Long-term salvation

Kate ignored him and showed the others the tooth filling wrapped in thick cloth in her hand, and then told them what she and Adam had discovered in the laboratory last night.

"...Monsters capable of assimilating organic matter and disguising themselves as victims are hiding among us," Kate said slowly, her gaze sweeping across everyone's face. "And they're not showing any obvious abnormalities right now, which means they possess intelligence."

Such explosive news made everyone look at each other in surprise. After a period of awkward silence, Dr. Sander Halvorson, the leader of the research team, said:

"There's not enough evidence to support your concerns, Kate. You're tired and need to rest."

"Then..."

Kate had barely finished her words when she heard the sharp whistling sound like everyone else in the room!

The whistling sound carried the pain of being frozen by the severe cold, but even so, the sound waves like the cry of an eagle were still rolling in, crossing the wind and snow, and crossing the desolate and barren white earth!

Sam Carter, a United States helicopter pilot and retired veteran, was startled and said subconsciously:

"That's the sound of a jet engine... Damn it, it's a fighter jet! I know that sound all too damn well!"

Instantly, combined with Kate's findings, everyone present had flashes of movie scenes flashing through their minds, like the military discovering an alien infection or immediately launching a "decontamination" campaign when no survivors were found. Several researchers from the United States paled.

As citizens of the United States, don't they know what the United States government will do in this situation?

Without any hesitation, everyone in the room immediately put on their coats and rushed out of the research station building.

In the already gloomy sky, an F-15C fighter jet, which could never possibly be here, was circling low over the research station! The fighter jet turned slightly to allow the pilot in the cockpit to observe the situation below.

Feeling even more confused and bewildered, the crowd could only wave at the fighter planes to prove that they were still alive.

"What the hell is going on?" Adam put his hands over his head, watching the fighter planes continue to circle. "Does Santa Claus in Antarctica deliver gifts in fighter jets?"

"Shut up, Adam…Oh God! He ejected!"

"Hurry up and drive to pick it up... Wait, why is that fighter plane gone?!"

The dark sky slowly descended, heavy snow fell suddenly, and the cold wind bit my bones.

The blizzard is coming!

Chapter 469: Strange Shape! (3K)

"Hurry, hurry! When the blizzard hits, the temperature outside will drop even lower. He won't be able to withstand it for long even with his warm anti-gravity suit... Damn it, why hasn't this tracked vehicle started yet..."

Edward Wolner, the captain and geologist of the Norwegian Thule station, shouted to the others in the station. He glanced at the bewildered faces of the people and warned them seriously:

"Listen carefully, I don't care whether you are human or monster, everyone must stay in the lounge until we return, yes, everyone!"

However, just as he started the snowmobile, he saw several scientific expedition team members standing at the outermost edge, looking at the blizzard rolling in the distance.

After driving the car next to them, Captain Edward stuck his head out and shouted:

"Go back quickly, the blizzard is coming soon!"

"..." Kate, who was standing at the front, did not turn back. She just glanced at the anxious captain of the scientific expedition team - his eyes were filled with shock, fear, and more... confusion - without saying a word, Kate raised her arm and pointed forward.

Edward subconsciously followed the instructions and looked at the blizzard ahead:

A blurry figure was skiing in the strong wind!

Amid the shock of everyone at the research station, the rapidly approaching figure became clearer as the distance shortened.

He was a handsome young man, dressed in a tight-fitting gray combat uniform. His near-perfect body lines became especially pronounced as he moved. The warmth from his every breath evaporated into the air, transforming into a pure white misty cloak.

The cloak immediately dissipated in the strong wind and condensed again!

In less than two minutes, the uninvited guest arrived in front of the scientific expedition team. He twisted his neck, and like a magic trick, he pulled out a coat from somewhere and wrapped himself up, saying with a smile:

"Excuse me, is this Black Swan Port?"

"…This is the Norwegian Thule Research Station, and there are no children here to give presents to, Santa Claus."

Edward, the captain, walked past the crowd and stood in front of the newcomer, watching him light a cigarette. Just like his coat, a flame from nowhere ignited the cigarette, causing the smoke to mix with the white mist from his breath and quickly merge into the increasingly fierce cold wind.

"Who are you? And why are you here?"

"As much as I'd like to say my name is 'Bondarev,' it's not appropriate here... Just call me 'Rod.'" He walked towards Thule Station, his eyes scanning the surrounding scientific expedition team members. "I received a distress signal, so I rushed here immediately."

"A distress signal?" Edward frowned. He hurried after them. "The blizzard is coming, and no one can send a signal—who sent it?"

Hearing this, Rhode paused, put on his all-seeing eye mask, turned his head and said:

"Humanity."

"what?"

"No, nothing. Let's gather everyone in the base into a large room," Rhodes flexed his fingers. "I know what's going on here. Hurry up! Captain, do you want to be eaten alive by alien creatures?"

"..."

In desperation, the scientific expedition team members from the Thule Station in Norway could only follow this mysterious silver-haired man into the facility. Under the muzzle of the revolver, no one dared to refuse, and no one dared to leave the warm room on such a snowy day. Among the people who returned one after another, some had eyes flashing with obscure lights, hiding themselves in the shadows of others.

