Long-term salvation

Standing in the shadows of the room, Makarov thought about everything he had seen in Pripyat—the supernatural city and storm, the monsters and zombies, and the ghostly, agile figure.

He's called... BOSS? Is it BIG BOSS or THE BOSS?

Chapter 322: Awakening from a Coma

The crouching chaos is slowly wriggling.

Rhode's eyeballs burned, extinguished, and burned again in his skull, repeating this process over and over again until the figure opposite him gave up with regret.

"There's really no way around Him. You're really well protected, Rhodes."

"That means I'm lucky, Nyarlathotep."

Rhodes replied calmly. He twisted his neck and found himself lying on the legs of the woman in front of him.

The woman with a beautiful face was wearing a long and wide cheongsam. Wherever her skirt swept past, the wool tendrils of the Persian carpet in the dark room began to grow wildly, turning into a twisting mycelium jungle.

The sweet, fishy scent, like that of a corrupted rose soaked in lead liquid, penetrated Rhodes' nostrils, sucking the moisture from between his lips and letting the burning thirst flow down his throat. At the same time, strings of silver bell-like laughter filled his ears - each chuckle was an attempt to carve evil and hateful words long unknown to anyone on the inner wall of his skull... Any trace of hesitation meant failure.

Failure would be worse than death.

"But then again, why are you appearing in front of me like this?" Rhode could feel something smooth and delicate touching the back of his head. It would have been better if it didn't wriggle like tentacles. "And this is a dream world, right?"

"If you'd like me to use that Black Elder as a lap pillow, that's fine. Or do you want me to recreate those bodies whose appearances don't quite conform to 'human aesthetics'?"

"No, that's not necessary. Thank you, great Nyarlathotep, for giving me my knee pillow. Long live Nyarlathotep!"

Rhode tried to raise his arm but felt a pain, so he had no choice but to put it down. He looked up, and besides seeing a pair of beautiful and beautiful breasts, there was only a pair of malicious smiling eyes looking back at him.

"You are more humane than I thought." Rhodes closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. He felt that his spirit seemed to have become a little tougher. "Especially after Nayako ran to me."

"If not a single face possesses humanity, how can one be called 'the God of a Thousand Faces'?"

Covering the lower half of his face with his fan, Nyarlathotep spoke slowly:

"Let's get down to business. Your growth rate has exceeded Yog-Sothoth and I's expectations. Of course, this isn't about your body, but your soul. We thought it would take at least a few hundred years or longer, but now you have the potential to harm the Great Old Ones."

"Not the Outer Gods?"

"Heh, you're still far from it, kid."

Nyarlathotep slammed the fan shut and struck Rhodes' forehead with force, making a crisp sound. The sound then turned into tangible darkness, crawling across the latter's face, following the curve of his cheek and merging into the hem of the woman's cheongsam.

"You can only 'harm' now. Chopping off a head with that golden flaming sword is harm, and chopping off a hair is also harm. Which type do you think you are?"

Nyarlathotep sneered, extended his finger to Rhodes' temple, and slowly inserted it, stirring his brain at random. After stirring Rhodes' eyeballs all over the place, the ancient and crazy god temporarily let him go and continued:

"My brother and I have discussed your potential for growth and the fact that you are being protected by the 'Void Thing' from beyond the universe. We think we should give you another... a few thousand years? That's still quite a short time. You could very well grow to the level of an Old One in that time, and in the future, we could become their equals."

Thousands of years...millions of years are just a blink of an eye for these gods, right?

Thinking of this, Rhode reluctantly reached out to drive away the fan that was poking his forehead, and said unhappily:

"Then, since we are future 'same species', could you please not bother me for no reason?"

"That won't do. I don't know what my brother thinks, but for me, that's not the way it works."

Nyarlathotep leaned down and looked Rhodes in the eye. The god's body was twisted, and his malicious eyes reflected the face of the savior of mankind. The latter seemed to be distorted in his eyes as well.

"I don't mind strangling one of my own kind. Rather, it's more interesting and makes me happier than watching a glorious savior degenerate into a tyrant."

"…Should I feel honored then?"

"Of course, and there's another thing, it's a warning."

Nyarlathotep clapped his hands, and the hem of his skirt extended and lengthened, wrapping up Rhodes.

"My sister seems to have noticed the situation here as well. Perhaps she'll send a descendant over here after a while. If I were to use human language... you could call her Shub-Niggurath."

"...What's wrong with you three pillars of the gods? You're only targeting the unlucky ones on a single unlucky planet?"

"That's it, anyway," Nyarlathotep said with a smile. Behind her fan-hidden face, flesh the color of night surged, countless eyeballs and fangs trembling among the folds of flesh. "Before the offspring of Shab succeeds, you must quickly have a child with my daughter. I'm curious to see what kind of child you two can produce."

"That's enough, huh!"

