Long-term salvation

The muzzle flash of the M60 general-purpose machine gun instantly overwhelmed all the surrounding light. The scorching shells fell into the snow, gradually cooling after melting a few centimeters of snow. However, new shells continued to accumulate, quickly turning the area into slightly warm meltwater. The meltwater froze into ice, reflecting the bright yellow gunfire.

Blood mist burst out from the bodies of those cultists, but before they were knocked to the ground, their bodies under their white robes had already begun to twist, and soon they were deformed into monsters covered with tumors and strange tentacles. The tentacles like roundworms extending from their eye sockets were swaying in the wind and snow.

The roars of the monsters actually drowned out the roar of the machine guns for a moment!

"What about the situation in the hospital?!" Carter asked loudly. He mounted the M60 on the vehicle and continued firing. "Should we retreat inside?"

"No, we have to deal with the cultists outside. Otherwise, they will be trapped and die in the dark hospital, and no ordinary people will survive!"

Rhodes also shouted loudly. The pain from the vision he had just seen had not yet subsided. He had to take a deep breath to make himself more awake. Then he noticed the dangerous situation of Officer Daniel on the other side of the police car. The latter was holding a shotgun that had run out of bullets and was now swinging it like an iron rod.

Without any hesitation, Rhodes put on his chest mount, grabbed two M16 rifles, rushed to Officer Daniel, and handed him a rifle:

"Will it work?"

"The police station has done long gun training," Daniel said without any nonsense. He grabbed the rifle, checked the magazine, and then fired at the cultists running from the left.

"If you don't have ammunition, go get it from that car. We must save at least two cars, otherwise we won't be able to evacuate everyone! I'll go take care of things at the hospital!"

"Understood!"

As he was speaking, the sound of gunfire from the hospital was getting closer and closer to the gate. Rhodes turned and ran over, just in time to see the old state trooper, two nurses, and the hunter father and son stumbling out.

A few seconds later, Yuuka, holding a submachine gun, slowly retreated. She fired as she retreated, as if there was something in the darkness.

Yuuka backed away and stopped in front of the hospital gate, pursing her lips tightly. She thought she had learned from "Sensei" how to fight against creatures from the other world and had watched a lot of videos related to it, but when all this really happened, her heart was still filled with fear, even if this fear was weaker than that of ordinary people.

"Hayase Yuuka, they're just ugly monsters," the girl whispered to herself, piling up false courage in her heart, "Shoot! Aim for the head and joints..."

The next second, a strong arm embraced the girl, while the revolver held in the other hand was firing steadily.

"Are you scared?" Rhodes asked.

“…No way!”

Yuka said this stubbornly, but her body was pressed tightly against Rhodes' arms, as if this could bring her real courage... In fact, it was true. An unprecedented sense of security returned to the girl's heart, allowing her to ignite the fire of courage and become the majestic mathematical genius again.

After changing the magazine, Yuuka was suddenly stunned. She looked around and said to Rhodes anxiously:

"Teacher, something might have happened to that pregnant woman and that old man! After the power went out, the old man said his granddaughter was missing and he wanted to go look for her. Then a group of monsters appeared, and the curly-haired man disappeared too..."

"I understand," Rhodes replied calmly. His all-seeing eye had already pierced the darkness, revealing those inhuman creatures before him. Then, he turned his head and shouted to Carter, who had already greeted the others to get in the car:

"Carter, leave the weapons and ammunition, take the explosives, and then come with Marian to join us - we have killed enough enemies, and their fate is in God's hands!"

"Officer Daniel, may God and the automatic rifle bless you!"

Chapter 24 Towards the Morgue (1/2)

Wearing a chest mount and holding a general-purpose machine gun, Carter carefully followed Rhodes into the dark hospital. After a few steps, he got the flashlight that Rhodes handed out.

"I only stuffed a few in the storage box. Make do with them. Next time, remember to ask Irons to get you some night vision goggles," Rhodes said, holding the M16A2 rifle, passing Yuka in the front, and pulled the trigger at the corpses in front.

The staggering corpses almost blocked the entire corridor. Most of them were broken and roughly sewn into the limbs of other victims. Coupled with the distortion caused by the overflowing energy of the other world, it almost made people think that this place was a demon realm created by a cult artist with the most bizarre and crazy ideas - but this was not much different from the demon realm!

The monster's roar was mixed with strange whispers, but they were soon drowned out by the sound of gunfire.

Rhodes walked slowly forward, firing his rifle continuously. Bullet casings scattered along the way, making crisp echoes on the floor of the corridor.

"Marian!"

Rhodes growled, and Marian beside him immediately filled in. Amidst the spurting flames of the machine gun, the broken limbs spun and flew in the air, the trails of dirty blood intertwining with each other, unexpectedly bringing a strange sense of beauty.

