Long-term salvation

Although in this chaotic world, Mobius Corporation may not be as powerful as in its original world, judging from its actions of supporting the Silent Hill Church for more than ten years or even decades ago, it is obviously not an easy character to deal with.

Rhode was feeling a bit numb now. He just hoped that no more of those weird things like Weyland (Alien series), Murkoff (Escape series) or ATC (Extreme Panic) would show up here.

The only good news was that Atlas seemed to be on his side... but now Rhodes could only hope that Irons would not go crazy when he was still young and that Irons had enough courage to fight against those monsters.

After thinking it over, Rhode sighed, turned to face Marian and Ruth, and said with a forced smile:

"Now that we have what we need, let's get out of here. Both Ms. Ruth and this lovely young lady need some rest."

"But will she let us leave?" Ruth asked, her voice low as she spoke. "It seems no one has left here in all these years. In other words, can Silent Hill let us leave?"

After glancing at the anxious Ruth, Rhode didn't reply directly. Instead, he half-knelt in front of the girl Sharon and asked in a relaxed tone:

"Little Miss Sharon, do you think we can leave?"

"[We] will leave together."

"...I understand," Rhode nodded slightly. He stood up and went to the desk to find a piece of paper. He wrote down "Atlas Company" and attached his name and "Silent Hill" before handing it to Ruth and instructing her:

"After leaving Silent Hill, if you encounter something strange in the future and need help, take this to Atlas Corporation. They'll definitely know how to get you in touch with me. Of course, it's also possible that I could contact you in advance... Remember, the connection to the other world won't be easily severed, so be prepared."

"As long as Sharon can grow up safely, I have no other requests." Ruth, somewhat confused, put the note close to her body. Looking into the other person's blue and determined eyes, she felt a little more at ease. "But no matter what, we have to leave here first."

"Then let's go!"

Rhode laughed sincerely, stretched himself, and walked out of the room first, carrying a bag full of information.

The corridor of the church still looked the same as before, with bloodstains and corpses everywhere. The only change was that the bulges caused by the wire under the wallpaper on both sides had disappeared, leaving only shriveled marks crawling all over the wall, like some withered vines.

Perhaps it was the remnants of the protective power or Alesha's hatred that had not yet dissipated, but no monsters from Silent Hill had yet invaded the church. Only some ashes floated in through the broken windows, and in just a few minutes, the ground was covered with a layer of dirty gray gauze.

Rod stepped on the ashes, took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. However, it was extinguished by some inexplicable force just after it was lit. He turned his head helplessly and looked at the girl Sharon, who was holding her mother's hand tightly and whispered:

"I hate cigarettes, too."

Rhodes: "...You're not targeting me like that, are you?"

Rod made a face at Sharon as he spoke, but he still put away the cigarette and continued to lead the way.

Arriving at the second floor of the church hall, Rhodes went down the stairs. The place was already covered with blood and human organ debris, making people feel like they had stepped into a slaughterhouse.

Amidst Ruth's retching, Rhodes led them along the edge through the sea of ​​blood and debris of Christabella and other believers. The center of the church was no longer the pit formed when Alesha entered the place, but was no different from when Rhodes and his companions first entered the church.

But there is still one living person left here.

Dalia Gillespie, Aretha's biological mother.

The crazy woman sat next to the church door, babble-ing over and over again the memories between herself and Alessa.

"..."

Rhodes thought for a moment and was about to take her away from here when he heard the muffled sound of metal rubbing against bricks - it was the triangular-headed monster dragging a machete. It slowly walked up the steps in front of the church, wrapped in flying ashes, passed through the dilapidated door, and walked into the church, into this sinful place that it should have entered more than ten years ago.

Pyramid Head did not attack Rhodes and his companions, but stood beside Dalia, just standing there quietly, as if waiting until the latter died.

This is Aresha's hatred, and also Aresha's last bit of love for this blind mother.

He imprisoned his biological mother in Silent Hill out of hatred, and drove his guardian to come out out of love.

"Let's go." Rhodes didn't interfere. He was not the person involved, so he naturally had no right to point fingers at Alyssa's actions or persuade her to let go of her hatred. What kind of shameless person would do that?

Before the few people left, Sharon looked back at Dalia, who raised her head, shrank her body, and stretched out her trembling hand to make a gesture of driving away.

The girl withdrew her gaze, took her adoptive mother's hand, and walked into the ashes and snow.

