Long-term salvation

The congressman could easily imagine what would happen if the biological experiment conducted by Umbrella Corporation caused a large-scale leak, resulting in a biochemical crisis throughout the entire city... It wouldn't even need to be a big city, a small city would be enough - enough for the government to break up the entire company, shut it down, and let its competitors wipe it out!

It may revive, but it will no longer be comparable to its original scale and power.

This group of people are not united enough, they only care about their own interests, and they only want to make it to the end. This is their biggest weakness. When the first domino falls, the entire organization will slowly fall apart.

By then, only the "Military Technology" and "New United States" led by him will be standing.

If he failed, he would just accept the outcome. Steven Armstrong had no such pretentious airs as babbling, but at the same time, he didn't think he would lose.

"It's different now. With Atlas Corporation no longer operating smoothly, 'we' must of course find some new helpers... Political support, resource allocation, legal protection, intelligence sharing, and so on. I can provide you with everything you can't obtain without complete control of the United States government."

"As for what you've been offering before now... don't you think it's a bit pricey? Hmm?" Senator Armstrong dropped his smile and raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely angry. "Your product isn't as good as Atlas's, yet you dare to outsell them?! You've lost your mind to the revolving door of kickbacks, haven't you?"

"Damn it, I don't care if you're making money, but could you please do more of the real work?"

"...A lot of our resources are invested in research into the otherworld," someone said. "Using human brains to create the boot source for the [Death Ray Prototype] is still too expensive, and we can't find that many clairvoyant brains."

"[Anshining] has been slowly expanding into the global market. At least in the United States, sales are quite good. There will be more and more brains like this that can be put to use in the future."

"Not enough! Not enough!"

Congressman Armstrong slammed the table angrily, causing cracks to appear on the brown wooden surface.

"I've invested so much political resources in pushing this thing onto the market. Can't you guys just work a little harder? My desk is already overflowing with information about Atlas Corporation's investigation into the otherworld!"

"This is not good news," the Mobius representative said with a tense expression, clearly recalling the previous incident in Crimson City where they were interrupted. "With Jonathan Irons's abilities, the entire Atlas Corporation will catch up with us at lightning speed and produce sufficient results."

"The production of Anshining requires raw materials. It would be more suitable to grow them in Afghanistan. Dry areas like the Mesopotamian Valley and Africa are also suitable."

"If that's the case, then let's end the Afghan civil war faster. We can support the Iblis organization and make this scimitar sharper. This is not a problem. After all, we have been supporting them since the moment of the Soviet invasion."

As he spoke, Senator Armstrong raised his head slightly, his glasses reflecting a cold light.

"At the same time, the government will support Israel in countering Atlas' expansion in the Middle East and use political tactics in Africa to slow down the former's progress... Everyone, you'd better come up with some tricks to show the government your value."

"...I understand. Members of the Organization will, to varying degrees, divert some R&D personnel and investment to your military technology. But I'll also return the favor to you, Senator Armstrong. We too need to recognize the value of 'government.'"

"of course."

Congressman Armstrong pushed up his glasses and said casually:

“We never let our partners down.”

Chapter 273: Epilogue: The World Moving Forward (3K·3/3)

【Afghanistan】

"Saddam Hussein's folly brought the power of the Defiled to the very heart of the world..."

"Kill him!"

"No! We can't execute him now. The organization is not strong enough, and his equally stupid and brutal son is not strong enough. Killing him now will only allow power in Iraq to fall into the hands of Izzat (Ibrahim al-Douri), and a steady politician is much harder to control than a fool."

"..."

"Organize two assassination attempts. One will fail—seriously injuring the stupid Iraqi president and saving him five to six years of life. One will succeed—killing his youngest son, Qusay, and leaving the older fool alone."

“…Second.”

"……agree."

"Then there's another thing... Those who aspire to control the world have once again begun to assist us... Why are there so many foolish people in this world?"

"No, they are not stupid, they are arrogant."

"Heh... To think someone could be more arrogant than Ibris—if that's the case, then let's mix the bitter fruit of arrogance into their feast. They'll eventually reap the rewards."

"I'm looking forward to it."

"Now, let's use the help of the arrogant ones to expand our influence and infiltrate Iraq and Afghanistan. As for Iran... they won't be able to hold out for long under our double-sided attack after our success."

"What about the Crusaders in the New Antioch area? How will Atlas Corporation deal with them?"

"That place is not something we can touch right now. They are too powerful."

"That's why we shouldn't just limit our focus to the Middle East... the Caucasus... South America... Southeast Asia..."

"Please note, brothers who hold different beliefs but have united under this name, we are not believers in the Demon King mentioned in religious texts. Rather, we are the 'clay' filled with 'fire' who act in the Demon King's name. Only by overcoming the 'barriers that humanity must overcome' can we truly be reborn—spread the teachings, gather followers, and escape the destruction of the [End of the Era]—only in this way can humanity move towards a brand new future."

This is what the man wearing a silver human-faced mask said. He was called "Chaos".

