Long-term salvation

open the door.

Father Merlin glanced at the situation outside the door and said with a hint of doubt:

"I thought you would come alone or with a few helpers, but this number is too many for helpers."

"They are observers, paranormal investigators within the ranks of the Army Without Borders—please forgive my presumptuousness, Father."

"No, that's fine too. Please come in, Mr. The Lord."

Chapter 212: Your name is Pazuzu? (2/3)

As Rhodes walked into the house, the strange phenomena around him subsided, and even the demon subconsciously shut his mouth.

The temperature in the room rose slightly, as if sunlight was shining into it.

Deathly silence filled every corner, with only the sound of footsteps ringing out one after another. Twenty-one paranormal investigators were scattered throughout the hall, looking at the tied-up girl with serious eyes, and from time to time recording in their notebooks and taking pictures of the scene with cameras and video cameras.

After listening to Father Merlin's brief introduction of the situation, Rhodes did not immediately look at the possessed girl. Instead, he stretched out his hand and wiped the wall with his index finger. The frost and mold on the tip of his finger gradually dissipated, leaving no trace. In fact, although he knew how the "demons" in these religions were born (Chapter 132), this was the first time he had seen the real thing so intuitively.

It's just right to be used as an experimental subject.

"Pazuzu, the wind demon king in Babylonian mythology, also represents the south wind and is the bringer of drought," Rhodes casually named the demon possessing the girl. The demon's body trembled slightly, hatred and a hint of fear appearing on its face... but it didn't dare look directly at Rhodes, just as humans find it difficult to look directly at the sun. "How did you come here? Who freed you from the other world?"

"..."

"not talking?"

Rhodes walked over to Father Karas, nodded slightly, and reached out to take the Bible from the priest's hand. This action finally made the demon react. It controlled the girl's mouth and squeezed out a hint of ridicule:

"This book is of no use to me!"

Rod took the Bible, flipped through it, and then walked towards the possessed girl. He slapped the book back and forth on the girl's face, making a snapping sound. It was simply humiliating! This was humiliating!

The demon was so startled by the sudden action that it froze in place. After being hit four or five times, it came to its senses and finally dared to look at Rhodes in anger. However, as soon as it opened its mouth, the Bible slapped its words back.

Not very harmful, but extremely insulting.

"Your name is Pazuzu, right? And that's quite useful," Rhodes said, his voice sounding like a thug from a big city. "Speak up, how did you get here?"

“…You…you…Ah ...

Rhodes didn't bother to talk nonsense, he just spread his fingers and placed his palm on the girl's face. The strange sizzling sound of flesh being burned by the hot iron immediately filled the ears of everyone in the room, followed by the devil's painful scream!

Removing his hand, Rhodes looked at the place he touched. The girl's skin had gradually returned to its original state. It seemed that it was only the devil's power that was at work.

"Everyone, I just demonstrated a wrong move. You don't have the same power as me, so it's best not to come into direct contact with 'creatures from the other world,' including 'contaminated real-world creations.'"

Rod turned and spoke to the twenty-one paranormal investigators, untying the ropes that bound the possessed girl. He threw the rope aside, looked around, and continued:

"What if this thing spreads through skin contact? Of course, this also includes things like airborne transmission. You can refer to how you would respond to a biological or chemical attack—determine the type, handle it flexibly, ensure safety, and obtain intelligence. This is the guideline—especially the last point. Intelligence is our greatest reliance in facing the unknown. I won't force you to trade your lives for intelligence, but if necessary, everyone must be prepared to sacrifice."

"understand!"

Hearing these passionate voices, Father Karas supported Ms. Chris and looked at Father Merlin for help, but the latter just pursed his lips and looked at Rhodes' palm that had just covered the devil's face.

Father Karas looked away and was about to say something when he saw the possessed girl suddenly leaping onto the stairs to the second floor!

"The devil is escaping!"

The devil failed to escape. When it jumped onto the stairs, it felt a little happy in its heart, but when it looked up, it saw the girl standing at the stairs on the second floor - Kurosaki Hina, standing there with a strange clay statue in her hand.

The leader of Solomon's seventy-two demons was looking back quietly, her bat wings and halo displayed undisguised in the house.

"Baal?! How could you possibly be here?!"

