Lǐ Nán ran ahead as if she couldn't hear me, disappearing from sight in a flash. Although I couldn't catch up to her, I wasn't worried about losing her at all, because my sense of smell is incredibly sharp, and I could detect that unique girlish milky scent on Lǐ Nán.
When I finally found the strange object that looked like a stone pillar, I was astonished to discover that Lǐ Nán's scent had vanished. In an instant, every hair on my body stood on end with nervousness.
I threw down all the dead branches I was holding and shouted with all my might, "Lǐ Nán, where are you? Answer me if you can hear me! Come out quickly, stop playing!"
Even though I screamed at the top of my lungs, there was no response. I was truly panicked now. My first instinct was to hurry down the mountain to find the teacher for help.
After taking two steps down the mountain, I stopped again. I slapped my thighs hard with my hands twice, forcing myself to calm down and think clearly.
I reasoned that even if I told the teacher immediately, he likely couldn't find Lǐ Nán right away. If I, with my "Dog Nose" sense of smell, couldn't find her, the teacher wouldn't have much of a better plan.
If the teacher organized everyone to search, the chances might be greater, but I dismissed that thought the next second. The teacher would absolutely not risk more students' safety when one person was already lost.
If the teacher called the police, this was on the outskirts of the city. The nearest Public Security Bureau was over 20 kilometers away. By the time the police arrived, the best rescue window might have already passed.
With that, I realized I could only rely on myself. While loudly calling Lǐ Nán's name, I carefully sniffed with my nose, confirming her scent disappeared near this strange stone pillar.
I figured Lǐ Nán had to be around here. At this point, I didn't care about my clothes; I got on the ground like a dog and sniffed diligently around the stone pillar. When I sniffed the other side of the pillar, I detected Lǐ Nán's scent again. It was faint, but I was sure it was her.
I continued to follow the scent, when suddenly a foul odor, alien to the surrounding environment, hit me. I almost stumbled from the stench while trying to sniff.
I struggled to stand up, holding back tears from the overwhelming smell. The closer I got to the back of the stone pillar, the worse the odor became. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, I pinched my nose and walked towards the back of the pillar. Behind it, there was a hole.
I crouched and entered the cave. It was very dark, but that didn't matter to me; I could see perfectly clearly. After walking about seven or eight meters, I suddenly realized there was a pit at the end of the cave.
I reached the edge of the pit and saw Lǐ Nán lying inside. I quickly jumped into the pit and gently patted Lǐ Nán's face. Under my ministrations, Lǐ Nán slowly opened her eyes.
As soon as she opened her eyes, Lǐ Nán's first reaction was to scream and push me away. I quickly identified myself, saying, "I'm Zhāng Yìxuán, I've come to find you."
Upon hearing it was me, Lǐ Nán burst into tears and hugged me tightly, sobbing uncontrollably in my arms. I stood frozen, tense, letting her release her emotions. After she calmed down a bit,
I asked her how she ended up here. In a slightly choked voice, she told me, "I came over to see this strange pillar, didn't I? I walked around to the back of the pillar, and then I saw a hole. Without thinking much, I walked in, but I didn't see the pit and fell in. After that, I don't remember anything."
Listening to Lǐ Nán, I thought to myself, this girl is really brave, daring to walk into such a dark hole without seeing.
I helped Lǐ Nán stand up and move around a bit. Fortunately, the pit wasn't very deep, and it was filled with soil. She only had some twists and scrapes, nothing serious.
I crouched down and had Lǐ Nán step on my shoulders. I used my legs to push her up, and once she was up, I used a running jump to get out myself. Once we were both out, I finally felt a little relieved and resumed surveying the cave.