Rhode wanted to say something more, but the next second, he was thrown into the darkness behind him by the skirt, leaving only Nyarlathotep's charming voice ringing in his ears:

"The Blind and Foolish God awaits your coming one day... Until then, try to become stronger, Broken One, otherwise..."

Failure would be worse than death.

With a hint of anticipation and uneasiness rising in his heart, Rhodes fell into darkness, falling from the chaotic dream, falling and falling until he was shattered in an endless spiral.

He opened his eyes.

Sunlight streamed through the curtains onto Rhode's face. The gentle hum of construction outside the window filled his ears, bringing him a sense of peace. The room didn't look like a hospital, but rather an ornately decorated private bedroom.

"Commander!"/"Sensei!"

A familiar voice entered Rhode's ears, causing him to squint slightly. He turned his head and saw two cute faces filled with worry:

After Bai Zi and D found out that he had woken up, they didn't rush over to hug him, but kept looking at each other with worry. It seemed that the injuries he suffered this time were more severe than before, although he felt that the radiation and the final fall were the heaviest. After all, for Rhodes, his memory, apart from meeting Nyarlathotep in his dream, was the surface of the concrete sarcophagus that was getting closer and closer.

"...You were in a coma for seven days," D said slowly, her face full of self-blame. "Other people came, and after confirming that your life was not in danger, Marian sent them away... She didn't stay either, but returned to Hill Manor to continue her work."

Rhodes thought for a moment, then raised his right hand with difficulty. He saw that the plaster covering his arm was covered with words of concern and blessing written in marker, as well as a few lip prints - judging by the shape, they should be from Little Red Riding Hood, Nyako, and the others... Why was there no Noah's?

After a brief thought, Rhodes twisted his neck and asked D:

"Has Noah ever been alone with me for some time?"

"Yes, for about an hour."

"That's okay."

Rhode decided to go back and look through the girl's drawers. There were probably photos of her kissing herself, maybe even videos... Wait, could Yuuka have done it too? If it weren't for her body needing daily wiping... Wait a minute, they should be wiping it carefully, right?!

After throwing these random thoughts out of his head, Rhode let out a long breath and asked:

"Where are we now?"

"Iskenderun, a port city in the Antioch Autonomous Region of Turkey, is within the Atlas Company's control area. Mr. Irons and Director Argos Panoptos are here, awaiting your awakening."

"...I understand. Help me up," Rhode said, but then he saw the prompt on the system interface:

[There is a carrier nearby, and the character exchange ticket can be used]

"commander?"

"No, nothing. Please ask those two to come over first."

Chapter 323: It’s not just a few rabbits!

【Please refer to the author for the character settings in this book. Thank you.】

"So, not long after returning from the other world, you found yourself in bed again."

Irons said this while standing in front of Rhodes, whose arm was still in a sling. He drank his coffee slowly and raised his eyebrows.

"When I heard your two little girls tearfully report that you were nearly dead, I nearly ordered the Atlas fleet in East Africa to head straight for Odessa or Kherson. As for your girls, they were ready to use that Alicorn to raze Pripyat. Fortunately, Perseus brought the news that your health was improving."

The head of Atlas Corporation was leaning against the window, with the city's port behind him. Two Perry-class frigates and an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer of Atlas Corporation were lurking in this curved harbor. Their cold gray paint blended in with the blue-gray sea water. If it weren't for the different flags hanging on them, one would almost think that the United States fleet had arrived here.

"So, I used Director Argos Panoptos's Mediterranean channels to quickly bring you to New Antioch," Irons said calmly. "It's a good thing I came here to deliver something. Otherwise, you'd probably just arrived by now, and your girls wouldn't know what kind of trouble they would cause."

Hearing this, Rhode subconsciously shifted his gaze to the old man beside him, whose face was filled with an expression that said, "I'm going to scold you." The Greek director pursed his lips, reached out and patted Rhode's head several times, and said seriously:

"We've observed the spread of nuclear radiation, and the energy of the other world is terrifyingly large - we're not sure whether the other world rift there has been closed."

"Close it temporarily. Otherwise, I won't make back any of the money I earned from such a serious injury," Rhodes said, his face darkening as he recalled the lieutenant colonel's last communication. "Well...actually, I think I've lost money."

"...The Ibris Organization may use the lost nuclear bomb to attack New Antioch or other areas. However, based on the information from the Perseus agents, the intelligence department of the Army Without Borders will continue to track them."

Ains sighed, looked at Director Argos Panoptos, and asked:

"Do you plan to stay here for a while? To see the construction work on the new Antioch?"

"my pleasure."

The old man nodded slightly, stood up with his cane, walked to Rhodes' side, and whispered:

"I'm old, and I'll be retiring from the board in a few years. By then, you'll still be needed to screen the new board members from the Argos Panoptos family. If they're not suitable, forget it."

