This forest is nothing like the one across the sea. To put it simply, that other forest is like the deep mountains of China—temperate broadleaf woods, mostly towering trees with barely any shrubs.
But this place is different. The moment you step in, you feel stifled—not just from the heat, but the humidity is way higher. Especially since the underbrush here is wild, filled with weird plants taller than a person, and vines crisscross everywhere, making it impossible to see far.
It honestly feels like a tropical rainforest.
In this dense, directionless jungle, a rustling sound moved closer and closer. As the noise approached, the plants shook violently, like someone was shoving them aside non-stop.
With a whoosh, a figure burst out of the bushes. It was a human, wrapped in animal skins, hair wild and flying—who else could it be but Max Easton?
See, good people never live long, but goofballs are eternal. Folks with a fearless sense of humor usually don’t meet an early end.
But right now, Max Easton looked panicked, stumbling forward without a clue, gasping for breath and muttering, "Did I lose it? I think I lost it, right? Otherwise, I’m toast!"
Years of living wild had given Max a ripped physique, nimble as he ran, but you could still see the panic in his steps.
He stopped for a second, nervously glancing around, then tilted his head to listen. Seemed quiet enough.
"Phew, looks like I lost it. Wonder where that chick went—she couldn’t be dead, right?" Max thought of Jill Young and shook his head. "No way, no way. If I made it out alive, there’s no way that lady tyrant is dead. Shame though—she’s got the looks and the body, but her personality is just bonkers. What a waste! Still, I’d better look for her. If I find her knocked out somewhere, maybe I can sneak a feel—wahahaha!"
You know, people really shouldn’t gossip or fantasize recklessly behind someone’s back. You think no one’s listening, so you let loose, but karma’s got great hearing. Sure enough, just as Max was lost in his own juicy thoughts, something tripped him up, and—bam!—he faceplanted right into the dirt.
"What the heck?" Max was still reeling, totally disoriented, when suddenly his arms and legs tightened up, like something had wrapped around him. Whatever it was, it was slippery and cold, but strong—really strong. Max panicked, "Is it a snake? No way!"
Max whipped his head around, only to find that what was wrapped around his arms and legs wasn’t a snake at all—it was thick, green vines.
The giant mouth snapped shut with a wet chomp, making Max’s skin crawl. He nearly jumped out of his own boots.
But that giant Venus flytrap didn't seem interested in Max either. Well, plants are plants—they don’t have a digestive tract. Even if they can catch prey, all they can do is trap it in their "mouth" and secrete digestive juices to break it down.
"Oh right, haha! You can't do anything to me, your mouth's way too small!" Max seized the moment to taunt the plant. "Hey buddy, since you can't eat me, how about you just let me go?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the vines started moving again. But instead of loosening their grip, they dragged him forward. The further they went, the colder Max's heart grew—he started noticing more and more carnivorous plants like the last one, and they were getting bigger by the minute.
The vines even swapped him around like a relay baton, passing him from one to another. Max struggled with all his might, but all he managed to do was tire himself out.
"Don't tell me these guys have some kind of resource allocation system..." Max was praying to every deity he could think of when suddenly the forest opened up and he was dragged into a clearing. No carnivorous plants here, but Max's heart instantly sank.
Right in the middle of the clearing stood a super, super, SUPER giant flower!
The flower’s petals bloomed in layers of deep, bloody red, each one lined with structures that looked suspiciously like teeth. The unopened part was curled up like a huge bud—just the bud alone had to be at least three meters tall. Sensing Max’s approach, the vines around the Scarlet Devourer reached out, grabbed him, and hoisted him straight up above the monstrous blossom.
That thing's "mouth" could definitely swallow Max whole!
Looking down at the slowly opening Scarlet Devourer, its petals parting like a monstrous, gaping maw, Max burst into tears and screamed at the top of his lungs, "Mom, save me! I don't wanna die! I'm a college professor, a PhD, a man of culture, I'm only thirty-six, I've still got my whole life ahead of me! I swear, if I make it out alive, I'll never cheat, never mess around again—oh God, somebody help me!!"
Maybe his desperate prayers actually reached the heavens, because hanging up there, Max suddenly saw a commotion in the distant jungle. Carnivorous plants lunged at something like attacking snakes, only to bounce back uselessly. Vines joined the fray, but none of them had any luck.
The chaos raced closer, and in a blink, a nimble figure flipped out of the jungle and landed in the clearing. With a swift backhand slash, she cut through two vines. She tossed her platinum hair—so dazzling it looked to Max like salvation light shining down from heaven.
"Your Majesty! I'm over here! Save me, please!" Yes, it was Jill Young.
But Jill didn't seem moved at all. She just shot Max a deadpan look, casually dodging and countering the vines' attacks as she strolled along. "I was actually planning to look for you, but then I figured, with your luck, you'd head straight for trouble—looks like I was right! Seriously, how unlucky can you get? Honestly, I should just leave you here to fend for yourself. I'd probably be safer that way."
Max screamed, "Your Majesty, you can't abandon me! I've worked like a horse for you—maybe not much credit, but at least I've suffered! If not suffering, then at least exhaustion, Your Majesty! Ah—the flower's opening, I think the vines are about to let go, it's almost too late!"
Just as he said that, the vines really did loosen their grip. Max flailed and screeched as he plummeted straight into the heart of the flower. Gulp—something swallowed him whole, and he vanished without a trace.
The world went silent.
A moment later, Max's voice echoed from inside the flower bud: "H-E-L-P!" (Author's note: Based on the latest predictions, Fat Wolf, you might be getting written off soon. Also, still no contract—feeling a bit down, send some support my way!)