Just like when they first arrived at the church, Rhode and his companions struggled forward amidst the clouds of ash. The blizzard was so fierce that even the monsters were blown away. But just when they could barely see the road ahead, the sound of an air raid siren suddenly rang out from the distance, gradually growing louder and louder, as if the source was getting closer and closer, until it was deafening and filled everyone's ears!

In an instant, the sounds, the ashes, the monsters... everything melted away as quickly as ice placed in boiling water.

The morning sun shone from behind the mountains, casting a shadow on the buildings on both sides that had been burned by the fire. The town of Silent Hill had been very quiet since the fire. There were no plants, no animals, and even insects were rarely seen.

Now, on the central street of Silent Hill, Rhodes and his companions, their clothes covered in ashes and looking disheveled, were standing there in a daze, looking at each other.

"It looks like... we're back," Rhodes breathed a sigh of relief, bent down and pinched Sharon's cheek, saying unhappily, "It wasn't easy."

The girl whimpered and mumbled as if in protest, while Ruth had a smile on her face as if she had survived a disaster. She hugged her daughter and closed her eyes to feel the warmth brought by the long-lost sunshine.

"commander!"

Marian suddenly shouted, pointing to the end of the street ahead, where Team Gideon was waving at them—

"It seems that I can still write my report smoothly."

Gideon, who had hurried over to join him, smiled a little more. However, Rhode was not as relaxed as him. Instead, he stuffed the bag and DV in his hands into Gideon's arms and said seriously:

"Have Irons seal off Silent Hill, and take these things and give them to him. Swear to me, Gideon, you and your team will risk your lives to ensure their safe delivery."

“…I swear!”

Gideon was startled. His throat moved. Looking at Rhodes who seemed to have gone through a hard battle, he suddenly felt that the thing in his arms was a little too hot.

On the other hand, Officer Sybil, who had come along, spoke in a relaxed tone. She looked at Ruth, who was hugging her adopted daughter tightly, and said half helplessly and half jokingly:

"Don't resist the inspection next time, ma'am."

"Sorry, uh..."

"Sybil, Sybil Bennett, that's my name," the handsome female police officer smiled. "It looks like you and your daughter really need a rest. Come back to the police station with me. I can contact your family."

"I don't have any objection."

Ruth said this, but subconsciously looked at Rhodes, but the latter just reached out and messed up Sharon's hair:

"Go home, Ms. Ruth, and contact me if you have any questions."

[Side Quest: Twelve Trials: Silent Hill (Completed)]

【Task rewards begin to be distributed】

[Pollution points in the other world have been collected]

【Character exchange voucher has been received】

[Special weapons have been collected——

.357 Magnum Colt Python Revolver (Increased firing rate, increased damage to creatures in the inner world)

It's time for me to have a good rest...Thinking so, Rod patted Marian's shoulder, causing Nikki to look back with a puzzled look.

"Let's find a place to take a shower and then eat something. What do you want to eat?"

+ + + + + + + + + + + + +

"I believe you've all read THE ONE's report and the analysis of the footage. It's incredibly valuable data. The Foundation, or even past otherworld researchers, have rarely been able to obtain such firsthand information. The files on those involved in the Silent Hill incident have been collected, and they will be under continuous surveillance by Atlas agents."

“From this perspective, THE ONE is valuable.”

"He is certainly valuable in handling matters related to the other world, but whether he can become a leader remains to be seen. We cannot place all our chips on someone of unknown origin."

"An unknown benevolent being reveals the coming of the savior, and THE ONE has proven its ability to us!"

"You're too anxious, Dr. Grant."

"We don't have that much time to waste. The worst that can happen is that we test him a few more times."

"Makes sense."

"...He might be able to handle events in the other world," Irons interrupted the others. He recalled his brief encounter with Rhodes and continued, "But he hasn't yet demonstrated the ability to handle troubles in the real world."

"That is our responsibility and obligation, Irons. We need to guide and help him."

"I don't deny this. Therefore, the directors of the foundation need to contact him, test him, and make sure that he is capable of taking on the responsibility of leadership. Then we can vote, but now—"

Irons stood up and looked to the left, at a Foundation director who had remained silent since the meeting began.

"Dr. Hannibal Lecter, I would like you to conduct a psychological evaluation on Rhodes."

Chapter 13: Dreams Come True - See You Again (1/2)

Breathe… breathe… breathe… breathe…

Rhodes' breathing was regular and steady.

The next second, Rhodes opened his eyes suddenly - he was standing in a hospital corridor. The lights were cold and silent, as if the breath of living things had never appeared here.

