The Non-Existent Mountain

Seven of us went mountain climbing, but after a snowstorm, the climbers died mysteriously one after another.

Strange footprints on the snow, mysterious flames in the night, strange shadows flashing by…

Finally, we found that we were climbing a mountain that didn’t exist at all…

01

It was dark in the tent and I sat on the ground with my knees hugged in a daze.

I don’t know when the signal came in the upper right corner of the phone screen.

I saw the news being pushed: “It has been five days since the seven-member college mountaineering team went missing, and the search and rescue team has not found any clues… We are now providing photos of the seven missing people. Anyone with information is requested to contact the local police in a timely manner…”

The face in the third photo below is familiar.

Every day when I look in the mirror I see…

That’s my own face.

This is the fifth day since I went missing, and my phone can still receive messages when there is occasional signal.

But I couldn’t send any messages or make any calls.

We are…trapped in this snowy mountain.

Because we were climbing a mountain that didn’t exist.

…

During our graduation trip half a month ago, my roommate Yin Jia suggested we go mountain climbing.

Because we had already signed the contract and were all busy during graduation, we moved the trip forward to the last winter break before graduation.

“Wouldn’t it be the best graduation trip to put our names on the top of a snowy mountain?!”

Hearing her say that, I was a little moved.

When we go out to play, we usually go to amusement parks, beaches, ancient cities… but it really becomes boring after a long time.

This is my first time climbing a snowy mountain.

But we all had no experience, and climbing a snowy mountain is no joke. If we weren’t careful we might end up in the news.

“None of us have been there before. Isn’t it a bit dangerous?” Zhang Li, who was on the upper bunk, was also a little hesitant.

“fine!”

There was a hint of pride in Yin Jia’s tone: “My boyfriend is in the mountaineering club, and he has climbed Mount Everest.”

“We are planning to go to Mount Laclede this time. It’s only over a thousand meters high. It’s just a drizzle for him. It will be easy for him to lead us.”

Yin Jia does have reason to be proud.

She is a pretty, rich girl. Not only is she pretty, but her family is also middle class in the standard sense.

Her boyfriend is called He Zhi, a second-generation rich man who is over 1.80 meters tall with regular features. The combination of the two of them can be said to be a dream combination of fair, wealthy and beautiful women and tall, rich and handsome men.

Zhang Li and I were both somewhat persuaded, especially when we saw the photos of snow-capped mountains that Yin Jia showed us. The huge white snow-capped mountains, with their backs to the sunset sky, were coated with a layer of golden halo, which was extremely spectacular.

It’s really beautiful.

Only Liu Xiaoyan remained silent.

We all know that Liu Xiaoyan’s family conditions are not very good, and she usually does not participate in activities like this.

Zhang Li lowered her head, and we looked at each other and tacitly stopped talking.

If they can’t go, there’s no need for us to discuss it in front of them and hurt their feelings.

Unexpectedly, Liu Xiaoyan spoke out of character: “Take me with you, I’ll go too.”

We were all a little surprised, but no one asked her where the money came from.

Of course it would be best if she could go to the same dormitory, maybe it was the money she saved from working part-time.

After all, although Liu Xiaoyan’s family conditions are not good, she is very beautiful and has a devilish figure.

She can usually earn several thousand yuan as a part-time car model. If it weren’t for her younger brother who begged her for money like a bottomless pit, she could actually live a good life.

Liu Xiaoyan said with a smile: “Jia Jia, is it okay for your boyfriend to take care of the four of us?”

Yin Jia was stunned for a moment.

“There are also two of their friends who are also in the club, plus there are seven of us.”

Liu Xiaoyan nodded and said nothing more.

…

The preparation process went smoothly, and a week later, we followed Yin Jia’s boyfriend He Zhi to the foot of the snow-capped mountains.

Facing the snow-capped mountains head-on, the impact is incomparable to what can be seen in photos.

Within sight, snow-capped mountains stretch to the horizon, reflecting the golden rays of light.

It is said that after Pangu died, his hands, feet and body turned into mountains. The Hora Mountains are so spectacular that they really look like the body of a giant buried here.

We looked at it for a long time before we came back to our senses. We planned to stay at the foot of the mountain for one night and climb the mountain again the next morning.

The Khora Mountains are located on the Sino-Russian border, half in Russia and half in China.

The peak we wanted to climb, Mount Laclede, was within the country, so no further paperwork was required.

The local people are mainly Tibetans, and there is a small group called Yinggulha people, but because their number is too small they are not counted as a separate ethnic minority.

The Yinggula people have guarded the Hola Mountains from generation to generation and have never moved away.

The owner of the B&B we stayed in was a native of Yinggulala.

When he heard that we were going to hike, he came over with great interest and told us some knowledge about the Hora Mountains.

“Do you know what the Hola in Hola Mountains means?”

Zhang Li guessed, “Snow-white?”

“No.” The boss shook his head in somewhat broken Chinese.

He Zhi’s friend Zhang Chengyi thought for a moment and said, “Does it mean amazing?”

The boss hesitated for a moment and said, “It’s almost done.”

“I know,” said another friend of He Zhi, a rich second-generation man named Zou Chengmin, “It’s God’s will.”

“That’s right!” the boss gave a thumbs up.

“Hora means God. This mountain is our sacred mountain, blessing us to live better.”

“So when you climb the mountain, you must respect the mountain, so that the gods will protect you.”

Liu Xiaoyan smiled and said, “What does He Lacle mean? Is this also God’s will?”

The boss’s expression suddenly changed.

His dark complexion suddenly darkened, and every wrinkle seemed to be filled with fear.

“You guys are going to climb Mount Watakle?!”

I realized something was wrong and asked, “Boss, what does it mean to be with Lachler? Is it bad?”

The boss lowered his head, his scattered hair blocking his eyes, making it impossible to see his expression.

After a while, he whispered.

“And Lacle means death.

“And Mount Lacle, the mountain of death.

“No one who climbed that mountain came down alive.”

02

The boss’s words were like a bucket of cold water poured over my head, extinguishing my original excitement and excitement.

I wanted to climb a different mountain, but no one seemed to care about the name of the mountain.

“What are you afraid of? Do you understand feudal superstition? We are all atheists. Where do gods and ghosts come from?”

Yin Jia was a little disdainful. She took out the photo and showed it to me: “Look how beautiful this mountain is, how can it be the mountain of death!

“Besides, what he said is all old news. No one has climbed this mountain since liberation. The mountain was only just lifted from the ban.

“How could people not die if they climbed a snowy mountain without any equipment before liberation?”

“Yes,” He Zhi agreed, “The equipment we have now is the most advanced. We are the first group to climb this snowy mountain after liberation, so we can leave our name in the world!”

I pursed my lips and said nothing.

Now that everyone has decided to go, I can’t object anymore.

I comforted myself, Yin Jia was right, it was just superstition. Could it be that if it was called the Mountain of Death, would we really die if we went up there?

That’s too mysterious.

If I could go back to this moment, I would stop myself even if I tried my best.

It’s a pity that there are no ifs in this world.

We are destined to enter this non-existent…

Mountain of Death.

However, I still slept very uneasily that night.

Maybe I sensed danger subconsciously, and in my dream I seemed to be chased by something and couldn’t break free.

I seemed to be trapped and no matter how hard I ran I couldn’t escape.

In extreme horror I looked back.

The one chasing me was a woman.

She lowered her head, a strange smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and she said softly, “You can’t leave, so stay.”

When she raised her head, I broke out in a cold sweat.

This woman actually has a face exactly like mine!

I sat up suddenly, and the cold sweat on my forehead soaked the pillow.

At midnight, it was pitch black outside the window.

The curtains of the homestay windows were not drawn tightly, and through the gaps, the snow-capped mountains in the distance formed a dark outline in the night.

It’s like a monster lurking quietly waiting to devour its prey.

I suddenly felt very scared and couldn’t help looking around.

When I saw this, I was stunned.

There are not many rooms in the B&B, and except for He Zhi, we all sleep in pairs in one room.

Yin Jia and He Zhi did not slept together. Yin Jia did not advocate sex before marriage. She and He Zhi had been together for two years and never went out to get a room. Therefore, she lived in the same room with Zhang Li, and I lived in the same room with Liu Xiaoyan.

But now, the bed on my left side is empty.

Liu Xiaoyan is no longer in bed.

In an instant, a chill ran up my back and rushed straight to my brain.

The nightmare just now, the snow-capped mountains at night, and the disappeared Liu Xiaoyan.

Fear suddenly gripped my brain. I could hardly think or move. I could only curl up on the bed with my eyes open.

After an unknown amount of time, there was a sound of a key turning in the door.

My eyes moved to the door lock, and it moved. A dark shadow quietly pushed the door open.

My pupils dilated and I dared not make a sound as I stared at the figure.

With the faint moonlight outside the window, I saw the person’s curvy figure.

At this moment, she was taking off her windbreaker and tiptoeing onto the bed.

My stiff body softened and cold sweat ran down my forehead.

It’s Liu Xiaoyan.

But then I realized that there was a separate bathroom in the room.

What is Liu Xiaoyan doing outside so late at night?

…

The next morning, He Zhi came knocking on the door.

After breakfast, we followed him to the foot of the mountain.

To be fair, Mount Helakle is indeed a very beautiful snow-capped mountain.

The sharp wind blew away all the dirt in the air, and the sky appeared a high, clear blue.

The Lacle Mountain stands majestically before us, with its back against this pure blue, with a dreamy solemnity and beauty.

The temperature had already dropped below zero, and the biting cold wind felt like a knife cutting my face.

But everyone was very happy and took out their phones to take pictures.

The suppressed fear in my heart was blown away by the wind, and I was infected by everyone’s emotions and became happy.

The road was easier to walk at the beginning, but Yin Jia still acted coquettishly towards He Zhi, “I’m scared, please pull me along~”

He Zhi smiled helplessly, wrapped his face towel tightly and held Yin Jia’s hand.

However, what was a little strange was that I saw him look back at Liu Xiaoyan.