Yuuka, holding a SIG MPX-K submachine gun, was tasked with filling in the gaps and openings in the team's firepower. As for Randolph Carter... he hung his general-purpose machine gun on a gun belt and occasionally fired from his hip, while his free hand picked up a flashlight to provide lighting for others.

"How many monsters are there?! I've blown at least six of their heads off, and there are always some weird noises that give me a headache."

Carter complained, and then he saw Rhodes open a door leading to another corridor and threw a grenade inside with force. The sound of explosion and torn flesh and blood spurted out from behind the broken glass door!

"Director Carter, haven't you encountered these things before?" Rhode asked with a smile. He first knocked over the corpse monster in front of him with the butt of his rifle, then stomped down with his combat boots, breaking the cervical vertebrae before firing a few more shots. "I thought the directors of the Foundation were all good at this kind of work. You see, they're stuck on their papers in the morning, then go kill a few cultists or otherworldly monsters to relieve their heat in the afternoon, and then come back to work on their papers in the evening."

"How is that possible! When the Foundation was first established, it was comprised entirely of a group of otherworldly researchers. They had nothing but the vision of saving human civilization and a pile of books and research materials related to the otherworld. Not even any money (emphasis added). I even wondered if the directors at the time would fire them! It was only after a few years that military personnel, investigative journalists, and other professionals joined."

After saying that, Carter fell silent for a moment. He looked at Rhodes, who was resting against the wall and reloading his gun, and said with emotion:

"Actually, the Foundation really began to develop rapidly in 1977. At that time, Irons, who had served in the Vietnam War, joined the Foundation, and Atlas Corporation also became part of the Foundation... I became a director in 1985, and only then did I gradually learn about the history of the Foundation and more about the otherworld."

"Rod, your coming is really a good thing for us," Carter forced a smile. He frowned because of the headache, thinking of many things he had seen and experienced in the past. At that time, he could not carry a machine gun and kill indiscriminately in a group of weird monsters like he does now.

Dangerous knowledge needs to be acquired in dangerous environments, and may even require the cost of life, many lives.

"The knowledge about the other world that you've revealed in your few words has already solved many puzzles that we've been unable to determine the answers to. I don't know if you're just a lucky guy, but since you showed up on Christmas Day, many bottlenecks in the Foundation's research, whether related to the other world or not, have been greatly advanced."

"Whatever the final outcome of the vote, I'm very grateful to you."

After saying these words, Carter, who had revealed his true feelings, suddenly felt a little ashamed. He looked at Rhodes, who was finishing off the still-squirming corpses that had been knocked to the ground. Seeing that Rhodes didn't notice, he immediately changed the subject:

"Speaking of which, after entering the hospital, did you hear any noises? It was a very strange sound, making me think that an Orc was being forced to sing an elven tune, torturing people's ears and brains...Okay, I know it's weird to use something from The Lord of the Rings as an example, but I did hear it!"

Rhode nodded. He had heard the sound, too. It seemed to be coming from a vent or some other hole with an exit. After the monster's roar faded, the strange sound became clearer, echoing throughout the hospital lobby and every corridor, tormenting everyone who heard it.

"I heard that, too," Marian agreed. She wiped the blood off her face and looked up at the hospital map on the wall. "I just didn't feel any headache or other discomfort. Maybe it's because I, as Nikki, have a higher tolerance."

"Then this should be..."

"It's likely someone who has come into contact with creatures related to the otherworld is using a special sound to induce the energy of the otherworld. The active energy of the otherworld will intensify this sound, thereby achieving certain effects."

Yuuka, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up, causing Rhode to turn his head and look at her in surprise. Rhode then gave her a strange look in return.

"Sensei, you taught me in class that certain sounds can trigger energies from the otherworld. Sounds are words, and words are power. From what I've seen, it seems the old doctor who escaped must have been chanting something, perhaps a specific sound frequency fixed in the form of a spell."

I taught this??? I was actually a teacher?!

Rhodes reached out and pressed his head, which was now a little swollen. The old human-skin book called "Book of the Dead" in the Evil Dead series and the evil spells on the pages emerged from his broken memories. This was a classic example, and Rhodes just hoped that this world would not appear... This was probably unlikely, so he could only hope that the Foundation had already taken it in, otherwise he would have to go through the trouble of dealing with this very difficult thing.

After pushing these messy thoughts aside, Rhodes observed the corridor ahead:

Killing his way along the corridor, Rhodes felt that he had dealt with at least fifty zombies with different appearances, but they were twisted and hideous enough. There were even seven or eight white-robed cultists mixed in. This made him a little suspicious about the fate of the other staff and patients in the hospital.

After a brief thought, Rhodes frowned and said:

"Judging from the number of bodies and the stitches on their bodies, we may need to go to the morgue underground in this hospital. Perhaps we can find the missing people there, but I don't hold out hope that they're still alive."

