Long-term salvation

Mika helplessly reached out and pulled Rhodes' cheek, but the latter just shrugged, put his arm around the girl's waist and walked out of the airport.

However, not long after leaving the airport, Rhode noticed someone following him and Weihua. When he put on his all-seeing eye mask and looked back, he saw several "unexpected, but reasonable" people:

"CIA?"

Rhodes raised his eyebrows slightly, but he didn't say anything on the surface. Instead, he took Weihua through the endless stream of people. The two CIA agents who were following them immediately threw away the newspapers in their hands, lowered their hats and quickly followed.

With a wave of his hand, Rhodes called a taxi that had been waiting on the street for a long time.

After getting in the car, Rhodes first carefully looked around the environment inside the car, and then said to the taxi driver:

"Just spin around, 'Ling'. It would be even better if you can shake off the pursuers."

"If you can, please don't mention my codename here," said Bell, a Perseus Organization agent disguised as a taxi driver (from Call of Duty: Cold War, Chapters 228 and 246), helplessly. "Just call me 'Belevsky'. It's just a random name."

"Oh, don't worry. Anyway, do you want to smoke?"

"...I don't draw the Red Apple card."

Ling reached out and fiddled with the rearview mirror, and saw Mika sitting next to Rhodes. Although he wanted to ask his boss where he had tricked this cute girl, he kept his mouth shut and continued speaking at Rhodes's deeply regretful expression:

"The chaos in Eastern Europe after the... disintegration continues. Mother Russia's economy is also extremely bad. That damn drunkard... Never mind, let's not talk about that."

The Slavic man sighed, reached out to adjust his driver's hat, then let his palm slide across the steering wheel, allowing the taxi to merge into the still fast-moving traffic.

At this moment, the car was driving along the road beside the Vistula River. Leaden clouds hung low over the city, like a woolen blanket soaked in rain, ready to pour down at any moment. It was inevitable that some uneasiness would arise in one's heart.

At least the passers-by walking on the path in the riverside park are holding umbrellas of different colors in their hands, but if they are the sticky lovers, it is a different story. They are "so poor that they can only share one umbrella."

Retracting her gaze from these ordinary people, Ling tapped the steering wheel subconsciously a few times and continued:

"Recently, some strange ideologies have been rising in Eastern Europe, like neo-Nazism, and some Nazi remnants from South America have been active. But with the KGB and the Stasi now collapsed, we Perseus don't have the time to track and hunt them down. If we let them continue, I'm afraid they'll cause some major chaos."

"Another reason is that Adler, that mad dog, has recently started tracking Perseus again, constantly interfering with our operations in Eastern Europe. Ukraine's intelligence system has been almost completely blocked... We can only use official connections to recruit various researchers, engineers, and highly qualified workers to Africa. However, thanks to those bureaucrats who like to sell off state assets, our acquisitions have been very smooth."

When talking about the last thing, Ling's face was full of bitterness, but he quickly restrained it.

"Russell Adler (also from Call of Duty: Cold War) seems to explain why I was followed right after leaving the airport... But how can someone who was born here still be able to come out again?" Rhodes raised an eyebrow. "I remember Mary should have beaten those bastards to a pulp."

"ATC's remodeling surgery."

"That's fine. The CIA is really willing to invest. It seems the new director, who has only been in office for a short time, is very satisfied with Adler's work."

Rhodes pressed his brow with his hand, leaned back in the back seat, and pulled Weihua into his arms. Although she rarely used her super brain, the girl could still sense one thing from their conversation just now - her and Sensei's leisure shopping time was completely ruined.

In the shadows that neither Rhodes nor Ling noticed, Weihua lowered her eyes slightly and wrote down a name:

Russell Adler.

"But this is a bit troublesome. The CIA targeted me right after I left the airport, and they're probably following me now." Rhode touched his chin, feeling a bit conflicted about what to do next. "I could devise a decoy plan to lure them out and kill them, but that would take at least a few days... and would delay my original mission."

The main reason was that the system had issued a side quest regarding the investigation and exorcism mission at the monastery.

[Side Quest: Hellhole (from the 2022 film of the same name)]

Mission Description: Go to the monastery in southeastern Poland, resolve the demon summoning incident, and seal the rift in the other world.

