Li Meirong's breathing quickened. She looked all around but her friends had simply vanished into thin air!
"Don't panic, don't panic..."
She chanted under her breath as she tried to keep her wits about her.
Her newfound friends accepted her into their group so quickly, they had agreed to look after her even though they really had no obligation to. If something happened to them while she just stood by and did nothing, she would never forgive herself!
It was dangerous, but her only choice left was to call out to them, and hope that it wouldn't attract any unwanted attention.
"Mo Jing! Shu Qianqian! Please, make a sound if you can hear me..."
She cupped her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice, turning this way and that, not knowing in which direction they might have gone. She was loud, but the density of the jungle didn't seem to allow for much sound to carry through the branches and vines. Still, she had to keep trying...
"Mo Jing… Sister Qianqian..."
After screaming a good while she was starting to run out of breath. Li Meirong's calls became more and more feeble until finally she stopped and stood rooted to the spot, feeling helpless.
Helpless.
There was no response.
All of a sudden she heard a rustling sound from beyond a wall of creeping vines on the side of the river bank, but it had only been for a split second.
Li Meirong pounced at the source of the noise. The vines were descending from one of the nearby trees, coiling and intertwining among the roots in the damp soil, each of them thicker than both her legs put together. They were so thick that she had to use every last ounce of her upper body strength to forcefully yank them apart and push through.
Eventually, she managed to squeeze herself through the wall of tangled vines only to discover beyond it, an enclosed clearing.
It was only a small space, a few feet in diameter and confined by a large stone wall that blocked it away from the river bank. It was ancient looking and seemingly man-made, there was no other path out of there besides the one she had just come through.
What immediately caught her eye, though, was not the crumbling wall. It was the unusual plant growing at the foot of the brick structure.
Li Meirong was no botanical expert, but this particular one's appearance of a hollow tube, starting with an exotic shade of auburn red and gradually turning into pale green at its base, made her nearly certain it was a carnivorous plant. It looked almost exactly like the pitcher plants from her world.
Only, ten times bigger.
Definitely large enough to consume an adult man, were it so inclined.
The rustling sounds continued. She noticed the belly of the plant wobbling suspiciously. The terrible scent of its digestive juices wafted from the open gullet of the plant.
'Please, don't let this be what I think it is!' Li Meirong thought frightfully.
She was terrified by the idea that this plant was possibly digesting her friends at that very moment and couldn't bear to creep towards it to see if her suspicions were true.
Still, she couldn't very well leave before making sure...
She backed away slowly towards the clearing's exit and then tried ripping off one of the thick vines. Giving up on that unsuccessful idea, she ran back out of the strange clearing and broke off a thin branch from a young tree, before rushing back in again.
Li Meirong let out a deep breath, gathering her courage and approaching the plant cautiously.
As though sensing her resolve, the Carnivorous Plant shuddered and its leaves curled into themselves.
Li Meirong felt her back drenched with sweat. She nervously climbed onto the red opening of the monster-sized Pitcher Plant and, when she'd found her balance, gripped the branch firmly with both her hands. She stuffed the piece of wood straight down the mouth and into the plant's "belly".
In no time, she felt it hit something solid. She quickly traced it with the tip of the stick and tried her best to assess by feel alone what the thing could be since she couldn't see that far into the plant. There was something round and ball-like. Tracing further down with the stick, she reached the end of the curve as it jutted outward into what could only be a pair of shoulders.
"Oh no!" She screamed.
The plant shuddered again and a rumbling sound roared from its inside. Li Meirong nearly lost her footing. She braced herself, straddling the plant's rim and tossing the branch away. Throwing caution to the wind in panic, she shoved her arms inside its gaping mouth instead.
It was slimy, sticky and warm. She felt like she was assisting a pregnant cow to give birth. Her hands felt around the curved shape. It was covered with slime but she could definitely tell it was a head once she'd found what felt like an ear. Pushing her arms further down without being able to see what she's been doing left her depending on the rest of her senses to manoeuvre.
She reached for what felt like armpits, grunting as she attempted to pull the person out, pushing her knees against the plant for better leverage.
Seconds felt like hours as she pulled and pulled but eventually, a head peeked out of the plant's mouth. It was Mo Jing, and he was unconscious.
She wasn't sure where her strength came from. Maybe it was that famous adrenalin rush of a life or death situation that gives one strength beyond his or her ordinary capabilities.
Mo Jing was drenched with the Pitcher Plant's digestive juices and sticky saliva. His dead weight hung limply in Li Meirong's arms.
Unfortunately, she had no time to care for him just yet because Shu QianQian was probably inside as well!
She only made sure his heartbeat was steady before she unceremoniously dumped him on the ground and climbed back onto the plant for her second rescue mission.
At this point, fear for her own life was long forgotten. She made quick work of shoving her arms back inside the plant and grasped around aimlessly with her hands until her fingers brushed against another object.
This time, it was further inside and Li Meirong had to push her upper body deeper in order to reach Shu Qianqian.
Thankfully, Shu Qianqian was lighter and easier to lift up. There was a sizzling sound and a faint smell of burnt flesh emanating from the depths of the plant. The idea of what might have happened to her friends if she had chosen to run away gave her chills.
Just as she dragged Shu Qianqian out of the plant and tossed her to the ground, a terrible screeching noise came from the man-eating creature, as if it was enraged.
Li Meirong quickly tried to climb back down from the plant's gaping mouth, but before she could manage to get away, it let out another deafening screech, a sound similar to nails dragging brutally across a chalkboard.
Its roots retracted from the soil and it took off running!