"We can only hope we don't encounter anything more disgusting there," Carter sighed. "I've had enough of this dirty blood and rotten organs."

"That's obviously impossible, Director Carter."

Chapter 25 Guidance (Part 2 of 2)

It didn't take too much time to deal with the zombies in the hospital lobby and nearby corridors, but it took a lot of energy to finish them off. With Randolph Carter accompanying him, Rhodes couldn't just set the entire hospital on fire.

It would be better to just use a bunker-buster bomb to destroy the entire hospital, including the underground part!

No matter whether you are a zombie monster, a fog monster, or a cult sacrifice, without a real carrier, it is nothing.

"Rod, are you sure we want to go this way? We've circled twice and still can't find the morgue." Carter adjusted the gun belt on his shoulder and put a towel from the nurse's station under it. He had been strangled by it just now. "I feel like it's getting colder around me, and the sound is getting louder."

"Whether you turn left or right, you will hear a voice behind you saying, 'This is the right way, walk in it.' If the voice gets louder, it means we are going in the right direction. We just hope we can find the entrance smoothly."

Rhodes frowned as he reloaded his rifle. No new zombies appeared in his field of vision, but this was abnormal to some extent... The cult leader, Dr. Richard, did not seem to intend to confront Rhodes and his companions head-on again.

That's true, who would want to confront someone who killed all the monsters in an entire corridor in just a few minutes?

In contrast, the strange whispers that had been barely audible grew louder, reaching a level that was almost noise. Like sharp claws, they pierced the skin of the head, slowly moving along the skull towards the eyes. The pain they brought was like torture.

If Dr. Richard didn't want Rhode and the others to find the entrance, it would be very troublesome. The entire hospital might even need to be razed. If the space it was in was in another dimension, it would be extremely difficult to deal with it, and the consequences would be endless.

"How do you all feel now?" Rhodes asked. He pushed these troubles aside and lit a cigarette for himself. When he flicked half of the cigarette out of the cigarette box and pointed it towards Carter, the latter shook his head and refused, with a very uncomfortable expression on his face.

"I get a little headache now and then," Marianne said softly. She half-knelt on the ground, looking around vigilantly, "but it's nothing serious. It feels like a plate hitting my head."

Rhode nodded in agreement. Nikki's human part, only her brain, remained, but it wasn't immune to the influence of the otherworld. It's more likely that the system gave her a higher resistance, though this required further verification. Regardless, the human body, mind, and soul are a trinity, and the absence of any of these components would have an impact. However, for ordinary humans, the impact would likely be negative, and the degree of impact would vary from person to person.

"Where's Yuka?" Rhodes looked at the girl who still looked a little nervous.

"I don't feel anything, I just think it's noisy," Yuuka exhaled slowly. The smell of those zombies just now really tortured her. "Maybe it's because my resistance to the other world is relatively high."

Rhodes was stunned for a moment, then understood... That's right, although Azure students like Yuuka are marked as "angels" by the system, their prototypes include demons, gods, Christian angels and so on. It is normal that such a high level of mystery has an absurdly high resistance to the influence of the inner world.

"It seems like I'll be able to rely on Yuuka more during the otherworldly events." Rod gave up thinking and laughed. He had originally wanted to touch the girl's head, but gave up the idea when he saw the blood in his palm. "Uh, the same goes for Marian. Oh, don't be sad, I'm not saying you're useless."

Looking at the flustered Rhodes, Carter couldn't help but laugh. He leaned against the wall and was about to rest for a while, but he felt the silver key necklace on his chest getting a little hot. He quickly took it out:

The originally plain silver key now became bright and shining, and the exquisite Arabic pattern slowly extended and rotated along the key. A certain power suddenly broke into Carter's mind, and even his headache was mostly dispelled!

Carter's scream immediately caught Rhodes' attention. He turned around and saw Carter tossing the silver key back and forth between his two hands as if he had been burned by hot buns.

"What's that in your hand?!" Rhodes opened his eyes wide and quickly took the silver key - nothing happened, the system did not prompt that the task was completed, and there was nothing else... No, something slipped into his brain, it was guidance.

Rhode turned his head sharply, holding the key. He saw a faint light emanating from the corner of the corridor ahead. A small human figure stood quietly. When it noticed Rhode's gaze, the human figure turned and walked towards the corridor on the right.

"I'll take this first," Rhodes ignored the regret on Carter's face, put the key in his pocket, picked up the rifle and walked forward, "Yuka, Marian, do you see what's ahead?"

"No." / "No, Commander."

"I understand. Keep going."

Rhodes frowned and moved closer to the source of the light. After quickly looking around, he saw the human-shaped light moving further away and standing by the door on one side of the corridor. A corpse was lying at its feet.

