Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

In the 19th century, she left the Americas and returned to the European continent. Some of her academic manuscripts left behind in the Americas were found and eventually led to the development of theosophy and a novel genre of horror fiction. Meanwhile, she and her friend hid in a remote vampire castle in Western Europe to recover from their injuries and repair their severely damaged bodies and souls.

In the 20th century, technology flourished, and world wars raged. Mystical powers gradually faded from the world, and Alice, along with her friends, left for Gensokyo, one of the refuges for the unorthodox in this world. Then, in these decades of leisurely, aimless life, she transformed from a once decisive and ruthless witch into a lazy bum who only knew how to throw parties and throw spell cards.

More than six hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye, and now we are once again back to struggling for survival. Faced with this situation, Alice actually has only one thought in her mind.

If I have the chance to go back, I'll bring Patchouli with me!

“Then we need to revise our plans.” In the hotel lobby, Xiao Honglu stood on a chair, his hands on the edge of the table, and said with a serious expression, “Sister Alice not only has combat power comparable to the veteran members of the Zhongzhou team, but also possesses magical legendary methods that we do not understand. Therefore, there is room for many things to be re-planned.”

"For example?" Zheng Zha asked at the opportune moment, very cooperatively.

“Imhotep’s resurrection time.” Xiao Honglu gently plucked a hair. “The Indian team will arrive after Imhotep resurrects, which means two things. First, their combat power is above ours, so the main god judges that we have room to take advantage of them. Second, the main god has given us an opportunity to reasonably manipulate the timing of this team fight.”

“The second point is very important because, according to Captain Zheng Zha, the rule that ‘the Main God will not give the Reincarnation Squad a mission that is certain to result in death’ means we cannot indefinitely delay the arrival of the Indian team to set up a sure-kill trap. So even if we manage to stop them, Imhotep will inevitably be resurrected within a fixed period of time, and may even become stronger. Therefore, I expect this delay to be at most three to five days, or even less…” He raised an eyebrow.

"To be honest, I don't quite understand why the main god would do this. If it wants a fair team battle, it should provide a fixed time..."

"Cough, cough." Zhang Jie suddenly seemed to choke on his cigarette, quickly stubbing out the half-smoked cigarette. Perhaps to ease the awkwardness, he casually asked, "So what does this have to do with Alice?"

“Of course.” Xiao Honglu didn’t seem to care much. “The original plot required Evelyn to recite Imhotep’s resurrection incantation to release him. However, our original team knew nothing about ancient Egyptian magic and spells. Abruptly interrupting the process might backfire. So I didn’t consider this aspect at first. But now that we know Alice is a witch with far more knowledge than Evelyn and has mastered ancient Egyptian magic, we can easily get our hands on those two books before Evelyn recites the resurrection incantation, and then use them when the time is right.”

He turned his head to look at Alice. "Sister Alice, are you sure you can handle that?"

“As long as it’s not a soul-binding ritual, it’ll be fine,” Alice said with a smile. “If there’s enough time to prepare, I can handle even soul-binding rituals.”

"Bingo!" Xiao Honglu snapped his fingers. "Then that's settled. We can gain enough time to acquire our external support. And as long as we have that important scripture in hand, Sister Alice, you can reseal Imhotep using the method from Evelyn's original work. In this way, as long as we get those two books as soon as possible, we'll be in an invincible position from the start."

"Uh, wait a minute." Zheng Zha suddenly raised his hand. "Although what you said makes a lot of sense, and I feel it does... but after all this beating around the bush, where are our reinforcements?"

"Is that even a question?" Xiao Honglu glanced at him, while Zhan Lan and Zhao Yingkong stared at him as if he were an idiot.

"Of course, it's the tomb guardians' legion!"

The next day, when O'Connor came out of his room yawning, he saw Zheng Zha sitting alone on the sofa in the living room with dark circles under his eyes, cigarette butts scattered around his feet, looking as if he had been beaten up and had no energy left.

“Hey! Man, you don’t look well.” O’Connor looked at Zheng Zha with a strange expression. “Going to Hamunaptra is no easy task, and you can’t go looking like this.”

Zheng Zha glanced at him listlessly, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.

"You said..." His voice seemed to come from a foreign land. "Do I look stupid?"

