The Great Worm Lich

Since it was a tourist hotel, Paradise Hotel’s single room was very spacious while the decorations inside were stylish. There was thick dry grass felt sticking on the walls to remove the dampness with exaggerated tree sculptures hanging on them. There were weaved bamboo mats spread on the floor. One would feel fresh and cooling when they stepped on it bare-footed, it was not prickly at all. The lamps on the ceiling were modeled after various jungle animals and looked very interesting. There was a twin water bed in the middle of the room with a bedside table on one side and a wardrobe on the other.

Zhang Lisheng called Lili to report his safe arrival after getting into the room. He then took a shower, put on a pair of shorts and t-shirt before walking to the narrow viewing balcony in the single room. Lush green filled his eyes at the moment as the layers of greenery touched the longing he buried deep in his heart. He had never thought the Amazon rainforest’s ecology — something very different from Western Sichuan’s ancient jungle — could look so similar to each other when he was looking at it up-close. Even the smell coming out of it was very similar.

He took a deep breath, inhaling the damp air with faint grass fragrance and greedily stared at the greenery for quite some time as his body leaned close to the balcony’s railing without him realizing. Then, he tried his best to extend his arm in an attempt to touch the green leaves.

“Sir, please don’t extend your arm from the railing. It’s very dangerous!” a voice speaking broken English came from downstairs all of a sudden, pulling Zhang Lisheng back to reality. He stood stunned on Paradise Hotel’s guest room balcony on the second floor momentarily. He looked down and saw a young native, wearing a black t-shirt and shorts while holding a long, sharp-tipped stick. The native showed off his bright teeth while looking at Zhang Lisheng courteously.

The place the young native was standing was clearly not an ancient jungle. It was the hotel backyard where entertainment amenities were readily available. There was a large swimming pool, a fake sandy beach, a traditional massage parlor surrounded by glass and even beauty and nail salons.

Dream destroyed, Zhang Lisheng stood at the balcony looking stunned for another moment. He said while forcing a smile, “Thanks for the reminder. I didn’t know that the jungle in the hotel is artificial. I was…”

“No, no sir, Paradise Hotel is built within the jungle. All the trees here are from the Amazon, which is connected to the jungle. There are walls and electric fences in between for safety reasons. The jungle that you’re looking at is part of the Amazon, there’s no doubt to that,” the young native explained immediately.

Zhang Lisheng’s eyes lit up as he pointed at the jungle. “So you’re saying this is a jungle.” He then pointed where the pool and salon were. “And this is the hotel backyard. The both of them joined? Like the slogan in the lobby that reads —’A mix of civilization and wilderness?'”

“Yes yes, a mix of civilization and wilderness. Great! Cool!” the young native gave a thumbs up and nodded continuously as he spoke.

“Thanks.” Hearing the answer he desired, Zhang Lisheng revealed an odd smile and returned to his room after thanking him while waving. It had been a while since he rested, he could not help but yawn when he saw the water bed in the room as he relaxed himself. However, he closed the curtains quickly instead of resting and jumped on the bed. He took out the Mountoad from his backpack, put it in front of him and began chanting his secret cultivation method diligently to replace his lack of sleep.

It was 6 p.m. when he opened his eyes again. Zhang Lisheng put away his Wizard Gu, carried his backpack, put on his slippers, and walked out of the room toward the restaurant following the hotel’s directory. The hotel attendants gave way to him humbly along the way. There was no such great service back in New York.

The restaurant in Paradise Hotel was huge, it could take in up to 1,000 people. It was basically divided into three categories — one was a high-class western restaurant, one was Tatetutu’s local tropical-styled restaurant, while the one in the middle was a Chinese-styled restaurant with dragons and phoenix elements. There were already plenty of tourists dining when Zhang Lisheng walked in. He looked around and walked to the counter noticing that Tina and the rest were not there. “Hi, my name is Zhang Lisheng. May I know if there are any messages for me?”

A foreign-looking young girl wearing a grass skirt looked at the computer behind the counter. She showed eight bright teeth and smiled respectfully as she replied in accurate British English, “There is, Mr. Zhang. It’s a message from Ms. Tina. She has asked you to look for her in the Lunaruru private room.”

“Sure, where’s the Lunaruru private room?”

“Oh, our beautiful attendant will bring you there.”

As soon as the counter lady was done speaking, a native lady wearing a double-layer grass skirt with high cheekbones and bright red lipstick walked out from the first two rows of attendants. She swayed as she walked to Zhang Lisheng. “Please follow me, sir.” She brought the young man to the tropical zone in the restaurant before leading him toward the straw room at the far end. Soon, Zhang Lisheng opened the straw room’s door and walked into the Lunaruru private room.

He was stunned as soon as he walked in. Apart from Tina, Sheila, Trish, and the two other guys Walter and Shittu, there were three uninvited guests. At the moment, one of the uninvited guests who was above 190cm and seemed to be in his 20s and looked like his chest was going to burst from his tight army top was shouting like he was the master of the room. “Trish, don’t bargain with me! You can accompany mom at Swiss Hospital or stay with granny in California but you can’t stay in Tatetutu no matter what!”

