The Great Worm Lich

Lili was stunned for a moment. She softly sighed while looking at the skinny young man who was smiling but had eyes that radiated an unusually firm determination. She nodded while feeling helpless. Since she abandoned him when he needed her love the most, it was difficult for her to change his character that had already been formed.

The lunch’s atmosphere became gloomy. Zhang Lisheng hastily took a few bites and planned to proceed with his experiment upstairs. At that moment, his phone began ringing once more. It was George who called this time. The irritating black young man spoke as soon as Zhang Lisheng picked up the call, “Lisheng, are you home? You’re not doing anything at the moment, right? Come to Dan Souza Butcher Shop, I’ll bring you somewhere great, I want you to meet someone you won’t think of meeting.”

“Is your brother back from his vacation, George?” Zhang Lisheng asked in high spirits. Ever since he came back from the Amazon, his mind was occupied with the ‘bookmark’ and ‘book’ Tubalin mentioned which had an underlying meaning. He wanted to look for George’s brother who happened to be studying the ‘bookmark’. He did not expect the introverted young man who hardly left home to travel and disappear.

“I won’t tell you just yet buddy, just come and find me. I’ll be waiting for you, come now!” George said in an irritating tone and hung the phone up afterward. Zhang Lisheng then called out to him twice which ended up being futile. He put his phone in his pocket and pondered for a bit. Eventually, he left home with his backpack.

Enduring the chilly winds, he sprinted to the public car park near his home and drove to Dan Souza Butcher Shop with the help of navigation. The traffic was congested in New York City during the weekends. Zhang Lisheng spent more than an hour to finally park on a street close to the butcher shop. Someone knocked on his car window all of a sudden just when he was going to get off his car. “Buddy, open up, I’m freezing out there.”

It was George who was standing outside. Zhang Lisheng opened the car door and watched his good friend rush into the passenger’s seat. He could not help but asked “Did the cold spoil your head George? Why didn’t you wait in the shop since it’s so cold?”

“We won’t make it if I waited in the shop. Listen, buddy, you’re in great luck today. I’ll tell you the directions, let’s go to a delicious pizza restaurant. There are two beauties waiting for us there.”

“I figured your brother isn’t back in New York yet after hearing the mystery you were trying to create in the end. I came to see you with my hopes up although I figured that the opposite would happen. George, can you stop playing this stupid and childish game? I know you’re just being kind but…”

“Stop your buts Lisheng, the girls are waiting for you. Let’s go now!” George screamed from the excitement and began rapping out of nowhere. “Yo yo, yo yo yo, the colorful streets over there…”

“Shut up George. Unless you have a great reason for asking me out, stop calling me in the future,” Zhang Lisheng shouted out of rage and started the car’s engine. Under George’s dramatic navigation, Zhang Lisheng drove on the New York streets for a long time and finally heard his good friend say, “We’re here. Pull over, it’s here.”

Zhang Lisheng then parked his car by the street. The wind was chilly as they got off the car, the past 2 p.m. sun which was the warmest seemed to not be working at all. Zhang Lisheng stomped his feet and heard George screaming out of nowhere, “Quick, it’s the Papa John’s across.” He then ran across the street and rushed into the fast food restaurant.

“Damn, even though I want to live like a normal person, spending time on such stupid things is just too much.” Zhang Lisheng frowned while looking at the American uncle with a mustache and a fat cow on the pizza restaurant sign. He sighed and walked across the road while mumbling to himself.

A gush of warmth came as he walked into the restaurant. The young man shivered as he looked around and saw George sitting by a window in the pizza restaurant. He was waving at him while showing his white teeth. Zhang Lisheng was stunned and felt puzzled, he walked to George and sat across him. He looked at the beautiful blonde girl sitting across him while saying nothing.

“How is it, buddy? I can tell from your eyes that you aren’t regretting this,” George said proudly. “I’m ordering, what do you guys want?”

“I had lunch at home. Ms. Maddie, I didn’t know that you kept in touch with George since prom. I never expected to see you again.”

“Hey Lisheng, you shouldn’t speak to girls so rudely. It’s Lina who has been keeping contact with Maddie, they’re good friends now. Lina learned a lot from Maddie…” George was stunned after hearing Zhang Lisheng’s tone that was off. He was speaking in all seriousness which was definitely a rare occasion.

“Don’t blame Mr. Lisheng, George. There are things that you don’t know, could you let me talk to him in private?”

