Long-term salvation

Chapter 324 Troubles on the Return Journey

Atlas Aircraft, halfway back to the United States.

The cabin was filled with a soft, warm amber light, but the sea of ​​clouds outside the window was dyed a deep purple by the approaching night. The plane would arrive in the United States tomorrow morning, and if it wanted to return to Hill Manor, it would probably be around noon.

"Stare~~"

"Watch~~~Pounce!"

Raising his hand to block the oncoming Bai Zi, Rhodes held her in his arms and touched her head, then continued to read the information and documents in his hand under New Jersey's gaze - reports on the "Second Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster" and the entire Ukrainian operational losses, etc.

D did not return to Hill Villa with Rhodes. Instead, he planned to wait for the arrival of the Army Without Borders personnel and then work with the Perseus Organization to rebuild the intelligence network in Ukraine. Although it would be difficult to achieve the same level of surveillance as during the KGB era, at least they would not be left in the dark.

In addition, Nikki also needs to cooperate with Agent Perseus to take care of the families and widows of the 24th Independent Mechanized Infantry Regiment. Those who are willing to immigrate can immigrate to the area controlled by Atlas Corporation, and those who are unwilling can move and continue to provide pensions.

Perhaps in a few years, the families and children of these martyrs who cannot be vindicated will become part of the Army Without Borders.

The glory of their fathers will one day be proudly told to the world by them.

After reviewing the documents related to the martyrs, Rhodes thanked the stewardess for the whiskey, stretched himself, sniffed the body fragrance of the girl in his arms, and slowly flipped through the information in his hand.

After a few seconds of silence, Rhode raised his head and asked New Jersey, who was sitting opposite him:

"My big battleship, my Big J, you look bored."

"No... I'm just a little uncomfortable leaving the land and the sea," New Jersey said, her face slightly embarrassed. Her legs swayed restlessly as she glanced at Rhode, who was holding the wolf girl. "I'm not bored, either. I've been looking over the past information you provided. I'll be able to get a general understanding of your current business before returning to the 'port area'."

Hearing this, Rhodes nodded slightly, then opened his right hand - the plaster had long been removed, leaving the upper and lower parts of the arm empty, just missing something, or someone, to fill it.

Without any hesitation, New Jersey came over very smoothly, and his whole face turned into =ω=.

But when New Jersey nudged Rhodes' neck and blocked his sight with the rabbit-ear-like decoration on her head, she suddenly remembered something important:

"Commander, when will you give me the ring?"

Ring? Ring!

The wolf girl, who had been dozing on Rhodes's thighs, suddenly pricked up her ears and slightly opened her eyes. The fatigue she had originally felt from the long journey was instantly swept away.

The girl held out her hand, carefully examining her own delicate, jade-like fingers. Suddenly, she felt like she needed something more… Wait, maybe she should get one for Sensei too? Their rings were a pair!

That's a good idea. When we get back, we can rob a few banks and collect some precious metals like diamonds and gold. Attacking underground auction houses is also a good option. Recently, Director Gomez Alonso Adams has been complaining that someone has taken away the collection he wanted. Maybe we can communicate with him.

Unlike the wolf girl who quickly finished her thoughts, Rhode was caught off guard by this question. He paused for a few seconds and said dryly:

"I will."

"So what will you say?" The ship girl put her arm around Rhode's neck, her breath as sweet as orchid. Her usually cute and innocent face now had a hint of cunning. "Or should I wait a while before asking again? As expected, compared to the more passive New Jersey, the commander still prefers the more active New Jersey, right?"

"I prefer New Jersey who calls me 'Honey,'" Rhode said, tugging at the ship girl's cheek unhappily, and then calming the restless wolf girl down. "It would be even better if she didn't block my view with her bunny ears."

"Hey hey hey~~ Honey, don't forget."

After whispering "Honey" a few times in Rhodes' ear, New Jersey retreated and leaned on Rhodes' shoulder, watching him slowly read the information.

After taking out a small piece of [Black Stone], Rhodes placed the torn page of the Book of the Dead that he had previously snatched from the leader of the Ibris organization on the coffee table in front of him. The torn page was sandwiched between the other pages of the thick ancient book in front of him.