A rift to the other world was quite worrying, and what was even worse was that someone over there was actually trying to figure out how to summon demons... If it was just a minor matter like demon possession, then Rhodes would just need to have Weihua watch over him and cover the damage.

But then he needs to reunite with Father Anderson and the Knights of the Covenant, as well as the scheduled trip to the Vatican after the incident is over. This is even more troublesome - if the knights are targeted by the CIA, it will affect the future suppression work in the other world, and may also expose his relationship with the Vatican.

Tsk, so I guess I still have to throw the nuclear bomb in the storage space into the CIA headquarters...

Just as Rhodes was thinking about what to do, Weihua suddenly said:

"Sensei, I can stay and help."

"Hmm?" Rhodes raised his eyebrows slightly. He reached out and tugged at Weihua's cheek, saying unhappily, "Although I'm glad you're willing to think about it, there's no need for you Kivotos students to get involved in this kind of thing."

"Um...then why don't I just be like Mary?" Mika mumbled, her cheek being pulled. Her big, cute eyes were full of seriousness. "Look, I'll put on a veil and beat those bad guys into paralysis - haven't they been transformed by worse guys? Even Perseus's agents will be harmed, right? Sensei can go deal with more important things, I'll take care of them!"

As he spoke, Weihua rolled up his sleeves and flexed his muscles towards Rhodes.

Looking at the fair and slender arms, Rhode pondered for a few seconds, then leaned forward and asked Ling, who was driving:

"How many of you are in Warsaw?"

"It's easy enough to get this lady to France. From there, she can transfer to other countries with the help of Plessy Logistics Company, but it would be best if she kept her face covered. Besides, I don't mind doing it for this lady. Executing NATO dogs or something like that is more refreshing than just drinking a whole bottle of vodka with me!"

"In that case...Mika, remember to control your anger and strength."

Chapter 405 Adler: This Sense of Deja Vu (2/3)

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God!” They are all wicked and have committed abominable sin; there is no one who does good. - Psalm 53:1

Russell Adler, a senior CIA agent, cyborg, and Warhammer 40 board game enthusiast.

Although the last hobby is indeed a bit embarrassing, Adler, who is proud to be a hyena of the free world and is quite self-aware of it, never cares about the criticism.

At this moment, under the gloomy sky of Warsaw, Adler was tracking the target vehicle with his two old friends. According to the CIA agent waiting at the airport, "Rod", who had close ties with Atlas Corporation and Aperture Technology, had arrived on a special plane. If a stable tracking system was not established in Warsaw, it would be extremely difficult to catch up with the target after it left Warsaw. After receiving the order from the CIA headquarters, the three people who were originally playing hide-and-seek with the Perseus Organization in Eastern Europe immediately became interested.

"Adler, how are you feeling? The weather's been rough lately," said Frank Woods, who was driving. His broken hands had healed, and aside from a slight pain on rainy days, they were no different from before. "Mason and I are very worried."

"Indeed, we all thought you were going to die on the operating table."

Alex Mason, who was sitting in the back seat, nodded. Like Woods, he had to stay in the hospital for a long time before recovering. He even thought about retiring during the process... But when they saw Adler lying on the hospital bed, this idea turned into anger for revenge.

"It feels great," Adler said, his lips curling up slightly. He could feel the lightness and strength of his body. His dynamic vision and nerve reaction speed had increased significantly, as if there was nothing in the world he couldn't do. "It's completely different from the past. If I had to say, it's simply a perfect body!"

"That's good. Anyway, if it weren't for the direct order from headquarters, we would probably still be in Warsaw looking for those damn Soviets—former Soviets—I really like that name."

"That's a nice title, Woods. It's a shame I didn't see that damn red flag lowered from the Kremlin... As for our case, it seems a certain congressman persuaded a big shot in the Pentagon, who in turn talked to the director and then casually tossed the task to us."

Adler didn't care. He shrugged, reached out and picked up the pizza bread wrapped in oil paper, took a bite of this Warsaw street food that became popular more than ten years ago, and said vaguely:

"There's nothing much to say about the collusion between those politicians. They probably feel humiliated by Atlas's recent actions. Many people's businesses were shattered recently, and with no concrete evidence, they can only swallow their losses and then find ways to fight back."

