The Great Worm Lich

On the backseat, Trish who had wine-red short hair and looked macho with an unusual beauty said, “Why don’t you go after him, Tina? The alley seems broad enough for cars to go in. You’ve spent hours waiting just to prove to us that your Chinese hunter exists. Why did you give up last minute? This doesn’t seem like what you wanted to do.”

“Knock it off, Trish. Although Mr. Worm didn’t admit directly just now, what he said basically proved that he was the Chinese hunter who saved me in the dense jungle. Moreover, he didn’t claim credit because of that, he’s a real gentleman.”

“Ah-huh, a gentleman who is 160cm tall and weighs 110 pounds,” Sheila who was also sitting in the backseat said while laughing.

“Sheila, a person’s behavior makes a gentleman. It has nothing to do with his height and weight,” Tina said with a serious face.

“Okay Tina, I apologize for making fun of your Mr. Worm. But I’ve got a chill whenever I said that name out loud. He just doesn’t look like a good person…” Sheila said jokingly. However, noticing that Tina seemed to be mad now, she corrected herself, “Okay, I understand. A person’s name doesn’t make him a good or bad person. Furthermore, the name sounds like a nickname. You know what, Trish, you look like a replica of a holy angel now. Don’t tell me you fell in love with the person who saved you?”

“What the hell, of course not. I just wanted to repay his kindness. Also, don’t you think he’s very mysterious? In reality, I’ve been browsing about Western Sichuan on the internet after I came back from China, but I couldn’t find any information about minority hunters who use centipede as their gundog or to hunt. Also, I witnessed with my own eyes that the incantation that he chanted really drove the snakes and lizards away in the mountain. That should be a supernatural power. Think about it, having a close friend who has supernatural power is something — something so — so cool. Moreover, that man behaves like a gentleman. He’s kind inside but looks cold outside, he loves helping people…”

“Wait, Tina, did you say supernatural power?”

“Yes, Sheila.”

“Why didn’t I think of that earlier? If he became your friend, he would naturally become my friend too. Having a close friend with supernatural power is like the old Russian empress, Catherine the Great, having astrologer Peter, with her and Maria I of Portugal, having an alchemist with her. It’s such a great idea.”

Hearing what Sheila said, Trish drew a cross before her busty breasts and said, “Oh the almighty god, please forgive my friend’s wishful thinking. She doesn’t mean to offend you, the one true god. She has lost her mind a little, for imagining herself being the New York Queen all the time.”

“Whatever, Trish. No matter how you’re making fun of me, my life goal will forever be becoming the real queen of the New York upper class’s social circle. I’ll do anything to make that happen.”

While the three New York rich girlfriends fought in the warm and comfortable luxurious RV, Zhang Lisheng who was almost frozen found it hard to go forward in the windy alley on his bike. There was nobody in the dimmed alley, even the homeless who usually hang out there thought it was too windy, and left to the dump area in other streets at the time being.

The city’s neon lights seemed near from the alley entrance but in reality, it was endless. Cycling through the alley, Zhang Lisheng could see the mottled and filthy walls on both sides faintly. New York City’s streets were designed in square checkerboard shape, one would not be lost his way easily as long as he possessed a sense of direction. Zhang Lisheng who thought he had gotten rid of Tina was moving towards one direction. He wanted to get out of the alley to the main street so that he could get home as soon as he could. Never had he thought that he heard a faint, soft call of distress in a ramp all of the sudden when he was focusing on cycling.

“Help, help…” If it was an ordinary high school student who heard that, even if he was brave or possessed high morality, the first response he would have, would definitely be fear to be hearing such a call in such an environment. The person would definitely flee the place, but Zhang Lisheng had a different response after the shock.

He stopped cycling and chanted witchcraft incantation softly, driving Mountoad to hop out of his backpack on his back lightly. With his wizard worm, he walked slowly and carefully towards the source of the voice. In the quiet night, though Zhang Lisheng’s footsteps were light, they could be heard loud and clear in between the whistling wind.

“Is someone there? Oh my god, is someone — is someone there? Please speak if you’re there, I’m begging you…” The person who was calling seemed to hear Zhang Lisheng’s footsteps while he raised his voice all of a sudden. To his surprise, Zhang Lisheng thought the voice was rather familiar when it was raised.

