Long-term salvation

"You now owe me 3000 points of pollution from the other world for resurrecting you."

"How stingy, Commander! The world's pollution points will be reset to zero when you die anyway, right?"

The first love looked at Rhodes with a smile. She saw a huge metal box suddenly appear in the dark clouds and appear between the two of them.

Now, the countdown for the nuclear bomb explosion begins, 00:59.

“It’s beautiful.”

"Are you talking about me, or the impending nuclear explosion?"

"Of course it is you, my dear Marian, Mary, my Holy Mother, my everlasting love."

As he spoke, Rhode tightly wrapped the metal box with golden flames, layer after layer, until he had almost exhausted his inner world pollution points. Then, Rhode raised his head and looked towards the top of the giant tower of corpses in the dark clouds. He knew that being could see him and was watching him.

So, Rhodes raised his middle finger.

00:00

Nuclear bomb explosion.

The light has come.

The light didn't rise from the horizon, but exploded from the heart of the city, violently tearing apart the world. It was the sun's light, an energy as brutal and pure as the radiance of the stars, instantly stripping everything of its color, forcibly compressing the world into a blinding white.

The ruined low buildings, twisted steel wreckage, along with the demons, zombies and monsters, all turned into pure and thin black shadows in an instant, imprinted like charcoal in this pure and suffocating light - time seemed to have been melted by this light - the heat came at the speed of light, causing the air itself to burn in this roaring, turning into a surging and boiling river of golden magma.

The golden flames brought by Christ's crucifixion merged into this wave of destruction, and in an instant no one knew, the pollution of another supernatural dimension was stripped away from the human world, leaving nothing behind. Even the dark clouds were twisted into a near-perfect ring, transformed into a purely natural phenomenon.

Now, the smoke and dust brought by the destruction began to rise, carrying with it the debris and ashes scattered throughout the city, and then stirred and merged in the scorching wind of hell, forming a huge mushroom cloud rolling under the blue sky.

[Main Quest: Listening to Revelation - Plague (Completed)]

[The tides of the other world are rising and slowing down]

Chapter 514: After the Nuclear Explosion

All I could see were ruins and dust.

Mogadishu had vanished from the African continent. There were no cries for help, no wails, not even the faintest gasps of the dying—only a complete, pure, soul-freezing silence—and even the world held its breath for a moment before boiling in panic.

"Atlas CEO Jonathan Irons held a press conference, exposing the collusion between Somali warlord Aidid's regime and Middle Eastern terrorist organizations, and accused the foreign intelligence agencies of certain major powers of supporting them..."

"The White House spokesman expressed regret for the sacrifice of Atlas Corp. personnel and stressed that the CIA was not involved in the incident. However, according to White House insiders, President Graham will soon ask the joint task force to withdraw from Somalia..."

"The Aurora Republic expresses its concern about this."

"The United Kingdom expressed its concern and hoped to establish an intelligence cooperation mechanism with Atlas to dispatch elite MI6 agents to track down terrorist organizations..."

"The French Republic expresses its concern and hopes to establish an intelligence cooperation mechanism with Atlas, while strengthening the investigation into the Eiffel Tower incident in Paris..."

"Ukraine claims that Russia's failure to effectively control the former Soviet Union's nuclear weapons caused this tragedy, which the Kremlin denies..."

"The families of US soldiers trapped in Mogadishu jointly signed a letter thanking Atlas for its efforts..."

"..."

As humans quarreled and blamed each other, the dust filled with deadly radiation over Mogadishu finally settled slowly, covering the broken walls and all traces of life, even those twisted and hideous nightmares.

The outlines of the city's ruins were blurred, and the smelly wind blew up gray dust - ashes - ashes, like falling snow, silently covering this huge and still warm cemetery.

At this moment, the sea of ​​ash called "Mogadishu" is slowly woven and outlined in another supernatural dimension, then magnified and distorted thousands of times. Only after countless years will an expedition from the other world of an intelligent civilization discover its existence, as well as the suffering, desperate, hungry and charred corpses buried within it. They are eternally scorched by flames, devouring each other, and mutating without any rules, repeating over and over everything the city experienced before its death.

But in the real world, in this forbidden area of ​​life, several teams are moving forward.

Little Red Riding Hood, D, Mori and mass-produced Nikki, wearing lead-made fully enclosed protective suits, are traveling through this wasteland filled with nuclear radiation. They need to confirm whether there are any remaining cracks in the other world and whether the giant corpse tower portal connecting to other dimensions still exists.

Thanks to D's previous experience with Rod in Chernobyl, the Nikkis knew very well their limits.

Each step the girls took on the ashes echoed with a subtle, desperate rustle. They saw the ruins, or perhaps more accurately, the wreckage, stretching all the way to the coastline. They saw that eternal moment—the moment of destruction—clearly imprinted on the shattered walls:

On a half-melted wall, the outlines of several hideous, vaporized humanoid figures were vaguely discernible. These were terrifying silhouettes cast in an instant by the strong light of the nuclear explosion, and the last remaining traces of those hundreds of thousands of pitiful creatures before they disappeared.

