My uncle is about to participate in the "Far Planet" project. His favorite game is "Xia Ke Xing" from Blue Star. He wanted to climb to the top of Zhongnan Mountain, but unfortunately, there's no time left.
The so-called "Distant Planet" project is actually a semi-military project of the Chaoyang Alliance, which aims to take an army to a brand-new star system for pioneering activities.
The new star system is thousands of light-years away from the border of the Rising Sun Alliance, and can only be reached via wormholes and faster-than-light channels. The communication costs alone are enormous.
The soldiers were pioneering in those distant star fields, not only facing many unknown risks, but also basically losing contact with their families, so they would never have the chance to play "Xia Ke Xing" again.
The next call for the project will be on January 3rd. After the soldiers and their families have spent their last holiday together, they will set off on their long journey.
The player with the game ID "Longcheng" could only regretfully give up his wish in the game: he wanted to achieve the goal of climbing to the top of Zhongnan Mountain.
As an "interstellar pioneer," he volunteered to join the government project for no other reason than to see more of the stars and the sea—his lifelong ideal, even in the game.
Zhongnan Mountain is currently the second highest mountain in "Xia Ke Xing". It is considered a sacred mountain by the indigenous people and can be described as reaching straight into the sky. Its relative height of more than 1,800 meters is nothing in the interstellar age, but in the world of "Xia Ke Xing", without the corresponding technology, it naturally seems as difficult as climbing to the sky.
Many players have tried, but most have given up halfway through. No one has yet achieved the feat of being the first to reach the summit of Zhongnan Mountain.
The difficulty of mountain climbing largely stems from the physical limitations imposed in "The Wandering Swordsman".
The players are currently all below level 60. Even if they learn the best light-foot technique, their stamina and internal energy are not enough to support them to "fly" directly up. They must climb a section of the way.
However, climbing consumes a lot of energy, requiring the character to constantly eat to maintain their stamina.
Moreover, the higher you go, the colder the climate becomes, and since the players' internal energy is insufficient, they will start losing health at around 1,000 meters – they either have to drink good wine to keep warm or take medicine.
But then another problem arises: if you bring food, alcohol, and medicine, the character's load will increase again, and they will consume more energy while climbing.
We can't just focus on climbing; we also need to bring enough supplies for the descent—going up but not coming down isn't a perfect achievement.
This is a vicious cycle that players are currently unable to overcome. The best-prepared players have only reached a height of 1200 meters, which is still a full third away from the summit.
"Dragon City" plans to try it one last time during his final vacation.
His family is very understanding and is keeping track of his progress.
After careful planning and bringing sufficient supplies, Longcheng began his attempt—but man proposes, God disposes, and an unusual blizzard struck Zhongnan Mountain.
Longcheng was stranded halfway up the mountain, at an altitude of about 900 meters, trapped in the wind and snow.
He still had more than half of the supplies left, but he could only sit in the ice cave he had dug and wait, because he knew that the blizzard would exhaust all his strength and break the balance he had calculated... He had no chance left.
Moreover, this weather lasted for three days in the game, and Longcheng was buried alone in the snow. He figured he wouldn't be able to go back.
So he chose to log off, closing "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" with a hint of regret, then kissed his wife's cheek and said, "It's okay, darling."
—Of course they're related!
Someone cried out in their heart.
Longcheng's nephew also likes to play "Xia Ke Xing". He rushed back to his bedroom and started a thread to tell this regretful story.
The post immediately attracted the attention of many players.
They all started offering suggestions, with one suggesting organizing a team to rescue Longcheng from the snowstorm.
Although some people said, "Forget it, it's not worth it to save a game character. You can always respawn at the resurrection point; you'll just lose a little experience."
However, some people kept repeating: "Go find the 'Little Red Flower' guild! Go find the 'Little Red Flower' guild! Go find the 'Little Red Flower' guild!"
Little Red Flower Guild is a guild formed by players of the game "Xia Ke Xing". It is a relatively loose and casual organization that does not participate in any conflicts.
Their mission is to "help newbies".
Their daily routine involves answering questions from new players on the forum, helping some players through difficult times, and sometimes rescuing players who are in trouble.
After being tagged, a member replied in the comments: "We're trying to figure something out... They've already assembled a team and are preparing to climb Zhongnan Mountain."
The Little Red Flower Guild gathered a total of 46 members, all of whom came to the foot of Zhongnan Mountain.
Their strategist had already calculated the route. Based on the coordinates provided by Longcheng, a 19-person rescue team went up the mountain—plus Longcheng himself, making a total of 20 people.
The remaining members were responsible for logistics. They collected a lot of high-quality spirits, medicines, and dry rations so that the rescue team could expend less energy.
Many members are still scattered all over the world, but many people sent their best supplies directly via email upon hearing the news.
As they set off, someone started a live stream, broadcasting the rescue operation.
In the live chat, someone pointed out: "[Was it worth it? You've spent so many resources; enough to kill him ten more times over.]"
The rescue team spent a day and a half in the game before finally finding the Dragon City character inside the ice cave.
They notified their nephew through the forum, and the nephew rushed to the bedroom, dug out his uncle, and excitedly said, "They came to rescue you! They really came to rescue you!!"
Longcheng was initially confused, but after going online, he quickly understood the situation.
"Thank you, thank you all..." he said hoarsely.
One of the rescue team members carried him on his back, and then, unexpectedly, they prepared to continue climbing.
The rescue team members said:
"Now that we've come this far, we must see our ideals through to the end!"
"I've wanted to go up and take a look for a long time."
"Let's go see the starry sky at the top of Zhongnan Mountain together. I wonder which of the distant planets is among them—thank you for going there on our behalf!"
Longcheng's body had been frozen stiff for two days in the ice cave, so the members took turns carrying him forward.