Chapter 44: Abandoned Castle

When the dense fog that had enveloped the entire Urquhart Bay dissipated, the lake surface returned to its former tranquility.Sergeant William, with his extensive experience, judged that the ship's keel had likely fractured, and even if it hadn't completely sunk, it was absolutely beyond repair.

Alistair, the scholar who had spent his entire life pursuing truth, had fallen into a state of religious fervor after experiencing this "miracle."

He knelt at the bow, continuously chanting prayers in ancient Gaelic praising the "Guardian Deity" toward the center of the lake, tears streaming down his face.

"What... what should we do now?" Alistair calmed down slightly from his excitement, looking at William and Lin Jie with eyes full of confusion. "That Guardian Deity has delivered its warning. Should we... immediately leave this place and cease disturbing its peace?"

"No, quite the opposite, Mr. MacDonald." Lin Jie responded firmly, his gaze locked on the stranded exploration ship in the distance. "Our mission has just entered its most critical phase."

William nodded in agreement.

"Those fellows won't let this go so easily." The veteran soldier judged with his characteristic logic. "One failure will only make them return with more powerful weapons and more meticulous plans next time."

"They lost an expensive ship and so many personnel tonight, but this will only provoke the anger of the organization behind them."

"If we don't dig them out completely, that 'Guardian Deity' will never know peace."

Lin Jie's thinking perfectly aligned with William's.

He forced himself to endure the waves of headache brought by mental exhaustion and began a precise, calm logical analysis.

"Their ship is stranded, all their heavy equipment is destroyed, but there must be survivors." Lin Jie's fingers slowly traced patterns in the damp air.

"These survivors absolutely won't risk exposure by seeking help from the authorities in Inverness."

"They will, and must, return to their forward operating base in this area, established for rest and planning operations."

This deduction was inevitable.

A professional, well-equipped action team like this would never place all their hopes on a single ship.

Before the operation, they must have established a sufficiently safe and concealed foothold nearby.

"That base must possess several characteristics." Lin Jie's thoughts grew increasingly clear.

"First, it must be sufficiently concealed to avoid the sight of local residents and authorities."

"Second, it must have enough space to accommodate their personnel and those complex alchemical devices we haven't seen yet."

"Third, and most importantly, it must provide an excellent strategic vantage point for long-term surveillance of the lake surface activity in Urquhart Bay."

As he spoke, he spread the detailed regional map back out on the cabin table.

His fingers moved like placing chess pieces, passing over locations on the map that simultaneously satisfied all three conditions.

He first eliminated the inhabited villages and farms, as well as the flat, open terrain areas.

Finally, his finger stopped at a place on the map marked with dark contour lines and special symbols, filled with history and ominous atmosphere.

There stood an ancient castle that had been abandoned for centuries, its name as famous as the legends of Loch Ness itself.

—Urquhart Castle.

This magnificent fortress, which had witnessed several bloody wars in Scottish history, now remained only as ruins, like a scarred giant standing silently and alone on the most prominent headland along Loch Ness.

Its geographical position was uniquely advantageous, surrounded by the lake on three sides with steep cliffs at its back, both easily defensible and possessing an unparalleled excellent view for monitoring the entire Urquhart Bay lake surface.

"This is the place." Lin Jie heavily circled the castle's outline with his pencil tip.

"Is there any place more suitable for serving as a secret cultist base than a supposedly haunted ancient castle abandoned for hundreds of years?"

Alistair looked at the familiar name on the map, his face showing both shock and understanding.

"My God... why didn't I think of it! Urquhart Castle... it has never been considered a benevolent place in local legends!"

"They say you can still hear the ghosts of English soldiers killed in battle centuries ago wailing on the castle walls at night!"

"Because of this, aside from occasional bold tourists visiting during daytime, absolutely no local would dare approach within miles after nightfall!"

A perfect natural barrier constructed by superstition!

Sergeant William had already begun checking the Colt revolver at his waist and the Winchester rifle on his back.

His actions had already demonstrated his absolute support for Lin Jie's deduction.

The experienced veteran knew that when this young "Interpreter" delivered a conclusion with such certainty, the truth was almost beyond doubt.

Anyway, it was so close—no harm in checking.

The plan was thus finalized.

They didn't choose to act immediately.

Lin Jie's physical condition didn't permit it, and they also needed to wait for the organization members who survived the shipwreck to return to their nest like frightened rats.

They hid the fishing boat more concealed, then took turns resting to recover their physical strength and mental energy.

Lin Jie seized every moment, forcing himself to eat high-calorie dried meat and bread, drinking large amounts of water, repairing his body damaged by mental overexertion as quickly as possible.

Late the next night, when Lin Jie felt his headache had finally lessened considerably and he could barely perform some low-intensity reverberation perception again, they began their operation.

They didn't take the front path tourists normally used to ascend the hill, but instead chose to climb the steep, rubble-covered cliff behind the castle.

When they quietly scaled the ancient moss-covered wall like ghosts and stepped into this abandoned castle, an intense odor more unpleasant than a sewer filled their nostrils.

Under the moonlight, Urquhart Castle was like skeletal remains crouching upon the earth.

The broken towers resembled fractured ribs pointing helplessly toward the sky.

The collapsed walls cast jagged black shadows upon the ground.

The howling night wind whistled through arrow slits and window openings, producing chilling moans.

This was indeed a veritable "ghost castle."

And within this deathly silent ruin, Lin Jie's perception keenly captured a trace of living presence that didn't belong here.

It was the distinctive faint herbal burnt scent characteristic of alchemical potions being heated.

His deduction was completely correct.

Somewhere in a corner of this ancient castle, a group of people was hiding.