Chapter 11 Chapter 9 The King of Rock Climbing

"That's too difficult—" Miyagawa said. Ginza—— The beer hall in the basement. The timing has entered August. Makoto Fukamachi faced Miyagawa across the small table. The beer that the two of them put in the tankard has been reduced to less than half. "It's impossible to stay for seven years—" Fukamachi said so to Miyagawa. "I've checked around. It's six months to enter the country because of work. After six months, you have to go abroad. Go abroad and then come back. Besides, you can't come back immediately. It has to be done every few months— —”

"I heard that the border control in Nepal has become much stricter than before." "Suppose Joji Hanyu re-entered Nepal in 1986 after the expedition, and then stayed in Nepal for about seven years until 1993 this year. This should be impossible." "However, it is impossible for him to return to Japan during this period." "There are many ways to come back without being discovered by anyone. Besides, even if he wants to go abroad, he doesn't have to go back to Japan. He can also go south to India." "That's true." "If you are engaged in important work related to the Nepalese government, you can get a non-tourist visa, so you can stay for one year. However, after one year, you must apply for an extension. Otherwise, it depends on whether you have a good relationship with government-related people. I've made friends with--"

Miyagawa picked up the beer glass with his right hand and poured beer down his throat. "Damn it, Mallory..." Miyagawa wiped his mouth and muttered. When work is over, crowds flock to such places. Even when the sun goes down, the lights are still bright outside—— The tables around the two of them were full of seats and people. Fukamachi told Miyagawa that he saw a man who looked like Joji Hanyu in Nepal a week ago. Fukamachi thought that sooner or later he would go to Nepal again. It is not impossible to go at your own expense, but if you go to work, you will save money.It was unlikely to sell for money right away, but if the camera really belonged to Mallory, it would be big news.

Even if this is not the case, what Hanyu is doing now will be a decent report. Go at your own expense. If it is written as a report, in addition to the manuscript fee, the magazine will also be asked to pay for transportation and accommodation expenses depending on the situation—Fukamachi thought that it would be great if he could get this level of verbal agreement, so he told Miyagawa. Besides, it is more convenient for someone to know and provide assistance in various aspects.If there is someone who can go around Japan to help while I am in Nepal, that would be my wish. Miyagawa raised his voice when it came to Mallory's camera.

"Is that really Mallory's camera—?" "If it's true, it's going to be a big deal—" Miyagawa also fully understands the significance of the discovery of Mallory's camera. "Okay. I'll assist you. If that's true, all expenses will be paid by our magazine—" After speaking, Miyagawa asked Fukamachi: "Have you told anyone about this?" "No. You were first." "Very good. Listen carefully, this is a secret between you and me. Even within the company, I will keep this matter a secret for the time being. Because if I say it, it will definitely be leaked—"

Miyagawa's voice trembled. "Are you excited?" "Nonsense! Mallory! Maybe he can solve the mystery of whether he was the first person to summit Mount Everest!" At that time, Fukamachi asked Miyagawa to investigate Hanyu Joji's stay in Nepal on his behalf. Now, he is listening to Miyagawa's report. "Besides, there is the issue of the passport. Even if the visa is successfully obtained through connections, the passport will expire in five years." Miyagawa flicked the empty beer mug with his finger. "makes sense." "However, it should be possible to apply for a new passport at the embassy."

"If Hanyu applies for a new passport at the Japanese embassy in Nepal, can we follow this line and find out where Hanyu is?" "Generally there should be no way. It's not that you call, ask the other party to tell you, and the other party will obediently obey." "However, if he lives abroad, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should file and manage his contact address and other information. At least he will know his contact information in Japan, right?" "I have a friend who is an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I can ask him if he can investigate that kind of thing, but in this way, wouldn't it be faster to fly directly to Kathmandu and ask the Japanese or Sherpas there about Hanyu? ? Hanyu has another name there? What is it—”

"Bisalu sap?" "That's right. If you follow the line to investigate under this name, there should always be a way to find clues." "Nepal..." "Instead of dreaming here, let's go there." Miyagawa picked up the beer glass and found it was empty, put the glass on the table again, and looked at Fukamachi. "Go!" "But, before that, I want to check one thing first." "What's up?" "It's about Changgu." "Hase? About that Hase Tsuneo who died the year before last—?" "Ok--"

Fukamachi twitched her chin and nodded. It was after the Obon festival that Fukamachi couldn't contact Kayoko Segawa. After the Obon Festival, Fukamachi called her, and the mechanical female voice on the tape told him: The number you dialed is an empty number. I called Qingmeisha, and a female editor I knew said to Fukamachi: "Miss Kayoko, she resigned." "Resigned?" "yes." "when?" "August thirteenth—" "Do you know her contact information?" "Know." "Can you tell me?" "This..." She hesitated.

"What's wrong?" "She said, don't tell Fukamachi-san." "do not tell me?" "yes." Her voice sounded distressed. She should also have a rough idea of ​​what happened between herself and Kayoko Segawa. When Kayoko forbade her to tell her her contact information, she might have revealed something deeper to her. "She said she'd write to you when she's settled down. Anyway, if you're looking for it, you'll probably find out where she is right away, so I hope you don't look for her until then—" "She said, don't you go to her?"

