Tashi Danba was stunned. He didn't expect this seemingly hot-headed captain to have such clear thinking and meticulous logic. Hu Yang chuckled, almost self-deprecatingly, and said, "What? Didn't expect a big rough guy like me could come up with such a logical explanation? Big guy, scientific expeditions are not as simple as you see on TV—driving a car, measuring the wind, checking the water, just like a tourist trip. In fact, doing scientific research requires profound knowledge as a lifeline."
Zhang Li, walking at the back, said, "Ah, that's just like archaeology. I remember an archaeologist saying, when you open an ancient tomb, you have to first imagine what might be inside before you can find anything; otherwise, it would just be treated as a pile of mud."
Hu Yang replied with dissatisfaction, "This is much more difficult than archaeology. In archaeology, if you can't imagine what's inside, the most you lose is not getting those things. But in our environment, if you can't foresee what will happen, there's only one outcome—you pay with your life."
The light illuminated one side of Hu Yang's face, and the shadow of his big beard was projected on the ice wall. Due to the refraction of the ice layer, Hu Yang's head looked like a fearsome prehistoric beast, startling Zhang Li. After walking a bit further, they reached a fork in the path. Hu Yang carefully examined the opening and immediately judged, "Let's go left."
Tashi Danba noticed that Kirk, following behind, took something from his bag and made a mark on the ice wall. He asked, "What's that?"
Kirk replied, "Making a trail marker. Otherwise, how will you find your way out in this maze of ice caves?"
Tashi Danba asked, "But I can't see anything."
Kirk smiled faintly and said, "It's a fluorescent marker. You need special ultraviolet equipment to see it. Otherwise, we'd be marking it for the poachers, right? They could use those marks to escape or ambush us from behind them. This is something we've learned over the years…"
Hu Yang, walking ahead, interrupted, "Hurry up, no time for explaining equipment. I don't think we'll need these things again after today."
The four of them moved slowly. Hu Yang kept using his radio to communicate with Lao Xiao outside, but the signal weakened the deeper they went into the cave. There were many forks in the ice cave, and the ice walls surrounding the cave were thick and thin in places, like ants navigating through a maze. Hu Yang carefully followed the clues left by the poachers, leading them to a fissure in the ice. The ice walls at both ends of the cave suddenly thickened, like a huge chunk of ice that had been split by a giant axe, leaving a wedge-shaped passage barely wide enough for one person to pass through.
The ice crack ahead narrowed significantly. All four had to turn sideways to pass through. The ceiling was covered with icicles, and the stone walls were jagged and uneven. Tashi Danba, carrying a large backpack, couldn't get through and had to lift the bag with both hands to squeeze through. Several long icicles were broken by his bag, and ice droplets occasionally fell on his collar. Even Kirk was affected and kept saying, "Be careful, be careful, this stuff hurts more than falling into an ice pit."
Hu Yang laughed, "Be careful. These ice crystals are colder than regular ice. If they fall into your clothes, it'll hurt like needles. If you're not careful, it can give you frostbite."
The passage ahead grew narrower, and Hu Yang had to suck in his stomach and hold his breath. Naturally, he cursed the poachers again.
Tashi Danba, struggling to move, still couldn't help but ask, "How big is this cave?"
Hu Yang, panting, replied, "I… can't say. If we're not careful, the entire Malan Mountain Glacier could be connected. This mountain range is the southern part of the Kunlun Mountains, composed of ancient, strongly eroded complex metamorphic rocks. The melting glacier forms ice surface rivers, ice forests, and moraines. The upper part of the glacier is an erosion landscape, while the lower part is a sedimentary landscape. We are now in the upstream interior of the glacier. The features here are roughly what we call knife ridges, ice cliffs, ice basins, and ice-carved grooves. The sedimentary features are ice gravel hills, serpentine hills, ice-water terraces, and ice fans. Phew, we're finally out. Here, take the bag, I'll pull you up. Be careful, the ground seems to be a frozen layer, very slippery."
Finally, Tashi Danba squeezed out of the narrow gap. Using the light from the flashlight, he looked around and couldn't help but exclaim, "Ah—" The echo of his voice rang throughout the vast cave, "Ah—Ah—Ah—…"
Hu Yang seemed to have remembered something, and his unease grew. He reminded, "There are no hornets like that, but you need to be cautious. There might be some furry little creatures inside. They're even more terrifying than hornets the size of elephants." The three of them were once again filled with fear, unsure if Captain Hu was being serious or joking, but judging by his serious expression, it seemed like he wasn't joking.