“Well, everyone has things they’re not good at. So at times like these, you should trust your teammates and delegate the things you’re not good at… like thinking.” O’Connor pondered for a few minutes. “Although I haven’t known you for long, I think you’re a qualified leader rather than a qualified advisor. So you just need to do your job well.”

"………………" Zheng Zha exhaled a long puff of smoke. A white haze completely obscured most of his face.

"you're right."

"I do look stupid."

Section 6 - Terrified Eyes.jpg

After spending another hour or two dealing with miscellaneous tasks and resupplying, O'Connor led the Middle-earth team to meet Evelyn and her brother at the port of Giza in Cairo. They were initially wary when they saw the Middle-earth team, but when Alice appeared in Evelyn's sight, that wariness transformed into a complex and indescribable emotion.

To give an analogy, it's like a research slacker who finally gets an inspiration and is trying to make some achievements to turn his life around, only to find that a top expert next door is planning to do the same project as him.

How can we even play like this?! Evelyn considered herself a decent student, but compared to Alice, a monster who could easily beat even her own teachers, she felt she wasn't qualified to step onto this battlefield.

So she strode up to O'Connor, angrily ready to confront him. Then, she opened her eyes wide and saw O'Connor's face clearly...

As everyone knows, when Evelyn first met O'Connor, this poor fellow had already been locked up in a dungeon for months. He hadn't cut his hair, hadn't shaved, his clothes were filthy, and he looked like a beggar who hadn't eaten for three days. However, when O'Connor, the film's leading man, transformed himself, this stark contrast, coupled with his battle-hardened, tough aura, immediately gave Evelyn a powerful shock, leaving her almost speechless.

Okay, so this is what they call love at first sight.

The accusations that had been on her lips vanished without a trace. When Evelyn opened her mouth, all she uttered was a stammering, "You, hello..."

Her face immediately flushed red, and she lowered her head shyly. Then Jonathan immediately took her place and protested to O'Connor, bringing up topics such as gold. But O'Connor, who had already accepted Zheng Zha's gold, naturally wouldn't just take the money and leave without doing anything. He dealt with Jonathan's protests methodically, because he knew that this habitual thief only wanted money, while the Zhongzhou team didn't care much about money.

Just then, Alice stepped forward at the opportune moment.

“It’s nice to see you again, students of the Bell Museum.” She nodded gently, stating her purpose with the air of an academic elder. “Let me introduce myself again. I am Alice, Alice Margotrovid. I am very interested in the Hamunaptra ruins, so I have hired Mr. O’Connor as my guide at a high price. Of course, I have also heard about your situation, and I think we can travel together. So I hope we can get along well for the next while.”

She made a gesture towards the members of the Central Plains team.

“They are professional bodyguards I have hired, who can effectively handle any unexpected situations we encounter during our journey. Of course, we will also provide you with protection, so please follow our arrangements when necessary.”

"Wait! I didn't want to join your team!" Evelyn, who had been swooning over O'Connor, suddenly objected fiercely. "I admit you're amazing, but I have my pride too! We can achieve something even without you! We don't need to take your orders!"

She instinctively grabbed O'Connor's hand, as if asserting her dominance.

Alice could only sigh and lower her stance to slowly persuade Evelyn. While they were engaged in difficult but gradually reaching an agreement, the members of the Central Continent team were also conversing quietly in Chinese.

Zheng Zha: "I feel like something's off with Evelyn. Logically, she shouldn't be so vehemently opposed."

Zhan Lan: "...You wouldn't understand."

Zhang Jie: "Sigh, women. They're just so unreasonable."

Zhan Lan glared at Zhang Jie. Then Zhao Ying stomped on the air.

Xiao Honglu: "Brother Zheng Zha, you shouldn't get involved in this kind of thing. You can't handle it."

Zhan Lan: "You're the same way, kid! Don't meddle in adult matters."

Xiao Honglu: "I'm not young anymore! It's just about being wary of a love rival, right? This Evelyn took a liking to O'Connor at first sight, and now she's just feeling threatened by Alice!"

Zheng Zha: "Wait, wait! What's going on? What sense of crisis? And why is it Margot Royd?"

