Chapter 92

In the study, a middle-aged man with a figure like a pine tree was reviewing documents. His face was stern, with sharp lines, a broad forehead, and eyes radiating authority—clearly someone who had long held a high position.

"What's wrong? Why so flustered?"

Han Shichu looked up at Han Shijie, who appeared agitated, and frowned.

Han Shijie hurriedly said, "Second brother, Weiwei went to Yao Mei Peak."

Han Shichu set down the papers in his hands. "What do you mean?"

"Gulch!"

Han Shijie swallowed hard and placed his phone on the table before Han Shichu. The screen showed a figure unmistakably familiar—Han Shichu's expression darkened instantly.

He snatched up the phone and turned up the volume.

"We're still an hour away from the North Wall base camp," came a man's voice beside the daughter. Just from the voice, one could sense a man of remarkable composure.

"The base camp sits at over 4,200 meters. We'll rest here tonight to acclimatize. If everything's fine by morning, we'll officially enter the North Wall route."

Han Wei understood Qin Yun's meaning, but she still felt confident.

"Qin Ye, I know—I won't hide my physical condition. Don't worry."

At that moment, the camera pulled back, revealing a man entering the frame.

Han Shichu roared, "Immediately investigate this man. I explicitly ordered that no climbing team be allowed to take Weiwei. Who dares act on their own?"

He assumed Qin Yun was some climber lured by Weiwei's reward money, and had secretly taken her up Yao Mei Peak.

Han Shijie quickly said, "Second brother, he's just a personal streamer on TikTok—not part of any climbing team. I looked into Weiwei's recent activities—she approached him herself. But this guy does have real ability."

"Then immediately contact him and tell Han Wei to get down right now!" Han Shichu was furious. "Xue died up there. Does she want her father to lose his only daughter in the same place?"

Han Shijie sighed. "Can't reach him. His only contact is through this livestream—his phone is completely offline, let alone Weiwei's."

Hearing this, Han Shichu flew into a rage and started typing furiously in the livestream.

【I'm Han Shichu. Tell Han Wei to get down right now, or I'll disown her as my daughter】

As soon as this comment appeared, it was instantly buried under a flood of replies—Qin Yun didn't notice at all.

Han Shichu clearly realized this, but he didn't give up—he kept posting several more.

But it was the same result.

"Bang—!"

He hurled the phone onto the floor. The sound immediately cut off.

Han Shijie's lip twitched. "My brand-new phone… thank goodness I have a spare."

"Contact the North Wall base camp climbing team. Stop Han Wei."

Han Shijie replied and hurried out.

But he didn't follow Han Shichu's orders—he went straight to the family's cosmetics company to find Han Wei's mother.

Han Wei's mother—Fang Yi—was the chairwoman of a high-end cosmetics company under the group.

Moments later, in her office, Han Shijie met Fang Yi.

After learning the situation, Fang Yi remained utterly calm, showing none of Han Shichu's emotional turmoil.

"Shijie, thank you for telling me. I'll handle this—you don't need to worry. Don't listen to what your second brother said."

"Alright, Sister-in-law, I'll follow your lead."

Han Shijie acted like a sycophant. Fang Yi knew exactly what he wanted and had finance transfer the money immediately.

After receiving the transfer notification, Han Shijie scurried off happily.

Once he left, Fang Yi turned her gaze to the phone screen, watching the man and woman in the frame. Her lips moved slightly.

"Damn girl. Never gives me a moment's peace."

As she spoke, she heard a man's voice from the TikTok stream: "The climb up Yao Mei Peak is extremely difficult. For 99% of people, it's unconquerable—not because the mountain itself is so hard."

"If it were only the mountain's difficulty, many rock-climbing masters wouldn't struggle. The real issue is Yao Mei Peak's wildly unpredictable climate and brutal environment. Once an anomaly occurs, climbers face a near-certain death."

Qin Yun controlled the drone ahead, his breathing utterly steady, as calm as Mount Taishan. Behind him, Han Wei, though pausing occasionally, adjusted herself according to his instructions—but her voice still sounded heavily labored.

"Though only a handful have summited Yao Mei Peak—last time I checked, there were 47—compared to nearly ten thousand who've summited Mount Zhufeng. That shows just how difficult Yao Mei Peak is."

Hearing this, Fang Yi's heart tightened slightly. She already knew these figures—when her eldest daughter died, she'd studied Yao Mei Peak as thoroughly as any professional.

Yet even so, hearing it again made her heart race.

"At 6,250 meters, the altitude isn't extreme, but a 1,200-meter technical route with an average slope of 70 degrees is enough to deter anyone."

As Qin Yun spoke, he kept walking. After another ten minutes, they passed through a thicket of cat-like shrubs—and the view suddenly opened up.

Before them lay a relatively flat snow platform. At its edge dropped a sheer cliff into an abyss below, and straight ahead, the nearly vertical massive wall finally revealed itself without concealment.

The North Wall of Yao Mei Peak, as if cleaved by a giant axe, stood straight, steep, and menacing. Ice and snow clung to black rock, forming terrifying ice falls and grooves. Sunlight struck them, reflecting blinding glares.

On the wall, no path was visible—only utter, hopeless steepness.

