The Great Worm Lich

The sun rose. In the distance, the golden morning light pierced through the tree leaves that appeared to be translucent under the strong rays ofsunlight and illuminated the entire foreign world’s jungle, turning it to become beautiful and magnificent.

Such beauty had once dazzled the Gate of Witchcraft’s disciples before when they first arrived. However, they gradually became accustomed to it and adding on to the specialness of today, it had lost its attraction. When they came out of their tent, without giving any side glance, they hastily gathered in front of the four large armored vehicles.

The two Grand Wizards plus one Gate of Witchcraft’s Deacon had long been waiting by the armored vehicles. Liu Jiaqing, the camp’s commander, Political Commissar Cheng Maoguo, a thick-browed, big-eyed slightly arrogant looking man about 30 years old who had a crew cut hairdo and a beautiful girl with long hair were also standing beside three men.

After a while, the Gate of Witchcraft’s disciples gradually gathered together, even Pei Youliang, who was half-dead, also appeared beside the armored vehicles. Su Deli said loudly, “Everyone, listen well! Today is the first day of our movement. Before our departure, Commander Liu and Political Commissar Cheng will personally…”

When he was speaking, a deafening sound suddenly resonated in the depths of the jungle far away, a rumble that sounded like thunder and the howling of ferocious beasts. The instant this sound appeared, the other wizards felt a sudden shudder in their hearts. After looking at the north where the sound originated from and did not see anything abnormal, they no longer bothered with it. Only Zhang Lisheng and the two Grand Wizards had a sudden change of expression.

In particular, Zhang Lisheng. He felt that the wizard power in his body was surging right away, as though it was going to force the hundreds of wizard gus hidden inside his body all out in unison.

He lowered his head, clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and composed himself, before finally being able to hear Su Deli pointing at the impressive-looking man with a slightly arrogant look and the long-haired girl he knew as Su Deli said in a retroflex manner, “It’s only thunder. This time, Dr. Wang Zhaosheng and his assistant, Miss Ai Chuhe, will join us to collect data and experimental materials…”

Su Deli made a banter of irrelevant talk for a moment and Liu Jiaqing finally began to bid farewell, in an official authoritative manner. “To every comrade from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the fact that we can work with all of you and become comrades together in the Oasis World to create something for the people…”

Before he could finish his words, a dramatic scene suddenly took place. Xu Naijia, the deputy chief engineer of the Oasis World’s exploration project, suddenly appeared and hoped that Wang Zhaosheng could change his mind and act cautiously, instead of taking the risk to follow the wizards out to collect data.

Accompanied by Guo Caiying, whose short hair was fluttering in the wind with a pretty and innocent yet worried look, the lanky woman said solemnly, “Right now, we’re still not familiar with the environment in the north. Dr. Wang, I admit that your equative deduction is legit from a scientific point of view, but we’re in the foreign world that has a different environment from Earth. There are too many things that are different so we better be more cautious.”

After listening to Xu Naijia’s advice, Wang Zhaosheng shook his head and said sincerely, with thoughts and emotion, “Miss Xu, I understand your kindness, but as the person in charge of the A0001 camp’s environmental deferment project, I have great confidence in my research’s results. What’s more, if none of us take any step forward, how are we supposed to know whether it’ll work or not? I believe you also understand that putting our research into practice is the last and most critical step of any scientific research. The theoretical foundation of us Chinese scientists is on par with any other countries but we always lack the courage to take risks. I want to be the first person who dares to take the first step so I hope that you can understand.”

“Taking risk doesn’t equate to being reckless…” Xu Naijia became silent for a while and sighed. “But, as the project leader, you do indeed have the right to evaluate your research results. I can’t interfere in it by force and can only voice out my suggestions. I can’t do anything if you don’t listen to me so I hope that everything will go smooth for you. All the best, Dr. Wang.”

“Thank you, Miss Xu. Just wait for my good news.” Wang Zhaosheng smiled confidently and turned around to say to Ai Chuhe standing by his side, “Chuhe, have you finished your whispering with Researcher Guo? Let us depart now.”

Ai Chuhe nodded and said to best friend apologetically, “Caiying, I really believe that Old Wang’s research will not go wrong. Don’t worry anymore, okay?”

“Regardless of my worries, you’ll still insist in going right?” Guo Caiying hushed frustratedly in a whisper. “In that case, be careful and don’t let anything happen to you. Also, warn ‘that fellow’, if you have the chance to, to not do any mischief.”

“I know.” Ai Chuhe glanced at Zhang Lisheng standing not far away, who still deliberately acted as though he did not see both Guo Caiying and herself, and agreed in a whisper. Then, she turned around and entered the specially modified armored car with Wang Zhaosheng.

The wizards began to enter the armored vehicles as well. Not long after, the armored vehicles that were fully filled began to drive towards the only opening of the camp’s electrical fence.

With the help of the bridge, the four armored vehicles crossed the moat surrounding the camp and drove over the grass and moss as they drove around the campsite to get into the foreign world’s forest.

After a moment of rough journey, the few armored vehicles stopped in front of a camouflaged electronic boundary monument that was mostly buried deep into the woodland, leaving only a small part of 20 centimeters exposed.

immediately, the doors of the armored vehicles opened one by one. Zhang Lisheng and more than ten other Gate of Witchcraft’s disciples, who had no authority, sitting in the third armored vehicle got down from the car and heard Su Deli, who was standing in front of another armored vehicle, yelling loudly, “Attention everyone, release your wizard gus and get ready.”