“I’m not going anywhere, I must stay in Tatetutu! Since you’re here looking for Henry, I can do the same too,” Trish replied firmly.

The muscular man shouted as veins bulged on his head, “Then I’ll tell dad that you’re in Tatetutu, and I’ll get him to cancel all your credit cards!”

“Hatton, I’m very happy that I helped in breaking the deadlock between you and dad, helping you guys reconnect. I still have Tina and Sheila even if I don’t have my credit cards anymore…”

“Then I’ll tell their parents what you girls are doing here. F*ck, this isn’t a game Trish! I’m dead worried that I have a brother who is lost in this damn jungle. I don’t want my only sister to be devoured by the jungle too. F*ck, f*ck…”

The muscular man Hatton hit the dining table with his fist, breaking a part of the wooden table. His friend who was tanned, short, and skinny with extraordinarily bright eyes said grimly, “Trish, your brother is right. This isn’t a game. Even we who are working in the Mountain Division can’t adapt that well when we go deeper into the Amazon rainforest. The jungle at the border of a city like Tuikano can give you an illusion that Amazon is nothing to be afraid of but when you find out its true colors, it may just well be too late.”

Zhang Lisheng could tell that the uninvited guests in the private room were Trish’s brother and his friends. He secretly moved his hand that he put on his backpack away and opened the door softly. He was planning to sneak out of the room. It would be perfect if Trish’s brother could chase Tina and the rest back to New York. Zhang Lisheng did not want his appearance to destroy the possibility.

However, him opening the door alerted Hatton. He noticed that small, skinny Asian man at the corner of his eyes since the very beginning. He turned around all of a sudden and asked Zhang Lisheng who was trying to leave, “Who are you?”

“He’s Mr. Zhang Lisheng, the jungle survival expert that we invited. Although he’s young, he grew up in a mountain village in China’s ancient jungle. He’s already a qualified hunter sinve a long time ago…” Trish, who had just noticed Zhang Lisheng standing at the door acted as if she saw her savior and said loudly without caring about the accuracy of the words she uttered.

“Shh,” The muscular man gestured Trish to keep quiet before looking directly at Zhang Lisheng. “Another jungle survival expert. Kid, since you’re here, you must be very confident in your ability. So you think these high schoolers from Manhattan that you brought with you will survive in the Amazon rainforest just because of you?”

“No sir, the reason I’m here is warmer than you thought. In reality, I just want to be with Tina while she accompanies Trish to wait for Henry’s news somewhere closer. She hopes that my company when she’s with Trish, I could return her a favor that I owed. So I’ll have to follow her orders,” Zhang Lisheng replied calmly.

The muscular man was stunned for a moment before understanding Zhang Lisheng’s tongue-twister of a reason, “This reason kind of makes sense but kid, the Amazon rainforest isn’t a place for you to show off your heroism and try to impress girls.”

“I’m not trying to impress anyone…” Zhang Lisheng forced a smile and said before turning his head to look at Trishm “But your brother is right, the Amazon rainforest isn’t a place for you to show your heroism.”

“Which… Which side are you on, Zhang Lisheng?!” Tina was enraged and shouted once she heard Zhang Lisheng’s reply.

“I’m standing on the side of truth. Listen, Tina, if you’re alone, I’m willing to take you around the Amazon rainforest as long as you have the guts. But there are five people now, I can only protect you if we’re really going into the jungle. In other words, you might have to watch your friends die, one after another. Do you really want that to happen?” Zhang Lisheng said out loud.

Tina was stunned. She was speechless as trouble began to plaster her face. Sheila’s boyfriend Shittu could not help but say as he pointed fingers, “Hey you rude brat, I’ve been tolerating you for a long time…”

“Shut up,” Hatton shouted at Shittu in an overbearing way all of a sudden. He was so shocked that he shuddered, his face turning so pale he could no longer speak. A remarkable US Army Mountain Division captain’s compelling yet majestic imposing manner was not something that a playboy could handle.

Once Shittu shut up, Hatton walked to Zhang Lisheng pridefully. He looked at the young man closely but in a condescending way as if he was a mountain, “Although you had days of stability, I can tell that you’ve been through a lot from your face. Thick finger joints, a skinny body, and a horrible color on your face. However, your breathing seems healthy. Your body’s characteristics are very similar to the Tuikano natives. Also… the confidence that you can’t hide seems to validate the arrogance you were showing earlier.”

“You’ve just met me, and my objection makes you think I’m trustable? Don’t you think that your judgment is too reckless?”

“I can see through people just like my dad. Naturally, I’m not as accurate as he is, but it gets me by. Hatton T Steg, Captain Commander of the US Army Mountain Division – Armadillo Chapter. I respect the real professionals,” Hatton extended his hand and said, “I have a perfect plan, and if you’re willing, you can represent Trish and the rest in the search with us. Of course, it’s limited to…”

“I’m sorry, I have zero interest in that, Mr. Hatton,” Zhang Lisheng smiled and ran out of the private room after opening the door.