Everyone Was Waiting for a Laugh

Just as Evelyn wanted to keep asking what that had been—was there some trick to it? Some unique magic? Some unknown chemical reaction?

Before she could ask, however, the Warden had already brought the person they were looking for before them.

"Is that him?"

Yinsen turned to Jonathan and asked. Of course, he recognized the scruffy, wild-haired man before him as Rick O’Connell, the target of this trip, but he could not show that he knew him. Sometimes, he had to put his crude acting skills on display.

"That’s him."

Jonathan had recovered his senses by then. Unlike the locals, he was an "upper-class gentleman" from a civilized country and would not be so superstitious. Once Evelyn mentioned magic and chemical reactions, he realized that what Yinsen had shown earlier might have merely been some little trick.

Just as he had said, it was "just a small scene, nothing worth being surprised about."

Back to normal, Jonathan even walked up to O’Connell with a grin and greeted him. "We meet again."

O’Connell was somewhat baffled. A group of strangers had come looking for him, and he guessed they probably wanted information about Hamunaptra. He had long been mentally prepared for that, but he had not expected these people to have such influence. The Warden seemed afraid of them.

The shackles had long since been removed. After wearing handcuffs for so long, his wrists felt uncomfortable. As O’Connell gently rubbed them, his eyes constantly swept over the group, trying to determine who among them was in charge.

As for Jonathan, who had eagerly stepped forward, O’Connell did not take him seriously. That guy was undoubtedly just a clown.

Besides, he found the man very familiar. It felt as if he had seen him somewhere before.

"We want to ask you something."

Evelyn did not care about anything else. Hamunaptra was all she could think about now. Upon seeing O’Connell, who might know something about that legendary city, she immediately stepped forward, wanting to question him in detail.

At that moment, the Warden said to Yinsen, "The person you wanted has been brought here. If you have no other requests, I’ll be leaving now."

He would have preferred for Yinsen and the others to leave, but he did not dare tell Yinsen to get out, so he could only hide far away himself.

To his immense delight, Yinsen had no intention of staying. Cairo Prison was hardly a comfortable place, and its environment was atrocious. Under normal circumstances, nobody would want to linger there for long. So, after meeting O’Connell, Yinsen casually pulled back Evelyn, who had kept trying to move forward, then pointed at Jonathan. "Keep an eye on him. That guy concerns your gold."

Nothing mattered more to Jonathan than gold. The greedy habitual thief declared that he would definitely keep watch over O’Connell and not let him escape. Then everyone turned and left Cairo Prison.

There was no need to observe any further. O’Connell already knew that the young man who looked rather young was the leader of this group.

As for the gold they mentioned, he could naturally guess that it referred to the treasure supposedly buried in Hamunaptra.

After leaving Cairo Prison, Yinsen and the others found a relatively clean hotel and checked in. Although they did not have currency from this era, Yinsen always carried hard currency such as gold and gemstones when traveling between worlds. Those things could be used in most worlds.

While they were arranging their rooms, O’Connell asked to buy a set of clothes and clean himself up. Yinsen was not afraid that he would run away, but after thinking it over, he still had Logan accompany him.

In the original story, Evelyn had found him, then rescued him from the gallows. Only then had he faithfully led Evelyn to Hamunaptra.

None of that had happened now. Who knew whether O’Connell would seize the chance to run away? But with Logan watching him, he had no such opportunity.

Once the lodging had been arranged, Yinsen ordered some local specialties and had them delivered to the room.

By the time a table full of local dishes had been laid out, O’Connell and Logan had returned as well. Seeing the man all cleaned up and transformed into a handsome, muscular hunk, Evelyn’s lovestruck tendencies flared up again. She stared so hard that she forgot to blink.

"Alright, now you can tell me what you brought me out of prison for."

O’Connell knew roughly why these people had sought him out, but he wanted to confirm his guess. He walked over to the table, sat down, and began stuffing himself.

His time in prison had not been pleasant. He had not eaten or slept well, and now that he was finally out, he had no intention of continuing to torture his stomach.

Yinsen did not mind O’Connell’s blunt question and answered just as directly.

"Hamunaptra. I need you to lead us to Hamunaptra."

After wolfing down several huge mouthfuls of food, O’Connell felt much better. He poured himself a glass of wine and swallowed what he had been chewing.

