Long-term salvation

[Base Construction Side Quest: City of the Gods - Eye of Terra]

Mission Description: Obtain the core of the Otherworld Fluctuation Monitoring Device, obtain the prototype of the STEM device, the device's operating matrix, integrate the core and matrix, and operate the Otherworld Fluctuation Monitoring Device - Eye of Terra.

The system's prompt came at the perfect moment, as if reminding Rhodes what he needed to do, but he really had no time to think about anything else - at this moment, the ward door handle stopped turning, replaced by a crazy banging sound!

Behind the opaque glass on the ward door, several distorted human faces huddled together opened their mouths and let out silent screams.

[Pollution points in the other world increased by 1]

Without wasting any more time, Rhode leaned forward, looked into those emerald eyes, and said seriously and earnestly:

"I'm not going to lie to you, so listen up - you're priceless to me, and I want you to survive."

[Pollution points in the other world increased by 1]

"My Precious! Remember this. Don't hurt yourself, don't commit suicide. Eat well and sleep well." Rhodes picked up the revolver and put the muzzle to the girl's forehead. "When I finish my work here, I will come to you... Also, you can come and go in my dreams as you like."

[Pollution points in the other world increased by 1]

"...Well," the girl stared at Rhodes blankly. Her azure eyes were filled with a fiery brilliance that made her body tremble uncontrollably. "I will. I swear to you."

"Good night then."

The trigger was pulled and the bullet flew out of the chamber. The spinning bullet tore apart the skin, flesh and skull, crushed the brain and came out from the back of the girl's head, leaving a radiating trail of blood.

All sounds disappeared at this moment, whether it was the girl's voice, Rhodes' own voice, or the sound of the ward being hit.

Everything disappeared without a trace, leaving only -

"Teacher, it's time to get up!!!"

The girl's energetic voice exploded in Rhode's ears, forcing him to open his eyes helplessly:

"Good morning, Yuuka."

Chapter 14 Daily Life: Hayase Yuuka (2/2)

Rhode stretched out on the bed, squirmed back a few times, and leaned against the headboard, looking at the girl in front of him——

Hayase Yuuka.

The accountant of the "Seminar" of the Millennium Science Academy Student Council in the Academy City of Kivotos in the Azure Files is a leading mathematical genius, and his philosopher prototype should be "Euclid".

"What's for breakfast today?" Rhodes reached out and took out a cigarette box from the bedside table. Just as he was about to smoke a cigarette, the cigarette box and the lighter were taken away by Yuxiang. She put her hands on her hips and said unkindly:

"You promised us you wouldn't smoke right after getting up!"

"……forgotten."

Three days ago, after completing the mission in Silent Hill, Rod and Marian were sent to a safe house in Philadelphia by Atlas Corporation.

The safe house was just a pronoun. It was actually a high-rise room in an apartment building at the end of a busy street. It was rented out by several different identities, real or fake, for a long time... Of course, the room must have been renovated before Rhode and the others moved in.

There are more than a dozen listening devices and four hidden cameras.

Rhodes, who found these things with his all-seeing eyes, was not angry. He just packed them in a box, went downstairs and stuffed them into the hands of the Atlas agent who was pretending to be a cleaner.

It was quite embarrassing, especially when the agent returned to the room where his team was and found with the others that the equipment and cables inside had been arranged into a face with its tongue sticking out.

After everything settled down, Rhodes counted more than 3000 world pollution points on the second day after arriving at the safe house, and used the [Character Exchange Voucher] to exchange for Hayase Yuka.

【Hayase Yuuka (Angel)】

[Origin: Azure Files]

Description: Tsundere, kind, strong-willed, serious about work, but often takes on too much responsibility and can be easily emotional. A good wife. Can be revived/strengthened.

[Attitude: Trust/Loyalty (Locked)/? ]

Looking at the dazed girl who had just appeared, Rhode felt a headache. Nikki from before was fine, but what the hell was an angel? The students in the original game all had halos, but that didn't mean they were all based on angels from different religions... Perhaps the system's label was just a simple summary?

Wait, what the hell is this "good wife"?!

Rhodes was well aware of the system's laziness and thriftiness, but he never expected that this guy would have such a bad taste.

Rhodes could see the halo above Yuka's head. The halo was a mechanical black with a slightly brighter sheen, and there were cyan lines inside. According to Yuka herself, most people in this world couldn't see the halo above her head, or could only vaguely sense that there was something there.

