Long-term salvation

This is the oldest and most powerful power of mankind, summoned by the power of the savior of mankind!

Liquid light gushed out from the crack where the sword had pierced, and the light immediately transformed into a wall of fire that fanned out forward, as if someone had cut open the planet's artery with a dagger, transforming the lifeblood of this ancient planet into a torrent of holy flame. The light of that blazing flame was so pure, so intense, that it seemed to burn all the demons and monsters in the night to ashes.

In fact, the flame did:

The monsters' screams suddenly became shrill, filled with pure fear. They turned and fled, frantically trying to get away from the wall of flames chasing them, but it was too late.

At this moment, green smoke came out of the wrinkled black and red skin of the zombies, and the rotten blood with the smell of sulfur boiled and vaporized under the illumination of the golden flames, gathering into a poisonous mist, which was blown away by the airflow created by the armed helicopter the next second.

"Look at the flames!" a soldier shouted.

"Look at the flames!" one prisoner shouted.

"Look at that flame, it's burning brightly, lighting up the night!"

Wherever the flames reached, the zombies only had time to let out a shrill howl of pain - but the howl stopped abruptly, as if even the sound was ignited and burned out in an instant.

After the flames, thousands of dry limbs, burned to charcoal and resembling pillars of salt, stood under the light of the aurora. They soon crumbled into carbon powder that scattered sparks and merged into the ground. No plants would grow on this land for years or even decades.

Rhodes pulled the sword out of the ground and retracted it.

He turned and raised his right fist to the soldiers and prisoners on the wall - to the human warriors - to these wounded people who had fought for hours.

"victory!"

"For humanity, I will never stop until I die!!!"

Amidst the cheers that surged like a tsunami, Rhodes turned around and looked towards the peak of the mountain.

Looking at the huge beast eyes that looked like the Eye of Sauron.

Chapter 256: Greetings from the Sky! (4/4·4K)

"Captain Balalaika."

With a solemn expression, Rhodes returned to the prison walls. Everyone looked at him with awe - all the doubts and hesitations had long since disappeared without a trace - even Balalaika, who was stopped by Rhodes.

"What is it, Mr. Our Savior? You don't look at all triumphant."

Balalaika asked back with a smile, the scars on her face left by torture twisting, but this did not diminish the charm of this brave and upright soldier. In fact, it could be said that this was her charm.

After what just happened, Balalaika began to feel a genuine hope in his heart... Perhaps the person before him, perhaps the "Army Without Borders", could really unite humanity to fight against darkness, against injustice, and against the "Tide" from the supernatural dimension.

"I see you're in decent shape. Now go pick out a few VDVs who can still put up a fierce fight. We'll take a helicopter to the summit."

Rhode said seriously, reaching out to touch the head of the red-haired Nikki who came closer, making the latter smile foolishly. Facing Balalaika's helpless expression, Rhode added:

"Perseus is quite old, Ling and Sablin are injured, and Captain Malashenko has to organize rescue and clean up the battlefield... Hey, let me recycle those unused weapons and equipment first. The more I can save, the better."

"It sounds like something is arming you."

"I don't deny it," Rhode shrugged, his face filled with an indifferent expression of 'whatever you think'. "Just think of it as 'God' providing me with weapons. After all, I'm a savior, so I should at least share some fish and bread with others, right?"

“Jesus doesn’t take back what he gives.”

Balalaika smiled, then put away her smile and saluted Rhodes. When the latter returned the salute, she immediately turned and ran away, counting the VDVs one by one.

About fifteen minutes later.

Three helicopters with ammunition replenished were on standby inside and outside the prison. Ten slightly injured VDV members boarded the helicopters fully armed.

The slowly starting rotors spun up, still carrying the hot air, stirring up the black carbon ash, turning it into a strange sandstorm. Without stopping any longer, the helicopter quickly took off, carrying the exhausted soldiers to the next battlefield:

We must hurry. If the zombies on the mountain gather again and rush towards the prison and human settlements in other areas, it will inevitably be another bloody battle.

In the helicopter, Rod stood at the front of the cabin. He looked at the VDV soldiers inside and said seriously:

"Everyone, please forgive my inhumanity, but now is not the time to worry about trivial matters. We must end this disaster in a very short time - listen carefully, the following is the battle plan!"

"I will jump down first and close the rift in the other world, and you will help me clear out the enemies that are causing interference. The attack helicopters will provide fire support. Does anyone have any questions?"

“No!”

"very good,"

Rhode nodded, but he immediately saw a fearlessness and nervousness on the soldiers' faces. After a moment's thought and careful consideration of his words, he smiled and said,

"Don't worry about my life or death. If I disappear somewhere, you'll definitely see me running out alive and kicking in three days... Oh, by the way, does anyone smoke? Oh, everyone smokes, so let me tell you some good news - Red Apple cigarettes will be your standard ration from now on!"

