Long-term salvation

Chapter 475: Midnight Sun Lasts Forever! (3/3)

"…holy shit!"

"Did you see that?! That thing is only a little bit, but a sharp spike suddenly popped out!"

"Be careful, professors...it's indeed as Professor Rick said, an instinctive counterattack."

"...Now, let's try electric shocks and other methods."

A few minutes later.

The new order from base headquarters was quickly sent down the communication network. The radio waves bounced back and forth in the Antarctic blizzard. In just a few minutes, the originally nervous soldiers of the Army Without Borders calmed down and began to steadily carry out the order:

Everyone was asked to give a little blood, and then they were tested one by one using electric shocks or red-hot iron wires under the monitors of the base facilities. Those who refused or chose to escape would be quickly executed by others.

This method was quite effective. After receiving reports of casualties caused by several sudden attacks, a total of four assimilated soldiers scattered in different groups were pulled out, and two groups had not responded... There was no need to worry about this anymore, as two ASs and a team of soldiers carrying flamethrowers and "Aperture Technology-Electric Massagers" were already heading to their locations.

Now, the soldiers who passed the test began to lay cables on the ground of the Midnight Base to release electric current to the ground. For humans wearing rubber snow boots, this intensity of electric current would only cause slight discomfort when they stepped on it, but it was not the case for the Shoggoths - strange-looking flesh and blood disguised as various debris!

The moment the current was connected, shrill screams echoed throughout the Midnight Base. From the shadows between the buildings, fleshy monsters with various legs suddenly burst out. They scrambled swiftly along the walls, hoping to escape the torment of the current, but were quickly incinerated by the soldiers who had been waiting for a long time with flamethrowers.

This is just a widespread but still crude detection method. Some larger aggregates of flesh and blood can resist this intensity of electric current like humans.

Because of this, the base was divided into several areas by Lieutenant Colonel Gleb. After evacuating the crowd and blocking the roads, strong electric currents were passed through those suspicious areas and indoors - after all, the Midnight Base has an entire nuclear power plant to support it!

It is true that many devices and instruments will be damaged, but compared with the potential hidden dangers left behind, those things seem worthless.

After realizing that they would be picked out one by one if they continued hiding, the Shoggoths - the strange-looking flesh and blood - began to gather together. They first climbed to the top of the building, and then leaped in the same direction - towards the airport - the flesh and blood condensed with each other in the blizzard, extended bird-like wings, and landed on the airport in the strong wind.

The monster had now transformed into a shapeless, luminous bubble. Under the illumination of the airport lights, one could clearly see the flesh and blood surging inside it... The creatures once assimilated and stored in the monster's gene bank were being shaped bit by bit, and then rapidly decomposed, turning it into a grotesque, crazy, and bloody dynamic painting.

The Shoggoth twisted its body and slid across the airport runway in a winding manner, heading towards the hangar.

"It looks like it wants to escape through our aircraft, but unfortunately, there are no fighter jets stationed in the hangar, and the helicopter pad is not here."

Major Peris Hernandez, the aviation commander, stood in the airport control tower and stared at the ever-expanding monster with disgust.

"Um...actually, there's one in the hangar," the tower controller said awkwardly. He turned his head and, before Major Perris, whose mouth was slightly open, could speak, he added, "Boss's F/A-18D Hornet is still in Hangar 2."

"Notify the air defense forces and prepare to shoot down that fighter plane... I hope the boss won't deduct my bonus for this."

The major spoke quickly, then turned around, picked up his coat, took the communicator handed to him by the guard next to him, and ordered:

"Have the garrison ready to lay down suppressive fire, and then—bring out our most powerful and imposing snowplows!"

Two steel behemoths with T-34 tank chassis and a pair of jet engines from MiG-21 fighter jets were slowly driven out. The huge horizontal nozzles originally installed for snow removal had long been removed, leaving only the engine ports that were gradually becoming brighter!

The refueling pipelines and cables for maintaining vehicle power extended deep into the airport, and the surging electricity from the nuclear power plant was pouring in crazily.

"Turn on the afterburner! Turn on the afterburner!"

Major Perris almost shouted in a roaring voice, his voice was torn apart by the blizzard and the suddenly high-pitched roar of the engine, but the operators only needed to see the expression on his face to understand - they swear in the name of the savior of mankind, they had long wanted to use the "dowry" brought by Lieutenant Colonel Gleb to bake something!

Two vehicles and four beams of light enveloped the Shoggoth-monster from different directions, completely blocking its escape route. At the same time, the AS mechas that were originally deployed here and other mecha troops that quickly arrived also raised their shields, slowly stepped forward with heavy flamethrowers, and kept squeezing the monster!

Want to escape from above?

The soldiers of the Army Without Borders will not make the same mistake twice!

Several thermite and white phosphorus bombs exploded above the Shoggoth, dyeing the entire snowstorm-soaked sky a blazing white like a spotlight! The spherical cloud of fire produced by the airburst surged upward and downward, and the tens of thousands of burning particles solidified into amber rain in the shockwave, beautiful yet deadly.