"yes." After taking a few deep breaths, Fukamachi said briefly: "Please tell her that I will do as she says." Then, hang up the microphone. Why is Kayoko hiding? Fukamachi knew why. Because she thought that the two of them could no longer go on. Kayoko was not waiting for herself to accept, but took the initiative to withdraw.No matter what conclusion Fukamachi makes, Kayoko thinks that she can no longer maintain this relationship, so she disappears. She was not an official employee in the first place. But, having said that... Fukamachi bit his lip and exhaled. Kayoko resigned from her long-accustomed post. She received a not-so-low income in this workplace, and found her own piece of heaven.She used to work exclusively for Qingmei Club, so if she wants to find a job next, it must be quite hard. However, Kayoko quit her job fully aware of the consequences, and even moved her house—— Fukamachi thought that he had forced Kayoko to this point. I did something that I was sorry for her—— However, when it came to how he could help her, he couldn't think of any. Maybe even though she doesn't have her own desk at Qingmeishe, she still has large-scale work left, so she can do it at her own home instead. Fukamachi wanted to call again and ask about work, but he gave up. I can't do anything even if I ask. Because this is the conclusion between himself and Kayoko. Kayoko told herself in person that she had reached the conclusion. If what you ask for is acceptance, seeing this situation, you should accept it. On the other hand, should I respect Kayoko's conclusion? Fukamachi thought so. He thought so, but— I also feel that I was deprived of the conclusion I should have raised instead. Fukamachi thought to himself—it's always like this. Always like this. Things are always when I can't make up my mind and hesitate, and someone forces a conclusion. Up to now, Fukamachi no longer intends to blame anyone.There is no way for a person to settle everything one by one and live on.People often have to hold on to something unresolved and face the next thing. That's how people are. Fukamachi somehow understood this. I understand it, but then again, the matter was too sudden. Without warning— When you think about it, it's a matter of course. It is impossible for Kayoko to discuss this matter with Fukamachi. Kayoko came to a conclusion. Fukamachi gritted her teeth, wanting to respect her decision. He put down the microphone and lay on his back on the tatami. A room with a size of three pings—— On the opposite side there is a room of about 4 pings, which doubles as a living room and kitchen. own apartment. Photographic equipment and climbing props are scattered in disorder. The partition between the living room and the living room was removed to make the space larger, and the work table, bookcase, file cabinet, and cabinet for storing the filmed negatives were placed, leaving only a space that can barely lie on the side. Hey, Fukamachi—— Fukamachi said out loud. How old are you? Are you going to be forty soon? Is this the room of a man who is about to turn forty? If you are a bright student, you will live in a more decent room. Is this the way to go? Are you going to go on like this? How long can you eat and drink as a photographer? Occasionally write manuscripts, how many jobs do you do a month, and how much money have you saved? Savings are pitifully small. Almost all the money was spent on climbing Mount Everest. After returning home, although it was a cheap room in a business hotel, I stayed there for a week. Now, how much cash can be raised immediately? Mountain climbing is good for the body and mind. Going to climb Mount Everest is certainly a joy. And it's probably worth showing off. But, even if we went to the top of the mountain, it's over like this, isn't it?Back to Japan, back to this room, and then have to live longer than Everest. What are you going to do if you lose your job because of living there?Can you climb Everest every time you lose your job?Do you lose friends one by one every time you climb Everest? 呿. I want to drop everything. Drop everything you can drop here, be as light as a swallow, and go somewhere.It doesn't matter what happens to everything, I don't want to have anything to do with it anymore... Exhausted. But-- Fukamachi thought. he thinks: Man must live.I don't know how many years or decades I have to live. Whether it is meaningless time or precious time, it must be spent before death. To live anyway. Fukamachi knew to survive. Now that I know this, before I die, I have to fill those hours with something. Now that you know about it—— Since those times are going to be filled anyway—maybe they’ll never be accepted, maybe they’re inexplicable but still there, and they’re marching towards a peak that maybe they can’t reach—it should be filled with that kind of thing. It's my own way. A point standing in the blue sky— A unique place in this world. The roof of the world. I