There are many such broken walls and marks in Mogadishu.

"...Please speak, ladies, I need to hear back from you walking among the dead."

Watching the radiation-soaked video feed from the front lines, Irons folded his hands under his nose and listened expressionlessly to Little Red Riding Hood and D's reports:

"The intensity of the nuclear radiation has begun to decay, which conforms to natural laws. No traces of the otherworldly rifts, otherworldly artifacts, supernatural dimensional portals, or Commander Rhodes have been found... In fact, we have confirmed the accuracy of this information with you and the other directors. He has suffered and will return in three days."

"...I understand. Once we confirm the intelligence, we'll retreat. There's no need to stay in there any longer," Irons sighed. He dragged over a nearby data terminal and quickly signed his name on the electronic document inside. "I'll have drones hovering in the air for a long period of time. If any fools dare to come in, they'll be rewarded with a cruise missile."

"Then the team will be back in five minutes."

After closing the video, Irons rubbed his temples and wiped his face vigorously, throwing the complicated data and thoughts out of his mind. After feeling more sober, he said to Director Charles Jean Plessis, who was sitting across from him:

"Don't you need to monitor your logistics company and intelligence transmission network? I remember you were trying to expand your logistics to Africa. That way, you could also cooperate with the Army Without Borders."

"I obviously don't need to be responsible for the lives of so many people, Irons, and don't forget, my eldest son D'Artagnan is already managing the company."

Director Plessy, who was born in the French Republic, said this. He took out a document from a small bag beside him, handed it to his colleague, and continued:

"Representatives from the United Nations and the permanent members of the Security Council will arrive in the next few days. They will jointly question you... Here is the information about the French representative and some key questions. You should take a good look at it. Also, you can send someone to contact the representative in advance and submit some minor intelligence. This will easily gain support."

"Thanks, Ciel."

"It hurts to say thank you right now, Jonathan."

Hearing his old friend's joke, Irons forced a smile. He hadn't slept for nearly two days - ever since Rhodes sent him that message - and when he found that the "angels" and Nikkis had not disappeared, and that the evil god's offspring was emotionally stable, Irons finally felt relieved.

The secretary next to them brought coffee for the two of them. Compared with Director Plessy, who had his worries buried deep in his brow but still maintained his courtesy, Irons picked up the coffee cup and drank it in one gulp without any grace. The cold and sweet coffee rolled down his esophagus into his stomach, bringing him some satisfaction and peace of mind.

"Pour me another glass with more sugar."

Looking through these detailed intelligence documents, Ains finished his second cup of sweet coffee before putting it down and sighing:

"I don't know him... I thought your father-in-law, General Edmond Bertino, could have some influence and help in this matter, but this is enough."

"We can't openly get involved with you right now, but the French military has indeed discussed the connection between the Eiffel Tower incident in Paris and the Mogadishu incident. You can do something about it. Backroom politics still requires some hidden cards."

Director Plessy spread his hands, a flicker of worry crossing his face, but it quickly faded into a sigh of regret. "I'm still waiting for Rod to pick up that SSK... If he doesn't, it'll be stolen by my father-in-law."

Does your father-in-law know that you are teasing him like this behind his back?

After taking a deep breath, Irons stuffed the documents back into the bag and tucked it under his arm, then walked out and said:

"I need a good night's sleep now and a shower so I can face the deputies."

Irons wasn't worried about the deputies' inquiries, but he was concerned about Rhodes.

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

At this moment, in the inner world.

[Mission: Three-Day Resurrection (72 Hours)]

[Task Description: Waiting in the other world to return to the real world]

【Remaining 62:29:06】

[Remaining 62:29:05…]

"America~~Fvck!Yeah!"

Rhode shouted and fought furiously, firing wildly with two rifles at the otherworldly monsters pouring in from the hillock, while simultaneously stuffing the otherworldly artifacts he had collected into his storage space. However, he was quickly overwhelmed by the slug-like monsters, leaving only a trail of flames rising from the C4 bomb explosion in the monster tide.

【die】

[Pollution points in the other world are cleared]

[Resurrection program started]

after a while.

【die】

[Pollution points in the other world are cleared]

[Resurrection program started]

For a while...

Chapter 515: Inquiry from the United Nations Representative (4.5K)

the next day.

Reaching out to straighten his tie, Irons stared at his reflection in the car window mirror as if he was looking at an enemy - taking a deep breath, Jonathan Irons once again turned into the arrogant giant leader - so, the man opened the car door and walked into the battlefield... or rather, walked to the negotiating table, but that is also a kind of battlefield, isn't it?

Get off the car, surrounded by flashing lights, raise your hand to signal; walk into the building, get into the elevator, and come to the door.

Jonathan Irons pushed the door open, his face calm and relaxed as if he was back in his office.

The light in the conference room was dull, so dim that it seemed even before noon. A heavy oak table sat in the center, its surface polished to a shine, reflecting the pale light from the ceiling, resembling the frozen surface of the Arctic Ocean.

