Hugo saw his owner again, his eyes once more vacant, mechanically walking forward under the control of the music.
Hugo was instantly anxious.
He didn’t dare bite his owner again.
Last time, he made his owner lose consciousness for so long, she almost didn’t wake up.
But what could he do to wake her up?
“Woof woof woof, woof woof woof!” Hugo frantically circled around Molly Yun, but at this moment, Molly couldn’t hear anything at all.
Trapped in emptiness, Molly Yun suddenly heard another voice: “You’re here, you’ve finally come. You were never meant to belong to this world, but you came anyway. One is parted alive, one is parted by death. Will you still persist?”
Molly Yun instinctively asked, “Who are you?”
“Someone who guides you back to the right path. You should go back! Go on, go on.”
The night was deep.
Cecilia Gu, wide awake, sat by the campfire in her jacket, constantly poking at the flames to make sure they wouldn’t go out.
Out here in the wild, a fire kept at night could scare off a lot of unwanted trouble.
That’s why their campfire burned all night long.
Charles Yin draped a coat over Cecilia’s shoulders. "Why aren’t you sleeping yet? Can’t fall asleep?"
"Yeah." Cecilia leaned into Charles’s arms and whispered, "Charles, you know, ever since my sister came back in Molly Yun’s body, I’ve had this uneasy feeling. I keep thinking she’ll leave again. Like she’s just here for a visit, and once she’s seen us, she’ll go back."
"Don’t overthink it." Charles hugged Cecilia tighter and kissed her gently on the forehead. "We came to this world, so we’re not giving up that easily. You and I have been through so much, right? And no one could ever separate us. Same goes for Yun Ruo. No one can come between you two, or between her and your cousin. We’re family. A family that never splits up."
Cecilia finally smiled softly. "Yeah, looking back, it all feels like a dream."
After saying that, Cecilia told Charles, "I’m fine now. Once I finish tending the fire, I’ll get some rest."
"Alright." Charles patted Cecilia’s shoulder and got up, heading back to his own tent.
Because they needed to move quickly, everyone’s tents were small and easy to pack up.
So Cecilia didn’t stay outside for long; after tending the fire, she returned to her tent to rest.
The night passed peacefully.
That night, Cecilia didn’t hear the music, nor did she have nightmares.
It was as if the music had never existed.
As if everything had just been her imagination.
When she woke up, Cecilia felt unusually refreshed and full of energy.
Seeing Cecilia back to her normal self, everyone finally felt at ease.
As usual, everyone had breakfast and continued on their way, searching as they went.
As they walked, Jiro Hirayama suddenly stopped in his tracks and shouted, “Wait a minute!”
Everyone stopped and turned to look at Jiro Hirayama.
"I think I smell burning polyester," Jiro Hirayama said with a frown. "There’s only one way polyester could show up here!"
Molly Yun!
That’s right!
The locals here wouldn’t be wearing clothes with polyester!
So there’s only one possibility—Molly Yun must have been nearby!
Charles Yin immediately waved his hand: “Spread out and search!”
Everyone shifted formation, spreading out like a fan to search every inch of ground.
About half an hour into the search, someone called out from afar: “Come look, there’s a mark here—and signs of burning!”
Charles quickly led the group over, crouched down, and saw for himself: there were indeed burn marks and a cross-shaped sign made of stones.
An arrow was placed on the sign, pointing the way.
Jiro Hirayama grabbed a handful of soil and sniffed it gently. “It’s definitely polyester. This campfire was probably here two days ago, so Molly Yun must have been here, lit the fire, and cooked food. To make the fire bigger, she used a piece of clothing as fuel.”
Jiro looked around and continued, “This jungle has formed a small ecosystem, which is why the smell of burning lingers. Outside, it would have dissipated quickly. Plus, this little ecosystem provides enough food and fresh water. With Molly Yun’s experience, she wouldn’t go far in uncertain circumstances—she’d stay nearby waiting for rescue. So, she should be close.”
Everyone’s spirits lifted at Jiro’s deduction!
Charles Yin could hardly wait to share the good news.
But after some thought, he held back.
Better to wait until they found her.