want to keep climbing up there. No matter in which hotel you get drunk and sleep in an alley, you should remember that white peak in your heart. I want to be attached to her. Feeling numb. perhaps-- To keep thinking about that peak in my heart is to be attached to her. I know that. I know-- Fukamachi said to himself. I am tired now. Don't think about anything now, just let me look up at the ceiling with my head blank like this... Tsuneo Hase died in October 1991. Died in an avalanche while climbing K2 in the Karakoram Mountains. K2 means the measurement mark of "Karakoram 2".It directly became the name of the mountain. Although the Karakoram Mountains are not connected to the Himalayas in terms of terrain, in a broad sense, in the history of mountaineering, she is included in the Himalayas. The altitude is 8,611 meters. Located at the northeastern tip of Pakistan, it is the second highest peak in the world after Mount Everest. The Bati language is called Chogori. In 1954, Campanoni and Lachedelli of the Italian team set foot on that peak. Tsuneo Hase challenged the 8,000-meter peak for the second time since Mount Everest in 1985. Moreover, Hase wanted to challenge the mountain alone. He took ten Japanese support team members and set up a base camp at 5,400 meters. One of the conditions for a solo summit to be established is that from the base camp, no assistance from other people can be obtained upwards.If this unwritten condition is met, it is considered a successful climb to the summit alone. On the other hand, before the base camp, no matter how much manpower is used, it is not illegal to go directly there by helicopter. In addition, there are twenty porters. Four Sherpas recruited from Nepal were in charge of assisting. Although they are assisting, they are members of the photography team. Although C1, C2, C3, C4 and other camps will still be set up one after another, these camps are used for the photography team to rest, and Zhang Gu must rely on his own strength to carry all the materials used to build his own camp. The intersection between the backup team and Changgu is limited to radio communication, except when the accident happened in Changgu.Before C4, although the backup team could use the path opened, the backup team would not go ahead of Chang Gu from the point of more than 8,000 meters—this condition Chang Gu set for himself in the challenge. no oxygen- Changgu, who has increased his confidence after experiencing Mount Everest, chose to climb K2 alone without oxygen. but-- On the way from the base camp to the establishment of the first battalion—at an altitude of less than 6,000 meters, Zhang Gu was caught in an avalanche and died. Forty-four years old—— For the mountaineer standing on the front line, this is probably his last challenge. Unbelievable. Still unbelievable today.I've climbed K2 twice, so it's very clear.As far as I know, there has never been an avalanche there. I know that in principle, if there is snow on a slope, no matter how gentle it is, there is a chance of an avalanche.But it wasn't that kind of place. The slopes are not steep, the weather is cold, and the weather lasts for several days.There is no fresh snow.The snow also freezes solidly, requiring little shoveling to clear the way.In this route, it should be the safest place. In order to adapt to the height, move your muscles and bones a little—— With this feeling in mind, Hase left the base camp. Of course, footage of him setting off from base camp was filmed. After filming the departure scene, the four of us caught up with Zhang Gu 20 minutes late. After walking for about half an hour, I saw Zhang Gu walking ahead. The gentle snow slope slopes from left to right, and Hase walks on that vast expanse of snow. Because it is a good place, we wanted to set up a tripod and take a picture of Hase's back.At this time, I saw that scene. On the slope, clouds of white smoke and dust shot up into the blue sky. At first, we thought it was a cloud. However, that is not a cloud. The white cloud-like thing swelled and spread to the sky, and rushed down the slope at the same time. It was after that that I heard Xue Beng make a "boom--". It's an avalanche— When we thought this way, Zhang Gu also noticed it. He started running this way. Put all your strength into it. But from our point of view, we know that no matter how fast Chang Gu speeds up, he will be doomed.The distance the cane had to travel, the enormity of the object that slid from above, and the speed at which it fell— too late. We get that. Should that be called fear, maybe it should be fear, there is a feeling of anal constriction. Chang Gu didn't run a few steps, and was swept in by the avalanche in the blink of an eye. We were too scared to move. For a while, even the sound could not come out. The moment he was involved, we had forgotten who said what, but we cried: "Avalanche!" "Fool!" "that guy." So, we just ran over with ice sticks. We prayed