From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

Wang Ge said softly, "Don't talk, conserve your energy. As long as you can eat and absorb nutrients, you still have a chance to survive."

Sheep nodded gently, closed her eyes, and leaned against the stone wall to slowly regulate her breathing.

Wang Ge and I simply shared the remaining broth and rabbit meat.

After eating the piping hot meat, my frozen limbs finally warmed up, and my exhausted strength was restored somewhat.

After dinner, Wang Ge recounted the supplies.

"We have enough firewood to last all night, and there's no shortage of water. The biggest concerns are Yangyang's illness and the weather."

Wang Ge looked up at the still-blowing snow outside, frowned, and said, "If the snow continues like this tomorrow, I think we can continue on. We can't wait for the snow to stop completely. We can't afford to wait, and she can't afford to wait either."

That's what I think too. We need to hurry down the mountain. If we stay in the mountains any longer, not only will Yangyang be in danger, but Yangge and I will also be in danger.

I nodded, then raised my hand to touch the gauze on my forehead.

The bleeding from the wound has completely stopped, leaving only a dull ache.

As night deepened, all that remained was the ceaseless roar of the wind and snow, crashing against the rocks like the merciless growl of nature.

The campfire in the stone hollow burned steadily, its flickering flames protecting this small patch of warmth.

Two adults struggling to survive in dire circumstances, one a survivor on the brink of death, find solace and support in the remote, snow-covered mountains of the Terra Line, relying on a single fire and a pot of hot soup.

I leaned against the stone wall, watching the flames dancing in the fire, my heart filled with mixed emotions.

This journey, which started as a way to ride the wave of popularity and gain traffic, has completely changed its nature.

I have witnessed the ugliest greed and malice in people's hearts, the most ruthless crushing and deterrent power of nature, and the kindness and perseverance that never abandons others in desperate situations.

After a long moment of distraction, Wang Ge suddenly spoke in a low voice, "Lin Ye, are you scared?"

I turned to look at him and smiled calmly: "I'm not afraid anymore."

Having walked from the no-man's land to the Terra Line, I had long since seen through life and death.

I was a penniless person to begin with. I came here to change my fate and to seize this hard-won moment of popularity.

But now I realize that what can truly turn one's fate around is never traffic or popularity.

It is the unwavering determination to not give up in dire straits, and the trust to rely on each other in times of crisis.

It is the original intention to go all out even knowing that the road ahead is dangerous.

Perhaps this is the spirit that Brother Wang mentioned before.

I have this spirit, simply because I don't want to admit defeat.

……

This night was different from last night. The shelter of the cave was gone. Wang Ge gave his single tent to Yang Yang, and we squeezed into another one.

The space in the stone hollow was already cramped, and the two of us were pressed tightly together.

There was a campfire nearby, and they barely managed to withstand the low temperatures in the mountains by relying on each other's body heat and the warmth of the firewood.

The conditions weren't great, but it was much better than being exposed in the wilderness.

The long night passed little by little amidst the intermittent howling of the wind and snow.

The campfire burned from nightfall until dawn, the flames flickering occasionally as the cold wind seeped in through the cracks.

During the night, Yangyang experienced respiratory distress twice, but fortunately, she did not cough up blood again.

Every time we sensed something was wrong, Wang Ge and I would immediately get up and gently help her catch her breath, staying with her through the critical moment of suffocation.

That night, neither of us slept a wink.

I managed to sit up just as dawn was breaking.

The gauze bandage on his forehead was soaked and hardened by the cold air in the stone pit, and there was a dull, throbbing pain under the wound.

My head felt heavy and dizzy, and waves of slight vertigo kept rising up.

I knew in my heart that my altitude sickness had probably worsened again.

I dared not make a sound, I just gritted my teeth and endured it.

At an altitude of 4,800 meters, this kind of injury is nothing.

Our lives now depend entirely on whether we can successfully leave this snow-capped mountain.

I don't know how long I endured it, but the heart-wrenching howling of the wind in my ears gradually faded away.

The snow that had been pounding against the rock top was now replaced by fine, soft falling snow.

I rubbed my sore and heavy eyes, struggled to sit up straight, and felt as if all my bones were frozen and welded together. The slightest movement caused my joints to crack.

Today was interesting; I actually woke up before Wang Ge. I guess we were both exhausted from taking turns watching over Yang Yang last night.

I didn't wake him. I gently lifted the tent flap and went out to quietly pack my things.

The strong wind outside has stopped, but the snow hasn't completely stopped, with fine snowflakes still falling from the sky.

The world was a vast expanse of gray and white, with distant cliffs and ravines shrouded in a hazy snow mist, their outlines blurred and indistinct.

After a night of heavy snow, the entire hillside looked completely different.

The rocks, low bushes, and undulating slopes were all covered by a thick layer of fresh snow.

The path we used to find our way when we went into the mountains has completely disappeared.

The deepest snow was above knee-deep, and even deeper in the low-lying areas.

The surface may appear smooth and white, but beneath the snow lie jagged rocks and unseen pits. A single misstep could have disastrous consequences.

My heart sank.

The road is gone.

But there was no time to worry right now. I squatted down by the fire to prepare breakfast, which was still the canned food we had brought.

I added a few more pieces of firewood and placed the canned food near the fire to roast slowly, waiting for the contents inside the tin to soften a bit before it would taste good.

Not long after, Wang Ge lifted the tent flap and came out.

Dark circles under his eyes clearly indicated that he hadn't rested that night either.

I looked up at him and said, "Brother Wang, are you alright? If you can't take it, lie down and rest for a while longer."

He yawned, squinted at the white expanse of mountains and fields outside, and shook his head:

"No more sleep, we can't afford to waste time, we need to get going."

As soon as he finished speaking, he quickly began to pack up the tent.

After getting everything ready, I immediately went to Yangyang's tent and called her softly in a low voice.

The tent was quiet, without any response.

Wang and I exchanged a glance. His expression instantly tightened, and he raised his voice to shout again:

"Sheep, can you hear me? Wake up."

There was still no movement.

A chilling premonition crept up my spine.

Without further hesitation, Wang Ge reached out and unzipped the tent, and I followed closely behind.

He bent down and crawled into the tent, leaning his upper body inside, and reached out to check the sheep's breathing and carotid artery.

The next second, he picked up Yangyang and carried her out of the tent.

Only then did I get a clear look at her; her face was deathly pale, and her lips had lost all color.

Wang Ge reached out and lifted her eyelids; her pupils were already somewhat dilated.

Wang Ge frowned deeply and said in a low voice, "There's no heartbeat."

My mind went blank.

We had clearly done our best, taking turns watching over her last night, barely closing our eyes at all.

Ah Qiu said that there was only a 10% chance of survival, and we tried our best to help her seize it.

In the end, it seems we still lost to high-altitude pulmonary edema.