Chapter 23 Chapter 21 Towards the Peak

1 The two parted ways on the ice wall. Hanyu went up. Deep down. Clouds move violently. Although not as strong as last night, the wind was still strong. The snow has stopped, but the sky is not clear. Clouds make sound flow. From time to time, the flowing clouds split open, and huge pillars of light, dazzling like fireballs, descended from the sky.The blue sky peeked out from there. Only at that moment, the body will be exposed to sunlight on the ice wall, but the sunlight will disappear in a flash. The wind shook violently the windbreaker hood worn on top of the winter hood. Fukamachi takes self-assurance on the ice wall, camera in hand.

Wordless parting. The two didn't say any words there, such as take care, cheer, come back alive, and don't die. Hanyu was about to risk his life climbing. Fukamachi was no longer able to climb with him. The place I am in now is the limit.Although it is the limit, if you stay here, you will die.At least, it must descend to about 6,000 meters. warship rock When descending to an altitude of 6,900 meters, hallucinations and auditory hallucinations will probably disappear. No one can guarantee that the life of Fukamachi who went down the mountain will be safe. Although you can use climbing ropes, you have to drive ice wedges into the ice wall every time, and use it as a fulcrum to climb down.

Ice wedges don't come with enough volume for casual use.It can only be used on the edge of the knife where it must be used. Basically, use ice wedges and ice sticks, and climb down with twin axes.On a certain level, the difficulty of climbing down can be said to be higher than climbing. Hanyu and Fukamachi did their best without exchanging cheers. No words needed.No words are enough to encourage. Can't help. Unable to assist. Alone, you can only rely on your own strength. No matter what kind of destiny, if you count on it, your heart will become weak.So don't expect any luck.

Therefore, no words. Fukamachi wanted to ask what happened last night: Did the words he blurted out have any impact on Hanyu? However, it is pointless to ask now. Fukamachi said it, and Hanyu listened.Even though there was a change in Hanyu's heart because of this, Fukamachi couldn't restore it. Hanyu stared at Fukamachi for a long time through the dark lenses of the goggles, then suddenly turned away. Hanyu didn't raise a hand to say goodbye, and didn't even let Fukamachi see the look in his eyes. Hanyu climbed up in the wind blowing from the side. The rhythm is powerful and reassuring.

Far above, you can see the passage between the rocks in the left rock ditch, and the left and right sides are black rock walls. Climb the huge rock wall of the largest difficult rock belt on the southwest wall, and the only passage to the unique point in the world that is closest to the sky. Fukamachi set up the camera, put Hanyu's receding figure into the viewfinder, and kept pressing the shutter. soon Fukamachi put the camera in the backpack and put the backpack on his shoulder. I saw the lonely figure of Hanyu above. On top of it was a huge black rock wall that seemed to be pressing on him.

Fukamachi wanted to set up the camera there until Hanyu was out of sight, but in order to survive, he had to start descending as soon as possible. Start the escape operation alone. No signal to start. When you put the camera in the hiking backpack, put the backpack on, and unfasten the self-secure, nature begins. Fukamachi began to descend the mountain. 2 On the way, two ice wedge nails were used, and three remained. When I looked up on the way down the mountain, I saw Hanyu twice. For the first time, it was still in front of Zuoyangou. The second time I saw him going in from the entrance of Zuoyangou.

next time I can't see it. The fog like a thick cloud cover completely covered the upper part from the area where he said goodbye to Hanyu. that fog To be precise, it is tiny ice grains, flowing violently from left to right. If you enter the rock ditch, no matter how strong the wind blows outside, the inside will be close to no wind. However, there is neither a place to pitch a tent nor a place suitable for camping in the rock ditch. If that wind hadn't stopped, Hanyu's body would have been exposed to that wind when he was on the upper layer of Gully Rock, clinging to the 25-meter vertical rock wall.

Climb as high as you can If the wind and snow break temporarily, if there is a chance, we must attack the summit in one breath. That was Hanyu's strategy. However, what was Hanyu doing and thinking in the thick clouds covering the upper layers? Fukamachi had no way of knowing that. 3 By the time we arrived at Warship Rock, the sun had already set. By the time the tent was set up by the light of the headlamp, it was completely dark. From the base of Everest's rocky band above, it was covered with thick clouds, and nothing could be seen. lower than everest The top of Pumori was still visible to the west, and the stars shone brightly in the sky above her.