This was good news. Otherwise, if Rhode really exchanged for a student from the Azure Files with a halo like a Christian angel, he would have to worry about how to hide their "difference." But then, Rhode noticed the problem in Yuka's words, that is, why she could "know" this knowledge:

"Because this is all the knowledge about the other world that you taught us," the girl said matter-of-factly. She opened her bright eyes wide, smiled, and waved her finger in front of Rhodes. "Don't think that by running to another world, you can abandon your responsibilities as a 'Sensei'!"

A teacher's responsibility is to impart knowledge, but teaching world knowledge can be a bit scary.

But, what about teaching students... In the future, should we build some kind of school related to the other world? Something like Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters or Miskatonic University?

Rod came to his senses after thinking about these things, and said helplessly to Yuuka who was pulling open the curtains:

"Yuuka, I'm going to get up. Do you want to stay here?"

"Oh...eh?! Wait, wait, I'm going out first!"

The girl reacted and ran out of the room in a panic, leaving Rod alone in the room. He was stunned for a while before he got up reluctantly, dressed and washed up.

When Rhode walked out of the room, he saw several plates already set on the kitchen table. The sizzling sound of frying sausages and the aroma of food hit him in the face. He had to admit, he really wanted to eat something.

"How did you sleep last night?"

Rhode pulled out a chair and sat down. This apartment building had plenty of space, including a bathroom, kitchen, and living room, but only two large bedrooms. Because of this, when Yuka was swapped out, she had to share a bed with Marian. They quickly became close friends, even trying to take control of Rhode's daily life!

"It's not bad, except for the occasional car horn."

Yuka said as she helped Marian get the prepared meal from the kitchen. The dishes were simple, just some fried eggs, sausages, and bread. When Nikki brought a jar of chili sauce and a jar of pickled cucumbers, breakfast officially began.

"Where's Marianne?"

Using a knife, he first cut the sausage, then the short, thick pickled cucumber. Rod casually squeezed the pieces with a fork, letting the rich juice inside overflow.

"I slept well too, Commander," Marianne replied with a smile. She didn't eat much, more like she was savoring the taste of the food.

"That's good," Rhodes said, skewering the sliced ​​sausage and pickled cucumber with a fork and stuffing them into his mouth. The taste was a bit strange, but he actually liked this kind of rich food. "I had a nightmare last night. No, I shouldn't say that. I had half a nightmare."

The taste of sausages or other things is rather ordinary and cannot be compared with the carefully handmade food, but after all, it is part of the food industry and can be eaten after simple cooking.

While chewing the food in his mouth, Rod looked up at Yuxiang and Marian sitting opposite him, and he suddenly understood something -

The students of Azure Files will be the assistants, while Nikki and the others will be the executors.

This system arrangement is not bad, but there seems to be no clear boundary between the two, so we still need to handle it flexibly...

"...How about we go out for dinner tonight?" Rhode suddenly suggested. "Let's find a suitable restaurant and have some steak or something. It's really boring to wait for those agents to deliver food every day. We can also let you explore this bustling city."

"Teacher, do you want to go for a drink?" Yuka looked at Rhodes suspiciously, but then she remembered something more important:

"Do we have money then?"

"No, but we can ask Irons for it," Rhodes shrugged, tearing off a piece of bread and dipping it into the juice on the plate. "I solved an otherworldly incident for him and delivered on-site video and intelligence. He should at least give us some money. If he doesn't, we'll have to think of how to make money. Maybe we can buy a lottery ticket?"

Although he said it lightly, Rhode still felt worried:

If you want to form an army to fight against the other world, you need money... So the question is, how do you get the money?

But before Rhodes could figure out what was going on, a knock on the door suddenly reached the ears of the three.

There were three knocks on the door, slower but more steady, not the agents' habit.

It should be Irons.

Rhodes got up and opened the door, and when he opened it, there was Irons standing outside, alone.

Looking at Rhode's raised eyebrows, Ains took off his scarf and asked:

"Can I come in and sit down?"

"please."

Chapter 15: Daily Life: Irons's Visit (1/2)

Irons took off his coat and walked into the house. After hanging the clothes on the hook at the entrance, his eyes swept from Rod's face, then to Nikki Marian, and finally to Yuka...

After staring at the halo above Yuka's head for more than ten seconds, Ains took a few deep breaths and said with a frown:

"So, this lady also 'fell from the sky'?"

"Yes, it fell from the sky."

Rhodes shrugged. He could well guess how Gideon would report to Irons.

"Why can you see it?" Rhodes asked.

"My questions are not over yet." Irons moved his nose and smelled the fragrance in the air. He walked to the dining table and pulled out a chair to sit down. "Why are all your helpers women, and beautiful women at that? Oh... Thank you, angel girl."

