The Perilous Ascent

This was indeed a pressing concern. Robbers from across the border typically operated in organized groups, their arsenals extending far beyond mere AKs, potentially even including rocket launchers.

Should the border lose its isolating effect, countless warlords and roving bandits could freely infiltrate, and it was entirely possible that accomplices of the present robbers were already operating in the vicinity of the granary.

Leng Yu, planting his hands on his hips, finally posed the question, “So, what exactly do you propose? Just descend directly and charge outside?”

Jing Lan’s gaze flickered upwards, his finger tracing a line towards the ceiling. Following his gesture, the other two looked up to discern a network of narrow metal frameworks suspended overhead, resembling a system of pipes.

“What exactly is this?” Little Zhao inquired.

“This, too, is a conveyor system,” Jing Lan explained. “It’s a grain distribution channel, designed to transfer provisions from one granary to another.” He gestured along the path of the pipes, which connected downwards to the base of each storage silo before converging into an intricate network above them.

“Why go to such lengths to route the pipes all the way up there?” Little Zhao pressed further.

“To guarantee that when grain is transferred between silos, it’s always delivered from above.”

“I see.”

A sudden realization struck Leng Yu, and he instinctively balled his fist, lightly thumping Jing Lan’s arm. “What are you possibly thinking?! You intend to climb across up there?”

Jing Lan calmly elaborated, “If you observe closely, the surveillance cameras on the various granaries aren’t aimed at these overhead pipes. Moreover, the cameras down here have already been disabled by us. All I need to do is climb up, traverse along the pipes to the storage silo nearest the office building, and then, using the flying tiger claw, descend onto the office building’s roof. From there, I’ll have a direct route to infiltrate.”

Leng Yu’s eyes widened in utter disbelief, resembling those of a dead fish. He nearly reached out to check if Jing Lan’s forehead was feverish.

The grain conduits, suspended precariously in mid-air, were barely a meter in diameter. Their cylindrical forms, encased in smooth metal, offered no rough surface for grip. Anyone attempting to traverse them would, with the slightest misstep, plunge over eighty meters to a gruesome end.

Adding to the peril, the platform where they currently stood was already seven or eight meters high. The question remained: how would he even reach the pipes?

Addressing Leng Yu’s skepticism, Jing Lan explained, “Observe the grain pipe there; you’ll see a small iron door, likely for maintenance access. That door has a handle. We can throw the flying tiger claw to hook onto it, and then I’ll ascend using the rope.”

“I simply don’t understand why you’re so determined to take such a risk!” Leng Yu exclaimed, his voice rising, even as his eyes remained vigilantly fixed on the situation unfolding beneath the storage silos.

“You must understand that your ‘resurrected’ brother is merely a zombie shambling along the road! Do you truly expect him to transform back into a living person, don a skirt, and become a ‘little boy-girl’ to marry you?!”

“Can we perhaps table this discussion for the moment?” Jing Lan replied, his eyes narrowing slightly with a smile. “This has no bearing on Ling Yechen; my current focus is on resolving the immediate problem before us.

“Furthermore… let’s consider this from another angle.

“Even if I were to fall to my death in a moment, what impact would that truly have on you? If I don’t attempt this, you’ll remain here, awaiting reinforcements from the camp. If I do, and perish in the process, you’ll still be here, awaiting reinforcements. From beginning to end, you stand to lose nothing.”

“You’re absolutely mad! I simply refuse to witness such a ludicrous death unfold before my eyes. If you were merely trying to escape via the pipes, I might understand, but you intend to go directly to the office building?” Leng Yu, observing Jing Lan already unfastening the flying tiger claw from his belt, instinctively reached out to intervene.

Jing Lan, having retrieved the flying tiger claw, wasted no time. With practiced ease, he began to hurl it towards the handle of the small iron door on the overhead pipe.

“I can’t simply abandon you, either. After all, it was my idea to come here in the first place.”