[Pollution points in the other world increased by 1]

"Is this the Soul Prison?"

Rhodes placed his palm on the pale wall of the hospital, and it felt as cold as a coffin. He remembered the scene before him - when he was resurrected and floated up from his inner world, he came here - and ended the "life" of a young girl with a bullet.

Now, the girl was standing before Rhodes, her emerald eyes, the same as that day, reflecting his figure.

Deep blue contrasts with emerald green.

"I remember your name, Miss Asuka Ikiji, and you started dreaming again... Never mind, it's not a big deal."

Rhodes raised his eyebrows. He only had a Python revolver in the holster at his waist, and he felt a little uneasy. He preferred to use rifles with stronger suppression power in battle. Although it was not impossible to take out weapons from the storage box, he had to deal with the matter between him and the girl first.

For example, how was I pulled into this place again?

After thinking for a while, Rhode asked politely:

"How have you been sleeping lately?"

"I only slept well in the few days after meeting you," the girl whispered. She didn't look directly at Rhode, her left hand unconsciously resting on her right arm. But when she talked about her sleep, the corners of Asuka's mouth curled up slightly. "I had trouble sleeping well even when I was in the orphanage, so I'm very grateful to you, Mr. Unknown."

"Rod, my name."

Rhode made an exaggerated bow, imitating Mu Ji's self-introduction when they met. This eased the girl's sorrowful expression, and a genuine smile appeared on her face, but this smile quickly disappeared into the indifference of "submitting to all the fate imposed on her."

Rhodes caught the subtle changes in the girl's expression. Although he was not familiar with those psychological knowledge, he could guess a little bit - Asuka Iki had been tortured by real nightmares in her sleep for too many years. She was about to collapse, and her soul was lingering on the edge of the abyss.

His thoughts turned slightly, and Rhodes pulled the girl back to the ward, who did not resist.

Letting the girl lie back on the bed, Rhodes sat beside her, unhooked his pistol holster and placed it at his side, then took out a revolver and placed it further outside the holster.

"Before you were admitted to the hospital, had you ever attempted suicide in real life?" Rhodes asked. This question was indeed a bit rude, but he had to make sure.

The girl nodded slightly.

"Then why did you give up the idea of ​​suicide?"

"I have a feeling, just a feeling," Asuka Iki looked towards the direction of the ward door. The door was locked, but it seemed as if there was always a monster wandering outside, ready to rush in at any time - this was not "as if" or "maybe", but a fact that was bound to happen.

Retracting her gaze, the girl continued:

"If I die, everyone around me will be dragged into a nightmare, and they won't be able to wake up. This nightmare is spreading."

How kind of a person! He doesn't want to drag others into the same hell he's been through.

"Why did you contact me and drag me into this?"

"After being admitted to the hospital six months ago, I have been able to enter the dreams of other people. At first, it was only those near the hospital, and then anyone in the entire city. Now, it's you... You are very far away, right?" Asuka Jing Muji said softly. The tone of her voice was neither hurried nor slow, like a dammed lake that was accumulating and would collapse at any time.

As she spoke calmly, the door handle of the ward was heard turning, again and again. Soon, the person turning the handle became impatient, and the door handle began to tremble wildly.

"As for why it was you, it might be because I had a deep impression of you."

After saying this, Asukai Muji paused, as if he was considering his next words.

"Those monsters are becoming more and more numerous, not just in number, but also in variety. I can feel the nightmares happening and disappearing, and those monsters will follow the trail to find me."

Amid the increasingly piercing sound of the doorknob turning, the girl turned her head and looked at Rhodes, her eyes filled with a plea for the truth—not just a plea, but also a desire to find someone to confide in. Under the bright ward light, tears shone brightly in the corners of the girl's eyes.

"You know so much, so... please tell me, I am a misfortune maker who can only bring madness to others in this world, and this is my final fate? To die in a corner where no one knows?"

“…No, absolutely not.”

Rhodes said that he actually didn't think much of fate. Whether it was his own or someone else's, fate could be changed - he, who had been resurrected from the dead, knew this very well.

But now, Rhodes just wanted to say that this was indeed the guidance of fate (the system):

The girl before him, Asuka Iki, can sense the fluctuations of the activities in the other world, and one day, she will expand the scope of her ability to the entire world.

Rhodes needed her and her abilities, and she also longed for peace.

【System Update】

[Base construction mission "City of the Gods" is now online]

Base Construction Mission Update