Zhan Lan: "That's right. Evelyn is young, beautiful, and skilled in archaeology. Alice, on the other hand, looks younger, prettier, and more knowledgeable in ancient studies, and she's also rich. She's a complete outmatch. Now that she's set her sights on O'Connor, she's naturally worried that she's not attractive enough to him, so she's working hard to eliminate her rivals."

Zhang Jie: "I think her breasts are quite big... Wait, don't step on them, don't step on them!"

Zhao Yingkong gave Zhang Jie a severe beating.

Zhan Lan: "In short, that's the basic situation. Ying Kong, Qin Zhuiyu, and I are all from the East. In this era, Evelyn wouldn't feel threatened by us, since the times are different. But Alice is different. Whether you look at it from an Eastern or Western perspective, she is almost flawless."

Zheng Zha: "So that's how it is... Wait, isn't this terrible!? We can't be separated from Evelyn in our plans!"

Just then, Alice suddenly leaned close to Evelyn and whispered a few words in her ear. A few seconds later, Evelyn's attitude did a complete 180-degree turn. Not only did she no longer resist the Central Continent team, but she also became more intimate with Alice... in a polite way.

“Alright, it’s settled.” Alice looked at the rest of the Central State team. Just then, O’Connor also successfully dealt with Jonathan.

In short, the expedition team finally boarded the ship ten minutes later. And soon the entire first-class cabin was won over by the Middle-earth team's golden offensive. Of course, Jonathan was also won over; although he had already been persuaded once by O'Connor, he was clearly willing to be persuaded again by gold.

"We'll head downstream along the river. This marked point is the ferry crossing. We'll disembark tomorrow at noon, and then walk west for half a day to reach an oasis. We can trade there, buying fresh water and camels. After that, we'll continue southwest, and if all goes well, we'll reach Hamunaptra in three days..."

O'Connor took out an expensive and detailed map, purchased by the Central State team, and spread it on the table. Pointing to the map, he spoke to the others.

Evelyn quickly asked, "You mean an accident? What kind of accident?"

O'Connor didn't say much; he simply opened his package, laying out the pistols, rifles, and various accessories that could arm almost a squad. He explained to Evelyn as he loaded the ammunition.

"The desert isn't peaceful; bandits and robbers are common. So we need to use this to persuade them. As for the City of the Dead... Miss, you don't think the City of the Dead is just a simple ruin, do you? Think about how many people died there. I feel there's something a little off about it."

Evelyn was stunned. She stammered, "I...I must have made a mistake. We're going on an adventure, right? Or are we going to war?"

She quickly looked at Alice. "You said you'd protect us, right? I just want to look at those two books, do some research, that's all. I can give them to you afterwards! As long as you can guarantee our safety..."

“Don’t worry.” Alice smiled and nodded gently. “Since I’ve promised to protect you, I won’t go back on my word. You can read the scriptures first, and then give them to me.” Her smile was approachable and quickly calmed Evelyn down. After a while, Evelyn and her brother left the living room for their own room, while O’Connor nodded to the Central State team and took his gun into his cabin.

"Alright, now it's our time." Xiao Honglu clapped his hands. "I remember there was another attack by men in black tonight, those were our planned reinforcements, so we still have plenty of time to plan our first contact."

“It’s up to you,” Zheng Zha replied easily, then turned to look at Alice.

"By the way, how did you convince Evelyn? I thought she would stubbornly refuse to come with us. And her attitude afterward was a bit strange, it felt like... closeness mixed with distance?"

"Are you sure you want to hear this?" Alice tilted her head slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"I...I want to hear it." Zheng Zha had a bad feeling.

“It’s simple,” Alice shrugged and said easily. “I told her I’m a lesbian and that I already have someone I like.”

Before the words were even finished, Zhan Lan, Zhao Yingkong, and even Qin Zhuiyu all took a big step back, their eyes filled with utter terror.

Chapter Seven: Being a Witch is Troublesome

The ensuing chaos lasted about fifteen minutes, but it wasn't really anything serious. The Zhongzhou team members had reportedly already experienced four movie worlds: A Nightmare on Elm Street, Resident Evil, Alien, and Ju-on. They'd struggled with life-or-death terror at least twenty or thirty times. The reason they panicked at Alice's simple statement, "I am a lesbian," was merely a convenient tactic by Zhan Lan and Zhao Yingkong to ease the tension among the newcomers before their first battle.