Cecilia’s anxious expression was impossible to hide.
Rona Muir adjusted her backpack and said boldly, “Since we found Molly Yun’s mark, let’s follow it! If she’s really circling nearby, we’ll run into her sooner or later!”
“Exactly.” Charles straightened up and ordered, “Move out at full speed! Stay alert! Keep the antidote I gave you close at hand. The deeper we go, the more dangerous it gets—don’t be reckless, stay safe!”
“Yes!” Everyone perked up.
As long as they found her, they could all get out safely!
Now that they’d found a mark, the next one wouldn’t be hard to spot.
Soon, they found the second and third mark left by Molly Yun.
But as they walked, the marks disappeared.
Ben crouched down, studying the ground for a long time before calling out, “Boss, look, there are footprints here! They’re faint, but you can tell the prints are all jumbled.”
Charles hurried over, crouched down, and examined the prints. “These are women’s jungle boots. They must be Molly Yun’s. The steps are chaotic—she was clearly panicking and ran off. Check for more clues nearby.”
“Yes.” Ben turned to search for more clues, and soon saw Cecilia staring at a spot under a tree.
Ben couldn’t help but ask, “Madam, what did you find?”
Cecilia pointed at a fresh snake molt. “Is this a green anaconda’s shed skin? I’ve never seen one so thick!”
Cecilia’s knowledge couldn’t match Rona Muir’s, but Rona’s influence over the years was still significant.
So Cecilia stared at the snake skin for a long time before finally remembering what it was.
Rona Muir came over, looked at the snake skin, and said, “This is the primal jungle—species here are different from outside. It’s no surprise some exceed recorded sizes. Wait, a snake skin? Did Molly Yun encounter a giant green anaconda here and run for her life?”
At those words, everyone’s eyes lit up!
It was possible!
But Cecilia looked troubled.
She knew the green anaconda’s habits well.
She wondered how her sister had managed to escape from such a creature.
God help her!
“Follow the trail,” Charles ordered. “Everyone be careful—the green anaconda could still be around!”
As soon as Charles finished speaking, a rustling sound came from the grass behind them.
Everyone turned, alert, and saw the same green anaconda Molly Yun had encountered, raising its head at them coldly.
“Holy crap!” Rona Muir yelped, leaping behind Cecilia and immediately drawing her gun on the snake.
Someone else reacted first, firing several shots at the green anaconda.
But the snake’s scales were so tough, the bullets didn’t leave a mark!
Everyone gasped at the sight!
How could it be so tough?
This was beyond belief!
Jiro Hirayama spoke coldly, “Don’t shoot its scales—they’re impenetrable. Aim for its eyes!”
With that, Jiro Hirayama opened his case, picked out several tiny poison darts, mixed them in a vial, and handed it to Rona Muir. “Take this!”
“Wh-what is this?” Rona Muir asked, clutching the vial her husband handed her, legs trembling.
It wasn’t anyone’s fault—Rona Muir had just been watching a lot of sci-fi movies lately.
Many monsters in those movies were modeled after green anacondas.
So when Rona Muir saw the giant green anaconda, she instinctively thought of the man-eating beasts from those films.
“It’s for survival,” Jiro Hirayama replied calmly. “If it tries to eat you, throw the vial into its mouth!”
“But wouldn’t I get eaten?” Rona Muir asked, confused.
“Well, at least you’ll get revenge before you die.” Jiro Hirayama answered, deadpan.
Rona Muir, who’d been terrified, suddenly stopped trembling.
She really wanted to hit him!
Why did she have such a ridiculous husband?
How could he tell her to get revenge if she was eaten, especially at a time like this?
Shouldn’t they be thinking of ways to escape?
Why was his logic always so bizarre?
Cecilia, watching Jiro Hirayama’s actions, suddenly had an idea. “If bullets don’t work, what about venom? Could we spray it?”
Ben immediately turned to Jiro Hirayama, wanting to know how feasible that plan was.
After all, the green anaconda wouldn’t just sit there and let them attack.
What if they missed?
Jiro Hirayama seriously considered the plan and nodded. “Distract it, then pour the venom into its eyes!”