Live Streaming: Great Adventure in the Wilderness - Chapter 418 - Chapter 418: Chapter 416 Silent Valley

Chapter 418: Chapter 416 Silent Valley

A large spider?

Bi Fang paused for a moment, staring at the spider the size of a fingernail on his palm for quite some time.

emmmm.

To say it was big was somewhat true; spiders larger than one centimeter were indeed rarely seen in the city. Usually, you would only find spiders this size in the countryside, in the shadows under the eaves, crawling in and out of old tree holes, inside last year’s cicada exuviae…

At this moment, the spider suddenly scooped out of the crevice was dashing frantically across the vast expanse of Bi Fang’s hand. Its jointed legs covered in bristles moved back and forth, and on its shriveled head were eight black eyes diminishing in size from big to small.

I’m getting goosebumps!

[What the hell is this thing?]

[Can you not hold it in your hand? I’m getting stressed out.]

[The hair on my hands is standing on end!!!]

“Jumping spider. This guy is a Himalayan Jumping Spider, its scientific name is Euophrys omnisuperstes, meaning ‘above all else.’ It can survive in ice crevices at an elevation of 6,700 meters, making it the highest-dwelling creature in the world.”

Gazing at the tiny creature scampering across his palm, Bi Fang, out of a sense of mischievousness, gently prodded it with his thumb, forcing the jumping spider to change directions and scurry erratically.

At this altitude, the only living thing Bi Fang could see was the Himalayan Jumping Spider on his hand. Once everyone left the mountain, above 5,000 meters on Mount Everest, he would be left all alone.

One man, one mountain.

[Doesn’t it bite? Is it venomous?]

[Man, you’re playing with fire!]

“Don’t worry, human skin is quite thick for a jumping spider, and the clever creature is very much aware of that. It rarely attacks humans. In fact, not just jumping spiders—other spiders seldom attack humans either, as they know it’s a futile effort that brings them no benefit. Usually, what you think is a spider bite is most likely caused by some other insect.

“This is especially true in Huaxia. In our country, a spider that poses a fatal threat to humans is virtually nonexistent. Even the spiders that can attack humans and whose venom causes severe reactions, like spiders of the genus Latrodectus, are extremely rare in Huaxia. Therefore, there’s no need to be afraid of spiders.

If you win the one in a million chance and encounter one in the wild, you should buy a lottery ticket or try to catch it and show it off to a zoologist, as it’s pretty hard for everyone to find one.”

Many international viewers were moved to tears when they heard this, especially those from Australia,

[Wuuu wuuu, Huaxia is truly a blessed land]

[I stayed in Australia for a while last year, and the spiders there were bigger than fists!]

[I heard that over there, you might encounter a venomous snake slithering out of the toilet, the kind you don’t see before sitting down, from the drainage pipe (dog’s head)]

[My heart just cooled down]

[Wait a minute, if only the jumping spider lives at such high altitudes, what does it eat? What about the food chain?]

[Smart guy, you’ve caught the crux of the matter.]

“Yes, when scientists first discovered it, they were also curious about this. At such high altitudes, only the jumping spider survives, but for living creatures to exist there must be energy intake. As an animal, the jumping spider can’t photosynthesize, so there must be some food chain sustaining its existence. Unfortunately, there isn’t one.”

How is that possible?

Then what exactly does it eat?

The audience was utterly astonished. If only one kind of creature exists there, what does it feed on? There aren’t even any plants here, no soil, just rocks. Does it gnaw on rocks?

“It’s frozen insects,” Bi Fang said without beating around the bush. “The Himalayan Jumping Spider relies entirely on the sporadic frozen insects blown by the mountain winds for energy. It is precisely because of this predation method that biologists can unequivocally confirm that the Himalayan Jumping Spider is the highest-dwelling creature, bar none.”

When he spoke these words, even Bi Fang sounded somewhat amazed; in many cases, animals’ formidable survival abilities can leave humans in the dust.