However, only the summit of Everest is in the clouds. Fukamachi boiled hot water in the tent, added a lot of sugar, and drank several cups in one go. The wind was strong, but it was a breeze compared to last night. Boil dried vegetables in water and add to soup to eat. I have a headache, but no hallucinations.The auditory hallucinations also disappeared. Just by descending 700 meters, you can feel the density of the air. exhausted. I always feel that it is a miracle that I can survive here without incident. Going out to urinate, returning to the tent, and getting into the sleeping bag, I was already too tired to move even if there was an avalanche.

Must go back to base camp tomorrow. Must sleep. It is necessary to complete the route that took a day and a half to climb up and down the mountain within one day. If you don't sleep, you can't get rid of fatigue. However, knowing this, he couldn't sleep.The more I tried to fall asleep, the clearer my mind became, and my anxiety hit Fukamachi. Just go back to the base camp and wait there with Angarin for a call from Hanyu? Fukamachi gritted her teeth and tried to fall asleep. 4 can't sleep.Moved back and forth in the sleeping bag. Although it can lie down, there is not enough room to turn over.You can only twist your body in the sleeping bag, choose to lie on your back or on your side.

Occasionally fell asleep in a daze, but it was like a light sleep rolling in the mud. Even with the eyes closed, the eyeballs are still awake under the eyelids. The wind was strong. Not as strong as last night sleeping directly under the gray rock tower, but the wind will still push the tent against the rock. Judging from this situation, if we were on the upper level of Mount Everest, there might be stronger winds than last night. The intercom cannot be used. At night, when Angarin and Hanyu communicated regularly, Fukamachi wanted to listen to their conversation from the sidelines, but the radio was broken and could not be used. Last night, rocks fell from above and hit the backpack.At that time, the radio walkie-talkie placed in the mountaineering backpack was hit. There are no tools to disassemble the radio, nor does it have that kind of strength.Even with the tools, Fukamachi had lost the willpower to dismantle detailed parts. Even if you close your eyes, anxiety will arise in your mind. At that time, what I said to Hanyu In the end, are you going to go the traditional route to the summit? How did Hanyu interpret his own words? Hanyu's horrified expression when he heard those words was clearly imprinted in his mind. Knowing the routes that can be climbed is not the same as walking on flat ground?In this case, don't climb rocks at all, just take the general mountaineering path. This is what Hanyu said to Makio Inoue. Even though it was an easy route, and even though he could see that route right there, Hanyu kept choosing difficult routes to climb. The same goes for the Grand Choras. There are generally well-known routes.Hanyu, who was supposed to go that way, changed that route halfway. I see the route.Difficult as it is, there are routes out there.Climbing to the left in a zigzag and then climbing up is an easy traditional route.I saw pegs driven into the wall over there, so it should be an easy line. However, I saw a straight line up from there. Climbing to the left is not my route.That's just the act of following a route that other people have climbed.The vertical climbing route that no one has climbed yet is my route.I can make a mark on this rock face. So Hanyu chose that route and fell down. While climbing, I passed the place where Hanyu-san fell, and there was a safer route on the left, but Hanyu-san seemed to be climbing straight up from there.I think that route is not impossible to climb, but I find it weird, why Mr. Hanyu would choose the route up there? When Hase Changxiong answered the interview, he said so. Will something like that happen again? Fukamachi thought it was my fault. I did it. I also know how dangerous the rock face directly below the summit of Everest is. Wet rocks, wedges don't work.As soon as you put your hand on it, the rock will peel off, and as soon as you step on it, it will collapse there.The rocks fall off as soon as they are touched, as if the skin is peeling off. It was a rock wall full of tiny floating rocks. So far, the southwest face of Mount Everest has been climbed three times in summer. The British team in 1975, the Soviet team in 1982, and the Czechoslovakian team in 1988 all avoided the rock wall directly below the summit of Everest and went from there to the traditional route to the summit. That's fine. That's fine. That is the Southwest Face recognized by the mountaineering world. The knowledge that there is no need to climb the last wall directly below the summit of Everest is taken for granted.Because it's too dangerous there. That being the case Why did you say that? Even if Hanyu overcomes the rock belt, will he climb the last rock wall? Impossible to climb. It was a matter