The moment they become the leader of the organization, a silver mask is branded on their face, and the ancient secret technique discovered in the Book of the Dead, a tome written by the mad Arab Abdul Alhazred, is activated, transforming them into a living dead between life and death... When this physical body completely collapses, it will be time for the Ibris organization to change its leader - to find a more suitable head for the mask.

Chaos stood up, and dozens of senior members of the organization stood up. More corpses with the fire of death flashing in their eyes also stood up, making a low muffled sound.

"For the new future!"

【Hong Kong-Guangzhou】

A nearly triangular object covered with a blue, white and red plastic tarp was slowly hoisted onto a heavy trailer. Soon, under the cover of the rainy night and nearly a thousand strong "workers", the trailer headed northwest and disappeared among the mountains surrounding the Sichuan Basin.

【Pacific Ocean】

A terrifying lizard-like beast was swimming slowly.

Godzilla has found several cracks leading to a supernatural dimension and killed those abominations that attempted to pollute the earth's environment...but some of the cracks are too large, and some of the monsters that have already drilled out of the cracks are extremely good at camouflage, making it impossible for Godzilla to distinguish them with his ability.

What's more, the ocean is too vast and hides too many secrets. Even the Titans are unwilling to get close to it.

In the South Pacific, at 47°9′ south latitude and 126°43′ west longitude, a huge and ancient city is completely sinking to the bottom of the sea, with only the giant stone fortress at the top exposed above the water.

This place is close to Point Nemo, the most remote place on the surface of the earth from land. It is isolated from land, ship routes and ocean currents. There are extremely few traces of human activities and other organisms in the sea area where it is located. Therefore, it has become a graveyard for spacecraft... In a sense, it is indeed a "graveyard".

After taking a look at the place from a distance, Godzilla turned around and swam away. He wanted to take another look at the trenches and the giant crack that might open - he hoped that no more "Kaiju" would come out from it... If they really came out, he hoped that they would taste better.

Arkham, Massachusetts, United States

In the basement of Hill Villa.

Asuka Iki was lying on a soft chair, wearing a dream helmet modified from a DCmini. The entire room was filled with complex and cold machinery and cables. Only the aisles on both sides of the soft chair were wide enough for people to stand, otherwise they would have to squeeze into the gaps between the machines.

The light here is not bright, with only a few energy-saving lamps working, which casts a shadow on the surrounding machines. Since this place is inside Hill Villa, the energy of the inner world is rich, which is more suitable for Asuka Iki's "dream entry". However, after Tokita Hirosaku and Chiba Atsuko develop a better dream machine, there will be no need for such trouble.

"...How long will it take for her to wake up?"

Rhodes asked aloud. He sat beside her with a solemn expression and reached out to shake hands with Asuka Ikiji - the girl's hand was a little cold, but under her tightly closed eyelids, her eyeballs were trembling constantly - she was dreaming.

"According to previous records, it's been very quick," Mana said, flipping through the folder in her hand. "She's already been connected for six hours today, and a large amount of dream data has been integrated and analyzed."

"This is shorter than I thought."

"But Muji can only enter the dream world created by STEM at this intensity once a month. That's enough, though. She doesn't need to do the usual dream training for soldiers herself... it's just a little more difficult now, just like the global satellite surveillance network for ballistic missiles—with the advancement of technology, the physical strength and time required of Muji will be greatly reduced, as will the time required for scanning and early warning."

"That's good."

Rhode nodded in agreement. He breathed in the stale air in the basement and calmly looked at the black-haired girl lying on the soft chair... After a few minutes, her eyelids trembled slightly, and the trembling became faster and faster until they opened completely.

"Rhode?"

"It seems I need to set aside some time every month," Rhodes smiled and wiped the sweat off the girl's forehead, "to accompany you through this boring time. Maybe I should dream with you too?"

"Do not……"

The girl shook her head and let Mana help her take off her helmet. She drank the strawberry-flavored nutritional supplement and whispered:

"It's actually quite interesting, but you need to be careful."

"Then it doesn't matter if I go in—"

"commander."

"Hmm?" Rhodes turned his head and saw the beautiful Nikki frowning. With a serious expression, she clicked a few times on the small computer, and a large amount of data was immediately transferred into his [Shiting Box], hitting Alona who was dozing inside.

"Meow?! There's so much data, I can't process it all..."

"Then you can wake up Prana. I saw her sleeping last time!" Rhode reached out and tapped the screen, pushing the cute blue-haired girl back. The latter then muttered softly:

"I don't know how to wake her either. You'll have to ask someone 'higher up'."

"Forget it then," Rhodes sighed, then looked up at Nikki and asked, "You don't look very well."

"The scan accuracy isn't great, and the data isn't updated promptly enough... For now, it can only serve as a reference. Perhaps we can send agents to investigate and conduct follow-up visits, while also monitoring areas with significant energy fluctuations in the other world."

"I'll let them know. As for the scanning accuracy—take your time. Times are advancing, technology is developing, and we will eventually gain eyes that can see the entire world."

[Base Construction Side Quest: City of the Gods - Eye of Terra (Completed)]

Mission Description: Obtain the core of the Otherworld Fluctuation Monitoring Device (completed), obtain the prototype of the STEM device (completed), integrate the core and the device, and operate the Otherworld Fluctuation Monitoring Device - Eye of Terra.