Wearing hiking sunglasses, I couldn’t see his eyes clearly, I could only see that his gaze seemed to linger on Liu Xiaoyan for a moment.

A guess suddenly came to my mind.

Liu Xiaoyan went out last night. Could she have gone to see He Zhi?

Probably not, I shook off the random thoughts in my mind.

How is that possible?

It was the first time for several of us to climb a snow mountain. Although it was only a thousand meters high, it was still a bit strenuous.

Although we said we were here to hike, it was more like a snowy mountain walk for us.

We were not in a hurry to reach the top, it was more important to enjoy the beautiful scenery on the mountain.

The initial plan was that we would stay in the mountains for 2-3 nights and then return.

The road on the snowy mountain is difficult to walk on, especially since no one has climbed this mountain for decades. We took every step very carefully, fearing any accidents.

Fortunately, Mount Lacle is not very steep, so although it was a bit difficult, the process was still smooth.

We had a quick lunch, planning to have a proper dinner after setting up camp.

All I could see was a vast expanse of white, with occasional exposed black rocks. I tripped and my feet went soft.

Zou Chengmin quickly reached out and pulled me.

He held me and turned his head to ask with concern: “Are you okay?”

Zou Chengmin is He Zhi’s childhood friend and it is said that they are in the same circle.

Rich second-generations like them whose families have some money are generally very arrogant.

I could vaguely feel that He Zhi had an unconcealable condescending attitude when treating Yin Jia and us.

But Zou Chengmin is different, he is very polite and has no airs at all.

What’s more, he looks good and it’s easy for people to like him.

I stood up with his support and thanked him, “It’s okay, thank you!”

Zou Chengmin chuckled and said nothing more.

The three men all had a lot of mountain climbing experience and walked easily, but the four of us women soon became unable to walk anymore.

The snow on the mountain was covered in layers, and ice had already formed underneath, so you had to be very careful with every step you took.

The snow was so deep in places that it went up to my knees when I stepped in, and before long my shoes were damp with icy cold and my toes were stinging.

Yin Jia took He Zhi’s hand and said coquettishly, “I can’t walk anymore, baby, let’s take a break.”

He Zhi stopped and looked around, then pointed to a protruding rock in front of him and said, “Okay, that’s all for today. We’ll camp here tonight and leave tomorrow.”

Yin Jia came closer and wanted to lean on him, but He Zhi turned his head to look at Liu Xiaoyan, and pushed her away awkwardly, saying, “Someone is here, let’s go.”

I walked behind and clearly saw that Liu Xiaoyan was looking in the direction of He Zhi.

Now I am basically certain that there is definitely something going on between these two people.

I frowned, feeling a little disgusted.

There are three-legged men everywhere on the street, why do you have to rob the one around you?

I didn’t think Liu Xiaoyan was this kind of person before. Although she was not well off and sometimes took advantage of others, it was harmless.

But Yin Jia and He Zhi had been dating for two years, and were about to graduate and get married, and she intervened like this…

I hesitated whether to remind Yin Jia, but after all, I had no substantial evidence, so I couldn’t say anything.

…

But I didn’t expect that this matter would be exposed so quickly.

In the evening, the snow-capped mountains are facing the golden sky, and the sea of ​​clouds and the sunset glow are rolling together, as beautiful as a painting.

A few of us stood on a rock on the mountainside taking pictures, and the sounds of shutter clicks became continuous.

Now I understand why the Yinggula people call this mountain a sacred mountain.

Actually standing here, facing the holy snow-white mountains, breathing the chilly fresh air, I just feel like my whole body is purified.

Zou Chengmin came up and whispered, “Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Yeah.” I nodded.

I thought he would say something like, “It’s just like that after a while, it’s just like that.” But he looked at the mountains and the sunset in the distance and sighed:

“Mount Laclere is really beautiful. I have climbed many mountains before, but I have never seen such beautiful scenery.”

“Yes, but why would such a mountain become the mountain of death?

Zou Chengmin thought for a moment and tilted his head, “Maybe because the most charming is the most dangerous?”

…

He actually started singing, and I was amused by him.

“Let’s go, it’s time to set up the tent.”

He saw that I smiled, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he waved me to go back.

I followed him back to set up the tent, but saw Zhang Chengyi and Zhang Li arguing not far away.

Zhang Li held a rope in her hand and shouted, “Isn’t it just asking you to help tie a rope? Are you still a man?”

Zhang Chengyi sneered: “I’ve never seen anyone so arrogant when asking for help. Aren’t you that capable? Then do it yourself.”

As he said this, he threw the rope in his hand and turned away.

Zhang Li’s eyes turned red, and she stared at his back angrily and cursed, “What the hell!”

“What the hell did you say?!”

Zhang Chengyi turned his head, a hint of ferocity flashing between his eyebrows.

He was a big and strong man with dark skin, and from a distance he looked like a black bear.

Now that he’s lost his temper, he looks even more terrifying.

Zhang Chengyi spat on the ground and pointed at Zhang Li, saying, “Do you fucking believe that I’m going to beat you up? Why don’t you take a piss and look at your ugly face? I’m afraid I’ll have nightmares if I look at you too much!”

A few of us rushed over to stop the fight, and Zou Chengmin pulled Zhang Chengyi away: “Stop talking!”

I helped Zhang Li, who was wiping her tears, into the tent that had been set up nearby.

“What’s wrong? Why are you quarreling when you didn’t even see me?”

Zhang Li wiped away her tears, which had already frozen into small pieces of ice. Her eyes were red and swollen as she choked up and said, “I’ve never seen such a stupid man before!

“I saw him helping Liu Xiaoyan tie the rope, so I asked him to help me too.

“Who would have thought that he didn’t even look at me, and told me to take care of my own business.

“Then why did he go to help Liu Xiaoyan? Wasn’t it because she was pretty?!”

Zhang Li’s tears kept flowing and her fists were clenched tightly.

“Damn, is it a big deal to be pretty? Don’t think I didn’t see her flirting with He Zhi. How shameless!”

I knew she was taking her anger out on me, but since she was so angry I could only pat her on the back and console her:

“Okay, don’t be angry, it’s not worth it. I’ll help you tie the rope later, okay?”

Zhang Li didn’t say anything and bit her lips.

I sighed inwardly.

In fact, the seeds of conflict between Zhang Li and Liu Xiaoyan had been planted long ago.

To be fair, Zhang Li is not very good-looking, with dark skin, small eyes and buck teeth.

She had previously had a crush on a senior and had been pursuing him for several months, bringing him food and water and being very attentive.

But she didn’t expect that the senior would keep her hanging and then confess his feelings to Liu Xiaoyan.

He also said that it was Zhang Li who was pestering him, and that was why he looked down on people like her.

Somehow Zhang Li found out about this, and their relationship cooled from then on.

However, Zhang Li was a person with a sharp tongue but a soft heart, and she soon let the matter go.

Who would have thought that this would happen again today.

I poured her a cup of hot water and planned to go out for a look. Unexpectedly, as soon as I went out, I saw Liu Xiaoyan standing at the door of the tent.

She stood there holding a thermos cup for who knows how long.

Seeing me come out, a trace of embarrassment flashed across her face. She glanced at me and turned away.

It seems that she heard what Zhang Li just said.

…

What is going on? It’s such a mess on my first day here.

I felt a little uncomfortable, so after dinner I went back to the tent and lay down.

But I didn’t expect that something even more troublesome was yet to come.

In the middle of the night, the tent next door suddenly lit up.

I crawled out of my sleeping bag and nudged Zhang Li: “What’s going on?”

The flashlight was shaking everywhere. I was a little scared, so I pulled Zhang Li out of the tent.

With the help of the flashlight, I saw two people fighting not far away.

Yin Jia cried out loudly, “You stinky bitch, do you have any shame?! You’re stealing other people’s boyfriends and paying for them, aren’t you a slut?!”

I was shocked.

Yin Jia has always been a girl who never swears, but the fact that she could say such words shows that she must be really angry.

I turned my head and looked at Zhang Li, and we both understood what the other meant.

It is likely that Liu Xiaoyan went to He Zhi’s tent again in the middle of the night and was discovered by Yin Jia.

Yin Jia grabbed Liu Xiaoyan’s hair and said viciously, “You son of a bitch, you are so shameless!”

Liu Xiaoyan felt the pain and became angry, so she grabbed Yin Jia’s hair.

“You guys aren’t fucking married, so it’s not okay for He Zhi and I to like each other?!

“Look at your body, if I were a man I’d wilt if I saw it!”

…

The two men were fighting each other, and He Zhi just stood aside and watched blankly, saying in a daze, “Stop fighting… Stop fighting…”

…In the end, a strand of hair was pulled off Liu Xiaoyan’s head, and Yin Jia also had bruises on his face.

The cold wind from the snowy mountains in the middle of the night was enough to penetrate a person’s bones. Neither of them wore much clothing and they were so cold that they returned to their tents.

Before going back, Yin Jia glanced at He Zhi and said coldly:

“I will go down the mountain tomorrow. You two bastards will die on the mountain.”

We all thought it was just a rant.

Who would have thought that the next morning, when everyone got up, Yin Jia was the only one nowhere to be seen.

I thought she was still angry and planned to open the tent to talk her out.

But as soon as I walked into her tent, I was stunned.

The tent door had been opened and the sleeping bags inside were empty.

Yin Jia is missing.

03

My first reaction was that she had gone out to find a place to go to the toilet.

However, we all looked around the area but couldn’t find anyone.

He Zhi’s face darkened and he hesitated, “Could she really have gone down the mountain by herself?”

“Impossible!” Zou Chengmin retorted, “Her things are still there. Nothing was taken away except her clothes.”

“Yes.” Zhang Chengyi bent down and took out two trekking poles from the tent. “If you don’t bring these, that’s not going down the mountain. That’s seeking death.”

…

Where on earth could a living person have gone?!

We all became a little anxious. Zhang Li nudged me and whispered, “Do you think Jia Jia couldn’t bear the shock? In the middle of the night…”

She didn’t say anything more, but I understood her meaning.

No matter what, if she was still alive, she would probably die soon on this snowy mountain alone without any equipment.