Ignoring the demon's screams, the girl opened her cherry lips and said indifferently:

"Get back."

After a few seconds of silence, the demon Pazuzu turned around, went downstairs, and returned to his original position, standing like a minion:

I'm hitting Baal, is that true?

And that man down there… Pazuzu didn't even dare to call out his name!

If Rhodes knew the devil's thoughts, he would only sneer - the creatures of the other world born from human thoughts, especially these religious "demons", are all bound by their own "characteristics" and cannot escape this rut ​​throughout their lives.

"Did you see that?" Rhodes patted the aggrieved demon with the Bible. "The subject of your investigation might resist or escape. Therefore, you need to contact the armed personnel of the Army Without Borders for timely intervention. Of course, you should also contact the local armed forces, such as the militia, police, or guards. Also, contact the executive officer of the Reality Veil Administration for easy handling."

"Wait, Boss, I have a question."

The speaker was Detective Sebastian, who had resigned from the Crimson City Police Department to focus on paranormal investigations and locating his family. The detective glanced at the possessed girl and felt that the demon before him was far less oppressive and powerful than Ruvik's... Putting aside his disdain, Sebastian asked, "What's the matter with you?"

"What if the subject of the investigation escapes or is difficult to detect? Is it like searching for clues to a crime?"

"Correct," Rod nodded slightly. He smiled and said to Hinata who was walking towards the stairs, "Good girl, give me what you found."

Hinai calmly walked through the crowd, and under the horrified gazes of Father Merlin and Father Karas, he pressed the winged demon sculpture into Rhodes' hands. After carefully examining it, the latter held up the statue, showing it to the others, and then said:

"An archaeological item was mailed incorrectly. These ancient relics often contain artifacts from the otherworld. You need to track them down and recover them... Mary, have you found anything?"

"No, Sensei, everything is normal, except that the food in the kitchen is rotten."

The little nun strolled out from the kitchen. She had just checked the entire house with Hina, but only Hina found the statue - a statue of a demon sent from Iraq by someone unknown - chaos had already begun in the Middle East, undercurrents were surging, but no one knew it.

"Areas where otherworldly creations appear often exhibit unusual phenomena. In most cases, this can be used as a basis for investigation, but it's not always the case. You'll need to be more careful in your specific actions."

Rhodes spoke lightly as he looked at the possessed girl, the demon inside her trembling with fear—Baal, Mary Magdalene, and that man… the second person of the Trinity.

The scorching sun was burning the demon's body, causing it to let out a faint cry of pain, but it soon saw the man open the pages of the Bible and motion for it to hold them with both hands.

"This... won't work... on me," Pazuzu gritted his teeth, even recognizing the underlying weakness in his voice. "If you try to forcefully expel me, I'll kill this girl!"

"read."

Rhodes said calmly.

"I want to hear you read the Bible."

demon:"……"

Chapter 213: Exorcism Completed (3K·3/3)

"W-what?!"

"I know it's useless. I just want to humiliate you." Rhodes nodded. "Now, read the Bible to me loudly, seriously, and without missing a word."

"Are you kidding me?! Even if you are the Son of God, you cannot humiliate me like this!"

The demon flew into a rage, throwing the Bible to the ground. Its fingers suddenly extended as it lunged towards Rhodes. Darkness returned at that moment, and a dry, smelly wind whistled through the hall. Chill rose from the depths of the souls of everyone present, causing milky white mist to escape from their mouths and noses.

However, this strange vision did not last long. The moment the demon leaped up, Mari grabbed its ankle and threw it straight to the ground with a slightly funny muffled sound. When Pazuzu tried to get up, Hina kicked him back to his original position and hit the wall.

There was silence for a few seconds, and then the devil's stuttering and rather aggrieved voice reciting the Bible could be heard in the hall. Mary, who was standing next to him, clenched her fists and occasionally corrected the pronunciation and mistakes. The girl, whose godhead was based on Mary Magdalene, could make the devil feel pain just by standing next to him.

Amidst the laughter of the crowd, the devil turned his eyes to "Baal" for help, but was horrified to see the pure love for the man in the eyes of the chief demon.

For the first time, the demon Pazuzu felt despair.

