The eccentric scholar Alistair's arrival was like a powerful catalyst, instantly putting Lin Jie and William's investigation into high gear.
The "walking encyclopedia," who had devoted most of his life to studying Loch Ness, not only provided them with the most comprehensive theoretical support, but also enthusiastically resolved every logistical problem they faced while operating locally.
Thanks to the scholar's introduction, they easily rented a sturdy, inconspicuous steam-powered fishing boat from a trustworthy old fisherman.
The boat had been modified. It wasn't fast, but it had excellent range, and a small manually operated crane had been installed at the stern. This would be a great help if they needed to collect underwater samples later.
At dawn the next day, while the morning mist still veiled the dark surface of Loch Ness like a gauzy shroud, the little boat bearing a secret mission slowly left the harbor amid the low rumble of its steam engine. It quietly headed toward the waters along the shore of Urquhart Bay, where sightings were said to be most frequent.
Old soldier William naturally took charge of steering the boat.
He handled the helm and steam engine valves with the same steady reliability as the gun he had held for so many years.
The scholar, meanwhile, was like an excited inventor who had finally secured funding, unloading his precious equipment from the crates one piece at a time.
Lin Jie stood at the bow, facing the cold, damp wind off the lake as he gazed at the unknown waters ahead.
With the scholar's historical records to back him up, he no longer felt the slightest fear of the lake. All that remained was awe and curious anticipation.
"Here we are, gentlemen! Behold the greatest achievement of my twenty years of work!"
Alistair's voice was full of barely contained excitement.
With some effort, he pushed a strange contraption toward the railing. It looked like an upside-down copper bell—or perhaps some kind of early diving helmet.
The main body was made of cast brass, with a thick rubber seal around the lower edge.
Two long, hollow tubes, also wrapped in rubber, extended from the top. One connected to a brass earpiece resembling a stethoscope, while the other was attached to a hand pump that forced air into the bell to maintain balanced air pressure.
"I call it the 'Ear of the Lake,'" the scholar proudly explained. "The principle is quite simple: sound travels faster through water than through air."
"If we lower this sound collector deep enough, we might be able to hear those... voices from the abyss."
Looking at this crude bit of nineteenth-century "high-tech," Lin Jie couldn't help but feel a deep respect for the scholar's persistence.
This was the most advanced underwater listening device the Surface World's ingenuity could produce in this era.
It was bulky and inefficient, but it represented humanity's precious curiosity and courage—the desire to use its own ingenuity to explore the unknown.
"What an incredible invention," Lin Jie sincerely praised.
The scholar's enthusiasm only grew after receiving his approval.
Working together, the three of them used the crane at the stern to lower the heavy Ear of the Lake into the unfathomably deep, black-green waters of Loch Ness.
As they let out more and more cable, the sound collector sank deeper and deeper.
Ten meters, twenty, fifty... When the markings on the cable showed that it had reached a depth of eighty meters, Alistair signaled William to stop.
"This depth is just right," he explained. "It'll keep out the noise from boats on the surface without letting the water pressure damage my fragile sound collector."
"Now..."
He picked up the brass earpiece and reverently put it on.
William also shut off the steam engine. The boat fell into absolute silence on the vast lake.
Time passed, second by second.
Alistair's expression grew intensely focused and pained.
He was fighting against the immense noise underwater. At times he frowned, at others he shook his head, as if trying to make out what he was hearing.
"...There's too much interference," he muttered. "Water rushing against rocks... schools of fish swimming by... I think I can even hear the muffled scraping of the sediment shifting on the lakebed... No... None of those..."
William and Lin Jie held their breath, careful not to make a sound that might disturb him.
They knew that for this old man, who had devoted his life to this pursuit, this was more than a simple survey. It was a pilgrimage he had spent his whole life making.
But after more than ten minutes, an unmistakable note of disappointment gradually appeared on the scholar's face.
At last, he took off the earpiece in dejection.
"It won't work." He shook his head, his voice heavy with fatigue and frustration. "The sounds at the bottom of the lake are too complex."
"My 'ear' is still too dull."
"It can hear sounds, but it can't pick out the one unique 'melody' we're looking for from this noisy symphony—not like a true master could."
Seeing the old scholar, who had been so animated just moments ago, now drooping like a defeated rooster, Lin Jie felt a stir in his heart.
"Perhaps..." Lin Jie began slowly, "we could try listening in a different way."
The scholar and William both looked at him in confusion.
"Sound travels faster through solids than through liquids."
Lin Jie looked at the taut metal cable connected to the Ear of the Lake, and a daring idea began to take shape in his mind.
"What if," Lin Jie continued, laying out his theory, "the enormous creature at the bottom of the lake is constantly emitting some kind of... 'pulse' that we can't hear, but that is really there?"
"Then could that pulse travel not only through the lake water, but also through the bedrock—through the solid materials in direct contact with it—and reach us more efficiently?"
"You mean..."
Alistair looked perplexed.
Lin Jie glanced at the dark gray metal cable, whose far end was connected to the copper bell sleeping eighty meters down in the abyss.
"I have a special ability. I want to see if I can use this cable, this solid bridge linking us to the rock formations in the lake, to feel the Guardian Deity's heartbeat."
The idea was imaginative, but it also carried unknown risks.
To reach out and touch an ancient UMA of unknown power was like sticking a finger into a massive machine whose gears were still turning.
"Too dangerous!" William immediately objected. "We know nothing about its power."
"If you anger it—or if its immense will invades your mind in return—the consequences could be disastrous!"
"I understand the risks."
Lin Jie met William's gaze with calm confidence. "But I believe Old Fisherman Ian and the ancient legends weren't lying."
"As long as we don't mean it any harm, it won't attack us first."
"And besides..." He patted the Heart of Serenity revolver at his waist. "I have this to protect my mind when it matters."
"Sergeant William, please trust my judgment."
"This is the fastest way—and possibly the only way—to 'make contact' with it."
Seeing the unwavering look in Lin Jie's eyes, William finally fell silent.
He knew that once the young man made up his mind, nothing could change it.
All he could do was grip his rifle tightly and prepare for the worst.
Lin Jie took a deep breath.
He went to the railing and removed his glove.
Then he pressed his right palm firmly against the metal cable, which trembled faintly under the strain.
He closed his eyes and poured all his mental strength down his arm and into the probe that led into the abyss.
Touch of Afterimage—full power!
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