Long-term salvation

Without any hesitation, Rhodes retreated half a step, bent his knees and gathered strength. The rifle was swung behind him by this action. He clenched his hands and hooked two grenades and their grips on his chest. He charged towards the monster and pulled them hard - while the safety pin was still spinning in the air, Rhodes had already thrown the grenade in his right hand behind the monster!

"Retreat, suppress fire!"

There was no need for Rhode to say much about this matter. The two machine guns immediately opened fire, and blood splattered on the monster's skinless body. Organs and minced meat that had long been unrecognizable were mixed with deformed bone fragments and splattered, leaving disgusting marks like alcoholic vomit on the walls on both sides.

The grenade thrown earlier exploded at this moment, and with the roar, the dust in the corridor also fell.

The monster staggered from the blast, its heads screaming and uttering meaningless, chaotic words in pain, but the damaged parts began to regenerate rapidly. Dozens of fleshy limbs resembling human fingers emerged from the edges of the wounds, then overlapped layer by layer, filling the gaping wounds.

"cover me!"

Rhode shouted loudly, speeding up his run. He leaped up from the right wall, twisting his body in mid-air to avoid the monster's powerful arms swinging at him. He pulled out his revolver with his right hand and fired three shots at the front of the monster's spine. The special license for enhancing damage to creatures of the inner world directly crushed the filthy flesh, exposing the more fragile organs within.

The next second, Rhodes stuffed the grenade in his left hand into the flesh!

When Rhodes landed, rolled a few times, and stood up, a dull explosion instantly filled the entire corridor. The monster's flesh swelled and overflowed like a bubble, and then exploded like a balloon filled with dark red paint, instantly covering the entire corridor and everyone inside.

Rhodes didn't dare turn around and could only silently endure the three silent accusatory gazes.

After a few seconds of silence, when the sounds of Carter and Yuka retching were heard, Rhode slowly turned around, raised his hands in surrender, and said apologetically:

"Sorry, I didn't expect this thing to be so fragile. It might be because the grenade exploded inside it."

"Ugh... I'm going to wear CBRN protective gear next time," Carter said, holding onto the wall. No, he walked back a distance before holding onto the wall and dry-retching a few times. Then he used a handheld DV to film the monster, which only had half of its body left. "Well, at least we found the whereabouts of the curly-haired man—his face is right here. The others are probably cultists. I hope there aren't... ugh... there aren't any other innocent people."

"Ahem, in short, wearing fully enclosed protective clothing is indeed the trend for future otherworldly events," Rhodes jumped on the spot to shake off the bits of flesh on his body, then he looked at Marian and Yuka. The expressions on their faces were not too good either, but they seemed to be less affected than Carter.

"Well... Sensei, you should be more careful," Yuuka shook her hair. She just wanted to deal with this matter quickly and then take a hot bath. "I think our firepower is enough to defeat this thing. At the very least, Sister Marian and I can control its limbs, and you can blow its head off."

"Even though your strength and speed far surpass those of ordinary humans, I don't want you to put yourself in danger," Rhode said, hastily defending himself. "Melee combat is good, but who knows if those monsters might have any special abilities? Besides, isn't rifle firepower sufficient right now?"

"I always feel like you're avoiding the core issue..." Yuka muttered softly.

Marian also nodded slightly in agreement. After she changed the ammunition of her weapon, she reached out to pick out the dirt from her hair.

Seeing this, Rhodes was immediately furious and turned around to mock Dr. Richard loudly:

"Doctor Richard, right? Come here and take off my hood for you... ahem, is this your toy soldier? Or do you intend to prepare such a dirty and filthy body for your daughter?"

The whispers that had been lingering in the ears of Rhodes and the others suddenly stopped, and the last syllable fell, like the last sigh of a dying patient.

"It seems that you are indeed qualified," Dr. Richard's voice was still calm and even had a hint of joy. "Come on, I'll be waiting for you at the end, waiting for you to come-"

"Witness the resurrection of my daughter."

Chapter 27: Twisted Dreams (2/2)

After a short rest, Rhodes and his companions quickly walked forward. They could already hear the friction sound coming from behind them - the zombie monsters in each room had been lowered from the hooks and were now dragging their broken bodies to chase after them.

"How many people did that guy capture?"

Carter took a few breaths and took the M16A2 rifle from Rhodes. He was exhausted. Such a high-intensity battle had clearly exceeded the physical limits of this nearly 40-year-old director. Add to that the pollution from the other world and the various physically uncomfortable scenes...