Whether she jumped off a cliff or left in anger, this is not something we can solve.

Zou Chengmin simply packed up his things and said to us, “There is no signal here. We must hurry down the mountain to ask for help. Let’s go.”

When they arrived, everyone was laughing and in high spirits.

When they left, everyone looked solemn and said nothing.

None of us wants to imagine the worst outcome, even though we all know it.

Yin Jia was a weak little girl with nothing on her.

There was no way she could survive on this snowy mountain.

I suddenly thought of what the boss said to us before leaving.

After a while, he whispered:

“And Lacle means death.

“And Mount Lacle, the mountain of death.

“No one who climbed that mountain came down alive.”

…

It took us less than a day to climb the mountain, but strangely, we didn’t see the foot of the mountain until after six in the afternoon.

All we could see was a vast expanse of white snow, as if we were still on the mountainside.

Zhang Chengyi’s expression turned a little ugly.

“I feel like something is wrong…”

Zou Chengmin also noticed this problem and turned to ask He Zhi: “Ah Zhi, is the route you are leading okay? We have already walked an hour longer than when we went up.”

He Zhi said anxiously, “How could there be a problem? I have climbed at least 50 mountains, if not 100, and I followed the same route I came here!

“Look—”

He pulled out a hiking compass, the rest of the words stuck in his throat.

The compass needle is spinning wildly.

“No, that’s impossible!” He Zhi said in horror, “It was fine just now!”

…

We looked at each other and started to panic.

We seem to be lost.

04

The wind howled and became fierce, mixed with ice and snow all over the sky.

Even with a face towel on I could still feel the pain from being scratched.

Zou Chengmin looked at the sky and said with a hint of heaviness in his voice: “A snowstorm is coming. We have to find a place to hide quickly.”

We came down in a hurry and forgot to take many things with us. All we had left were two tents.

Zhang Chengyi walked down for a while in the wind and snow, then came up to greet us.

His voice was broken by the strong wind: “There is a place ahead… follow me!”

We managed to pitch the tent in a sheltered spot, and by the time I got inside, my hands had become numb from the initial stinging pain.

Fortunately, the water in the thermos is still warm.

I wrapped myself tightly in my sleeping bag, drank some water, and finally felt a little more alive.

The tent can accommodate two people at most, and now there are three people crammed in. It’s a bit crowded and it’s difficult to even turn over.

After a moment of silence, Zhang Li asked, “Yin Jia… Is Yin Jia still alive?”

Her voice was trembling.

I didn’t say anything. Liu Xiaoyan beside me lowered her head and her body trembled slightly.

If she still had a glimmer of hope before, then after this snowstorm, Yin Jia no longer had any chance of survival.

She left without a tent, sleeping bag, food or water.

It was just like last night, she was wearing only the clothes and quietly walked into the endless night.

I don’t think she is the kind of person who would seek death after being betrayed by her boyfriend, and she also said last night that she would go down the mountain today.

So what happened in the middle of the night that caused Yin Jia to leave without hesitation…

I glanced at Liu Xiaoyan who was sobbing slightly.

Or…

Was she actually murdered?

Things are getting more and more complicated.

…

The sound of wind and snow outside was getting louder and louder, and the strong wind blew ice chips against the tent, making a bang.

I curled up in my sleeping bag and stared blankly at the roof of the tent.

Everything was out of control. This Mountain of Death gave us a severe blow on our first day up here.

No one who climbs this mountain can survive.

Now Yin Jia is the first to verify this statement.

What about us?

Can we survive?

I am deeply confused.

It quickly got dark, but the wind and snow outside showed no signs of abating.

We ate some quick food and went to bed.

In the dark night, the wind whistled and screamed, like the roar of a wild beast.

I was a little scared, so I shrank inside and squeezed together with Zhang Li.

“Hey, Ying Lu, wake up!”

I don’t know how much time had passed before someone pushed me awake and I sat up in a daze.

Zhang Li was wearing a jacket, her face livid: “The tent is going to collapse!”

I woke up with a start. The wind outside had died down a lot, but the tent was tilted and creaking harshly.

“Come out quickly!” She pulled Liu Xiaoyan and me out of the tent.

As soon as we came out, the tent fell to the ground with a bang.

I walked over to take a look with lingering fear, and perhaps because the wind was too strong just now, a rope on the left had been blown loose.

Fortunately, the overall structure was not damaged. Zou Chengmin and He Zhi came over and helped us tie the tent up again.

After setting up the tent, He Zhi took out the compass and looked at it again.

The pointer was still moving rapidly, with no sign of stopping.

In the dead of night, everyone looked at each other, and a chill ran down their spines.

“What the hell is going on in this place?”

Zhang Chengyi took the compass and shook it vigorously: “Is this thing broken?”

Zou Chengmin said nothing, but took out an identical mountaineering compass from his pocket, and the needle was spinning rapidly.

The snow-capped mountains in the night are rugged and strange in shape, like a crawling monster with its fishy mouth wide open towards us.

He Zhi turned back to the tent and took out a signal gun.

“There’s nothing else to do. Let’s try to ask for help first. Maybe someone can see us.”

As he said that, he fired a shot into the sky. A dazzling light rose into the sky and exploded violently.

After firing three rounds in a row, He Zhi put the gun back into his pocket and forced out a somewhat ugly smile.

“Go back to sleep. Maybe a helicopter will come to pick us up from the mountain tomorrow morning.”

We held on to a faint hope.

I hope this nightmare will end soon and we can get down the mountain safely tomorrow morning.

But I don’t know why, I always feel a vague sense of uneasiness in my heart.

The woman with the same face as mine in my dream appeared in my mind again.

“You can’t leave, so stay.”

05

We got up early the next morning and waited quietly, hoping someone would come to rescue us.

Unfortunately, we waited until the afternoon but there was no movement at all.

Not to mention helicopters, there wasn’t even a single bird.

“We can’t wait any longer.” Zou Chengmin said seriously, “We don’t have much stuff left. We have to get down the mountain quickly.”

In order to hurry on our way, we left most of our things on the mountainside.

After a quick packing, we carried all the remaining belongings and gathered together.

“Where should we go next?”

He Zhi looked at Zou Chengmin.

Zou Chengmin gave a wry smile.

“I don’t know either.”

Zhang Li was anxious: “I saw something on TV about looking at shadows and stars to determine the direction, don’t you know how to do that?”

Zou Chengmin didn’t say anything, his face looked a little ugly.

I thought he was a little angry about what Zhang Li said, and just when I was about to smooth things over, I saw him lower his head and whispered:

“This place is wrong. This place… the stars are different.”

“What does this mean?!”

He Zhi suddenly walked over and stared at Zou Chengmin: “What do you mean the stars are different?!”

Zou Chengmin looked around at us and pursed his lips.

“After the snow stopped last night, I went out and tried to look at the stars to find the direction…”

His voice trembled. “But the stars here are totally different from the ones we saw before!”

Zou Chengmin raised his head as he spoke, his face showing uncontrollable fear.

“I suspect this place is not Mount Laclede at all!”

…

“What do you mean?” Zhang Chengyi also came over, clenching his trekking pole with his hand hanging by his side.

Zou Chengmin wiped his face and looked up at the sky.

“I’ve never seen the stars here before. They’re completely different from what we’ve seen before.”

He showed a smile that was uglier than crying: “It’s impossible that all the stars I know disappeared overnight, right?

“There’s not even a North Star here!”

Everyone fell silent.

After a while, Zhang Li asked in a trembling voice: “Is it possible that I saw it wrong? We are climbing Mount Helacle…

“There are signs at the foot of the mountain…”

“Then why haven’t we gone down after walking for such a long time?” Liu Xiaoyan stood beside He Zhi and said in a deep voice.

None of the six of us spoke.

We had no idea which way to go, our compasses weren’t working, our cell phones had no signal, and all our gear was left on the mountainside.

The blizzard could come again at any time, and we wouldn’t even have food for tomorrow.

Should I continue going down or go back to the mountainside to get supplies?

For a moment, no one spoke and the atmosphere fell into a suffocating silence.

“What should we do?” Zou Chengmin spoke first, “Should we continue going down, or go up to get the things?”

He Zhi didn’t say anything and looked at Zhang Chengyi beside him.

The three of us girls had never climbed a snowy mountain before, and we were all confused. We didn’t know whether to go up or down, so we could only listen to the decision made by experienced people.

Zhang Chengyi asked back, “What do you think?”

“I think we should go up. This mountain is a bit strange.”

Zou Chengmin frowned and said, “Whether we are lost or trapped in a maze, if we can’t get out, we will die here.”

Zhang Chengyi glanced at him.

“I think we should go up, too. What do you think, Azhi?”

He Zhi hesitated for a while.

We all know that he really wanted to go down the mountain to seek help and save Yin Jia.

Although none of us thinks Yin Jia can survive last night’s snowstorm, but…what if?

But he paused, looked at Liu Xiaoyan and said, “I agree to go up. If we go down, we don’t know how long it will take, and we don’t know if we can get out.”

He quickly found an excuse for himself.

I looked at Liu Xiaoyan standing next to him, and the two of them being so close, and I felt a little sick.

Yin Jia has been with him for two years, and they have even met each other’s parents.

Among this group of people, he is the only one who has reason to insist on saving Yin Jia.

But he didn’t even dare to fart.

…

So everyone agreed to return to the mountainside along the same route, and we walked up along the same path we came, carrying our things.

After the snowstorm, the originally compacted ground on the mountain was covered with a thick layer of ice and snow, making it difficult to walk.

When I stepped down, half of my calf sank into the snow. Not long after I pulled it out, the coldness seeped into the gaps between my bones.

Fortunately, there is a large area of ​​gentle slopes ahead and there are no cracks. Apart from the thick snow, there is no danger.

“The wind was so strong last night, could the tent have been blown away?” He Zhi was a little worried.

“No way?” Zhang Chengyi pulled his legs out of the snow. “The tents are all tied up tightly and in a sheltered place. There shouldn’t be any problem.