of course, he couldn't have done that. Eighty percent no, ninety-nine percent nine percent won't do that. Because that can't happen. i won't do something that must die When Hanyu climbed the Himalayas for the first time, he should have said that to Ryoko Kishi. The only thing I can't do is to fall on purpose. Hanyu also wrote this in his handbook when he climbed the Great Cholas Peak. Climbing alone without oxygen on the rock wall directly below the summit of Everest is tantamount to death, and falling on purpose. Hanyu couldn't do that. Before he knew it, Fukamachi gritted his teeth. I thought I had my eyes closed, but in fact I opened my eyes and stared at the darkness in the dark tent. Fukamachi gritted her teeth. Hanyu, where are you in this wind? Are you still alive? You're probably clinging to this Everest somewhere, breathing this air. Did you sleep in a rock ditch? Or, have you climbed to the upper layers of the rock and stayed in the tent? Hanyu, did you notice it? Fukamachi thought. I put my own food into your mountaineering backpack. This is the energy you used to save me. A handful of raisins, and a slice of chocolate. Maybe not enough, but eat them in a pinch! I can only keep those. Fukamachi subconsciously groped for his chest in the sleeping bag. Because I too must live. If you're not happy, just throw them away. Today, the food I have left is His fingertips hit something hard. Pick it up with your fingers. Know what that is right away. It's turquoise. Originally, he planned to give this turquoise necklace to Hanyu. Kishi Ryoko asked herself to return the turquoise stone to Hanyu, but she completely forgot to give it to Hanyu. Hanyu. If I hand this to you, will you accept it? Or, no matter how heavy you are, do you refuse to have meaningless weight on yourself? Today, Hanyu is far away from relationships and anything in the world.Away from mundane affairs, he is free. Free and alone.Alone but lonely. Hanyu, are you still alive? Are you alive and breathing? what's on your mind? What are you staring at in the dark of your tent, listening to the wind and the snow beating against the tent? Or, are you already asleep? If you fell asleep, what did you dream about? Hanyu Hanyu 5 December fifteenth. Warship Rock. Gale. Twenty-six degrees below zero. snow. Can't see anything. 6 December sixteenth. Warship Rock. Gale. Twenty-seven degrees below zero. snow. No field of view. Think about Hanyu. Reduce food consumption. In the morning, soup. At noon, one slice of cheese and three slices of biscuits. In the evening, soup and chocolate. 7 December seventeenth. Warship Rock. Gale. Twenty-five degrees below zero. snow. Only a bit of blue sky can be seen. Is Hanyu still alive? Reduce food consumption. One cup of soup in the morning and three biscuits in the evening. A slice of cheese at night. Drink only plenty of hot water. 8 The wind seemed to die. The wind that kept shaking the tent like that has disappeared without a trace. There is no wind. So, I woke up. When I fell asleep in a daze, it seemed that the wind stopped, and I fell into a deep sleep for a long time. The sound disappears, the sleep-disturbing noise disappears, and one is dragged into sleep. Then, this time, he woke up because it was too quiet. night. Fukamachi couldn't believe the silence that surrounded him at first. Why so quiet?Can't hear anything. What came into the ear was a silent voice. The snow that has accumulated so far makes a creaking sound, and the silent sound when it is gradually freezing is like that feeling. The sound of cold air seeping into the tent from outside. I always felt that I heard the kind of voice that would not have passed into my ears, and it was logically inaudible. It's like having a fever, being haunted by nightmares for a long time, and one night when the fever subsides, one eye suddenly opens in the middle of the night and wakes up. So far, I have gone outside several times to fetch snow and boil it for cooking. Do this several times a day. Because I don't know when the snowstorm will stop, I am worried about the lack of food. Use a gas stove to melt snow and make soup to drink. Eat chocolate. Add granulated sugar and drink a few cups of sweet soup. I brought three days' worth of food and three days' worth of prepared food, but I've consumed four and a half days' worth of food. The remaining food is a day and a half. If you don't move, just to save your life, you can barely last four or five days. However, if action is taken, at most two days.Must arrive at base camp tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Now, the wind and snow have stopped. If the wind and snow continue to rise tomorrow, we must go down the mountain early in the morning. I don't know what's going on outside I want to confirm the sky in advance. Is it sunny or cloudy? Bladder is bloated due to excessive fluid intake during the day. Feeling a strong urge to urinate. Fukamachi slowly unzipped the zipper and crawled out of the sleeping bag. Put on a down jacket in the cramped tent