After an unknown amount of time, Hu Yang, as if making a great decision, said, "Don't forget our goal. Let's get to work."
Kirk responded with a nod, took the bag from Tashi Danba's back, and began pulling out tools: some straps that could be fastened to the body, some square steel rings with rope loops, eight-shaped steel rings that looked like hollow shoes, items with steel claws at the bottom, sharp steel tools with handles, and many other things. Tashi Danba looked at these various tools, unable to name or explain their purpose. He wanted to ask about each one, but he knew it wasn't the right time or place, so he simply watched as Hu Yang and Kirk carefully worked. They first used the pointed tools to drill holes in the ice layer, then inserted steel bars with holes into the holes. Using hooks and the square items, they connected everything, and then, like putting on clothes, wrapped the straps around their bodies, securing them with ropes to the steel bars nailed to the ice. Before Tashi Danba and Zhang Li could fully understand what was happening, Kirk had already handed them each a large cloth strap and helped them secure it. He also gave them steel-clawed boot covers.
Once everything was ready, Hu Yang said, "Follow in order. I'll cross the ice bridge first, and you'll follow one by one. We're heading for the central ice platform. Especially you two rookies, I have to remind you, I didn't expect this kind of terrain. You need to be extra careful. When crossing the ice bridge, keep your eyes forward and only use your peripheral vision to look at the bridge surface. Grip the ascender tightly in your hands. If you slip on the bridge, just hold on tight to what's in your hands. Understand? I'm going now."
Tashi Danba watched as Hu Yang, holding what looked like a trail marker stick with a rope, crossed effortlessly, then followed second. He kept his eyes forward and held the equipment hooked onto the rope, successfully crossing the ice bridge. Hu Yang praised, "Well done."
Tashi Danba laughed, "This is easy. Those poachers could cross without safety ropes, right?"
Hu Yang's face darkened, and he said sternly, "Don't take this lightly. Crossing the ice bridge is like facing death itself. The ice bridges may look wide and sturdy, but you should know that if the bridge surface has even a one-degree slope, and you're not wearing ice claws, that nearly perfectly smooth surface can make you slip immediately. The colder it is, the more brittle the ice becomes. The center of the bridge bears tremendous pressure, and even a crack as thin as a hair can cause a collapse. The poachers may not care about their lives, but we don't have to die with them."
Zhang Li was the third to cross the ice bridge. He saw how easily Hu Yang and Tashi Danba crossed and wondered why Captain Hu didn't let them look at the bridge surface. The ice bridge wasn't easy to see, and being told to only glance at it made it harder to find the right way, right? Midway, he couldn't help but glance downward. As he looked at the smooth, mirror-like ice surface, a curious face appeared, and he knew it was his own face, but the lower half of his face was hidden. Above, the ice columns and icicles were reflected in the bridge, and below, the sheer cliffs and ice crystals growing from them were fully visible. Below, ice mist swirled, like a white dragon flying in the air. For a moment, Zhang Li couldn't tell whether he was standing on solid ice or floating in mid-air, and he saw a face identical to his own, floating in the air, with an expression of panic, lifelessness, and surprise—just the face, floating in mid-air.
Zhang Li suddenly lost his sense of direction, feeling as if he were sinking downward. The sky above and the ground below spun around him. He thought he heard distant shouts, but he also thought he heard nothing. His strength felt like it had been drained by an invisible syringe. His hands and feet wouldn't obey him, and he had completely lost control of his body.
Tashi Danba noticed Zhang Li standing motionless in the middle of the ice bridge, his eyes vacant. He murmured, "What happened to Zhang Li?"
Hu Yang, who had been adjusting the safety ropes, looked up in alarm and shouted, "Not good! He's about to fall!"
"What?" Tashi Danba turned to see Zhang Li, limp, slanting to one side and collapsing onto the ice bridge. His body was leaning against the safety rope but had not yet fallen off the bridge. Hu Yang shouted, "Kirk, go help him. Zhang Li! Zhang Li! Wake up! Zhang Li! Can you hear me? Zhang Li!"
With the safety rope to help, Kirk guided Zhang Li across the ice bridge, and Hu Yang quickly applied some ice dust to Zhang Li's neck to revive him. Tashi Danba asked, "How could this happen?"