"Sounds like kids fighting."

"Indeed... huh? Wait, Woods, Mason, did you see that? There are new passengers in that taxi... where are the two people from before?!"

Adler sat up abruptly, frowning as he carefully recalled his earlier experience on the road. Due to the traffic and waiting, he could only keep the taxi within sight for most of the time. Did the target get out and leave during this gap? Had they already noticed that they were being followed?

Whether intentional or not, it is definitely not a good result.

"Notify other agents to keep an eye on the airport, train station, and bus station. We'll follow that taxi and find an opportunity to arrest the driver and interrogate him."

Adler said so, but after they followed the taxi around and around, picking up and dropping off several passengers, they gradually realized that they seemed to be moving away from the city center:

This is Warsaw's eastern workers' quarters. The prefabricated buildings now resemble children's haphazardly stacked concrete blocks, looming even lower beneath the weight of the clouds. Next door, a once-thriving commercial district has languished under the plight of the unemployed, leaving only a few scattered businesses open. Perhaps with the implementation of the economic reforms known as "shock therapy," this situation will change.

Adler and the other two didn't care about these trivial matters. The taxi they were concerned about was parked in front of a residential building. The driver got out of the car, smoked a cigarette, took out a rag and wiped the car body briefly before slowly walking into the residential building.

"It looks like a trap, Adler. We need to be careful."

Mason whispered, pulling out a handful of weapons from a black bag on the backseat. "Besides, there are quite a few people living here. Don't make any noise and attract the GROM (Groupe de Responsible et Mobilité des Routes)... Do you hear me, Adler? I don't want to have another gunfight with Polish police and Agent Perseus in the middle of nowhere!"

"I've called in the Ops team to help. If appropriate, we can even use GROM to eliminate a few Perseus agents."

Adler just nodded slightly in response to his companion's warning, then took the backpack full of weapons handed to him by Mason and was the first to walk into the residential building.

Looking at the receding figure, Mason and Woods looked at each other, sighed, and quickly caught up.

Following the footprints in the dust, Adler put his hands in his pockets so that he could quickly pull out the silenced pistol - the corridor in the residential building was not lit, and it looked particularly dark because of the gloomy sky outside. The rivets on the door were not only rusty but also missing several of them, which was annoying to see.

Continuing upwards, Adler just reached the second floor when he suddenly stopped.

Mason, who was following behind him, bumped into Adler's back unexpectedly, causing him to subconsciously ask:

"what happened?"

“…It feels a bit like déjà vu.”

"what?!"

Mason walked past Adler who was standing there and glanced cautiously at the end of the corridor. Then he also stood there in a daze.

"Hey, let me tell you..." Mason reached out and patted their shoulders. He turned his head and looked with a look of horror on his face. "Why is there another nun?! And she's wearing a mask!"

The person who appeared in front of the three people was Weihua, who had already changed into a nun's uniform as a disguise, and she was also wearing a hanging black veil.

This really feels like déjà vu!

Still in the dark corridor, still with the nun, still with broken bones... No, no, no, this time it's absolutely impossible!

"Who are you?" Adler asked. He had already tightened his grip on the pistol, and his left hand also reached for the dagger at his waist. "Perseus? No, no, you are definitely not Perseus - who are you?"

“Like a dog returning to his vomit, a fool repeats his folly (Proverbs 26:11).”

Weihua walked forward calmly, her hanging hands slowly clenched into fists, the joints and fingers rubbing against each other, making a dull sound like the collision of steel.

"I hate you bad guys for interrupting my time with Sensei."

Chapter 406 Adler: Why the back again?! (3/3)

"Fire!"

Mason roared, raised his Uzi submachine gun and pulled the trigger without even looking:

"Don't let her get close!"

The crackle of submachine gun and rifle fire suddenly resounded throughout the corridor, causing the residents who hadn't yet moved out to instinctively open their doors to see what was happening outside. The wind howled fiercely—where did the strong wind in the corridor come from?!

Ignoring the bullets, the girl rushed forward like an arrow, stirring up a strong wind and dust that blinded the eyes of those who were not paying attention. She also pushed back several residents who did not have time to retreat, forcing them to crawl up from the ground in a panic, screaming and running back to the room to call the police.

