The enormous glaciers resembled long dragons lying dormant. The drone camera sphere climbed a thousand meters into the air and captured a breathtaking aerial view of the immense ice fields.
Even a simple, ten-second panoramic shot was enough to give the viewers a clear sense of the Alrock Glaciers' magnificent beauty—and their extraordinary danger.
When the camera descended to about a hundred meters above the ground, Lu Liran looked like a tiny black speck against the endless, desolate expanse of snow. The sight gave the terrifying impression that he might never find his way out.
“The Alrock Glaciers are something of a tourist destination. Despite the danger, plenty of people come here every year specifically to admire the natural scenery.”
“Whether they're experienced mountain climbers or wealthy people who know nothing at all about snowy peaks, everyone enters the mountains full of amazement and praise. But a good number of them end up screaming and crying instead,” Lu Liran said as he walked.
Before long, his breathing had already become labored. He pulled up the collar of his quick-drying shirt to cover most of his face against the fierce glacial wind, caught his breath, and continued. “The winds here are stronger, fiercer, and colder than you could possibly imagine.”
He held out a dark-gloved hand to catch the snow pellets flying at him. The camera sphere focused on his palm, showing them clearly to the viewers. “It isn't only the wind. These dense pellets of snow are constantly striking me. If I'm not careful, I could inhale them straight into my windpipe while breathing.”
[Brrr, just watching this makes me cold! It doesn't look like the streamer brought any high-tech equipment. It's all primitive gear. Isn't he doomed?]
[It's only been a few minutes and I'm already worried sick about him, oh my god.]
[Even though we can't see what the streamer looks like, the picture quality is amazing!! I can even make out the tiny snowflakes caught on his eyelashes.]
[His eyelashes are so long, thick, and curled! I bet the streamer is a handsome guy!]
[He has a really nice voice, too!]
[I'm only here to watch the inevitable disaster, hahaha.]
[There's no way the Young Master is going to mess up! No one knows wilderness survival better than he does, okay?]
[Young Master? Is that what you're calling the streamer? Weird nickname, hahaha.]
“I have to find the target of my mission and get out of these snowy mountains as quickly as possible.” Lu Liran glanced briefly at the livestream room. Everything seemed fine for now, and the viewer count was slowly increasing.
“As I said before, tourists come here every year. Most of them obediently remain in the designated safe sightseeing areas. But there are always people who crave wilder, more untouched landscapes and venture deep into the Alrock Glaciers, trusting that their experience, money, or high-tech equipment will keep them alive.”
“The fact is, hundreds of people go missing in these enormous glaciers every year.”
“Here, going missing means being perilously close to death. If you're lucky, someone might eventually find your body.” As he spoke, Lu Liran climbed a slope toward higher ground. Each step sank into the soft snow, sometimes nearly to his calves.
“The person I'm searching for on this bounty mission is the child of a wealthy family. He fits one of the categories I just mentioned. He entered the mountains three days ago and lost contact eighteen hours ago.”
“As far as I know, a professional search team went in before our group and came back empty-handed. Frankly, I don't think his chances of survival are very high. But let's hope he's still alive.”
[Hahahaha, “let's hope he's alive.” So you can collect the bounty?]
[Wait, the streamer said he's part of a team. Why can we only see him?]
[Yeah! Where is everyone else???]
Lu Liran saw the comments and answered, “The team members weren't suitable. They'd only slow me down.”
Back in the hotel suite, Jin Fei was watching the livestream with Cubby in his arms. Hearing how bluntly his young master put it, he couldn't help bursting into laughter.
[“They'd only slow me down”… This guy is seriously arrogant.]
[Careful you don't end up eating your words, streamer. Alrock is so dangerous, and you're abandoning a team to go alone? Either you have no idea how dangerous the place is or you're an overconfident rookie.]
[Why isn't there a positive option in that assessment?]
[Because it's the truth.]
[I don't think the streamer is underestimating the danger, though…]
“Right now I'm fighting the savage winds on the mountain and making for that ridge. I want to get up high enough to take a look at the terrain around us.”
“Finding the missing person is my first priority, but the most important thing is staying alive. I hope to find somewhere that shows signs of human activity and work out the route we'll take afterward. At the very least, I don't want to wander around blindly.”
“Given how harsh the conditions are, people who go missing in snowy mountains generally don't get more than a kilometer from the point where they disappeared. Once I've surveyed the area, I'll head toward his last known location and look for clues along the way.”
Lu Liran saw the comments but couldn't be bothered responding. The higher he climbed, the deeper and softer the snow became. From time to time, he sank into drifts that reached his waist, making it far more difficult to move forward.
“Walking a mountain route like this at this altitude demands an enormous amount of physical endurance.” Lu Liran had to haul himself out of the snow with every step. His breathing grew heavy, and he spoke much less frequently.