After thinking for a few seconds, Rhode reached back and patted the back of Marian's hand, then turned the corner of the corridor and quickly moved forward. Just as he was about to approach, the human-shaped light suddenly passed through the door and disappeared behind it.

Instead of entering immediately, Rhodes, with the help of his all-seeing eyes, first looked down at the body lying on the ground - it was the old man, Ben, who came with his pregnant granddaughter. His neck had been cut open by a sharp weapon, and the massive blood loss took the old man's life in an instant.

The frozen face was filled with shock and disbelief. This was undoubtedly a betrayal from someone close to her... Even if the child in the pregnant woman's belly was an ordinary human, it might become a sacrifice or a carrier for something to come.

Shaking his head, Rhodes stepped over the old man's body and opened the door.

Behind the door was a spiral staircase leading down to an emergency exit. However, when Rhode looked down, he saw the humanoid light standing at the bottom, looking up. Their eyes met.

■■■■■ knows where the gate is, because ■■■■■ is the gate, ■■■■■ is the key, and is the gatekeeper.

These words suddenly popped into Rhode's mind. He opened his eyes wide, feeling the calmness of finally confirming the system's transaction partner, and... the most sincere sympathy for this unfortunate world.

Damn it, I really want to quit!

Fortunately, this eye contact did not last too long. The human-shaped light withdrew its gaze, pointed in one direction and lasted for a few seconds before completely dissipating.

Taking a deep breath, Rhodes turned his head and said to the other three people who walked in:

"It should be here, let's go down."

Walking down the stairs, Rhodes and his companions did not encounter any zombie monsters here. Apart from the increasingly shrill whispers, there was only the dull sound of shoes stepping on the stairs.

When Rhode reached the bottom floor, he saw a sudden crack in the wall. The crack was not wide, only wide enough for one person to pass through. The cross-sections on both sides of the crack were smooth, making it look like an overly narrow passage.

A faint stench of corruption wafted over, and the dark red blood-red light illuminated the slaughterhouse behind the gap.

The Salem Township Hospital morgue is just beyond this gap.

Chapter 26: Resurrection? (1/2)

Enduring the stench of rotting corpses, Rhodes took the lead and crossed the gap.

The morgue's spatial structure was odd, as if the entire basement of the hospital had been haphazardly spliced ​​together. Dismembered and skinned bodies were suspended at varying heights by iron hooks, swaying slightly with the twitching of their muscles. This place wasn't completely dark; a dim light streamed down from the ceiling tubes, illuminating the blood splattered across the floor. For a moment, it was unclear whether the light was the original color of blood, or simply a reflection of the stained blood.

"Maybe I should wear a gas mask."

Randolph Carter frowned and said, he tried to slow down his breathing so that he could smell less of the bloody smell in the air around him, but it had little effect:

"I've only ever encountered some weird things before, like recovering a few cursed creatures from the otherworld, but this—for God's sake, I've never encountered anything like it. I really hope it won't give me nightmares in the future... I don't think you encountered anything this disgusting during the Silent Hill incident either."

"This kind of thing will only increase in number, becoming more extreme and horrific."

Rhodes said without turning his head. He held the rifle and carefully pushed aside the corpses blocking the way. Some of them were able to move, with dull or terrified eyes, but the brains of those who still retained human consciousness were quickly pierced by daggers to prevent future accidents.

"Whether you're a Foundation director, or an agent or security personnel conducting investigations into the Otherworld, they all need to undergo some military training. While these killing techniques may be of limited use against creatures from the Otherworld, they can at least allow you to deliver intelligence or die with a bit more dignity."

Carter: "...Looks like I'm going to become a horror novelist in the future."

"It's not a bad thing," Rhodes forced a smile. He really wasn't in the mood to have a happy chat with Carter in this environment. "Isn't it nice to be like Stephen King?"

"Who is that?"

"It's okay. Hold on to your machine gun, Director Carter. We will probably have to rely on firepower to win in a while." Rhodes thought about Stephen King's horror novels and felt that he had a long way to go in his future work of saving the world.

As if sensing Rhode and his companions' arrival, the lights in the entire corridor suddenly lit up, no longer dim as before. Only the twisted shadows cast by the swaying zombies remained as usual. The heavy footsteps of some creature came from the corner at the end of the corridor, shaking the scattered old medical equipment and IV poles to the ground.

A voice sounded faintly. It was the voice of Dr. Richard Powell:

"I'm curious as to how you were able to break into my sanctuary. However, this is fine. My daughter's resurrection ceremony requires witnesses—if you can survive."

A multi-limbed, multi-armed monster lurched from the corner, its body lurching. Four heads with distorted expressions nestled in its chest, and foul-smelling saliva mingled with blood oozes from its shattered jaws, a nauseating sight. The moment it caught sight of Rhode and his companions, the monster let out a piercing howl and charged at them like a mighty buffalo!