"Holy shit, this is the North Wall of Yao Mei Peak?"

"Just looking at it makes my legs weak. Vertical drop must be at least two kilometers."

"How the hell do you climb this? Looks like 90 degrees everywhere."

"No wonder it's harder than Mount Zhufeng. Compared to this, Zhufeng feels like child's play."

"I wonder what Gongga Mountain is like?"

On the large platform now stood several tents—roughly five or more, likely from different climbing teams.

At that moment, someone inside a tent spotted them and stared with curiosity.

Who would come here now? This isn't a good weather window at all.

In spring or summer, tourists might flock here—but during this season, almost no one comes.

Yet judging by these two, they clearly weren't climbers—probably just sightseers.

"Brother, beautiful lady, hello."

Near them, a young man walked over from the nearest tent to greet them.

Qin Yun nodded: "Hello, are you from the Dengshan team?"

The man nodded: "Yeah, I'm with the Summit Seekers Alliance. Over there is the Storm Dengshan Team. I'm Xia Cuo. What should I call you, brother and beautiful lady?"

"I'm Qin Yun. This is my friend Han Wei."

Han Wei nodded at him but said nothing.

Xia Cuo's face was flushed with high-altitude redness, his smile wide: "You two are here to sightsee, right? This time of year there's hardly anyone—cold, sure, but the scenery is unmatched. A great choice."

"Yeah, there really aren't many people."

As he spoke, several more people walked over from afar.

Out here, though strangers, meeting in such a place counts as fate; they exchanged a few words and got to know each other slightly.

They simply assumed he and Han Wei were tourists, never thinking they were here to challenge Yao Mei Peak.

Qin Yun said nothing and let them believe it.

"Hehe, if these guys see Brother Qin climb up tomorrow, they'll shit themselves."

"Hahaha, they'll be utterly stunned."

"Brother Qin is so naughty—I love it."

Qin Yun communicated with these Dengshan teams, then picked a suitable spot to set up camp.

He walked to the cliff face, turned to the drone: "Brothers, this is the North Face base camp—4,200 meters altitude."

He pointed to a wide expanse of loose rocks below the cliff: "That's the ice avalanche fan—snow and rockfall from above have piled up here for years. It's the first obstacle to entering the North Face."

The camera shifted, the drone following his words to focus on the rock zone.

"Falling rocks and ice can strike at any moment—no pattern, only observation and speed can get you through."

Listening to Qin Yun's explanation, Han Wei beside him looked up at the suffocating cliff, her body trembling slightly.

This was where her sister Han Xue last vanished—this was the Devil's Wall that swallowed Han Xue's life. Her eyes instantly reddened, tears swirling in them.

Qin Yun glanced at her, offered no comfort, and sent the drone flying out.

"Brothers, let me show you the breathtaking scenery here."

The drone flew off on its own, its AI functioning autonomously; Qin Yun left it be for now. But this sight left several Dengshan team members dumbfounded.

"Hey, brother, aren't you going to take back your drone?"

Qin Yun smiled: "It's smart—AI-managed."

"Damn, that actually works."

On the other side, Xia Cuo walked over. He'd been watching the drone earlier and secretly checked online—discovered its price was absurd.

"Brother, you're rich! This drone's worth nearly 200,000."

Hearing this, several members of the Dengshan teams looked stunned.

In truth, many who came to climb weren't short on money—but 200,000 for a single drone? They'd simply never heard of such a thing.

"Stability matters most," Qin Yun showed off, leading Han Wei toward the chosen campsite.

The others didn't bother them, only turning to watch the drone fly farther and farther away, wondering if it'd ever come back.

Qin Yun set down his backpack and began setting up camp.

To lighten Han Wei's load, she hadn't brought her own tent—so tonight she'd have to share Qin Yun's. But under these conditions, there was no hint of romance.

Together, they finished setting up the camp. Soon after, the drone returned. Qin Yun guided it in a circle around the tent.

"Heh, tent's up. Han Wei and I will spend the night here. But the challenge starts tomorrow—I hope Han Wei's condition holds up. Otherwise, I'll have to climb alone."

Han Wei bit her lip, worried about her physical state—altitude sickness often defied willpower.

Qin Yun's voice continued: "Especially at night—the temperature here drops at least ten degrees below zero. For her, it's a huge test."

Watching her daughter's determined face on the screen, Fang Yi said nothing, her expression complex.

She didn't contact the Dengshan team—there was no point. She knew her daughter best.

"Damn, Brother Qin's hogging it all."

"Unthinkable, utterly unthinkable."

"Beautiful lady, don't listen to men—Brother Qin's got bad intentions tonight."

"I'm a man—believe me, Brother Qin ain't good either."

"Bo Lang Ge gifts the streamer ten Carnival tokens—Brother Qin is mighty."

"Xu Xu Bao Bao gifts the streamer one Carnival token—Brother Qin is awesome."

"Chen He gifts the streamer five Carnival tokens—Brother Qin is brave."

"..."

Looking at these comments, Qin Yun laughed helplessly: "Don't talk nonsense. I'm a gentleman—my motto is: never lose composure even in temptation."

"Pfft, can't, can't."