novelraw Chapter 207: Facing Difficulties Head-on
Chapter 207: Facing Difficulties Head-on
"Exhibit."
This cold, objectifying word dragged Lin Jie's situation back to a harsh and realistic level.
In the eyes of the current local Inner World factions of Egypt, Lin Jie had already become a walking, breathing, living holy relic from the Old Kingdom period.
The ultimate destination for any holy relic is only one: to be enshrined upon the altar of a temple, never to leave for eternity.
"This is absolutely unacceptable!" Ethan's attitude was resolute, a sickly flush appearing on his face. "This is definitely not a simple meeting;
it's a premeditated abduction!"
"We must immediately contact the Geneva Headquarters, request that Sir Henderson lift the operational restrictions and invoke diplomatic immunity to forcibly remove Lin from Egypt. He cannot stay a moment longer!"
However, faced with Ethan's intense reaction, Lin Jie himself remained very calm.
Lin Jie simply raised his right hand, looked at the totem on the back of his hand that was both a curse, a guardian, and a source of trouble, and then he shook his head.
"Can't leave for now."
Lin Jie signaled for Ethan to calm down."Ethan, you understand better than any of us how vast the Horus Court's influence is in Egypt, especially in Upper Egypt."
"Their influence has long permeated every level of this land. Whether it's the laborers at the bottom, the priests in the temples, or the high officials in the Governor's Mansion, their eyes are everywhere."
"Considering our actions in the Serapeum tomb, if we choose to leave now, they can easily use that as a pretext to label us as 'tomb raiders' who desecrated their sacred pharaoh's tomb."
"At that point, even with the Association's backing, it probably won't be so easy to settle."
Lin Jie's words laid bare a predicament the others hadn't considered.
He then gave a second, even more important reason.
"And..." Lin Jie's voice grew somewhat low, "The Horus Court, as one of the oldest guardians of this land, their research and understanding of ancient Egyptian UMAs must far surpass ours at I.A.R.C., even surpassing Professor Petrie."
"So for us, while this carries risk, it is simultaneously a rare opportunity!"
"An opportunity to get up close and, from the mouth of this organization that has lived for thousands of years, inquire about this 'prehistoric behemoth' within me!"
"I must go." Lin Jie's tone became very firm. "For the sake of my own future. You don't have to accompany me;
this matter has nothing to do with you."
Lin Jie's optimal choice now was to advance despite the difficulties.
"I agree with Lin Jie's view." William, who had been silent, finally spoke.
His face showed no fear. "Since it cannot be avoided, then face it. The temple in Luxor is still better than the entire Egyptian desert."
After a brief but tense discussion, the Iron Triangle and Ethan made a correct but dangerous decision: to accept the Horus Court's invitation, which carried the flavor of a "Hongmen Feast."
Half an hour later, an emergency remote meeting directly connected to Geneva was officially convened.
Lin Jie objectively reported the Horus Court's invitation, Ethan's analysis of its dangers, and his own thoughts.
A long silence fell on the other end of the communication array.
"So, Lin," Sir Henderson's voice sounded after a long while, "your personal recommendation is?"
"My recommendation is..." Lin Jie took a deep breath and slowly raised his right hand, marked with the totem, aiming it at the "observation crystal" used for image capture.
"...Approve my 'excursion request'."
"Sir, you should understand how dangerous and foolish it is to long-term confine an unknown, active, and highly exclusive contaminant underground in a densely populated city."
"This mark is not a containable object that can be left inert;
it is a symbiont that needs to be balanced, even satisfied."
"And the Horus Court, along with the secrets from the First Dynasty of ancient Egypt they guard, likely hold the crucial key we need!"
"So," Lin Jie clenched his right fist, "Rather than passively waiting here for the worst outcome, I prefer to take the initiative, to seek the best possible outcome for myself and for the Association."
"I request Headquarters immediately lift all operational restrictions on me."
"Formally approve our diplomatic and academic investigation mission to Luxor!"
This "application," filled with confidence, a sense of responsibility, and even a somewhat forceful tone, plunged the entire communication channel into another long, dead silence.
Finally.
"Your courage is greater than I imagined, Lin Jie."
Sir Henderson's voice, which betrayed no emotion, sounded.
"Request approved."
"But remember your identity. You are not just yourself;
you are also the Association's secret carrying unknown risks."
"All branches in Cairo will provide you with all necessary support."
"And you... good luck."
Thus, Lin Jie received formal authorization from Headquarters.
On the fourth day after a simple task handover and intelligence synchronization with the reluctant Old Abdul, the four of them boarded the "Queen Cleopatra" at Cairo's docks. This luxurious steamship would travel south along the Nile, taking them to the ancient holy city of Luxor, also known as "Waset."
The "Queen Cleopatra" was a top-tier luxury steamship on the Nile route at the time.