that he was still alive and rushed to the scene. When we arrived at the scene, we knew that there was probably no way to recover. From a distance, it looks like beautiful snow and smoke, but when you get closer, it is horrible. Ice-like blocks of snow were rolling around, and there was no salvation. However, there may be a one in ten thousand chance that he is still alive. If so, the first twenty minutes are the critical moment. If Changgu could be dug out from the snowdrift within twenty minutes, maybe he could be brought back to life.Rather than calling for rescue, it would be better if the four present search for Zhang Gu together, and after 20 minutes, send another person back to the base camp to find someone. So, we act. The four of them lined up, while inserting the ice stick into the snow, while moving on the slope.Insert the tip of the ice stick into the snow, moving twenty centimeters at a time.If there is a human body buried in the snow, you will know from the puncture of the ice stick—— As a result, Zhang Gu's body was not found until the next day. ——Akisuke Kitahama (photographer), "Interview", "Yue Wang", January 1992 I'm so mean-- Fukamachi thought to himself while waiting for Hisaya Iwahara at the teahouse. Want to work without thinking. Try to forget by working. About Kayoko... No, what I'm doing now isn't even a job. interest. Maybe you won't even get a penny by doing so.I want to not think about it by putting my heart into it.However, at the bottom of consciousness there is often something as gray as thick tar, which cannot be erased. The more you put your heart into something, the darker and thicker it takes root. I try to escape by working. However, no matter how despicable and indecent, it is yourself. It is also himself who falls in love with Kayoko. Kayoko had another man, and she was the one who was thrown into disarray because of this, and now, she was the one who was waiting for Iwahara for a job that couldn't be called a job. Can't help being yourself.If such a self gets confused because of a woman's affairs, including the flustered mood, it is himself.No matter what you want to escape from, you can't escape yourself. Fujimi Hotel—— A teahouse in a small restaurant in Shinagawa. Hisaya Iwahara's company is nearby. As soon as Fukamachi called and told him that he wanted to meet, Iwahara immediately designated this place. "If it's about an hour at noon, I can spare time to chat with you—" Iwahara said. So now, Fukamachi is waiting for Iwahara. Why contact Iwahara? In fact, it was because not long ago, Fukamachi accidentally read Hase Tsuneo's diary. A collection of posthumous manuscripts published after Hase's death—contains Hase's articles written to various magazines that have not yet been compiled into a book, as well as articles that have not yet been published. "The Rock Wall in the Sky"—— In that book, "Diary" is included. The title of the chapter is "K2 Diary", but Hase did not choose that title himself. From the discovery of Hase to the summit of K2 alone, until he put it into practice, he wrote down the content in the form of a diary and published it as <K2 Diary>. Some sections are in prose, others in memorandum form. No matter what it is, if the summit is completed later, Hase will definitely plan to move this draft intact as the original manuscript. In that "K2 Diary", there is a paragraph of text that is interesting. Kathmandu, May 3rd Climb the 8,000-meter peak alone without oxygen.Going to do it.Needless to say, I know that my heart is up and down. It turned out that there was such an idea.If you think about it, it should be possible. I can too-- It's just such a short paragraph, but this part makes Fukamachi inexplicably concerned. So, he decided to meet with Iwahara. Iwahara stays in the publishing department of Keiryusha, which published "The Rock in the Sky", and is the head of the department that edits books on mountaineering and outdoors. He had been an aggressive climber in the past and should be about the same age as Hase, so he should be forty-six this year. Iwahara showed up exactly at twelve o'clock. "Yes, that, I was the one who made the decision and arranged everything by myself. I also went through all of Hase's manuscripts—" Iwahara said. The coffee was served, but Iwahara didn't take a sip. This is not the first time the two have met. Although they didn't work together directly, Fukamachi took over the work of Keiryu Club several times, and met Iwahara several times and exchanged business cards. The two hadn't seen each other for a long time, and they exchanged formal greetings. The topic turned to Hase Tsuneo's "The Rock Wall in the Sky". "I know that Mr. Hase seriously started thinking about climbing K2 alone without oxygen, after he returned from Nepal in 1990—" Fukamachi said. "Is it May?" Iwahara asked while reaching for a coffee cup. "yes." Fukamachi took out the "Rock Wall in the Sky" he had brought with him, and