Hayase Yuuka nodded slightly at Ains as a response. When Ains walked towards the dining table, Rhodes winked at Yuuka, who immediately understood and ran to get a set of tableware and put it on the table.

"I don't have a suitable answer to your question," Rhodes leaned back in his chair and took out a cigarette from his pocket, but then put it back under the silent gaze of the two girls. "If you must have an explanation, just think of me as lustful...Okay, I am lustful."

"That's a very good explanation."

Irons nodded, and a smile finally appeared on his face:

"We used to think the 'Savior' would be a cold machine. Some even suggested choosing a perfect wife for you to preserve your humanity. But now it seems you have many options."

As he spoke, Irons's eyes swept across the faces of Marianne and Yuka who were sitting at the other end of the dining table. The former was fine and just drifted her eyes elsewhere, while Yuka, with a slightly red cheek, stood up suddenly, leaving only the words "I'm going to do some thinking" and then disappeared into the bedroom.

"You can eat your food," Rhode said helplessly, holding his forehead. "I don't need someone like Zhuang Yan either."

"Zhuang Yan, who is that? Never mind... let me see, fried eggs, sausages, bread, and water." Irons snorted and slashed the sausage with a frown, then glanced at the various bottles and jars in the glass cabinet, "pickled cucumbers, chili sauce, and I hope there's some fresh meat or other vegetables in the refrigerator, otherwise I'll have to change the agents monitoring you."

"It sounds like we're the guests being entertained."

"Of course you are."

"So, the tradition of the United States of America is to monitor and spy on its guests?"

"Maybe." Irons' face showed no sign of embarrassment or annoyance at Rhode's teasing. He simply calmly ate the food on the plate in front of him. This kind of salty sausage has a strong flavor and needs to be paired with bread and other side dishes. "After all, our president even monitors our competitors, not to mention other allies."

This left Rhode speechless for a moment. He was silent for a moment and then said:

"I plan to take Marian and Yuka out for a walk today."

"So?" Irons asked, "Although Atlas agents will monitor you, they probably haven't received any orders to restrict your movements."

Restricting the use of money is obviously also a way to restrict action, Rhodes thought.

Furthermore, Irons, or rather the Foundation he worked for, was also observing—observing how he would react when faced with explicit or implicit constraints. Would he abandon himself? Or go mad? Or... engage in various forms of resistance?

The Foundation doesn't need a perfect savior; they like him to have some "human flaws," but these flaws obviously cannot exceed the moral bottom line of humanity.

Although Rhode was unhappy about the Cogito Foundation's attempts, he could understand that if he were in charge, he would probably be more aggressive. However, since his position was different, Rhode still needed to carefully consider his next response.

"I mean--"

Looking at Rhodes who was about to say something, Irons raised his palm, indicating that he still had something to say:

"The board of directors held a high-level meeting two days ago, with everyone in attendance. We discussed you... In the coming period, if there are any otherworldly events, several board members will accompany you and personally assess you."

"I know what you need," Irons said, taking out a business card and a bank card and placing them in front of Rhode. "You can get a share of $3 every month. Don't think it's too little. The current per capita GDP of the United States isn't even that much. If you really become the chairman of the foundation, then money will be just a matter of filling out a funding application form for you."

"Now, all you need to do is call me when you go to any city. Of course, you don't need to talk to me, just leave a message with your location."

After hearing what Ains said, Rhodes frowned slightly, pushed the business card back and said:

"Are you doing a compliance test?"

This is really hurtful.

"No, you misunderstood," Irons said, his expression stagnating. He hadn't really thought about it that much, but it wasn't the right thing to say during this sensitive period when both sides were still cautiously engaging and getting to know each other. After a moment's deliberation, he continued:

"Forget it. You don't need to talk to me all the time, but the Atlas agents will still follow you. If you encounter any difficulties, just go find them directly, just like you did when you first got here... This is my minimum condition."

After a brief thought, Rhodes felt that this condition was temporarily acceptable - but the planned date for obtaining independent funding had to be much earlier, otherwise it would be a waste of time and easy to be restricted.

So, we are back to the previous question: how to obtain independent start-up capital?

You can’t just rob a bank…wait.

"What's your opinion?" Irons interrupted Rhodes' brainstorming.

"acceptable."

Rhodes came back to his senses, with an inexplicable smile on his face.

This smile made Ains a little confused, and he felt a little uneasy, but he suppressed these emotions and talked about the main reason for coming here today: