99-100

Chapter 99: The Airport

"Whoo~"

After running all the way back from the boxing gym, Allen passed by one of San Marino's most iconic landmarks—the Huntington Library.

Situated in the heart of the city, this private library and ecological park are key to maintaining San Marino's perpetually high real estate prices.

Allen glanced at the landmark from afar as he ran along the street but didn’t stop for long.

Compared to admiring the globally-inspired gardens at the Huntington Library, there were more pressing matters waiting for him.

Besides, watching the scenery wasn’t nearly as interesting as evolving a new script.

Thinking about the new script he was about to work on, Allen quickened his pace.

...

"I can tell they’re not happy that we don’t want to take the kind of photos they want because I won’t undress."

"Kim doesn’t want to shoot photos that could bring controversy in the future."

"We just want you to relax a little..."

On TV, a scene from the hottest reality show of the moment, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, was playing. The content featured Kim Kardashian's photoshoot for Playboy.  

The show had skyrocketed in popularity, with audiences captivated by the Kardashian family's lavish and indulgent lifestyle.

People both loved and hated the family, criticizing their extravagance while obsessively peeking into their glamorous “high-society” lives through the lens.

"That should do it."

Amid the dramatic tension of the reality show, Allen stopped what he was working on.

After examining the wooden sword in his hand, he nodded in satisfaction and gently set it down.

Before him lay an assortment of peculiar items, all prepared as materials for his upcoming script evolution.

"Now, let’s begin."

His gaze briefly shifted to the TV screen, where Kim Kardashian flaunted her figure.

To be honest, Allen never found her particularly attractive, but Hollywood seemed to love her type.

Shrugging, he returned his attention to his work and activated the system's [Script Evolution] feature.

He input the script he had meticulously prepared.

*Script 7: “London Zombie”*

*Plot Overview:*

Underneath a chapel within the Tower of London, British archaeologists unearthed a remarkably preserved corpse of ancient origin. Analysis suggested the body might originate from ancient and was over a century old.

The discovery rocked London’s archaeological community. How did a corpse end up buried beneath a London chapel? Even more puzzling, how had it remained uncorrupted for so long?

The mystery of the uncorrupted body drew massive attention. However, just as experts were delving into its secrets, the corpse vanished.

Three months later, a mysterious corpse appeared on the auction list of a London auction house.

At the same time, an old herbal medicine shop in Mong Kok, Hong Kong, received an invitation.

Representatives were sent to London to attend this extraordinary auction...

...

Unlike his previous scripts, “London Zombie” carried distinct asian cultural elements.

Additionally, the setting for this script evolution was no longer in the United States but across the Atlantic in London.

The choice of London was due to a [Random Evolution Location Card] Allen had redeemed a few days earlier.

When the system-generated text summarizing the script’s final scene appeared, Allen exhaled and reviewed the contents displayed in the [Script Evolution] panel.

 Materials:

- *Material 1*: Wooden Sword — 25,000 [Plot Points]

- *Material 2*: Voodoo Doll — 20,000 [Plot Points]

- *Material 3*: Toy Coffin — 15,000 [Plot Points]

- *Material 4*: Red Bellyband — 5,000 [Plot Points]

- *Material 5*: Hair — 1,000 [Plot Points]

*Total Cost:* 66,000 [Plot Points]

“Ding! Materials confirmed. Script evolution requires 66,000 [Plot Points]. Please select the evolution location!”

Allen inserted the prepared [Random Evolution Location Card].

"Select Evolution Location: London!"

“Ding! Evolution location confirmed. Proceed with script evolution at a cost of 66,000 [Plot Points]?”

Thanks to the location card, which waived additional costs, the evolution of "London Zombie" turned out to be 4,000 points cheaper than “Sleepless Town.”

Delighted, Allen eagerly confirmed the evolution.

*[Evolution Commencing]*

...

As the [Plot Points] depleted, invisible waves rippled outward.

In a London auction house across the Atlantic, a peculiar corpse was added to the list of auction items.

On a flight bound for London, the identities of two passengers were logged.

Within an unmarked chapel in London, inexplicable flames flickered to life, while a cloaked man with a cold expression appeared beside the fire.

...

“Sir, please take out your luggage. We suspect you may be carrying prohibited items.”

At Heathrow Airport, London.

Customs officers stopped a stiff-faced middle-aged man and asked him to open his luggage.

"Ah-Hao, what’s this guy saying?"

The man’s already rigid expression grew more strained as he forced a smile at the customs officer and whispered to his apprentice behind him.

“Master, if I understood what these foreigners were saying, I wouldn’t be working as an errand boy in your shop. I’d be a lawyer by now.”

Annoyed, the young man named Ah-Hao whispered back.

“Sir, please cooperate, or I will be forced to take action.”

At the customs checkpoint, the officer’s tone grew stern as he addressed the unresponsive man.

“What do we do, Master? He seems angry. Did you do something to upset him?”

Seeing the officer's serious expression, Ah-Hao asked nervously.

“Impossible. I’ve always been polite! Besides, this is my first time flying to London. I’ve never even met him before.”

“Polite, huh...”

Ah-Hao muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes. His gaze shifted to another checkpoint where a passenger handed over their luggage to be inspected. Suddenly, he had a realization and exclaimed,

“It’s the luggage, Master! I think he wants to inspect your luggage!”

