Chapter 1 The Exit

Fatty, Rouyi, and Han Yu walked arduously, feeling the cold wind, in the dark. The tunnel was dark and long, and they could only judge the distance to the exit by the decreasing temperature.

They didn't know how long they walked before they finally reached the cave opening.

Pushing aside the heavy snow, the three finally saw the sky.

The weather was gloomy, and heavy clouds surrounded the mountain peaks, indicating that severe weather was about to occur in the Himalayas.

Outside the cave, on a conspicuous stone, was written "joseph,mike&johnwerehere.1920."

Compared to Fatty and the others, Joseph and his companions' encounter had a tragic element.

Of course, not only Joseph and his group, but also many climbers and explorers who intended to conquer the Himalayas were swallowed by the underground palace or died because they lost their way. Their experiences were also complete tragedies.

If they were given the opportunity to choose again, would they still take the risk?

Fatty, Rouyi, and Han Yu probably wouldn't. If it hadn't been for the Z organization chasing them so closely, threatening their lives, who would have been willing to set foot in this deep, dark underground palace?

Daniel? Didn't even that madman regret it in the end?

The weather was abnormal, and they needed to get down the mountain quickly.

Following the Young Master's instructions, Fatty cleared the snow on the mountain and moved carefully downhill. Most of their outdoor equipment was lost, and without equipment support, they could only slow down, supporting each other one by one and moving slowly.

They successfully descended the mountain, and a milky white glacier stood before them.

There were some cracks of varying sizes on the glacier. Underneath the cracks was soft snow. If they accidentally fell, they might never be able to get out.

So everyone's heart was in their throat as they carefully dealt with the ice and snow under their feet. The three held hands and slowly walked across the slippery ice and snow.

During this time, Han Yu almost slipped several times, but Fatty caught her each time, giving them a false alarm.

After passing through the glacier, half a day had passed, and the three were starving. They hadn't felt cold or hungry in the underground palace, but after leaving it, they were cold and hungry, suffering from both hunger and cold.

Fatty encouraged everyone, "Let's hold on a little longer. According to the Young Master, we should be there in about half a day."

Although this was not a regular climbing route, the mountain road was steep and rugged, and the ground was covered with snow and ice, it was indeed a shortcut to the foot of the mountain.

Finally, the three successfully descended the mountain before dark.

The weather in the Himalayas was unpredictable.

Not long after they descended the mountain, a blizzard suddenly swept through. Fortunately, they had moved quickly. If they had been slower, the blizzard would have trapped them on the mountain, and without tents or heat sources, they would have certainly frozen to death.

Fatty found a village a few kilometers from the base of the mountain.

So, the group dragged their extremely tired bodies towards the village. After walking for a day on the mountain road, lacking water and food, Han Yu almost fainted.

Rouyi wasn't doing much better. She was also reaching her limit. As they approached the village, she complained, "Luckily, this isn't a hallucination. If it is, we'll have escaped death only to die of regret. I don't know if that's lucky or unlucky."

This village hosted climbers and adventurers coming to and from the mountains during two seasons of the year.

Although they didn't usually see many people climbing the mountain, this activity required almost no additional expenses. The villagers only needed to vacate one or two rooms in their homes and prepare a few more meals. The income from hosting travelers could allow them to live without worry for half a year. It was practically a risk-free profit.

The villagers in the village were very enthusiastic about the three people who had come down from the mountain, and they all scrambled to host them.

Fatty and Rouyi were in a difficult position in front of the villagers.

Since the four members of the team were captured by Daniel, then went down into the underground palace, and finally escaped, they had lost most of their money and belongings in the process. Rouyi's cash and credit cards had long been lost somewhere.

When the villagers saw that these three climbers looked embarrassed and had no money, they put on an unfriendly face and left one after another.

One woman did not leave. She said that they could offer something valuable in exchange.

Han Yu said to Fatty and Rouyi, "Don't panic. The Young Master has already arranged everything."

Fatty and Rouyi's faces were filled with surprise.

"The Young Master even thought of this in advance?" Fatty said, "Could it be that the Young Master has become a prophet?"

Han Yu flashed a small stack of Renminbi and a savings book in her hand, and said, "No, this is the money and savings that he carried with him all along. Before we came out, he gave this to me, saying that it would be needed later."

Fatty and Rouyi then understood what Han Yu meant by "arranged."

In the end, they chose the woman who wasn't as snobbish as the others and had a kind attitude, and followed her home.

Her husband had gone to the city to do business and wouldn't be back for half a month, so only she and her six-year-old daughter were at home.

Han Yu still gave the woman the room money at the market price. The hostess sincerely said that it didn't actually need that much. Their house was very dilapidated, and half would be enough.

Han Yu insisted, first to thank her for her kindness, second to hope that she wouldn't make it known, and third to get her to prepare some good food for them.

For dinner, the hostess specially brought them meat and prepared the meal very carefully. Although the strong curry flavor and the stewed meat chunks and vegetables weren't exactly delicious, the group devoured it due to hunger.

The house was dilapidated, but fortunately it didn't leak wind or water. Because the house was reinforced with many wooden door panels, the soundproofing was pretty good. Most importantly, they had everything they needed, with two clean and tidy guest rooms.

However, after experiencing that ordeal in the underground palace and then arriving in this strange place, Rouyi and Han Yu felt particularly insecure, so they begged Fatty, hoping that the three of them could stay in one room.

Fatty agreed to their request without hesitation. Rouyi and Han Yu squeezed into one bed, and Fatty dragged a large, thick door panel and used thick bedding to make a bed on the floor.

After all this commotion, everyone was very tired and wanted to rest early, so they planned to turn off the lights early.

Before turning off the lights, Rouyi suddenly thought of something and asked Han Yu and Fatty, "When do you think the Young Master will be able to come down the mountain?"

The weather in the mountains was unpredictable, and the snow on the mountain was blown by the strong wind to the sky above the village. The village was like it was snowing. The people in the village turned off the lights early to save on electricity bills, and the outside was silent. Snowflakes rustled on the windowsill, becoming the only sound that decorated the night.

The hostess of the house was sleeping with her daughter next door. The little girl was very well-behaved and quiet, and was probably already asleep.

Rouyi's question was like a knife cutting through the quiet night, and a sigh from Han Yu came from the other side of the dark curtain—

"He won't be back."