did not arrive in time, the Sherpa would tell everyone, "You can enter the God Mountain whenever you want, because the Goddess of the Sky already knows you will make up the ceremony when you come back..."

When the Sherpa said this, Ren He felt right on the spot that he was being bullshitted.

Indeed, not all members of the three teams were as single-minded in their purpose as Xia Boyu; they carried with them their own hidden agendas: negligible celebrity benefits, career leaps, self-consolation, boasting material, and dirty monetary gains.

But once here, who could reach the summit was not going to be changed by such things, it depended on everyone’s own physical condition.

On the first day, everyone safely arrived at Camp One, where all pitched their tents and rested on the spot, having already reached an altitude that the average person cannot endure.

After setting up their tents, everyone in the camp went to bed early, their nerves on edge, starting to feel the burden of the reduced oxygen in their brains.

The entire camp was immersed in this state of exhaustion.

Except for Ren He.

Until now, Ren He did not seem to feel much of anything, in fact, his physical burden was even greater, with just the net weight of his backpack being 3 kilograms, not to mention the contents inside.

As he journeyed to Camp One, he gradually became aware that the air was getting thinner, but his alveoli were still using the oxygen efficiently, as effortlessly as when he climbed Mount Laojun to watch the sunrise...

Although he still didn’t know how he would fare at even higher altitudes, his physical condition was already surpassing all the climbers, and even if he found himself affected by the thin air during his final ascent, he could at least be certain of one thing—he would still be the strongest among the three teams...

The camp was located beside an ice cliff, which protected everyone from the massive cold winds coming down from the mountain; Ren He stood on the edge of the cliff, looking over the cloud layer below and the towering mountain range, actually feeling excited.

He yelled out as he used to do on other mountains to vent, "Ah!"

Everyone else in the camp was bewildered, what’s with this guy, he’s so energetic, damn!

Anyway, by now everyone knew one thing, among the 21 people from the three teams, there was one freakishly strong individual; they were sure that if they successfully summited and went home to boast to their friends, they would definitely mention him, because this youngster who seemed unfazed at such high altitude was just too extraordinary!

Of course, there were also those who thought Ren He was just a brash rookie on his first Everest trip who didn’t know how to conserve his energy or nurture his vitality.

In the evening, when everyone gathered to eat, nibbling on dry, cold, and hard food, they shared their experiences and thoughts slowly—a conversation and interaction with others was actually quite helpful for mental adjustment in this environment. Ren He, with nothing better to do, suggested, "How about we play a murder mystery game together?"

He was also curious about how wide the murder mystery game had spread internationally. As expected, everyone knew about the game, including the Americans, which showed that the game had quite an impact. Besides, there were no communication devices on the mountain, and apart from sleep, there was only sleep and waiting for the next morning to continue the journey, so it really was boring.

When everyone realized that Ren He seriously wanted to play a murder mystery game, they all silently stared at him...

Their brains, sluggish from the lack of oxygen, were already struggling to function properly, and here he was, wanting to play such a mentally taxing game—was he trying to ruin his teammates...? Hmm?

But by then, they truly realized Ren He wasn’t some clueless kid; he really had no problems whatsoever!

When everyone spoke, their speaking rhythm was obviously much slower, their expressions betrayed a touch of fatigue, and their emotions seemed slightly low.

However, Ren He spoke as quickly as ever, his thought process was unaffected, and his face was brimming with joy—a happiness that comes from being on the brink of realizing a dream...

It’s like they weren’t all climbing the same mountain... right?!

Everyone felt their physical strength had been insulted and silently returned to their tents to rest.

Earlier, they had said he was inexperienced, called him a clueless youngster who didn’t know how to conserve energy, and claimed he was just a rich kid courting death. Now, thinking about it, they felt slaps of pain on their faces.

Did he even need to conserve energy? Conserve my ass, some even thought it was very likely that he’d be the same damn way when he got to the top of Mount Everest.

The American team members were baffled. Were the young people of China really this formidable now? Or had America’s national power declined?!

It’s like running a marathon, thinking you have the potential to win, only to feel like dying halfway through, while someone else crosses the finish line effortlessly, already popping champagne to celebrate.

At this point, they didn’t even know Ren He’s real name. An Si had registered with his own name instead of using Ren He’s, and during self-introductions in the team, Ren He simply asked everyone to call him An Si.

This once led to a situation where Smeier would call for Ren He, and An Si would reflexively turn around...

It was only when his photos were posted on TK’s official website that everyone would realize he was Knight.

He had no other concerns, just worried whether Ren and Mrs. Ren could accept his doing such a thing. For parents, no matter how great the honor you achieve is, it’s not as valuable as your life.

Compared to Ren He’s life, they would probably have preferred that he had never climbed Mount Everest or even entertained such thoughts.

While parents do hope for their children’s success, much of that is based on their concern about whether their children can take care of themselves after they’re gone, rather than hoping their children bring glory to the country or achieve great honor.

In times of war, parents always hope others will go to the battlefield; they want their children to stay safe. It might seem selfish, but Ren He understood this selfishness, as did many others.

If Ren He were a father in the future, he probably wouldn’t let his child do something so dangerous either. In fact, most people feel the same way; parental love for their children is a unique and profound kind of love.

It’s just the pity of every parent in the world, and Ren He didn’t want to worry them too much.

Of course, he couldn’t say when this delicate matter would come to light; he just hoped that Ren and Mrs. Ren would find out as late as possible.

And who knows what the group would think after summiting Mount Everest and then returning home only to discover they had been teammates with Knight for a month but had never seen his true face, and even the name they knew was wrong...

...

As usual, take a bite of food, and seeing this, are you happy...?