Wandering America: My kill threshold is far ahead

Chapter 242 The Final Battle at the Summit of the Snow Mountain

The following day, a sharp assembly whistle rang out in the building's corridors.

Startled awake, Ma Jie glanced at the pitch-black sky outside the window; the alarm clock on his bedside table showed 2:30 a.m.

Only two hours had passed since he fell asleep.

It wasn't because I stayed up late playing on my phone; it was purely from doing physical labor.

Tonya crawled out of bed, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and first uttered a sentence in Russian that sounded like swearing, then cursed in English: "Fuck! Now I finally understand why that damned instructor said that everyone would remember him after the training camp. Our current treatment is worse than that of the Jews in Nazi concentration camps."

"Stop nagging, Donya, hurry up and put your clothes on."

While she was complaining, Ma Jieke had already turned on the light, put on thermal underwear, and casually tossed her a plus-size underwire bra.

There's no way to escape it; you can run away from it one day, but you can't hide the truth the next. According to the Russian girl, once they enter the official competition, they won't even be able to find a match to start a game.

Fortunately, this girl was quite proactive and made the most of the [Energy Absorption] effect, without consuming any additional stamina.

After getting dressed, Ma Jieke pushed open the door and went into the corridor, where seven contestants had already gathered.

When Donya came out of his room, the men all cast envious glances at her. After all, who wouldn't want to conquer a female bear, or... be conquered?

"From now on, the last five people to come out will each lose one point!"

Once everyone had gathered, Lehman announced a new rule without hesitation, whether it was pre-planned or came up on the spot.

Naturally, the contestant was very dissatisfied with being penalized for no reason, and his words were clearly laced with hostility: "Sir, it's 2:40 AM now. We only went to bed at 10 PM, less than 5 hours of sleep. Sleep deprivation can cause dizziness, headaches, and impaired executive function. Am I participating in a wilderness training camp or a Navy SEAL team?!"

"Good question." Faced with the questioning, Lehman slowly walked up to him and roared, "Speaking to the instructor in a questioning tone, deduct 2 points!"

"You!" The guy wanted to argue a bit more, but he was so intimidated by the sharp look in his eyes that he swallowed his words.

Before participating in the wilderness training, the invitation email clearly stated that during the training, the head instructor had the highest authority, including in formulating the assessment content and scoring system, and no one had the right to interfere unless it was a matter of principle.

"Does anyone still have questions?" A sharp gaze swept over the trainees, and no one dared to be the first to speak up. These points were already hard to get, and losing 2 points at once was almost like working for nothing.

Finally, he gave Ma Jieke and Donya a meaningful glare and began to subtly criticize them: "Some of the contestants' performances yesterday were indeed impressive, but that's no reason for you to get arrogant. If you continue like this, you'll stumble sooner or later. I won't name names to save you some face."

"Now, I will announce today's assessment: a mountain hike to Mount Mer, 30 miles from the town, at an altitude of 3172 meters. The difficulty is not high. I will take a helicopter to meet you. The first place winner will receive 10 points, the second place winner will receive 9 points, the third place winner will receive 8 points, and so on. The last 20 people will receive zero points! Anyone who gives up halfway will receive zero points!"

"Ready to go? Let's go!"

It seems that today's topic is a physical fitness test, which Ma Jieke is quite confident about. He already has the background of a sports student and has climbed two beginner-level snow mountains with an altitude of over 3000 meters before, which is almost easy mode.

I took a nap on the luxury bus, and when I woke up again, it was already dawn.

The driver dropped them off at the foot of the mountain, and Lehman gave them a few brief instructions before moving on to the competition.

It wasn't difficult at first; it was just a long hike that only tested basic physical fitness.

However, as the altitude increases, the road conditions become increasingly worse. No, to be precise, there is no road at all; it's all steep, precipitous gravel slopes where one slip could cause you to slide down.

The athletes moved uphill almost entirely using their hands and feet; this was true "climbing" of a mountain, rather than the upright walking they usually do.

When they arrived at the base camp, everyone was exhausted and out of breath. However, in order to get a good ranking, they were all working harder and harder, wishing they could set off without resting.

The base camp is usually located below the snow line, serving as both a supply depot and a command center.

