LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 390 - 388: Reserving a Spot
Chapter 390: Chapter 388: Reserving a Spot
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One reason…
The long-cultivated breathing discipline suddenly collapsed as Bi Fang’s breathing turned abruptly heavy, and his heart began beating violently. His chest swelled with immense joy, which within a few seconds, nearly caused passersby to take notice.
Bi Fang’s wild temperament, honed over a long term of living in the wilderness, stood out starkly against the ease of the city. This was due to high-pressure situations causing intense hormonal secretions, what many people refer to as ‘manliness.’ Many special forces and frontline detectives exhibit this sort of aura, which allows those with similar experiences and a heightened sensitivity to exchange just a glance and sense that the other is no ordinary person.
In the city, such a person is like a drop of red ink spilled into plaster; naturally eye-catching — and at this moment, Bi Fang was exceptionally conspicuous.
This guy, looks so familiar.
Is he some kind of celebrity?
Just as pedestrians began to notice Bi Fang, the more they looked, the more familiar he seemed, and the more astonished they became.
“Hahaha, sorry, I just thought of something delightful,” Bi Fang said, scratching the back of his head with a laugh before briskly stepping out of the line, his steps unexpectedly light.
With his back turned, Bi Fang’s face was nearly overflowing with a smile. How long had it been since he experienced such a surprise?
It was like being offered a pillow when dozy, or being served a steaming bowl of spicy oil-splashed noodles when starved.
Utterly comfortable!
“Oxygen Uptake Index Enhancement Coupon * 1, exchanged for 4600 Wilderness Points.”
“Golden coupons really are different, costing over four thousand.”
Seeing the price of the oxygen coupon, the excitement Bi Fang felt upon encountering the golden coupon subsided slightly. The points he earned from one mission amounted to just over a thousand, never even reaching two thousand, and here was a golden coupon worth three missions’ worth of points.
Over four thousand points, it was the most expensive exchange coupon he had encountered so far, not even knowing how much it would enhance, but Bi Fang knew he had to have it.
Oxygen uptake.
Many people hadn’t even heard of this concept, yet it’s a golden data point among professional athletes.
Maximum oxygen uptake, in the field of exercise physiology, is the most direct data for assessing the quality of cardiorespiratory function.
It represents the volume of oxygen a person can intake during peak-intensity exercise, at the point when the body can no longer sustain the exercise effort. Acclaimed as the gold standard for evaluating endurance levels, it is one of the important criteria for selecting endurance athletes.
A healthy male’s maximum oxygen uptake typically falls between 35-40, and for females, between 27-31. A maximum oxygen uptake value of over 60 often signifies remarkable achievements in aerobic sports.
The international top male runners have an average that’s a terrifying 85!
What’s considered international top level?
Not just any athletes from national teams—that would be an understatement for them. These individuals are treasures of humanity, representing the group that competes for world championships! They are the pinnacle of human physiological function! Moreover, robust cardiorespiratory health even suggests they will live longer than the average person!
As for exceeding ninety, such individuals should no longer be called humans, but rather—monsters.
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That’s right, this is exactly how Bi Fang felt. Those with a maximum oxygen uptake over ninety were, in his eyes, monstrous beings. They shouldn’t even be called humans. Such people could even jog on Mount Everest!
Jogging in the human-forbidden zone with an altitude over 8,800 meters where oxygen is extremely scarce!
Just imagining this scene made Bi Fang’s face flush with excitement. A path he had never considered, a scene he had never fantasized about—could he run on Mount Everest? No, there was no need to run; even walking, step by step, would fulfill the longing of his lifetime.
Compared to the number of humans, those who have climbed Mount Everest are few and far between. Among them, over ninety percent of climbers can barely crawl after reaching the summit due to the thin air; they find it difficult to even stand!
If that were all, Bi Fang wouldn’t be so excessively excited. The key point is that, according to medical research, maximum aerobic capacity can only be improved by 5-25% through training, while the remaining 72-95% is mainly affected by genetic factors!
In other words, this is a talent! Ordinary people, no matter how much they train, could not achieve it!
Moreover, the little improvement gained through exercise needs continuous training to maintain. After stopping training for 2 weeks, aerobic work capacity would significantly decline; after 4-12 weeks, cardiorespiratory function could drop by 50%; and after half a year, it would return to the level before training.
Furthermore, short-term training can’t improve maximum oxygen uptake either. It usually takes 10-20 weeks of training to see effects, and at least two training sessions a week are necessary for effective improvement.