“Let’s stay on the mountain tonight and come down tomorrow after getting our things.”

He Zhi nodded and was about to speak, but suddenly stopped.

Zhang Chengyi noticed his pause and turned his head and asked, “What’s wrong?”

He Zhi didn’t say anything.

After a while, he raised a hand stiffly and pointed at the snow not far away:

“Old Zhang, look over there.

“Is there a set of footprints?”

When he said this, we were all stunned.

The extreme coldness spread down the back of my neck. I turned my head and saw that there were indeed some depressions on the snow on the right side that were invisible without careful observation.

Zou Chengmin turned his head to look at us and walked over first.

We followed him and slid over.

This is indeed a set of footprints.

But the footprints were very strange. They didn’t look like the claws of a wild animal, nor did they look like human footprints.

A long scratch wound its way into a nearby red pine forest, as if…

A thought suddenly popped into my mind that made me feel cold all over.

It was like something was crawling on the ground and leaving traces.

Zhang Li’s voice was already tearful: “What the hell is this?

“It can’t be a snowman…”

“Stop talking nonsense!” Zhang Chengyi said impatiently, “Can you please stop creating a panic?

“Have you read too much street literature? Where did this bullshit snowman come from?”

There was a fear in his voice that his anger could barely conceal.

The footprints are still fresh, this thing… just passed by.

I looked at the snow-covered forest. The thick snow blocked the sunlight, making the forest dark.

Maybe now, that thing is hiding in the corner of the woods, watching us quietly.

“It should be some animal.”

Zou Chengmin spoke up: “I’ve seen a video of an otter sliding on the snow before, and it left long tracks like this.”

“Let’s not scare ourselves. It could just be an animal passing by.”

I don’t agree with it in my heart.

The mark left by this thing is very wide, definitely not something an otter could leave.

and……

I don’t know if I’m overthinking it, but I always feel that the protruding part of the footprint is a bit sharp.

It was obvious that Zou Chengmin was also comforting himself. He swallowed and whispered:

“Let’s go quickly.”

…

As we went further up the road, everyone became quiet.

Everyone was filled with panic.

Since climbing this mountain, strange things have been happening all the time.

The shadow of Mountain of Death hangs over each of us.

Fortunately, He Zhi remembered the way up very clearly. When it was getting dark, we saw the place where we had set up camp the day before.

I heard Zhang Chengyi beside me breathe a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, all our things are there. If we couldn’t go down or up, we would have died here.

Several people quickened their pace and ran towards the tent, but the further I got, the more I felt something was wrong.

Slowly, everyone stopped.

In the suffocating silence, He Zhi’s voice rang out dryly.

“How many tents did we take away yesterday morning?”

Zou Chengmin was silent for a while and then said, “…two.”

“Well… there are four tents in total. We took two, so there should be two left.”

He pointed at four tents not far away, his eyes wide open with fear.

“Where did the extra two come from?”

06

About ten meters away from us, on the leeward side of the rock, four tents were standing quietly in the dim light.

Everyone was silent, staring at the tents.

“Impossible…” Zhang Chengyi touched Bao Nana behind him and said, “This is impossible…”

Yeah, that’s impossible.

How was it possible that two more tents appeared overnight?

“Don’t panic.” Zou Chengmin said, “Maybe, maybe after we left, another group of people went up the mountain. Let’s go and take a look.”

Could it be such a coincidence?

They arrived just as we left, and set up camp in the same place.

Even…even the tents look the same.

I felt like a huge rock was pressing on my heart and I couldn’t breathe, but I still followed Zou Chengmin and walked forward a few steps.

We have no choice. If we don’t replenish supplies today, we will all die here.

As soon as I entered the camp, a strange feeling arose.

The style, color, and contents of the tents are exactly the same as ours.

Even the placement of things is exactly the same as I remember.

Except for the two extra tents.

All the tents were open, with no one inside, only empty sleeping bags.

Looking at the other tents, they are all the same.

“This is not our camp.”

Liu Xiaoyan said softly.

“That’s impossible!” Zhang Li retorted, “Look, these are the things we left behind—”

She didn’t finish her words.

Because Liu Xiaoyan picked up the thing in her hand, which was a pink windbreaker.

It was exactly the same as the one she was wearing.

“This is what I just found in the tent. This is definitely not our previous camp.”

He Zhi on the side also crawled out of the tent with a camera exactly the same as the one hanging on his chest, his face livid.

…

What on earth is going on? !

How come there is a group of people carrying the same things as us? !

And most importantly…

Where are they?!

Obviously, others had also thought of this problem. Zhang Chengyi looked around and lowered his voice:

“Where did these people go?”

Yes, this group of people didn’t wear windbreakers or take sleeping bags. Where can they go in such an environment where water freezes into ice?

It was as if… as if they encountered some danger and ran away without even bothering to take their things.

“Look at this.”

Zou Chengmin squatted in front of a tent with an ugly look on his face.

The tent was completely torn open and was hanging outward.

It’s strange. There’s a zipper right next to it, so why do we have to open the tent?

Unless… Zou Chengmin and I looked at each other.

Unless it is so urgent that you cannot zip up the tent and have to break open the tent and get out immediately!

Or maybe this tent was not opened by anyone at all!

My heart sank as I thought of those strange footprints we had just seen.

Zou Chengmin pursed his lips and stood up suddenly.

“Pack your things and let’s go!”

Regardless of whether the tent was cut open by someone or something else, it shows that this group of people must have encountered some danger that they could not deal with.

This time no one complained or spoke, and everyone rushed to pack up everything they could use and carry it on their backs.

It was getting dark, and climbing the snow mountain at night was simply seeking death. After a discussion, the few of them decided to walk down the mountain along the same route they came.

When the last ray of morning light disappeared in the sky, we finally arrived at a rock depression.

Although this place is not as good as the above location, it is at least safer.

After eating a few bites of the meal, we all retreated back into the tent.

It was completely dark outside, and the tent was the only place that provided a sense of security.

I just brought a camera down from above and planned to open it to see what these people had photographed.

But the camera didn’t light up after I pressed it for a long time. I don’t know if it’s broken or out of battery.

“Damn.” I was a little annoyed and was about to throw it aside, but suddenly I remembered that Zhang Li’s camera seemed to look similar to this one.

“Lili,” I pushed her, “where’s your camera? Lend it to me.”

Zhang Li took a long time to dig in her bag and handed me the camera. She came over and asked curiously, “What are you doing?”

“I found a camera up there, but it’s dead. See if your batteries will work.”

“How is this possible? How can a camera battery be——”

She watched me take out the battery and replace it. After long pressing, the camera paused and then lit up.

“This, this is such a coincidence! It’s exactly the same as mine!”

I didn’t say anything.

It’s really such a coincidence, why do these people use exactly the same things as us?

Is it really just a coincidence?

The camera indicator light flashed and it slowly turned on.

Zhang Li and Liu Xiaoyan both sat next to me and looked at the screen.

I pressed the button and took a deep breath.

Perhaps the photos here can tell us what exactly happened to them.

But what I didn’t expect was that the first photo made me stunned.

There is no one in the photo, only a fluttering flag on the top of the mountain, overlooking the area below.

What was written on the flag was that on December 26, 2021, Yingucuo La Mountain was reached.

I looked at Zhang Li blankly.

December 26, 2021. That was yesterday.

But…where is Yingucuo La Mountain?

Why did this group of people plant the flag of Yingucuo La Mountain on the top of Helakle Mountain?

My body began to tremble and a chill swept through me.

This mountain, is it the same as Mount Lacle?

Or is it Yingucuo Lashan?

…

We got together late at night, the six of us huddled together in a tent with ugly expressions on our faces.

Zhang Chengyi put down his camera, his face darkening: “Where is Yingucuo La Mountain? Have you heard of it?”

Liu Xiaoyan pondered for a while and said, “Could it be that the locals don’t want us to climb this mountain, and the guide deliberately led us the wrong way?”

“It’s possible.” He Zhi nodded and took out a booklet from his pocket. “This mountaineering guide contains a list of the peaks in the Hora Mountains. Let’s look for it.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Zou Chengmin frowning and staring at the camera.

Maybe we both think the same thing. I feel that Yingucuo La Mountain will not be found in the book.

If even the stars in the sky have changed, does this mountain really exist in our world?

Sure enough, He Zhi found the page of mountain summary, and the more he read, the worse his expression became.

I saw his hand tremble as he pointed at the page. He pulled it up in disbelief and read it again, and again…

Finally he raised his head, his face pale, his lips trembling as he said:

“There is no Yingucuo La Mountain here.”

“Where are we?”

“Let’s look down again. Maybe there is some misunderstanding.” I still held on to a faint hope and continued to look down with the camera.

The people taking the photos seemed to only like taking pictures of the scenery, not people. They took a lot of beautiful pictures of the snow-capped mountains when they came down from the top of the mountain.

But now, no matter how beautiful the scenery is, it becomes terrifying in our eyes.

I was flipping through the pages quickly and suddenly paused.

There seems to be something different in the video just now.

I went back and watched it again.

This is a very ordinary snowy scenery, similar to the previous photos.

But I always felt something was wrong, so I flipped through the first few pictures again.

Liu Xiaoyan came over and pointed at the screen, her voice trembling:

“Lulu, why do I feel like something ran past in that video just now…”

I discovered that too.

In the video, a black dot ran past at an extremely fast speed on the snow in the distance and disappeared from the screen in an instant.

I looked up at Liu Xiaoyan, her pupils dilated, reflecting my terrified face.

Zou Chengmin at the side took the camera and looked at it carefully, wondering, “Could it be a bear? This thing looks quite big.”

“Bear?” Zhang Chengyi frowned. “Shouldn’t bears be hibernating at this time?”

“Could it be possible that this bear didn’t hibernate and attacked their camp?”

He Zhi continued, “They came down from the mountain yesterday and set up camp on the mountainside, but were suddenly attacked by a bear. In a panic, they didn’t take anything with them, so they cut through the tent and got out. Is that possible?

“The footprints we saw yesterday were probably left by a bear sliding on the snow.”