Looking at the crampons, ice axes, trekking poles, and other auxiliary tools provided by the program team, as well as the professional-grade mountain guides, Ma Jieke realized that reaching the summit would probably be far more difficult than he had imagined.

After all, the real snow-capped mountains are just beyond this point; everything we experienced before was merely a warm-up.

Soon, some contestants chose to give up, abandoning the competition with a score of zero. This is actually a strategy. Knowing that it is not their strong suit, there is no need to waste their energy on this event. If they get injured during the competition, it will not be as simple as a score of zero; it will seriously affect their subsequent performance.

Even if you manage to get into the top ten, if your ranking is too low, you still won't make much money. It's better to conserve your strength and prepare for the next round.

Of course, such "smart people" are only a minority; most contestants decided to face the challenge head-on.

Ma Jie didn't rush off. Instead, he filled his stomach first and then carefully checked his equipment. He discarded redundant equipment such as trekking poles and crampons, using only an ice axe as his sole climbing tool.

This thing looks like a pickaxe, with the shorter end made into a shovel, used to dig snow tracks and carve steps.

Besides aiding in climbing, the pointed tip is also a life-saving tool. In case of slipping and falling, it can be driven into the snow to prevent the body from falling further.

In addition, waterproof gloves and fleece hats are essential, while snow goggles can effectively prevent snow blindness.

I also took a bottle of high SPF sunscreen, because as the altitude increases, the thickness of the atmosphere decreases, and the penetrating power of ultraviolet rays gradually increases, with the penetration power above 3000 meters being 50% higher than at the plains.

The ultraviolet reflectivity of snow is as high as 80%-95%, which is much higher than that of ordinary ground (10%-20%). Snow will reflect ultraviolet rays back to the human body, causing exposed areas such as the face and neck to be subjected to "double radiation".

This reflective effect is especially noticeable on sunny days, and even wearing a hat cannot completely block it.

So don't assume that you won't get sunburned in freezing weather; that's a completely counterintuitive potential risk.

For hydration, Ma Jieke chose a 1.5L thermos, not because he necessarily wanted to drink hot water, but because bottled mineral water might freeze.

Finally, I grabbed some Snickers bars, energy bars, nuts, and other easily accessible high-calorie foods and stuffed them all into my backpack, which didn't add much weight.

"Hey Jack, wanna team up with me? It'll be easier with two people."

Just as he was about to depart, Donya had already packed her bags and warmly invited him to set off with her.

"No problem, as long as you can keep up with me." Ma Jieke smiled faintly and left the base camp at a leisurely pace.

In his view, forming a team is a thankless task. If someone falls behind, you have to decide whether to help or not. Helping will affect the team's performance, while not helping will affect the team's relationship. It's a lose-lose situation.

"Tch, who do you think you are? I've climbed more snow-capped mountains than you've walked on flat land!"

She chased after him angrily, and started bragging as soon as she opened her mouth, her confidence seemingly coming from nowhere.

But it's okay, nature will teach every stubborn person a lesson.

When they reached the first snow slope, Donya took the lead and rushed up it. It seemed that she was quite capable. After all, she grew up in the snow and ice and was used to this kind of road conditions.

Ma Jieke wasn't as fierce as her, so he adopted the most conservative "zigzag" climbing method.

From a physics perspective, any slope can be broken down into vertical height and horizontal distance.

Walking in a straight uphill path with the steepest incline requires overcoming the maximum vertical height in one go, posing a significant challenge to leg muscles and cardiopulmonary function.

Taking a zigzag route effectively "dilutes" the total vertical slope by actively increasing the horizontal distance, which is equivalent to turning a steep staircase into a gently ascending mountain road. This reduces the height of each leg lift, greatly reducing muscle fatigue and energy consumption, while also increasing the contact area and friction of the foot, making the steps more stable and less prone to slipping.

In addition to this, Majesty also pauses slightly between each step, allowing the weight-bearing leg to relax and recover briefly. This is called the rest step and is a key technique for conserving energy.

Despite having [Physical Energy Absorption] and [Working Saint Body] as backup, he still prefers to play it safe and steady. He believes that trump cards are only threatening if they are held in his own hands.

"Hey, move aside, Chinese kid, don't block the way."

During the climb, a rough-looking redneck man easily passed him, his words full of sarcasm: "God was exceptionally kind to you yesterday, giving you a good ranking, but this luck won't last. I'll be waiting for you at the top. See you later."

