One out of six chances, and he hit it.
Lewis didn't know whether to cry or wail!
Going down was definitely not an option.
The hot air balloon had already started ascending, signaling the beginning of the challenge.
"What was that?" The staff member looked down everywhere but saw nothing.
The dice had disappeared after being thrown.
"Nothing," Lewis casually replied. The staff member looked around again, saw nothing, and assumed it had fallen into some corner, not giving it much thought.
He took the full-pressure suit exchanged with Lewis and silently put it on.
Lewis also began to dress. After getting dressed, he noticed that the other hot air balloon had also taken off.
David had started his challenge.
"Mr. Lewis, put this on."
"Okay."
It was a head-mounted camera. Besides the head, there were also mini cameras fixed on his waist, shoulders, and calves.
During the brast, Lewis' footage would switch from multiple angles, allowing viewers to more clearly feel the awe of being twenty thousand meters above the ground.
"Inhale... Exhale..."
"Hell-level difficulty... Let's see how terrifying it really is!"
Lewis adjusted his breathing. Since he had no intention of giving up, he decided to accept it.
He quickly adjusted his mindset, stood at the edge of the gondola, gripped it with both hands, and looked at the ground shrinking slowly. His mood was very calm.
He wasn't quite sure in what way the so-called hell-level difficulty would manifest.
But it didn't matter. No matter what accident happened, he was confident he could handle it.
As for others, he wasn't worried.
This difficulty was only for him personally and wouldn't affect anyone else.
Otherwise, if it affected David's parachute jump, he would feel guilty.
At this moment, the helium balloon was rapidly ascending at a speed of six meters per second.
Lewis said at this time, "The helium balloon ascends at a speed of about six meters per second, rising steadily towards the sky. It is expected to fly for about 90 minutes and ultimately reach an altitude of over twenty thousand meters, which is the height of the stratosphere."
The staff member hesitated for a moment and nodded, "Yes, it is indeed six meters per second."
He didn't know why Lewis suddenly mentioned this.
Lewis looked at one of the fixed cameras, patted the pressure suit on his body, and continued, "You might be curious why I'm wearing this. Let me explain briefly. When the altitude exceeds 18,900 meters, if you don't wear a pressurized suit or stay in a pressurized capsule, the decompression and oxygen deprivation caused by the thin air can quickly cause loss of consciousness or even death. Therefore, it is necessary to wear a specially made pressurized suit similar to a spacesuit when ascending."
He was hyping up the show.
A simple parachute jump might surprise many people, but providing them with detailed additional information would increase their awe.
He wanted everyone to understand how difficult and extreme a final wish he was challenging at this moment.
When the hot air balloon rose to a thousand meters, the parachute base below looked like small squares in his eyes.
Lewis pointed downwards, "See that? That's my target landing spot."
Jumping from twenty thousand meters and landing in a safety net forty meters long and wide - these two numbers were hard to connect in anyone's mind.
"Alright, now let's enjoy the beautiful scenery from this high altitude."
He sat in the gondola and checked the altitude indicator every so often.
"We're now at 3,500 meters. There's a slight breeze in the high altitude."
...
"We're now at 5,500 meters. We're currently passing through the cirrostratus. This is all cirrocumulus. Look, this wavy cloud indicates that today is a sunny day."
...
"We're now at 8,900 meters. We're still in the troposphere. According to the ascent and descent speedometer, we're ascending slower now, only three meters per second."
...
"We're now at 14,000 meters, the tropopause, which is also the typical flying altitude for commercial airliners. The airflow at this altitude is relatively more stable. From ascending until now, we've passed through cirrostratus and cirrocumulus, and there's no sign of rain. It seems today is indeed a suitable day for parachuting."
...
"We're now in the stratosphere, also known as the homosphere. It's the layer of Earth's atmosphere where it's warmer above and colder below. At this layer, you'll have a very unique feeling. We're now at 15,000 meters. I can feel it's getting colder, but as the helium balloon continues to ascend, the temperature will gradually rise."