The monster's body twisted in pain in the scorching heat and flames. It originally wanted to replicate its previous method, but the soldiers who had already understood its characteristics calmly pulled the trigger, causing the flames to rise again and again in the wind and snow - the soldiers holding flamethrowers lined up in a row, like an ancient gun formation, or like modern line infantry advancing slowly.

The monsters' howls of pain are their battle songs and the beat of their drums!

"Don't worry about the damage to the vehicle. We can't let go of even a tiny bit of flesh and blood," Major Perris roared in the communication channel. He had repeated this order many times, but the noise around him was so loud that he couldn't hear the responses from the non-commissioned officers and other officers, but there was no need to respond:

The angry soldiers are still advancing, and the steel creations are still moving forward with an unshakable attitude.

The wind and snow began to slowly subside, and this long night was about to pass.

When a ray of light finally appeared at the boundary between heaven and earth in the distance, the Polar Day Base had become completely quiet.

The snow stopped, but the wind didn't. The wind blew away the remaining smoke from the huge, charred corpse that had been completely incinerated by the flames, but it couldn't blow away the slight confusion and fear that emerged from the soldiers' victory.

Countless hands stretched out from the charred corpse of the monster, including those of humans, beasts, and alien races... Those who tried to escape were frozen here and turned into disgusting, creepy twisted sculptures!

"Antarctica...how many monsters like this are still buried?"

+ + + + + + + + + +

The news of victory quickly spread to the makeshift biological laboratory, and the professors and researchers inside could hardly contain their excitement. They discussed the terrifying nature of the monster and the tedious tasks of subsequent treatment and multiple inspections...

"..."

The voices of the crowd's discussion were getting farther and farther away from Professor Rick. He stared at the faint light emitted by the pool of flesh and blood with fascination, and inexplicably heard some strange and furtive whispers in his ears - it was an ancient language that only ancient races could speak. However, now, the information carried by this language had long become intermittent and disorganized due to the chaos and collapse of genes.

Professor Lake frowned at the strange knowledge surging in his mind, but at this moment, an idea slowly emerged:

Could it be that these are two species and one of them has been assimilated?

Subconsciously, Professor Rick reached out to the blood in the petri dish...

"Professor Rick!"

"?!"

Professor Rick suddenly woke up. He turned his head and looked at Professor William Dale who was beaming beside him. The latter said with a smile:

"We were discussing how to celebrate after we get back... What's wrong? You look so pale, I wonder if you've been assimilated!"

"……screw you!"

Professor Rick gave a rather ungracious middle finger in response, then stepped back a few steps, watching the researchers begin to seal the samples, and made up his mind:

One day in the future, he will come to Antarctica again.

Chapter 476 Nikki: Sen

[Side Quest: The Thing Prequel (Completed)]

【Task rewards begin to be distributed】

[Pollution points in the other world have been collected]

【Character exchange voucher has been received】

The icy wind from Antarctica whistled past, trying to peel off Rhodes's face bit by bit.

However, a pair of slender hands soon placed on Rhodes' face, brushing away the ice and snow and bringing warmth.

"If you sleep here, you'll actually sleep here," Nikki's eyebrows curved slightly, as if she were smiling maliciously. She lowered her head, letting her long black hair, which had a bright purple tint, fall with it. "Commander, how are you feeling now?"

"...Sen?"

Rhodes raised his eyes and took off the language converter mask without waiting for Nikki to reply. He also took out a coat from the storage space and put it on her.

Mori is the leader of the Truth, Goodness and Beauty Force in the NIKKE game. She is Nikki who is imprisoned in the "Rehabilitation Hall", a prison specifically for serious criminals. Not all the Nikkis here are criminals. Some are placed under supervision because their abilities are too dangerous. Mori has the ability to brainwash her opponents with words. She can combine this ability with her words to turn her opponents into her own puppets.

Because of this, Sen has to wear a language converter all the time to prevent her from doing anything...Nikki, who hides her beautiful face under the mask, is not as innocent as others. If she is allowed to run around, she will definitely cause trouble.

Now, Nikki was a little dazed after the language converter was taken off, but Rhodes had already climbed out of the snow and said unhappily:

"Just speak nicely, or..."

Rod grabbed Nikki's chin, pinched her smooth cheek with two fingers, and smiled.

"You intend to commit a felony right now—to turn me into your puppet?"

"..." Nikki blinked and smiled like a cute little fox. But when she hugged him and whispered in his ear, her smile turned into that of a cunning wolf:

"Why would you think I wouldn't do that? Even for a minute, a second?"

"...In short, don't make trouble." Rhodes quickly changed the subject. He patted Nikki's head and said, "Let's get out of here first. Are you cold?"

"It's really cold."

Sen spoke idly as she reached out to take the converter from Rhode's hand and put it back on. She had already understood his duties when she came to his side, and her commander clearly didn't like anyone interfering with his work.

Not far away, several scientific expedition team members from the Norwegian station were driving snowmobiles towards them.

At this moment, the blizzard has temporarily subsided, and the only thing left in the dim sky and earth is the eternal extreme cold.

On the boundless snowfield, the tall tracked snowmobile looks particularly small, and the humans living in this metal creation look even more so.