Six high-backed leather chairs stood majestically beside the table, and six men sat in the chairs, with six flags hanging behind them.

However, among them, only five figures can be solidified in the dim light, each occupying an unshakable corner in the map of power - of course, one of them is so huge that it almost suffocates the others.

Irons laughed at this "stupid enormity" in his heart, but he would not show his likes or dislikes.

"Greetings to everyone, and thank you for bringing the supplies and official condolences," Irons said, his eyes sweeping over the faces of each attendee, trying to keep his expression steady. "Now, what are your names?"

The six men looked at each other, and the United States representative sitting in front of the American flag raised his hand to the UN envoy sitting in the main seat, indicating that he should speak first - after all, they came in the name of the United Nations and the Security Council, and even if it was just a formality, they had to give the UN envoy enough respect - this was the largest and most useful moral banner of the United States after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Because of this, the UN envoy nodded slightly and said:

"My name is Sawai Soichiro. I am a special envoy to the United Nations and a representative of many Third World countries. I am here with the diplomatic representatives of the permanent members of the Security Council to question you."

"Of course," Irons said, his face stern. Seeing the serious look on his old friend's face, he tried not to laugh. "I'll tell you everything I know."

The same was true for the representatives from the Republic of Aurora and Russia next to them. One of them took off his glasses and wiped them with a silk cloth, using this action to cover up the upturned corners of his mouth, while the other tugged at his collar and complained about the hot weather in Africa in English with a thick Slavic accent.

After putting on his glasses, Dr. Peng Jiamu raised his chin slightly, coughed a few times, and said:

"We are very concerned about the events in Mogadishu and hope that peace can be restored in Somalia as soon as possible. In this regard, we will provide humanitarian assistance."

"The Russian Federation is still searching for stolen nuclear warheads from the former Soviet Union. We will drown those terrorists in the toilet."

The Russian representative said so. He was indeed not a member of the Kogito Foundation, but he was a member of the Perseus Organization, a secret member of Sablin's Communist Party of Russia, and a diplomatic official in the Yeltsin government. Now, this somewhat burly Slavic man was recalling the most painful thing in his life to suppress his laughter... but thinking about the collapse of the Soviet Union made the effect a little too good:

As the invisible murderous intent irritated the English representative nearby, Vice Admiral Shelby M. Penwood of the Royal Navy (from "The Knights of the Royal Church/Hellsing") shrank back and whispered:

"The Queen and the Prime Minister are also very concerned about this matter... there will probably be humanitarian aid."

"We'll discuss intelligence exchange and the African issues with you in private," the French representative said calmly. He had already been interviewed by military leaders before arriving here. "Also, we'll discuss the Eiffel Tower incident in Paris."

"In that case, regarding the details of the Mogadishu incident..."

For the next three hours, Irons meticulously recounted the details of the Mogadishu incident, omitting the details about the afterlife. After listening to all this, Sawai Soichiro condensed the details into a single paragraph and circulated it to the other representatives.

After reading it, United States Representative Clayton Brooks nodded and said:

"Alright, let's make this announcement... Now, please ask Special Envoy Soichiro Sawai to leave the meeting room and answer the reporters' questions. We have other matters to discuss."

Without raising any questions, Sawai Soichiro nodded, packed up his things and left, leaving the room to the rest of the people - that's why the seat under the UN flag was empty, with nothing in it - which was exactly what it was.

Before leaving, the director of the Cogito Foundation looked at Irons and pointed at the United States representative subtly.

Noticing this, Irons slowed down his breathing and his brain started working rapidly:

The video of the rescue of the United States soldiers in the Mogadishu incident was deliberately edited, disguised and distorted by the Triple God Entertainment Group before it was leaked to major television stations, sparking a global public opinion storm.

Because of this, the five governments had already contacted Atlas Corporation individually through various channels in advance. The result was just as the Foundation's directors and Rhodes had previously calculated:

Some knew, some didn't, some knew half, some knew but didn't take it seriously, some seemed to know but also seemed to not know... Regardless, everyone knew now and was beginning to take it seriously. Today's inquiry was a more formal process, an open exchange of benefits and information.

From today on, the diplomatic and intelligence agencies of the permanent members will be very busy.

When the door closed, United States Representative Clayton Brooks nodded slightly and said seriously:

"We have a question that we hope Mr. Irons can answer truthfully: what exactly is going on with the monsters in Mogadishu? Although the video clarity and continuity are very poor, you still managed to capture enough footage from the battle and release it to the world. This is very bad, very bad, and can easily cause panic."

"And during the Mogadishu incident, something truly inexplicable scientifically did appear in the city, right? If you find something like that, please send some to the United States labs, and we'll conduct research."

The representative of the United States said as a matter of course that no matter where he came from, he always acted in the usual American style.

Dead!

The air instantly tensed like a fully drawn bowstring, as if every tiny disturbance was enough to shoot a sharp arrow - as if it was enough to make Irons, who was in a state of rage, stand up and throw the United States representative out of the window!