The Great Worm Lich

Since it was boarding time, everyone stopped chatting with Zhang Lisheng and began saying goodbye to each other in the last moment. Meanwhile, Zhang Lisheng asked the attendant at the terminal, “May I know the model of the plane we are taking?”

“It’s Boeing 747-400 sir,” The beautiful female attendant replied while smiling. Zhang Lisheng nodded and took out his phone from his pocket. He began to look for Boeing 747-400 pictures on the internet and soon found results that he was satisfied with. Since then, Zhang Lisheng had been staring at his phone screen as his mouth moved softly without saying anything until he boarded the plane. As soon as they boarded the first class cabin, he ran to a window seat with the best view so fast that people had their jaw dropped. He widened his eyes as he watched the plane runway outside the window.

American flight attendants did not live by the value whereby joy came from helping others. Unless they encountered guests who were handicapped or old, they would not even move a finger apart from doing what they were required to do. Fortunately, Zhang Lisheng paid two to three times more than economy for a first class seat, it was only natural that he would receive better service. A few plump attendants in the cabin who seemed like aunties picked up his hand-carry luggage while smiling. They even smiled and bowed when they walked away.

The flight attendants’ comprehensive service reflected Zhang Lisheng’s rudeness even more. The people who traveled with him were flushing. However, since Zhang Lisheng was a friend who Tina invited to help them during the trip, it was impolite for them to say anything. Tina, on the other hand, hesitated for a moment seeing Zhang Lisheng’s odd behavior. She did not interrupt him from the beginning until the end.

Not long later, the plane engine started and the plane began gliding slowly. The flight attendants politely reminded the guests to fasten their seatbelt and turn off their mobile phones. At the moment when the plane was accelerating and almost flying, an invisible force in the luggage storage below the plane cabin knocked the luggages all over the place suddenly.

The loud commotion in the luggage storage was masked by the Boeing plane’s loud engine, it did not get anyone’s attention. Later on, a giant lizard with its body curled appeared itself in the luggage storage. A gleam shone through the scales on its body, it disappeared slowly from its head to its tail. At the same time, Zhang Lisheng who stayed in the first class cabin was relieved all of a sudden. He seemed much relax now.

The plane began flying stably when it was high in the air. Just when the attendant announced that the guests could move freely, Zhang Lisheng raised his hand immediately and asked for a glass of orange juice. Noticing that he seemed to be normal again, Tina who sat on the seat beside asked softly, “You looked off just now, what happened Lisheng?”

“Nothing, it’s just that I brought ‘protection’ onto the plane secretly so that our journey to Amazon would be safer.”

“What?”

At that moment, the plump and kind attendant came with a glass of juice. Zhang Lisheng said, “Thanks,” He smiled at Tina in a mysterious way after taking the glass of juice. He said nothing more and turned his head to look out of the window.

Just like the first time he flew across the ocean, Zhang Lisheng did not sleep and watched the majestic sea of clouds the second time he was on a plane. He was up until the plane arrived at the warm airport in Tatetutu’s capital. Tatetutu was a small inland country at the border of Amazon rainforest. It occupied 60,000 square kilometers with 17 counties but the population was only two million people.

Its capital Tuikano was dubbed the tourism city with the highest greenery in the entire world. It was the truth, this city with less than 150,000 people had more than 80% of its surface covered in an endless, vast rainforest. The streets were filled with lush green without any trees planted manually. Four seasons did not apply in Tuikano. There was only one season there, which was the monsoon season, humid monsoon.

However, as they got off the plane and stepped onto Tuikano land, apart from the suffocating heat, Zhang Lisheng who had only been to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in China and JFK airport in New York was shocked to see that there was such a crude airport that existed in the world. The airport in Tatetutu’s capital was not exactly small but there was no fence around the place nor was there any sonic bird repellent. There were only a few earth walls that seemed less than one meter high surrounding the airport. Looking from the runway, they could see the greenery of Amazon’s rainforest directly. The terminal looked like a two-story earth building from far away. It was big but the wall was mottled with moss growing on them. It looked disgusting if one was to look for a long time.

As the guests got off the plane, there was only an old double-door minibus for the transfer. However, there were few rows of old, chipped paint cabs conveniently parked at the corner of the airport. They would take a big round to avoid the runway to offer their service when the guests waved. Zhang Lisheng could not help but asked noticing that Tina showed three fingers naturally to get three cabs as soon as they got off the plane. “Tina, have you been to this horrible place?”

“No, but small tropical countries’ airport’s are usually like this. Don’t be picky Lisheng, such a small country has less population than a district in New York. It’s understandable that it’s crude.”

