The Great Worm Lich

“Hi, I’m Chinese,” Zhang Lisheng waved and replied in English.

“A Chinese who speaks such fluent English. Don’t tell me that you’re not a backpacker, but a student! Oh, this is definitely God’s grace before Christmas. Take a look around as you wish, please ask me whatever question on items that you’re interested in. I’ll be right by your side, my honorable guest,” The store owner left Lina and Hannah who were bargaining excitedly and passed through George in light steps to Zhang Lisheng. He was like performing an opera as he said courteously.

The four of them looked at him in shock, nobody spoke at the moment. The store owner spoke softly on his own, “Sir, I know a red prince like you is sick of Manhattan’s luxurious cars, mansions, and parties with babes. You’re here in Queens for some fun and excitement. Don’t worry, I’m a nice person. I have a big connection, a good old man in this area who can get you anything…”

As he was still speaking, the store door was kicked open all of a sudden. A few Asians with tattoos on their bare, muscular arms dashed into the store in the chilly weather and shouted loudly, “Mahmud, if you don’t give it…”

However, the store owner’s action was faster than the person’s voice. He went below the rack and brought out a rifle as he hopped out like an agile monkey despite his plump body, “Get out of my store, you little bastards. Otherwise, I’ll shoot your head right away.”

The few Asians who looked fierce opened their arms as they were pointed with the rifle. They threatened by screaming, “This is our Scorpio Club’s last warning, you middle-eastern black man. You won’t get off easily next time,” They then left the store.

As the scene that looked like a police movie ended, the young ladies who lived in Brooklyn middle-class family began screaming, “Quick, call the police! Oh my god, it’s broad light and those guys… those guys… Queens is really a horrible place…”

“Hey ladies, please calm down. If you think it’s horrible here, I should really bring you guys to Detroit. I lived there when I first came to America. After staying for a month, I asked myself, since I’m living in such a violent environment, why did I even left Kosovo pretending to be a refugee? So I moved to Queens, New York. In reality, those people only speak maliciously, that’s the way they live. Such a thing happens frequently in Queens. It’s futile to call the police as long as no fire was shot,” The store owner put away the rifle and urged Lina and Hannah to give up the thought of calling the police.

He then went back to Zhang Lisheng attentively and said, “Please let me continue to serve you, young sir. Oh yea, so is there anything that you like in my humble store?”

“There seemed to be nothing that I need here, sorry.”

“What do you need? I have a warehouse at the back, there’s everything in there.”

“Hey, I went off the car with him earlier. Just because he has a banana face and I’ve got a caramel face, so I deserve different treatment than he’s getting? My friend wants to get a pet, do you guys have it here?” George who was ignored pouted and said discontentedly. He did not care about the shooting that almost happened earlier.

“A pet, oh, I get it now. You want a pet, a special pet, a pet that could get attention wherever you go, a majestic and one in a million pet. A pet that you can show off to. Of course, I don’t mean these three American friends you have here, but show off to your Chinese friends,” The store owner spoke like he was reciting a poem as he looked at Zhang Lisheng. He had rich intonation when he spoke, he was raising his voice as he proceeded, “I happened to have such a pet you need, please follow me,” He then walked to the entrance and attempted to close the door sneakily.

Seeing that the store owner was closing the door, Lina and Hannah who were still shocked began screaming, “No, we don’t want to be stuck here,” They then ran out of the store. George was stunned, he looked at Zhang Lisheng.

“Go take care of the girls, I’m very curious what kind of pet this Mr. Mahmud’s selling me now. What kind of pet could be described as majestic and one in a million,” Zhang Lisheng said wearing a smile.

“I think you should leave with me, that boss looks like a loony. He’s behaving…”

“It’s okay, I’m not afraid of loonies.”

George knew that he could not convince Zhang Lisheng so he nodded, “Alright then, we’ll wait for you outside,” He then walked out of the store. After George left, the store owner closed the door and locked from the inside. He picked up a naked, wooden human sculpture from the rack and turned it on, it was a flashlight. He lit up the way ahead and said, “Sir, follow me,” He then led Zhang Lisheng to the store’s back door.

The back door connected to a dusty warehouse. From the light shining from the flashlight, the items were even stranger than those that were presented on the racks outside.

“Mr. Mahmud, so you kept your one in a million pet here,” Zhang Lisheng coughed a couple of times and asked tens of meters into the narrow path with piles of stocks on both sides that seemed like walls.

