Chapter 595 - 278: Rescue, Warning, Exploring a New Route!

Although the altitude at this time had not yet reached the death zone above 8,000 meters, losing an oxygen mask at the wind gap was extremely dangerous, even deadly.

Nowadays, most climbing teams ascend with oxygen tanks, and it’s very rare to find someone like Li Younan who can maintain a blood oxygen level above 95 without one.

The team ahead all had oxygen tanks with them.

Because they were constantly breathing oxygen, once the mask was blown off, symptoms of acute hypoxia would quickly erupt. Within minutes, severe headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, and decreased judgment would ensue, like being unable to figure out how to re-wear the mask on their own, and their physical coordination would also diminish.

The team member was now lying flat, clutching the rope tightly with his hand.

Their guide attempted to rescue him but couldn’t remove his own oxygen mask to give to him.

At this moment, the blown mask had landed seven or eight meters away on a crevice of ice and was stuck, without a rope leading to it, and below was a chasm.

The seven or eight meters of rock wall was mixed with ice and snow; it didn’t seem long, but the guide dared not risk his life to retrieve it.

Just then, the guide was surprised to see a climber clearly not from their team using an ice axe to pierce the compacted snow on the rock wall.

After testing its firmness with his hand, he swung his body over, and his crampon-clad foot kicked fiercely into a piece of glacier. Then, in the same manner, the ice axe in his other hand was firmly embedded into the glacier.

Thus, the individual was suspended on the rock wall.

Li Younan had already mapped out the route before deciding; apart from the first strike of the ice axe into snow, the rest was glacier.

With crampons and ice axes, it wasn’t dangerous for him.

Comparatively, the ice wall was quite solid; at temperatures below minus 50 degrees, the ice became as hard as stone.

Li Younan didn’t take long; he quickly reached the spot where the mask was stuck and released one hand to retrieve it.

Lucky enough, if the mask had blown further away, it would have been beyond help.

Li Younan put the mask back into his pocket and, using the same method, returned to the rope.

Honestly, it’s rare for an oxygen mask to be blown off under normal conditions, but it was clearly visible that there were friction marks and scuffs on it.

The climber likely made a wrong move or chose an unsuitable route, causing external equipment interference; coupled with possible tangling of oxygen tubing, it led to a leverage effect that pulled the mask off the face in the wind.

During the climb on Mount Everest, there are numerous incidents where climbers perished due to hypoxia and cold after their oxygen masks were completely torn off.

Like the 2019 Everest congestion incident, where several climbers had their masks loosen by strong winds, or when climber Francis’ mask was blown away by a blizzard at 8,600 meters, leading to tragedy.

Li Younan knew well that at this moment, time meant life. After retrieving the mask, he sped up and quickly reached the climber whose mask had been blown off.

At this time, the wind was fierce, the sounds of the wind howling in the ears; to communicate, one had to shout with great effort to be heard.

Although Li Younan had been extremely swift, several minutes had already passed. Due to sudden hypoxia, the climber was showing acute hypoxic symptoms.

Seeing Li Younan had retrieved the mask, the guide immediately got to work, and with swift cooperation, the oxygen mask was reconnected, and the climber was helped to wear it again.

The climbing guide shouted loudly to Li Younan, "Thank you!"

Li Younan shouted back, "Quickly get him down; this is not a place to say thanks!"

The guide forcefully patted the climber’s head, shouting in his ear, "Don’t sleep, quickly wake up! You’re not in good shape; we need to get down first."

The climber, already somewhat shocked, nodded, trying hard to stand up, then looked deeply at Li Younan. "What’s your name? My lifesaver!"

Although Li Younan wasn’t wearing an oxygen mask, with such fierce winds, he naturally had his climbing mask on; with the mask and goggles covering his face, nothing about his appearance was discernible.

Li Younan replied, "My name is Li Younan. Be careful when you go down."

"Li Younan, thank you." The climber silently remembered his name, "I will repay you!"

The voice sounded like a middle-aged man; Li Younan smiled indifferently.

Afterwards, once they had descended, Li Younan continued climbing alongside the team ahead.

Although incredibly confident, Li Younan still dutifully held onto the rope, silently ascending.

With his ability, he could completely forsake the commercial route to explore and chart a new one himself, but since there’s a route already, seeking a new path would be somewhat senseless.

While climbing, Li Younan was rather contemplative about the rope he held in his hand.

Moving behind, he gradually moved out of the area with the strongest wind, where the wind gradually subsided. He then spoke to the microphone on his action camera, "Guys, can you see this rope in my hand?"