Chapter 7: The Iceberg Visitor

"Instructor, I'm sorry! But please forgive my recklessness. If I can return alive, I am willing to accept any punishment! ”

"I think I finally understand why you were able to consecutively win the Jungle, Mountain, and Earth medals. You did what none of us soldiers wanted to do, but dared not do, did not do!"

Long Jianhui said in a deep voice, "Zhanxia Ge, I will fight shoulder to shoulder with you!" You listen carefully to every word I say. From this moment, my solo snowfield terrain survival training for you begins! ”

"Even rigorously trained climbers still have a mortality rate of 5% while climbing snowy mountains. This is your first time on a snowy plain, forcing your way up without professional equipment. You should know in your heart that your mortality rate may already exceed 50%!"

"There are seven main causes of death on the snowy plains!"

"After deducting avalanches, ice cracks, and falling rocks—there are four other situations that directly affect your survival! First, severe physical exhaustion and dehydration. No matter what method you use, you must drink plenty of water! Many high-altitude illnesses, such as headaches, edema, and frostbite, are caused by dehydration rather than hypoxia! ”

Zhanxiage stuck his head under a sharp icicle hanging upside down on the ice, opened his mouth and bit down hard on a chunk. He crunched the ice into pieces, holding a mouth full of ice water until he completely melted it with his own body heat, turning it into water close to his own body temperature. Only then did he swallow the water, which had been frozen for who knows how many years, into his stomach and shouted, "This is damn satisfying!" ”

"The second scenario is that on this plateau at 5,100 meters altitude, strong winds can blow at any moment. Your visibility will instantly drop to zero, and it will pull at your body and your carry. If you can't climb the mountain before facing the danger of a blizzard and find a suitable shelter, you're doomed!"

"The third scenario is that you can't find the camp! You prepared five days of individual supplies for yourself. I believe you are ready to spend the night in a prolonged battle on the mountain peaks. You must find a suitable place to camp and shelter from the wind and snow! ”

"Fourth, some physical illnesses, mainly including frostbite, acute altitude sickness, and pneumonia! The sleeping bag you carry doesn't provide enough protection against the cold on the iceberg. If necessary, you must keep exercising to keep your body warm. If you curl up in the sleeping bag and fall asleep, you might never be able to open your eyes again, becoming the third martyr on that mountain! ”

"Remember! You must always know exactly how much supplies you have left, know your gear, oxygen, and the amount of candy that can help you overcome altitude sickness! You must plan your own now. If you face altitude sickness and must inhale oxygen, what if the micro oxygen tank's dosing valve freezes? What if the military knife and bayonet, which are definitely not climbing tools, break? What if your eyes can't adapt to the plateau and you develop snow blindness......

"I have no choice!" After finally finding a relatively safe spot and resting, Zhanxiage answered honestly, "I never thought that far ahead. Instructor, you're right—I was ignorant and arrogant." But now I have no way back, so I will focus all my strength and keep climbing upward until I conquer this peak! ”

At the foot of the mountain, all the trainees' eyes were fixed on Instructor Long Jianhui. Long Jianhui was silent for a moment, then nodded and moved aside his communicator. He said in a deep voice to the trainees beside him, "Everyone who lives on the snowy mountain knows that there's a very strange fact on it." The less experienced the climber, the more likely they are to reach the peak on their first attempt; this is simply ignoring the risks and seizing the chance of luck. I don't want to compare the danger with the chances of victory. Right now, Zhanxia Ge's only way out is to use his ignorant and fearless courage to seize his luck! ”

Everyone fell silent, the only sound left around was the rustling mountain wind. Suddenly, Long Jianhui shouted, "Zhang Hua, contact the base immediately and have them send over the weather forecast for the coming week!" Also, notify the base's emergency rescue team to prepare a helicopter, on standby 24 hours a day! Tell them that if I give the order and I don't see the helicopter within thirty minutes, I will personally break their necks! ”

Staring at the war hero song that had climbed halfway up the mountain, having conquered two hundred meters of iceberg, Long Jianhui already had high expectations of this soldier who had earned the Earth, Jungle, and Mountain Honor Medals, but he had to admit he had underestimated this student. Even more, he had to admit he was deeply shocked!

This trainee, who had just arrived on this snowy plateau, this real man and outstanding soldier, used his own hands and a bayonet—far from a handy climbing tool—carrying a full thirty kilograms of supplies, climbing upward bit by bit, forging his own path on a cliff even monkeys couldn't climb!

Wherever he passed, he left one tiny hole after another pierced with a bayonet; on the ancient ice and snow he passed, deep finger marks were left on him, leaving behind the passion and unwavering passion and regret that belonged to a man.

"Zhanxia Ge, you're a hero too!" Long Jianhui whispered to himself in his heart, "A soldier like you should be able to play a greater role in a heavier situation. I absolutely cannot let you die here!" ”

After a full ten hours, just as the sun was about to disappear behind the distant peaks, Zhanxiage finally carried his heavy backpack and slowly climbed to its very peak!

Zhan Xiaoge stood atop this iceberg, less than five square meters in size, covered in solid ice, where a single slip could ruin all his efforts. When he couldn't help but turn back to gaze into the distance, a sudden burning heat filled his chest. The sun half-hidden atop the distant snowy mountain, radiating warm fiery red rays, making the entire sky seem to be on fire, showcasing the magnificent grandeur of nature.

On the entire land, the white is snow, the red is the mountains, and the winding thread like a ribbon is the main artery connecting Tibet and Xinjiang. It is through this lifeline that this land suddenly gains an unending vitality.

He stood atop this rarely visited icy peak, standing alongside those snowy peaks, and suddenly the Hero Song couldn't help but roar wildly.