His tone was urgent, as if he was trying to convince us, or as if he was trying to convince himself.

Yes, compared to unknown dangerous creatures, bears are also dangerous, but they don’t seem to be as scary.

We have signal lights, knives, alcohol and fire, so even if we really encounter a bear, there may not be any danger.

“Then we must leave someone to keep watch,” Zou Chengmin said. “If the bear comes again in the middle of the night, we can only wait for death. The people keeping watch must carry flare guns and weapons.”

“Yes, we still have to light the fire. Bears are afraid of fire!”

Night has fallen, and we dare not go to the red pine forest. Fortunately, we can light the alcohol stove we collected just now.

He Zhixian said, “How about this, Chengmin and I will watch the first half of the night, and Lao Zhang and I will watch the second half of the night. The girls won’t have to watch the night.”

“No,” Zou Chengmin said, “If you don’t sleep tonight, we still have to go down the mountain tomorrow, and your body can’t bear it.”

“Yeah, Chengmin and I will do it in the first half of the night, and we will do it in the second half.” Zhang Chengyi came over and said, “That’s it, I’m in good health and can handle it.”

Zhang Chengyi was indeed the strongest of them all, nearly 1.9 meters tall, with bulging muscles all over his body, like an iron tower.

“Okay then.” Zou Chengmin opened the tent and walked out.

The snowy mountain wind at night was extremely cold, and even in the tent in the leeward area it was as cold as an ice cellar.

I curled up in my sleeping bag, my teeth were chattering with cold, and I couldn’t sleep at all.

“Hey, Lulu.”

Zhang Li pushed me and said a little embarrassedly: “…I, I want to go to the bathroom, can you accompany me?”

I didn’t want to go, but when she said that, I suddenly felt a little anxious: “Okay, let’s go.”

“Xiaoyan, are you going?”

Liu Xiaoyan didn’t say anything. After a while, she whispered, “I’m not going.”

At this time, we didn’t care about being embarrassed anymore. We opened the tent and quickly solved the problem behind a rock.

“Oh my god, it’s so cold, my butt is frozen!” Zhang Li was frantically trying to pull up her pants.

I wiped my hands with the snow and was about to speak when I suddenly saw a dazzling light rising in the distant sky.

The orange light shot up into the sky, illuminating the sky.

“What is that?” Zhang Li came up to me and asked in horror.

I looked at it for a while and said hesitantly, “It looks like a flare.”

…

Except for Liu Xiaoyan and He Zhi who were in the tent, everyone else saw the fire.

“It should be a signal flare.” He Zhi confirmed, “It seems that the group on the mountainside is still alive, that’s great.”

Yeah, that’s great.

We are not the only climbing team stranded on the mountain, and if we can reunite with them, maybe we can figure out what is going on with this mountain.

“Go to sleep.” Zou Chengmin handed me a thermos cup. “I just boiled some hot water. We have to travel tomorrow. So rest well.”

My heart warmed and I nodded slightly.

It is actually very difficult to sleep well in the mountains because it is too cold and the wind is very strong.

Besides, you never know when a bear might come, so we didn’t even dare to pull our sleeping bags tightly.

Fortunately, the fire outside the tent was always on, providing a little sense of security.

Half asleep and half awake, I saw a flicker of fire outside and a figure stood up.

Judging from his figure, it should be Zou Chengmin.

Another shadow with longer hair sat aside.

It seems that Zou Chengmin and He Zhi have switched shifts.

After a while, the fire became brighter, probably because He Zhi added alcohol.

The warm firelight seemed to bring a touch of warmth to the cold night. With this little psychological comfort, I fell into a deep sleep.

07

The next morning, I was awakened by a scream just as it was getting light.

It was He Zhi’s voice.

I thought a bear was coming, so I sat up with a start and tried to crawl out.

After Zhang Li, Liu Xiaoyan and I rolled and crawled here, I didn’t see any bear in the camp.

Only He Zhi was sitting on one side, his face paler than the snow on the ground.

Zou Chengmin ran out with disheveled hair and asked anxiously, “What’s wrong?!”

He Zhi sat on the ground, pointing stiffly at the traces on the snow and said blankly: “Lao Zhang, Lao Zhang is gone!”

We looked in the direction of his finger.

There, a long drag trail spread into the red pine forest in the distance.

Zhang Chengyi was dragged away by something.

…

“What’s going on?!” Zou Chengmin’s face suddenly changed, “Aren’t you keeping watch with him?!”

When He Zhi heard this, tears and snot came down together. The fear and madness on his face were a little distorted:

“I just went to the bathroom for a minute! When I came back he was gone!!”

My heart sank.

In just one minute, this thing could find an opportunity to drag away Zhang Chengyi who was alone…

It’s been lurking nearby, watching us!

When I thought that while I was sleeping, an unknown monster was lurking in the red pine forest not far away…

I felt a chill all over and shivered.

“That’s impossible! With Lao Zhang’s physique, even if there really is a bear, he can’t run away, but he can at least shout something!”

There was no sign of a struggle at the scene, only a dragging mark.

This means that Zhang Chengyi didn’t even struggle and was dragged away directly!

What on earth could cause a 1.9-meter-tall man to be dragged away without even being able to shout?

I could hear the sound of He Zhi’s teeth chattering even from such a distance. Zhang Li and Liu Xiaoyan behind him both looked pale.

Zou Chengmin took a deep breath, his voice a little vague in the wind: “Maybe that thing yesterday didn’t go far at all, it followed us all the way down, just waiting for us to be left alone…”

“We have to leave quickly,” he wiped his face and said painfully, “while it eats Lao Zhang!”

We were all stunned by this.

How cruel it sounds to say this while it is eating Lao Zhang.

But we all knew that we didn’t have the courage to go to the red pine forest and rescue him.

Our only chance of survival is to escape by stepping on the dead bodies of our companions.

He Zhi got up in a hurry, went into the tent, put on a bag and came out, saying in a trembling voice: “Let’s go, I want to get down the mountain quickly!”

His condition was a little off, probably because he was too shocked, but he couldn’t care less about that now.

We packed up our things and followed Zou Chengmin down the mountain as quickly as possible.

The sky was not yet fully bright, and the morning light behind me was dimly hidden in the darkness.

As if possessed by a ghost, I looked back.

Is that thing…really gone?

08

As we went down, we didn’t care whether we could get down the mountain or not. In short, we had to escape from this place first.

The wind and snow today were not that strong, so the way down the mountain was not that difficult to walk on.

There were seven of us when we came here, and now there are only five left. Everyone feels heavy-hearted, and no one speaks.

If Yin Jia’s disappearance was just an accident, then Zhang Chengyi’s disappearance was a heavy blow to us.

I really experienced the Mountain of Death.

Since climbing this mountain, strange things have never stopped happening.

A different name, a mountaineering team with the same equipment as ours, monsters hidden in the snow, and the mysterious disappearance of Yin Jia…

Something seems to be telling us that anyone who climbs this mountain will not survive.

The stomach suddenly churned and squeezed, and a sour, squeaking sound came from the esophagus.

I touched my chest which was almost touching my back. We hadn’t eaten since morning.

But at this time, it is more important to hurry on. No one knows how long Lao Zhang’s body can hold that thing back.

We should go further if we can.

“Hey, Lulu,” Zhang Li walked up to me and said under her breath, “Do you think we can get out today?”

Through the hiking goggles, I saw some fear and expectation in her eyes.

I know that she might just want to ask me for some self-deceptive consolation.

I patted her shoulder and said, “Maybe we’ll be out soon, and we can take a hot bath tonight. Let’s go.”

She nodded, followed me and whispered, “My parents must be worried sick about me, ah…”

Thinking of my parents, I couldn’t help but feel tears in my eyes and quickly lowered my head and walked down.

I have never prayed so desperately, praying to God to give me a way out.

I don’t know how long I walked, but my legs were almost numb and I kept moving mechanically.

My whole body was numb, or maybe I was numb from the pain.

Liu Xiaoyan, who was at the back, ran out of strength and fell into the snow with a sprained ankle.

She took a few breaths weakly and stretched out her hand to He Zhi in front of her: “Azhi, give me a hand…”

But He Zhi acted as if he didn’t hear anything and just kept walking with his head down.

It was as if something was chasing him from behind.

Liu Xiaoyan’s outstretched hand paused in the air for a moment, and I hurried over to pull her up.

“Hold on a little while, maybe they’ll be out soon!”

She leaned over to my ear and laughed mockingly, “Ying Lu, you must look down on me, right?”

I perfunctorily said, “How could that be? Stop talking and let’s go.”

Liu Xiaoyan shook her head: “We can’t get out. There’s something strange about this place.”

I felt a little uncomfortable. I was already very scared, and Liu Xiaoyan was still saying this.

For a moment, my tone became a little stiff: “How do you know you can’t get out if you don’t try? You definitely can’t get out if you just stand here and don’t move.”

Liu Xiaoyan smiled bitterly:

“I’m not creating panic. I feel my body has changed…”

“What do you mean?!” My face turned pale.

“I can’t explain it,” she said softly after taking a breath. “You know my physical strength, but since I went up the mountain yesterday, I felt like all the strength in my body was drained away. I feel very weak…

“I can’t explain how this feels,” she gasped, staring at me through her goggles. “It’s like, it’s like someone has stolen the life out of me and is trying to kill me!”

I took off my gloves and touched her forehead to see if she had a fever, but my hands were as cold as her head and I couldn’t feel anything.

I comforted him, “You think too much. I just haven’t eaten and I’m tired from walking for so long. Let’s take a break and have a good rest.”

She didn’t say anything else and leaned her head gently on my shoulder.

After a while, Liu Xiaoyan whispered, “My mobile phone password and Alipay password are both 380206. If I can’t get out, please help me transfer the 30,000 yuan in them to my brother.”

Her tone seemed to be telling her last words. Feeling a little uneasy, I tightened my grip on her hand and said loudly:

“If you want to give it, you have to give it yourself. Cheer up!”

…

Zou Chengmin in front turned back, looked at Liu Xiaoyan, and said seriously:

“She’s not in good condition. We’ve been walking all day and haven’t eaten anything, so let’s set up camp here.

