Long-term salvation

"Well then, Miss Barbara, it's not Batman who's coming to save you now. I'm not as rich as he is."

This witticism made Barbara smile reluctantly. She took a deep breath and whispered:

"We... I forgot when we arrived in Innsmouth, but after the professor took us out to sea, everything changed. Three people wearing thick diving suits went diving and seemed to have found something there. The communication channel was full of screams and talk about fish-man monsters. In the end, only my boyfriend Paul Marsh came back with that... that book!"

A book? The Necronomicon, or something else?

Carter's steps paused slightly, a sense of terror at being watched slowly creeping up his spine. But after taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, he walked outside with Barbara, whispering, "What's that?"

"How did you survive? I don't think these monsters would be so kind."

"They said... they wanted to use me to attract my boyfriend Paul... that he would definitely come back, and he would bring the book with him..." Barbara breathed hard, but the experience of being dangling over the icy water still tortured her body, and her body temperature was slowly dropping. "Ever since the book was on board, people from the archaeological team and the crew kept screaming and jumping into the sea... until Professor Harriet Dower read the book... cough cough... am I vomiting blood?"

"No, you're vomiting seawater and gastric juices. You haven't eaten in a long time."

As Carter spoke, he gripped the pistol tightly in his hand. He could already hear the panicked shouts from the upper floor - the people of Innsmouth had discovered that the door lock was broken and were now constantly calling for others to come.

"That's good! My 'violin' can be put to use," Carter muttered incoherently. He adjusted his gun belt with a complaint and asked Barbara, "Do you know where your boyfriend and the book were taken?"

"This...Paul was taken away by a group of people in black robes. Those monsters said they were in the old church district."

"The old church district? That's where we'll go."

As he spoke, Carter suddenly pushed aside the fabric, raised his pistol and fired several shots at the Innsmouth people who rushed in!

The bullets flew over the shadows and penetrated into the flesh that had begun to mutate. The flippers and fins could help these abominable monsters swim freely in the sea, but they could not resist iron and fire on land - it was ridiculous that these guys could only rush over waving harpoons and scale scrapers!

"Hold on, Miss Barbara," Carter shouted between shots. "If you're dead, there's no point in me staying here."

"I...I will persevere."

"That's good," Carter could feel Barbara trying hard to straighten her body so as not to become a burden to him.

After freeing one hand, Carter took advantage of the time when the people in Innsmouth were shouting but not daring to rush over to replace the pistol with a new magazine, then slowly walked up the wooden stairs with the MP5 submachine gun. As soon as he showed his head at the door, he heard a whistling wind!

A harpoon flew past the tip of his nose and almost pierced his head!

"Damn fish head...taste this!"

Carter threw away his violin case, took out a grenade from it, pulled out the ring, and threw it backhandedly -

"!"

The sound of gunfire and explosions penetrated Uxia Cambarro's (also from "The Demonic Forbidden Zone") ears, causing her eyes to shift away from the scarred old woman in front of her and look towards the door of the room.

This beautiful woman in the wheelchair was far more noble than the bishop who was presiding over the ceremony, and for this reason, she was waiting for the servants' report.

A few minutes later, there was a gentle knock on the door, and the bishop with a hateful face walked in. He bowed respectfully to Uzziah, and then said with anger and unwillingness:

"Those heretics who worship the Dark Fertility Goddess attacked our sacrificial vault and took away the woman named Barbara! Um... they stole the pickup truck we were using to transport our catch, and now we can only chase them in a car."

"I understand. Let the pursuers return first. They'll be ambushed if they run around," Ulthea's expression darkened. "We must ensure the safety of the book and my brother. This is key to our successful awakening ceremony. But are you sure he's a heretic from the Old Cathedral District?"

"Of course he was wearing black! And he was trying to sneak into the church just an hour ago—obviously those heretics called in help from outside the town."

"...Haha, maybe they're government agents," the tortured old woman lying on the ground tried to force a laugh. She slapped the carpet with her hands, making a muffled thud. "Your actions have been discovered... Just wait, humanity's heavenly fire will descend and incinerate all of you monsters!"

Before the old woman finished her words, Ulthea's tentacles extended from under her skirt and whipped her face, leaving a bloody mark. But after a scream, Professor Harriet Doyle sneered and said:

"You...you won't succeed...this resurrection, this awakening...it's all just a dream!"

"Shut up! If it weren't for your obstruction, brother would have understood his identity and responsibilities long ago!"

Uzzia responded angrily. She suddenly looked up at the bishop and said coldly:

"Now is not the time to hesitate any longer. Gather all those who can fight and find my brother and the R'lyeh Text from the hands of the heretics!"

"Yes, we will set off to the old church area now."

Chapter 336: Thousand Nights (3/4)

The road from the New Church District to the Old Church District was not difficult to walk, but the road after entering the Old Church District made Rhodes feel like he was walking in a brick swamp. What was even more annoying was that -

"Rod King Kong, forward!"

