The Great Worm Lich

The tow vessel and the strange costume of the people on the warships began to elicit terror from many of the young men on the cruise once again. A haggard-looking blonde girl held onto the fence of the ship’s side before shouting loudly in panic, “Erjule, w-why are these people wearing those clothes? A-And they actually announced that we’ve been enlisted as some Class B public safety disposal mission’s target! What happened to us? What’s going on?!”

“Don’t be afraid, Paige, I have seen on the TV before that when astronauts return to the ground from space, they would be quarantined for 72 hours in order to prevent dangerous unknown bacteria and viruses being brought back from space. I think it must be because we’ve spent a day in another world so we’d have to be quarantined and monitored for some time before we can go home. This is a necessary procedure so there’s nothing to be worried about…”

“But how do they know that we’ve just returned from another world?”

“Who knows, maybe after the Elizabeth Holiday disappeared yesterday, the search ship that the Coast Guard sent out has also went to that horrifying and strange world. Don’t worry, since we’re back already, we’d be able to go back after being quarantined for a shirt period of time at most. I’ll always be by your side. Don’t be scared. Perhaps we can even become famous artists in the future with such a legendary experience on our hands…” Her boyfriend placed his hand on her shoulder as he comforted her continuously.

Ignoring the chaos on the Elizabeth Holiday’s deck, the large number of professionally trained US soldiers wearing highly sealed hazmat suits while armed with stun guns soon boarded the ship, before forcefully commanding everyone back to the ship’s cabin in an orderly manner.

“According to the US National Security Law, the Elizabeth Holiday has been listed as a military-controlled area. Please keep calm and quiet, return to your room to rest first. A specially assigned person will head to your room a few hours later to collect your blood samples and do a preliminary quarantine check. Please show your full cooperation, everyone…”

The voice on the ship’s broadcast changed into a rigid solemn voice that kept repeating the same broadcast. Wrapped in a blanket, Zhang Lisheng hugged Mountoad and slowly walked back towards his cabin together with the crowds. Pouting, he muttered, “How noisy! What can you even do to me if I don’t cooperate…”

Tina, who was by his side, was caught by surprise. With an anxious voice, she whispered, “S-since the Elizabeth Holiday has already been enlisted as a military-controlled area, those soldiers will have the right to take enforcement measures if we don’t cooperate with their appropriate demands. Of course you’re not afraid of them. However, even if that giant sea beast that can fly destroy all those warships, helicopters and tow vessel around the cruise…Sh*t, you’d become the greatest terrorist in the world, baby! Baby, it’s just a blood test and a quarantine procedure that would only take a short time. Look at those big shots onboard, they’re willing to cooperate as well…”

“Tina, I was merely making a casual remark. That’s right! Where’s my room? I’ve never been there before.”

“I kept it from my dad and didn’t take another room for you. I was originally planning to stay with you and spend a romantic and passionate night together. Who knew that it would end up like this… but it’s good that everything is okay now,” Tina replied dejectedly as she took Zhang Lisheng’s arm, guiding him along the corridor to the first-class cabin of the ship before opening a suite across Sheila’s and Trish’s rooms and walked inside.

Quietly watching the flow of crowds on the Elizabeth Holiday’s cabin corridor that continuously entered the rooms at either sides till all of them finally disappeared in the end, the naval officer in charge of monitoring the evacuation activated the wireless intercom in his hood. “Mother Nest, Mother Nest, I’m Little Bird No. 1. Mission accomplished. Mission accomplished.”

“Little bird No. 1, Little Bird No. 1. I’m Mother Nest, I’m Mother Nest. Hold you position and stay alert. Hold your position and stay alert.”

“Yes sir,” the officer made a tactical gesture as he replied. The naval soldiers at the corridor raised their thumbs up to show their understanding before starting to disperse to guard the entire long corridor.

After the command center received the report from the last officer in charge of evacuating the cruise’s passengers, it immediately ordered the staff on St. Mary to start the towing operation.

After a long period of intense work, the giant tow vessel finally had affixed special cables and machinery on the Elizabeth Holiday. Afterwards, it began to slowly set sail under the warships’ guarding as it pulled the cruise ship towards the vast sea.

At the same time, in a classical white English Palace consisting of a three-story main building and an east-west building found at Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC, in an oval office located in the west wing, a total of seven people — three on the left while four on the right — were sitting around a rectangular desk, staring with their utmost concentration at the image shown that was unusually clear as it was projected on the front wall.

That image looked like a sea map that was labelled with many variables like coordinates, wind strength, wave height and more.