“Oh sh*t, there are stories about the both of you that I don’t know of!” What Maddie said surprised George which made him go back to his funny character. “I’m sorry buddy, it’s clear that I underestimated your ‘ability’. I never expected that apart from going to Amazon without telling me, you and Maddie secretly… Okay stop pinching me, Lina, I’ll leave with you right away. Let’s get far away from them.”

He ran out of the pizza restaurant with his girlfriend as he spoke. Watching his good friend walk far away from the window, Zhang Lisheng said expressionlessly, “Ms. Maddie, I can’t think of any reasons why you’re still looking for me. Was the reward I gave you the other night not enough?”

A greedy person was most despised by everyone. The young man did not look that angry judging by the looks on his face but in reality, the girl sitting across him might not be able to see the sun rising tomorrow as soon as she gave the wrong answer.

“Of course not, I’ve heard of The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish since I was young. As an ordinary person, I…” Maddie said while her emotion was stirred. “I… I called you a few times but you didn’t pick up, I…”

“Stop beating around the bush, can you just tell me what you want from me directly?”

Maddie fell into silence for a moment and said feeling troubled, “I think you must’ve found out that I broke my promise the other night and cashed in the $2,000 cheque you gave me…”

“I didn’t find out about that. Could you just please tell me straight? My time’s precious,” Zhang Lisheng said calmly. His calm yet condescending tone would hurt a person’s pride even more than just being snobbish. The young lady could not fight back because she was guilty. She had to bear the insult and said, “Mr. Zhang Lisheng, my… my family’s in a rut right now. There’s nothing that I… I can do. I… I had to cash in the cheque that you gave…”

“I thought you tore the cheque when you were condemning me.”

“I… Ha, whatever you say. You can say whatever you want, I’m being looked down since I was young anyway. No matter how hardworking and motivated I am, in the end, I’m… I’m still different from other kids. Because of my parents, I’m born as a lower class…”

Zhang Lisheng fell into silence after seeing that Maddie was beating herself up. He said after a while, “It seems like you’re really in some trouble?”

“What? What are you trying to say? Are you making fun of me? Come at me, since I’m already planning to solicit at the Eastern District. Many ladies that I know are already doing that…” Maddie said while looking a little lost.

“I’ll leave right now if you proceed to behave like this. If you want me to help, tell me everything.”

The young lady was stunned and sighed after a while. Surprisingly, she gradually calmed down and told a tragedy that everyone had heard of. It was a story wherein her father fell ill and his life was on the line, he only had one chance of survival.

“Isn’t there medical insurance for all the citizens in America?”

“But there are hundreds of thousands of cancer patients dying in public hospitals each year. In private hospitals, as long as a person gets the surgery in time and treatment later on, the annual death rate is less than 30% even if it’s third-stage cancer. For cancers, the chance of survival grows as long as one survives the first year.”

“Really? I didn’t know that.” Zhang Lisheng thought about it and said, “But it makes sense since it’s free medical treatment, there must be some discounts there. So I guess you thought of me when you ran out of ideas.”

Maddie nodded speechlessly.

“Ms. Maddie, I’m not a savior since we only have an employer and employee relationship between each other and that makes things slightly complicated…”

“Mr. Lisheng, I… I was born in the New York blue-collar zone. I… I can do many things and… and I’m willing to do anything. I’m begging you, I only need $50,000. It’s the same amount as buying a car and you’ll have… have all of me as soon as you give me $50,000… I’ll do everything you ask me to do as long as you can… can save my dad. I beg you, I’m begging you!”

Zhang Lisheng was touched and said all of a sudden as he looked at the girl attentively, “You’ll do everything I ask? That’s a promise that shouldn’t be given on a whim, even more so when you’re sitting in front of a wizard.”

“I… I know but I… I’m willing to take an oath.”

“You don’t have to take an oath.” The young man thought to himself for a bit and took a cheque book out from his pocket. He then wrote a cheque and placed it on the table. “You can take this cheque if you’re really willing to do everything I ask. Remember, you’re my henchman as soon as you take it. You’ll have to do everything I order you to, make up your mind after you think about it for a good amount of time.”

Looking at the cheque on the table with a white background and a green pattern with the words ‘fifty thousand’ written on it, Maddie did not extend her hand no matter what although it was what she desired. She knew very well that this cheque that could save her father’s life was like a devil’s contract. Taking it would mean that she signed her name on the contract. The skinny young man who looked ordinary in front of her would have the ability to make her obey the contract forever by then.