When Rhode looked closely, he saw tiny blood-red bubbles forming on the cover of the ancient book, resembling the painful breathing of a human with punctured lungs. Furthermore, when he touched the pages, he could clearly sense the malice and temptation emanating from them.

These whispers, some cruel, some seductive, were temporarily suppressed by the Black Stone, making it look like just an ancient book.

Although the Book of the Dead was written by the mad Arab Abdul Alhazred under the guidance of Nyarlathotep, it has gone through thousands of years and has been handled by countless people. The disasters and sins caused by it are impossible to trace and count - this cult book has long been alienated by the energy of the other world and turned into an even more terrifying existence.

"It feels like this thing was deliberately disassembled and pieced together with other ancient pages. It also seems to enhance the power of the spell recorded on the fragments... I really hope these people can use their wisdom and patience for the right purpose."

Slowly looking through the ancient book, Rhodes saw that every page was filled with Arabic from different eras, and there were even some original Canaanite letters... Suddenly, his fingers stopped turning the pages, and his eyes swept across the Canaanite letters on that page and the ancient Latin notes next to it.

"The ancient city of Al Khali in the Rub' al Khali Desert," Rhodes narrowed his eyes slightly, fragments of memories surfacing in his mind, and his words became more serious. "This place actually exists. What a disaster, what a disaster!"

This place comes from the game "Clive Barker's Jericho". It is a lost ancient city called Acre in the Rub' al Khali Desert in the Arabian region. Sealed inside is "The Firstborn", a failed product of God's first creation. Because of jealousy of mankind, it has continuously caused terrible disasters and killings throughout history. It is just unknown what its origin is in this world.

But for now, the system hasn't responded, and nothing major has happened in the Arab region, so I think the ancient city of Acre should be fine...Buried in the sand? If nothing's wrong, don't move around, just keep an eye on it.

Thinking of this, Rhode tore off a note from the notebook beside him, wrote down the relevant information about the ancient city of Acre on it, and stuffed it into the storage space that had been expanded by the system.

After completing the missions in Pripyat and killing Chaos, the system urgently implemented two upgrades. Besides tripling the storage space, making it large enough to fit a main battle tank and alleviate the congestion caused by the nuclear bomb crates, the system also implemented a system to obscure Rhode's true form in the clairvoyant's vision, known as [Clairvoyance Camouflage].

Rhodes can now freely turn on and off [Clairvoyance Disguise] to prevent himself from being discovered when sneaking into certain supernatural areas.

According to his tests, the effect of this thing is roughly equivalent to the invisibility of light in reality. After using specific means and absolutely precise observation, one can still vaguely capture a hint of incoherence... The rest depends on one's own ability.

It's better to have this thing than not. At least Rhodes doesn't want to repeat the tragic situation when he went to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and was discovered and chased by a group of zombies.

After writing the note, Rhodes' face showed some irritation. He reached out and touched Baizi's head, looked up at the soft lights in the cabin, and missed the meal made by Marian.

The transatlantic flight ended and the Atlas plane slowly landed at Boston's Logan International Airport.

At this moment, winter in North America has not yet passed, but every passenger is in a good mood - especially when they see the lights on at the main gate of Hill Manor standing on the hill after several hours' drive.

Chapter 325: Everyday Life: An Ordinary Day on the Battleship

A light snow was falling from the gloomy sky. The wind was not strong, but it was enough to make the forest behind Hill Villa make strange rustling noises, which was annoying.

The chill of mid-January gently tapped against the lattice windows of the room, but when it touched the heat wave transmitted from the room, it turned into a hazy vapor, filtering the chill of Massachusetts into the dampness of the New Jersey coast - this was the bedroom of the battleship, her secret dock.

New Jersey, wearing a long home dress, was lying on the sofa, listening to the jazz record that Little Red Riding Hood had given her as a gift. They had similar personalities, so they quickly became familiar with each other... Every girl in Hill Manor was like this, but some did not stay here often.

Actually, New Jersey does feel a bit boring.

She was a battleship girl! She should be galloping across the blue sea and sky, using her 406mm main gun to blast away any otherworldly monsters that dared to resist, using cruise missiles to destroy those "kind" who disobeyed her beloved commander, or serving as the commander of a war zone like in the past.