"Mr. Rod!" Kate leaned out from the side of the snowmobile. When she saw Nikki next to Rod, the joy on her face quickly turned into confusion, "Who is this lady..."

"My subordinates."

Rhodes said so, but he only received suspicious looks from the scientific expedition team members as he was being held by Sen's arm. Fortunately, no one wanted to have their memory erased like Dr. Sander... However, this is indeed a problem.

On the wobbly snowmobile, Kate carefully chatted with the other two, then turned to look at Rhodes, who was sitting at the back, leaning on Nikki's shoulder, and asked cautiously:

"What are you going to do with us next?"

"You have two choices: work for me, or have your memory erased and return to your daily life," Rhode said lazily. He stretched and tucked in his clothes. "While I wouldn't mind seeing more talented people under my command, I still need to tell you - compared to the reality of this world, the threat of alien creatures is nothing."

Swallowing subconsciously, Kate and the other two instinctively felt that this would definitely not be a good thing.

"Now, let me tell you..."

As the tracked snowmobile slowly moved along the same route, the atmosphere inside was completely frozen. Even though the air conditioning vents were still trying hard to blast out hot air, the temperature was insufficient to warm the expedition team members who felt like they were trapped in an icy cave.

What is the other world? What is a tide? That terrifying assimilated alien creature is actually a refugee?! Can we also escape?

Sensing the fear and uneasiness in the turbid air, Sen's eyes curved again like a waning moon. She approached Rhodes intimately and asked in a low voice:

"Commander... no, my instructor, what are you going to do with me?"

"I'd really like to know how far you can go," Rhodes said. The moment he saw Nikki, he had already decided where she would go - to work under D and Noah, who were in charge of the covert operations organization of the Army Without Borders. It was a good match for her profession.

After hearing Rhode's words, Nikki just shrugged and said calmly:

"I also need words to support me. Even if you catch a spy in front of me, or ask me to instigate someone to do something, it still depends on their willpower and mental resistance. A hero is a hero wherever he is, and a coward is a coward wherever he is."

"No, such a distinction is too simplistic and crude. Among all people, there's only a fine line between heroes and cowards." Rhodes shook his head. He didn't lower his voice, but let his words sink into the ears of the three expedition members in the front row. "People with different identities carry different responsibilities. There's no need to criticize them, Sen."

"Yes, yes, you are the commander."

Nikki was clearly unfazed by this, as she leaned back against the seat of the snowmobile, causing the uncomfortable structure to creak.

Soon, as if he had discovered something interesting, Sen began to lean back in his chair lightly and heavily, making the noise become regular... Humming an unknown tune, Nikki lowered her eyes slightly, allowing the sounds to achieve a strange harmony in the car.

Kate and the others sitting in the snowmobile suddenly began breathing heavily. Their heads were filled with the sound, and their original tension and uneasiness gradually receded, and even their rationality seemed to be disappearing - Kate noticed something strange, but the exhausted paleontologist could no longer resist this evil sound.

Just as Sen reached for the language converter, Rhode reached out and caught that delicate hand, then expressionlessly used his other hand to start tapping Nikki's forehead, again and again, and increasingly harder.

"Hmm?! Wait, wait—Commander?!"

"Don't try to cause trouble for me. I don't need to use such tricks on potential recruits...and don't try to fool those stupid people when we return to Hill Manor!"

After punishing Nikki for her troublemaking, Rhode patted the still dazed Kate and the other two, helping them recover from their confusion. Then, Rhode leaned forward and saw through the windshield the Norwegian station, emitting black smoke, and the remaining personnel still burning the monster's corpse with flamethrowers.

Seeing the snowmobile return, the remaining people's faces showed some joy, but soon turned into vigilance. It was not until Rhode came down from above and helped them a little with the golden flame that the remaining people breathed a sigh of relief.

Glancing around, Rhodes didn't see any strange shapes, but there was a horrifically twisted corpse in the snow pit on the ground - the scientific expedition team members from the Norwegian Thule Station were obviously not idle on that snowy night, but fortunately, the nightmare was over.

Temporarily, there are too many nightmares in this world and they will never go away.

While everyone was chatting, the expedition team leader Edward walked over quickly. He didn't shake hands with Rhode directly, but smiled bitterly and said helplessly:

"We were nearly wiped out and frozen to death in the Antarctic wilderness. That monster was smarter than we thought."

"Every place was dangerous, Captain, but fortunately the blizzard is gone."

As Rhodes spoke, he looked up and saw a black dot approaching rapidly in the bright sky. The faint sound of rotor blades could be heard faintly.

After calming down a bit, Rhode reached out and took Captain Edward, who still had some PTSD from interacting with people, in his arms. As they walked towards the remaining buildings of the research station, he said:

"Have you heard of the story of the 'other world'? That begins in the second year of Genhe... No, that begins in..."

Chapter 477: The tedious aftermath

The transport helicopter flew over the vast snowfield and landed on the helipad of the Polar Day Base.

When Rhodes got off the transport helicopter that came to pick him up, before he could even wrap himself in the cold wind that had a strange burnt smell, he was hugged by the ship girl who had been waiting for a long time.