Long-term salvation

It now needs to return to its nest to lick its wounds and wait for its opportunity.

At the same time, the two brothers standing in the room did not wait for the monster to attack again, but heard Rhode's voice:

"Okay, that thing has retreated for now, come out of the house."

Hearing this, Lucas and Aiden exchanged a glance. The latter immediately put on his mask and turned the dial to make the Black Stone's suppressive effect even stronger. In just a few seconds, the antlers on the boy's head withered and fell off like branches in autumn and winter, turning into a pile of ashes.

After Lucas carefully collected the ashes, he followed Aiden and left.

Outside the abandoned haunted house, Rod quickly stepped forward to pick up the two boys, then turned to the stunned Bill and said:

"We need to get out of here now, they need to rest and eat."

Chapter 358: Rest for Better Fighting (3/3)

"Hmmmm... just charge in like a deer... I think I can at least fracture the top of that thing's lumbar vertebra..."

"I was attacked too..."

"As for me, it's because of Alessa's help..."

"No, no, no, this kind of thing is weird no matter how you think about it. What's supernatural, what's a secret agent... It's so cool, can I join?"

"You should practice for a few more years, Billy."

"Not Billy, Bill! Bill Denbrough!"

A slightly noisy sound penetrated Lucas' ears, and he tried hard to open his eyes - dusk had enveloped the sky like amber, and the dark red glow of the setting sun had already adorned the mountain tops, allowing darkness to creep out from the corners of the town and gather into part of the night.

The slightly cold night wind has begun to blow, and in a few hours, the wind will become even colder.

Lucas moved his nose and smelled the aroma of barbecue. His stomach twitched a few times and protested with dissatisfaction.

"Come and have something to eat if you're awake, and put on your coat. You don't want to catch a cold right after waking up."

Rhode's voice came from the side. He was wearing an apron and turning two-finger-thick ribs with a roasting fork. The deep amber sauce dripped along the meat, and tiny flames burst on the charcoal fire, allowing the wonderful meat aroma to spread further along the air.

Lucas swallowed, turned over quickly, and grabbed his coat that had slipped off.

"Eat something, then get some rest," Rhode said calmly as he flipped the barbecue. "A big battle awaits you tomorrow."

Battle... Indeed, the monster fled back to its lair.

Lucas sat up and stretched. He saw that a little beside Rhodes, his younger brother Aiden was charging at the mountain of fresh steaks, while others took their plates and ate the sizzling lamb chops.

Lucas pressed his forehead, remembering that he had fallen asleep immediately after returning to the RV and had only just woken up. However, a glance at his companions gathered around the barbecue grill made him realize that he had woken up at the perfect time.

However, there was another guy here whom I didn't recognize, about my own age... maybe his name was Bill? He was currently carrying a plate and tongs, eating barbecue while listening to his captain's explanation, his face full of longing.

Unable to bear it any longer, Lucas suddenly jumped up from the folding beach chair, put on his coat and squeezed into the ranks of the meat eaters:

"Leave some for me!"

"Everyone, I still have vegetable soup here!" New Jersey poked her head out of the RV. She waved her hand, a bit embarrassed. "But my cooking skills are definitely not as good as Marian and Qianye's... Ahem, Commander, can I serve you some?"

"Of course, my pleasure."

"I want one too!" / "Me too." / "Give me one too, please...can you put some black sausage in it?" / "Then I want one too."

When the thick soup made of olive oil, onions and carrots was garnished with a hint of black pepper, the people who had just been intoxicated by the primitive and rough way of eating had already sunk into it, and all that was left was a sigh of satisfaction squeezed out from between their teeth after taking a sip.

"Well, Mrs. New Jersey's cooking is really good, but it's a little bland. It would be better with a little more salt."

Bill spoke as he sipped the vegetable soup. When the slightly hot soup washed away the greasiness of the barbecue in his esophagus, he looked up and saw that everyone's eyes were focused on him.

Those strange looks made the boy shrink his neck subconsciously and asked in a low voice:

"Did I say something wrong? Um...it's okay without salt. I'm not picky about food."

