On April 8th, at 4 a.m., when Zhang Helai's team officially set out from The Fifth Camp, only 12 members remained.
They were three teams departing together, originally totaling 20 people, but eight of them had developed severe physical discomfort while resting at the Fourth Camp. Their condition wasn't as severe as vomiting blood or other serious symptoms; rather, they lay on the ground languidly as if drunk, their consciousness blurred. Even with great effort to rise, they couldn't distinguish between their shoes and a thermos—indeed, one man even tried to stuff his boot into his mouth, puzzled as to why there was no water.
With such conditions, they could only stay at the Fourth Camp, waiting for the Kamian people to escort them down the mountain.
Because they were above 8,000 meters on Mount Hyjal Summit, the oxygen there was only a third of that at sea level. Even if they wore oxygen masks while sleeping at night, they couldn't prevent occasional health issues from arising.