and pull out the hiking boots in the sleeping bag and put it on. go outside. The moment he went out, Fukamachi felt a strong shock. I always feel slapped by the cold and the scenery. Fukamachi was in a sea of ​​stars. There are far more stars than at any time so far. Are there so many stars in the sky? Can see the color of each star.Each one is different. I always feel like I have been stripped naked and thrown into space. Two hundred thousand light years? Is this the distance to a certain nebula? Ten billion light years? Eighteen billion light-years? What is the radius of the universe?Or diameter? I always feel that those distances are now all spread out in front of my eyes. Although the peak cannot be seen, the southwest face of Mount Everest towers below it. The rocky ridges of snow in the highest terrain in the world are arranged like a rounded edge at the bottom of the universe. Pumori Mountain. Nubu Peak. Lhotse. And, Mount Everest. Countless unnamed peaks. Live in it alone. Only myself is breathing. Why Can't compare. In this huge space, there is a breathless sense of distance. No matter how much human beings and themselves struggle in it, they will not go to them. Fukamachi thought so. But that's not a sense of hopelessness, it always feels like a more fundamental, deep-body awareness. What kind of things can people do with their power? No matter what people do, they probably can't shake them in the slightest. Fukamachi shivered slightly. It was as if the universe and the cold had penetrated into his body together. However. Oh, there is Hanyu here. Fukamachi thought so. There is Hanyu. There is a man called Hanyu Joji. Hanyu Joji is still alive. After all, he is still alive. If he was alive, Hanyu was still alive. Hanyu must have survived these three days. Barely surviving on the four extra days of food he brought with him, somewhere on that rock edge close to the sky, Hanyu was probably still struggling while biting the frozen snow. Hanyu Joji, the man who is fighting with all his strength, is now right in front of his eyes. Did Joji Hanyu fight against such a huge mountain? Fukamachi thought, does Hanyu know what a huge mountain he is fighting against? He probably doesn't know. Or does he know? No, it didn't matter whether he knew it or not. Fukamachi knew that when his body almost froze from the breathless distance and the cold, there was something burning like coals inside him. That is Hanyu. There is that man. That man is still alive, and now he is also challenging the battle alone in the corner of the sky near the stars. Fukamachi knew: when he couldn't move on the ice wall, Hanyu touched his own muscle temperature. The temperature I felt at that time is now burning in my body. Tears fell. Now, at this very moment, Hanyu is on a higher ground than any living human being. He is in the loneliest place. He must have chattered his teeth there. Fukamachi thought: Just like a painter or an artist wants to touch the sky with their hands, just like a physicist or a poet wants to touch the sky with their talent, Hanyu tries to touch the sky with his body. despite this can i go back Fukamachi stared at the southwest face of Mount Everest, thinking. can i go back Fukamachi, watching that man fight, can you go back? He thought, no. I can't go back. Because Hanyu Joji is still alive. Because he was alive, trying to reach that peak. There is still a day and a half of food left, can you go back like this? I'm not going back. He thought to himself, I will not go back! I will do my best to follow Joji Hanyu. How to do it? There is a way. Tomorrow morning we will pack up the tent and go down the mountain. Not to the icefall, but via the West Valley, down the mountain to the south edge of Everest. Where are you going down the mountain? To a place where you can see the summit of Mount Everest. Set up a tent there and point the camera at the summit of Mount Everest. Has a 500mm catadioptric lens. If you are lucky, you may have a chance to use it to capture Hanyu's figure in the viewfinder.Calculated in terms of straight-line distance, how far is it? There are more than two kilometers. two.five kilometers? three kilometers? If you're lucky, it's not impossible to capture Hanyu's figure within the distance of the viewfinder. Fortunately the weather was fine. After descending the mountain, the distance to the base camp became closer. If the weather is good, you can reduce the amount of food and stay there for a day and a half until the last moment. Go ahead and do it! Breathing becomes heavy and rapid. And not just because of the height. 