"No, it's nothing—Mrs. New Jersey? You'll say that from now on," New Jersey's face lit up with an even brighter smile, "I'll get you some salt."

Looking at the figure of the ship girl who quickly disappeared in the RV, Rhodes reached out and scratched his arm that was splashed with oil. He estimated that the girl would squat in there happily for a long time before coming out.

"Hmm, you better be careful with your words next time," Carl retracted his gaze, reached out and poked Bill's head, and added, "Especially when the boss is surrounded by other beautiful girls, he will definitely give you a big pack of Red Apple cigarettes."

"Why are kids smoking? No smoking!"

Looking at Rhodes who looked rather angry and embarrassed, Bill retreated tactically in awe - he really was worthy of being the boss of the supernatural secret agents, he could even step on several boats and still be alive and kicking!

Ignoring the idiot boy's admiring gaze, Rhodes took out a bottle of red wine and stuffed it into Carl's arms, whispering:

"After dinner, go take Bill back. This bottle of red wine is my apology gift to their parents. After all, I brought their child here without informing them... They must be worried sick at home."

"okay!"

Hearing Carl's straightforward response, Rhodes rubbed his hands on his apron, then asked Lucas, who was already stuffing barbecue into his mouth:

"I didn't expect you to find the abandoned haunted house faster than us. Did you look at some sewer map?"

"No, I just asked the boys in the town which places in Derry have strange legends in recent years."

Lucas chewed the barbecued meat quickly a few times and swallowed it, enjoying the lingering meaty aroma between his lips and teeth, and continued:

"After getting about ten answers, I eliminated the ones that were too similar or repeated, and then picked a place in the town closest to me to check it out... I can only say that I was lucky."

"Not very good," Carl said unhappily. He pushed Sharon away and earned an angry stare from the girl, but the carefree boy didn't notice at all. He just casually picked up a grilled prawn from his plate and put it on Lucas's.

"I'm lucky—I didn't find any clues, and I wasn't attacked... well, I was half attacked. I rescued a fat kid from the town school library and beat up a few bullies. Is it because I'm too old?"

This made all the kids in the team boo, forcing Carl to shrug his shoulders and continue enjoying the delicious barbecue.

As dusk deepened and night fell, the temperature dropped even lower, as if winter itself was approaching. The children gathered closer around the barbecue grill, feeling the warmth of the charcoal fire.

After watching the children eat something, Rhode took the ship girl who came out of the RV by the waist and said to them seriously:

"Tomorrow morning, Bill and I will go to the main exit of the sewer and enter from there to prevent the monster from escaping. You, on the other hand, need to enter the bottom of the well from the abandoned haunted house and start searching and attacking. New Jersey will follow you but will not intervene. You must understand what I mean."

"So, do we destroy the monster or capture it?"

Carl raised his hand and asked. As the captain, he had to determine the ultimate goal of the mission.

"If we're going to capture them, we'll need more technical support. Red Right Hand doesn't have the means to contain the enemy."

"...The main focus is on destruction," Rhode sighed, spreading his hands and saying helplessly, "I originally planned to use Atlas Corporation and Aperture Technology's [Blackstone Resonance Field Generator] in this operation, but we currently have too few Blackstones. It's highly likely that we won't be able to suppress the monster to the point where we can contain it. So... it's best for you to try to destroy it."

If it cannot be eliminated, then letting it sleep for twenty-seven years will be fine—Rhode swallowed the latter half of his words.

In fact, there is no need to wait that long. In another four or five years, the Joker will be woken up, and then it will have to face the siege of several [Mobile Task Forces] that are equipped with various otherworldly suppression devices and even know the spells!

When Rhode finished speaking, the children fell silent. They looked at each other and began to exchange information in a low voice:

"We all saw our worst fears."

"If we kill what each of us fears, the monster will become weaker. Does it feed on fear?"

"It seems so. If we're not afraid of it, then it won't have enough power to fight us," Lucas nodded. He dug up memories of today's battle and sorted out every detail. "That monster can transform. It has a physical form and can also create illusions. But I'm not sure if this illusion can cause everyone to lose the ability to resist... At least it would be difficult for me to break free alone."