They are such kind people; I'm so lucky to have been part of their team.

As Xiao Honglu consciously took his position as a staff officer, making various preparations for the subsequent attack by the men in black, Alice silently observed the others present, labeling them according to her own evaluation methods.

Leaving aside the newcomers, Zheng Zha, Zhan Lan, and Saito Ichi are undoubtedly good partners—kind-hearted but not entirely rigid. Zhao Yingkong and Lingdian are kind-hearted despite their cold exteriors, making them equally suitable as teammates. Only Zhang Jie remains somewhat enigmatic to her.

Among the members of the Zhongzhou team, Zhang Jie's presence was almost equivalent to that of the sniper Zero. Although he would occasionally say a few words, he usually followed Zheng Zha like a shadow, giving the impression of an ordinary henchman. However, in Alice's intuition, Zhang Jie posed the greatest threat to her. And it wasn't just an ordinary threat, but the kind that meant 'if you make a move, you will definitely die, with no chance of survival.'

[The strong.]

However, they concealed their true strength, and the rest of the Zhongzhou team were unaware of this.

Alice decided to put the question aside for now and consider it after she arrived in Hamunaptra. After all, knowing something now would be useless and might even put her in danger. Just then, Xiao Honglu's preparations for battle also mentioned her.

“Sister Alice, I don’t know much about witches in the real world. In order to prepare for the upcoming battle arrangements, I need to know your general abilities.” He gestured a few times. “For example, invisibility, flight, and things like fireballs and ice spikes—can you do that?”

"Don't compare me to the witches in fairy tales," Alice chuckled. Although she now possessed the materials for spellcasting, without a magic furnace, all the physical enhancements, limb modifications, and additional organs she had acquired as a witch had vanished. Therefore, there wasn't much she could do right now.

“I can make flying brooms and concoct invisibility potions, but I don’t have the necessary ingredients right now. Those things are all very troublesome and won’t be available anytime soon.” Alice reached out and placed some strange badges, statues, and odd pebbles on the table. “I took a walk around the museum yesterday, and these are the only spellcasting materials I have that are truly useful. Throwing a few fireballs and ice spikes is no problem. Under the right conditions, I can also cast a few illusions, but other than that… that’s about all magic can do.”

"I see..." Xiao Honglu frowned slightly.

At this moment, Qin Zhuiyu, who was standing next to her, suddenly interjected and asked, "Then, Miss Alice, can ordinary people use your magic? Could you teach us newcomers, or make some protective amulets for us?"

Alice glanced at her but didn't say anything.

“Look at us newcomers, so fragile. Next, we're going to that Hamunaptra. I've seen the Mummy movie. Those curses, those scarabs and stuff... it's hard to deal with them with bullets, right?” She was clearly determined to fight for her own interests. “If we newcomers die, it won't be good for you either… right?”

Xiao Honglu gently plucked a hair from his head. He muttered under his breath, "Idiot."

Zheng Zha and Zhan Lan's expressions also turned sour. But just as Zheng Zha was about to speak, Zhan Lan gently pressed his hand down.

“I’m a newbie too,” Alice sighed softly. “And then, you’re an actor, right? How many dictionaries have you memorized? Can you assemble an airplane? Can you prove Hilbert’s equations?”

"How could I possibly know that kind of thing..."

"You can't even handle the common scientific system, yet you want to learn magic?" Alice turned her head away, no longer looking at her. "However, protective amulets... I can indeed try to make some. But that requires materials, gems and gold."

She then looked at Zheng Zha.

"These should be available to me, right?"

"Ha, no problem at all." Zheng Zha waved his hand at the table, and a large pile of gold nuggets and various gems clattered onto the table. "Is this enough? If not, I have more here."

“That’s enough,” Alice said, picking up a gem and examining it. “It’s a shame it’s man-made. It’s never been used, so it’s not quite as good as the ones that are available on the market, but it’s pure in material.”

"It's noon now, the attack by the men in black should have happened at night. With a workbench, it would take me about three hours to process them. For better results, a blood sacrifice would be needed; we'd need to prepare some bulls or lambs. What are your opinions?"