Rhodes carried Nayako on his back like an octopus, while he reached out and pulled two strands of his hair, shaking them back and forth.

"Don't say that, okay?" Rhodes replied with dead eyes. He lifted the girl's hips and continued, "Now, stay still and don't move!"

"Hey, Rod is clearly enjoying the feeling of my breasts pressing against him."

"I really hope you can focus on your work."

Rhode said unhappily that all he saw were dilapidated, old town buildings. There were few shops, let alone residents. But judging by the appearance of the impoverished pedestrians he encountered, they didn't seem to have any "illness."

However, this is by no means a good place to go.

[Pollution points in the other world increased by 20]

Rhode looked up and saw a black shadow occasionally streaking across the clouds covered with drizzling rain. It was the tentacles of some creature, and it lay there lazily, waiting for its prey—Rhode—to walk up to it and ask it:

"Why?"

The offspring of the Black Forest Goat, who gave birth to millions of offspring, were just like this: intelligent and solitary, they fed on the body fluids and viscera of unfortunate creatures that strayed into their tentacles, and particularly enjoyed waiting quietly for their prey to fall into their traps. After feasting, they would move to another location and repeat the same hunting pattern.

Of course, if extremely hungry, they will also track and kill their victims.

Rod sincerely hoped that this would not happen.

"It's even more run-down here, worse than I remember from my childhood."

Ezequiel also walked carefully beside them, avoiding puddles and broken, fallen beams. In the nearly abandoned old church district, these collapsed buildings, neglected over the years, were everywhere, exuding a lingering, eerie atmosphere.

"This place is indeed filled with the presence of others," Nyako whispered in Rhode's ear. "The descendants of Shub-Niggurath are here... and there's also that yellow-robed swindler who's on par with Nyarlathotep's clan. How come so many people are participating in such a grand event in such a small town?!"

"I thought you knew."

"How could I—tsk, my father must have known—no, why aren't you surprised at all about my aunt's offspring? Did you know about it a long time ago?"

Nayako screamed, opened her mouth and bit Rhode's earlobe, causing him to shrink his neck and shake his head to get rid of the girl who started licking again. After several attempts without success, Rhode sighed and turned to Ezequiel beside him and said:

"When do we…wait, someone is watching us."

Putting down Nayako, Rhodes placed his hand on the revolver at his waist. He glanced around and saw some shadowy figures moving around in the abandoned buildings.

In just a few seconds, dozens of black-robed believers appeared from all directions. They looked at Rhode and his companions calmly, then raised their hands and pointed in one direction.

Old church.

Rhodes saw the building that was quite eye-catching in the dilapidated town. It was also in the shape of a Christian church, but there was no cross on it, nor any sign to indicate where it belonged. This was completely different from the Dagon Esoteric Church not far away.

Starting from the information provided by Nyarlathotep, and then what he saw and felt after arriving in the town, Rhodes, who connected the clues together, took a long breath and walked towards the old church, ready to meet Dark Young who provided some help.

As Nayako clutched his sleeves tightly, Rhodes pushed open the church door and saw a woman in a black robe and a black veil. A man wearing glasses sat on a shabby bench next to her - this man's name was Paul Marsh/Pablo Cambarro (the protagonist of "The Forbidden Zone"). Two names, two bloodlines.

As for this woman... she took off her veil, revealing her beautiful, maternal face. She looked at Rhodes and said softly:

"My name cannot be spoken in human language, but I have spent a thousand nights waiting for you in this town where time has long since blurred. So, you can call me 'Thousand Nights'."

"...My pleasure," Rhode frowned slightly. He protected Nayako behind him, shielding her adorable face as she began to breathe heavily. "May I ask why the descendant of the Dark Mother Goddess is waiting for me here?"

"Test, observe, and provide assistance," Qianye said with a smile, clasping his hands together. "I've defeated hundreds of sisters to gain this opportunity, and I haven't fully recovered from my injuries yet—but you can't just kill me now, so please put down your pistol."

Rhodes had no intention of raising his pistol. The bullets in the revolver's cylinder were not meant to deal with this "sudden" incident.

Rhode glanced at the stunned man sitting next to him and asked calmly:

"How can you help?"

"What can you offer in return?"

Qianye asked intriguedly, her fingers entwined with her black hair, the ends of which seemed to have transformed into tentacles, swaying slightly. Furthermore, as if deliberately displaying her true form, two light green goat horns sprouted from the top of the beautiful woman's head, revealing them to Rhode without reservation.

"..."

The corner of Rhode's eye twitched slightly. He already knew clearly that the kid in front of him was a black goat... Black! Mountain! Goat! How could he not know what the other party wanted?! If he agreed now, wouldn't he be squeezed dry when he returned?!

Nyako behind me has started biting her handkerchief!

Seeing Rhode's embarrassment, Qianye's smile grew wider, but she did not press him again. Instead, she chuckled softly:

"The road ahead is long, and we still have a lot of time. Lord Rod, who was shattered and then perfectly reunited...ah, it's really irresistible!"