It hated the fact that it had intelligence, emotions, and eyes—for God's sake, the demon Baal had actually mixed up with the Son! God, do you know? Are you really all-knowing and all-powerful? Open your eyes and look, God!

Rhodes didn't care about the devil's thoughts, but he did feel a little tricky:

How do we get this thing out of the girl's body? Not just out, but also to bind it, turn it into a specimen, a sentient being from the other world!

If Pazuzu appeared in a real body, it might be a bit troublesome to control it, but if it possessed a human girl... Rhodes had more thoughts in his mind, and as he had thought before, he needed to do an experiment.

Amidst the discussions of the crowd, Rhodes took out the black stone, held it in his hand, and placed the demon statue in the shape of Pazuzu in front of the possessed girl.

The moment the black stone appeared, the demon Pazuzu's voice suddenly changed, and the pain on the face of the girl possessed by it became more obvious. Only at this moment did the Bible seem to have gained real power. The demon could no longer recite the words. It threw the Bible away as if it had been scalded, rolled on the ground, and howled like a wounded jackal.

The whole house was shaking slightly, dust and debris were flying everywhere, and ugly cracks appeared on the walls and ceiling, and insects seemed to be crawling in them.

"It seems the Black Stone is suppressing the energy of the otherworld here. Just such a small piece has such an effect... No, it's also because of me, Mari, and Hina being here. You're really lucky, then."

Rhodes bent down, picked up the Bible, and threw it to the stunned Father Karas, while he slowly approached with the stone, causing the demon's shadow to struggle back and forth under the girl's skin, trying to escape but having nowhere to go.

The demon never wanted to return to the statue. It hated the unchanging silence and darkness... but it was also more afraid of extinction.

"Without the support of the energies of the other world, and unable to draw sufficient strength from human emotions, something like yours, born from human thought and imagination, is no more than this—so we really need a specialized force to target religious artifacts."

Suddenly, Rhode had some ideas about the Holy Trinity Organization, but now he still had to deal with the current situation:

Rhode's fingers slashed across the possessed girl's cheek, a flash of golden fire passing through her face. From her mouth spewed locust larvae, already reduced to charcoal. Along with them, the girl's own screams of pain emerged, as if both of them were being consumed by the flames. The sun's light treated all equally, making no distinction between good and evil.

"I don't care whether this girl lives or dies," Rhodes said calmly. "You know what I mean, Pazuzu. This is your last chance... to burn to death, or to return to your little statue and linger there, waiting for the next fool to bring you back to light."

"No—then burn me and her too!"

"Are you sure?" Rhodes placed the black stone on the girl's chest. Amidst her shrill screams, he spoke calmly, "I will torture you anytime, anywhere. Do you like listening to the Bible? I can play it for you 24 hours a day on a tape recorder. Of course, this stone will also be embedded in this flesh. Oh, and you won't have the chance to find another body. You can only maintain this one to prevent it from rotting. You are your own jailer. When it comes to torture, humans have many more tricks than you can imagine, demon."

Who is the devil?!

The girl's mother, Ms. Chris, was about to say something with tears in her eyes, but Rhode raised his hand to stop her and said seriously:

"I'm sorry, ma'am. If I can't save your daughter, then I can assure you that this culprit will suffer even more painful torture than your daughter—the wrath of God will be inflicted upon him, and his punishment will never end—now, demon, answer my question and make your choice!"

This seemed to be the last straw that broke the devil's back. It roared helplessly, then turned into a dark shadow and drilled back into the demon statue, without any movement.

Everything was over. Light and warmth returned to the place, and along with it, the stench and strange visions gradually dissipated. The possessed girl's mind and body were severely damaged, and she would need at least a year to recover, but this was the best possible outcome.

If all else fails, Rhodes really intends to take in the possessed body directly - this is much more useful than a bare demon statue. As for poor Ms. Chris, she will start a new life after the flash of the memory eraser.

After two of the paranormal investigators took the girl and her mother to New Salem Hospital, Rod lit a cigarette and watched as the others began to check and clean up the remaining traces in the house:

The girl's blood and vomit were scooped up, placed in a plastic bag, and then placed in a high-strength alloy cylinder. Books, small items, and furniture were marked "incineration" and transported to a specialized incinerator for destruction. In a few days, the house would be thoroughly disinfected and sealed off, waiting for Ms. Chris to vacate the premises when she had time.

