novelraw Chapter 121: Crossroads on Emerald Isle
Chapter 121: Crossroads on Emerald Isle
Dublin's sky, in celebration of this long-awaited reconciliation, had unusually swept away the days of gloomy dampness, revealing the clear azure blue unique to high-latitude islands.
In a high-end hotel suite in central Dublin overlooking the emerald green waters of the Liffey River, the Iron Triangle was enjoying their first peaceful morning since setting foot on this Emerald Isle, free from the pressure of a death countdown.
In the corner of the room, the "Silver-Stringed Harp," which had triggered countless bloody incidents and nearly caused a major catastrophe, was leaning quietly against the wall.
Bathed in the bright sunlight, its body, carved from mysterious moon-white wood, flowed with a sacred and gentle luster.
It no longer looked like a grotesque armament carrying curses and resentment, but more like a holy artistic relic that should have been displayed in the core exhibition hall of a museum.
Sergeant William was sitting in an armchair by the window.
Unlike his usual routine of cleaning his old Winchester, he had unusually borrowed a French original copy of "Les Misérables" from Julian's heavy luggage.
He was reading with exceptional concentration.
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto his face, softening his stern features somewhat.
Lin Jie knew this was no coincidence.After experiencing the "Dartmoor Black Dog's" direct confrontation with fate and death, and this complex Irish event concerning historical original sin and human redemption, the heart of this silent veteran, scarred by war, seemed to be thawing.
Meanwhile, Julian had long since turned the round dining table in the room, covered with a white tablecloth, into his own field headquarters.
He had spread out the musical score of "The Blood-Tear Dirge" obtained from the Republican Leader alongside the ancient manuscript recording the centuries of blood and tears of the O'Connor family.
Then, putting on his research glasses, he threw himself into a frenzy of sleepless and foodless comparison, research, and deciphering.
He was writing rapidly on his manuscript paper.
Countless mysterious Celtic symbols, grammatical analyses of Middle Gaelic, and music theory formulas Lin Jie couldn't understand flowed from his pen.
He was completely immersed in the happiness of personally touching the truth of lost history and the sense of academic achievement.
Lin Jie did not disturb them.
He brewed himself a pot of strong, smoky Earl Grey tea bought from a local Dublin tea merchant.
Then, he spread out on the carpet the latest, most detailed version of the European continental railway and shipping traffic map obtained from Professor O'Donoghue.
He looked at that vast, spiderweb-like map composed of countless crisscrossing black railways and blue shipping lines.
His gaze slowly extended outward from their current location at the northwestern corner of Europe, starting from the point that was Dublin.
He saw France, across the English Channel, at the peak of its "Belle Époque."
He saw the German Empire, newly unified and rising under the forceful integration of the "Iron Chancellor" Bismarck.
He also saw the Kingdom of Italy on the other side of the Alps, also recently unified, retaining the glory of the ancient Roman Empire and the lingering brilliance of the Renaissance.
And further east, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Tsarist Russia, ruled by the ancient, autocratic Habsburg and Romanov dynasties, where undercurrents surged.
This was a great era of both opportunity and transformation, yet also one concealing the dark clouds of war and unknown dangers.
And in the shadows of this seemingly modern world illuminated by scientific rationality and industrial civilization, how many monsters from ancient times, roaring their final roars, were still hidden?
A concept took shape in Lin Jie's mind.
He put down his teacup.
"Julian, William," he spoke, breaking the quiet in the room.
Both companions looked up from their respective immersed worlds, casting questioning glances his way.
"Our mission in Ireland is over," Lin Jie's voice was calm and firm. "I think we need to discuss our team's next course of action now."
He crouched down and pointed a finger onto that huge map of Europe.
"I suggest we should not return to London immediately."
This proposal surprised Julian and William.
"Why?"
Julian took off his glasses and asked curiously.
"The Silver-Stringed Harp is a dangerous cursed armament rated at least Town-class or above. According to Association regulations, we must escort it back to the Underground City as soon as possible for secure containment."
"No, precisely the opposite."
Lin Jie shook his head.
"It is precisely because the truth revealed by this Irish trip is far more complex and bizarre than anticipated that I realize our previous mode of operation has significant limitations."
He stood up and walked to the window, looking down at the foreign cityscape below as he elaborated his analysis.
"Julian, William, think about it. Whether it's the 'Black Dog' of Dartmoor or the 'Banshee' of this place, they share a common characteristic: they are not isolated 'monsters.'"
"Their birth and existence are deeply intertwined with the local unique history, folklore, and geographical environment."