(End of Chapter)  

*Chapter 100: Peachwood Sword *

"So it’s about checking the luggage."

With a reminder from his apprentice, Ahao, the man finally realized what was happening.

He gave an awkward smile to the stern-faced security officer in front of him and handed over his luggage.

The security officer, visibly impatient, snatched the luggage, roughly opened it, and rummaged through its contents. It didn’t take long for him to find the so-called contraband.

"According to UK Customs law, swords and other offensive weapons are prohibited from being brought into the country. I’m now confiscating this item in accordance with the law."

Reaching into the luggage, the officer pulled out a wooden sword about a meter long. Shaking his head, he threw the sword into a nearby bin designated for confiscated items. Then, with a dismissive wave, he indicated that the man could pass through.

"Master, that foreigner just took your peachwood sword," Ahao said, unable to hold back his frustration as he watched the wooden sword being confiscated by the airport staff.

"Let’s get through security first," the man replied in a low voice after glancing at where the sword had been taken.

At Heathrow Airport, aside from this minor incident at security, the master and his apprentice passed through customs and immigration without further issues.

Once they reached the airport terminal, Ahao couldn’t help but speak up again.

"Master, what should we do next? Are we just going to let this go? You went through so much effort to get that peachwood sword."

"Let’s find a quiet place first," the master replied, frowning as he looked at the bustling crowd in the airport.

The two of them wandered around the airport for a while before finding a relatively quiet corner.

"Keep an eye on the surroundings, Ahao," the man instructed, scanning the area carefully.

"Got it, Master," Ahao replied, nodding quickly. He turned and began vigilantly surveying the area with wide eyes.

Satisfied with his apprentice’s alertness, the master nodded. He reached for the red string around his neck and tore off a talisman folded into a triangle.

Holding the talisman between his index and middle fingers, the man stepped into a Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams stance, forming hand seals as he chanted softly.

"Guided by mystic light, unbound by distance. With this talisman, no trace remains. By the authority of this command—sword, come!"

As the incantation left his lips, the talisman in his hand ignited into flame and vanished.

At the same time, in the confiscated items bin near the security checkpoint, the wooden sword emitted a faint red glow before transforming into a streak of light and flying toward the man’s location.

"Master, it’s the peachwood sword!"

From his lookout, Ahao noticed the streak of light in midair and immediately shouted a warning.

The man extended his hand and caught the flying sword, wiping away its glow with a quick swipe of his fingers before placing it back into the luggage.

"It’s done," the master said with a sigh of relief, calling out to his still-vigilant apprentice.

"Don’t keep our hosts waiting."

---

*Outside the Airport*

"Master Lin!"

As soon as the master and his apprentice exited the airport, they saw a man holding a sign with the name "Lin Jiuying" written in large characters. The man was scanning the crowd anxiously.

His eyes lit up when he spotted them. He hurried forward and greeted the older man enthusiastically.

"You’re finally here! If you had taken any longer, I would’ve rushed inside to find you. I thought something had gone wrong."

"Actually, we did—"

Ahao began to speak, but the older man, Lin Jiuying, quickly stopped his loose-tongued apprentice with a gesture.

"Nothing serious. It’s our first time abroad, and we were a bit overwhelmed trying to find the exit. That’s all," Lin Jiuying said with a polite smile, shaking his head.

"That makes sense. Heathrow is the busiest airport in the UK. Even I get lost in the crowd sometimes," the man replied with a sympathetic nod.

Seeing the weariness on Lin Jiuying and Ahao’s faces, he eagerly continued, "You must be exhausted after such a long flight. I’ve already booked the best hotel in London for you. Let’s head there so you can rest. Tonight, I’ve arranged a banquet to welcome you both!"

With that, he turned and began leading the way to the parking lot.

"Master, why didn’t you let me tell him what happened at the airport?" Ahao asked as he watched the man walk away.

"Let it go. It’s better to avoid unnecessary trouble," Lin Jiuying replied, gently patting the luggage that now held the peachwood sword.

---

*In a London Church*

"Begone, evil spirits! Leave this place and never taint it again! Come forth, Gaed. We welcome you! Shut the door, and I shall offer my soul to you…"

In a dimly lit church in London, an individual cloaked in a black robe chanted a strange incantation.

A white man lay motionless at the center of a flaming altar, his eyes tightly shut.

"I command him to obey me… to submit entirely to my will…"

The cloaked figure danced erratically around a brazier, the flickering fire casting twisted shadows on the church walls.

Pausing his movements, he retrieved a warty toad from his robes and placed it in his palm. Muttering another incantation, he produced a white bone dagger and plunged it into the toad. Thick, black liquid oozed from the wound.

Unfazed, the man reached into the wound and extracted a jet-black orb.

Bending down, he forced the orb into the mouth of the lifeless man on the altar.

"Now, obey my commands. Obey my commands. You shall be my servant, following my orders. Now…"

His dance grew more frenzied as he chanted, the strange and distorted words echoing through the church.

"Awaken!"

With the final command, the flames in the brazier roared higher.

In the center of the altar, the seemingly lifeless man suddenly opened his eyes.

His unfocused gaze was dull and lifeless. Slowly, he rose, his face devoid of emotion, like a soulless corpse.

"I obey your command, Master," the man intoned in a flat, mechanical voice.

(End of Chapter)