Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 125 Leisure Time (Part 1)

Lu Lin's wound eventually became infected and developed a high fever.

He didn't know where he was taken, and he kept hearing many people walking around and talking to him. He couldn't tell whether they were doctors or other people.

He lost control of time, but his mind was unusually clear—or perhaps it was a hallucination caused by fever.

My left shoulder feels like it's been gouged out; I can't feel anything, but it also feels very hot.

Lu Lin thought to himself, "Damn it, am I going to turn into Yang Guo?"

Most of the time he was in a semi-conscious state, sometimes for hours, sometimes for days, until one moment he heard voices communicating: "We have given His Highness Amir emergency treatment, using morphine and anti-inflammatory drugs, but the medical level in the country is not good enough, and there is a risk of long-term effects."

At this moment, Lu Lin felt someone walk up to him and say in his ear, "Major General, the situation in Garnam has now stabilized. Your mission is complete. We will now escort you away from the front lines."

Lu Lin thought to himself that he couldn't possibly refute it, so he blinked.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

A comfortable monsoon breeze blew in through the window. When Lu Lin opened his eyes again, he saw the fluttering white curtains and the breathtaking coastline outside the window.

What have I done to myself this time?
Is this still domestic?

Lu Lin sat up, accidentally aggravating the wound on his left shoulder, which made his eyelids twitch in pain.

He touched his head and found that his fever had subsided.

She felt clean and refreshed, as if someone had wiped her down, and she had been given a soft nightgown.

Looking around, he realized that he seemed to be "surrounded" by all kinds of gifts and bouquets, which were piled up on the bedside table and the floor around it, almost reaching the doorway.

He picked up the card from the largest and closest bouquet of flowers, which read: "—Wishing you a speedy recovery, Erich F. Stern."

"you're awake?"

Just then, a surprised voice came from the doorway. Lu Lin looked towards the door and saw a dark-skinned, thin man standing there. It was his older brother, Sultan.

Where am I now?

Baltimore, Maryland, United States.

Before he could ask any further questions, Sultan explained with a smile, "You were wounded in the battle of Ghanam. You were hit in the shoulder by a bullet, and shrapnel got stuck in your scapula."

However, due to your position as commander, we couldn't arrange for your evacuation during the most intense phase of the war. Therefore, you were only sent here for treatment after subsequent aid from the United States and Ant arrived and the situation completely stabilized.

At this moment, the nurse came in to change his dressing, but Lu Lin was stunned when he saw that the nurse was an Arab.

Sultan shrugged: "This nursing home has been bought by my father. It is the best private clinic in Baltimore. For your safety, most of the medical staff have been replaced with trustworthy people (international students sponsored by the Shuangzhi royal family)."

You don't need to worry about their professional competence either. Over the past year, they have all received top-notch training. Originally, they were preparing to return to China to work as key personnel in newly established hospitals, but now they are your professional nurses.

The nurse removed the bandages from Lu Lin's shoulder. Looking at the gruesome wound that was slowly healing, Lu Lin asked curiously, "Who ordered me to stay on the front lines?"

Although this order caused him to miss the optimal time for surgery, it was the right thing to do.

Moreover, Lu Lin knew that the one who gave the order definitely wasn't Bandar; Ibrahim might be, but he had disconnected even earlier than him.

Sultan was silent for a moment: "He is also my father."

Lu Lin raised an eyebrow. Could this be what they mean by "even a tiger won't eat its cubs"?
"Actually, your father also owes you something; he left you a gift."

Sultan pulled a large box out from under Lu Lin's hospital bed. Since Lu Lin's hands were not in good condition, his brother did it for him.

The moment the box was opened, his expression became quite interesting.

The box contained not expensive gifts, but bubble wrap printed with cartoon patterns—the kind of cheap packaging material commonly used in toy stores in the United States.

A large box of Lego bricks was stacked inside. In addition, he saw three game consoles, with the most classic Nintendo Famicom on top, game cartridges already inserted in the cartridge slots.

Several concert and sports game tickets, but they should have expired by now.

"My father picked these out himself. He went to three Toys "R" Us stores in Baltimore and asked the clerks which toys were most popular with young people."

