O’Connor

"Are you sure you really don’t want that gold?"

"What else? My goal is only those two Bibles."

As they headed toward the prison, Jonathan once again slipped over to Josh’s side and asked him that question, making Josh roll his eyes.

This guy really was greedy beyond belief. Josh truly couldn’t understand how someone like him, along with his unbelievably naïve sister, had managed to survive in this godforsaken place until now.

After all, whether now or in the future, Egypt was hardly a peaceful place. At least in Josh’s impression, this place had always been a mess.

But Josh couldn’t be bothered to worry about that. In his memories, those two were still alive and well even by the final The Mummy film. They were probably textbook examples of people with explosively good luck.

Jonathan was clearly still uneasy. After all, that place was supposedly covered in gold.

Judging by Josh and the others’ clothes, he felt that they really did not seem like people short on money. Yet something still felt strange to him, though he could not put it into words.

In the end, unable to figure it out, Jonathan could not be bothered to think any further. They had already arrived at the prison entrance. Cairo’s prison was no pleasant place. Then again, prisons anywhere in this era were pretty much the same—filthy, chaotic, awful, and reeking.

What was more, a prison like this had no order to speak of. The highest authority was the warden, and here, he was practically a king. He could decide the life or death of any prisoner inside. If he wanted, he could even let someone sentenced to death walk out of prison alive.

But the emperor of this prison was not having a pleasant time right now. Josh did not even need to offer him any reward before he decisively agreed to Josh’s request. As for the scene in the original story where O’Connor hung from the gallows and haggled with Evelyn and the others, it simply never happened.

The reason was simple. After Josh found the man, he actually showed an interest in Natasha, which infuriated Josh. Natasha, however, smiled and soothed Josh, telling him not to do anything rash before walking over herself.

"Are you interested in me?"

"What do you think, miss? If you’re willing, I can release every prisoner here for you."

"Is that so?"

Natasha did not get angry as she looked at the shameless expression on that damned warden’s face.

She smiled faintly and placed a hand behind him. Then, with a slight exertion of force, a weak strand of Battle Qi entered his body, and the man immediately began to feel unwell.

By then, Natasha had already stepped away from him. She somehow produced a handkerchief, wiped her hand with it, and said, "I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in anything you said. However, I think that if you don’t listen to me, you may die a very miserable death."

The warden looked at the beautiful woman, completely unconcerned at first.

But as Natasha’s words fell, he suddenly felt something moving inside his body, like a living worm. Most terrifyingly, it was slowly making its way toward his heart!

"W-What the hell is this?"

"Well, I’m not entirely sure how to explain it. Simply put, I left something inside your body, and whenever I wish, it can end your life directly. If we’re talking duration, it should last around a hundred years."

Natasha tilted her head as if thinking, but her words made cold sweat stream down the warden’s face.

This era was still fairly superstitious. Faced with such fear, even a man like the warden could not withstand it. Especially when Natasha seemingly activated the strand of Battle Qi in his body just to test the effect. The warden immediately felt as though he were about to suffocate!

He knew this was absolutely not an illusion! If that intense pain was an illusion, then what could possibly be real? So, once Natasha stopped controlling that strand of Battle Qi, he decisively shouted at the top of his lungs.

"I’ll arrange it immediately! I’ll have that man released at once! I swear! And I will absolutely never have any improper thoughts about you again, madam!"

The warden surrendered incredibly quickly, so quickly that Evelyn had not even figured out what had happened before this rude, lecherous man had already yielded.

The warden’s face was pale. He was even considering whether he should get the hell out of this place as soon as possible.

It was too terrifying. If the person threatening him had merely been an ordinary woman, that woman would probably have been in his bed tonight.

But this exceptionally beautiful woman was no ordinary person! She was nothing less than an incomparably evil witch!

Threatened by a witch, and cursed by one too? The warden felt like killing himself.

Natasha looked at the warden with amusement, shrugged indifferently, then walked straight over to Josh and gave him a look that said, See? Aren’t I impressive?

Josh was no fool, naturally, and immediately gave Natasha a thumbs-up. The sight made Garen roll his eyes again and again.

This pair of shameless lovebirds is really annoying.

Garen and Alexios thought the exact same thing almost simultaneously. Of course, neither of them would actually say it aloud.

At that moment, Garen rather missed Akathosh and that sharp-tongued bastard. If he were here, he would probably have mocked Josh a few times. This damned cloying atmosphere was unbearably nauseating.

