Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 347 Difficult Ascent

Chapter 347: Chapter 347 Difficult Ascent

The higher they climbed, the steeper the slope felt, and coupled with the slipperiness of the snow, they all had to tread very carefully.

According to old man Tian’s suggestion, it would be best if a few people were tied together with a rope. If anyone lost their footing and fell, the others could quickly pull them to safety.

However, due to the loss of assets in the avalanche, there were limited ropes available for climbing the snowy mountain, meaning they could not be used casually. They would have to rely on themselves, and their companions around them.

As Gu Fan walked, he slipped once and almost fell down, breaking into a cold sweat. He silently exclaimed how dangerous this was.

"Be careful, slow down." Gu Fan reached out his hand to help Leng Le. He felt quite guilty as he had implicated her. She could have been living safely in her own home, but instead, she had been captured and held hostage, suffering a lot and was now on this dangerous path.

Despite Gu Fan’s constant apologies, Leng Le admired Gu Fan’s willingness to take responsibility and risk coming to Yuxueyun Mountain, and was convinced she hadn’t mistaken his character.

Everyone was surprised by Leng Le’s understanding of Gu Fan. They had originally thought that after Gu Fan had rescued Leng Le, he wouldn’t know how to explain to her, and Leng Le would be angry and blame Gu Fan.

Having such a girlfriend gave Gu Fan comfort. He held onto Leng Le’s hand firmly, carried on with determination, and wore a triumphant smile on his face.

"The power of love is truly great. It makes me want to find a girlfriend." Lu Yi sighed, expressing the envy everyone else felt.

Lin Xi walked with a blank expression, not paying any attention to Gu Fan’s and Leng Le’s affectionate behaviour.

Suddenly, a man from the ancient town slipped and rolled downhill, bumping into three others and sending them tumbling as well. One of them let out a cry as he fell off the cliff.

Seeing this, everyone turned pale, especially those who had a close brush with death. They were so frightened that they almost forgot who they were.

Lu Yi quickly suggested, "Old man Tian, don’t you have any better routes? This one is too close to the edge."

"This is my first mountaineering experience, and I am already grateful that I found this route." Old man Tian felt helpless as he looked at the empty space at the edge and felt the slippery snow under his feet, tension completely took him over.

At this point, everyone had no choice but to follow old man Tian, praying silently that no more accidents would occur.

The higher they climbed, the steeper the slope became. When the incline reached sixty degrees, everyone found it extremely challenging. Each step forward felt like a huge gamble.

With their limited resources and without adequate equipment, this was overly risky. Gu Fan regretted his recklessness because he had underestimated the risks involved in mountaineering, especially if they had no prior training.

Su Hui, watching the long line of people climb up, was very worried. The previous slope was not steep enough for a single person slipping and only three people fell. If it happened again, how many people would be affected?

Owing to the high climbing risks, old man Tian took out thick iron nails and hammered them one by one into the cliff. He then threaded the mountaineering rope through loops he placed around the nails. As long as anyone falling could catch the rope, they would still have a chance to survive. However, there were only limited nails, so old man Tian had to climb quite a distance before he hammered another one in.

Given their limited resources, everyone admired old man Tian for making the best out of the worst. He was the only experienced mountaineer among them.

Ouyang Jin was responsible for the end of the line. He pulled out the last nail and passed it to the person in front of him. It was then continually passed forward until it reached old man Tian.

While climbing, everyone held on to the rope between the iron nails. This gave them much reassurance and they picked up the pace.

"Well done. The old always know the best tricks," everyone admired old man Tian’s method.

When someone accidentally slipped while climbing, they held the rope tightly and did not fall. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Just when everyone thought they would smoothly reach the peak, a sudden gust of wind blew, causing several people to lose their footing and slide down. But they held onto the rope tightly, their only lifeline.

However, the rope and nails could withstand the weight of a single person falling, but they could not bear the weight of several people at once. The nail became loose and fell out from the cliff, then the second nail fell out, and the third. With the rope no longer secured, it could be easily dragged, causing more people to lose their balance. If this continued, it would create a dangerous situation.

"Hold on tight, we must hold on, or it will be the end of us all!" Gu Fan shouted, pulling the rope to reduce the burden on the nails. Lu Yi and Su Hui, and everyone else who could help, were doing the same, desperately trying to regain control of the situation, and they managed to keep the fourth nail from falling.

With the loss of the nail’s support, several people swung towards the side of the mountain, screaming in fear. One of them did not grip the rope tightly and fell down with a chilling scream echoing in the valley.

Those who had slipped steadied themselves again and pulled the rope forcefully to return to their original positions.

"Everyone, pull harder!" Gu Fan used all his strength to pull the rope, ensuring that those who had slid didn’t fall further away.

However, a few others had already slid down, their feet suspended in mid-air and the rope gripped tightly in their hands, as they were on the brink of despair.

Zhuo Hang quickly went over and hammered the three fallen nails back into the cliff. The rope was secure again, and everyone pulled it to help those in need of rescuing.

With everyone’s collective effort, they overcame the crisis. Though they were greatly frightened, thinking about what they had just experienced gave them shivers. If Gu Fan hadn’t shouted out and everyone hadn’t held the rope tightly, the fourth nail would surely have fallen out, and the consequences would be unbearable.

Even if they could have let go of the rope at that time and weren’t dragged down by it, how could they have continued to climb without the ropes and nails?

Just when everyone heaved a sigh of relief, old man Tian said, "Now’s not the time for a break, a real challenge is just beginning."

Listened to what he said, Gu Fan looked up and stiffened as, the closer they were to the summit, the more it was shrouded in cloud and mist making it harder to see the path ahead, increasing the risks.