"Did you see what you wanted to see, Father?"

Rhodes asked Father Merlin, who tried hard to take his eyes away from Hinai's bat wings. He took a few deep breaths and whispered:

"Anyone who bears false witness will not go unpunished; anyone who tells a lie will not escape. I feel lost, Mr. Rhodes. I feel fear, retreat, and weakness. I cannot believe it, and I am afraid of the punishment that the truth will bring me... If you are real..."

"I don't know what I am, but one thing is certain," Rhodes placed his hands on the old priest's shoulders and replied seriously and softly, "I am saving the world. I will not force you to follow me, nor will I acknowledge that I am the Son of God. These are insignificant compared to the great cause I am carrying out."

"But if you could tell the world about this identity," Father Karas stepped forward, his heart screaming wildly. Only now did he understand the old priest's warning—this was truly a test of faith. Thinking this way, the priest continued with doubt and trepidation in his heart, "you will definitely get more help. I firmly believe that there are always more good people in this world than evil people, and more wise people than fools."

"I don't know what I am, Father Karras, it's true."

Rhodes replied calmly, his eyes meeting the priest's, causing the latter to take a step back due to the scrutiny and majesty in his gaze.

"I stand here because I know what I want to do... Is there anything more noble than saving the world? Whether I am Jesus or not has no direct bearing on achieving this goal. If Jesus had led the world in the name of the Son, then the world must be a better place now, without famine, war, plague, and death, right?"

"Religion was born, the Church was established, but do they do more good than evil? How many people commit crimes in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? What's the difference between them and that demon just now? If that's the case, then what's the point of me being the Son of God?"

"I am the savior of mankind, the mighty iron, nothing more. My purpose in this journey is solely for that noble cause, not to spread teachings."

The two priests closed their eyes in agony, unable to utter a single word in reply due to guilt... The words of the divine being before them contained a mild accusation, but that was precisely why they were unable to utter a word in rebuttal.

"Let's go, gentlemen, and do the good deed," Rhodes smiled and patted their shoulders. "No amount of reasoning can compare to that outstretched hand."

"Alas...Father Gabriel Amos has been incredibly troubled lately by the demonic possession incident. I'll tell him about today's events," Father Merlin sighed. He made the sign of the cross on his chest, not knowing who he was addressing, and hugged the Bible that had accompanied him for many years tightly. He whispered, "He has close ties to the Vatican. You'd better pay attention to their attitude."

"I will."

"Also," the old priest said meaningfully, "Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and atheists will not be overly hysterical about your appearance, but there is one force that you should be careful of—be careful of 'Tel Aviv.'"

"Their reaction will definitely be the strongest and craziest. Please protect yourself, in the name of God and for the sake of humanity."

[Chapter 208 has been blocked and is undergoing a second review. If it fails, Xianyu will contact the editor to handle it. Please wait.]

Chapter 214: Atlas (3K·Part 1)

The rain poured down in torrents, and the dark night hovered over the rugged rocks, merging the shadows and darkness into one.

Gideon kept his breathing steady, suppressed his anxiety, and walked through the muddy woods.

His fingers slid across the trigger guard of the rifle, and the entire gun body trembled slightly, which made the elite of the Atlas Special Forces feel a little irritated. Before the mechanical arm replacing his left hand was completely completed, Gideon could not perform more delicate operations and could only focus on close combat.

Fortunately, the exoskeleton, which is also experimental, can give Gideon some confidence.

A few seconds later, the clown's voice came from the communication channel. He was running, and his heavy breathing was clearly audible:

"I lost track of the target. He moved too quickly... and, judging by what the fallen Drelick suggested, the target is capable of cloaking."

"It's a camouflage system similar to an octopus," another voice came over the communication channel. It was Carter. He and another member of the team, Torres, were searching for the enemy from a slightly higher position. "The target's equipment can also simulate the temperature of the surrounding environment. Thermal imaging can't find him."

"Fvck, how do we find someone who can hide... and engage the enemy!"

Fierce gunfire suddenly broke out, piercing the rain curtain, and then stopped abruptly.

The light signal on Gideon's goggles that symbolized the Joker dimmed instantly.