"It can be physically harmed!" Eleven nodded. "I broke its neck."

"And this monster has emotions... language! We can use curses or provocations to buy ourselves a fighting chance!"

"Don't forget the unknown terrain we're about to fight in—we're in a dark, rugged underground tunnel—objective factors are equally important. Being buried alive by rubble and mud is no less painful than being killed by a monster."

Carl reminded him, and he used tongs to arrange the barbecue into a crooked fork, and placed a few small peppers at the entrance as a marker, and continued:

"If we encounter an irresistible dispersion, we need to consider the risk of being defeated one by one, the risk of the enemy disguising themselves as our companions and infiltrating, as well as Aiden's physical condition."

"So, if the passage is destroyed by the monsters, it will be difficult for us to escape." Sharon put down her plate and kept prodding the grease on the grill that was charred by the flames with a fork. "That requires bombs, 11's super powers, and a mechanical exoskeleton."

After saying that, the children all turned their heads to look at Rhode, who was wiping the slight lipstick mark on his cheek with his thumb and nodded seriously.

"Ahem, each of you will have a customized mechanical exoskeleton, various automatic firearms, and even a small piece of black stone for protection... Now, hurry up and finish your meal and get some rest!"

Chapter 359: Red Clenches His Right Hand into a Fist (1/3)

early morning.

The town of Derry had just woken up from its slumber. The once bustling streets were now deserted. Only the yellowed missing person notices were blown across the streets by the cold wind, and the faces of the children with cute smiles on them were gradually blurred on the wet ground.

At this moment, only bakeries and coffee shops will open early to provide those sleepy, unmarried office workers with a cup of hot coffee and a perfectly sized sandwich.

Carl Gallagher ate a quick bite to warm himself up, then donned his exoskeleton and light armor inside the tent he had set up, checking his weapons, ammunition, and other equipment. The other children did the same, wearing exoskeletons and armor tailored to their bodies. The custom-made versions, though expensive, were worth it as they aged.

Across the street was the abandoned haunted house that had been sealed off. In the name of demolition by a construction company, the executive officers of the Army Without Borders [Reality Veil Administration] built a circle of black nets and alloy plates around the exit of the monster's lair to prevent outsiders from prying.

"Are you all ready?"

Carl asked aloud, but his hands were already inspecting his team's equipment, from grenade mountings to magazine counts, uniforms to the storage and replenishment of combat chemicals. With 100% patience, the young man examined each detail, building a life-or-death trust with them bit by bit.

After receiving a positive response and completing the inspection, Carl looked at his team and smiled wickedly:

"Red Right Hand, go! Let's give that clown a good beating!"

"understand!"

The children cheered back and followed Carl into the abandoned haunted house. Behind them, New Jersey turned his wrist and followed.

The abandoned haunted house still bore traces of the last battle, but nothing strange had happened, as if the darkness had completely fled.

Carrying an M4 rifle and using M995 ammunition, Carl didn't act rashly. Instead, he slowly advanced along the corridor amid the humming of his exoskeleton's motor. Soon, the slightly eerie beeping of the Ozodek scanner joined the mix, echoing throughout the increasingly dilapidated building.

"There was no attack. The Red Right Hand began to enter the basement... We saw the manhole, 11," Carl reported in a low voice on the communication channel. He stepped aside and motioned 11 to go forward and check.

The girl nodded, and she walked forward cautiously with the P90 submachine gun in her hand - the darkness at the bottom of the well was different from the shadows of the human world. It was like a ball of breathing blood, and the cries of the victims rose and fell in the thick filth - this was the place, the only way to the monster's lair.

The blades of the Ozodek scanner were closing continuously towards the wellhead, issuing warnings at an increasingly frequent rate.

Carefully extending her telekinesis, 11 suppressed the rising anger and slight fear in her heart, carefully sensing everything below. About half a minute later, the girl slowly exhaled and said on the communication channel:

"No traps were found, but the energy reaction in the other world was very high."