[My god, if I fell into a place like this, I'd be gasping for air before I even made it a hundred meters.]
[Streamer, stop talking and save your energy!]
It took Lu Liran nearly two hours to climb from close to the valley floor up onto the ridge. At last he cleared the obstruction to his view and reached the highest point.
But the landscape before him wasn't what he'd hoped for. All he could see was an endless whiteness of undulating snowfields. Whether he stood on the ridge or down in the valley, the scenery seemed exactly the same.
[I'm dying! The streamer fought so hard to climb up there, and this is all he gets?]
[So… that whole climb was for nothing??]
[The biggest failure in the history of this livestream.]
“Not exactly for nothing.” Lu Liran answered the comments while lowering himself onto the ridge to regulate his breathing. He pointed toward the sky on the far side of the mountain, where heavy clouds looked as if they were about to come crashing down. From the valley, he couldn't have seen them at all.
“See over there?” Lu Liran breathed out. “Those clouds.”
At his direction, the camera sphere rose higher and filmed the dark clouds in the distance. They covered mountain range after mountain range, oppressive and ominous, and seemed to be moving toward him.
[Holy crap, what's happening over there?!]
[That's a blizzard, isn't it? A blizzard is coming, right?!]
[Oh my god, where could he possibly find shelter in a hellish place like this?]
“Yes. As you can see, I need to get moving.” Lu Liran got to his feet and started sliding down the mountain.
He spoke as he ran. “A piece of advice: if clouds look dangerous, don't hesitate. Run. Their appearance is usually a very accurate indication of just how dangerous they are.”
Lu Liran made much faster progress descending the mountain than he had climbing it.
Keeping his body angled to match the mountainside, he used his momentum to slide diagonally downward, rapidly alternating his legs. His movements were clean, steady, and assured, as though he were navigating an ordinary, gentle slope.
In reality, his chosen route was extremely steep and surrounded by exposed rock, snow, and ice.
The camera sphere rose into the air and gave the viewers a panoramic view.
From that perspective, Lu Liran could be seen sliding rapidly down a slope inclined at nearly fifty degrees.
Irregular outcrops of rock jutted up on every side, while the snow underfoot consisted of unstable, loose slabs. A single careless step could leave him falling through.
But Lu Liran always seemed to know what was about to happen, preparing for each obstacle a moment before it appeared.
[What… the… hell… Is this extreme snow-mountain parkour?! This is freaking incredible?!]
[Streamer, you're amazing! I'm following you just for this!!! — One Rice Dumpling gifted the streamer 100 Rice Grains.]
[Damn! This is the first time I've ever seen outdoor content this exciting! 666666! You've earned my respect, bro! — Watching the Sky Through Clouds gifted the streamer 1 Sushi.]
Lu Liran quickly reached relatively level ground, slowed down, and panted softly.
He noticed eye-catching gift effects appearing on the transparent panel for the first time. Looking more closely at the comments, he realized some of his viewers had already sent him tips.
Still catching his breath, he smiled and said, “Thank you to One Rice Dumpling for the one hundred Rice Grains, and to Watching the Sky Through Clouds for the Sushi.”
Rice Grains and Sushi were virtual gifts that could be exchanged for star coins. Rice Grains could be earned through viewing time and daily check-ins, and had the lowest conversion rate: one hundred Rice Grains were worth half a coin of ordinary currency, while one Sushi was worth one.
Above those were Sukiyaki Hot Pot, Premium Wagyu Beef, White Truffles, and Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.
Their respective exchange values were five, ten, fifty, and one thousand.
Lu Liran suspected that the livestream platform's owner was a glutton.
Although he'd only received one and a half in tips so far, the amounts could add up considerably once his audience became large enough. Every little bit would count.
Returning to the matter at hand, Lu Liran glanced at the sky. The line of clouds that had been far away when he stood on the ridge was now advancing almost right up to him.
He rubbed his hands vigorously together, jumped up and down twice, and panted, “Even though I've been moving almost constantly, I'm still freezing. The temperature is dropping fast. It may already be more than ten degrees below zero.”
“Once the blizzard really hits, the temperature here could drop below a deadly minus thirty degrees. Hah. I need to warm up my hands and feet as soon as possible.”
[That panting sounds so good!!]
[Wait, I don't know why, but my thoughts suddenly turned dirty.]
[Because you're a premium member. [smirking dog]]
Lu Liran quickly performed a few burpees. “Do several of these when you're cold. They'll help your body warm up quickly.”
“See that slope over there? It's sheltered from the wind. We're going to build a temporary shelter there.” Lu Liran spoke as he jogged toward it. “Let's hope we have enough time.”
[What??? Am I hearing things? Did the streamer say he's going to build a shelter himself in the snowy mountains?]
[??? Build it with what?! There's nothing here but snow!]
[If the streamer really manages to build a shelter, I'll give him a Buddha Jumps Over the Wall right away!]
