Chapter 144: Life and Death Are Fate: Qin Yun Comes to the Rescue

Qin Yun spoke with a grave expression, outlining Zhang Kui's current condition.

Then he patted the man's body, his frown deepening further.

"Besides poisoning, Zhang Kui has obvious external injuries on his face and body—some from falling and hitting himself, but most are scratches, scrapes, and bites, likely from a group of wild macaques."

"Damn, Zhang Kui's had the worst luck in seven generations—attacked by macaques, bitten by a venomous snake, what the hell did he do?"

"Anyone wanting to learn from Brother Qin's livestream, pay attention: if you don't have the skill, don't climb the mountain."

"Wow, so tragic—his face is swollen like a pig's head."

"So what do we do now? Just wait for the rescue team to arrive?"

"Rescue Team: Brother Qin, please launch your drone so we can lock onto your location; as soon as the rain stops, we'll immediately dispatch a helicopter."

"Rescue Team: Brother Qin, please launch your drone so we can lock onto your location; as soon as the rain stops, we'll immediately dispatch a helicopter."

Holding the drone in his hand, Qin Yun glanced at the comment section and shook his head: "Comrades of the rescue team, I've seen your message, but the current weather makes it impossible for my drone to take off. Even if it could, the helicopter still couldn't land."

The location where Qin Yun stood was deep within dense forest; helicopters simply couldn't descend here—the rotors would strike the trees. At this spot, a winch with a rope ladder would need to be at least one hundred meters long, but helicopters never carry ladders that long—maximum is about fifty meters.

"Rescue Team: Brother Qin, is there any open flat ground nearby? As long as the airspace above allows the helicopter to descend to fifty meters above ground, our rope ladder is sixty meters long."

Qin Yun had no idea what open areas were nearby, so he replied: "I'll need to go scout and look, but Zhang Kui's condition is deteriorating—do you have any way to deliver antivenom?"

After a while, the comment section quickly replied: "Brother Qin, your current location is inaccessible to normal drones—no signal. Only a helicopter carrying a drone could approach for flight, but with this weather, helicopters can't fly at all. You can only wait, and even under normal conditions, arrival would take at least an hour."

Qin Yun frowned. Zhang Kui's condition wasn't just due to the toxin alone—the macaque scratches and bites were likely accelerating the toxin's effects.

An hour is still within the toxin's tolerance window, but Zhang Kui's case is unusual and may not follow normal protocols. And who knows when the rain will stop—if it doesn't, this hour could stretch to two, even three.

He thought for a moment: "I understand. I'll perform emergency first aid on Zhang Kui and find an open area—hope he can hold on until you arrive."

Saying this, he resecured the drone to his shoulder, crouched down, and observed Zhang Kui again.

Under the heavy rain, Zhang Kui curled up like a dog—if left unattended, he wouldn't last long.

He immediately removed Zhang Kui's shoes, then tied cloth strips around his thigh to slow the spread of venom.

After finishing, he scanned left and right, and soon spotted a rock thirty meters away—its overhanging edge formed a perfect natural awning, ideal for building shelter.

Without hesitation, in less than ten minutes Qin Yun swiftly constructed a temporary rain shelter; though rain still dripped through, it was far better than being soaked by the downpour.

Dragging Zhang Kui under the shelter, Qin Yun stared at the hellish weather, utterly helpless.

He placed the drone aside; though the environment was dim, viewers could still clearly see Qin Yun.

He shook his head: "Everyone can see—Zhang Kui's clothing is minimal, just ordinary clothes. Once soaked, they're colder than being naked. I'm afraid the toxin won't kill him, but hypothermia will."

After Qin Yun finished speaking, he quickly stripped off Zhang Kui's upper garments, then removed his own waterproof jacket, taking off the thermal inner layer and fleece underneath—suddenly, the livestream exploded with comments.

"Holy shit, giving out perks this early? I love it."

"Wow, Brother Qin's physique is insane—I'm mesmerized."

"Damn, Brother Qin, I'm reporting you."

"You dirty girls—Brother Qin is sacrificing himself to save Zhang Kui. What are you thinking?"