opened the page where the text was published. "That is to say, as written here, I can assume that the idea was conceived in Nepal?" "yes." "Why did Mr. Hase think of such a thing in Nepal?" "I don't know. Since there are groups of 8,000-meter peaks over there, it shouldn't be surprising to think of that." "But--" If you just think about it casually, anyone will fantasize in the corner of their mind. Climb the 8,000-meter peak of the Himalayas alone without oxygen-however, this is tantamount to fantasy. Impossible. Must have strong physical strength, willpower, and excellent luck.Climbing to the summit is not a one-off process, and you must accumulate training to adapt your body to the height of 8,000 meters.From the beginning of training, including the time of adaptation and training, it will take about half a year.Mountaineering to adapt to the height cannot be done by one person alone, and it takes time and money to climb the ordinary 8,000-meter peak. If you take into account the mountaineering permit and various preparations, it will take two years to start training. And the premise is that there are sponsors. Unless the mountaineer has a considerable reputation and actual achievements, it is tantamount to nonsense. Reinjo Messner was the first person to successfully climb the 8,000-meter peak of the Himalayas without oxygen.In August 1978, Messner stood on the summit of Nanga Pabet Peak at 8.126 meters.Apart from him, there are very few people who have summited Nanga Pabet. Can this be done in winter?In 1984, died in 1981, joined the Everest "Japanese Winter Team" to try to reach the summit, but failed. If Zhang Gu depicted it in his mind as a scene in reality, there must be some kind of opportunity. That opportunity is—— "Is it possible that Hase-san met someone in Nepal? That meeting was an opportunity..." "It made him think of summiting K2 alone without oxygen?" "yes." Climbing the 8,000-meter peak alone without oxygen plan to do needless to say From Changxiong Hase's words, which cannot be called a diary or a memo, it is obvious who he regards as an imaginary enemy. Climb the 8,000-meter peak alone without oxygen. Just looking at this sentence makes people confused, but Hase went on to write: intend to do (that thing). Fukamachi always felt that it was more reasonable to think that this sentence was not referring to himself, but someone else's plan to do it. It goes without saying. This sentence should refer to, "you know it without saying it", and others "plan to do it" (climbing the 8,000-meter peak alone without oxygen). I can too-- And does this sentence imply that someone provided Chang Gu with the idea of ​​"climbing the 8,000-meter peak alone without oxygen"? Fukamachi told Iwahara so. "Did Mr. Hase meet someone in Kathmandu?" "Of course, it's not impossible, but with whom?" Iwahara asked Fukamachi. And Joji Hanyu—— Fukamachi almost said the name, but barely held back. maybe-- This is an intuition: Did Hanyu Joji and Hase Tsuneo meet in Nepal in 1990? Regardless of whether it is a coincidence or not, will the two meet? At that time, did Hase's mind specifically see the image of climbing the 8,000-meter peak alone without oxygen? However, this is just imagination. Fukamachi came to see Iwahara, wanting to confirm how much this imagination guessed. If Hase and Hanyu met, why did Hase hide that? Why don't you even write the name of the person you met on the memorandum? If Hase really has a secret and doesn't want people to know the name of the person he met, it is very likely that he will not write the name of the other person in the memorandum.Because even with a diary, people hide things.Since diaries may be read by others, people sometimes do not write down things they do not want others to know. And basically, if the memo has the potential to become a typeface where someone reads it, that awareness will work strongly.That being the case, the content of the memo just needs to be written down to remind me of the events at that time—— If this is the case, why did Hase want to hide the fact that he met Hanyu, or other people? Or, is this thinking too much? "Is there any similar thing written in Mr. Hase's other memos?" "You mean, a memo documenting meeting a guy in Nepal to get him the idea of ​​a solo anaerobic summit—?" "yes." "I didn't find out—" "I heard that the reason why Mr. Hase went to Nepal was to shoot commercials—" "Yes. He went to shoot a TV commercial for the coffee maker. I think they went into Pokhara and shot with Fishtail and Annapurna in the background..." "Is there anyone who was on the staff at the time and who might have known about it—?" "In this case, the photographer Mr. Kitahama Shusuke should be the most suitable candidate." "He also served as a photographer when Hase-san went to K2, right?" "Yes. Because I got to know each other when I was filming an advertisement in Nepal, he also acted as a photographer during the Changgu expedition