The next second, the angel clenched his right fist and hit Adler's right arm, which he subconsciously raised, with a little more force!

The skin on the hyena's arm had been torn apart by the strong wind before the fist made contact. A tiny amount of blood foam splashed around, rolling into a nearly perfect ellipse in the dull air, followed by muscles and alloy bones... When the pain was transmitted to Adler's brain, he realized that he was no match for the person in front of him.

With a flick of his hand, Weihua threw Adler into the next room. The latter broke open the thick wooden door and lay in the dust mist made up of sawdust and dust, staring at the world spinning in front of him in a daze.

In the corridor, Mason and Woods were constantly retreating, trying to fight back with various weapons, but the nun who was walking slowly towards them just slightly turned sideways, or even simply blocked the bullets from the gun, standing there like a reef in the waves!

With a delicate cry, Weihua pushed off the ground with her right leg and instantly crossed the short distance. The strong wind caused by this directly peeled off the outer layer of paint on the corridor wall, and followed by a knee strike, all of the winds hit Mason's body!

When the burly man was knocked to the ground outside, he heard the sound of shattering glass, cracked ribs, and the wheezing of his lungs like a broken bellows... Waiting another minute, when Woods also flew out of the window and fell beside him, he began to cough up a few mouthfuls of blood and said to himself helplessly:

"Or...retire..."

"Can we really retire in our line of work?... And first, think about how to deal with the Poles," Woods said, rolling over with difficulty. His legs were broken, and he could only lie on the concrete floor, watching the helicopter approaching in the distance. "I don't think the action team can get a helicopter right now—these Poles are coming damn fast, just as fast as the Germans' blitzkrieg into Poland."

"Hahaha... but it still feels like... déjà vu... I remember... when we were in Chicago, we were also arrested by the authorities..."

“…Fvck.”

Unlike Mason and Woods who were both lying on the ground outside, Adler, who had been thrown into the room earlier, blinked his eyes, exhaled slowly, then took out an injection from his small bag - an Amino Acids enhancer mixed with adrenaline - and slowly pushed it into his neck. Adler let out a comfortable sigh, then struggled to get up and took out a grenade.

Just as Adler was about to go out, he heard some noise coming from the room:

It was a little boy who poked his head out from the inner room, peeked through the door, and looked at Adler timidly.

Adler forced a smile.

Ten seconds later, Ling walked out of his room cautiously. He was wearing a heavy bulletproof vest and holding an AK74 rifle. He was obviously preparing to carry out the final shooting - this had better be done quickly, otherwise, those Poles who were furious because of the previous gunfight in the downtown area would not give him another chance.

When he came to the corridor, Ling saw Weihua standing in a mess and giving him a thumbs up. The elite agent of the Perseus organization sighed helplessly and returned a thumbs up.

But when Ling took a few steps forward and was about to ask Weihua where those CIA agents were, she saw a boy trembling at the door of the room between them, holding a grenade with the pull ring torn off in fear.

Mika's eyes widened slightly, and her expression became even gloomier than before... After exchanging a glance with Ling, she walked straight into the next room.

Agent Perseus slowly approached the room, but Adler cunningly hid his body behind the door, in the blind spot created by the boy's body. He only needed to push lightly, and the boy, who was already frightened and wanted to let go and escape, threw the grenade - explosion. At this distance, no one could escape.

Soon, Adler's voice, panting slightly due to pain, was heard. He laughed softly and said:

"I noticed. You don't want to cause any deaths, right?"

"...How despicable, NATO dog."

"Heh, whether you're the KGB, Perseus, or some other idiot, no one in this line of work is innocent," Adler breathed, noticing a slight distortion in his vision. This was a side effect of Anshinin. Ignoring the illusion caused by the distortion, he continued, "I already know that both the Poles and the CIA are heading here... Perhaps we can talk to each other again at the station?"

"I do not mind."

"Me too... But I think this boy will definitely mind," Adler patted the boy's head with his intact left hand and said indifferently:

"So, I just want to ask one question: who is that man named Rod? I have a hunch that he's the one who connected all of this. Whether it's Perseus, Atlas Corporation, or Valery Mikhailovich Sablin, who has been expanding his influence in Russian politics recently—he's the one who connected all of this, right?"