Chapter 496
At this very moment, Qing Chen is trekking through the snow-capped mountains, searching for the most suitable place for him to complete his Life and Death Trial, according to his predetermined goal.
While the key to the Life and Death Trial challenge lies in experiencing life and death, this does not mean that the knights will not make any preparations.
Planning the route before taking on a challenge is a lesson every rider must learn.
Takayama Hida is a great place for skiing, and even in May, the main peak Mount Okuhotaka, is covered in snow all year round.
Okuho Takadake (elevation 3190 meters above sea level), Mount Karasawa (elevation 3103 meters), Mount Kitahotaka (3106 meters), Mount Maehotaka (3090 meters), Mount Nishihotaka (2909 meters).
These mountains, collectively known as the Hotaka Range, are not as tall as Mount Fuji, but due to their many extremely steep cliffs, they are far more difficult to climb than Mount Fuji.
Some mountain peaks, when viewed from a distance, resemble a kitchen knife placed upright in the mountains; walking along the ridge is like dancing on the blade...
Many stories of island nation writers who fall to their deaths from cliffs take place here.
For example, in Inoue Yasushi's "Ice Wall," Uozu and Kosaka died here.
Ice Wall seems to be a very descriptive name.
Qing Chen walked along the mountain path for skiers through the snow-covered landscape.
There are many skiers, but most of them ski in the gentler slopes of the mountain, and not many people venture into the more dangerous areas.
The Life and Death Trial cannot be completed on a ski resort. The "Ice Consolidation"Life and Death Trial has extremely strict speed requirements, and it challenges the limits of skiing speed!
So Qing Chen started from the mountainside and continued climbing towards the summit.
Before long, ski resort staff shouted at him from the mountainside, "Hey, you can't go any higher! You'll die if you go to the summit in this weather!"
As Qing Chen turned his head, he suddenly lost his footing in the snow.
He swayed a few times before struggling to continue his ascent.
However, Qing Chen suddenly discovered a problem: the mountain he was on was covered in "powder snow," and no one could accelerate within it.
The conditions for powder snow to form are very strict: there must be heavy snowfall, but the temperature cannot be extremely low, and the snow must fall to the ground before the freezing nuclei are fully frozen.
If you scoop up the powdery snow, it will even slip through your fingers like quicksand.
Although Takayama Hida covered in snow all year round, the temperature rarely drops below zero, which is a very strange geographical environment.
Moist, warm air blows in from the ocean and forms snow after encountering cold air at high altitudes over land. The snowflakes accumulate loosely on the mountains, and if skiers are not skilled, they may even get stuck in the snow while skiing...
If you want to challenge your skiing speed, then the snow must be extremely compacted.
Just like running on concrete will definitely be faster than running in mud and sand.
Qing Chen frowned, but continued to climb upwards with determination.
This time, poverty probably limited his imagination. He chose this place as the location for his Life and Death Trial challenge because everyone said that powder snow is the best, most suitable, and most luxurious for skiing.
But because he had never actually skied before, he didn't realize that powder snow wasn't suitable for challenging Life and Death Trial.
At this moment, many skiers suddenly looked up halfway up the mountain and saw a small black figure slowly trudging between the peaks, and they were all stunned.
What's the difference between climbing to the summit in this season and courting death?
Ke Qing Chen not only didn't stop, but climbed higher and higher until he disappeared into the wind and snow.
7:50 p. m.
It was already dark in Shirakawa-go. Jingūji Maki glanced at the quartz clock in the room, then returned to the window and eagerly waited by the window.
At this moment, in this idyllic paradise, the warm, dim lights in front of the hot spring inn are all lit up.
To save electricity, the little girl turned off all the lights in her house, but left the light on by the door.
This was because she was worried that if Qing Chen returned late and the lights at the hotel entrance were also off, he might not be able to find the hotel.
Skiers have returned to Shirakawa-go, where hot spring inns have prepared sumptuous dinners and clean hot springs to wash away their fatigue.
This is the most enjoyable moment for all skiers.
But Qing Chen has not returned yet.
No normal tourist would stay at the ski resort until this late, Jingūji Maki began to worry.
At that moment, another group of skiers walked past the door.
The little girl opened the window, letting the wind and snow pour in, and waved to the skiers in the distance, calling out, "Sir, is anyone still at the ski resort?"
The skiers said, "That's all. We were the last group; the ski resort closed when we came out."
"Oh, thank you..." Jingūji Maki withdrew her head. She was even more worried now. The older brother hadn't brought skis either, and there should be no one on the mountain now. Where could he have gone?
Please, please don't let anything happen to you.
The little girl would glance at the clock on the wall every now and then, and then look out the window. Such a kind brother must be a punctual person, right?
Although there was no connection, she was still firmly convinced of it.
At 7:59, Jingūji Maki spotted a slender figure in the distance, wearing a windbreaker, slowly emerging from the darkness behind the snowstorm.
Jingūji Maki's eyes lit up. She quickly left the windowsill, ran to the door like the wind, took slippers from the shoe cabinet, and then opened the door of the hot spring inn, waving to Qing Chen: "Onii-chan!"
The crisp sound was carried away by the wind and snow, drifting far, far away.
Qing Chen looked up at her, then lowered his head and walked over into the wind and snow.
Jingūji Maki wasn't discouraged when Qing Chen didn't respond to her.