to K2." Iwahara took out his notepad and told Fukamachi Kitahama Shusuke's contact information. After Fukamachi finished copying Kitahama Shusuke's phone number—— "However, I never expected that I would be the one who edited Hase Tsuneo's book." Iwahara said. "How do you say that?" "In the past, Changxiong Hase and I had a little feud." "—" "That was when I was young. It must have been nearly twenty years ago." "What happened?" "Yes. Because of this, I missed the opportunity to talk to Changxiong Hase. I can say that I hated him once." "Ever hated him?" "Well. But I don't hate him now. That's why I bring up the past like this." "If it's convenient, can you tell me about that?" "Of course it doesn't hurt to tell you." Iwahara drank the rest of the coffee in one gulp, and put down the coffee cup as if making up his mind. "That was March 1974—" "Nearly twenty years ago." "I think that Zhang Gu and I were around twenty-seven years old at the time, and we knew only a little about the hardships and fun of rock climbing. When we were the youngest and most frivolous—" Iwahara began to talk in a sleepy tone. At that time, Hisaya Iwahara belonged to the mountaineering association "Gake Ryokai". As far as the group is concerned, Yue Lenghui can still be regarded as the main force of the intermediate strength, and Yan Yuan's strength can be regarded as outstanding among them.He has the technique, stamina and willpower to rival the best in other top mountaineering clubs. However, he has barely received a medal for taking a new route to the summit for the first time. Because he has not met a rope friend who is good enough to be his partner, and he can climb new routes together. Iwahara has been trying to climb the Takizawa Shigetaro rock face of Tanigawa Takeichi no Kurazawa since several years ago. At that time, it was the last route in Kurasawa of Takeichi Tanigawa that no one had traveled in winter. Although it is not as good as Ghost Rock, this rock wall also has frequent avalanches in winter. Ambitious climbers are secretly planning in their hearts that one day they will conquer her, but once it becomes a real problem, this rock wall will make it impossible to set off for a long time. "For about three years, I went to investigate every year and spent about one week to ten days to study the status of the avalanche—" Iwahara said so. I finally made up my mind in March 1974. "For this day, I trained a man named Kazumi Kitazawa from our mountaineering association for three years. The two of us climbed several winter rock walls. In addition to Ichinokura, we also climbed Takiya and Bingfeng Rock in Hotaka .” In the mountaineering club, Kitazawa's strength is second only to Iwahara. "Would you like to climb the Jutaro rock wall?" Iwahara mentioned this matter to Kitazawa in November of the previous year. "No way?" Kitazawa was terrified. "Don't worry. We will definitely be able to do it. Although the avalanche there will vary due to the snowmelt, it is very regular. And the route is also fixed..." Iwahara asked Kitazawa to look at the notebook he had carefully recorded so far. "I entered the local area for a week in early March. I kept checking the weather map and waited for the opportunity. There must be an opportunity in one or two days. At that time, I will solve the Jutaro Rock in one go." Kitazawa was involved in that project. "Before we left, Kitazawa and I wrote a suicide note. Give it to a friend and leave Tokyo—" Even though I was mentally prepared that I might die, I still couldn't eat within ten days before departure.Swallow it in and spit it out. We waited four days in a tent. The fifth day is a great condition for the right time, place and people. About an hour and a half after I started climbing Jutaro Rock, I encountered a difficulty. Small hanging rocks. Going around it left or right is the best option, but which way to go? While we were hesitating, someone climbed up from below at a fast speed. Is a man who acts alone. It didn't take long before he was overtaken by him at the bottom of the hanging rock.That man was Hase Changxiong. "My surname is Chang Gu." said the man with a smile on his face. "I have known the name Changxiong Hase for a long time. After all, he is the person who has opened up new routes for the rock walls in Japan. I know the names of those who will come to climb Ichinokura in winter. Changxie Hase is already a famous person Famous bigwigs—" This is the Changgu——? Both Iwahara and Kitazawa squinted their eyes at Hase. "This place is really dangerous. I thought it would take about twenty minutes to get it done, but I didn't expect it to take thirty minutes." Hase said briskly. "It's amazing. Because it took him thirty minutes to climb what we spent an hour and a half." And it's so easy— This description is very appropriate. Hase overtook them as if walking on a vertical rock wall. Iwahara and Kitazawa quickened their pace. After climbing up for about half