Chapter 766: Chapter 108: Iron Cable
Although it was embarrassing, Chen Wen also knew that this was a measure to keep him safer.
"With this, even if you accidentally lose your grip, as long as we hold the rope, there shouldn’t be a big problem."
Dennis gave a thumbs up to Chen Wen and thumped his chest.
A gesture that expressed reassurance.
Chen Wen nodded, stretched a bit, and then said, "Give me a coil of rope, I’ll go up and give it a try!"
Receiving the rope from Hua Yun’s hand, Chen Wen went to the front of the cliff.
The bottom of the cliff was the most severely damaged.
Not only was the ground here piled with some soil and fragmented rocks, but the rock face was also severely damaged.
Many of the crevices and rock surfaces were covered with loose dirt, gravel, and remnants of vegetation, which severely affected the reliability of footholds and handholds.
Therefore, the first step Chen Wen had to take was to clear and find suitable handholds and footholds.
He went to the bottom of the cliff and began clearing.
A few minutes later, feeling that the lower layer was mostly cleared, Chen Wen reached out to grip the cliffside and began to attempt the climb.
Chen Wen’s movements were very standard, and he wisely adopted a relatively stable climbing method.
Every time he decided on a foothold, he tested its solidity multiple times.
The people below held onto the rope, retreating to a safe distance as they nervously watched Chen Wen.
"How is it? Can you get up there?"
Dennis asked while pulling on the rope.
Chen Wen shouted back loudly, "The site your association found is pretty good. The rocks below are just covered with a layer of gravel, which makes them appear fragile, but overall this rock face is still very solid."
As he spoke, Chen Wen looked up at the crevice above his head.
Ever since encountering a crevice crisis in the Sonora Desert, he had developed the habit of observing crevices.
But this time, there was nothing inside this crevice.
Chen Wen was a bit disappointed.
He reached out and grabbed the crevice, resting for a moment.
A moment later, he continued upwards!
...
"When did Chen Wen learn to rock climb?"
Adam asked Hua Yun while pulling on the rope.
Hua Yun shook his head, "I’m not quite sure, but I seem to recall that Chen Wen only had the intention to learn rock climbing after that time in Yukon."
Hearing this, even Adam, who was used to the occasional surprises Chen Wen brought, was somewhat shocked.
This is too fast, isn’t it?
In just over a year, with the time for high-intensity survival in between, how much time could he have had to learn?
Does he not rest?
"This guy, really pushes himself!"
Adam gritted his teeth as he spoke.
As a true American, Adam was all too familiar with the competitive culture of the East Asian region.
Upon hearing this, Hua Yun nodded repeatedly.
She considered herself to be quite competitive, but who would have thought she’d encounter someone as driven as a deity.
She still couldn’t figure out when Chen Wen learned such skilled free-climbing techniques, and it appeared to be very advanced.
From above, with Chen Wen’s steady climb.
He was getting closer and closer to that section of the iron cable.
Very soon, Chen Wen reached near the iron cable.
He reached out his hand and grabbed the iron cable.
"Is it secure?"
Dennis shouted from below.
At this point, Chen Wen was already about twenty meters above their location.
And he was nearly a hundred meters above the canyon below.
This was an extremely dangerous height!
Chen Wen took a deep breath.
He was also fully aware of how dangerous his current position was, thus, he exercised even greater caution.
He tugged tentatively on the iron cable.
The iron cable transmitted a reassuring feeling of strength to Chen Wen.
It looked very sturdy.
Nevertheless, Chen Wen didn’t pull directly but instead continued to apply pressure incrementally.
With the entry "Giant Strength" in play, Chen Wen was easily able to test the load limit of this iron cable.
Approximately when the force reached fifty kilograms.
The iron cable was already very taut.
The rock layer above began to loosen and peel off.
"Careful!"
Seeing rocks falling, Dennis widened his eyes and loudly reminded Chen Wen.
Chen Wen didn’t panic at all.
He slightly lowered his head, pressing his body against the rock face.
Then the falling rocks passed by his body, tumbling down from behind.
"Are you alright?"
Hua Yun asked immediately from below.
Chen Wen shook off the dust on his shoulders, "I’m fine, but this iron cable isn’t as sturdy as I thought. The rocks above seem to have been compressed by a landslide, causing them to fragment a bit."
As he spoke, Chen Wen yanked the iron cable again, causing more rocks to fall.
Chen Wen repeated his maneuver.
As he clung to the cliffside, the falling rocks cascaded behind him.
"I see now, this iron cable is completely useless. Forget it, I’ll just climb to the top, and you all can come up using my rope."
Chen Wen shook his head, no longer trying to use the iron cable to climb upwards.
He dusted himself off and then immediately continued climbing to the top of the cliff by hand.
After about ten minutes.
Chen Wen clutched the top of the sturdy cliff and with a determined leap, made it to the very top.
Seeing Chen Wen safely reaching the top, everyone let out a sigh of relief.
Once Chen Wen was up there, he threw down the rope he had brought with him: "One at a time, Adam first, Dennis second, Hua Yun third, Fred last."
"Also, before Fred comes up, tie our supplies to the rope and get all the supplies up here first, and then you can come up!"
Hearing Chen Wen’s voice, everyone immediately followed his instructions.
Soon, Adam was bound like a crab.
He grabbed the rope that Chen Wen had let down and slowly began to climb up.
Chen Wen used about half of his strength, pulling Adam up with the rope.
"You have quite some strength!"
Once up, Adam barely broke a sweat and marveled at the muscles in Chen Wen’s arm.
Chen Wen chuckled, "Even though I’m strong, I’m also exhausted, so now it’s up to you."
After handing the rope over to Adam, Chen Wen sat aside to rest.
With supplies being scarce, conserving energy was crucial.
Adam understood that Chen Wen had been completely worn out earlier, so he decisively took over the rope.
Soon, with all his might, Adam managed to haul Dennis up, sweating profusely.
Dennis looked at Adam, exhausted and bent over, then at Chen Wen, and couldn’t help but glance at Adam’s midsection.
This irritated Adam, who angrily elbowed Dennis, "Damn it, now it’s your turn to exert yourself!"
Dennis gave a mischievous chuckle and began to pull Hua Yun up.
After Hua Yun was up, Fred below started tying their supplies to the rope.
Hua Yun and the others took three or four trips before finally hauling all the supplies to the higher ground.
When it came to Fred, the three of them, already exhausted, could only look at Chen Wen.
Not only was Fred tall, but he was also heavy.
According to him, his weight was about two hundred and twenty pounds.
At that weight, only Chen Wen, who had rested, could manage to pull him up now.
The other three followed behind Chen Wen, merely playing a supporting role.
Chen Wen panted heavily, barely managing to pull Fred up, as the massive exertion began to wear him out too.
The primary downside of "Giant Strength" is its heavy energy consumption.
Additionally, the "Big Appetite, Says it All" entry also has the side effect of increased hunger in hot regions.
Therefore, Chen Wen said, "We’ll need to figure out a way to store some meat supplies next, otherwise... I won’t be able to hold on!"
At this, everyone nodded in agreement.
Not only was Chen Wen about to reach his limit, but they were too.
After a brief rest, they picked up their supplies again and continued onward.