"Okay, drive the spikes, release the ropes, and let's go down."

The rope swayed slightly at the side of the well, dragging the young members of the Red Right Hand Mobile Task Force down rapidly.

When Carl's combat boots stepped on the hard ground at the bottom of the well, his heart began to beat rapidly. Even from the perspective of an ordinary human, the stone passage extending into the depths of darkness seemed too terrifying.

From the ancient Indian tribes to the colonists who immigrated here, there have been countless victims over the centuries. Even the scratches of human fingers can be clearly seen on the rock walls on both sides.

Carl turned his gaze away from the remnants of human nails embedded in the end of the trace and glanced at the data terminal on his left arm. The dimly lit screen was constantly refreshing the monitored air data - humans can survive, but long-term stay is not recommended - are there really humans who will stay here for a long time?

Karl complained in his heart, but still said in a low voice:

"Search forward!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Carl felt as if he had entered another world! He saw the beam of the tactical light sweeping across the darkness ahead. Behind the veil of dust and fog, three cylindrical shadows were faintly swaying regularly, like someone struggling while hanging upside down.

The shadows suddenly stopped swinging, fell to the ground and then got up... Carl saw three figures clearly. They were the children in the small town school who liked to bully others. They were young, foolish and fearless. And just yesterday, Carl had helped a bullied fat kid teach them a lesson.

The three boys drew their daggers, their faces filled with dull expressions, and behind them extended dense spider silk threads - they were the clown Pennywise's new toys - especially the boy in the lead, Henry Bowers, who was vicious, cruel, crazy, and a complete sadist. Last night, at the clown's instigation, he even killed his abusive father!

Maybe if the boy had a happy family, things wouldn't be like this. It would be a pity if that happened. There is no if.

"Hehehe, now, I want to see what you will do. But, it seems that beating them to death won't be a big deal, right?"

Pennywise the clown cackled, and his laughter echoed along the rough passage layer by layer, becoming more hoarse and crazy after thousands of echoes.

But Carl just rolled his eyes and then reached out his hand to Lucas, who understood what he meant and immediately handed him a black blunt knife.

"Hehehe, I know you are here to protect humans... Holy shit! You actually broke their thighs without mercy?! And... and Henry's knees and elbows... Oh! It's still going on... Oh GOD! Still knocking! They've all fallen to the ground completely!"

After dodging the first attack, Carl wielded the blunt knife with a blank expression. This was a way to deal with a "shameless guy" who grew up in a gang-ridden, crime-ridden neighborhood? When Carl was younger, he sold guns right in school!

Even if the boys in front of him were not bullies, it would not have affected the strength and speed of Carl's swing of the stick.

That is the difference between breaking limbs and shattering joints, one stick per second and five sticks per second.

Pennywise the Clown: "...Do you have no morals?"

"I should have this thing," Carl answered casually. He took out a high-strength fiber rope and tied up the three boys who were lying limply on the ground. The rest of the matter would obviously be handled by the subsequent enforcement specialists.

In reality, Carl had the lowest moral standards among the other members of the Red Right Hand Team, even possessing a bit of an antisocial personality. Of course, at heart, he was a kindhearted, passionate young man with a touch of cynicism, and now he used military discipline and ideals to restrain himself. However, as the leader of the Mobile Task Force, when other team members faced potential moral dilemmas, Carl had to act quickly and forcefully to resolve the situation for them—just like he had just now.

But Carl did feel a little regretful. He felt that he should have broken the legs of these three little bastards yesterday.

"This is... really eye-opening," Pennywise the clown said with some anticipation, suppressing his surprise. "You are not ordinary children, and there is a strange moving thing following you... Then come on, I'll be waiting here for you."

As soon as the words fell, the members of the Red Right Hand team saw the darkness ahead swirling like a whirlpool. The smell of rotting flesh mixed with the distinct salty smell of the sewers. The fishy wind whistled past the children's faces, blurring their vision and clouding their hearts.

The long hair of the ship girl New Jersey was also blown up, but she just stood there calmly.