A sigh suddenly echoed throughout the cabin. The VDV soldiers looked at Rhodes with sad faces as he stuffed a pack of cigarettes into each of them. They had no choice but to put on distorted faces of gratitude in response, and then stared at the human-faced caterpillar on the cigarette box.

When Rhodes finished smoking a cigarette and returned to his original position, Balalaika, who had just witnessed the whole process in the cockpit, came over and said with a low laugh:

"A truly good way to manage subordinates, with both leniency and flexibility. Have you really never served in the military before?"

"Are you trying to pry into my information? And I really like this stuff, okay? I'm just sharing it with you... Don't even think about it, I never carry cigars with me!"

Rhodes raised his eyebrows and pushed Balalaika to the other side, but the latter was immediately pushed away by Little Red Riding Hood who was sitting there with disgust - the airborne captain also smelled of cigarettes. She was also an old smoker and a cigar lover, but she couldn't get it now.

"I have no intention of prying into the secrets of my superiors... Tsk, the airflow is becoming chaotic. We're almost there."

At this moment, the gathering clouds were rolling like boiling water, and the energy from the other world escaping from the cracks occasionally drew strange purple arcs at the tips of the rotors.

The three killing weapons created by human wisdom were like paper airplanes in a hurricane, swaying left and right, fluttering up and down. The 20-meter-long rotors twisted, breaking the strong winds from different directions into deadly turbulence.

"Everyone hold on! We're flying through a storm cloud—something's pulling on the fuselage!"

The driver's voice was transmitted to everyone's ears through the radio, but the voice was distorted by the strange supernatural energy, turning into a wild laugh mixed with the noise of electricity. Only by concentrating hard could one distinguish the correct words from the noise.

But in an instant, in a flash, all of this disappeared without a trace - this was not because the vision retreated because of fear of human courage, on the contrary, this was the beginning of mankind's entry into the worst nightmare, and it was the foolish act of ignorant people stepping into the eye of the storm!

"Down below! The eye is down below!"

"It's watching us!"

The rotors of the three helicopters cut through the sticky wind, and the fuselages dragged out milky white air currents. The moment they crossed the cloud wall and the wind mass, scarlet spots of light would light up around them. Those were energy spheres stimulated by the cracks in the inner world - harmless for the time being - but it would be another matter if they could test the weakness of this steel creation and the mental defects of the operator.

At least for now, these spheres would only move along the trajectory of the rolling airflow, exploding on the left and right sides of the helicopter fleet, instantly dyeing the entire airspace bloody.

"Attack! Free attack!"

Rhode gave the order over the communication channel and opened the helicopter's hatch. A warm breeze tinged with the stench of sulfur immediately rushed in. Amidst the gust of wind, he looked down:

Starting from the peak that had long since exploded, and all the way down along the ridgeline, the zombies that emerged from the cracks raised their heads and looked up, wriggling densely, like thousands of maggots rolling in a swamp.

In the center of this "swamp" where the maggots kneel and live, there are the beast-like eyes - the uncontrolled crack in the other world.

"Isn't it time to say, 'Solomon, I'm back again'?"

Smiling at his own ridiculous idea, Rhodes stepped out of the cabin and fell like a meteor.

If only it hadn't been spent here, Rhodes thought.

At least she could carry him flying for a distance in the air, but it was not as good as it is now... Rhodes opened the paraglider behind him and struggled to approach the ground and the crack in the chaotic air flow.

Twenty meters away from the crack, Rhodes untied the paraglider backpack and let gravity pull him down.

At this moment, what poured into Rhodes' body was no longer turbid or cold air, but the energy from the inner world that escaped from the crack. But this is better, this is the best!

The flaming sword emerged from Rhodes' hand again. He held the sword with both hands, letting the flames flow up along his arms, into his chest, and into his heart - the soul furnace burst out, and the power of iron and fire was strengthened to the extreme he could do now!

Time seemed to have completely frozen at this moment. Rhodes only felt that he was falling in the asphalt. Swinging the sword became extremely difficult, but he gritted his teeth and endured the pain of the flames running back and forth in his body, and endured the pain of even the system prompt tone becoming distorted and blurred.

Rhodes swung his sword and cut through the obstacles.

Time resumed its flow, and a flash of golden flames appeared before turning into countless rains of fire that fell.

Seizing this momentary opportunity, Rhodes pulled out his revolver, and three bullets from the power of Abigail and Black Cat Pickman shot out, forming three twinkling stars in a line in the air!

The bullet hit the target, hit the crack, and hit the [Black Stone] in the vortex.

The next second, like a bubble bursting, everything around returned to calm in an instant. There were no more strong winds and cloud walls, no more annoying energy balls and rock cracks that could jump out monsters. Even the zombies near the top of the mountain were cleared away and turned into exploding blood mist.

"!"

Rhodes fell to the ground. Although he was wearing a stealth suit, his chest was still hit hard by the protruding part of the hill - only this pitiful little thing was left of the once towering peak - and the messy pile of stones hit his chest hard, and he felt a suffocating pain.