But what was she doing now? She was lying there lazily like a sheep, waiting for the old rotary phone in the room to ring, and when she heard the voice from inside, "It's time for dinner," she would stroll to the restaurant to eat.

The past few days have been like this, dull and boring - although she knows that daily logistical work is very important and various investigations and document interpretations cannot be rushed, New Jersey still feels a little bored - the ship girl is eager to prove her ability, especially when the image of her commander wrapped in bandages and plaster is engraved in her memory, her heart will rise with anger towards those hateful enemies.

"But there's still nothing to do now... If I had known earlier, I would have agreed to rob a bank with Baizi, starting with the one in New Jersey."

New Jersey muttered, looking at the brass steampunk-style globe standing on the desk in the bedroom. The North Atlantic region was replaced by a rotating whiskey rack, which was currently filled with a bottle of single malt whiskey from the Jersey Shore Distillery.

These were also specially sent gifts, and the girls at Hill Villa were very enthusiastic.

Unfortunately... I'm still a little late.

"I really need to find something to do. Should I take on some testing missions or help those soldiers of the Army Without Borders?" New Jersey stretched lazily. She picked up the book on the small coffee table next to her, glanced at it, and put it back. "I'll ask Marian tomorrow."

The record player in the room was playing a lazy melody, and the brass speakers on the walnut cabinet were like blooming tulips. The subtle sound of the needle scratching the rubber grooves slowly tickled New Jersey's hair, making her gradually fall into a hazy state between half sleep and half wakefulness, and she caught a glimpse of a strand of black hair passing by the edge of her dream.

Time passed slowly, and when New Jersey woke up from her nap for the second time, she saw Rhodes sitting on the sofa opposite her. He was holding the book he had just read in his hands, with a look of pretentious scrutiny on his face. At the end, he commented seriously:

“This is just average.”

"...This is the book you recommended to me," New Jersey said with a dazed look. She reached out and took the book from Rhodes' hand. "So, what do you want to do with me?"

"Let me take a look at my 'wine'. It looks nice, but it's a waste to have it sitting alone in the wine rack."

Rhodes said with a smile, he stood up from the sofa, stepped on the thick light brown carpet, took the whiskey from the globe wine rack, and suddenly two round cups appeared between his fingers, each with a spherical ice cube inside.

The ice cubes made a crisp sound when they touched the glass.

"Come and have a drink. There's plenty of wine in the wine cellar at Hill Manor anyway."

"It's not a good time to drink, is it?" Even so, New Jersey, her face brimming with excitement, straightened up, her magnificent breasts swaying slightly, revealing a little white liquid. "I remember Mana and Little Red Riding Hood made you drink a ton of wine last night."

"I'm recovering well now, so it's okay to drink a little." Rhodes raised his eyebrows, pulled out the cork, and poured amber wine into two glasses. "Why, did I say anything nonsense when I was drunk?"

"Yes, like you're crazy about me and can't live without me," New Jersey said with a silly smile, as if he was slightly pleased to see Rod's embarrassed expression. "I've said that many, many times."

"That was said when I was sober."

"..."

"What's wrong, New Jersey? Did you drink just now? Your face is so red." Rhode raised his eyebrows and looked back at the ship girl with her head bowed in a teasing tone. He walked over, raised her chin with his hand, and forced her cute blushing face to face him. "Do you want to drink more now?"

"……want."

“Good girl.”

Rhode smiled and sat back on the sofa. He crossed his legs, picked up the wine glass on the coffee table and shook it slowly a few times, then said calmly:

"New Jersey hasn't been in a good mood lately, so I came to check it out."

"It's more like I'm in a bad mood... I'm just bored," New Jersey murmured. She picked up the glass and took a slow sip. Then she noticed that the other party didn't seem to want to drink. "Commander, don't you want to drink?"

"I'm not in a hurry. There's still plenty of time today."