The little girl happily put her slippers on the ground, then ran into the kitchen in a flash, brought the prepared food to the table, and happily ate her rice ball.
The meal consisted of rice, fried fish, tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet), and miso soup.
It seems that Jingūji Maki can only do these things, and she can't even do them well.
Qing Chen took off his down jacket and sat down, carefully finishing all the food, not even leaving a drop of soup.
The little girl asked expectantly, "Was the food delicious today?"
Qing Chen shook his head. "It doesn't taste good."
Little girl. "... Oh."
Qing Chen looked at her and said, "Why are you still eating rice balls? Didn't I already pay the rent in advance?"
Jingūji Maki thought for a moment and said, "Grandma needs money for medicine... Rice balls are delicious, and I added pickled cucumbers to them today."
Qing Chen was silent for a few seconds. "Where are your parents?"
Jingūji Maki said, "When my father was a tour guide, a tourist accidentally slipped and fell off a cliff. He tried to save the tourist, but he was pulled down with him. My mother remarried and moved to Hokkaido. My grandmother told me not to blame her, that she also needed to have her own life."
"Aren't you sad?" Qing Chen knew that these words would hurt the little girl, but he still asked.
Jingūji Maki was silent for a moment, then smiled, "Actually, living with Grandma is quite happy. Everything will be alright. I will be as strong as Grandma. Three years ago, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. She went back to work at the hotel to earn money while treating herself. She would always tell me, 'Maki, everything will be alright!'"
Qing Chen knew that the little girl's life would not get better.
Lung cancer is currently one of the most difficult cancers to survive. Even targeted drugs in the Inner World can only extend a patient's life by a few years and cannot save patients with advanced lung cancer.
Presumably, the little girl's grandmother's cancer cells had already spread throughout her body.
At this point, the grandmother had been in a coma for 95% of the time, and was eating very little and in very small amounts. She was clearly nearing the end of her life.
If her grandmother passes away, how will the eight-year-old girl survive?
Jinguji Maki said to Keishin, "Let's not talk about these things, Onii-chan. I paid the uncle next door to clean the hot spring pool today. The temperature of the hot spring is just right now. Why don't you go and soak for a while?"
"Hmm," Qing Chen nodded, leaving the little girl alone in the living room.
She walked back to the window, leaned on the windowsill, and blinked her big eyes as she looked outside. There were many children having a wild snowball fight and building strange snowmen in front of the hot spring hotels.
At that moment, Qing Chen came out again and saw this scene. Jingūji Maki turned to look at him. "Onii-chan, what's wrong?"
Qing Chen glanced at the figures building snowmen outside the window, then said to Jingūji Maki, "Make the bed."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I forgot. I'm really sorry," Jingūji Maki, taking out bedding from the cubicle.
The bedding in the hot spring inn is kept in the closet every day and only taken out at night to be laid on the wooden floor.
Jingūji Maki was spreading out the bedding, she suddenly noticed Qing Chen's hands, which were covered in frostbite marks.
She felt something was off.
This older brother seems to be different from others in every way.
Early morning.
Jingūji Maki woke up early today, thinking that she couldn't sleep in anymore and had to make breakfast for her older brother.
But it was only 7:10 a. m., and there was no one in Qing Chen's house.
Just like yesterday, the bedding was neatly folded and arranged.
There was also a note: I will be back before 8 o'clock, please leave me some food.
The only difference is that the skis were taken away this time.
Jingūji Maki felt somewhat lost. She always felt that no matter how hard she tried to show enthusiasm, she couldn't melt away her brother's coldness.
She lowered her head, slightly discouraged.
The next moment, she put on her worn-out cotton-padded clothes, opened the door of the hot spring inn, and went to Shirakawa-go to buy some fresh ingredients.
But then I saw a tall snowman that had been piled up at the doorway.
On the snowman's face, someone had used seaweed to make up the nose, eyes, and mouth.
The snowmen at other hot spring inns all face outwards, as if welcoming guests.
The snowman at this hot spring inn faces inwards, as if it belongs only to Jingūji Maki, leaving its back to all passersby.
Jinguji Maki wrapped the scarf her grandmother had knitted for her tightly and skipped away.
Carrying his snowboard, Qing Chen once again took a sightseeing bus to the Riho Takadake Mountains. He still didn't go to the ski resort, but instead climbed upwards again.
The skiers looked up and saw that familiar figure. Just last night, some people were worried that he had died in the snow, but now they were numb to it.
Qing Chen calmly reached the summit, secured his snowboard, and leaped down.
Then it got stuck in the thick powdery snow...
The fluffy powder snow wasn't enough to support his weight, and he couldn't even get off the ice!
This was a mistake, but it also proved that powder snow could not allow him to Ice Consolidation. He had to find a colder place with a more solid snow layer.
Qing Chen lay silently in the snow, gazing at the distant mountains.
Should we leave the island nation?
Compared to the Life and Death Trial, assassinating Kamishiro is a minor matter. After all, he needs to advance and return to the A02 Secret Military Base to face a more brutal reality.
Therefore, if this place is not suitable, Qing Chen must leave; nothing is more important than this.
Etc.
Looking at the jagged mountain ridges in the distance, Qing Chen suddenly thought of another Life and Death Trial!
Riding downhill on a mountain ridge: a dance on a knife's edge!