Arriving at the warm lounge, Rhode turned around and carefully observed everyone with his all-seeing eye mask. Then, he said:

"Please ask Ms. Juliet and Mr. Gris to go to the corner of the room, thank you."

The All-Seeing Eye mask displayed everyone's information, and the names of two of them were followed by the label "The Thing" - this was the function that Rhodes was most satisfied with. The rest of the long-range vision, thermal imaging, and night vision capabilities were just extras.

"W-what?!" Juliet seemed a little flustered, her face turning sad. She looked pitifully at Captain Edward and Dr. Sander beside her, then looked at Kate, who frowned slightly, and said pleadingly, "I...what will happen to me? Kate, I believe you, please prove that I'm not some alien monster!"

"Don't be like this, Juliet," Gris said. He glanced at Rhodes inconspicuously and whispered soothingly—just loud enough for others to hear. "This 'outsider' of unknown origin is only 'one person' now. The captain and the others will take care of it."

"Um……"

"Of course, Miss Kate has already mentioned methods for checking for tooth fillings," Rhodes said loudly, his arm holding the gun raised steadily without a tremor. "But there's an even simpler method, which is to test the blood, but no instrument is required. This monster is what I call the 'Thing' alien creature. When the number of cells gathered is too small to support intelligence and thinking, they act on instinct."

Rhodes ignored the expressions of others and continued:

"In other words, when you collect a blood sample and use a hot wire to touch it, the strangely shaped blood cells will immediately have an instinctive counterattack reaction."

Kate's eyes lit up at these words. She put her finger on her chin and began to trust this outsider a little more. On the contrary, Dr. Sander's expression next to her became extremely bad.

"But you haven't done the test yet, have you? By not doing the test, you're sowing the seeds of doubt among us."

Seeing his team members being pointed at gunpoint, Captain Edward's tone turned cold. He winked at Adam and Sam, who then quietly approached Rhode from behind. As for himself, he stood in front of Rhode, blocking the guns aimed at the two men who were already standing in the corner, and said aloud:

"Listen, Mr. Rhodes, I don't know if you're a CIA agent or something else, but I won't allow you to use violence against my expedition team members here, even if it means risking my life. So, after the snowstorm ends, I'll immediately contact other research stations and ask them to send reinforcements, including verifying your identity."

It was really brave, but it was used in the wrong place. However, Rhodes' favorite thing was to use this bravery in the right place, and it must be used for enough years until the end of his life!

"That's because I'm a 'know-it-all,' Captain Edward, but you're quite good...you might consider working for me in the future."

Rhodes nodded slightly, lowered his revolver in Edward's surprised eyes, then suddenly turned around and punched Adam and Sam twice in the abdomen - the two men immediately bent like shrimps, but this was not the end!

Without looking back, Rhodes leaned back and used his right hand holding the gun to elbow Edward, who had not yet reacted. The latter felt as if he was hit by the rotor of a helicopter for a full circle and fell heavily to the ground!

The next second, deafening gunshots entered Captain Edward's ears!

Six gunshots overlapped at this moment, blasting the slender tentacles that were stabbing towards them - the body of the woman named Juliet had already been torn apart, fangs, tentacles, and eyes were mixed together, and wrapped in human skin. Just looking at it would make people scream in fear!

In the chaotic lounge, Rhodes did not reload his pistol, but walked forward steadily, allowing the tentacle to touch him!

"Excuse me, I'm the savior of mankind, the irreplaceable 'THE ONE'!" Rhodes sneered. "Hasn't anyone told you that I protect this planet?"

Reaching out and grabbing the Gris monster that was trying to escape, Rhodes threw it against the wall, causing dust to fall due to the impact, while the Juliet monster was strangled by him.

"I say, die, alien!"

Golden flames suddenly appeared, completely enveloping the twisted and strange body, causing the monster's shrill howls to resound throughout the entire research station!

Throwing away the remnants of the salt pillar in his hand, Rhodes stepped on Gris's strange body and stabbed the flaming sword into it.

Amidst the fearful and shocked gazes of the people around him and the painful screams of the monster, Rhode spoke calmly:

"I ask, you answer—I have little patience, monster—first question, who are you and where are you from?"

"...the distant, deep starry sky...explained in a form humans can understand...'I' have been parasitizing, growing, and leaving, repeating this...to avoid the [tide] of the opposite dimension...no creature or civilization on any planet can sustain this eternal resistance."

Therefore, the Thing chose to parasitize other civilizations and wander the universe. However, they obviously cannot parasitize civilizations or entities that can eternally resist them - in this universe, there are many ancient civilizations that can fight against those Cthulhu evil gods!

After realizing this, Rhodes frowned and continued to ask:

"Why did you come to Earth?"

"They set the wrong course... and refused to assimilate with 'me,'" Gris's strange-shaped head gradually gathered. It had no vocal cords or lungs, but it could still speak. "The spacecraft crashed here... and was frozen... and tried to escape... but encountered a powerful ancient civilization... and was parasitized... and may succeed... or may fail..."