However, another relaxing voice came in the dark all of the sudden before he could analyze whose voice was that, “Young witch doctor, this is my territory. Please respect our secret meeting and bring your toy away with you.”

A strong wind happened to come when the voice came. However, Zhang Lisheng could only hear the wind, but he felt no chill at all. He even felt the air turned warm and damp all of a sudden. It gave a strange summer breeze in the cold winter night. In such a mysterious situation, an odd occurrence would mean danger. Zhang Lisheng stopped walking immediately and said carefully, “Secret meeting? I’m sorry, it’s been less than half a year since I arrived in America. I’ve no idea what a secret meeting is.”

“So it’s a foreign Dark Walker, I shall explain it to you…”

“Zhang Lisheng, I could tell from your voice that you’re Zhang Lisheng. Damn it, you’re chatting with him. He’s a lunatic, he’s crazy. Quick, call the police. There’s a murderer here…” The caller recognized Zhang Lisheng’s voice suddenly and shrieked with all his might. Zhang Lisheng realized it was Michelle’s boyfriend Herrick from the shriek. He was a boastful skating expert who was obedient and happy before Lili and Lavin but in private, he was unfriendly to Zhang Lisheng the Asian young man.

Zhang Lisheng might help if the situation allowed him to. However, it might not worth the loss since he was fighting an unfathomable opponent, “Seems like your prey’s someone that I know. Fortunately, he doesn’t like me before tonight, while I’ve never liked him all this time. Nevermind, I don’t care what’s a secret meeting is. I guess we shouldn’t get into anyone else’s business. All of the best to you, Mr. Mysterious.”

“That’s a wise choice, young Dark Walker. A hunter’s determination is not to be interfered with,” the mysterious voice was stunned for a moment, before speaking while smiling.

“No — no, damn it. Michelle’s here too but she’s unconscious. She’s here too, could you bear to watch your sister — sister dies in a lunat — lunatic…” Herrick shrieked with all he had while panting in the dark.

Zhang Lisheng had no response to what Herrick said. Instead, he lowered his body and rolled on the filthy alley ground while chanting witchcraft incantation right away. Due to the witchcraft incantation, Mountoad that was beside him opened its mouth big while sucking in air. Its body was growing rapidly and soon it grew to the size of a large SUV. It then lifted its body with its big, strong back legs while Zhang Lisheng has gotten below the wizard worm’s tummy agilely.

However, the attack that he expected did not come. It seemed like Zhang Lisheng was in a solo act.

“You rushed into it, young man. You rushed into it,” The relaxing voice in the dark said while chuckling. Zhang Lisheng seemed like he heard nothing. He crawled on the cold, slippery ground under Mountoad’s protection. He crawled slowly. There was a turn at the end but there was no alley further in, but a dead end with a wall. There was a dimmed lightbulb hanging on the wall. With its weak light, one could see the obvious mottled words in red which written Dr. Fracture on the wall. There was a young couple with their limbs folded in an odd way under the red words, next to a dump with rats. They were Herrick and Michelle.

At that moment, Herrick was coughing softly and continuously. Blood dropped bit by bit from the side of his lips. They accumulated on his chest, dyeing his black jacket red. His eyes widened in fear when he saw Mountoad, he had completely lost his mind since he was already on edge.

“Ahh… Ahh…” He stared blankly after shouting. Meanwhile, Michelle seemed to be unconscious from the folding of her limbs, she did not seem to have major injuries. Hiding below Mountoad, Zhang Lisheng said coldly as he lifted his head and saw that, “Sir, I’m afraid I need to bring one of your preys with me.”

“Oh young…” The relaxing voice spoke while smiling which suddenly, Mountoad’s gigantic head turned in an absurd way. It opened its stinky big mouth and extended its humongous tongue from the source of the voice. Since the first attempt failed, the wizard worm’s humongous tongue pulled and moved like a whip in the dark. Suddenly, a red spark lit up in the dark. However, it did not last long. It was like a meteor that disappeared in a flash.

Subsequently, Mountoad rolled its tongue back and shook a little. It shrunk by heaps like a toy losing air. After the attack, the voice in the dark did not seem as relaxed and at ease as before. Instead, there was cautiousness in the voice, “Are you taking your gloves off at me, Dark Walker from far away?”