"You seem hesitant."

"Even I have my own selfish motives," the old man smiled. "I won't force them to shoulder the responsibility of saving the world, but if they come voluntarily, that's another matter."

Hearing this, Rhodes didn't say anything more, but just nodded in agreement.

After comforting the two worried elders and the directors behind them, Rhode remembered something more important - the character exchange voucher that already had a carrier - and then a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He looked at Director Ains and Panoptos mysteriously, and said with a low laugh:

"Do you want to witness a miracle?"

"???"

Without further explanation, Rhodes took out the character exchange voucher, and a tiny dock model suddenly appeared in his hand, which immediately changed into the shape of a Rubik's Cube, and then turned into an eagle emblem condensed from stars... The eagle emblem dissipated as if nothing had happened.

Director Ains and Panoptus looked at each other in bewilderment at the scene before them, but then they heard a sound coming from far away outside the window—it sounded like the whistling of something passing over the sea, or the roar of a battleship's main gun firing.

The next second, the wall of the room they were in was shattered. Amidst the dust and mist, a figure slowly stood up.

"White Eagle battleship, the strongest and largest Black Dragon, New Jersey is here! Witness my—"

"What the hell," Rhode exclaimed, "It's a bunch of rabbits!"

"It's not just a few rabbits!"

The embarrassed and angry beautiful ship girl shouted loudly, and she turned her palm into a knife, splitting the smoke and dust directly, and appeared in front of Rhodes like a Valkyrie.

The New Jersey (Garden) had a look of joy on her face, but when she saw the miserable state of her commander, her expression quickly darkened, and her words were filled with the coldness and ruthlessness of steel:

"Commander, what's going on?"

"We were almost bombed by a nuclear bomb, but now it's over for now, you don't have to worry." Rhodes shrugged. He stretched out his plastered right hand to knock on the ship girl's head and said unhappily, "Besides, you broke the whole wall. Next time, just go through the main gate!"

Hearing Rhode's words, the ship girl's face became more embarrassed. She took a deep breath, exchanged glances with Bai Zi and D beside her, then turned around and bowed slightly to Ains and the others.

"Excuse me, two elderly gentlemen. I believe it was you who lent a hand to the commander. Please allow me to express my gratitude to you."

"It's my job." Irons coughed a few times, reached out to brush off the dust on his shoulders, and then realized something. "You just said... your name is New Jersey?"

"Ah, yes."

Hearing this, Irons' lips trembled, his blood pressure suddenly began to surge, and blood rushed into his forehead. Realizing something, he tremblingly took out the mobile phone from his jacket pocket and made a call.

A few minutes later, after listening to the person inside describe the situation in the dry dock, the old man silently hung up, took a deep breath, and said to Rhodes:

"I spent $8000 million to buy the USS New Jersey and refitted it with Atlas' best radar, cruise missiles, close-in defense systems, and other modern components. And now you tell me my battleship is gone and has become your little lover?!"

"What do you mean, your battleship? This is my battleship!" Rhode raised his eyebrows and reached out to embrace New Jersey, seemingly unaware of the latter's slightly tense body and the blush on his face. "When necessary, those frigates, destroyers, and aircraft carriers in the port will also be mine!"

It’s hard, the fist is hard!

Irons took a few deep breaths and resisted the urge to punch the little bastard opposite him twice. At the same time, he kept reminding himself that the other party's body had not fully recovered, and the little girl next to him would definitely not let him hit anyone... Oh my god, I'm still so angry!

As Director Panoptos, who was watching the show with a smile on his face, looked at him, Irons glared at Rhodes and said angrily:

"The entire Atlas Corporation is yours! I don't want to argue with you—now, get back to the United States and wait a few months to recover before leaving."

"OK."

Rhode acted like a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water, but then he smiled and said comfortingly:

"Don't worry about the money. If New Jersey were here, I wouldn't be chased and beaten by others in the future, and you wouldn't have to worry about it."

Whether it's from "Warship Girls R", "Azur Lane" or "Kantai Collection" and other games, their combat power is obvious to all... But this is not without cost:

The ship girls can show their original battleship form in battle, so they can use fuel, ammunition and other supplies from the real world to replenish them. However, when in ship-mounted form, they must use Rod's otherworldly pollution points for replenishment - this number is not small, but there is also a prompt that "after completing the base construction task, you can build corresponding buildings to reduce consumption."

At the same time, when the ship equipment is displayed and the ship girls move and fight on land, the points required for replenishment will also increase.

These girls are, after all, daughters of the ocean, and the deep blue ocean is their only homeland.

"Since you've said that, I'll return to the United States to recuperate. It's a good opportunity to beat up those clueless guys," Rhode said with a smile. He reached out and pulled Bai Zi and D over. "After all, there's a big appetite at home."

“I don’t eat that much…”

The ship girl whispered.