Ma Jieke was not distracted by him and focused only on each step he took.

Donya, who was far ahead, glanced back at him, her face showing some disappointment. It seemed that she was going to suffer in this team-up. With such a burden, by the time they climbed up, it would be too late.

However, after climbing to the top of the slope, she still stood by and waited, and even helped someone up in the end.

"Sorry, Tonya, I dragged you down." Majek looked apologetic. "How about this, from now on, we'll fight our own battles. After all, this is a competition, and neither of us should feel indebted to the other, what do you say?"

"Okay... alright." Donya nodded, finding the matter reasonable.

In order to catch up with those pioneers, she continued to use the vertical climbing method. Her two long legs, tightly wrapped in hiking pants, were her divine weapons. Her thigh muscles were strong and powerful, and her calf muscles were clearly defined. She possessed both strength and elegance, just like a female fighter in a game.

Ma Jieke continued to stick to his strategy, prioritizing stability over speed. In this kind of endurance challenge, falling behind temporarily proves nothing; only the one who laughs last is the champion.

After climbing two more large snow slopes, his watch showed an altitude of 1497 meters, almost halfway through the race. He wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead and found a flat spot to sit down and rest.

Drink some hot water, eat two Snickers bars, sweep away hunger, and be yourself again.

As the race progressed into the second half, those who thought they were being clever and had a head start began to run out of energy, and some of the runners were on the verge of mental collapse.

"Shit! What does this have to do with wilderness survival? Damn production team, all they do is design these insane obstacles to disgust people! Damn it, I'll f*** you!"

An elderly man with a thick beard, who looked quite old, sat on the ground panting and couldn't help but curse the production crew's ancestors for eighteen generations.

Ma Jie smiled knowingly, walked past him, and embarked on the next chapter of his journey.

In the field of vision, the competitors were struggling to lie on the snow slope, none of them were in much better shape than the others. They had exhausted too much energy earlier and could only climb up by sheer willpower.

Ma Jieke's speed remained consistent, with no obvious changes observed. However, this persistent "slowness" was perceived as "fast" by others.

One, two, three, four, five... More and more competitors were overtaken by him on the curves, leaving him far behind as if he were leaping over obstacles.

Even so, he still couldn't see where Donya was, but judging from the significantly slowed charging efficiency of [Energy Absorption], he could tell that she must have encountered difficulties as well.

Without the Russian girl's power bank, Ma Jieke began to deplete his original stamina bar, and seven or eight other contestants watched helplessly as he crawled past, unable to catch up.

Just as complaints were rising on the mountainside, a drone flew over, and Lehman's furious roar came through its loudspeaker: "Where are you? Eight whole hours have passed, and you can't even keep up with the physical demands. What kind of survival experts are you? Even two random hikers wouldn't be in this terrible state."

"Hey you, fatso, can you even crawl? If you can, stand up. Don't just lie there like that, sticking your ass up like that, waiting to be fucked?"

"Crying? You still have the nerve to cry? Do you need me to hire a nanny for you? This is 'Living Alone in the Wild,' not some damn SpongeBob SquarePants. What are you doing here, you sissy, performing a striptease for everyone?"

Now, everyone has finally experienced Lehman's devilish methods. This mountain, which he described as "not very difficult," has almost no place that can be called a "path" from the foot to the summit.

When the drone flew diagonally above MaJack, he politely raised his middle finger in greeting.

Lehman's hearty laughter came through the loudspeaker: "Haha, looks like he's not all cowards after all. Keep it up, buddy."

After climbing another snow slope, we encountered the same red-necked, rough-looking man from before. He was sitting on the ground, drenched in sweat, gazing up at the steep ice wall in front of him.

It is called an ice wall because the slope here is estimated to be at least 50 degrees. The previous snow slopes combined are much easier than this section.

As the final technical section, as long as you grit your teeth and climb up, you'll reach the summit quickly.

Maje looked up and saw at least five humanoid silhouettes pushing their limits, including Donya.

As the saying goes, there's always someone stronger than you, and you can't deny that.

After a brief two-minute stop, he unloaded the supplies and threw them on the ground, then, holding his ice axe, grinned at the red-necked man and said, "Sir, it seems God has smiled upon me again. See you at the summit."

After saying that, he walked towards the ice wall without any pressure.

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