9 December 18 sunny. The sky was obnoxiously clear. blue sky. However, it is not pure blue. The darkness of the universe can be vaguely seen on the opposite side.Blackish blue. The black rock peaks of Everest thrust into that sky. Fukamachi was on the rock, staring at the rock peak. Hanyu has not yet appeared. Fukamachi is on a rock near the south rim of Everest. Sitting on that rock, looking up at the ledge of Mount Everest. On that day, Fukamachi set off at five o'clock in the morning. While going down the mountain, when moving towards the south ridge with the zigzag climbing method, I saw this rock and climbed on it. Rocks that protrude from the snow and are eight to twenty meters high.About fifty meters wide.The size is two circles smaller than the warship rock. The altitude is about the same as the ice gorge.Then, the altitude is about 6,700 meters. It was seven o'clock when I put my hiking backpack on the snow under the rock and climbed up the rock with my camera. A camera equipped with a 500mm catadioptric lens was installed on a small lightweight tripod with folded legs, and it was set up on a rock. Bring the peak into the viewfinder and fix the tripod with the focal length. From the majesty of the rock wall of Mount Everest above the yellow belt, the entire viewfinder is filled. If Hanyu appeared, this lens would have a magnification and resolution barely enough to confirm his position. nine o'clock Two hours had passed since standing on the rock. There was no snow smoke from the summit. It is excellent condition. The question is at most how much the persistent snow freezes.It was impossible for Hanyu not to act on this day. If he lives. Or, if he can move. He should start at five or six like himself. That being the case, if he followed the scheduled itinerary, he should have already climbed over the rock belt and climbed under the yellow belt in a zigzag shape. It is not surprising even if you have already reached the col of the South Peak. Fukamachi would check the viewfinder almost every five minutes, but Hanyu was not there. If we climbed over the rock belt according to the scheduled itinerary and camped at the point of 8,350 meters, it stands to reason that we have now reached the ridgeline. Was Hanyu not found because he didn't act? No action, is it because the schedule is behind? accident? If it was an accident, what kind of accident was it? If there is an accident and you can still move, you should go down the mountain. Are you descending from the Zuogou rock in the rock belt now?If so, everything makes sense. However, if it is possible to go down the mountain, according to Hanyu's personality, it is natural that he will try to climb up. The question is, where has he camped so far while hiding in the tent due to the strong wind? Avalanches and falling rocks should be feared in the Zuoyan ditch, and no climbing team has reported that there is a suitable place for camping on the upper level. If you go to the upper level, there are not no places suitable for camping. However, is there a place that can withstand that kind of strong wind? No. Impossible. Fukamachi, however, has not actually been there. Perhaps Hanyu knew that there were suitable places to camp in the upper layers of the rock belt. Thoughts go back and forth. Although it is a rock wall, there are countless giant rocks and rocks, large and small.If Hanyu was behind that kind of rock, he might not be able to see him even if he had already started to move. But is it possible that such a long period of time has not been seen? Accident? Even if you don't want to think about it, you will think in that direction. Fukamachi felt intense restlessness and looked through the viewfinder frequently. then Ten thirty-six. have?Fukamachi shouted loudly. In the viewfinder, Hanyu was spotted. He wasn't zig-zag-climbing beneath the yellow belt, nor was he moving on the ice face to get to the South Peak Gully. A little red dot like a miniature litter. moving. is moving up. The red dot is further above the yellow band, moving upwards. On the rock wall directly below the summit of Mount Everest, Hanyu's figure was there. How can it be?Fukamachi murmured. How could there be such a thing? You can't do this kind of thing. Hanyu was quietly moving up the most dangerous area on the southwest face of Mount Everest. stop! Turn back! Fukamachi gritted her teeth. 10 Eleven thirteen. Since then, the red dot doesn't seem to be climbing up at all. However, it is moving. Move up slowly at a snail's pace. Sesame mung beans are big, with little red dots that can barely be discerned. Once you look away a little, it takes a while to find the red dot again. Hanyu has been clinging to that rock wall since a long time ago. I can't even see the details of the hands and feet. Fukamachi pressed the shutter. one sheet. two. three. Pressing and pressing, a strong sense of fear hit Fukamachi. was also It was the same at the time. When Ioka Koichi and Funashima Takashi died, I also took pictures like this. then? Not so long ago. This year. This May. In the viewfinder of the photo, the bodies of Jinggang and Funaoshima began to slide down and were thrown into the air It's been less than a year. That was also taken with the same camera, with the same 500mm zoom lens. fall down Fukamachi thought. Hanyu will fall down. The reason is not that the situation is similar, or that the cameras are the same. Rather, how could such a difficult rock wall be climbed. If