The reason why he can still stand now is purely because of Carter's strong will, occasional exercise on weekdays, and the good physical foundation laid when he served in the French Foreign Legion in the past.

After reloading the M60 general-purpose machine gun with a new M13 ammunition belt, Rhodes slowly spoke:

"I'm not sure how long he's been doing this. I need to investigate the local police department's missing persons cases and see if there are any records of bodies being stolen or swapped. But then again, his identity as the attending physician here is itself a cover."

"Will it be the same as in Silent Hill?" Marian suddenly asked. She was walking to Carter's left, while Yuka was on the other side. "With that... eh, support from the Mobius Foundation or something."

"That's a possibility, but we have to deal with the matter at hand first."

As Rhode spoke, he had already reached the door at the end of the corridor. The thick iron door, like the door of an ice storage room, slowly slid open to both sides, revealing the strange scene behind. However, to everyone's surprise, the place seemed exceptionally clean.

The entire hall was as clean and tidy as a sterile operating room, and on the six metal beds on both sides were six bodies covered with white cloths. The cold lights shone from both sides, but could not illuminate the shadows of anyone there.

Maggie, the pregnant woman who believed in the cult, was now lying on her back on the ground, with her head tilted up and facing the direction where Rhodes and his companions entered. Her eyes, which were almost cracked, were filled with silent fear and despair, and she no longer had the joy and desire she had before... It seemed that she had realized what kind of monster the baby in her belly was.

At this moment, something was wriggling rapidly within Maggie's pregnant belly, pushing up against her skin, already stretched by pregnancy, making it look particularly eerie. I wonder if she regretted joining the cult and killing her grandfather. Perhaps she did, but no one would heed her cries for help now.

Rhode's eyes only swept over the pregnant woman on the ground, and then fell on the monster standing in front of the equilateral triangle symbol - Dr. Richard, who had lost all his skin, and his muscles were twisted and spliced ​​together randomly. He looked like a shriveled meat floss bread that had been left for a long time.

Looking at the cult leader who was trying to revive his daughter because of her death, Rhodes asked:

"How did you know that performing this so-called ritual could revive your daughter?"

"Ancient books contain ancient wisdom, I just use it for my own benefit," Dr. Richard said calmly. He slowly raised his arm, and the thing in Maggie's pregnant belly moved faster, as if it would burst out in the next second.

In fact, it is true.

A loud baby cry came from the pregnant belly. Along with the cry, the six corpses stood up and turned their heads to look in the direction of Rhodes and his companions.

"Fire!"

Rhodes didn't say any more. He picked up the M60 general-purpose machine gun and started firing... He actually regretted not exchanging it for an M2 heavy machine gun. Although Lao Gan Ma had many problems, any flesh and blood body would appear extremely vulnerable in front of the terrifying firepower of 12.7mm.

If 12.7mm is not enough, there are 120/125mm. There are more large-caliber bang-bangs with larger calibers. There is always one that suits these enemies of humanity.

Six corpses wrapped in white cloth suddenly stood between Rhodes, the pregnant woman, and Dr. Richard. Bullets penetrated the white cloth and the flesh behind it, quickly dyeing it blood red. At this moment, the baby's crying suddenly rose, and accompanied by the scream of the pregnant woman Maggie, an unknown monster tore open the mother's belly and crawled out from it!

Blood spurted out and spread across the ground, reflecting the distorted form of the rapidly growing monster. Almost the size of a bison, the creature crouched on all fours, its head shaped like a human skull, but its eye sockets were empty. The baby's cries gradually deepened into a low, piercing cry, ultimately transforming into a howl filled with malice and hunger.

The monster seemed to have not yet learned to walk, and it staggered a little with each step. The body of its "mother" was dragged behind it by a thick umbilical cord, but soon, its steps became skillful.

"Shoot this monster in the head!"

Rhode roared in anger, wielding his machine gun to knock over a zombie. Just as he was about to crush its cervical vertebrae, he was knocked back by the monster! His back slammed against the wall, causing him to gasp in pain. If Carter had been hit like that, he would have died instantly.

"Sensei!" / "Commander!"

"Don't worry about me, keep suppressing the fire!"

Rhode had just climbed to his feet when he saw the monster charging at him again. Beyond its four legs, a pair of slender arms, like those of a human teenager, had sprouted. These arms were still growing, and the texture of the muscles not covered by skin was clearly visible—it was even adapting to rifle fire! Now, only Marian's machine gun fire could inflict any real damage on the monster; other bullets could only cause a few splashes of blood.