He Zhi also followed back and shouted, “Are you crazy? What if that thing follows us?”

I glanced at him.

I knew He Zhi was a scumbag, but I didn’t expect him to be this bad.

He didn’t even look for his girlfriend when she disappeared, and he kept moving forward regardless of what was happening to his lover.

“Look at Liu Xiaoyan!” Zou Chengmin said angrily, “If she keeps walking, she will die!”

“If we don’t move forward, we’ll all die!” A trace of fear flashed in He Zhi’s eyes, “That thing might still be following us!”

Zhang Li couldn’t bear to watch it anymore and sneered, “If it really follows us, we’ll die wherever we go!”

“It’s already six or seven o’clock, and we haven’t even seen the bottom of the mountain yet. Don’t you realize we can’t get out?!”

“Shut the fuck up!” He Zhi’s face flushed, veins popping out on his forehead, “We’re just lost, someone will come and rescue us sooner or later!”

Zou Chengmin and I looked at each other.

He Zhi must have been frightened by what happened in the morning, but he was not in a good state.

“If you want to leave, go ahead. We’re not leaving anyway!”

Zhang Li supported Liu Xiaoyan from the other side and whispered.

I saw a trace of crystal light sliding down Liu Xiaoyan’s mountaineering goggles.

Perhaps she didn’t expect that at this time, the man who had once said sweet words to her would want to kill her, while her roommate who had been at odds with her before was willing to stop for her.

“Chengmin, say something! Aren’t you kidding me?!” He Zhi looked at Zou Chengmin anxiously.

Zou Chengmin glanced at him and said in a deep voice: “Zhang Li is right, if that thing really follows us, it will be useless no matter where we go.

“There are only five of us left, and we can’t afford any more deaths.

“Let’s camp here.”

“No!” He Zhi shouted, “That thing might be waiting to drag us away right now. Isn’t it courting death to set up camp here?!”

Liu Xiaoyan was no longer able to speak. Zou Chengmin ignored He Zhi and put down the tent on his back, nailing it firmly to the edge of a snow slope.

“Help her in. Is there any hot water?”

He Zhi was so angry that he was panting heavily, and he pointed at us with his hand: “Good words can’t persuade the damned, if you want to die, then die!”

“Don’t worry,” Zhang Li carried Liu Xiaoyan into the tent and said coldly, “We won’t die even if you die.”

“well!”

He Zhi was so angry that he couldn’t speak clearly. He gave us a vicious look and walked away.

But after walking for a few minutes, he came back, with a sullen face, and threw all the things to the ground.

“Oh shit!”

We ignored him. The water in the thermos had been frozen for a day and had already turned into ice. I used the alcohol stove to boil some hot water for Liu Xiaoyan to drink.

“Wake up and drink some hot water first.”

I gently pushed Liu Xiaoyan’s shoulder.

She leaned against the sleeping bag with her eyes closed, not moving.

I looked at her face, which was whiter than paper, and my heart shuddered.

After a pause, I reached out my trembling hand and placed it under Liu Xiaoyan’s nose.

…

She is dead.

09

The four of us gathered around Liu Xiaoyan’s body in silence.

The cold wind blew through the sturdy tent, and every pore of my body was chilled. I stared blankly at the overturned thermos on the ground.

“This is impossible…”

Zhang Li looked at Liu Xiaoyan without blinking and said softly: “How is it possible? Wasn’t she fine just now…”

From the time Liu Xiaoyan fell to the time we helped her into the tent, it took less than half an hour.

In just twenty minutes, a living person died before our eyes.

He Zhi completely collapsed. He grabbed his hair and shouted, “Mountain of Death!

“This is a fucking mountain of death, none of us can survive this!!”

His facial features were tightly wrinkled, and there was torn hair between his fingers.

No one refuted him.

At this moment, all of us truly felt the horror of this mountain.

Three days, from Yin Jia at the beginning and then Zhang Chengyi.

And now to Liu Xiaoyan.

Every day, one person dies in our team.

Who will it be tomorrow?

I looked at the remaining people blankly.

Could it be Zou Chengmin?

Zhang Li?

What is your ambition?

…or me?

After a moment of silence, Zou Chengmin spoke.

He rubbed his face vigorously and said with difficulty:

“Leave her body outside.”

I looked up at him and understood what he meant.

I don’t know if that thing is still following us. Maybe it has already eaten Zhang Chengyi…

Now, it’s time for us to survive by stepping on Liu Xiaoyan’s corpse.

I felt depressed but did not object to the decision.

I am not a hypocritical saint. At any time, the living are always more important than the dead.

…

That night, I was lying in the tent, and Liu Xiaoyan’s body was at the fork in the road not far from me.

It’s strange that I didn’t feel scared at all. Maybe it’s because I’ve encountered so many things in these days that I’ve become numb.

The next morning, we continued walking down the mountain in silence.

He Zhi and Zou Chengmin stayed up all night last night, luckily that thing didn’t come.

Liu Xiaoyan’s body was intact, only covered with a layer of white frost.

I took one last look at her, picked up my bag and went down the mountain.

I thought the most terrifying thing was that my companions died in front of me.

But what happened later made me understand…

The horrors don’t end there.

…

The snow was so deep and thick that every step we took was very difficult.

In some places, you can’t even pull it out after stepping on it for a long time.

To be honest, we don’t even know where to go now. All the positioning equipment has failed, and we can only move forward by feeling.

Maybe because that thing didn’t come again yesterday, He Zhi’s condition today is more or less better, and he doesn’t run so hard anymore.

We slowly walked down a relatively flat slope.

The sun rose higher and higher, and the temperature gradually became higher than before. He Zhi untied the mask on his face and drank a sip of water.

Before he could swallow a mouthful of water, his eyes suddenly widened and he coughed for a long time due to choking.

His face was red and his neck was thick. He covered his mouth and coughed until his throat was about to burst. The water slowly froze into ice along his fingers.

“What’s wrong?” Zou Chengmin walked behind him and patted his back hard.

He Zhi coughed a few more times, and without even catching his breath, he excitedly pointed at our side and wanted to speak, but he choked and couldn’t speak.

He simply pushed Zou Chengmin away, took out a telescope from his bag, pointed it at the far side and kept looking around.

I was confused and looked carefully in the direction he was looking.

On the distant mountainside is a steep snowfield with exposed black rocks, and on one side is a red pine forest covered with snow.

In front of the red pine forest…

I was shocked!

There seem to be a few black dots moving in front of the red pine forest. Are they people?!

I was just about to ask He Zhi to let me see the telescope, but when I turned around, I found that he suddenly began to tremble violently all over.

He Zhi felt as if he had been electrocuted. His whole body began to tremble, and his hands pressed too hard on the telescope, causing it to creak.

What’s going on?

I pushed him a little worriedly: “Are you okay?”

He Zhi slowly put down the telescope.

I saw that he had two round marks on his eyes from overexerting himself, which was a bit funny.

But I couldn’t laugh because his eyes were filled with fear.

Then, He Zhi loosened his hand, took a step back stupidly, turned around and rushed to the side as if he didn’t care about his life, as if there was a ghost chasing him from behind.

???

“What are you doing?!”

Zou Chengmin shouted loudly and chased after him. The two of them, one in front and one behind, soon disappeared from our sight.

Zhang Li and I looked at each other, both a little confused.

What is he doing? What did He Zhi see that scared him like this?

I picked up the telescope from the ground, brushed off the snow, and held it up to my eyes.

The 12x mountaineering telescope looks so clear that a person the size of an ant can barely see it.

In the distance, a group of seven people were walking slowly on the snow.

Really human!!!

I was so excited that I almost shouted out. I gripped the telescope tightly and squinted my eyes to carefully observe where this group of people were going. If we could meet up with them, maybe we could get down the mountain!

But just as I was about to put down the telescope and tell Zhang Li the good news, a woman in front of the team suddenly looked up. I was stunned.

Then, the fingers holding the telescope began to tremble.

…

I see.

I know what He Zhi saw that scared him so much.

Putting down the telescope, I looked at Zhang Li with a pale face.

Zhang Li was extremely anxious: “What on earth is going on here? Have you seen aliens?!”

“Not an alien,” I said, my voice dry and shrill.

“Liu Xiaoyan.

“I saw Liu Xiaoyan.”

10

“Are you dazzled…” Zhang Li’s face changed suddenly. She snatched the telescope from my hand and looked forward for a while. After a while, she put her hand down in a daze.

“Crazy…”

She muttered, “This is fucking crazy, what the hell is going on with this mountain?!”

We stood in the snow for more than an hour before Zou Chengmin walked back step by step with his back hunched.

He didn’t care whether it was cold or not, he sat down in the snow and gasped for breath.

I looked at He Zhi who had disappeared, and my heart sank.

“Where is He Zhi?” Zhang Li squatted down and handed the water to Zou Chengmin.

Zou Chengmin waved his hands, looking grim.

“He ran away, he ran too fast, I couldn’t catch him.

“I didn’t keep an eye on him, and he dived into the woods. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to find him, so I turned back. Let’s set up camp over there tonight and see if he can come out.”

Zou Chengmin calmed down and wondered, “What happened to him? What did he see?”

I choked and looked up at Zhang Li.

Zhang Li swallowed her saliva and said in a low voice: “Liu Xiaoyan, we saw Liu Xiaoyan.”

When she mentioned Liu Xiaoyan, her voice was very soft, as if she didn’t dare to mention this name.

“Who? Liu Xiaoyan?!”

Zou Chengmin was shocked: “The body was taken away? That would be fucking scary!”

“no.”

Zhang Li’s eyes were filled with fear: “It’s alive, alive Liu Xiaoyan!”

…

The travellers had entered the red pine forest and we could no longer see them.

We had wanted to meet up with them before, but now we really don’t dare to go.

Who knows whether these people are human or ghosts? !

The three of us stood in the snow and looked at each other, no one knew what to do.

“You say,” Zhang Li hesitated, “could it be some kind of cycle?”

“What’s the meaning?”

