Chapter 92: Scaling the North Wall Base Camp

In the study, a middle-aged man with a figure like a pine tree was reviewing documents. His face was rugged, sharply defined, his forehead broad, his gaze radiating authority—he was clearly someone who had long held a high position.

“What’s wrong? Why so flustered?”

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

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

Han Shichu set down the papers in his hand. “What do you mean?”

*Gulping sound!*

Han Shijie swallowed hard and placed his phone on the table before Han Shichu. The screen showed a figure they knew all too well—Han Shichu’s face 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 tone, one could tell he was an extremely composed man.

“The base camp sits at over 4,200 meters. Tonight we’ll rest there, acclimatize to the altitude, and 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.

“Master Qin, I know—I won’t hide my 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 clearly ordered that no climbing team be allowed to take Weiwei—how dare someone sneak out with her?”

He assumed Qin Yun was some climber lured by Weiwei’s reward money, and had taken her to Yao Mei Peak on his own.

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

“Contact him immediately and tell Weiwei to get down right now,” Han Shichu said, furious and disappointed. “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 off, let alone Weiwei’s.”

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

【I’m Han Shichu. Tell Weiwei 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.

Still, nothing.

*Bang!*

He hurled the phone onto the floor—the sound cut off abruptly.

Han Shijie’s lip twitched: “My brand-new phone… thank goodness I have a spare.”

“Contact the North Wall base camp climbing team. Stop Weiwei.”

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 Weiwei’s mother.

Weiwei’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 outburst.

“Shijie, thank you for telling me. I’ll handle this—you don’t need to worry. Don’t listen to what your second brother says.”

“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, a man’s voice came from the Douyin stream: “Yao Mei Peak is extremely difficult—over 99% of people can’t conquer it, and it’s not because the mountain itself is so hard.”

“If it were just the technical difficulty, many 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 near-certain death.”

Qin Yun controlled the drone ahead, his breathing utterly steady, as calm as a mountain. 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 total—nearly ten thousand have summited Everest. That shows just how difficult Yao Mei 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 deeply as any professional.

Yet even so, hearing it now still made her heart race.

“At 6,250 meters, the altitude isn’t extreme—but a 1,200-meter technical route with an average 70-degree slope is enough to deter anyone.”

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

Before them lay a relatively flat snow platform. At its edge, a sheer cliff plunged into an abyss. Directly ahead, the massive, nearly vertical wall of Yao Mei Peak’s North Wall was laid bare.

The North Wall of Yao Mei Peak looked as if cleaved by a giant axe—straight, steep, grotesque. Ice and snow clung to black rock, forming terrifying ice falls and grooves. Sunlight reflected off them, blindingly bright.

On the wall, no path could be seen—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? It all looks like 90 degrees.”

“No wonder it’s harder than Everest—compared to this, Everest feels like child’s play.”

“I wonder how Gongga Mountain is?”

On the vast platform, several tents stood scattered—roughly five or six, likely from different climbing teams.

Someone in one of the tents spotted them and peered out curiously.

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

In spring or summer, tourists might flock here—but right now, almost no one comes.

Judging by these two, they clearly weren’t climbers—probably just sightseers.

“Hey, brother, miss, hello!”

The closest tent’s occupant—a young man—walked over to greet them.

Qin Yun nodded. “Hello. Are you a climbing team?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I’m with the Climbers Alliance. That’s the Storm Climbing Team over there. I’m Xia Cuo. What’s your name, brother? And miss?”

“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 sunburn; he grinned broadly. “You two are sightseeing, right? Not many people come now. It’s cold, sure, but the scenery’s unmatched—great choice.”

“Yeah, definitely few people.”

As he spoke, several more people approached from afar.

Out here, even strangers felt like fate’s meeting. They exchanged a few words and got to know each other slightly.

They simply assumed Qin Yun and Han Wei were tourists—not climbers attempting Yao Mei Peak.

Qin Yun didn’t correct them. He let it stand.

“Hehe, when these guys see Master Qin climb up tomorrow, they’re gonna shit themselves.”

“Hahaha, they’ll be utterly stunned.”

“Master Qin is so bad—but I love it.”

After chatting with the climbing teams, Qin Yun picked a suitable spot to set up camp.

He walked to the base of the wall and turned to the drone. “Brothers, this is the North Wall base camp—4,200 meters.”

Then he pointed to a wide expanse of scree below the wall. “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 Wall.”

The camera shifted, following his gesture to focus on the scree zone.

“Falling rocks and ice can strike anytime—no pattern. You can only get through by watching carefully and moving fast.”

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

This was where her sister Han Xue had last vanished. This was the devil’s wall that had swallowed Han Xue’s life. Her eyes instantly filled with tears.

Qin Yun glanced at her but offered no comfort. The drone flew off.

“Brothers, let me show you the breathtaking view here.”

The drone flew out on its own—its AI handled navigation. Qin Yun left it alone. But this stunned the climbers watching.

“Hey, brother, aren’t you going to get your drone back?”

Qin Yun smiled. “It’s smart. AI’s managing it.”

“Holy shit, that works?”

On the other side, Xia Cuo approached. He’d been watching the drone earlier and had secretly checked its specs—discovering its price was absurd.

“Brother, you’re rich! That drone’s worth nearly 200,000.”

Hearing this, several climbers looked stunned.

Many climbers here were wealthy—but 200,000 for a drone? They’d never heard of such a thing.

“Stability matters most,” Qin Yun said, posing slightly as he led Han Wei toward their chosen campsite.

The others didn’t bother them, only watching the drone fly farther and farther away, wondering if it’d ever return.

Qin Yun set down his pack and began pitching 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 in this environment, there was no hint of romance.

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

“Hehe, tent’s up. Tonight, Han Wei and I will sleep here. But the real challenge starts tomorrow. I hope her condition holds up—if not, I’ll have to climb alone.”

Han Wei bit her lip. She worried about her body—altitude sickness often ignored willpower.

Qin Yun’s voice continued: “Especially at night—temperatures here drop below minus ten degrees. For her, that’s a massive test.”

Looking at her daughter’s determined face in the camera, Fang Yi said nothing, but her expression was complex.

She did not contact the climbing team on that side, because it was meaningless—she knew her own daughter best.

"Damn, Brother Qin is hoarding all the goodies."

"Unworthy son, utterly unworthy."

"Beauty, don’t listen to men—Brother Qin has wicked intentions tonight."

"I’m a man, believe me—Brother Qin isn’t good either."

"Polang gifted the streamer ten Carnival tokens—Brother Qin is mighty."

"Xuxu Baby gifted the streamer one Carnival token—Brother Qin is awesome."

"Chen He gifted the streamer five Carnival tokens—Brother Qin is valiant."

"..."

Looking at these comments, Qin Yun laughed and groaned: "Don’t talk nonsense—I’m a man of integrity; never losing composure is my motto."

"Pfft, can’t, then can’t."