An ordinary-looking old man wearing a black straight suit who had a grotesque bronze bald eagle badge pinned on his chest was pointing at a circled area on the sea map with his finger as he announced loudly, “The area that I said just now is right here, everyone! Yesterday, when the US Coast Guard’s ship ‘Dolphin’ was looking for the missing Elizabeth Holiday, it discovered another new world right here! According to the previous experience, the Navy has conducted several tests and it’s found that this circular block with an area of ​​about 16 square nautical miles is now connected to another world for some unknown reason. There are oceans, islands, and there should also be a mainland right there as well…”

“A third geographic discovery! Columbus discovered the Americas in the Atlantic Ocean and we found two complete ‘worlds’ in the Atlantic Ocean as well, one of which is near to the ocean outside of New York.” A middle-aged black man possessing an abstruse gaze with a thin and tall build, as he wore a gray suit with a tailored fit, sat right in the middle of the desk as he suddenly chimed in with his brows furrowed. “This may be a shortcut for America to maintain her powerful national force forever. It could also be a precursor to human destruction, whether from the invasion of an unknown civilization or the civil strife caused by the struggle for interest… Bob, what shall we do?”

“Mr. President, we know very little about everything in this new world. To be cautious, I can only suggest for us to tightly seal this sea area connecting to this world in accordance to Sea Shrimp World No. 1…”

“This is easy, we can randomly come up with a reason to do that. The difficult thing is that there are more than 1000 people on the Elizabeth Holiday that has returned so we can’t just isolate them forever for no reason. If, as you said, most of the people onboard are children, the state will be unable to sign a strict non-disclosure agreement with them…”

“For this reason, we need your authorization, Mr. President, to wipe the memory of everyone on the ship!”

Upon hearing this suggestion, the middle-aged black man opened his eyes wide as horror crept upon his face. “Sir! Do you know what you’re talking about?! This is an abuse of state power! This is trampling on the constitution and human rights of the country…”

“But it’s needed for the security and interest of America, Mr. President!” the old man succinctly and forcefully retorted.

The United States of America was built from the Independence War and was truly unified by the American Civil War. Ever since its birth, it had maintained a tenacious and tough national identity.

Because of this characteristic, the pursuit of national security and national interests had already been deeply embedded into every aspect of the country for more than 200 years.

In the United States of America, no private or government’s public authority could openly go beyond the laws’ boundaries. However, once the words “national security” and “national interest” were involved, things would immediately differ.

When innocent civilians were accidentally killed in the midst of an operation of killing an American civilian suspected to be a terrorist who was in a foreign place, or during an operation of eliminating the so-called ‘national enemies’, most Americans would be able to accept it unperturbed even though this could be completely said as blatant murder, as long as the glorious terms “national security” and “national interest” were used.

Silence went on in the White House’s office. After contemplating for three to four minutes, President Onama muttered, “After signing this authorization, I may be forever nailed to the history of shame. This may even be the shame of every American civilian…”

“The history is evaluated by the future generations, Mr. President. Only by safeguarding the national security and her core interest can she continue to have such a history,” As the president was hesitating, the US Chief Defense Advisor Henry T. Gilles chimed in with a tone full of resolution.

“God bless America!” Upon hearing this statement, Onama’s gaze was gradually filled with unswerving determination. “Bob, use the most advanced toy in your Department of Defense’s Area 51 to erase those kids’ memory. Try to reduce the damage on their minds.”

“I’ll do my utmost to ensure this, Mr. President.” He personally laid the authorized letter that had been drafted long ago in front of the president as he replied solemnly.

A few hours later, at the dock of the US Navy’s secret military base on one of the islands in the Atlantic Ocean, the Elizabeth Holiday was lightly swaying along the surging wave of the sea, under the breeze of the evening wind.

In the bedroom of a luxurious suite in the ship’s cabin, Zhang Lisheng woke up from his dream and looked at Tina, who was sleeping soundly naked while showing honey-colored soft skin, by his side. Rubbing his face, he quietly slipped out of the heart-shaped waterbed before putting on his pajamas and walked into the bathroom.

The bathroom was spacious, after the light was turned on, the most eye-catching thing inside was the circular bath tub that had a diameter of over two meters in the middle of the bathroom.

After he had filled the tub with hot water, he washed away the sweet aroma left by his indulgence. Afterwards, he composed himself before climbing out of the bath and sat by the tub. Without warning, he spewed out a mouthful of dark-colored blood and uttered a Chinese word — Simplify!

Dark blood was spat out from Zhang Lisheng’s mouth and consolidated in the air before forming into a ball. With a pale face, the young man dipped a finger into the blood stain in the air before writing the Chinese ancient word “simplify” on his chest.

After the wizard letter was formed, it immediately disappeared into Zhang Lisheng’s flesh and body. At the same time, it also granted him a mysterious ability that could command the wizard gu and cast a curse just with a thought in his mind.