It seemed that Elvan had noticed Bi Fang’s confusion and thus clarified the reason.
Unlike the previous migration that received little care, this time the relevant departments were extremely cautious to prevent any accidents. Otherwise, the furious conservationists, in a moment of heated frustration, might have dragged them out of their beds and smashed their dog’s heads.
They had started planning as early as late April to early May, and an entire area nearby was put under surveillance to keep loiterers and unrelated individuals at bay. If tourists wandered in, they were persuaded to leave, and if persuasion failed, they were forcefully expelled.
If Bi Fang hadn’t sent a message, and Elvan hadn’t informed the personnel in advance, they might also have encountered staff blocking their vehicle.
“That’s, well, a bit over the top.” Bi Fang smirked, finding Finland’s approach a tad overzealous, which in reality wasn’t necessary at all.
Even if unrelated individuals were around, it wouldn’t have mattered. Conservationists were like a sword hanging over everyone’s head, with a fighting power comparable to the Ugly Country’s IRS. From lobsters that shouldn’t be eaten alive to hunting geese, whoever acted wrongly would get their dog’s head smashed.
“Alright, alright, dinner is served!” Lenin wrapped a towel around the pot handle to serve the food on the table, distributing cutlery for everyone to start eating.
It was just a typical camping meal, which Bi Fang didn’t mind since he was starving.
After dinner, everyone sat by the lake, counting the stars. Unfortunately, there were no auroras that night.
The sky wasn’t dazzling with stars, but it was still a peaceful scene. The discussion was lively, mostly revolving around Bi Fang, and without exception, focused on his recent Everest challenge.Undoubtedly, for any ordinary person, Everest represented something extraordinary. Otherwise, among the fourteen peaks over 8,000 meters, it wouldn’t be the only one to have achieved commercialization.
As the conversation went on, Étienne even found an exceptional comment, which he saw by accessing the internet beyond the Great Firewall.
Amidst the domestic environment full of praises, the report Étienne deliberately showed to Bi Fang was evidently not a positive one.
“So-called wilderness big brother, in his quest to conquer Everest, still damages the environment, doesn’t he? By carving a notch in the rock, has he thought about the consequences?”
The post was accompanied by an image of Bi Fang at a smooth rock face where there were no handholds, forcing him to wedge his ice axe in a crack to swing out.
The poster was quite knowledgeable, outlining the differences between traditional climbing and sport climbing.
In the former, a lead climber sets up protection points and then hangs a rope without leaving a trace, whereas in sport climbing, permanent bolts are placed into the rock face. Traditional climbing requires climbers to find cracks and place mechanical anchors with higher risks of failing.
Simply put, the climber places an object in a rock crack to wedge it in place, hanging on to their own rope attached to the object to prevent a fall. Such a practice minimizes damage to the rock face and avoids leaving traces of artificial alterations.
The critic believed that if Bi Fang were true to his word, he shouldn’t have created cracks in the rock and damaged the local ecological environment, asserting that his publicly advocated environmental protection was merely lip service.
With sound arguments and accompanying photos, a crowd of onlookers chanted “666” in the comments, with likes even surpassing one hundred thousand.
However, such opinions merely merited a glance from Bi Fang, who did not take them to heart.
If there were fans, there would inevitably be haters. This seemed like an unavoidable issue for any public figure; even saints couldn’t make everyone like them, How could an ordinary person?
Both traditional climbing and sport climbing were mentioned; the critic clearly came prepared, intending to take a moral stance, but until now, Wolf Fang hadn’t informed him, marking it as mere clownish behavior.
Sure enough, there were comments below.
[Post a picture but no video? Talking nonsense, aren’t you? There are natural cracks on the rock face; using an ice axe is just like what you said about wedging an object into a crack, right?]
[That’s hilarious (covering mouth)]
[No way, no way, surely no one really thinks they know more about rock climbing than the first Huaxian to solo climb Everest without oxygen, right?]
[Streamers are never really the most cultured group, so this kind of person is to be expected]
[Endorsed by both the Youth League and People’s Daily, and even the Nepal Mountaineering Association has published an article. Not giving up yet? Here’s the link: ASDFL16HJDGK531431535GL]
Youth League? An article?
Bi Fang curiously clicked into the official account of the youth organization and found that the most recent update was the climbing video he edited. From avalanche rescue to the final success of reaching the summit, the total duration was nearly two hours.
The People’s Daily did the same.
Having two major channels with official tones not only silenced the detractors but also indirectly attracted a wave of attention. As for those who were so delusional to accuse insiders of protecting their own, the reports from Nepal could be thrown in their faces.
Bi Fang clicked on the article from the Nepal Mountaineering Association, and after reading just the first chapter, he felt something was amiss.
“I conceived this article on the night Bi Fang descended, but being fully aware of my limited knowledge and naive views, I reserved my thoughts to pen. Originally intended as a record of my own thoughts, it was to serve as a document for constant introspection and reflection throughout my rock climbing learning and mountaineering experiences…”
The article was extremely long, as he scrolled down it took quite some time, and more than half of it was about the author’s climbing stories with him.
Climbing with me?
Written by a teammate?
Bi Fang scrolled to the end and discovered that the author was Rob!
“I’ve led many teams and met many people, men and women, of various professions, but Bi Fang gave me a different impression from everyone else. He seemed to be able to completely blend into any environment and live within it in an extremely natural and harmonious manner, before he arrived at the base camp…”
“Honestly, at first, I didn’t think much of him. Before meeting him in person, I even considered him just a streamer who liked to boast. I believe any guide picking him up from the airport would have felt the same.”
Rob rambled on about a lot in the middle, from the seven-day trek to base camp, from physical fitness to climbing skills, from everyone’s reactions to the outcome, still facing the despair in the avalanche, to the joy after being saved.
The advantage of text over video is the ample blank space it leaves, offering any reader a richer imagination.
Rob’s writing was not elegant, but it excelled in authenticity and a strong sense of imagery.
Following Rob’s perspective, many of Bi Fang’s fans felt as if they were getting to know Master Fang all over again— a more three-dimensional and interesting soul.
It also made many realize the difficulty and true value of a no-oxygen solo climb of Mount Everest.
Miles away, after reading the entire article once again, Rob exhaled softly, a faint smile appeared on his face as he gazed out at the mountains, seemingly still lost in memories of that figure in the wind and snow.
He recalled the end of his article.
“In my view, maintaining a clear head and rationality is a very important ability for climbing high mountains. This probably applies not only to 8000-meter peak ascents but also to the climb of life.
That is the unique aspect of life, isn’t it? Risks that come unexpectedly are hidden within calm, and within despair, incredible miracles can be born.
Many people do things that most others cannot understand, attracted by these unknowns all their lives.
Some want to experience the adventures that the majority are afraid of and that they themselves are eager to undertake despite the risks, in their otherwise mundane lives.
Because the essence of life itself is a time-limited experience.
And the mountain is always there, with people always wanting to climb it.”
…
After reading the article in one go, Étienne looked at Bi Fang with a bright gaze.
His eyes were full of admiration.
“There it is, what is that kid plotting in his head now?”
Those embarrassingly adolescent phrases once again surged in Bi Fang’s mind.
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