it was a solid rock, no matter how prominent it was, Hanyu would probably be able to climb it. If it is a summer rock site with an altitude of less than 2,000 meters, no matter how many suspended rocks there are, Hanyu will probably climb it. However, this is not the case. There is more than 8,500 meters above ground, the highest rock wall on earth.And the texture is fragile. Hanyu did not carry enough pegs and shackles and tried to climb there alone without oxygen. Oxygen is one-third that of flat earth. A place where it is difficult to even maintain a clear consciousness. A place where fatigue accumulates just by sleeping without doing anything. Moreover, Hanyu had already stayed at that place over 8,000 meters above sea level for three days. The lack of oxygen should have corroded Hanyu's body and mind. Just how strong willpower was it that supported him to climb that peak? Hanyu, stop! Fukamachi called. Stop it, stop climbing! It was impossible for Hanyu to hear it. It was impossible for Hanyu to hear, but Fukamachi kept shouting. Grab the camera with your right hand and try to slam it hard against the rock. This kind of climbing is unbearable. What a joke. I'm done. Pardon me. I no longer want to see people fall in the viewfinder of the camera I set up. Moreover, because of what I said, Hanyu is now climbing the rock face directly below the summit of Mount Everest. Fukamachi wanted to smash the camera with the small tripod against the rock, but he couldn't. His hands stopped. Are you running away? Fukamachi heard the voice. Fukamachi, you have come here, do you still want to escape? Fukamachi couldn't tell if it was his own voice or Hanyu's. Escape here and return to Japan like this, can you survive in that city? Have you been regretting what happened at this time, and will you spend the rest of your life like this?can you do it shoot me! It was Hanyu's voice. A hoarse voice that seemed to be stuck in the throat. correct. At that time, Hanyu asked me to shoot him. Before departure, in a tent at base camp. He said: Shoot me! lest I escape from here. He should have said that. It was not Hanyu who wanted to escape from here, but me. It's me who wants to get out of here. All right. I will shoot you. If you can fall, go ahead and fall. I'll take a picture of you falling down. Fukamachi put his camera and tripod on the rock again. Point the camera towards the summit, and include the rock face directly below the summit into the viewfinder. at this time Fukamachi saw it. When he moved the camera lens from left to right, and was about to bring the peak into the viewfinder, something appeared in the viewfinder. Fukamachi looked up from the viewfinder. Saw. A white object floating over the Tibetan side. Moreover, the white object is moving. It's cloud. Like an ominous creature, the cloud is crawling out from the west edge of Mount Everest. This is how the same thing? Until the last moment, there should be no clouds in the sky. why? Clouds emerged from the Tibetan side and were slowly creeping up the rock face at the summit of Everest. Hanyu! run away! Hanyu, run away! While shouting, Fukamachi set up the camera and stared at the viewfinder. Where? Hanyu, where are you? No one was there. Hanyu couldn't be seen. A chill ran down Fukamachi's spine. He shuddered, and his hair almost stood on end. Did it fall? Fukamachi searched desperately for the rock wall where Hanyu was just now. found it. Hanyu didn't fall. Perhaps because of overcoming the difficulty, Hanyu was on a much higher rock wall than he imagined. It's so fast. It is less than 300 meters away from the peak. Are there two hundred and fifty meters left? The height of a skyscraper. The cloud emerging from the west ridge, after climbing down for a while, took advantage of the updraft, and then climbed up the rock wall. Press the shutter. one click. Press again. Cloud pressed forward step by step, and came to a place about fifty meters below Hanyu. Oh shit! If things continued like this, before Yun arrived, Fukamachi, who was looking up from below, would probably lose sight of Hanyu. Hanyu, run away!run up! If caught up by that cloud, the temperature will drop. Visibility becomes poor, and the route cannot be discerned. The wind picked up. Not half a good thing. Oh shit! Is it not the same? Fukamachi thought so. Same as then. June 8, 1924 In O'Dell's upward view, Mallory and Irwin climbed up the northeast ridge toward the summit of Everest. The two are climbing the second step. Under O'Dell's watchful eyes, the figures of those two people gradually disappeared under the cover of thick clouds. Then Then, Mallory and Irwin did not return. Fukamachi thought: Am I playing the role of O'Dell now? Hanyu is Mallory and I am O'Dell. That being the case, Hanyu won't come back anymore? Hanyu! Fukamachi shouted his name loudly, and when the shutter was pressed, Hanyu's figure was covered by the climbing clouds and disappeared. Before long, the summit of Everest itself was completely shrouded in cloud cover from view.