Rhodes held the wine glass in his right hand, rested his left arm on the back of the sofa, and said slowly:

"For now, you and Mika are my two decisive trump cards. With you two, I'm basically invincible against foes from the Physics and Religion departments. So... there are many times when it won't be your turn to appear, but I won't force you to wait in Hill Manor. Just do what you want, New Jersey. I allow your willfulness, but you don't have the freedom to escape, because you belong only to me. Your likes and dislikes, everything about you, you are my possession."

"What a shameless statement. You are not mine alone, but belong to every girl who lives here now and in the future."

New Jersey slowly drank the wine in her glass, exhaling a little, letting out the alcohol in her chest... heart? Boiler? Reactor? Whatever it was, it was beating violently now, saying—Come on, he's no match for you! No one here can stand up to you!

"Based on what you just said, I should have immediately rejected your philandering," the ship girl suppressed the surging love, her words full of complaints, "You clearly made a vow with me a long time ago, but you still refused to give me a ring. As a girl, I also have selfish motives."

"I'm sorry, because I'm such a greedy person, shameless and full of evil, so I have to give you more guidance from now on, my battleship New Jersey."

Facing the ship girl's soft eyes that swayed like water waves, Rhode smiled. His eyes fell on the somewhat empty bookshelf in the bedroom, and then he said with a smile:

"I'm missing a battleship model on my bedroom bookshelf. If you have time, you can help me fill this gap."

"...Honey is really cunning," New Jersey suddenly said, lowering her head and slightly shaking the glass that had been refilled with whiskey. "Even though she says she doesn't differentiate between 'passive New Jersey' and 'active New Jersey,' she actually prefers the more forward side, right? She always maliciously admires the shy faces of girls... That's how Honey gradually breaks down the defenses of the other people in Hill Manor, right?"

"So, did I succeed?"

"What a success... the operation was... We are still no match for you."

The ship girl suddenly raised her head and drank the wine, then put down the glass, climbed onto the coffee table with both hands, and then onto her knees. She slowly approached Rhodes, so that only her cherry-colored face was reflected in his eyes.

At this moment, New Jersey has everything to himself and no one will bother him.

Grabbing the wine glass from Rhode's hand, New Jersey held her chest with her left hand, poured the amber wine down, and said with a low laugh:

"Commander, you should drink some of this delicious wine. Don't waste it."

Rod readily accepted the advice.

Chapter 326 Daily Life: The Evil God's Descendants Riot

Even Rod missed the leisurely time he had alone.

Of course, he would never tell this to Nayako next to him. That guy would definitely shout it throughout the entire Hill Villa, making Rhode endure the resentful and regretful looks of the girls for the next few months... Oh, so angry!

Thinking of this, Rhodes was furious. He reached out and grabbed Nyako's ahoge, then pulled the confused Nyako into his arms and rubbed her face hard.

"Hey hey hey, I didn't do anything!"

"You will definitely do it in the future, so I will punish you now!"

"what?!"

Nayako screamed, jumped up, and threw Rhodes, who was sitting on a small round stool, onto the carpet, pulling his cheek angrily.

"I called you over to be a model—"

"Being a fucking pornographic model?! Don't think I don't know what you're doing!" Rhode became even angrier upon hearing this. He turned around, pinned Nayako under him, and tugged at her aloof hair. "How many have you sold? I've seen Hina's favorite dessert appear in your hands several times! And Mary's cross handicraft is still on your table!"

"That's because I like it too. We Nyarlathotep people just love these things!"

"Do you think I'll believe that?!"

"……Meow."

The black cat Pickman squatted on Nyako's desk, watching the latter and Rhodes each posing as Kamen Riders and preparing to continue fighting each other - the magical cat blinked, looked down at the drafts piled on the table, then used its cat paws to hold the brush with difficulty and modify some human body curves that were still not natural enough.

Just as Rhode and Nayako each took out their silver fork and physics crowbar, there was a knock on the door. Another descendant of the evil god opened the door and walked in, saying:

"Nayako, what I want...ah."

Abigail looked up and met Rhodes's gaze. She panicked and quickly stepped back to close the door.

"Excuse me, I'm... uh huh... sorry..."

Abigail, held by the back of her collar, could only watch in despair as the door slowly closed in front of her. Rhode threw the cute blonde girl onto the small sofa in the room and said unhappily: