The Great Worm Lich

The decorations in the Douglin family’s mansion was dominated by wooden frames and murals. The elegance revealed a touch of historical precipitation and understated luxury.

When Zhang Lisheng walked inside this mansion, he did not care about the exquisite antiques placed everywhere but kept thinking about Dolby’s sudden desire to see him instead.

“Mr. Zhang, Mr. Dolby is in the study room. Please enter.” The young man continued to proceed by following behind the butler one step at a time and had reached the end of the corridor unknowingly. The old butler pushed a wooden door open that was wrapped in brownish red leather as he urged Zhang Lisheng to enter the room.

It was apparent he was letting Zhang Lisheng enter all by himself. The young man froze for a moment and said “Thank you” before entering the room at the end of the corridor.

The room had no windows, but with its ceiling lights on, it appeared to be bright and spacious. The floor was covered with thick red cashmere carpets while three of its walls were blocked by solid wood bookshelves, mostly filled with hardbound books, surrounding a pure black desk in the middle of the room.

“Mr. Dolby, good morning.” Zhang Lisheng, who was rarely nervous even in the face of death, suddenly felt his heartbeat accelerate as his smile became stiff as he greeted when he saw Mr. Dolby sitting on a wooden chair behind the desk, looking up at him with a piercing gleam.

“Good morning, Mr. Lisheng, please sit down.” Dolby pointed to the wooden chair opposite of him. His first sentence made Zhang Lisheng’s expression change from nervous to dumbstruck. “Tina is coming out soon, so I’ll make it short. You must leave the country for a while and go to a remote place that won’t attract anyone’s attention. The farther away, the better. Stay there for three, four months up to six months. You’ll leave within ten days.”

“What are you talking about, Mr. Dolby?”

“You have some secrets, young man. Although I don’t know what the secrets are, I can guess it’s exactly because of those secrets that you managed to save my daughter and her two closest friends several times. In fact, if it was not for the fact that you might have left some traces behind while saving Tina, and how she’s head over heels over you, not mentioning you’re a very brilliant man and have an unusually bright future, I wouldn’t have told you all of this anymore. Your secret has caught the attention of some special departments in the country. Right now, the smartest thing you can do is to leave the country and stay in seclusion for a while. ”

Upon hearing Dolby’s warning, Zhang Lisheng grew silent for a while before asking with a little strangled voice, “Mr. Dolby, can I shake off the doubts of these special departments if I stay away for three to five months?”

“It’s very amazing you can still maintain composed right now. Don’t worry, it’s election year soon so no matter what, that tough negro who has already finished his two terms of the presidency must get his ass out of the White House. By that time, the good card in your hand can also exert its greatest power, adding on with the help from Howick Steg and me, you should be fine unless you attacked the Pentagon with a plane.”

“I have a good card in my hand? You mean, the National Farmers Union outside of New York City? Can this kind of thing be used for trading?” Zhang Lisheng asked with his eyes went wide. “Not only that, but you’ve also joined forces with Howick Steg? I thought the two of you don’t look eye to eye at each other…”

“There’s nothing that cannot be used as trading in a political game. That’s all I can tell you, young man. Another thing, as an American, I agree to sacrifice anyone’s right for the sake of national interests, but this doesn’t include my daughter, not including Tina…”

“Dad, why are you mentioning me?” The study room’s door was suddenly pushed open. Tina chuckled as she walked inside the room while dressed in a tight pink sweater, “Oh bab… Lisheng! Why are you here in my dad’s study room as well? Why didn’t you call me? Have you waited for long?”

“Mr. Dolby wanted to talk to me. I just arrived.”

“What are you two talking about then? I heard him mention my name just now.”

“I’m discussing with your boyfriend about a cooperation program. We’re planning to set up a large biological laboratory named after you in Africa.” With a smile, Dolby answered his daughter’s question.

“I understand if you two want to set up a large biological laboratory but, in Africa?” Tina did not know whether to laugh or cry.

“Tina, Africa is the continent that is the least affected by modern industry among the five continents in the world. There’s no doubt the biological population there is ‘purer’ and the materials are more abundant. Many developed countries built their biological laboratories over there as well.” Zhang Lisheng’s heart gave a jolt as he added on with a smile.

“Oh, I see. Well then, you should postpone the discussion about the biological laboratory matter to a later date. Right now, the most important thing is to send me to the airport.”

“My beloved daughter. My pilot is already ready so if you ever change your mind about him sending you off, then…”

“I don’t want to stand out so much, Dad! Money doesn’t win you respect in Harvard.”

“Believe me sweetheart, the person who told you that must be poor for a lifetime. Money will always get you respect anytime, anywhere. If not, the only possibility is that the amount of money is not enough.”

“Alright, Dad, I’ll leave now! I don’t want to argue with you.” Tina ran towards her father while treading on the soft carpet and kissed his forehead. “See you! I’ll come back to see you in a month.”

“I’ll miss you during this one month, sweetheart. See you!” Dolby kissed his daughter’s cheek. “Goodbye! Mr. Lisheng.”

Hearing Dolby bidding goodbye to him, Zhang Lisheng waved his hand and replied, “Goodbye, Mr. Dolby.”

“You’re so cute when you’re nervous.” Tina ran to the young man’s side from her father’s side and held his arm, before whispering to him and pulling him out of the study room.

The two of them left the mansion’s courtyard by riding the golf cart and entered Zhang Lisheng’s Ford Explorer. Tina urged, “Hurry up and drive, baby! We’ll go pick up Trish first before we pick up Sheila! We’re running late!”

“They should go to the airport themselves if they’re running late,” Zhang Lisheng mumbled as he turned the car’s engine on.

“But we want to live an ordinary university girl’s life! We’re trying to spend less than 10,000 dollars in a semester and donate our remaining living expenses to poor children in the world who need help.”

“Oh, I see…” Upon hearing this reason, the young man no longer said anything but stepped on the accelerator as he drove the car along the streets of New York.

After picking up Trish and Sheila from the Upper West Side of Manhattan and sending the three girls to Laguardia Airport at the north side of Long Island, Zhang Lisheng watched the girls entering the boarding gate, not before kissing Tina goodbye reluctantly.

When he left the airport, his mind was swimming and he could not make up his mind. For this reason, he stayed in the open-air parking lot outside the airport to enjoy the cold wind for more than ten minutes before making up his mind to accept Dolby’s warning and leave the country.

Now that he had made up his mind, the young man could not help but let out a sigh of relief and drive back home.

Lili was making beef patties when she saw her son coming back. With a smile, she said, “Baby, Riley, Michelle, Gill, and Harry have gone with Stephen and Randy to pick up their classmates who came from LA. it’s only the two of us who will be having lunch together. Please wait for a while, the pie will soon be done.”

“What a nice smell. Do you need my help, mom?” Zhang Lisheng walked into the kitchen with a ravished look.

“Oh, you rarely help me in the kitchen, baby, unless you want to ask for something. Tell me, what is it?”

“Ah… erm… it’s like this, mom. Tina’s father, Mr. Dolby, plans to collaborate with me on setting up a large biological laboratory in Africa, but before that, he hopes I can go there for a field study.”

“A large biological laboratory? Baby, you want to build a large biological laboratory with somebody? And in Africa on top of that?” Lili asked, her eyes wide and her face filled with an incredulous look.

“Mom, among the five continents of the world, Africa… many biological laboratories are built there.” Zhang Lisheng began to tell his mother the reason he used to brush Tina off. “Not only that, it’s not like you don’t know that my company has developed to a scale that is no longer small anymore. I have pondered about it already. Since Mr. Steven promised he’ll take me in as his graduate student at Stanford University before September this year, there’s no meaning for me to continue my study in Lowbige Junior High…”

“Baby, Steven may not become a professor on Stanford even if the journal paper is published in Science magazine…”

“However, he seems to have a confidence level of at least 90%. Mom, worst case scenario would be that I’d have to repeat the 11th grade again in Lowbige Junior High, so what is the big deal about it? Perhaps you think I won’t be able to enter a college in the future? What I want to do is to make history and build the world’s largest and most advanced biological laboratory. The trip to Africa may be the beginning of realizing this dream of mine…”

“Then promise me! Don’t ever go to China!”

“Oh mom, so you’re worried about this again? I promise I’ll never go to China!” Knowing that Lili had already agreed to him going to Africa, he let out a sigh of relief and said with a smile.

“When will you be leaving?”

“It’s better to go earlier than later. Aren’t you going to bring me to see grandfather a few days later? I plan to leave immediately after that.”

“Africa is very huge. Have you decided on the first country you will go to?”

“Not yet, mom. I plan to slowly consider this in the future together with Mr. Dolby. Anyways, at the very least, the country must have a stable political situation and can guarantee the safety of foreigners and property…” Zhang Lisheng accompanied Lili to make pies as he continued to reassure his mom to make her feel more at ease.

All of a sudden, the phone in his pocket rang.

After he picked up the phone, the young man could hear Randy’s familiar voice resonating from it directly. “Lisheng, have you sent your girlfriend off already?”

“Yeah. I’m already at home, Randy.”

“That’s great! Come out then! A few friends of Stephen and I in the university have come to New York. Riley, Michele, Harry, and Gill have been dispatched to help me entertain the guests and it’s only you left. A word for you, young man, there’s a hot girl here as well!”

“I’m at home accompanying mom for lunch, so I won’t be going…”

“No, baby. You should go and have lunch together with your siblings.” Lili smiled and took the call from Zhang Lisheng. “Randy, where are you guys?”