Deathstroke did not leave the art gallery. He just looped around to the front door and turned to look at the building where the sniper was located. The opponent had obviously escaped by now; chasing him would be too late, and we could only hope Shiller captured the guy who snuck into the banquet and attempted to assassinate Mrs. Hall.
After a while, Shiller stood at the corner and waved to him. Deathstroke walked over, and the two stood at the base of the wall not far from the art gallery. Deathstroke could smell the faint scent of blood on Shiller.
"Did you take him out?"
"Yeah," Shiller nodded and said, "That guy was sent by Hayven, but not to assassinate; rather, he intended to kidnap."
"Kidnap?"
"That guy couldn't make a living in Cairo, but he still has some influence elsewhere. Without a steady stream of artifacts, his employers wouldn't let him off the hook."
"Oh, I see. He wanted to kidnap Mrs. Hall and then force Dr. Hall to hand over the Ancient Egyptian artifacts he holds, to make amends with his employers."
"Exactly, he won't give up easily. That guy built quite a network during his time as a museum curator. This time he failed, but he'll try other methods."
"Alright, so who is that sniper? They aren't in league together, right?"
Shiller shook his head without saying anything. Shortly after, his phone rang, and it was clearly the Halls calling. Shiller took out a small spray bottle from his pocket, sprayed himself, and the smell of blood quickly dispersed.
"Wait outside for a while," Shiller said.
"Don't forget I have a mission," Deathstroke reminded him, "The Justice League is still waiting for the Ancient Egyptian artifact expert."
"Don't worry," Shiller said, "There will always be an expert."
Shiller went inside. The Halls were no longer daring to sit near the floor-to-ceiling windows and had moved the reception area from the front hall to the back hall. The two of them sat on the sofa, looking a bit distressed.
Seeing Shiller come over, Dr. Hall hurriedly stood up and shook Shiller's hand vigorously, saying, "Thank you so much, Mr. Rodriguez. Without you, we would probably be dead now."
"It's nothing," Shiller shook his head and said, "With artifact theft cases so rampant, I naturally need to keep an eye on you. I didn't expect someone would actually take action."
Dr. Hall let out a long sigh and then said, "Maybe it's Hayven's revenge..."
As he said this, Mrs. Hall next to him made strong eye signals. Dr. Hall still seemed a bit hesitant, so Mrs. Hall spoke up herself, "I fear it's not just Hayven."
"Oh?" Shiller made a showing of interest.
"There are two killers, right?" Mrs. Hall said, "The one attacking me might have been sent by Hayven; he looked Arab. But the sniper might not be."
"Do you have any other enemies?" Shiller asked.
Mrs. Hall hesitated for a moment and then said, "We do indeed have a very formidable enemy who's been after us for a long time. That's why we had to leave Egypt and can never return."
Dr. Hall pulled her aside, seemingly not wanting her to speak, but Mrs. Hall continued, "We don't want to clash with him because he's... very difficult to deal with."
"How difficult?" Shiller asked, "If you're inclined to have me provide security for you, you should describe your enemy as detailed as possible. Only then can I arrange the right security personnel for you."
"Can we trust you?" Mrs. Hall asked, "No offense, I'm just saying we must be cautious."
"I'm merely a middleman; whether you trust me or not is your choice. But as long as you commission me, I will fulfill my responsibilities."
The couple exchanged a glance. Dr. Hall cleared his throat and said, "Here's the thing. Many years ago, I obtained a treasure—actually three. They are a treasure sword, gloves, and an amulet. Each of these treasures is incredibly valuable. We intended to keep these items forever in a private museum, but an evil subordinate found out. He was blindsided by greed, stole the treasure sword, and planned to kill us. We had no choice but to escape with the remaining two treasures overseas, ending up here."
Shiller nodded and said, "So it's clear he wants the remaining two treasures? Are those items really worth him going to such lengths?"
Mrs. Hall shook her head gently and said, "If we're just talking about value, maybe they're not that valuable. But you can think of it as a kind of curse. He has to get all three items."
"Sorry, I don't understand..."
"You should have heard some legends about Ancient Egypt, right?" Dr. Hall asked, "Or watched similar movies?"
"You mean like 'The Mummy'?"
"Uh, more or less, that's a bit exaggerated. But if I tell you that the Curse of the Pharaoh really exists, would you think I'm crazy?"
Shiller looked at him, shook his head, and said, "There are many things in this world that cannot be explained by science. For example, how Superman flies. Perhaps those famous legends of Ancient Egypt are not entirely baseless."
"It's best that you think that way. These three artifacts are related to this. In short, to get the remaining two, he will stop at nothing to kill us. And for some reasons related to mysticism, we can't give him the remaining two. So, we hope you can find someone to protect us."
"That big guy..." Mrs. Hall said, "He looks very strong. Can we hire him?"