Twisting to avoid the monster's impact, Rhode drew his [Inner World Creation Damage Enhanced] revolver and fired several shots at the blasphemous creature's abdomen. This time, the monster finally let out a scream of pain and anger, and its arms began to wave wildly.

Rhode tumbled unceremoniously on the ground a few times to avoid the incoming attack. While the monster was drawn to Marian's gunfire, he began to observe his surroundings, seeking a way out. But just as he was considering whether to kill Dr. Richard outright, he felt a warm sensation in his pocket.

It's the pocket with the silver key!

"You cannot resist it," Dr. Richard said. The triangle symbol behind him collapsed inward, revealing a dark blue vortex within it. The otherworld and the real world were now connected. "The life granted by the ancient being will resurrect my daughter. Stop now, everyone. Don't you have lost loved ones? Don't you have regrets that can't be remedied? Kneel before me, offer me a sacrifice, and I will grant your wish."

"Resurrection? Do you think you're Jesus and can resurrect the dead? You're just a fool who stole the power of the other world and slaughtered lives at will!"

Carter suddenly scoffed, his face etched with fatigue, yet his chest was filled with a raging rage fueled by everything he had seen and heard along the way. After repeatedly pulling the trigger on his rifle, shattering a zombie's knee and shin, Carter struck it directly in the face with the butt of his rifle, sending it collapsing backwards before firing three more times.

"Resurrecting a blasphemous monster that doesn't even have your daughter's memories is, in the final analysis, just a way to gain the self-satisfaction of 'resurrecting your daughter.' As if if you do it, everyone, including your daughter, will understand your despicable actions? How ridiculous!"

"..."

Doctor Richard's facial muscles trembled slightly. He was about to say something when he suddenly realized that he had lost sight of Rhodes.

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Carter."

The voice came from behind. Dr. Richard turned around suddenly and saw Rhodes standing in front of the equilateral triangle, holding a silver key that was emitting a faint glow in his hand.

Then, Rhodes threw the key into the triangular vortex.

Chapter 28 Abigail Williams (1/2)

The moment the silver key was thrown into the triangular vortex, the originally slowly flowing vortex began to roll like boiling water. Dazzling light burst out from the equilateral triangle that could no longer be maintained, and the entire space trembled painfully under the influx of unknown power.

"you!"

"Hey, I didn't know how to shut this thing off, so I just had to throw something in there to plug it up. Sorry, Dr. Richard."

Rhodes raised his revolver and slowly backed away, but Dr. Richard in front of him was obviously not paying attention to him - the cult leader, who had long lost his human appearance, rushed directly in front of the twisting and deforming vortex, looking at the changes happening in front of him in a somewhat bewildered manner.

The collapsed equilateral triangle is gradually turning into a [door], turning into a keyhole.

After realizing that the situation was beyond his control, Dr. Richard calmed down. He turned around woodenly, his eyes, which had not changed much since his human days, filled with suppressed anger.

"It seems that I must bury you here completely, even if it means starting over again."

"You don't have that chance, Dr. Richard."

Rhode's thoughts raced, but just as he was about to raise his gun to fire, he heard a piercing sound. The monster, barely minutes old, had now taken on a humanoid form! Now capable of walking upright, it grabbed the metal bed that had been resting on the corpse and threw it at Rhode, forcing him to duck. The bed collided with the wall, cracking with a harsh, twisting sound, and its bent railings and various parts scattered across the floor.

After raising his gun and shooting through the monster's knee, Rhodes lunged forward and rolled over to avoid the second attack from the debris. After cleaning up the zombies, Marian and the others concentrated their firepower on the monster again. Blood splattered on the thick and powerful back muscles, and minced meat wrapped in dirty blood splattered everywhere, creating a cloud of blood mist.

The monster's roar echoed throughout the hall, brightening the light in the keyhole.

"Kill him!" Dr. Richard could no longer suppress the anger in his heart. He roared loudly, and the corpses scattered in other morgues also stood up and staggered towards this place. "My children, kill them!"

However, before he finished speaking, Rhode saw everything in front of him suddenly freeze:

Orange flames were frozen in front of Marian's machine gun, and the bullets, already fired and ejected, formed a thin line, the end of which was embedded in the monster's flesh. Yuuka was running to the side, reloading as she ran, her face, still stained with blood, showing a toughness that belied her appearance.

The monster was already half-kneeling on the spot because of its broken knees and joints. It used its arms to block its head to resist the automatic fire, but Carter had already pulled off the pull ring of a grenade, and seemed to be ready to throw it closer to Dr. Richard. The latter raised his arm and pointed it directly in the direction of Rhodes. His mouth was wide open as he roared, and his white teeth looked particularly terrifying at this moment.