Qin Yun dressed Zhang Kui in the thermal innerwear and fleece, then slipped on his own icy waterproof jacket. Even with his physique, the moment it touched his skin, a piercing cold seeped through.

"Damn, it's freezing!" Though he had Sherpa-level cold adaptation, he wasn't immune—he just had far higher resistance.

But the sudden shift from warmth to freezing cold made him shiver involuntarily.

Rain dripped steadily from his hair, jawline, and some even flowed straight into his chest.

Qin Yun took a deep breath and swallowed a sip of ginger tea—this thermos was excellent; the tea was still over sixty degrees Celsius.

Though it couldn't fully dispel the chill, over time Qin Yun gradually adapted.

He periodically checked Zhang Kui's condition, hesitating over something.

After about an hour, he noticed Zhang Kui's body began trembling, his lips turning blue-purple, his breath rasping like a broken bellows, his chest rising and falling erratically.

Qin Yun's face darkened—he sensed something terrible.

He pried open Zhang Kui's eyelids—the pupils were already dilating, nearly slipping into full shock.

"Zhang Kui's condition is critical. The environment and external wounds are accelerating the toxin. If we don't act now, his mortality rate will rise to eighty percent."

Watching Qin Yun's stone-cold face on camera, viewers in the livestream felt the urgency.

"What do we do? Brother Qin, is there any way?"

"What way? Are you suggesting Brother Qin braves this hellish weather to forage for herbs?"

"Remember, Brother Qin is only wearing a waterproof jacket now—don't end up saving him but losing yourself."

"Exactly—life and death are fate; wealth and honor are heaven's will. Brother Qin has done enough. Whether he lives or dies is up to him now."

The comments flashed before Qin Yun's eyes—he hesitated.

Not to mention whether he could even find the herbs, his physical condition, though strengthened by the system, still had no guarantee against sub-zero temperatures and rain's debuff.

But Zhang Kui's sudden deterioration was unexpected.

The handsome, stormy face on camera suddenly broke into a smile—as if the dim livestream had brightened.

"According to my knowledge, Mount Qixing contains many herbs that alleviate snake venom: for clearing heat, detoxifying, reducing swelling, and stopping bleeding—Qiyexiaozhihua; for accelerating toxin excretion via urination—Banbianlian; for anti-inflammatory and wound-prevention—Baihuashe Shecao; and for inhibiting snake venom protease and slowing tissue necrosis—Bajiaolian."

"I can't stand by and watch Zhang Kui stop breathing. I must take this risk."

Saying this, he glanced back at Zhang Kui on the ground, then picked up the drone and charged into the rain.

That damn rain showed no sign of stopping.

"Holy shit, Brother Qin is so cool."

"Real men—look to Brother Qin."

"I'm in love—even if Brother Qin hadn't gone, no one could blame him. But he went anyway."

"Positive energy streamer—I have to admit it."

Qin Yun's botany skill allowed him to effortlessly identify various plants, knowing their effects and growth characteristics. To help Zhang Kui, he wasn't aiming for complete detoxification—impossible under these conditions, beyond his ability.

He could only use the medicinal herbs available in the forest to provide preliminary relief. The most important thing was relief—to slow the pace of Zhang Kui's death.

Based on the growing conditions of various herbs, he kept appearing in different parts of the forest.

"For Zhang Kui, the best herbs right now are Hong Ban Gui and Ba Jiao Lian. Hong Ban Gui slows toxin absorption and reduces local spread, while Ba Jiao Lian inhibits snake venom protease, alleviating tissue necrosis—all early symptoms."

After searching for over ten minutes, Qin Yun felt his entire body soaked through, and finally spotted Hong Ban Gui amid the shrubs.

He held the herb up to the camera: "Hong Ban Gui's stem has backward-facing hooks; its leaves are triangular. This one in my hand is Hong Ban Gui. Crush it directly and apply it to the wound for treatment."

After saying that, he put the herbs away and continued searching.

【66】 After speaking, he packed away the herb and continued searching.

After a full half hour, Qin Yun was drenched from head to toe, and finally returned to the temporary rain shelter.