“That’s right, I’m just guessing,” she said tentatively, “Is it possible that we were trapped in a dead loop after going up the mountain?

“What if the person we see is ourselves in the next cycle?”

Zou Chengmin frowned and thought for a moment, then rejected the idea, “That’s not right.

“Who were those people who disappeared on the mountainside? Our last cycle or our next cycle?

“They have four tents, which means they are later than us, so they should be our next cycle.

“But we didn’t encounter anything on the mountain, and we didn’t abandon any supplies to escape.

“We came down the mountain because Yin Jia disappeared. We have never experienced what happened to them.”

“What’s going on?” Zhang Li’s eyes turned red. “What the hell is going on?!”

“Maybe you saw it wrong, maybe that person just looks a bit like Liu Xiaoyan.

“With hiking goggles on and at such a distance, it’s possible that I saw it wrong.”

Zou Chengmin comforted.

I shook my head. “I can’t be wrong.”

“That person not only looks like Liu Xiaoyan, but is also wearing her pink jacket.”

“What about the others?” Zou Chengmin frowned, “Did you see the others?”

I was stunned and really stumped by his question.

Others…

It seemed that only Liu Xiaoyan raised her head at that time, and I didn’t notice anyone else.

However, after Zou Chengmin said this, I realized that the team just now seemed to be quite different from us.

Although there are also seven of us, it seems that their clothes are not exactly the same as ours.

Because He Zhi’s clothes were a very conspicuous bright purple windbreaker, we laughed at him and said it was gay purple.

But just now, I didn’t seem to see this jacket.

We were totally confused and couldn’t understand the situation, so we just kept going forward.

This walk took most of the day.

It was almost dark and we still couldn’t find the way down the mountain.

In order to find He Zhi, we simply set up a tent next to the red pine forest, hoping that he would come back on his own after calming down.

There were only three of us left in the team: Zou Chengmin, Zhang Li and I, so we had to keep watch in pairs.

Zou Chengmin and I will guard the first half of the night, and then he and Zhang Li will guard the second half.

The pine branches cut down at the edge of the red pine forest were covered with snow. They burned with crackling smoke, and the smoke hurt your eyes if you got too close.

But we couldn’t care about these things at this time. In the pitch-dark night, this beam of fire was salvation for us.

It not only drives away wild animals, but also provides us with a sense of security.

Sparks popped and the orange light added a touch of warmth to the night. Zou Chengmin and I chatted casually around the fire.

“What do you do? A professional mountaineer?” I looked at Zou Chengmin with some curiosity.

Along the way, his professional skills are indeed very strong and he knows a lot. He can almost be said to be our backbone.

Zou Chengmin smiled, picked up a branch and threw it into the fire

“I’m not, I’m just an amateur, I like to hang out when I have nothing to do.

“Well, it turns out that hanging around is bound to cause trouble.”

He said self-deprecatingly: “I’m really looking for death by paying money.”

I smiled bitterly: “Who said it wasn’t?”

“Do you have any idea?” Zou Chengmin asked, “What do you think is going on here?”

I looked up at the sky.

The starry sky here is really beautiful. The stars are like smashed gems rolling all over the sky, and even the sky is clearer than anywhere else.

Who would have thought that under such a beautiful starry sky there would be a mountain of death.

I thought about it for a while, then slowly said, “Do you think it’s possible that we have entered a parallel universe?”

“A parallel universe?”

“Yes,” I hesitated, “maybe we entered another time and space on the first night, so the stars here are different and the names of the mountains have changed.

“In another dimension, perhaps this mountain is called Yingucuo La Mountain.

“And those people we saw were the mountaineering team from the parallel universe.

“Yin Jia and Liu Xiaoyan, maybe because there is already an identical version of them in a parallel universe, they were wiped out by this world, what do you think?”

Zou Chengmin frowned and asked, “What about us? Is there a similar us in this world?”

I shook my head.

“I don’t know. Maybe there is, maybe not. Maybe we can survive, or maybe we will be wiped out.”

Zou Chengmin was silent.

After a while he spoke again: “Then why do you think Yin Jia wanted to leave?”

“I don’t know,” I sighed. “Who knows what’s going on in this damn place? I’m just guessing.

“Maybe this place isn’t like that at all. Or maybe this is another way for this time and space to wipe us out.”

He nodded: “That makes sense.”

Liu Xiaoyan died in front of us, but she reappeared alive again.

I can’t think of any other possibility except parallel universe.

“Hey, you said that He Zhi is really unreliable. He ran away before you two girls did anything.” Zou Chengmin complained, “You don’t know that I almost fell to death today trying to chase him.”

While cursing He Zhi, Zou Chengmin still looked at Hong Songlin with some concern and said, “Can he come out?”

I patted his shoulder and consoled him, “Don’t worry, he’s not a fool. He’s probably just overexcited for the moment. When he gets hungry, he’ll know to come out.”

Zou Chengmin glanced at me and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

I know what he wants to say.

He just wanted to think about what to do if He Zhi encountered that thing, but he was afraid of scaring me.

I was indeed very scared, so I didn’t respond to the conversation.

What on earth could it be that forced the group of people on the mountainside to cut open their tents to escape, and caused Zhang Chengyi, a 1.9-meter-tall strong man, to be dragged away without even making a sound?

But soon, I knew what it was.

…

The moon had passed its zenith and it was already past one in the morning.

In a while, I will be switching shifts with Zhang Li.

Walking like this day after day, I consumed a lot of energy, and my legs would shake when I stopped.

I was so tired and sleepy that my head drooped lower and lower.

Half asleep and half awake, I seemed to hear a rustling sound coming from the woods on the side.

I looked up in a daze and saw He Zhi’s gay purple windbreaker.

His face was pale and covered with many small bloody cuts. He struggled to push aside the branches and crawled out of the red pine forest.

I was delighted and waved at him vigorously: “Hey! This, this!”

He Zhi glanced at me and his tense expression slowly relaxed.

Zou Chengmin stood up and was about to go over, but he stopped after taking only two steps.

My face gradually became ugly.

He Zhi hadn’t reacted yet, and asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

The extreme cold spread through my ankles to my entire body. I raised my hand stiffly and pointed behind him.

The moment He Zhi stepped out of the red pine forest, a huge black shadow followed him out.

That’s not a bear.

It wasn’t anything I had ever seen before, so it was hard to tell what it was. Its body seemed like a large, flattened black cloth bag, with sharp limbs and a long, thin neck, like a hanged ghost.

And at the top was a pale face.

Yin Jia’s face.

He Zhi seemed to sense something, his face turned pale, and he stood stiffly, not daring to look back.

But before he could react, almost in an instant, the monster with Yin Jia’s face was suddenly torn in half, revealing rows of hideous teeth that ran through the entire body, and it covered his head.

A shadow shrouded He Zhi, and he was swallowed up by her.

Soon, a human figure bulged out from the black bag-like body, churning out a teeth-aching chewing sound.

…

Zou Chengmin and I were so frightened that we just stood there and watched He Zhi being eaten.

“Run…” Zou Chengmin squeezed out a word from between his teeth.

I was stunned and couldn’t react.

“Run!” Zou Chengmin shouted, grabbed me and started to run.

But the monster didn’t catch up with us. It just looked at us deeply and retreated back into the dark forest.

It’s as if it’s already full.

I was so scared that I went crazy. My mind went blank. I looked at Zou Chengmin and asked, “What was that just now?”

Zou Chengmin’s face was whiter than the snow on the ground.

“It seems to be Yin Jia.”

It turns out that Yin Jia has turned into this kind of thing since he disappeared that day!

The person who scared the group of people so much that they ran away without leaving their belongings and dragged Zhang Chengyi away was actually Yin Jia!

For a moment, I felt dizzy and could hardly stand.

I even wanted to yell to the sky, just kill me, I’ve had enough!

“Don’t just stand there,” Zou Chengmin pulled me forward fiercely, “Once Yin Jia has digested He Zhi, we will be the next one!”

My mind went blank as I staggered forward led by Zou Chengmin. Zhang Li was woken up by us and suddenly came out of the tent and cut open the tent with a knife. Although she didn’t understand why, she also ran with us.

She ran and said in fear, “What’s going on? That thing is coming?!”

I didn’t know how to explain it, so I could only pull her along and run all the way up the gentle slope until we couldn’t run any more. Our legs went limp and we fell to the ground.

Zhang Li was pulled by me and fell flat on her face. Fortunately, it had just snowed and the snow on the ground was very deep, so neither of us was injured.

“You,” she pushed me breathlessly and said, “Tell me, what on earth did you encounter?!”

I glanced at her, not knowing what to say.

“Yin Jia…” Zou Chengmin on the side supported himself on the ground with his hands, looking forward blankly.

Zhang Li’s face lit up with joy at first, then she was stunned for a moment, “Then why are you running?”

“We saw Yin Jia transformed into a monster and ate He Zhi alive!”

11

“So,” Zhang Li said palely, wrapping her clothes tightly, “you mean we have entered a parallel time and space.

“There is no Helakle Mountain here, only Yingucuo La Mountain.

“If there is already someone exactly like us in a parallel world, will the rules of that world turn us into monsters, or just kill us?”

I looked at the snow on the ground. The moonlight was very good today, and the snow was reflected brightly.

“That’s my guess. I can’t think of any other possibility other than this.”

Zhang Li sat next to me and huddled together for warmth. I could feel her body trembling slightly. “Then…what about us?”

“Are there people like us in this world?”

“I have no idea.”

When I saw that group of people, I was so busy shocking Liu Xiaoyan that I didn’t pay attention to what the other people looked like.

There was a soft sobbing sound coming from the side, Zhang Li gently leaned her head against me and choked up:

“Ying Lu, I regret this so much.”

“Why do we have to climb the mountain? People have told us that this is the mountain of death, but we still want to die…”

She covered her eyes, and the tears between her fingers slowly froze into ice: “My parents are still waiting for me to come home. They must be worried to death about me…”

I patted her hands and was about to comfort her, but my throat tightened, my eyes became hot, and tears flowed uncontrollably.