Therefore, the appearance of this gold coupon in the store was what made Bi Fang so excited. Why did he want to climb Mount Everest?
The main reason is very simple: it’s a dream, an aspiration. Using the words of New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary—though actually it’s ‘Hillary,’ but you all understand—it’s “because it’s there.”
The second reason is the breakthrough of his own limits. The appearance of the enhancement coupon represents such a breakthrough. Bi Fang had already reached the training limit of his maximum oxygen uptake through various exercises and breathing techniques. It was normally impossible to achieve further improvement.
Only the System could help Bi Fang break through the limit, reaching realms others have, and even those unattained before.
Four thousand six hundred Points—a price he would pay even if it meant selling everything he owned!
Bi Fang scrolled down his personal panel. The points from Ruins City were not much, just sixteen hundred, and he never had the habit of saving points, which would be disrespectful to every mission.
But fortunately, the System had been updated a long time ago. Apart from earning Wilderness Points from missions, they could also be generated through a certain level of influence and number of followers and could be directly exchanged with money.
One point for ten thousand.
Except for using it once after the update, Bi Fang had never really touched this piggy bank, nearly forgetting it. He hurriedly clicked to check it, adding up the mission points along.
“I’m actually short by one hundred and twenty?”
Bi Fang was stunned. Not enough points from his output meant he would have to use money, which would be one hundred and twenty thousand.
Honestly, the club’s investments were like an endless pit. This resulted in Bi Fang’s wallet always oscillating between being wealthy and impoverished. Aside from maintaining basic expenses, he didn’t have much surplus funds. Moreover, every trip abroad and the rental of various vehicles were also a huge expense.
He rummaged in his pocket for the storage certificate, Bi Fang speechless with tears in his eyes. The gold bars Hask gave him hadn’t even warmed up, and now he was forced to part with them. There was no choice—the enhancement coupon would take some time to adapt to, so the sooner, the better. Bi Fang reluctantly chose to exchange.
The sound of gold coins falling seemed to echo in his ears, clear and crisp, causing his heart to bleed.
Although Bi Fang didn’t care much about money, he had the habit of saving. This was probably a mindset that stemmed from poverty in his previous life. Every time he saw a large sum of money disappear, it always pained him for a long time.
“Speaking of which, after Mount Everest, will the Points for completing missions increase? Otherwise, the next time I come across a gold coupon…”
Bi Fang gasped sharply, immediately feeling a twinge of pain in his liver.
But seeing the gold coupon appear in his backpack, Bi Fang didn’t have time to dwell on the pain and found a secluded corner in the lobby to click “Adapt.”
Each time he used enhancements provided by the System, Bi Fang would secretly record the process with a camera, reviewing the footage later to check if there were any abnormalities compared to normal humans. The findings proved that, aside from occasionally feeling sleepy, there were no conspicuous external signs. So at this moment, he was somewhat impatient.
In the void, the gold coupon turned into a fine powder that enveloped Bi Fang, merging into his body.
“What’s the matter, feeling this sleepy?”
With bleary eyes, Bi Fang peered through the plants at the corner at the bustling lobby and slowly lowered his head.
In his deep sleep, Bi Fang dreamt that he was on a freezing cold prairie. The weather was so cold that he was almost frozen solid, but soon, a gust of wind arrived. At first, it was chilling, but gradually, it became warm.
The wind brought humidity and warmth, the massive ice armor cracked, and snow honey water flowed through the cracks. The path, long silent, was now exposed to the sunlight, breathing in the fresh air with abandon. The tender green grass seemed like spring water surging up from deep within the earth, spilling over the rolling prairie all the way to the horizon.
The sky was a tile blue with white clouds, and flocks of geese crossed overhead, changing direction with ease. He himself was a lone herdsman, galloping on horseback, free to go wherever he wished, unfettered.
“Mr. Bi… Mr. Bi, Mr. Bi!?”
“Uh, huh!”
Bi Fang suddenly woke up, reflexively grabbing the man’s wrist and twisting it behind his back. But before the man could cry out in pain, Bi Fang, upon recognizing him, quickly released his grip and raised both hands halfway.
The security officer’s pain signals seemed to only now reach his brain, causing him to cry out in pain and attracting the attention of the few remaining people around.
“Sorry, sorry, I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to.” Bi Fang held his hands halfway up, his face a mixture of embarrassment and shame. He glanced around and instantly understood everything.
In contrast to the crowded lobby during the day, the place now seemed vast and empty, with even the slightest sound creating echoes that carried far. Not far away, the man’s colleagues were hurrying over.