Inside the shelter, Zhang Kui remained as he was—his breath hissed continuously, and his whole body still trembled.

He quickly crushed the Hong Ban Gui and Ba Jiao Lian together and applied them to the snake bite.

After finishing, he set down the drone, plopped down beside it, swiftly moved out of frame, stripped off his clothes, wrung out every garment, then put them back on.

"Damn it, why did Brother Qin just drop a treat and run off?"

"This is so heart-wrenching—I wonder if Zhang Kui will survive."

"I hope the rain stops soon."

"Brother Qin has ginger tea, why not give some to Zhang Kui?"

"Brother Qin, how's your condition? Still OK?"

Qin Yun reappeared before the camera, glanced at the gifts on screen, and smiled: "Thank you all for your gifts and concern—I'm doing fine. As for the netizens asking why I didn't give Zhang Kui ginger tea, it's not because I'm stingy."

"Ginger is extremely hot-natured and promotes blood circulation. Giving it to Zhang Kui wouldn't save him—it would kill him. If he drinks it, he'll be dead in minutes."

"Holy shit, that's insane."

"Terrifying—glad Brother Qin knows better; ordinary people would've just given it to him."

"Scared the hell out of me."

As soon as Qin Yun finished his explanation, he suddenly noticed a change in the daylight outside—the rain had lessened, and he felt a slight easing in his chest.

"Look everyone—the sky's changing. The rain clouds must be passing; the rain might stop soon."

Qin Yun's words triggered an outburst of cheers in the livestream.

Meanwhile, the rescue team immediately sprang into action—the helicopter, doctors, and antivenom were all ready, waiting to depart the moment the rain stopped.

Indeed, fifteen minutes later, the rain ceased. The weather remained overcast, but it was already much better than before.

Qin Yun knew he had to find a more open area quickly—otherwise, the helicopter couldn't descend to a safe altitude, and Zhang Kui still wouldn't be rescued.

Fortunately, misfortune didn't cling to Zhang Kui forever. Around twenty minutes after leaving the shelter, Qin Yun returned.

He had found a suitable spot for the helicopter to lower its altitude. Now came the challenge: how to transport Zhang Kui safely there.

The livestream viewers were also curious—wondering how Qin Yun would manage it.

"Someone with snake venom shouldn't stand upright; the best position is lying flat. But that spot is about ten minutes away from the shelter, and the mountain path is rough—dragging him won't work. So I'll have to carry him horizontally."

"Damn it, Brother Qin, don't joke—carrying someone on your back is one thing, but horizontally?"

"I've seen Brother Qin's strength and stamina before—I don't find it surprising."

"He's not human—Zhang Kui looks like he weighs over 150 catties. Carrying him steadily over there is impossible."

"Brother Qin, be careful. Stay safe."

Qin Yun took a deep breath, placed his left hand under Zhang Kui's knee pits, his right hand behind his back, fingers supporting his head. Though his legs dangled, the body remained level.

He lifted the man effortlessly.

"This kid's at least 160 catties," Qin Yun muttered, then strode out of the shelter and hurried toward the spot he'd found.

Lifting 160 catties and carrying 160 catties for ten minutes are two completely different things.

For an ordinary person, lifting 160 catties would require all their strength, let alone carrying someone as limp as a corpse. Yet now, this adult man, Zhang Kui, remained utterly motionless in Qin Yun's arms from start to finish.

Not a twitch!

As stable as Mount Taishan!

When he laid Zhang Kui on the ground, his hands didn't tremble at all—as if he'd merely carried over a leaf.

In truth, Qin Yun was tired too—but his current physical condition, whether in endurance, strength, or recovery, had reached an extremely terrifying level.

"I'll launch the drone here. I hope the rescue team arrives soon—Zhang Kui's condition is still dire."

Seeing Qin Yun's drone ascend, the rescue team immediately moved into action.

At that moment, Qin Yun summoned his system panel and waited quietly for the rescue—once they arrived, this mission would be successfully completed.

【Please host, locate Zhang Kui trapped on Mount Qixing and rescue him; successful rescue counts as mission completion】