The beautiful woman with long black hair held her slightly red cheeks with her hands, her eyebrows and eyes curved into a charming crescent moon:

"As for now, you need to deal with a small problem. To put it in human terms, those deep ones who believe in 'Cthulhu', 'Dagon', and 'Hydra' are coming here with great momentum. And with them is your friend, the interesting mortal who is valued by the One who Returns All Things to One."

Is this Randolph Carter, who's in trouble?

The director's panicked face flashed through Rhode's mind. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, but his heart felt much more at ease. After quickly reviewing the current situation in his mind, Rhode walked up to Paul Marsh and asked seriously:

"Members of the Brown University archaeological team? What on earth did you encounter under the sea?"

"...I...I'm a monster, no different from the people of Innsmouth here," Paul muttered. He glanced fearfully at Qianye beside him, clearly not wanting to recall the latter's terrifying true form. But soon, the pain of learning his true identity brought the young man to a near collapse.

"I went diving with two classmates who had diving licenses, following the route compiled in the literature... Then we suddenly got into an underground cave... I... I don't know how we got in."

"Calm down, eat something, and then continue. Maybe I can solve the problem you have."

Rhode said this, glancing at Qianye before pulling out a piece of chocolate from his storage space and shoving it into Paul's hand. Paul took small nibbles at first, but once his tongue tasted the sweetness, he gobbled it up, as if that would dispel the ocean smell from him—a futile effort, unless all the Deep Ones on the planet were killed, or unless something unexpected happened to the being dormant in R'lyeh.

"Do you feel better?"

"Better, sir... Yes, I will continue."

Chapter 337: Cthulhu's Resurrection? (4/4)

Under Rhode's gaze, the young man named Paul, who had the blood of a Deep One flowing in his veins, continued to recount his experiences.

We were navigating the icy waters, but our new, thick diving suits prevented us from quickly losing temperature. Perhaps we were caught in an undercurrent, and when we regained consciousness, we were already in that underground cave.

The cave is huge, very huge, but it's not dark. I can see a lot of luminous algae spreading on the rock walls, providing lighting. There is stagnant water, sea water, and fish struggling inside the cave.

Yes, the other two saw the same thing as me... but unfortunately, they didn't come back alive. Now that I think about it, maybe it was the monster blood flowing in my body that allowed me to be "released".

After walking forward for a distance, we saw a very large stone door. In front of the stone door was an altar that was obviously created by intelligent life. It was round, and the edges spread outward like a giant eye, glowing dark gold.

On the raised stone platform of the altar, there was a book.

"a book?"

Rhodes raised his eyebrows, tensed his body, and his heart beat rapidly:

"Is it the Ponape Scripture, the Cthaat Aquadingen, or the R'lyeh Text? If I'm not mistaken, it should be... here."

Hearing this, Qianye's smile remained unchanged. A tentacle emerged from the darkness above the church, carrying a thick bronze ancient book, and passed by Rhodes, like teasing a stupid donkey with a carrot.

Undeterred by the teasing, Rhodes looked at Paul and continued to ask:

"And then? What happened to you then?"

Paul sniffed, reached out and wrapped the robe around himself tighter, then continued:

"I walked up to the book—"

Perhaps it was fate, or perhaps it was planned by those people, but I stood in front of the book, opened the pages, and read the name they wanted me to read:

Cthylla!

The daughter of the Old Ones sleeping in R'lyeh, this damned thing will give birth to her father again one day in the future! (From the novel "In His Daughter's Darkling Womb")

It is slowly waking up and unconsciously trying to break through the door. It must be put to sleep again... It must be combined... with my sister... No... I don't have a sister... Where was I just now?

Well... the moment I uttered that abominable name, I saw the future of the "birth" of the sleeping god - R'lyeh rose slowly in the waves, they descended from the stars to the earth, these monsters were going together to open the huge stone door behind which Cthulhu's body was sleeping. Then Cthulhu would wake up completely and dominate the world again!

Hum, hum, hahahaha, in that cave, I saw it! I saw my future, becoming like those monsters that pounced on us! Amidst my companions' cries, I screamed like a child, took the thick book, and then threw them to the monsters and fled. The moment I touched the sea, it felt like I had grown flippers and gills, but now I feel nothing. I swam upwards with all my might, reaching the surface as easily as a fish, and was rescued by the others. Oh God... what had I done... I left them to those monsters!

"..."

Looking at the young man who was almost insane, Rhode's palm sparked with golden flames, and then he slapped him. The young man's eyes suddenly widened, but after a few seconds, they gradually relaxed, his face filled with fear and despair.

"Your skull hasn't deformed yet, which means you're still human," Rhodes said calmly. "If I say you're 'human,' you are. No one in this world can deny that... But, Mr. Paul, I understand what you mean. Now we just need to figure out how to handle this situation."

Rhodes stood up straight, took the thick bronze book and stuffed it directly into the storage space. He turned his head to look at Qianye and said:

"Looks like I still need to go to the bottom of the sea."