Once Jing Lan truly committed to his plan, Leng Yu and Little Zhao found themselves surprisingly hesitant to stop him. The sheer resolve emanating from his immediate action had a daunting effect. Even when Jing Lan’s initial throw of the flying tiger claw missed its mark, Little Zhao instinctively offered, “Perhaps a little less force.”

On his third attempt, the claw-like blades of the flying tiger claw finally secured their grip on the handle. Jing Lan swiftly wound the rope’s end several times around his left forearm, then fashioned a knot that appeared intricate.

“Are you truly going through with this?” Leng Yu finally managed to utter, his voice laced with a tremor.

Having confirmed the knot’s unwavering security, Jing Lan’s eyes fixed on the dizzying abyss far below the platform.

He drew a quiet, deep breath.

“Aren’t you afraid of heights?” Leng Yu reiterated, a hint of trepidation in his tone. While he possessed the agility to attempt such a climb himself, he knew with certainty that a single glance down from the aerial pipes would leave his legs trembling and sweat pouring from him.

“It’s nothing,” Jing Lan replied, offering a rather unconvincing reassurance. “I’ve gazed down from such heights numerous times before.” He then began to gently test the rope, pulling it taut to confirm the hook’s reliable grip.

“Don’t just stand idle,” he instructed. “Continue attempting to contact the camp. Just in case…”

Witnessing Jing Lan’s unwavering resolve to embark on such a parkour-like escapade, Leng Yu finally felt a surge of desperation. “Look, you don’t even have absolute certainty yourself! At worst, we can simply surrender! It’s not worth this.”

“I am confident,” Jing Lan stated.

As if fearing Leng Yu might intervene, Jing Lan abruptly exerted his strength, hauling himself up the rope with both hands. Though he regularly exercised and had even trained in archery, possessing arm strength considerably greater than most men, arduous rope climbing demanded immense upper body power. After a minute of strenuous, trembling ascent, Jing Lan finally reached the pipe’s level.

At that precise moment, the small door on the pipe groaned open, slowly yielding to the tension exerted by the rope.

Jing Lan’s movements involuntarily faltered. With the door now ajar, the entire tensile force was concentrated solely on the latch, no longer partially distributed across the door frame.

Barely two seconds later, the latch abruptly snapped with a sharp ‘crack’. One of the hinges burst open, scattering several metal components. The small iron door now dangled precariously, held by only a single remaining hinge.

Owing to the door’s unstable movement, Jing Lan now hung directly beyond the platform’s edge. Should the small door give way entirely, he would undoubtedly plummet into the abyss below.

The two men on the platform watched, cold sweat beading intensely on their backs. Yet, with unspoken understanding, they remained utterly silent, terrified that any sound might startle Jing Lan and provoke a fatal misstep.

Jing Lan had initially planned to slowly secure himself to the pipe’s exterior, but it was now clear that this approach was no longer viable.

There was no turning back now; the displaced door made it impossible to leap back onto the platform. To jump downwards would be an act of suicide.

With no other option, he had to risk it all.

Jing Lan gritted his teeth, his one hand clamping desperately onto the rope. With a sudden surge of strength from his entire body, he hauled himself upwards.

A sharp ‘bang’ echoed as metal fractured, and the iron door’s final hinge snapped with a resounding crack.

Jing Lan was poised to plummet into the abyss at any second. Providentially, he simultaneously extended his other hand, clawing desperately towards the door frame.

His fingers barely managed to snag the door frame, and he swiftly clamped down with all his might. As his legs, suspended in the void, swung wildly, the centrifugal force nearly tore his grip free.

He quickly brought his other hand to bear, then let out a silent grunt of effort. Using both hands, he hauled his body upwards, stabilizing himself within the small opening of the door. Peering inside, he saw only conveyor belts and a maze of metal structures, rendering movement within impossible. It was clear he would still have to traverse along the top of the pipe.