"How do you know I know where Hamunaptra is?"

Yinsen looked at Jonathan. The habitual thief had not wanted to speak, but even his sister Evelyn was glaring fiercely at him now, so he could only helplessly offer a few words of "explanation." "Remember me? We drank together at a bar. You got drunk and said some things…"

O’Connell smiled at Jonathan with an expression of sudden realization. "Ah, so that’s how it is…" Before he could finish, he threw a heavy punch into Jonathan’s face, knocking the grinning, nonsense-spouting thief unconscious.

He remembered now. He had indeed met this guy at a bar, and then the man had stolen a little item he had found in Hamunaptra.

Turning to look at the others, it seemed they had used that clue to realize that he knew Hamunaptra’s location.

He had no intention of denying it. Or rather, he also wanted to return to that place.

But searching for a legendary pyramid in the vast desert was no simple matter. Most importantly, it required sufficient funding.

O’Connell had a strong, healthy body and knew how to reach that place, but he did not have enough money to acquire sufficient equipment. Traveling through the desert without equipment was a death sentence.

Now, it seemed the funding had come knocking on his door?

No matter how he looked at them, this group did not lack money.

"I can take you to Hamunaptra."

Upon hearing that, Evelyn directly tossed the unconscious Jonathan onto the floor. The second impact woke the unlucky man up, though he was still groggy and had no idea what was going on.

"You really know where Hamunaptra is?"

"Isn’t that why you came looking for me?"

"You swear?"

It was not just Yinsen who was speechless. Even O’Connell looked at Yinsen in disbelief, his expression clearly asking, "Where did this goofy woman come from? Are you seriously taking someone this foolish into the desert to search for the legendary City of the Dead?"

"Mr. Rick O’Connell, from now on, I will provide you with sufficient funds. You will be responsible for preparing all the necessary equipment and supplies. Until we reach Hamunaptra, you will be our ‘commander.’"

Traveling through the desert was no easy task. Without an experienced guide, it would be a suicidal journey.

O’Connell had at least survived in the desert before and had even managed to return to Cairo alone from Hamunaptra. No one present was more qualified than him to serve as their "commander."

He was also satisfied with Yinsen’s terms. As for the gold in Hamunaptra, he did not care all that much. Or rather, he was a man who enjoyed the thrill of adventure. He would enjoy the journey itself, while also hoping to figure out what exactly the strange things he had encountered back then had been.

"Here’s to a pleasant partnership."

"A pleasant partnership."

Evelyn stared blankly at the two men, feeling as though she had suddenly become an outsider. She was clearly the one who had initiated this expedition to find Hamunaptra, wasn’t she?

Jonathan had also climbed back to his feet by then, rubbing the back of his head, which throbbed with pain. He still had no idea what was happening.

"Enjoy this meal while you can. Once we enter the desert, it’ll be hard to eat so many good things again."

O’Connell sincerely offered that advice, while also looking forward to watching these people make fools of themselves.

Just look at them: one foolish, adorable woman who had obviously never suffered a day in her life; one thief skilled at stealing things; one rich young man who looked fairly strong but seemed never to have endured hardship; and one delicate, soft-skinned Asian woman.

Only the big man looked somewhat capable, perhaps some kind of bodyguard. But O’Connell did not think that guy understood how terrifying the desert could be.

How would a group like this react when faced with all kinds of hardships and troubles in the desert? O’Connell was greatly looking forward to finding out.

"It’ll definitely be interesting."

Maybe when that time came, these rich people would offer him even more money to lead them out of that terrifying desert. Or perhaps they would regret embarking on this adventure from the very beginning.

"I really wonder whether these people can make it all the way to Hamunaptra."

O’Connell had no confidence in Yinsen and the others. Yinsen, who could more or less tell that he was being underestimated, had no interest in explaining anything. Once they entered the desert, he certainly would not be the one suffering.

More likely, it would be the brother and sister beside him. Jonathan’s fondness for stealing seemed more like a compulsion, while his sister was a scholar so absorbed in academic research that she had nearly become dull-witted. Neither of them had suffered much in life. This trip would probably provide quite a show.

As for the American expedition team also seeking Hamunaptra, Yinsen did not believe they would still have a chance to find the Book of the Dead before him after his intervention.

Even if they found it, they would not be able to keep it.