Rhode tried to stand up, but he felt as if he was weighed down by a thousand pounds. However, this strange state did not last long. A dazzling kaleidoscopic light exploded before everyone's eyes. The vortex that had completely solidified into the shape of a keyhole stopped spinning and became as calm as dead water.

A girl in a gothic black lantern dress slowly emerged from the keyhole. Within the dark keyhole on her forehead, a single, ever-moving eye emanated a pinkish-purple glow. Her delicate, lovely face bore a blank expression, neither joy nor sorrow. Carter's silver key, now a necklace around the girl's neck, gleamed in the surrounding light.

The girl turned her head stiffly to look at Rhodes, who met her gaze, just as they had before on the stairs. His vision immediately transformed into a series of blurry, constantly shifting images, with all things losing their clear outlines and colors in the churning chaos.

A voice rang in Rhode's ears. The volume was not loud, but it could not be blocked:

Transaction complete.

The voice said so.

Then, everything returned to normal - the firepower of machine guns and submachine guns hit the monster fiercely, and Carter also threw the grenade in his hand, but he immediately noticed the girl standing behind Dr. Richard, and the expression on her face quickly twisted from anger to horror... But the tentacles that appeared out of thin air behind the girl immediately wrapped the grenade and dragged it into an unknown space, without a sound being heard.

Carter: “?”

"You are--"

Dr. Richard suddenly woke up and turned to look at the girl who was standing there silently. His eyes were wide open, even to the point of cracking, and there was finally a hint of fear in his words:

"You are a Foreigner! A being from beyond the realm, your God has overshadowed my God! No, no... give me..."

The cult leader, whose body was already melting, pounced on the girl, but was kicked away by Rhode halfway. The sound of broken bones and tendons could be heard, and the monster also howled. It was being targeted by more fierce firepower, and the power that had supported its rapid regeneration and strong muscles was gradually fading.

"Don't act like a moron, doctor."

Rhodes took out three bullets from the ammunition bag and stuffed them into the revolver, closed the cylinder, and shot through the knee of the monster that was trying to move here, forcing it to kneel on the ground. After being cut off from the connection with an ancient evil god by the One of All Things, both Dr. Richard and this monster born from sacrifice became weak and no longer had their previous majesty.

After reloading, Rhodes put the revolver back into the holster, walked up to Dr. Richard, knocked him down with a punch as he was trying to get up, and then dragged his left leg towards the lock hole that was gradually getting smaller.

"Mind if I throw this guy in?" Rhodes asked the girl. The latter shook her head, and her long, soft blond hair swayed slightly with the movement. "Oh, thank you for your generosity. Can you tell me your name?"

"Abigail Williams."

The moment she said the name, the girl's expression became lively. She glanced at the horrific scenes around her with a hint of disgust on her face. Then she moved a little further away from Rhodes, or more accurately, Dr. Richard in his hand.

Rod didn't notice the subtle movement as he was dragging Dr. Richard to the keyhole.

"No, please...at least let my child go! She's innocent!"

"You weren't like that just now, but don't worry, doctor." Rhodes grabbed Dr. Richard, whose flesh and blood had been completely stripped away, leaving only his internal organs. The latter was still alive—but his condition had nothing to do with being alive. After stuffing the lower half of the crazy cult leader's body into the keyhole, Rhodes slowly said:

"I will send it to be reunited with you."

After saying that, Rhodes kicked the dark yellow skull.

The last scene that Dr. Richard saw in his cloudy eyes was the scene of the summoned monster being executed by Nikki, but before the sadness and resentment could fill his chest, he disappeared into the keyhole, and then the [door] closed with satisfaction as if he had finished eating.

The smooth walls of the morgue were bare, with no cracks, no stains, no doors leading to unknown dimensions.

[Side Quest: Twelve Trials: Void Alien World (Completed)]

【Transaction Completed】

【Task rewards begin to be distributed】

[Pollution points in the other world have been collected]

【Character exchange voucher has been received】

Chapter 29: Dr. Richard's Office (2/2)

"So, it's all over?"

Carter asked tiredly, hanging the M16 rifle on the gun belt around his neck and walking towards Rhodes around the filth on the ground.

The monster corpse in the center of the hall, along with the zombies, began to slowly melt, turning into pools of minced meat mixed with deformed bones and smelly body fluids.

The space outside the morgue also stabilized. The corridors, utility rooms, equipment warehouses, as well as the stairs and elevators leading to the first floor had all returned to normal. Only the lights, whose voltage was unstable due to the heavy snow, were still flickering.