In the previous twenty-two years, although I was not raised in a honey pot, I was also spoiled.

I am my parents’ only child. They hold me in their hands for fear of dropping me, and hold me in their mouths for fear of me melting. When have I ever suffered such pain!

But when I thought of my dead companions, I felt a secret and sinful sense of relief.

Be glad you’re still alive.

…

It’s impossible to survive outside in these temperatures.

Before long, I was frozen all over and felt the chill coming out of my bones and heart.

Now the three of us are faced with a dilemma.

He had to decide whether to freeze to death here or go back to get a tent, but he might be eaten alive by Yin Jia.

Thinking of the crunching sound of the minced meat and bones when she chewed He Zhi, the hairs on my body stood up.

I feel like I would rather freeze to death here than go back and be chewed up and swallowed.

“We have to go back.” After a while, Zou Chengmin said with difficulty.

“If we stay here one night, all three of us will freeze to death.

“If I go back…”

If they went back, perhaps the other two could survive by stepping on the bodies of their companions, just like Zhang Chengyi did when he was dragged away.

I understand exactly what Zou Chengmin didn’t finish saying.

But no one wants to be the one left behind.

“It’s okay,” Zou Chengmin said, lowering his eyes, “She’s probably still digesting He Zhi right now, so she probably won’t come out again for a while, let’s quickly grab our things and leave.”

Speaking of it, Yin Jia and He Zhi really have an unforgettable fate. Logically speaking, He Zhi cheated first and had no intention of saving Yin Jia, so he was in the wrong first.

But now he has been eaten alive by Yin Jia, and we feel that he has not committed such a crime and it is really pitiful for him.

After hesitating for a long time, I started to feel less cold. I fell into a state of numbness and even felt a little warmth.

I suddenly became alert. On this snowy mountain where water turns to ice, warmth is sometimes the most terrifying thing.

False warmth will pull you down and take your life without you even realizing it.

My eyelids are almost closed, and I know that if I continue like this I will die sooner or later. Rather than cutting my flesh with a blunt knife and freezing to death, I might as well go back and give it a try.

I gritted my teeth, stood up and said, “I’m going to go back and get my things, do you want to come with me?”

Zou Chengmin was almost asleep just now, but when he heard what I said, his head dropped down, and he opened his eyes with a start: “I’ll go too, it’s really fucking cold!”

Zhang Li didn’t want to go, but seeing that we were both going, she didn’t dare to stay and just followed me carefully.

To be honest, I was prepared to die when I went up the mountain this time.

However, I would rather fight this damn place to the death than be scared and freeze to death.

I followed Zou Chengmin up the mountain step by step, with difficulty, and I could hardly feel my feet.

At night, the surrounding mountains were layered one after another, completely losing their usual grandeur and beauty, leaving only dark and hideous outlines. I don’t know how long we walked before we saw the dark red pine forest in the distance.

No one knows whether Yin Jia is waiting for us to return in the dark.

Zou Chengmin swallowed, and I could almost hear his heartbeat like a drum.

“You two are good sisters, why don’t you go first and chat with her while I take the opportunity to get the things out?”

He tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but no one was laughing now.

“Okay,” Zou Chengmin raised his hands and took a deep breath, “If I can’t go back, don’t forget to take care of my parents for me.”

Having said that, he strode forward without looking back.

Zou Chengmin walked into the endless night like this, and my eyes were filled with tears.

Actually, we didn’t know each other before we went up the mountain. We just formed a team for a few days, but Zou Chengmin took care of us everywhere…

Tears welled up in my eyes and my legs and feet rushed out before my brain gave any instructions.

I have survived by stepping on the lives of too many teammates. I cannot watch Zou Chengmin die in front of me again. If we die today, let’s die together. I don’t believe that the two of us can’t kill Yin Jia!

Zhang Li behind me also followed and grabbed my hand.

The three of us walked into the camp in an almost tragic manner, packing our things quickly. Every minute and every second at this time was a struggle against the sky. My hands were weak and I was shaking so much that I couldn’t hold anything steadily. I only relied on the breath in my chest to hold on.

It may sound like a long time from the time we saw the red pine forest to the time we got the things, but in fact it only took three to five minutes in total. The three of us grabbed the things and fled, running for half an hour in one breath.

Fortunately, this mountain is not high and has mostly gentle slopes, otherwise we would have been in trouble just running down the mountain at night.

We put on all our clothes and walked down without stopping for a moment. Even though it was so cold on the mountain that it could freeze people into popsicles, I was sweating all over.

At this time, I dared not stop, because if I stopped, I would freeze to death within half an hour.

I walked for an unknown distance until I felt exhausted and could not walk any further.

“No, no,” I couldn’t breathe anymore, and I said painfully, “Take a break. If I keep going, I’ll die without her having to eat me.”

Zhang Li also buried her head in the snow beside me, unable to utter a word.

Only Zou Chengmin said nothing and just stood aside.

I raised my head with difficulty and said, “You are so strong. Sit down and rest for a while.”

Zou Chengmin didn’t say anything.

The huge white moon cast a long shadow in front of him, and his face was hidden in the backlight so his expression could not be seen clearly.

My heart suddenly skipped a beat and an inexplicable sense of danger arose.

The moonlight is very bright today, so I can see every change in Zou Chengmin.

His body began to stretch up and flatten, as if his stomach had been emptied of all its internal organs and his abdominal cavity had turned into a black… bag with sharp serrated teeth on both sides.

Zou Chengmin slowly raised his head, his bloodless face turned pale by the light reflected from the snow.

I was completely stunned. Maybe it was because I had encountered too many shocks today, but strangely, I didn’t feel that scared at all.

I just had a thought in my mind.

It’s finally here.

However, although my heart was a little numb, the will to survive still overwhelmed everything. I stood up almost calmly, and pulled the frightened Zhang Li down the mountain before Zou Chengmin opened his big mouth on his belly.

While running, I still had the mind to laugh at myself: Damn it, I haven’t gained anything else these days, I’ve just been running around.

It’s a pity that WeChat has no signal, otherwise I would definitely be the number one in step count every day.

Zou Chengmin, who had turned into a monster, walked very lightly. I turned my head to look at him. His movements were like sliding on the snow. His hands, which had turned into sharp claws, could rush forward several meters with a pounce!

I instantly realized what the strange marks I had seen on the snow were!

Those were the footprints left by Yin Jia when he was following the mountaineering team!

Although Zhang Li and I tried our best, we were exhausted from running for too long today. It felt like our feet were stepping into a swamp and it was difficult to even get up.

As Zou Chengmin got closer and closer, I could even feel the wind brought by his pounce!

To make matters worse, it rained. At this moment, Zhang Li tripped and fell heavily to the ground.

Zou Chengmin slashed with his claw, and her jacket was instantly torn open, revealing the blood inside. Zou Chengmin approached step by step, and the bag on her belly opened up, revealing the bright red flesh and sharp serrations inside.

If this continues, Zhang Li and I will die here!

I looked at the top of the mountain and gritted my teeth! I would rather be buried in the snow than die in Zou Chengmin’s mouth. I looked at Zhang Li on the ground and shouted desperately –

“ah!!!–

“ah!!!!–“

Zou Chengmin was startled by my scream and paused for a moment.

However, he soon realized that I could do nothing but scream, and walked slowly towards us.

His body became so huge that the moonlight was blocked by him, casting a heavy shadow on Zhang Li and me.

He leaned over, and desperation made my voice louder, echoing in the endless snow-capped mountains.

Just when we were about to be swallowed up, a huge “boom” sound came from behind Zou Chengmin, and the sound swept over like thunder.

In the distance, a line of black snow rushed towards us at an extremely fast speed.

There’s an avalanche!

Before we came here, we were all warned that we couldn’t even talk loudly on the snowy mountains because we didn’t know what sound might cause an avalanche.

But I don’t want to be chewed up and swallowed by Zou Chengmin, so I can only choose to die with him!

The avalanche swept in with devastating force. I opened my arms and shouted with all my might: “Fuck!”

Fuck the fears and worries of the past few days, fuck this damn parallel world, fuck this stupid world that has turned us into neither human nor ghost!!

Billions of tons of snow appeared before his eyes in an instant. Zou Chengmin tried to escape in fear, but before he could take two steps he was swept down—

The world fell into darkness.

12

When I woke up, it was already very bright.

I struggled to open my eyelids, and all I saw was a snow-white ceiling, and my nose was filled with the smell of disinfectant.

My brain seemed to be rusty and it took a long time to start working slowly. I reacted belatedly.

I was saved.

It’s a miracle that I was able to come out alive from such a world-destroying avalanche.

As consciousness slowly returned, I felt severe pain all over my body, as if all my bones were broken.

The nurse on the side noticed my movement, came over to check the value on the instrument, and said happily: “You’re awake, you’ve been sleeping for three days!”

I wanted to speak, but my throat hurt as if I had a pack of razor blades in my throat, a cutting pain.

“Where is Zhang Li…?”

The voice was too soft and the nurse didn’t hear it clearly. She quickly changed the IV for me and turned to go out to find a doctor.

How are the others doing?

Has Zou Chengmin been found? Is Zhang Li still alive? !

My eyes were filled with tears and I felt mixed emotions.

The days spent climbing Mount Ho-La-Cler seemed like a nightmare.

Now that I’m awake, I still seem to be immersed in it and unable to extricate myself.

There were seven of us going mountain climbing, but in the end I was probably the only one who came back. Instead of feeling relieved, I felt an indescribable sense of guilt.

Why did everyone die but I didn’t?

…

At this time, the TV in the ward began to play the news:

“The search and rescue operation for the missing seven-member climbing team of college students on Yingucuo La Mountain has made progress. The search and rescue team found a survivor at the foot of the mountain, and the remaining six missing persons are still being searched for…”

I was stunned.

I couldn’t hear what was said in the news anymore. I only heard this sentence:

Yingucuo La Mountain.

What is Yingucuo La Mountain? Didn’t we climb Lakle Mountain?

I turned my head and saw my pale, eerie face reflected on the glass next to the bed.