“Cough cough… Sir, I admit that the environment here’s pretty bad but you’ll definitely be satisfied with the item,” Mahmud who led the way walked through the path with stocks and shone the flashlight at the deepest end of the warehouse. He then turned on a dimmed ceiling light.

All of a sudden, among the piles of broken stuff, a giant metal cage appeared before Zhang Lisheng. Triggered by the light, the creature whose body was curled up in the metal cage opened its spiritless eyes all of a sudden. Though it was dying, brutality and ferocity filled its eyes. Zhang Lisheng who had broken through to Rank 3 Wizard could not be helped but felt secretly stunned. After some tens of seconds of silence, Zhang Lisheng mumbled, “A Komodo monitor. Oh, Mr. Mahmud, the pet you’re selling me is indeed one in a million.”

Komodo monitor was the biggest lizard in the world. It was the animal that resembled the western dragon the most, whereby an adult Komodo monitor could get to five meters long the most and 150 kilograms. It was the only lizard family that had huge, sharp teeth. They usually ate boars, deers or monkeys. A Komodo monitor was usually extraordinarily ferocious and quick on running whenever they hunted for food. Apart from the sharp teeth that filled its mouth, the enormous and powerful tail, as well as sharp claws, were their fatal weapons too. The natives from its habitat in Nusa Tenggara island, Indonesia called them a Komodo dragon.

“Yes, sir, a five-meter-long dragon! Think about it, how majestic it would be when you show it to your friend.”

“But there are only less than 1,000 of such an animal left in the entire world. Also, it’s extraordinarily fierce, I’ll be in great trouble if I purchased it,” Zhang Lisheng took a deep breath in and said softly.

“Oh young man, you won’t be keeping a Komodo monitor as a pet anyway. To a red prince like you, it’s just a one-time luxurious item for you, isn’t it? To be honest, this giant lizard was supposed to be sent to Chinatown, who was to be made into dishes when it was imported to America. I heard a rich Chinese businessman who migrated here was planning to treat it to a mysterious guest coming from across the ocean. However, that country across the ocean had a political turmoil all of the sudden and the table turned… Haha… I think I’ve said enough, I’m sure you know more about such secrets than I do.”

Zhang Lisheng was looking at the Komodo monitor in the metal cage eye-to-eye when Mahmud was speaking. It was showing its sharp teeth and releasing deep, soft threatening sound that went ‘shh… shh…’. The Komodo monitor had an underdeveloped vocal cord. They would usually behave quietly like a mute, such a shriek was the best that it could do when it was triggered.

“Mr. Mahmud, you misunderstood. I’m not some red prince and I’ve no idea of those secrets that you told me that sounded like a bizarre story. I only know that this komodo monitor in the cage’s precious, but it’s dying. Also, it’s hard for you to sell it legally…” Zhang Lisheng said.

“I know that, I know that. So sir, how much do you want to buy it for?”

Zhang Lisheng was taken aback, “Okay, you’re a smart businessman, Mr. Mahmud. This big guy might really be a good use for me, but it’s only a possibility. It’s hard for me to pay a high price for it. Moreover, I’ve just bought a car today, I don’t have much with me. Why don’t you name a price and see if I could accept it.”

“Fixed price 200,000 dollars, you know that this price isn’t expensive.” Collecting animals was like collecting art, sometimes it was hard to calculate its value. For instance, to a collector, a live Komodo monitor aside, even if it was just a giant lizard specimen, it was worth it for one to spend millions of dollars on it. However, a five-meter-long Komodo monitor that weighed 150 kilograms with no scales covering its body would need an unimaginable effort and skill to make it into a specimen to be kept long. Furthermore, a dead and rotten giant lizard could not be sold at the price of a piece of pork.

“The price’s too high, Mr. Mahmud. I can’t afford it.”

“So how much are you willing to pay?”

“I’m just an ordinary high schooler, the most I could pay is 10,000 dollars,” Zhang Lisheng tried hard to recall how Tina talked business and named a ridiculous price. Unfortunately, he was still inexperienced. How would an ordinary American high schooler have 10,000 dollars to buy a dying komodo monitor?

Mahmud looked pleased, “Oh young man, I’ve been in business longer than you live in this world. Quit your nonsense, give me all of the money in your bank account. Don’t give me a cheque, let’s swipe your credit card if you really want this ‘big worm’. If not, say goodbye to it.”