...
"We're now at 17,000 meters. Alright, I should put on my helmet now. Otherwise, once the altitude exceeds 18,900 meters, the temperature will drop sharply from below zero to minus 60 degrees Celsius. And when I reach the required altitude, the temperature will drop to at least minus 130 degrees Celsius."
He stood up, picked up his helmet, and started putting it on.
During the more than one-hour ascent, Lewis provided explanations every so often.
And every explanation was quite professional.
"Wow, Lewis, how do you know so much?"
"Did you major in meteorology in college?"
"Damn, I'm utterly confused."
"Lewis is showing off his erudition, and it caught me off guard."
Ash was also amazed, "He really knows a lot."
Reg said, "I thought he just did his homework in advance, but from the data he casually mentioned, it's obvious that these pieces of knowledge have already been imprinted in his mind."
"David and him are at similar altitudes. They might reach twenty thousand meters at the same time."
James said, "I'm curious. Who will jump first between them?"
Lewis' live stream had reached 1.8 million viewers in just over an hour!
David's live stream also had 1.3 million online viewers.
Compared to them, the other challengers' live streams with tens of thousands of viewers seemed insignificant.
Some challengers who were resting were also watching their live streams. Seeing those terrifying numbers, they felt quite uneasy.
"Altitude 19,928 meters!"
The staff member's voice rang out. Lewis stared at the altitude indicator, where the numbers were jumping at a speed of about three meters per second.
At this moment, the live stream was shot from Lewis' first-person perspective, giving viewers a sense of immersion.
As time passed, when the number on the altitude indicator surpassed the 20,000-meter mark, Lewis' voice echoed again.
"92 minutes. My current altitude is 20,017 meters. I've reached the target altitude."
Through the pressure suit, Lewis' voice was still clearly heard in the live stream.
He stood at the edge of the gondola, gazing downwards. The camera captured the view from his perspective.
From this height, it felt like he had detached from Earth and stood at the edge of the universe, surrounded by Earth's blue halo.
The land below turned into dark yellow patches, pieced together like a giant puzzle.
With a 180-degree wide-angle shot, everyone felt like they were right there.
"So high... My legs are shaking."
"It took an hour and a half just to ascend. Honestly, just thinking about it makes me terrified."
"Lewis, maybe we shouldn't jump, huh?"
"Yeah, don't jump. It's too scary. Reg said one in ten thousand chances of success. I think he's blowing hot air. Even one in a million is impossible, okay?"
"It's so high, and the hot air balloon must have deviated in position during the ascent. Even if a deity came, they couldn't land in a forty-meter safety net."
[Duck King] gifted 10 rockets and left a message: Lewis, whether you jump today or not, I support you!
[North Guy] gifted 18 rockets and left a message: Follow your heart. It's not shameful if you don't jump. At least you're standing at twenty thousand meters above the ground. You've already succeeded halfway.
A flurry of gifts covered the entire live stream.
The staff member said, "Mr. Lewis, it's not too late to regret."
"Regret?" Lewis smiled freely, stepped towards the edge of the gondola, gripped it with both hands, and his eyes were firm. His voice was strong and powerful, penetrating everyone's ears.
"Just twenty thousand meters!"
"Today, I will conquer the blue sky!"
He suddenly grabbed the rope connecting the gondola and climbed up, standing straight at the edge of the basket. From where his eyes could see, the whole world lay spread out before him.
"At this moment, the sky, twenty thousand meters above, belongs to me, Lewis!"
As Lewis climbed into the basket, the camera fixed on it captured this scene, leaving everyone's hearts suspended in the air.
There he stood, arms outstretched, facing the blue sky head-on, and then took a leap of faith.
This image of leaping, almost like a religious rite, was reflected in everyone's eyes, striking deep into the soul of each person. Millions watching on live streams and televisions felt as if their breath had stopped in this very moment.
The daring thrill of the rapid descent made it hard for one to even breathe.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]