Snow blindness, also known as photokeratitis, is a condition caused by ultraviolet light damaging the eyes.
Those with snow blindness experience redness and swelling in their eyes, constant tearing, and a sensation of having a foreign object in them.
They may also suffer from hallucinations, such as seeing shadows flickering in front of their vision. The shadow Yao had just chased was one such illusion.
Many mountaineers, neglecting to wear protective goggles, have had their eyes injured by the glare from snow, resulting in snow blindness.
The most severe consequence is that snow blindness is more intense in individuals with better eyesight.
Someone with myopia like Zhou Niannian, with 800 degrees of nearsightedness, would be relatively unaffected.
Having grown up with wolves, Yao possessed excellent night vision.
Consequently, he contracted snow blindness, and it appeared to be quite severe.
Jiang Fan had intended to equip everyone with goggles this time and had even considered prying off the transparent ice door.
However, the door was incredibly sturdy. Jiang Fan tried prying it for a long time but couldn't even dislodge a single fragment.
This was understandable; a door that wasn't so robust wouldn't be able to withstand the onslaught of billions of death flies.
Ultimately, lacking materials, Jiang Fan abandoned the idea of making goggles.
Zhou Niannian and Dai Xiaomei also walked over and were stunned to see Yao had collapsed.
If even the physically robust Yao was incapacitated, Zhou Niannian and Dai Xiaomei immediately grew despondent.
"It's alright. He's just not accustomed to the glare from the snow on the mountain and his eyes were injured by the reflection. He'll be fine after a rest," Jiang Fan, drawing on his experience, instructed Yao to rest on the spot.
Since they were all tied together by a rope, they had to rest when Yao did.
Yao looked distressed. He had been following Jiang Fan's footprints too intently, which led to his eyes being burned by ultraviolet rays.
Zhou Niannian thought for a moment and took off her glasses, handing them to Yao.
"Wear my glasses, and you won't be hurt by the ultraviolet rays."
Yao looked at the glasses offered to him.
"You, give them to me? What about yourself?"
"I'm fine. I'm wearing contact lenses, so the snow won't get into my eyes."
Yao declined Zhou Niannian's kind offer. The reason was simple: they were 800-degree prescription glasses. The moment Yao put them on, the world began to spin.
"Dai Xiaomei, come and help Yao walk!"
Dai Xiaomei responded with an "Mm-hmm," as Yao suddenly stood up.
"I... I'm fine... I can... walk."
He had grown up among wolves in the wild. In a wolf pack, there was a strict hierarchy, with male wolves holding absolute leadership authority.
If it were like a lion pride, where lionesses hunt and male lions lounge around enjoying the spoils, wolves would find it laughable.
How could he, a strong and healthy man, allow Dai Xiaomei to support him?
To prove his eyes were fine, Yao stood up and took a few unsteady steps forward.
Jiang Fan suddenly shouted.
"Be careful!"
Jiang Fan's sharp eyes spotted that the snow cover in that area was not solid. It was likely a gap between two cliffs, covered by snow.
This snow hadn't frozen into an ice bridge, and Yao had stepped right on it, causing the snow to collapse instantly.
With a piercing scream, Yao, caught off guard, plummeted into the bottomless abyss.
The accident was sudden and unexpected. Dai Xiaomei and Zhou Niannian, tied to Yao, screamed as they were immediately pulled towards the seemingly endless abyss by the strong force of the pull.
"Help! Help!"
"Someone save us, we're going to fall to our deaths!"
Dai Xiaomei and Zhou Niannian cried out, being dragged a considerable distance across the snow.
"Hold steady!"
Jiang Fan, disregarding the risk of triggering an avalanche, roared and, along with Panda, strained to hold the rope.
With a snap, the rope went taut.
Jiang Fan and Panda were strong enough, but Yao's descent was so rapid that they were also dragged several steps on the snow.
"Roar!"
Panda roared, the muscles in its upper arms bulging and rippling.
Like a muscular panda, beneath its white fur were eight abdominal muscles.
Jiang Fan gritted his teeth, his brow furrowed, and he exerted more force.
The man and the panda gave their all, yet their feet slowly began to slide towards the cliff edge.
"Dai Xiaomei, Zhou Niannian, stop immediately! Pull hard on the rope!"
Jiang Fan shouted to Zhou Niannian and Dai Xiaomei.
Zhou Niannian finally reacted, rolling on the snow and lying flat, pulling on the rope with all her might.
"Ahhh!"
Dai Xiaomei continued to slide forward. She was approaching the cliff edge and was about to fall too.
If both of them fell, it would be difficult to get them out.
Just then, the rope snapped taut, and Yao's downward momentum slowed.
Yao had become lodged between two cliffs!
"Pull! Hurry and pull! It will be troublesome if the ice and snow on the cliffs collapse."
The group exerted all their strength, pulling Yao bit by bit. Finally, they managed to pull Yao up.
Just as Yao's head emerged from the cliff, with a whoosh, the ice and snow he had stood on collapsed.
"Pull!"
Zhou Niannian had no strength left. Her hand slipped, and the rope flew from her grasp.
Seeing Yao about to slide down again, into the abyss,
suddenly, a twist of fate occurred. Yao extended his hands, gripping the edge of the cliff tightly.
Then, using the strength of his fingers, he executed a spectacular somersault and landed on the snow.
Only then were they truly safe.
The taut nerves suddenly relaxed. Jiang Fan loosened his grip, let go of the rope, and lay on the ground, gasping for breath.
Panda was also frantically wiping sweat from its brow, its paws abraded by the rough rope.
Yao, having narrowly escaped death, sat on the ground with a pale face.
Dai Xiaomei's legs had gone completely soft. She slowly, slowly retreated from the cliff edge.
The viewers in the live stream erupted in thunderous cheers.
The moment Yao fell into the abyss, the audience's hearts had leaped into their throats.
"My god, the mountains are so dangerous!"
"Fortunately, Jiang Shen has climbing experience and tied them together with a rope. Otherwise, even ten wolf children would be doomed."
"Damn it, that place looked so solid, yet it was a cliff!"
"If you don't follow Jiang Shen's footprints, you're doomed."
"But if you stare at the footprints, your eyes will be hurt by the glare. It's difficult!"
After a long while, Jiang Fan stood up and helped Yao up, patting his shoulder to show that it was no big deal.
" on snowy mountains, you'll experience at least a dozen such incidents. You just lack experience."
Yao's face was still full of self-reproach. Jiang Fan instructed him.
"You can squint your eyes when looking at my footprints. That way, your eyes won't be injured by the ultraviolet rays."
It seemed that walking aimlessly in open areas was dangerous. Jiang Fan observed the terrain and suddenly had an idea.
"Right, let's walk along those rocks jutting out from the cliff face. It should be safer there."
Jiang Fan suggested to all members of the team.