Long-term salvation

"Ellos? Sheriff Ellos Lund?"

"……I am."

"I heard what this weasel Willy said about you," Rhodes lay on the door of the police car. The cold wind blew in from behind him, and instantly made Sheriff Eloise's whole body extremely cold. An emotion more terrifying than fear surged in her heart, and her brain went completely blank for a moment.

"Perhaps I should call you Sheriff Eloise Coward? You see, these dolls aren't that scary. My friends and I dismembered and tore them apart, and the biggest and worst one... is now my trophy. Have you seen it carefully? I'll drive it across town and show it to every coward in this town who knows the truth, and tell them as well."

"Cowards will die of shame."

Weakness and submission can't buy you anything. When facing the other world, you must resist - this is the truth Rhodes learned during those three days in hell.

Rhode spoke softly, unhooking Sheriff Eloise's holster, taking out the police revolver from it and placing it in her hand. Looking at the dazed and painful expression on her face, mixed with regret, his subsequent words were full of incitement and incitement:

"Make your choice, Sheriff, to die with a clean conscience, or to live in disgrace."

When Rod returned to the RV, he heard the sound of a pistol firing. The sound became weaker after passing through the cold air of the North American winter and the thick glass of the RV, but it was enough.

Just as Rhodes was thinking about how to deal with the remaining two guys, Gomez's voice came from the intercom:

"Rod, let's get going quickly. I've already written a report and will hand it over to the Atlas agents, along with that Weasel Willy. As for those two guys... they're not worth your personal involvement. This is 'our' job. It's easy enough to bankrupt them with a little trickery, bringing them to a state worse than death, let alone kill them outright."

"Of course, I think the biggest possibility is that they'll be keeping Willy the Weasel company in the future. Atlas definitely needs such experimental material."

"Swish~~ The Consortium is truly terrifying! Carter even claimed you weren't lizardmen," Rhodes quipped in the comms. He readily accepted Gomez's suggestion. "Alright, let's get going! I hope you've told those Atlas agents to bring a few spare tires."

"I never forget, Rod."

So, the rest of the journey was smooth sailing.

Chapter 43: Everyday Life: The Addams Family (3/15)

After handing Weasel Willy's rat stick to the Atlas Company agents who rushed over, Rhodes changed the RV tires and arrived at Westfield, New Jersey without any problems.

The Adams family lived here.

Rhode drove the RV, following the guidance of the old car ahead, into the manor surrounded by spiked railings. Adams Manor bordered a withered, decaying jungle and swamp, and on the other side lay a cemetery that had accumulated for who knows how many years. A recent snowfall had just ended, and only the crooked, wordless tombstones pierced through the snow, like the outstretched hands of a desperate drowning man.

The arrival of foreign vehicles startled a group of crows that were roosting under the broken eaves. They let out miserable cries and flapped their wings as they flew under the gloomy sky. A strange and terrifying atmosphere lingered there, making people feel both physically and psychologically uncomfortable.

The mansion standing in the center of the estate is no exception. Its exquisite Gothic-style exterior exudes a mixture of elegance and solemnity, but the combination of gray bricks and black tile eaves only reminds people of death. However, surprisingly, the mansion does not look old, and it has obviously been renovated in every era.

The ancient history of the Adams family is hidden in the traces of multiple renovations. Their ancestors crossed the sea from Spain, carrying ancient and dark secrets, took root here, and became freaks in the eyes of the surrounding residents.

"Does anyone really like living here?" Yuka whispered to Noah before getting off the bus. "A dark environment is not good for your health."

"It probably depends on one's physique," Noah replied in a similarly low voice. She looked at Abigail, who had already jumped out of the car and was about to go to the cemetery, and sighed before asking the gray-haired girl next to her:

"What does Baizi think?"

"It would be better if there were exercise equipment."

Sand Wolf Baizi responded calmly. She was a character that Rhodes exchanged for on the road using a character exchange ticket. Her prototype was Anubis in Egyptian mythology. She was also the poster girl of the Azure File game. She was taciturn, but occasionally made surprising moves. In this world, she seemed to have an unusually keen sense of the breath of "death/immortality".

The official weapon is the SIG556 assault rifle of the Swiss SIG Sauer company, named "WHITE FANG 465". The prototype of the rifle only appeared in 2000.

After replying to Noah's words, Bai Zi thought for a moment and added:

"And the sun and Sensei."