"Of course, madam. But his fee is quite high, and he doesn't take long-term security jobs. It's just that he's happened to be working nearby, and I privately asked him, so he agreed to come take a look."
Dr. Hall hesitated a little, looked around, then lowered his voice and said, "He's a superpower user, isn't he? I can sense it..."
Shiller nodded and said, "Yes. He's a genetically modified soldier, so he's very strong. If he could come, he'd be a good choice, but unfortunately..."
Dr. Hall sighed lightly. At this moment, Shiller said again, "This is really troublesome, all these things happening together. I should have had someone directly kill Hayven at the time..."
"No, don't say that, you've already done enough," Dr. Hall said. "At that time, he was still the director of the Egyptian Museum, had some influence locally. If he died, you might not have been able to get away easily. It's better not to take such risks."
After pausing for a moment, he continued, "But he is indeed a big problem. I feel that his targeting me is not just for revenge, it's more likely that he's got his eyes on the artifacts I have."
Shiller nodded in agreement and said, "Indeed, I can tell he's a greedy man. So, what are you going to do? Or maybe leave here for a while, lay low?"
"That would be handing over these valuable artifacts," Dr. Hall said, pursing his lips. "You should understand my attachment to them, I can't give them up. Protecting the artifacts is my responsibility. So, I think it's time to move forward with our plan. Where are the murals now? I think we can use them to catch Hayven's attention. As long as we create enough of a stir, he won't focus on the things I have."
Shiller sighed and made a troubled expression. He said, "Actually, the murals are currently with the Justice League."
"Justice League?!" Hall was a bit surprised, "How did they end up with the Justice League?"
"As you said, the place in Egypt might be influenced by some mystic factors, so when the murals were taken there, they became somewhat strange and got tied to some things the Justice League is investigating. When I shipped the murals to the East Coast, they came to me, saying they needed them for research. I figured it wasn't real artifacts, so I gave them away."
Dr. Hall frowned deeply, "The murals were made by us; they're not Ancient Egyptian artifacts, how could they be related to mysticism?"
"That's my fault too," Shiller admitted. "After Hayven took the murals, they were stored in his private vault for a while. I'm not sure what happened during that time. But someone added new content to the top left corner of the murals. That's probably what the Justice League wants to investigate."
"New content? What does it look like?"
Shiller took a sheet of paper, drew something briefly. Hall took it and showed a puzzled expression, saying, "This seems to be hinting at the moon, but it's not how the people of Ancient Egypt typically depicted the moon. We usually would... I mean, they would usually depict the image of Khonsu. Have you heard of Khonsu?"
Shiller shook his head. Hall gave a brief explanation, then said, "If it were traces left by the people of Ancient Egypt, it would probably look like this..."
Hall drew a few strokes casually. The image of a tall, thin figure with long limbs appeared on the page, his head turned to the side, with two feathers atop his head and a long beak, depicting a god with the head of a bird and the body of a man, holding a long staff.
"You truly are an expert in Ancient Egyptian history and culture," Shiller praised. "Though I don't understand this field, your drawing is almost identical to an Ancient Egyptian mural."
Mrs. Hall glanced at Dr. Hall, who quickly said, "I only seem proficient because I've seen many. With the murals in the hands of the Justice League, this might be a bit troublesome..."
"No, I think this actually presents a great opportunity for us," Shiller said. "What if we send Hayven to cause trouble for the Justice League? What about your enemies?"
They exchanged another glance. Dr. Hall hesitated a bit and said, "I have no doubt that the Justice League can deal with them. But isn't it a bit... to divert trouble to them..."
"First, the Justice League won't stand by while experts like you are murdered. If you seek their help, they should assist. Secondly, you also hold value. If they want to study the Ancient Egyptian murals, naturally they need to protect you. Otherwise, who would help them decipher the clues on the murals?"
"But the murals are clearly... oh, I see," Dr. Hall caught on, "As long as I claim they are Ancient Egyptian, my wife and I can stay to conduct a series of studies. We can use the murals to draw Hayven's attention and rely on the Justice League to protect us against our enemies."
"Exactly," Shiller said, "and it's not really lying. The murals, though crafted by us, have added elements that are indeed worth studying. It's mutually beneficial."
Dr. Hall nodded and said, "That's a viable plan. But how do we get the Justice League to think of us?"
"I'll take care of that," Shiller said, "There aren't many experts in Ancient Egyptian history and culture in America, and you two are among the best. Wonder Woman in the Justice League also seems to be a professional. With just a hint, she would certainly invite you over."
"Thank you so much," Dr. Hall said, "Mr. Rodriguez, without you, we really wouldn't know what to do."
"No need to thank me." Shiller nodded to him, took out his phone from his pocket, glanced at a message, and left. After stepping out, he said to Deathstroke, "It's settled. Go find him tomorrow morning and finish your task."