abcnovels
Chapter 19 It Took Off Running
Chapter 19 It Took Off Running
Li Meirong’s breathing got quicker, she looked all around but her friends simply vanished!
"Don’t panic, don’t panic."
She chanted as she tried to keep her thoughts clear.
Her companions added her to their group as one of their own so quickly, they took care of her when they really didn’t need to. If anything, she was a burden on them.
If something happened to them while she just stood by and they suffered, she would never forgive herself!
It was dangerous, but her only choice left was to yell out for them, and hope that it wouldn’t attract danger towards her.
"Mo Jing!!!! Shu Qianqian!! Please make a sound if you can hear me.."
"Mo Jing..Sister Qianqian.."
"Qianqian."
After screaming a good while and running out of breath, Li Meirong stood still at her spot. Helpless.
There was no response.
It was for a split second, but all of a sudden she heard a rustling sound by the batch of creeping vines on the side of the river bank.
Li Meirong hurriedly pounced to the source of the noise, the creeping vines descended down form one of the nearby trees. They were so thick that she had to forcibly divide the vines with the full strength of her arms just to push through. Each of the vines was thicker than twice the size of her legs.
As she managed to squeeze herself through the tangled vines, she found an enclosed clearing.
There wasn’t a large space as she expected to find, but a small corner of a few feet without no other path to go from. The river bank was surrounded by a large stone wall, it was a crumbling construction but it definitely looked ancient and man made.
What immediately caught her sight was not the wall though, but the plant that was growing near it.
Li Meirong was not an expert on plants, but this particular one, with its appearance of a vacant pipe and its exotic shade of auburn red merging as a gradient to pale green tint, she was almost certain it was a carnivorous plant. It looked almost exactly as the pitcher plants from her world.
Just 10 times bigger.
Definitely big enough to consume a person.
The rustling sounds continued and she noticed the belly of the plant wobbling slightly. A terrible scent of its digestive juices emitted as visible smoke from the opening of the plant into the air.
Please don’t let this be what I think it is!
Li Meirong was terrified by the idea of this plant potentially digesting her friends!
She was too scared to creep towards it and check its insides lest she be eaten as well, but she couldn’t escape without knowing for sure.
She backed away slowly to the opening and tried ripping off a creeping vine. Her efforts were like punching through an impenetrable titanium substance.
She ran back outside and broke off a somewhat thinner branch from a younger tree.
Rushing inside, she mustered her courage and shot straight for the plant.
As if sensing her desires, the carnivorous plant shuddered and its leaves curled unto themselves.
Li Meirong was panting and sweating at this point, she climbed onto the opening of the monster sized pitcher plant, with both her hands holding the branch she stuffed the piece of wood straight into the belly of the plant.
"Oh no!!" She screamed in terror.
The wood branch hit a solid body, she quickly traced it and it was round, she moved the stick further down and the shape turned rectangle. Those were definitely shoulders.
The plant shuddered, and a rumbling sound roared from its inside, Li Meirong almost accidentally slipped. She braced herself with each leg on the side of the plant’s head, threw the branch out and shoved her arms fully inside its gaping mouth.
It felt slimy and sticky, and really warm. She felt like she was assisting a woman in giving birth. Her hands felt the round shape, it was covered entirely with slime but she could definitely tell it was a head, she pushed her arms further down, unable to see it visually, she had to depend on her senses to maneuver.
She reached for what felt as the armpits, and with a grunt she attempted to pull the person out.
"Ughhh.."
Li Meirong tried to gather more support by pushing with her knees against the plant.
Seconds felt like hours in this life and death situation, but eventually a head picked out of the plant’s mouth. It was Mo Jing.
She wasn’t sure where her strength came from, maybe it was those rare adrenalin rushes of grandmas seeing their grandchildren in jeopardy and all of a sudden having the capability to lift cars with their frail limbs.
Mo Jing was completely covered in the pitcher plant’s digestive juices, he was wrapped in stinky saliva and lay unconscious in Li Meirong’s arms.
She had no time to concentrate on him, because Shu QianQian might be still inside!
After making sure his heart was beating, she unceremoniously dumped him on the ground.
At this point, fear for her life was long forgotten. Li Meirong made quick work of shoving her arms back inside the plant, she grasped around aimlessly with her palms until she felt another round shape.
This time it was further inside and Li Meirong had to push her upper body inside to reach Shu Qianqian.
Thankfully, Qianqian was lighter and easier to lift up. There was a sizzling sound and a slight smell of burnt flesh alongside emitting from the belly of the plant. Li Meirong didn’t even wish to think of the consequences.
Just as she lifted Shu Qianqian out of the plant and tossed her to the ground, a terrible screeching noise was heard, as if the plant got angry. Li Meirong’s heart beat so fast she was scared of having a heart attack! She quickly unclasped her arms from the plant but before she managed to get off from the carnivorous pitcher plant, it took off!
The plant screeched like nails hastily scraped across a blackboard. Its roots retracted and it took off running!