The instant the Gate of Witchcraft’s Deacon made his order, “Yes” could be heard from everywhere.

The environment was dangerous. The Gate of Witchcraft’s disciples unleashed all kinds of strange insects they had refined without restraint and in an instant, poisonous bees the size of a baby’s fist and red flying mosquitoes flew out all in unison as they blotted out the entire sky, while centipedes that were six to seven feet long and black toads the size of manhole covers covered the ground together.

Zhang Lisheng quietly looked around, watching the ferocious-looking poisonous insects and murmured to himself strangely, “They’re elite disciples from the Gate of Witchcraft after all. They’re indeed at a higher level compared to the South African army at that time.”

As he was speaking, the flesh at the back of his hand was ripped open, as a small hole the size of two matchsticks appeared. Two bugs, one resembling a two-headed centipede that seemed to only have six legs while the other one resembled a hummingbird that had a pair of butterfly wings, climbed out.

After these two grain-like bugs crept out of the young man’s skin, it began to expand in the wind to become a hundred times larger in an instant. When they dropped to the ground, they abruptly transformed into two fierce poisonous bugs.

When the wizards released their wizard gus with various sorts of means, Wang Zhaosheng also leapt down from the last armored vehicle.

He did not have the opportunity to witness the tragic war between the Gate of Witchcraft and the Oasis World during the campsite exploration so when he witnessed such a peculiar scene for the first time with his own eyes, despite being mentally prepared, he was still astounded as he stood with an open mouth. It was only until the wizards had released their wizard gus and climbed up onto the flat top of the armored vehicles, under Su Deli’s command, one by one to sit down cross-legged did he manage to snap back to reality abruptly.

As he thought of how he needed to rely on the help of these strange people to verify his scientific research result so that he could create a bright future, he swallowed and summoned his courage. Carefully, he avoided the poisonous bugs and went up to Su Deli and the two Grand Wizards before forcing a smile. “What an eye-opening day for me today! I’ve really opened my eyes now. Director Chen, Director Du, Assistant Su, since I’m following the team now, there’s no need for any of you to purposely collect experimental materials anymore. Today, let us head to the north with a speed of 10 kilometers per hour. For every 20 kilometers we travel, we’ll change our course to the left and then right for five kilometers before continuing our journey again. What do you think?”

“Sure, Dr. Wang! You’re an expert in scientific research exploration so let us do as you say!” Su Deli looked at Chen Guanxing and Du Shancha. When he saw that both of the Grand Wizards did not have any objections, he nodded in agreement.

At this moment, Zhang Lisheng, who was not far away, had already climbed up to the roof of the armored vehicle.

Sitting cross-legged on the edge of the armored vehicle, he looked around from the top and could not help but comment in his heart, “What a good idea! Looks like Su Deli has quite some brains in his head…”

As he was thinking to himself, the armored vehicle underneath him had begun to start and move slowly, taking the young man for a foreign world’s jungle tour.

The next following days were beyond everybody’s expectations. Even though they had come across many beasts that were even more ferocious that the tigers and leopards on Earth, they did not come across any forceful monster that could bring trouble to the Gate of Witchcraft’s people at all. Without even the need for the two Grand Wizards to make their moves, a huge circular area with a diameter of 50 kilometers to the north of the camp was already explored.

At this moment, the opportunity for the northward movement of the A0001 campsite had already become fully matured. The Gate of Witchcraft’s disciples, who needed to mutter spells to command their wizard gus to travel and battle, finally obtained two days of rest after exhausting themselves for more than ten hours.

After the wizards returned to the campsite during their final exploration before their rest, Ai Chuhe, who cheered together with the Gate of Witchcraft’s disciples for obtaining their progressive victory, also finally managed to secure a chance to speak alone with Zhang Lisheng.

“Zhang Lisheng, where did you slip to every night? Caiying and I have looked for you several times but we couldn’t find you at all. Stay in your tent tonight, we have questions to ask you!” The girl pretended to embrace the young man in excitement and speedily whispered to him, before turning away to hug other people.

After cheering for a while, she seemed to have gradually calmed down. Together with Wang Zhaosheng, whose face was colored red by his excitement for having his research results finally verified, they walked towards the tents surrounding the lamppost in the center of the camp.

After the two of them left, Su Deli, who had become much more mature and capable after undergoing seven to eight days of hard work, saw that the campsite had become noisy due to the preparation for the migration so he said, “Everyone, all of you have worked hard these past few days. It’s already late now so I won’t make it long. I just want to tell all of you good news, that the exploration of the campsite in front has already been slowed down so in a few days time, the Gate of Life’s disciples may come to the campsite to support us. By that time, we’ll become much safer so rest well for these two days. Time to dismiss now.”

The wizard gus cheered and left. The expressions of the people were mostly tired but excited. Only Zhang Lisheng alone was frowning in the middle of the crowd. Not far away, Min Lan inadvertently saw his frowning face so she got closer to him and jokingly remarked, “Lisheng, you’ve gained the most harvest these past few days. With your Taichi boxing, you’ve made it from zero wizard gus to six or seven wizard gus now! Not only that, your Gu Nest Spell has also become quite developed already and I saw you hugging a beautiful girl just now so why are you still frowning?”