"This makes me realize that our traditional hunting model, centered in London, receiving tasks and then 'parachuting' into various parts of the world, is becoming inefficient."
"Each time, we enter a completely unfamiliar hunting ground that has long formed its own unique ecosystem, as unprepared outsiders."
"We know nothing about the local conditions and can only rely on the Association's outdated archives for judgment. This makes us passive when facing cunning UMA deeply bound to local culture."
Here, Lin Jie changed his tone, his voice becoming grave.
"This passive situation might just be a matter of low efficiency when facing ordinary UMA. But if the enemy we face is an organization like 'Eternal Serpent,' which is tightly organized and spread across all of Europe, this passivity will be fatal."
"Don't forget, although our 'Serpent Breaker' operation in Paris succeeded, it also exposed us to their sight."
"For them, our team, which always ruins their plans at critical moments, is likely already on their elimination list."
"Under these circumstances," Lin Jie turned around, his gaze sharp as he looked at his two companions, "if we still use the 'two-points-one-line' mode of operation, then all our action trails will become easily predictable for an enemy like 'Eternal Serpent' with its vast intelligence network."
"This will turn us into living targets that can be hunted simply by setting an ambush along a fixed route."
"The thick fog of London doesn't just obscure the scenery of the Thames;
it also obscures our vision and provides cover for our enemies."
Lin Jie pointedly combined the two core pain points: "tactical limitations" and "realistic threats."
"So I propose," Lin Jie walked back to the huge European map, "we must change. We must turn passivity into initiative."
"I propose transforming our team into a 'mobile investigation station' that treats the entire European continent as its 'classroom' and is ready to move at any time."
"We need to establish our own firsthand 'UMA Regional Ecology' data archive."
"Doing this has two major benefits." Lin Jie extended two fingers, summarizing with clear logic. "First, tactically, we will transform from a fixed target into a flowing dagger whose trajectory 'Eternal Serpent' cannot predict, seizing the initiative in action."
"Second, strategically, through this 'nomadic hunting' style of in-depth investigation, we can truly understand the enemies and battlefields we face, providing more precise and forward-looking intelligence support for the Association's future operations across Europe."
"I have no objections," William's reply was concise. "Where the battlefield is, I am."
Julian, however, first let out an exaggerated sigh of lament.
"Oh, my goodness! Are you saying that I, a distinguished lifelong academician of the French Academy, the Curator of the Louvre's underground secret archives, am to abandon my warm office, abandon my beloved parchment manuscripts, and then follow you two like gypsies, enduring hardship in flea-infested, cheap-alcohol country inns across all of Europe?"
He clutched his heart, acting as if he were about to faint on the spot from this tragic fate.
But the next second, another kind of irrepressible, fanatical thirst for knowledge ignited in his sorrowful azure blue eyes!
He rushed to the European map.
His fingers danced excitedly back and forth across the map.
"The Black Forest of Germany... Yes! I've always wanted to go there personally to verify the authenticity of legends related to the 'Wolpertinger'!"
"And whether the legendary 'Tatzelwurm' truly still hides above the perpetual snow line of the Alps?!"
"And the secrets about 'Voivode' Vlad III deep within the 'Carpathian Mountains' of Hungary, where vampire legends abound..."
With each place name he mentioned, each UMA name that existed only in ancient legends, his eyes grew brighter.
The thirst for unknown knowledge overpowered his attachment to a comfortable life.
He looked up at Lin Jie, a resolute smile appearing on his face.
"Alright, my dear Lin," he shrugged helplessly, "my academic conscience has once again triumphed over my personal comfort."
To legitimize this plan, they immediately used the Dublin safe house provided by Professor O'Donoghue to contact the I.A.R.C.'s highest headquarters far away in Geneva, Switzerland.
The dignified and wise face of Sir Henderson appeared on the crystal screen.
After listening to Lin Jie's "nomadic hunting" strategic concept, this high-level leader in charge of the inner world order of Europe fell silent.
He gazed at Lin Jie's confident young face.
Finally, the old man smiled.
"Mr. Lin," Sir Henderson's voice carried affirmation, "after the enemy has already turned the entire chessboard into a battlefield, we indeed should not cling to a solitary castle any longer."
"Taking the initiative to carry the flames of war into the enemy's territory—perhaps this is the operational principle an I.A.R.C. team should have."
"I, on behalf of the Geneva Council, approve your application for a long-term overseas mission!"
"And," the old man paused, dropping a surprise that made the hearts of Lin Jie and the other two tremble, "to support your pilot operation, from now on, you will have the authority, within Europe, to independently select your next mission target based on a document codenamed 'Pandora': the 'European Anomaly Observation List'!"