The cab driver who was busy carrying their luggage spoke in fluent English, “Sir, miss, indeed, our Tatetutu’s a small, insignificant country compared to America but our beautiful, mysterious rainforest’s beyond comparison.”

He was a short, tanned man with a bulging forehead, he looked like he was born in the rainforest. He would look much better if he was to cover his naked body with leaves than the pair of dirty blue shorts and t-shirt that he was wearing now.

“You can speak English, that’s great,” Tina said in surprise, “Do you know where Paradise Hotel is? Could you bring us there?”

“Everyone in Tuikano knows where Paradise Hotel is, I could bring you guys there for $50.”

“Okay,” Tina agreed right away, she waved and shouted at Sheila and Trish who had gotten into their cabs. “Hey sisters, my driver knows where Paradise Hotel is and he’ll bring us there directly for $50.”

“Tina, our driver’s only asking for $30,” Walter who was sitting in the same cab as Trish extended his head from the window and shouted.

“I was just kidding about the $50, you’ll only have to pay me $30 miss,” Tina’s driver heard and carried their luggage into the boots quickly and urged as if nothing had happened. “Let’s get up the car.”

“Tina, it seems like you’re not as smart on the daily apart from the time you talk business,” Zhang Lisheng said and got into the cab. The back seats were wet and torn, the car clearly shook twice when the driver started the engine. ‘Tututu…’, there was black smoke coming out of the car as it drove towards the airport exit.

When they arrived at the exit, Zhang Lisheng was surprised to find out that Tatetutu allowed passengers passing the immigration while sitting in a cab. They didn’t need to have their bags checked, they only had to hand their passport from the car window shoving a few dollars inside. The officer would stamp and approve their arrival right away while the people could just leave the airport in the car to wherever they wanted to go.

Even Tina was surprised when they passed the immigration just like that, Zhang Lisheng mumbled, “Passing the immigration’s even easier than getting a burger at a burger store…”

“This is to save the honorable guests’ time such as you guys so that you could explore the mysterious Amazon rainforest as soon as possible. Though beautiful and amazing, the Amazon rainforest’s very dangerous. You guys would need a tour guide who’s familiar with the rainforest…”

“Indeed, we need a tour guide but most importantly, he has to be honest, Mr. $50.”

“Oh, you remember the one-time-joke that I said to you. In reality, I, Kakapu is an honest man…” The cab driver Kakapu said with a smirk on his face. Tuikano streets were considered much better than the airport. Although there were hardly any buildings that were above five-story-tall, the six-lane cement roads gave them a taste of a modern city. However, some odd and strange puppets, stone sculptures and wooden sculptures that were being sold in the stores by the streets as well as the ancient jungle hundreds of meters away from the roads on both sides spoiled the modern city feeling. Those were the reminders that the land they were stepping on was an irregular city mounted within a rainforest.

Kakapu did not stop talking while he was turning here and there on the confusing Tuikano roads. He was determined to change Tina’s mind so that she would hire him to be their tour guide. Just when he was in the midst of talking, he unintentionally saw Zhang Lisheng mumbling silently while watching outside the window from the rearview mirror. He could not help but watch Zhang Lisheng’s mouth carefully. ‘Tss’, Kakapu forgot to control the steering wheel, causing the cab to lose control a little on the road.

“Oh my god, what are you doing Mr. Driver?” Tina who hit her head from the accident that came out of nowhere shouted loudly in panic.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry miss I’m sorry…” Kakapu apologized continuously while sweat that was as big as a bean dripping from his forehead. He said nothing since then until he parked the car outside of Paradise Hotel.

Paradise Hotel was the only five-star hotel in Tatetutu’s capital Tuikano that was built following the international standards. It was built at the Amazon’s border, stating that the guests would be able to touch the leaves from the rainforest when they extended their hand from their room’s window. Staying in the hotel gave a feeling that they were wandering between civilization and the wild ancient jungle.

Trish booked rooms at the Paradise Hotel before they departed. A suite for the three ladies to stay together and another three single rooms for Walter, Shittu and Zhang Lisheng. Judging by the arrangement, one could tell that Trish was a meticulous person.

“Everyone must be exhausted from the long plane ride. We will settle in our room and take a rest. Let’s have dinner at the hotel’s restaurant and we will discuss what to do next. Is that okay?”

“Sure, I’ve no comment about that.”

“It’s a must that we shower and change. Although I’ve put on a summer dress on the plane, the cab ride was too humid.”

Since nobody objected, everyone returned to their rooms respectively with their luggage and rested.