Hu Yang replied, "This is called 'vertigo in mid-air.' Humans are strange creatures. The brain is used to receiving information that stability comes from standing on solid ground. When we suddenly realize we're suspended in mid-air, the brain sends the wrong signals, thinking that if we're suspended, we must fall. In reality, the body isn't falling, but the brain has already sent the signal, and the heartbeat, blood flow, and all are adjusted to match the fall. The temporary lack of blood to the brain causes fainting, but a short rest will make it better. This is why I didn't let you look down and why we need to secure ourselves with safety harnesses. It's a lesson learned the hard way. All right, he's coming back to himself."
Hu Yang glanced around and said, "From this angle, it looks even more beautiful. A miracle, this is truly a miracle."
But Hu Yang replied, "Not good, the situation is very bad. From here, I can see at least seven or eight large cave entrances with the naked eye. It's going to be very difficult for us to trace the poachers' escape route."
Kirk observed for a moment and said, "In their panic, the poachers would have chosen a wide, straight ice bridge. This path should be the correct one."
Hu Yang said, "I agree with your point, but take a good look at that place. If we continue along this route, I'm afraid the two of them won't make it."
Kirk looked in the direction Hu Yang pointed to, and indeed, after crossing several ice bridges, they found that one of the ice beams had broken. There was a one-meter gap that would require a jump. On flat ground, anyone could jump a meter, but under the ice beam was a bottomless abyss. Just now, Zhang Li, when standing on solid ground and looking down, had already lost consciousness. How could they possibly jump over that extreme one-meter gap?
At that moment, Zhang Li slowly regained consciousness. Looking at Tashi Danba's resolute face, he mumbled, "What happened to me? Where are we?"
Tashi Danba replied, "You didn't listen to Captain Hu, you fainted earlier."
Hu Yang gestured, saying, "This route is fine. Let's keep moving."
They carefully moved forward. Hu Yang was constantly anchoring steel spikes into the ground and securing safety clips. Tashi Danba, Zhang Li, and Kirk followed closely behind, advancing together to protect Zhang Li. Hu Yang had warned them that they needed to move in unison. If one person made a mistake, all three could fall off the ice bridge, and the safety rope might not hold, causing all four of them to perish. As Tashi Danba walked ahead of the group, he realized the meaning of being "tied together by a rope."
Every step was filled with anxiety. They didn't dare to look around. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally reached the other end of the ice sheet, the entrance to a massive round cave. Hu Yang unbuckled his safety clip and exhaled deeply. The burden didn't come from the weight but from within.
Tashi Danba hesitated for a moment before daring to look back. Though the distance was less than 100 meters, it felt as though he had crossed half a century. Now, looking at the ice-cast wonders, they still seemed endlessly captivating, but when he was inside, he hadn't felt any beauty. Hu Yang had been right; that breathtaking beauty was surrounded by death traps at every turn.
Zhang Li, already pale, who had been praising the wonders of nature earlier, now just wanted to end this experience and head back to the hospital for a psychological check-up to see if he had developed a fear of heights.
Kirk finished adjusting his gear and helped Tashi Danba and the others remove their equipment from the ice bridge. He urged, "Let's go. We're going into another cave." He didn't want to look back, afraid he wouldn't be able to resist the allure of the beauty and fall into the abyss again.
This cave's ice layer was slightly thinner, with many parts completely peeled away, revealing the hard rock walls. The cave was much wider than when they entered, allowing all four of them to walk side by side. The ice-covered rock walls were marked with various shapes, like monstrous beasts with sharp claws, welcoming the strange visitors.
Hu Yang looked at the cave they passed through and said in confusion, "I don't see any signs left by the poachers. I'm not sure if this is the right path."
No sooner had he spoken, a mournful cry suddenly came from deep within the cave. Tashi Danba, for the first time, heard a deep male voice make such a tragic sound. It reminded him of a pig's last cry in a slaughterhouse. The male voice was also interspersed with another indistinct sound, as if from another person who was already weak.
Kirk shouted, "This is it, hurry, let's go!" He rushed ahead. Hu Yang grabbed him but couldn't stop him, then reached back and grabbed Tashi Danba, who was about to charge ahead. He whispered, "No… be careful!"
In the flashlight's glow, Hu Yang's face appeared somewhat pale. Tashi Danba hadn't expected that even the big man's face would look so colorless.