I am a Big Player
Chapter 371 - 369, The Courage to be Placed in a Deadly Situation (First Update)_1

Chapter 371: 369, The Courage to be Placed in a Deadly Situation (First Update)_1

Time, 9:00 AM.

In front of Half Dome stood a silent crowd, waiting for Ren He, who also quietly stood there, mentally reviewing the route he was about to take.

The more than 600 meters of vertical cliff face was a brand-new challenge for Ren He, even more so because he would be climbing without any protective measures.

He adjusted his breathing, positioning the chalk bag at the most convenient spot on his waist. Ren He was wearing professional-level climbing shoes that snugly encased his feet, and the special rubber soles maximized the friction between his foot or toe and the rock face.

Everything was ready. Ren He looked up at the sheer cliff in front of him, yet another peak he was to conquer in his life, nothing to be afraid of.

He turned back and smiled at the silent crowd, and suddenly raised his right arm, giving a thumbs-up, just as he did every time he was about to face a life-or-death experience!

Begin!

All the onlookers were jolted to attention— it was starting!

Liu Erbao shouted into the walkie-talkie, "All camera positions, get ready; drones must not interfere with his climb and maintain a safe distance! Begin!"

Indeed, in the realm of free solo climbing, there is an expectation regarding the time taken to conquer a cliff. It’s not about completing it in a specific amount of time, but rather in comparing climbers, the person who ascends the same peak in the least amount of time is considered stronger, an unspoken rule among climbers.

However, they suddenly realized that Ren He’s silhouette on the cliff moved like a nimble monkey— so fast!

An Si was anxious, "You have no rope protection, don’t take unnecessary risks!"

But Ren He had no other voices in his ears, his heart was only focused on the cliff face, and in his world, he was the only one left!

The staff from TK down below suddenly noticed that Ren He’s free solo climbing was quite different from the others. What was the difference? People racked their brains to understand, but couldn’t figure it out!

Suddenly someone exclaimed, "Holy shit, did you notice? He doesn’t even need to check his route, it’s as if he doesn’t need to think at all to find his next foothold!"

Upon reflection, it seemed indeed true. Ren He’s transitions between holds were extraordinarily smooth, at times he didn’t even look before reaching out, which is why someone noticed this peculiarity.

That was a bit terrifying, wasn’t it? The entire cliff face was imprinted on his mind?! How was that possible?!

Yet if they said it was impossible, the fact was right before their eyes, leaving them no choice but to believe!

This was the first time they were witnessing Knight’s challenge in person, and in this moment, they understood that witnessing it firsthand was far more thrilling than watching it in a video.

Everyone’s palms were sweating, as if it was not the Knight climbing the cliff like a gecko, but themselves.

No one understood why Knight wanted to climb so fast. It would have been enough to prove himself to the world just by climbing without protection, so why strive for speed?

In fact, up to that point in history, what was the fastest record for free solo climbing Half Dome? With the aid of equipment and ropes, five days!

Yes, for this distance of 600 meters, it took five days, with periods resting in tents nailed into the cliff face.

But Ren He was not satisfied with this achievement, because he knew that in a previous lifetime, the fastest record was six hours!

Comparing five days with six hours, the difference was vast as heaven and earth. The six-hour record was set by a young man named Honnold, a master level figure in the free solo climbing world without a doubt.

Why was he able to be so much faster than others? Because, like Ren He, he gave up any ropes and equipment, relying solely on his own body. In fact, this proved to be the fastest way to conquer a cliff face— no fixed ropes, no wasted time, this was the rawest thrill of conquest!

Before Honnold, a master who revolutionized the realm of free solo climbing, had emerged, Ren He could have climbed slowly, but he didn’t because Honnold’s benchmark was already in his heart. What he was doing right now was definitely not about proving anything to the world...

At the foot of the mountain, An Si watched Ren He’s figure and calmly said, "He no longer needs to prove anything to the world. He needs to prove to himself that his dream is right."

Exactly, what An Si said was precisely what was on Ren He’s mind. Since he had set foot on this path, there was no need to cling to his current achievements; if he was to do it, he must be the best!

Ren He was risking his life to reach the edge of his dreams, not for the world’s applause. Applause and flowers he could give to himself.

In his heart, there was already a Honnold, and he knew for a fact that someone had conquered this sheer cliff without protective measures in six hours. Ren He couldn’t fool himself into thinking that just by climbing without protection, he could become the first in a parallel universe; he was not content with that.

It was his own heart he could not convince, knowing well that his physical condition was stronger than Honnold’s, knowing that he could do it too, so why not do it?

Reality’s dream probably goes like this: why wouldn’t I do it?

I can surely achieve it too!

Ren He had to give his dream an explanation, one that was not careless, an explanation of full commitment!

Just like the moment he leapt from Mount Everest with a "Leap of Faith," from then on, he disregarded life or death.

This was a challenge about courage. In fact, for many people, the essence of extreme sports isn’t just about pushing limits but also the courage to willingly put oneself in dire situations amidst ordinary life.

TK’s staff never thought that Ren He could be so fast, not even Liu Erbao had expected it. Liu had prepared countless spare batteries for every piece of equipment, ready to replace them as soon as they were depleted.

Everyone was prepared for a drawn-out battle, but Ren He informed them, "You won’t have to wait too long, I’m about to overturn your common sense."

This feeling was truly strange.

Ren He continued to climb upwards, and only when his fingers tightly grasped those fine rock crevices could he ignore the vast emptiness beneath his feet.

Why had no one dared to challenge this sheer cliff unprotected and without equipment? Because at a certain distance along the hundreds of meters of cliff face, there was only a slanting rock fissure winding upwards where one could leverage their climb.

At this spot, traditional three-point anchoring became useless, climbers without gear could only hook their fingers tight into this crevice, climbing upwards like performing a pull-up!

Doing pull-ups on a horizontal bar is simple, but what if the bar is tilted at a 70-degree angle? Moreover, while one can grip the bar firmly, they can only insert their fingers into the crevice. Ren He also needed to climb up a vertical distance of six meters under such conditions, which any other master-level free solo climbers would find unbelievable.

But Ren He indeed did it!

Everyone knew this was the hardest part of the entire cliff face; if Ren He could overcome this, then the rest of the route would no longer pose any difficulty for him.

Cheers erupted from both above and below the cliff as they could hardly believe that Ren He had actually done it!

When Ren He gripped the rock fissure with his fingers and let go of his footholds, it was as if he had entrusted his fate to the cliff.

Everyone could see Ren He’s tensed arm muscles outside his short sleeves, as solid as steel!

This is the Knight!

This is the Knight they adored!