"What just happened?"

The warden personally rushed out to fetch someone, while Evelyn and her brother, who remained in the office, stared blankly at Natasha. They had not understood what had just happened at all.

It seemed that this exceptionally beautiful woman had merely walked over, patted the warden, said some incomprehensible things, and the warden had submitted?

"Nothing much. I just used a little trick. Well, a little trick that works especially well on people like him," Natasha explained with a smile and a shrug.

"Um, can I learn it?"

"That might be difficult. It requires a certain talent, after all. I think you’re better suited to studying ancient literature."

"I suppose so."

Evelyn nodded nonchalantly. She had not truly intended to learn such things anyway. She just thought it seemed interesting, and perhaps she could try using it herself someday. But since the other woman had declined so tactfully, Evelyn naturally would not put any more thought into it.

Not long after, the warden hurriedly brought up a man who looked utterly disheveled.

"Is this the man?"

Josh took one look at the bearded man, then turned to Jonathan with a puzzled expression.

Though Josh felt they had most likely found the right person, it was still best to confirm it with someone involved. After all, Jonathan had had some "history" with this man.

"Yes, that’s him."

Jonathan was also confused by everything Natasha had done, but he assumed the woman had learned some special combat techniques. Besides, he really was the best person to identify the man. He had stolen his map from him, after all.

"Hey, mate. We meet again."

"Damn it, it’s you! You damned thief!"

O’Connor was somewhat bewildered by the group of people he did not know. No, there was one person he knew. But that was not important. He knew he might have been saved.

The most likely reason they had rescued him was that they wanted information about Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead.

And O’Connor could clearly see the fear in the warden’s eyes whenever he looked at these young people.

O’Connor even wondered whether these young people might be descendants of that family. With that thought in mind, he behaved quite sensibly and obediently.

"Gentlemen, ladies, now that you’ve found the man you were looking for, may I—"

"You can go."

Josh waved a hand, directly dismissing the warden, who had been frightened half out of his wits. But the warden did not leave immediately. Instead, he stood where he was with a troubled expression, making Josh glance at him curiously.

"What is it? Didn’t you want to leave?"

"N-No, sir. I wanted to ask about… what’s inside my body…"

"Don’t worry about it. That thing won’t affect your life. Of course, if you intend to do anything bad, we can use it very conveniently to take your life. It’s that simple. You may go now."

Josh casually explained without much concern. Natasha’s method of using Battle Qi was not particularly advanced; it was simply highly skillful. Josh could have achieved an even better effect with magic, though he felt there was no need. This was already enough.

Not bothering to look at the warden’s bitter face as he kept looking back with every step, Josh fixed his gaze on O’Connor, who looked like a wild man.

O’Connor was looking at Josh as well. Josh’s pure london accent made O’Connor think that he, too, had come from the United Kingdom.

"You… cough, cough. Gentlemen and ladies, did you come looking for me because you want to know about Hamunaptra?" O’Connor asked cautiously.

"Of course. Why else do you think we saved you?" Josh shrugged as though it were obvious.

"Actually, we weren’t planning to look for you. But unfortunately, that map was destroyed, and we can barely make out the original route anymore. So we had no choice but to find you. Do you still remember the route?"

"Of course."

O’Connor nodded. Naturally, he remembered that place, and he had encountered some strange things there back then.

For example, the yellow sand that had relentlessly chased after him. Those experiences had left a sufficiently deep impression on O’Connor that he could never forget them.

"Can you still take us there?"

"Of course, but I’m afraid we can’t travel through the desert like this."

"That’s not a problem. The only question is whether you can take us there. And I think we have our answer now."

Josh had his answer. In truth, he already knew it without asking, but to avoid seeming as though he knew too much, he chose to ask anyway.

Rubbing his chin, Josh thought for a moment before speaking. "You don’t need to worry about equipment. We’ll prepare everything for you. You don’t need to worry about anything else either. Your only job is to lead the way. No problem?"

"I think I understand. But I think I’d better take a bath and change clothes first. Looking like this…"

"Of course. That’s absolutely necessary!"

Josh immediately agreed to his request. This man smelled far too awful right now, and he truly looked no different from a wild man.

If Josh took a guy like this outside, forget anyone else—even Josh himself would feel embarrassed looking at him.

"I don’t want to walk through the streets with a wild man."