Its pristine white hull glittered in the sunlight. The spacious teak decks were polished clean. The huge paddle wheels on both sides, driven by steam, churned the muddy river water with an elegant yet powerful grace.
The ship boasted a French luxury restaurant, an English cigar bar, and a small dance floor accompanied by an orchestra.
The air was filled with the languid atmosphere of high society.
However, for Lin Jie and his companions, this luxurious, pleasure-seeking "mobile palace" was more like a splendid prison cart heading towards the guillotine.
The atmosphere on the steamship felt very different from when they had taken the "Orient Express."
That time, their enemies were clear: UMAs and hostile organizations hidden in the shadows.
They were tense, but their fighting spirit as hunters was high.
This time, their enemy was no longer a specific monster or organization.
It was a vague and seemingly unsolvable predicament.
The first part came from within Lin Jie himself: that "symbiotic curse" that could erupt at any moment, full of unknown variables.
The second was a diplomatic meeting containing both probing and deceit, with unseen political and religious games behind it.
Under the influence of this dual pressure, everyone in the team was preoccupied.
Ethan locked himself in his room, repeatedly polishing his pair of [Morning Star] and [Evening Star], his eyes revealing worry about the upcoming negotiations.
William maintained his military discipline, training on the deck punctually every day. It seemed he wanted to use pure physical strength to confront the coming storm.
As for Lin Jie, from the moment he boarded, he shut himself in the luxurious single suite—a room with its own bathroom and a viewing balcony.
He was conducting a dangerous "self-cognition" experiment, guided remotely via encrypted telegraph by Professor Petrie, thousands of kilometers away.
He needed to, before arriving in Luxor and before meeting those fundamentalists with "reclamation" desires, attempt to actively understand, communicate with, and pacify the White Vulture's Mark on the back of his right hand.
The experiment officially began in a quiet, dark room with all the curtains drawn.
Lin Jie sat cross-legged on the soft Persian carpet, clearing his mind of all distractions and mobilizing his concentrated will.
First attempt: Confrontation.
This was an instinctive and direct reaction from Lin Jie as a modern man who revered scientific rationality, and as an I.A.R.C. hunter accustomed to solving problems through combat.
Lin Jie first tried to use his willpower, tinged with a "desire for control," to launch a forceful "sovereignty declaration" against the "divine territory" entrenched on the back of his hand.
He attempted to use his personal will to forcibly suppress the ancient spiritual power within the mark.
However, what he received was not the imagined submission, but a violent backlash.
That mark, originally meant as "protection," seemed angered by his aggressive will and suddenly erupted with scorching energy.
"Arghhh!"
Lin Jie let out a pained scream.
He felt as if his entire right arm had been shoved into a burning steam furnace.
A searing, intense pain spread from the back of his hand to his entire shoulder, a sensation as if it wanted to burn his bones to ashes.
The sleeve of his high-quality cotton-linen shirt spontaneously ignited under this intense heat.
If he hadn't reacted quickly enough, immediately severing the mental link with the mark and dousing his arm with water from the bedside carafe,
his arm would likely have been charred by his own "Guardian Deity" by now.
The intense pain lasted for half an hour before subsiding.
Lin Jie lay weakly on the floor, gasping for breath like a dehydrated fish, his face etched with lingering fear and newfound understanding.
In a painful and direct way, he had comprehended the "doctor's orders" Professor Petrie had scribbled at the end of the telegraph.
"Remember, child. Do not attempt to confront an ancient being, even if she is just a slumbering imprint. For, mortals can never defeat a 'deity'."
"The only thing you can do is guide her."
Second attempt: Guidance.
After several hours of recovery and reflection, Lin Jie mustered his courage and began the second, and final, attempt.
This time, he no longer viewed the mark as an enemy to be conquered or a curse to be suppressed.
He began trying to imagine it as a new organ of his own body, unfamiliar yet connected by blood.
He abandoned all personal will tainted with aggression, a desire for control, and a thirst for conquest.
He stopped trying to suppress it, and stopped trying to analyze it.
He simply gently accepted it.
At that moment, a miracle occurred.
That mark, with its aggressiveness and exclusivity that wouldn't tolerate ordinary touch, calmed down upon sensing Lin Jie's accepting will.
Its reaction was like a young beast encountering its own kind, beginning to resonate warmly with the faint spiritual power emanating from Lin Jie, the mortal.
A surge of immense joy welled up in Lin Jie's heart.
Just as he was preparing to seize this thread of resonance and delve deeper into the secrets within the mark...
"Woo— Woo—!"
The steamship's whistle pierced the tranquil afternoon sky over the Nile, the sound reaching his luxurious suite.
Lin Jie's movements paused. He opened his bloodshot eyes.
Luxor had arrived.