an hour, I finally caught up with Zhang Gu. Because of the snow in that place, thick snow had to be shoveled to clear the road. Chang Gu climbed up while shoveling snow alone. The reason why Iwahara and Kitazawa immediately caught up with Hase was because Hase was shoveling snow to clear the way.It is very easy for those who walk in front to shovel the snow to clear the way, and those behind to walk off the good road and climb up. "Should we change it?" Iwahara, who caught up, said to Hase. "Thank you." The three of them took turns shoveling snow to clear the way. There are two such places. When breaking through those two places, there is no need to shovel snow to clear the way, and only ice and rock walls—— "There will be a period later." Hase said so, leaving the two of them there, and began to climb the rock wall. When Iwahara and Kitazawa finished climbing Jutaro Rock, Hase was no longer there. After the two descended the mountain, they saw Hase again in front of Tuai's mountaineering guidance center. Hase, who had unloaded his hiking backpack, stood there with a smile on his face and stretched out his right hand, intending to shake hands with the two who had just descended the mountain. "oops--" When Iwahara took that hand, Hase continued with a smile on his face: "Congratulations on becoming the second climber." This sentence made people lose their voices. Fukamachi drank beer while waiting for Miyagawa. The location was the beer house in the basement of Ginza when I met Miyagawa not long ago. Chilly summer. The sun seldom shows its face, but it rains often. The typhoon headed straight for Kyushu, raining so much in southern Kyushu that flooded rivers in Kagoshima and Kumamoto.The TV broadcasted images of the river flooding ashore, hollowing out the earth and stones on the river bank, and the houses built by the river sinking into the river and being washed away by the rolling yellow-brown mud. The private house rolled and toppled in the torrent, and it collapsed and was swallowed into the mud flow. The days when the sun rises are only a few days away, and they don't last long. Although it is cold summer, it is still summer after all, and the temperature is quite high. If you write in a room without air conditioning, your hands will sweat and the paper will stick to your wrists and elbows. Sometimes it's impossible to stay in a place like this without drinking some beer. Once locked at home, the mood will become depressed. Fukamachi tries to fill his time with work or meeting people, but when the other party is late for an appointment, his consciousness can't help but turn to Kayoko. Miyagawa, hurry up——! Fukamachi muttered inwardly, and glanced at his watch. Ten minutes past the appointed time. Earlier, Fukamachi and Kitahama Shusuke were talking together.The venue is the teahouse of the Ginza Daiichi Hotel. Fukamachi asked Kitahama: In 1990, you entered Kathmandu for filming a TV commercial. Did anything happen there that made Hase think of climbing K2 alone without oxygen? "Do you have any idea?" "do not know--" Bei Bin tilted his head. "If he thought of it in Kathmandu, I can agree. But if you ask me, what kind of opportunity he thought of it, I'm not sure. However, if Changgu thought of it for the first time while staying in Kathmandu In that case, the first person who heard him talk about that idea was probably me.” "If it's convenient, can you tell me what happened at that time?" "Of course it's okay to tell you." Kitahama nodded and started talking from the beginning. It was the last night in Kathmandu.In the middle of the night, Hase visited Kitahama's hotel room. Chang Gu stood in front of the door carrying a jug filled with raksi. Chang Gu said: I can't sleep, can you have a drink with me? "Please come in." Kitahin nodded, and Hase walked into the room. Hase sat on a chair, Kitahama sat on the edge of the bed, prepared two mugs, filled them with raksi and toasted first. "Brother Beibin. I'm using this as an example. If I said I wanted to climb a mountain over 8,000 meters alone without oxygen, what would you do?" Hase, who was sitting on the chair, said such things right from the start. Among the members, Kitahama has the most mountaineering experience. Joined a mountaineering club when I was in college, and once challenged the 7,000-meter peak in India. For Hase, among the staff shooting TV commercials, Kitahama is the most suitable person to talk about his ideas.Kitahama is the one who knows what it's like for a living person to stand alone on the top of an 8,000-meter peak without going around in circles and without oxygen. "At the time, Hase seemed genuinely excited about his idea." Kitahama said this to Fukamachi. "So, you want to climb Mount Everest?" Beibin asked Changgu. "In 1980, Messner had already climbed Mount Everest alone without oxygen from the Tibetan side—" “你要挑战哪里？” “乔戈里——K2……” 长谷说出世界第二高的山名。 说完之后，他笑了。 那个笑容，感觉像是在告诉北滨，自己说的话是在开玩笑，又像是不小心说出了不成熟的欲望，而腼腆地想以笑带过。 