“Eight eyes give it a 360-degree field of vision; its body temperature can drop to negative twenty degrees Celsius; fine hooks on its feet provide gripping power so it isn’t blown away by the wind; its long legs allow it to jump effortlessly between rocks, with distances up to fifty times its body length. Jumping Spiders don’t spin webs, but they can still produce silk; the safety-rope-like spider silk allows them to move about freely.

“Moreover, the Jumping Spider’s greatest advantage is its size. Its tiny body can cling closely to the rocks, which absorb energy from the sun, creating a nearly three-centimeter layer of warmth—a perfect microenvironment for this pint-sized hero.”

Unable to venture beyond the Five Fingers Mountain, the tiny spider spat out a thread of silk onto the palm of a hand, then energetically leaped, instantly clearing the boundary.

“Food is scarce and the weather is harsh; settling here might seem odd, but there are reasons behind it. Here, there are only Jumping Spiders, nothing else, no one preys on them. Despite their small size, they are atop the food chain of Mount Everest.”

The sun began to dip.

Bi Fang stood up, the Jumping Spider descended slowly, like a mountaineer with a safety rope, eventually returning to the ground. It bit the silk thread, cutting it off and scampering away.

[That’s enlightening.]

[The wonders of Nature.]

[Has Old Fang received the true teachings of Sir these past days? (Dog’s head)]

“Of course. With the master by my side, it would be a crime not to seek his counsel. Chasing stars isn’t about yelling for autographs—that’s chasing after nothing. It’s about learning skills and certain qualities from your idols that truly matters.” Bi Fang laughed heartily.

Climbing with Edinburgh wasn’t just about mountaineering in silence; the interaction was profoundly enriching, advancing Bi Fang’s knowledge of many local customs and special creatures. However, he was already familiar with Jumping Spiders. While there are many species of Jumping Spiders, he couldn’t possibly know them all, but he was well-versed in some of the creatures that are the most exceptional in the world.

[What can you learn from chasing after Master Fang? (Sly smile)]

[Confronting Nature. (Dog’s head)]

Having observed the spider, Bi Fang continued to climb.

Along the way, he would often encounter people descending the mountain, but there were fewer and fewer of them.

Bi Fang used his ice axe to tap on the icy surface, helping himself to climb up the steep slope. Occasionally, loose rocks would fall down. If hit by them, one could easily fall off the cliff at this height, with a high chance of being severely injured or even dying instantly if struck on the head.

Bi Fang personally witnessed a rock about the size of an old-fashioned computer whistling down towards him. Although the rock fell from a far distance, he managed to avoid it in time. However, from a first-person perspective, the viewers still gasped until they saw the rock plummet into a chasm and finally realized they had broken out in a cold sweat.

This first-person perspective was even more thrilling than playing a horror game.

A single slip, and it could truly be fatal.

“If you’re wearing prescription glasses underneath your goggles, please make sure your breath doesn’t frost up the lenses, as it could affect your vision and judgment. We’re now very close to Camp Two, walking through ‘Silent Valley’. As you can see, to my right is Nuzi Peak, and the slope of the mountain on the left is prone to avalanches. Normally, one should proceed quickly and stay alert to their surroundings.”

Climbing up the icy slope, Bi Fang took a breath and finally straightened his back, turning his head to look at the sunset in the sky.

It was already evening, and he was now at an altitude of 6,400 meters, where mist flowed around like water.

A high-altitude crow returned from hunting, flying towards the mountains, while a Jumping Spider suddenly leaped up from a rock…

The snow-capped mountains looked magnificent in the sunset, glowing with the beautiful color of gold, their ice, snow, rocks, and cliffs forming exceptionally beautiful curves and patterns.

The sky, the wind, and the light were in a dynamic, perpetual act of creation… but perhaps someday, the seracs will disappear forever.

The environmental overdraft and damage caused by human development were also harming the Himalayas.

After watching for a long time, until the sun had set, Bi Fang finally snapped back to reality and continued his climb up the mountain.