Chapter 1 Escape from the Insect Mouth
Chapter 1 Escape from the Insect Mouth
When Lezhi regained his memory, it was still dark around him, and his memory was still stuck at the moment of the car accident.
The screeching sound of car brakes still echoed in his ears, a sound like fingernails scraping across a blackboard in school, instantly making his hair stand on end and his whole body feel uncomfortable.
"Hmm... who is it?"
The sounds around him were dispelled by his senses, and Lezhi felt as if someone was brushing his cheek with a feather.
He couldn't stand this faint itch. When his eyelids were still stuck open as if glued shut, Lezhi subconsciously raised his right hand to wipe away the thing that was disturbing his sleep, and then scratched his face.
Wiping away the discomfort, Lezhi was about to go back to sleep when he suddenly realized something was wrong. He finally remembered that he had been in a car accident. Could he be in the hospital now? But...
"...Huh, why doesn't my body hurt at all?"
This was what made him feel most uneasy. Thinking that he had misperceived, Lezhi checked his limbs and bones again and confirmed that he did not feel any pain.
This gave him an instant bad feeling; his heart felt heavy, as if it were being crushed by a boulder. Lezhi could no longer convince himself to sleep; his usually thin eyelids now felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
With a great effort, Yuezhi's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she finally opened her eyelids a crack. Once they were open, things became much easier. Her blurry vision gradually focused, and a patch of green came into view.
His silvery-white pupils were filled with the tall, lush plants, instantly adding color. In Lezhi's eyes, he saw that the sky was almost completely blocked by the branches of the plants, with only a few rays of light stubbornly passing through the gaps in the leaves and dancing in the forest.
One of the rays fell precisely on Lezhi's eyes, which she had finally managed to open, reflecting a warm, pearly light.
Is this...a hospital? A look of confusion flashed in Lezhi's eyes, and the doubt in her heart was hard to hide and was written all over her forehead.
Thinking that he was hallucinating due to the aftereffects of the car accident, Lezhi closed his eyes, trying to readjust them to the environment, and then opened them again.
He turned his eyes left and right, but the scenery remained the same. At this moment, the wind brought the fragrance of forest soil and plants, and the leaves swayed gently in front of Lezhi.
Everything was proving to Lezhi that he hadn't misjudged the situation; this was definitely not a hospital!
Her body was still stiff from just waking up. Lezhi used her gradually becoming more active brain to think hard, while also trying to mobilize her body to restore its functions as quickly as possible.
But he didn't notice that a creature attracted by his movements was quietly approaching not far from him.
Unaware of anything, Lezhi struggled on his own. Before he was fully awake, his hands recovered first, followed by his body, and finally his lower body. Lezhi moved his toes, trying to speed up the recovery of sensation in his legs. Suddenly, everything went dark.
The light was blocked by the object, and when Lezhi finally adjusted to the backlit environment and saw the monster in front of him clearly, his body was so frightened that he instinctively stiffened again.
His eyes met the monster's ceiling-lamp-like pupils, and through the reflection, Lezhi saw his own current appearance.
His features were still the same as before, only now he looked like he had returned to his teenage years, with lingering baby fat on his cheeks. The difference was that his once black hair was now pure silver-white, which, combined with his matching pupils, made him appear even more refined.
Such exquisite appearance would amaze anyone, making them want to hold it in their hands and cherish it. Unfortunately, the monster staring at Lezhi does not agree with human aesthetics.
It scanned the motionless human before it with its mindless eyes, its growing tendrils brushing against Lezhi's cheek.
Awakened by the familiar itch, Lezhi's thoughts, which had been frozen in fear, began to loosen.
Could it be that this monster was already there while I was unconscious? Then that means what I just swung away was…
Thinking of this, Lezhi, whose eyes had been fixed, secretly glanced at the tentacles that were still exploring.
Realizing the danger, Lezhi dared not act rashly. He was already sweating profusely. Under immense pressure, Lezhi's mind raced as he tried to think of a way to break the deadlock.
Holding his breath and staring intently at the monster's movements, Yuezhi maintained a stiff posture, his eyes wide open, and he couldn't help but groan inwardly.
This is incredibly unlucky! Is the heavens trying to kill him? Is this a joke, or has he really been transported to some unknown place? What exactly is this thing? Is he going to die here today?
No, I've barely escaped with my life; it's not time to give up now. A chill ran through me. Having already experienced death once, and cherishing life all the more, Yuezhi immediately dismissed negative thoughts and quickly comforted herself.
He forced himself to calm down and changed his mindset. He thought that since the monster had discovered him before he was fully conscious, and he was still alive, it meant that he might still have a chance to survive.
One possibility is that he's not on the monster's menu; another possibility is that the monster doesn't eat dead things.
Yes, this is very common in nature! Feeling that her thoughts were close to the truth, Lezhi wasn't too flustered.
Regardless, staying still is the best course of action right now. Lezhi was overly nervous just now, and all she could hear was the pounding of her own heart.
Perhaps because her heart was beating too fast and her blood pressure was rising, Lezhi's stiff lower limbs finally responded to her brain's call. She felt that she could control her limbs, and Lezhi breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as you can move, at least you still have a chance to escape and won't suffer the tragedy of watching yourself being killed by a monster.
Lezhi comforted herself in her heart, but dared not make any movement with her body. Only when she really couldn't hold it in any longer would she take a light breath and then immediately hold her breath, for fear of disturbing the monster that was sniffing all over her body.
Lezhi's choice seemed to work. After probing for a while, the monster found that the person in front of it remained motionless, so it moved its terrifying head away without interest.
After hearing the rustling sound gradually recede into the distance, Lezhi rolled his eyes and secretly used his peripheral vision to check the monster's movements.
The monster chose a plant not far away and began to eat it, no longer paying attention to Lezhi.
Knowing that he was temporarily out of danger, Yuezhi's stiff body finally relaxed a little.
Taking advantage of this time, Lezhi quietly and slowly moved his hands and feet, preparing to escape.
As her limbs gradually warmed up, and she felt that the time was right, Lezhi gently supported herself on her elbows and slowly raised her upper body, moving her body in small movements with both her hands and feet.
While moving, he also made sure to turn his head from time to time to keep an eye on the monster's movements and observe the surrounding environment.
Fortunately, the monster seemed to be focused on eating and did not notice Lezhi's actions.
Looking around, Lezhi made a mental judgment. The plants here were all unfamiliar. Unidentified plant branches were scattered all around, with leaves growing at short intervals on the branches. They didn't look like any trees Lezhi had ever seen before.
Each plant branch was incredibly thick, winding upwards. When Lezhi tried to look up, he couldn't see the top at all. Each branch required at least five or six of him to encircle it with outstretched arms.
This was a good thing. Yuezhi felt a little more at ease and had more confidence in his escape. The most important thing in escaping was to get out of the enemy's sight. Since he wasn't sure he could win in terms of speed, running around the pillar was the best option.
Choosing the branch of the plant closest to him, Lezhi turned his head one last time to check the monster's movements. Confirming that it wasn't paying attention to him, Lezhi took a deep breath and suddenly sprang into action with the fastest and lightest movement he could control. He then quickly moved his body behind the plant, concealing his figure.
Such a large movement, even though Lezhi made very little noise, still couldn't avoid disturbing the monster that was feeding. Lezhi, who was hiding behind the plant branches, held his breath and squatted down to minimize his presence.
HCB