【Task rewards begin to be distributed】

[Pollution points in the other world have been collected]

[Niki·Mass Production Type, Open for Exchange]

[Base Construction Side Quest: City of the Gods - Silent Tower]

[Mission Description: Find a suitable location to build a base to accommodate a large submarine mothership and use it as a sentry tower and forward base for the City of the Gods]

"Hmm? That's quite interesting... The Nikki Mass Production Type can finally be redeemed, but it can only be redeemed by a team of five, and it requires 2500 points—that's even more expensive than a stealth fighter! I hope we can get some discounts by completing missions in the future... Oh shit, there really is one! What does 'complete base construction missions' mean?"

After complaining a few times, Rhode touched his chin and continued to read the prompts on the system interface. The surprise on his face quickly turned into confusion.

"But then again, where can I find a large submarine carrier? The Son of Danu has just been brought back, and Atlas Corporation doesn't lack a large dock that can accommodate it."

Just as Rhodes was wondering, the door of the basement was suddenly opened, and a brilliant starlight suddenly shone in, illuminating the slightly dim basement - Abigail was standing at the door with her hands on her hips, and the light was swaying on her barren chest.

It looks like a certain Kamen Rider is about to transform...

Regardless, Abigail's energetic voice still filled everyone's ears:

"Rod! My Silver Key has somehow accumulated enough energy to allow you to travel somewhere else! Uh, wait... What is the Usea continent?"

Volume: Interlude

Chapter 273 Ace Combat 7: Unknown Skies (3K)

"Oh, him? I know him... It's a long story, it happened a long time ago... Do you know? There are three types of aces..."

Brett Thompson, a journalist from the Osean Federation, raised his hand to turn off the audio of an interview he had recorded over a decade ago. Now in middle age, he had thought he would never again encounter a being like the one soaring through the sky like a ghost in the Belkan War. However… this war was truly too legendary. The final scene inspired the world to move forward into the future and sparked endless contemplation.

The reporter pondered for a moment, then picked up his pen and slowly wrote the press release he planned to publish:

“被称为‘灯塔战争（第二次大陆战争）’的战争自2019年5月17日开始，而在2019年12月1日，欧西亚联邦与爱尔吉亚王国签署了停战协议，正式结束战争。”

"However, during this less than a year of war, an international mercenary organization quietly emerged and became the most powerful international organization after the war. It was called the 'Army Without Borders' and declared itself to be 'an army of freedom that will fight regardless of country, ideology, or opponent, simply by request.'"

"The first leader (BOSS) who commanded these postwar international peacekeeping forces, which became 'Armed to Defend Peace,' has vanished in a blaze of light as brilliant as the stars, like a savior from another dimension. Yet those who followed him often say he was like the two sides of a coin: the side representing war, powerful, cruel, and ruthless, the side representing peace, gentle, kind, and merciful. Tyrant and Benevolent Ruler... Perhaps this aptly aligns with his codename—"

"Monarch."

+ + + + + + + + + + + +

On the Usea continent, in a war-torn area on the edge of a certain country, December 1, 2018.

"Rod, how long do we have to go?"

"I don't know, but based on the guidance of those people, I believe he's here," Rhode said, his tone becoming mixed with helpless complaints. "Hey, you have nothing to do with 'How long do we have to go?', right? Miss Witch, you've been riding on my shoulders since the beginning."

"No Road Race!"

Abigail replied angrily. She grabbed two strands of Rhode's hair and twisted them as if using a joystick.

"Rod King Kong, standing tall on the earth!"

"Where did you hear that? And don't mention the King Kong joke. I have PTSD!"

Sighing, Rhodes bent down slightly, and the blonde girl's soft hair cascaded down like a waterfall, making his neck feel a little itchy, but the former just pinched the black cat Pickman's "neck of fate" and put the cat on his head.

"Now, you both stay up there... It's a good thing the war is over, or you would both be shot."

As Rhodes spoke, he looked across the street, where a group of workers were clearing the rubble - the city had just been recaptured by government forces, and reconstruction work was now underway... At least for now, peace remained here - the sound of shovels hitting bricks was particularly clear in the silent street, the workers' old work clothes were covered with snow, and the white breath they exhaled condensed into frost in the air.

This is perhaps the best manifestation of the never-ending war in the world of Strangereal.

"Rod, Rod, what mission did your boss ask you to complete?" Abigail asked idly. She took out a cup of milk tea from somewhere and sipped it, paying no attention to the curious looks of the passers-by. "Rob a ship? But we're a little too early! The war hasn't even started yet!"

"We can seize the Alicorn and bring people back to our world from here—so it's better to come early," Rhodes said, reaching out to support the staggering Abigail and smilingly replied:

"It'll allow me to gather more technology here, both for civilian and military use... Our hometown hasn't developed to that level yet, and we may not be able to manufacture everything, but at least it can provide a lot of ideas and correct the direction of development. So, I'll have to rely on Alona a lot."

"That's right! Sensei, you can rely on me a lot."