"Oh my...did I break a rib? Ugh."

After spitting out some blood, Rhodes struggled to get up from the ground. He reached out to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at the zombies rushing along the ridgeline.

The roar of helicopters echoed overhead. Several cables were lowered, and the sturdy soldiers quickly descended, standing on solid ground. The folding stocks of AKS-74Us clattered together, and the air was once again filled with the nauseating smell of sulfur.

"If I were here alone, it might have been a fierce battle, but now it's different... Feel the 'greetings from the sky', monsters!"

The VDVs stood beside their recognized leader, scattered on the hillock, like the mountains surrounding the main peak.

Finally, the two Nikki and Balalaika also landed beside Rhodes. Facing the former's worried gaze, Rhodes made a face and said with a smile:

"What a shame! I should have raised a flag right now, so the 'Brother Guishan' group would have been complete."

"What are you talking about?!"

Balalaika looked at Rhodes in horror as he was still vomiting blood. Now, Rhodes was not only vomiting blood, but even occasionally spewing out some golden flames... But for Rhodes himself, he was gradually adapting to this power and was no longer in the near-death state he was in when he first used it.

I really don't know which is more painful, the flames burning my heart or falling to the ground.

But then again, it’s better not to do this next time.

After feeling a little more comfortable, Rhodes exhaled slowly, put his arm on Marian's shoulder, and walked forward with a slight limp - the zombies were coming like waves, and then suppressed by the anger of humans!

When the helicopter gunship opened fire, the false veil of the night sky was instantly torn apart, and a series of golden points of light plowed clear gullies in the dust raised by the monsters' running. But the flames ejected from the rocket pods would dye the entire ridge orange, and the charred monster limbs would be reduced to ash in the shockwave.

"Soldiers, open fire! Show them the power of VDV!"

The AKS-74U's explosions continued as it opened fire, shooting down the zombies that broke through the fire network one by one - there were not many such lucky ones, as they were just some weak carbon-based flesh and blood after all, and they were just protected by the dense forest before.

Now, on the open and unobstructed ridgeline slope, these monsters are just prey picked by hunters at will. There is no challenge at all! Boring!

The soldiers were hunting happily, but for those with deeper thoughts, everything that happened today was too shocking.

"What will happen to us later?"

After shooting a ghoul lurking in the shadows with a rifle, Balalaika suddenly asked. Her hands deftly changed the magazine, but her eyes were a little confused.

"I've heard that the Soviet Union will collapse, human civilization will be invaded by the other world, and human legs will stand naked in the tide... What will happen to us after that?"

"Of course it's combat, Captain."

Rhode spoke without hesitation, his gaze passing over VDV's back to the orange-red fireball exploding in the distance. That was the helicopter's weapons operator venting his anger. Retracting his gaze, Rhode spoke calmly.

"Since we can't escape the influence of the other world, we can only continue to fight, fighting for the survival of human civilization... Generation after generation, and generation after generation, all for one goal."

"Perhaps one day, perhaps ten thousand years from now, there will be a generation where sacrifice is no longer necessary, a generation where mankind will live forever in peace."

Rhodes looked up and saw that the clouds were gradually dispersing, revealing the beautiful full moon engraved in the night sky.

The moonlight was bright, shining on the soldiers.

"But no matter what, today, human civilization has successfully overcome another crisis. We have prevailed."

"temporary."

[Side Quest: Twelve Trials: Dyatlov Incident/Eye of Horazaheli (Completed)]

【Task rewards begin to be distributed】

[Pollution points in the other world have been collected]

【Character exchange voucher has been received】

Chapter 257: Mana, Yu, and Himari

"It's so miserable."

The beautiful woman wearing glasses stretched out her slender fingers and ran them across the twisted metal parts. A hint of surprise appeared in her eyes, but then she heard a voice from the side:

"are you talking about me?"

Rhodes said weakly that although the injuries on his body had been basically healed, the faint pain and fatigue throughout his body lingered for a long time... This gave Rhodes a reason to lie on Marian's thighs and groan.

Hearing Rhode's words, Nikki Mana reached out to tuck her black hair behind her ears, pushed up her glasses, and responded with a sigh:

"Don't joke around at this time, Commander."

"Sorry, I'll buy you a drink sometime."

"Eh? This... This, this isn't a problem at all."

Mana smiled, but Nikki from the MMR Force (the weapons development department of the Ark Central Government Army, supported by Missilis) immediately coughed a few times after realizing her own gaffe, suppressing the smile on her lips, and said in a businesslike manner:

"Ahem, I've carefully examined the Tesla coils, control devices, cables, and other experimental artifacts you and the VDVs brought back. All I can conclude is that they've been infiltrated and transformed by the energy of the other world. Recreating the original devices is nearly impossible, especially since all the blueprints and records have been destroyed."