Sultan's voice was filled with envy.

He never received such treatment, and his other siblings probably did as well.

Lu Lin had already imagined a powerful father who would rack his brains to make up for the lost fatherly love between him and his son.

He sighed inwardly. Well, at least it's more thoughtful than just giving away gold bars.

Just as he was thinking this, he saw Sultan take a letter out from the bottom of the box, inside which was a bearer check.

Lu Lin opened the letter with one hand and saw a message from Prince Muhammad, saying that he didn't know what Lu Lin liked and just bought some things randomly, but if there was anything he liked, he shouldn't feel bad about it. He could spend the money as he pleased, and if he needed more, he could ask his father for more.
Lu Lin: "."

This is the style of the Shuangzhi royal family that he is familiar with!
Just then, a loud voice came from the doorway, and a red-faced lieutenant general from the United States walked in, his chest covered in gleaming medals, followed by a large group of generals.

The moment the group of people rushed in, Lu Lin felt like he was suffocating, and the whole room instantly became murky.

These generals, reeking of oak and secondhand smoke, stared in amazement at Lu Lin lying on the hospital bed, laughing noisily and exchanging words in Saxon.

Lu Lin could clearly hear "Sohades," "Dog's White Bear!", and a general saying something like "Ha! Rellman!" before giving him a thumbs up.

The translator then began to introduce him to the identities of these generals, all of whom were veterans with outstanding achievements during World War II.

Normally, Lu Lin would have heard of at least a few of these people before, but now his memory only lasts for seven seconds.

The interpreter told him the general's name, and Lu Lin repeated it. The two shook hands and smiled, and the photographer immediately found a good angle and started snapping pictures.

It's a bit like when a bunch of unfamiliar relatives suddenly appear during Chinese New Year, everyone introduces themselves, goes through the motions, and then says goodbye until next year.

After seeing off this group of generals, Lu Lin thought he could finally catch his breath, only to be greeted by another group of elderly men in suits and ties.

Compared to the general from before, these people at least brought gifts to express their concern for Lu Lin's health, but they still showed no intention of letting him go.

The group surrounded him and told him some darkly humorous jokes, full of irony and satire. Everyone except Lu Lin clapped and laughed. Perhaps others would have felt flattered, but Lu Lin felt like a gorilla in a zoo being watched by a crowd.

After seeing the group of politicians off, he couldn't help but ask, "Wasn't it said that this place had been booked out?"

“Uh,” Sultan shrugged. “Since they’re already here, you can’t just send them back, can you?”
"You're a war hero now, people are giving you weapons, so it's only fair you give them some political capital in return, right?"

You get a weapon for taking a group photo?
Lu Lin: "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Just then, there was another knock on the door. Just as Lu Lin was about to continue "working", he heard a greeting in Arabic.

His voice was deep and gentle: "How's the recovery going?"

Upon hearing the voice, Sultan tensed up immediately, while Lu Lin was stunned because he was unfamiliar with the voice.

A tall old man walked in, followed by more than a dozen church members.

He wore a pure white headscarf, bound with a black rope headband, and an ankle-length black robe. He looked at Lu Lin on the bed with a kind smile on his face.

Who is this old man?
Lu Lin went through all the uncles and elders he had met during the past year, but couldn't find any match.

Could it be the crown prince?
The old man blinked and introduced himself: "My name is Sheikh Rashid bin Omar Al Sheikh."

The other person looked at Lu Lin's astonished expression with some regret: "I used to hold you when you were little."

Well, this time Lu Lin didn't mess up; he immediately knew who the old man was.

In Shuangzhi, besides the royal family "Al-Shat", there are several other families with extremely prominent status, such as the "Sheikh" family.

"Sheikh" is a synonym for Islam and almost monopolizes all high-ranking religious positions in the Middle East, especially in Shuangzhi.

The "Sheikh" before us is none other than the contemporary Grand Mufti, the true religious leader of Shuangzhi.

Lu Lin blurted out, "Shouldn't you be in the country?"