后来话题变成了不着边际的事，结果，长谷在北滨的房间待了一小时左右，等到raksi喝得一滴不剩，便回自己的房间去了。 “回日本的两个月后，长谷打电话给我，当时正式地告诉了我K2的事。” 能不能请你替我拍记录片—— 长谷说：因为我要挑战无氧单独登顶K2，所以想请你替我拍用来上电视的影片。 北滨参加那趟远征，而长谷在那里死于雪崩。 “长谷常雄有没有可能是在加德满都和谁见了面，而得到启发，想出了无氧单独登顶呢？” “是不无可能，但是和谁？” “倒也不是具体地和谁……” “我摸不着头绪。就我所知，他并没有和谁见面……” “可是，他有机会和谁见面？” “当然。他有好几次和工作人员分别行动，而且拍摄没有长谷先生的场景的日子，他都自由行动。假如有和谁见面的话，大概就是那个时候吧。” “你什么也不知道吗？” “嗯……啊，可是，有一次发生了奇怪的事。” "something weird?" “当时刚好是傍晚，他和我一起走在加德满都市内时，说他看见了谁。” “看见了谁？” “你问我看见了谁……对了，是雪巴人。雪巴族，叫什么来着的人。我想，他已经有相当的年纪了……” "elder?" “是的，欸。他的体格也挺结实的。” “北滨先生也见到他了吗？” “哎呀，与其说是见到，倒不如说是看到了。我想，地点是在因陀罗广场一带，不晓得那是什么店，我看到那位老人刚从像店家的建筑物门口走出来……” 北滨说，是长谷先发现了那位雪巴族的老人。 两人走在因陀罗广场时，长谷忽然停下脚步。 北滨也跟着停了下来。 "What's wrong?" 即使北滨这么问，长谷仍目不转睛地盯着前方。 北滨顺着长谷的视线望去，前方就站着那位雪巴族的老人。 感觉是刚从门口走到店前面。 “我想，在门口上方，应该画着大象的画。” “大象？” “大概是迦尼萨——” "do you know him?" 北滨一问，长谷便回答： “他是雪巴族的安伽林。” “安伽林？” “一九八五年爬圣母峰时，跟着我们队伍的雪巴人。” “当时的——” 两人只有在进行这段对话的短暂时间内，从那名雪巴人——安伽林身上移开目光。 再度拉回视线时，安伽林的身影已经从那里消失了。 “他是最后的老虎。” 长谷对北滨说。 “说到老虎，是那支英国队替雪巴族取的——” "yes." 所谓的老虎，是一种称号。 这种称号，最早诞生于一九二四年。 这一年，英国将第三次圣母峰队送上喜玛拉雅山。 马洛里和厄文以峰顶为目标，就此下落不明的那趟远征。这趟远征攀上八千公尺以上的高度，英国队称活跃的四名雪巴人为老虎，从此以后，赋予在喜玛拉雅山上功绩卓越的雪巴人老虎的称号，以及有虎头雕花的老虎徽章。 如今，虽然失去了那项老虎徽章的制度，但安伽林是在最后的时期获得徽章的雪巴人之一。 “他现在应该已经超过六十岁了。因为我们远征的时候，他就已经快六十了——” “他仍然站在第一线吗？” “我想，我们的远征大概是最后一次。” "the last time?" “因为发生了意外。” “怎样的意外？” “企图攻下西南壁的队伍发生的意外。不，正确来说，或许不能说是意外。因为在演变成意外之前，羽生先生设法处理了——” 一九八五年的远征中，似乎发生了如下的事。 事情发生在设置最终营区C6时。 C6大约设在海拔八千三百五十公尺。包含羽生在内的日籍队员和两名雪巴人负责设营。 羽生和安伽林两人留在设营完毕的C6，继续做上方的开道工作。 他们在几个地方进行拉固定绳的工作。 在那项工作的过程中，安伽林失足滑落。 他从迹近垂直的岩壁下坠，卡在下方二十公尺处的岩场。 安伽林还活着。 从上方叫他也有回应。 然而，他似乎脚受伤了，没办法动。 那不是羽生一个人救得了他的状况。 以Z字形攀爬到安伽林失足的地方，把楔钉打进那里，垂下登山绳，从那里下降。到此为此，羽生做得到。 然而，接下来怎么办呢？ 安伽林无法靠自己的力量爬上来，所以得由羽生背他。安伽林的体重，加上他身上穿的衣服及用具的重量。即使用具可以丢弃，鞋子和衣服却不行。光是高山用的登山靴，重量就不轻。 再加上自己的体重和自己穿戴在身上的用具的重量。除此之外，这里是接近八千五百公尺的高度。 从上方以登山绳把安伽林的身体拉上来，大概是不可能的。没办法光靠臂力把一个人的重量往上拉二十公尺。 羽生只好背他上来。非但如此，背上来之后还得再背着他往下爬两百公尺到C6。 在氧气只有平地三分之一的状态下，办得到这一点吗？ 就算以无线电求救，请C5的人过来这里，也要花一天。 要在那处没有东西遮蔽身体的岩棚过一晚。 即使羽生能够忍耐在那里露宿，安伽林大概也耐不住吧。而且往下爬到C6还要再花半天。 就地点和状况而言，无法靠自己的双腿走动的人，就算别人见死不救也怨不得别人。 总之，羽生以无线电向C5说明状况，自己以登山绳下降至安伽林所在的岩棚。 安伽林的状态比想象中更糟。右脚的大腿骨好像骨折了。背部也用力撞上岩石，某处的骨头似乎有异常。此外，有发烧。安伽林强忍发烧，在这种高度行动。 如果在那里露宿，安伽林肯定会没命。 羽生割断多余的登山绳，用来将安伽林背在背上，攀上那面岩壁，反复危险的Z字形攀登和下降，总算把安伽林送到了C6。 Superhuman physical strength. 隔天，其余雪巴人和队员们从C5上来，把安伽林扛到下方的基地营。 长谷对北滨说，这件事就发生在一九八五年的圣母峰远征时。 而北滨又把这件事告诉了深町。 至少，长谷似乎确实在加德满都看见了安伽林。 安伽林—— 深町在加德满都见到羽生时，和羽生在一起的男人就叫做安伽林。 宫川姗姗来迟，这时已超过约定时间半小时。 “抱歉，迟到了。” 宫川一坐下就说。 “我在资料室查了很多资料，比想象中更花时间。” “资料室？” “嗯。不过，先把之前羽生护照的事做个了结吧。” "Know what?" “我拜托外务省的朋友，他破例替我调查，所以这件事希望你保密，总之，知道了一些事。” 说到这里，宫川向服务生点啤酒。 “羽生的护照，似乎在一九九一年三月过期了——” "What did you say!" “后来，外务省没有发给他新护照。” “那，我在加德满都遇见的是——” “羽生大概是非法滞留吧……” “我想，那肯定是羽生丈二。” “既然这样，不就讲得通了吗？” “什么讲得通？” “羽生不说自己的名字啊。因为一旦被人知道自己在尼泊尔，就不晓得会因为什么缘故，使得非法滞留的事东窗事发。” 宫川说到这里时，啤酒送上来了。 深町等宫川喝了啤酒，把啤酒杯放在桌上之后，告诉他自己和北滨聊过的事。 宫川听深町说完，说： “安伽林啊……” 说完，抱起胳膊。 "What do you think?" Fukamachi asked. “这么一来，不就出现了长谷和羽生见了面的可能性吗？” "Ok." 深町点点头，说： “于是，我发现一件关于长谷和羽生的事。” "What's up?" “他们俩总是互不相让。” "—" “一个人做什么，另一个人也会做类似的事。鬼岩就是如此。一开始羽生爬，接着长谷单独爬。这么一来，后来羽生又单独再爬一次鬼岩……” "—" “大乔拉斯峰的时候也是如此。喜玛拉雅山的时候也不例外，羽生爬西南壁，长谷爬东南棱。而这次是——” “这次是？” “长谷企图挑战无氧单独登顶世界第二高峰K2。也就是说——” “羽生也企图挑战某座高峰吗？” "That's right." “他要挑战什么？” “无氧单独登顶圣母峰——” 深町说到这里顿了一下，看着宫川。 不会吧—— 宫川心里这么想，但是没有说出来。 他缓缓地吸饱气，然后说： “你也那么认为吗？” “你'也'？那，你也在想类似的事吗——？” "Exactly." 说完，宫川拿起放在旁边椅子上的公事包，从中取出一只大型咖啡色信封。 他将那只信封放在桌上，说： "Look at it." 深町拿起信封，看了宫川一眼。 "what is this?" “你不是说，你在调查东西吗？那就是你要的东西啊。” 深町从信封中，拿出一叠以钉书机钉好的纸。 “这是——” “至今不用氧气，而且单独登顶喜玛拉雅山八千公尺高峰的人的名单。” 深町翻开那一叠纸，将视线落在那上头。 这地球上人称巨峰、超过海拔八千公尺的高峰，一共有十四座。 其中，在一九九三年之前，有十一座被人无氧单独登顶。 就次数而言，是十六次。 登顶者有十一人。其中，甚至有人像雷恩霍·梅斯纳一样，两度单独完成登顶。 具体而言，一一列举如下。 圣母峰（八、八四八公尺） 一九八〇年八月雷恩霍·梅斯纳（意大利），新路线。 一九八八年九月马克·巴塔尔（法国），BC——峰顶二十四小时。 * K2（八、六一一公尺） 一九八六年七月班诺瓦·夏姆（法国），BC－峰顶二十四小时。 * 金城章嘉峰（八、五八六公尺） 一九八三年五月皮耶·贝干（法国），一般路线。 洛子峰（八、五一六公尺） 一九九〇年五月托摩·雪生（斯洛伐尼亚），首度登上南棱。 马卡鲁峰（八、四八六公尺） 一九八一年十月叶吉·库库奇卡（波兰）。 一九八一年马克·巴塔尔（法国），西棱。 一九八一年皮耶·贝干（法国），南壁。 卓奥友峰（八、二〇一公尺） 一九七八年秋天米察·乍基（伊朗）（登顶遭人怀疑）。 一九八七年冬天佛南度·嘉瑞多（西班牙）（唯一在冬天单独登顶）。 道拉吉利峰（八、一六七公尺） 一九八一年六月秃博信（日本），一般路线。 * 马纳斯卢峰（八、一六三公尺） 无 南迦帕贝特峰（八、一二六公尺） 一九七八年八月雷恩霍·梅斯纳（意大利），新路线。 安娜普娜峰（八、〇九一公尺） 无 加歇布鲁Ⅰ峰（八、〇六八公尺） 一九八五年艾力克·爱斯可菲（法国），一般路线二十四小时。 * 加歇布鲁Ⅱ峰（八、〇四七公尺） 一九八五年艾力克·爱斯可菲（法国），一般路线二十四小时。 * 布洛德峰（八、〇三五公尺） 一九八四年六月克西斯多福·维利其（波兰），BC——峰顶二十四小时往返。 * 一九八六年八月班诺瓦·夏姆（法国），BC——峰顶二十四小时往返。 * 希夏邦马峰（八、〇一三公尺） 无 当中，有打“*”字记号者，严格来说，不算单独登顶。 因为同一时期，有好几组登山队以同一座山顶为目标，单独登顶者会利用那些队伍设置的路线。 利用其他队伍开辟的路线攀登，远比严格规定的单独登顶轻松，但话说回来，也就失去了单独登顶本身的意义。 此外，马卡鲁峰的马克·巴塔尔和皮耶·贝干是从攀登途中才变成单独行动。 再者，虽说是八千公尺高峰，也有像八、〇一三公尺的希夏邦马峰这种较低者，这些山原来就能以无氧攀登，所以特别强调“无氧”也没有意义。 换句话说，就无氧单独登顶八千公尺高峰而言，有意义的是： 一九八〇年雷恩霍·梅斯纳，圣母峰 一九八一年叶吉·库库奇卡，马卡鲁峰 一九八三年皮耶·贝干，金城章嘉峰 一九九〇年托摩·雪生，洛子峰 这四项纪录。 宫川带来的纸上，大致记载着这样的内容。 “我做梦也没想到，居然有这么多人无氧单独登顶过八千公尺高峰。” Fukamachi said. “对吧？我也跟你一样。调查之后吓了一跳。” 宫川仍然抱着胳膊说。 “这样看下来，雷恩霍·梅斯纳无氧单独登顶圣母峰了。你觉得那个心高气傲的羽生，会打算再一次模仿别人做过的事吗？” “梅斯纳是从西藏这一边登顶。而马克·巴塔尔是从尼泊尔这一边。但是，马克·巴塔尔进行这趟单独行动时，有其他几队进入圣母峰，巴塔尔利用了那些队伍开的路线。” “你的意思是，这样严格来说，还没有人从尼泊尔这一边无氧单独登顶吗？” “欸，就是这么一回事。但是羽生说不定会想出更异想天开的事——” "For example?" “在冬天无氧单独登顶圣母峰西南壁——” 宫川说完，紧盯着深町的脸。 不会吧—— 但羽生那个男人就是会做出人意料的事。 "Ok……" 深町不置可否地对着宫川点头。 “喂，深町，你去一趟吧……” Miyagawa said. "Ok--" “既然已经走到这一步，总之先去再说。羽生丈二和马洛里的相机——这可是相当棒的新闻唷！” "I know--" 深町像是要说给自己听似地点头。