It was clear that after using the gold coupon, he had accidentally fallen asleep and had even slept until night. Someone had kindly tried to wake him, only to be unexpectedly restrained by Bi Fang, who might have twisted the man’s joint in the process.
But there was no helping it; he had just returned from Yemen, and his nerves hadn’t completely relaxed yet. Plus, with Wild Instinct, many of his actions were done unconsciously.
“I am really very sorry. Do you want to go to the hospital to have it looked at? I’ll cover all the costs, including loss of work and so on, I truly apologize.”
“No, no problem, just a bit painful.” The security officer grimaced in pain but kept waving his hand dismissively.
“Hey, Old Huang, are you alright? You, step away from him!”
The colleague of the man was already hurrying over from a distance, and the man quickly stood out to wave his hand: “It’s nothing, just a misunderstanding, I accidentally tripped.”
The colleague looked skeptical: “Really?”
“Really! Don’t worry.” The man took a few more steps forward to show his colleague, spoke a few words, and then the colleague finally dropped their guard and left.
The man turned his head back to look at Bi Fang, who felt even more awkward. He hadn’t anticipated that after hurting the man’s arm, the man would still cover for him. He felt overwhelmingly remorseful. However, the man’s attitude made Bi Fang guess: “You… do you know me?”
The man moved his shoulders, wincing and twitching at the corner of his mouth, but still laughed heartily, “That’s right, I’ve seen your live broadcast, Master Fang!”
Bi Fang felt even more embarrassed. He hadn’t expected the other party to simply wave his hand and say, “No worries, I understand, it’s normal to be tense after just coming back from Yemen. And it’s also my fault, I shouldn’t have come close to you. I always thought Cao Mengde’s ‘I enjoy killing people in my dreams’ was just a bluff, but it seems today I’ve been enlightened.”
The joke broke the ice, and the tense atmosphere suddenly became more lively.
Bi Fang also breathed a sigh of relief. Apologizing and compensating was the easy part; he had indeed made a mistake. What worried him was the other person making a big deal out of it, which could hold him back. Time was precious, and he couldn’t afford to waste it. Today he would send his parting gifts, and tomorrow the expedition was set to start.
“It’s all my fault, so please hurry to the hospital to get checked out. I’ll cover the costs.”
“Eh, there’s no need; you released your grip quickly, and I’ve had some training. Look, it’s almost all better now. At worst, I’ll apply some plaster tonight, and that should be good enough,” Huang Tianming said, waving his hands and rotating his shoulders to show he was all right, while giving Bi Fang a thumbs up.
“Master Fang, I watched your entire live broadcast the other day, and man, you’re tough as nails! You really made the Huaxia people proud. Those animals don’t know the first thing about humanity, doing things that harm both heaven and reason! And who says only foreigners have the guts to adventure and strive? Whether it’s the giant beasts in the rivers or rainforest expeditions, we don’t have that kind of program here. They just let those sissies dance and sing, but the fact is, we Huaxia people are just as good, if not better, and even more kickass!”
“What’s the big deal about editing? It’s all fake. Live broadcasting is where it’s at, which is irrefutable! Unfortunately, I don’t have much ability or money to help you out. But what’s a little twist? Don’t worry about it.”
Huang Tianming ended up comforting Bi Fang instead and patted him on the shoulder.
“This…” Bi Fang still felt quite regretful.
“It’s alright, it’s alright. If you really feel bad about it, why not tell me where you’re planning to go next? When will the next broadcast start?”
At this, Huang Tianming’s eyes lit up.
He was a true fan of Bi Fang, almost never missing a broadcast unless work prevented him. He genuinely felt this way despite being separated by a screen. Watching Bi Fang’s survival adventures in various dangerous places abroad was fucking thrilling, way better than any movie!
Especially after Jerret’s survival show aired, it highlighted Master Fang’s strength, fearlessness, and exceptional skills, truly making him the top survival expert of the wilderness!
Pride!
Genuine pride!
“For the next episode, I’ve indeed made preparations.”
“Hey, spill it, spill it. If you don’t tell me, I really won’t let you off,” Huang Tianming pressed eagerly.
Bi Fang glanced around, leaned in, and whispered, “I’m going to climb Mount Everest!”
“Hiss! Mount Everest? Oh, my dear mother!” Huang Tianming exclaimed.
Bi Fang scratched his head, seeing that the passersby who had finally dispersed were gathering around again, somewhat at a loss for words.
Why does everyone have such a strong reaction?
He hadn’t even started climbing yet!