Although the Grand Mufti holds a prestigious position, they are also subject to constraints. The royal family avoids their contact with foreign powers unless absolutely necessary, so as not to affect domestic religious policies.

Let alone going abroad, they rarely even leave the holy city of Medina.

Unexpectedly, Mufti chuckled and pulled out a card with "Johns Hopkins Hospital" printed on it from his sleeve, saying, "As people get older, they always have all sorts of problems. A few years ago, I was diagnosed with acute heart disease, so I come to the United States for a check-up every now and then."

Okay, so it was medical parole.

“Don’t be nervous. I’m just here to meet some of my outstanding young people and have a casual chat,” said Rashid Mufti.

Seeing the other church members heading out the door, Sultan followed them with long strides, making sure to close the door behind him before leaving.

The Grand Mufti found a spot and sat down casually. He let out a normal "ouch" like an elderly person, then took a deep breath to calm himself, and smiled. "You fought brilliantly in Al-Iraq. Tell me, what makes you stand out so much among all the Arab generals?"

Lu Lin really wanted to answer, "Any normal commander would do a better job than those Arab generals," but he felt that answering like that would be a bit arrogant, since they had indeed performed quite well in the early stages.

What else could it be but a cheat code?
After thinking it over, he finally gave an answer that often appeared on the bulletin board: "It is the daily training, the strict discipline, the unity of the people on the battlefield, and the spirit of daring to sacrifice and fight."

"Well said."

Grand Mufti nodded: "To be honest, it's already quite remarkable that you can lead troops well at your age, let alone unite the people and army of Ghanam into a single battle line."

This also demonstrated to the world the Arab people's unwavering determination to resist Zion's invasion, regardless of national borders.

How should I respond to that? I'll just praise it.

Lu Lin: "This is all thanks to Tamiya. He's a very responsible and capable person. After we recaptured Ghanam, he's been working on the people's mindset."

He remembered that Taymiyeh and the Great Mufti were related.

However, to his surprise, the Great Mufti suddenly changed the subject: "I feel that you seem to be more inclined towards the secular side?"

Huh? Lu Lin: "Where did this come from?"

Grand Mufti thought for a moment: "Ever since you won the battle in Nukhshir, it's hard not to pay attention to you. News about you has naturally come to my desk. Don't be nervous. You are a general now. If a particularly outstanding general emerges in the army one day, you will also pay attention to him."

I only know this from other sources; you don't seem to care much about personal enjoyment or royal etiquette.

But you're not a 'pan-Arabist,' you're just... lazy.

Seeing that Lu Lin's expression was slightly unnatural, Da Mufu waved his hand: "I already said it was just casual conversation, don't mind it."

Before Lu Lin could even breathe a sigh of relief, the Great Mufti said again, "I was originally planning to invite you to join the church. With your abilities, if you spend a decade or so accumulating experience, you might be able to take over my position."

Lu Lin was taken aback: "But I'm not a member of the Xie family."

The Great Mufti looked at the young man before him and sighed, "Why don't you just marry one?"

“Well, but I still think I’m suited to be a general.” Lu Lin politely declined, “Excuse me for being frank, but the Church is not suitable for me, Your Excellency Mufti.”

What a joke! He's waiting to finish the war and continue enjoying life as a prince. How could he possibly put himself in religious shackles?
"Don't you want to be the Great Mufti?" The old man pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Then do you want to be the King?"

Lu Lin's eyes widened.

What did you just say, old man?!
Seeing that Lu Lin did not answer, the Great Mufti was shocked: "You don't really want to, do you?"

Lu Lin looked up at the ceiling: "If you want to arrest me and put me in the Inquisition, why go through all this trouble? Just have the people outside do it."

“I already said it was just casual conversation, no need for so many formalities,” the old man waved his hand again, “I thought you were the kind of ambitious young man!”

“I also thought you were a highly respected senior,” Lu Lin said irritably, “Does becoming king mean you can just do it? This joke isn’t funny!”

“It’s a matter of succession, brother succeeds brother,” the Great Mufti patted his shoulder and said with a smile, “At least you are qualified. Maybe in fifty years, it will be your turn?”

Lu Lin was stunned.

(End of this chapter)