At this point, the Thing's tone became strange and helpless, even tinged with a hint of despair:

"Your planet... the force and speed of its tides far exceed those of every previous civilization in our gene pool... Ten thousand years ago, 'I' managed to escape a surge... but I didn't expect this one to come so quickly, and to be discovered by the creatures of this planet... The only option left is to expand our population immediately... repair our spaceship... and leave immediately."

Ten thousand years is indeed a very fast time for a monster like this.

Removing the flaming sword, Rhode helplessly reached out to hold his forehead. He lowered his eyes and heard Gris's Thing continue:

"Please... I am willing to give you the technical information stored on the spacecraft... as long as you can let me leave... I beg you... Great Golden Sun..."

Rhode raised his foot and turned to leave. Amidst the golden flames and shrill screams that suddenly rose behind him, he said to the others in the research station:

"Now, tell me the location of that alien spacecraft. I don't want to repeat myself a second time."

Wait, did that guy just say something like "powerful ancient civilization" or "failed parasitism"?

Think about all those monsters in Antarctica... Rhode took a deep breath and whispered to the confused eyes of everyone at the research station:

"Fvck."

Chapter 470: Ice Layer Collapse (1/3)

The world was completely plunged into darkness. Snow, streaked with sharp ice crystals, danced down along the wind's path, hammering at every window of the building. The extreme cold accumulated layer upon layer outside the glass, waiting for the opportunity to penetrate through a crack and snatch away the warm life within.

But for the humans inside the house, rushing into the blizzard outside might be a good choice at this moment.

When the flames on the two charcoal bodies completely dissipated, the scientific expedition team members at the Thule Station in Norway had not yet recovered from the shock.

Kate, having discovered the Thing's unique characteristics, mustered up the courage to step forward. She carefully stayed away from the wreckage and spoke cautiously:

"What do we do now?"

"...Are there any other creatures in your research station?" Rhodes asked with a frown. He was very worried about the situation at the Midnight Base. "And where is that spaceship? We must completely block it, or worse—we must destroy it."

"We have sled dogs, but they were all killed last night... Damn it!"

Kate's face froze. She turned around to look at the other people in the research station and wanted to say something, but was rudely pushed away by Dr. Sander. This man had long been blinded by the desire for success and fame. Whether it was the discovery of the frozen monster or the act of ignoring safety measures and conducting dissection research last night, he was disgustingly arrogant and eager. Of course, his ending in the original movie was also miserable.

After all, the Thing doesn't care if you're a future great scientist.

"We can't blow up that spaceship," Dr. Sander didn't dare meet Rhode's gaze. He couldn't face that dignified and scrutinizing gaze. Instead, he turned his head and said this amidst the sound of his frantic heartbeat.

"This is the first time human civilization has come into contact with an alien civilization. Even though it is extremely dangerous, we must..."

"It's not the first time," Rhodes replied indifferently, "They try to break into my bedroom and occupy my bed every day."

Many years later, Kate Lloyd, who became a senior researcher at the Army Without Borders, would always remember that day in Antarctica - at that time, no one believed Rod's words, simply thinking that he was making fun of Dr. Sander or just telling a dirty joke.

"Listen, I know you're very capable, but you don't realize the value of this thing. Now you have to report this matter..."

Dr. Sander wanted to say something more, but he was immediately knocked to the ground by Rhodes's punch. Rhodes took out a silver cylindrical device from his pocket, opened it, and said with a frown:

"You're talking so much nonsense. Everyone else turned away, but as for you... just look at it."

A flash of silver light passed by, and Dr. Sander's memories of the past few months were completely wiped out. He was also knocked unconscious by Rhode's punch again. Judging by the bruises and concussion, he would be bedridden for at least several months, and would suffer from lifelong memory loss.

After doing all this, Rhodes began to dangle flamethrowers, high-explosive grenades, "high-voltage current massagers" produced by Aperture Technology, and so on in front of everyone's shocked gazes.

After arranging them in a circle on the ground, Rhodes stood up and said to them unhappily:

"Ladies and gentlemen, please calm down. I've seen enough, and I'm not a maniac who kills indiscriminately. Now, split into two teams. One team will wear gear and protective gear and burn the bloodstains, the bodies of alien creatures and companions, and any surviving sled dogs within the research station. Do not act alone. Remember the identification method. I don't want to come back and throw another incendiary bomb."

"As for the remaining group... no, more like the suicide squad, I need a guide and helpers," Rhode said, glancing at the blizzard outside. "A few people, take me to the location of the alien spaceship. But let's make it clear, it's bound to be full of monsters..."

Before Rhode could finish his words, a faint tremor suddenly struck! The chandelier swung, casting everyone's shadows on the wall. But the next second, those shadows seemed to crack like strange shapes—the wall crumbled in the gradually increasing intensity of the earthquake, and the long-awaited extreme cold and snow suddenly rushed in!

The spaceship filled with strange shapes is about to take off forcibly!

Not only Rhodes, but everyone else in the research station also realized this.

"Act immediately. Kate, Sam, and Adam, are you three willing to come with me? Very good. The others will prepare to repair the research station and eliminate any possible monsters. Captain Edward, you will command them."