"That makes sense... Sensei is an essential ingredient, just like Chemical X," Noah said thoughtfully. When Rhodes, who had just gotten out of the car to get other gifts, came over, the expression on the girl's face was replaced by a bright smile. "Sensei, is there anything else we need to take down?"

"Just bring your own little favorites. The Gomez family has prepared bedding for us."

Rod said with a smile, carrying his and Abigail's backpacks in his hands, while the ones belonging to the others were taken away by the Adams family's butler - Lurch. He looked like the monster from "Frankenstein", except that there were no traces of stitches on his body and face - the butler was very strong and moved slowly, and could almost carry all the girls' luggage by himself.

According to Gomez, Lucci escaped from a mental hospital, and he had a fellow patient named Randall Patrick McMurphy, but the latter had his frontal lobe removed and there has been no further news of him.

After packing up his luggage, Rhodes prepared to take the girls into the mansion through the main gate. Before entering, his eyes swept over the withered trees next to the mansion that were almost as tall as the mansion. The latter added a gloomy color to the atmosphere of the entire manor.

The door had already been opened, and the Adams family was standing in front of the central staircase waiting for the guests to arrive.

"Welcome, my friends! Welcome to my eternal home!"

Gomez opened his arms and smiled sincerely, while his wife, Morticia Addams, a pale, somber woman with a witch-like elegance, nodded and smiled at the visitors. On either side of them were their son and daughter, Pugsley and Wednesday.

A little further out is Gomez's brother Fester and his mother-in-law Eudora (in the TV series, this old lady is Gomez's mother, but in the movie, she is the mother-in-law), who likes crystal divination but is not very effective.

"I hope you won't be offended by my affectations," Gomez said with a smile as he introduced his family members to Rod and the others, while his two children looked at the visitors curiously - Wednesday was more somber and mature, hiding his emotions better, while Parsley was more obvious.

Rod took in the expressions of the whole family and was moved by Gomez's sincerity and boldness.

"My pleasure, Director Gomez."

"Please, friends, let's not waste any more time... Lu Qi, clean up the restaurant, and don't forget dinner!"

"Just think of this as your home," Mrs. Morticia Adams said softly. She came up to the girls, took the hand of the youngest, Abigail, and walked upstairs with her two children. "Come on, children, let me show you the rooms. Let the men handle their socializing on their own."

The girls looked at Rhodes, who nodded slightly and added:

"Don't snack too much before dinner, especially Abigail."

The blonde girl whose name was called opened her eyes wide and protested:

"I'm not the only one eating!"

"But you're the only one who's so full that you can't finish dinner!" Rhodes waved the girls away and then looked at Gomez, who was left alone here. Even Fester had gone to the kitchen with Luci, and of course there was Gomez's mother-in-law. "Please introduce yourselves to me, 'Adamses'. I'm curious how you got involved with the other world... Can we smoke here?"

Gomez shrugged, pulled out a cigar box from his pocket, took out the last one and put it in his mouth, then lit it for himself and Rod, who had taken out a cigarette. After taking a deep puff of smoke, he slowly said:

"According to existing family records, the Adams family, at least until my grandfather's generation, had no idea what the afterlife was. They simply collected oddities out of personal interest... until my grandfather attended a lecture by a scientific master at an academic conference."

Looking into Rod's eyes, Gomez whispered the man's name:

"Nikola Tesla."

The moment he heard the name, Rhodes remembered what Irons said when he first met him:

Tesla's manuscript records a prophecy of an unknown benevolent existence.

Yes, it was because of the prophecies in the Tesla Manuscript that the Cogito Foundation began deploying resources on various continents to search for itself.

From this point of view, the establishment of the foundation is obviously inseparable from Nikola Tesla.

"Rod, it was Master Tesla who planted the seeds," Gomez said, his voice filled with a respect Rod had never seen before. "He brought warnings and prophecies to the world—"

"The end of human civilization is approaching, and with it the savior will also come!"

The prophecy of the destruction of human civilization is Alpha, and the prophecy of the coming of the savior is Omega. The first and the last have both appeared.

At this point, the wheel of fate began to turn.

Rhodes wanted to ask more questions, but Gomez had already led him through the Adams mansion, enthusiastically introducing every place.

Seeing this, Rhodes had no choice but to suppress his doubts and enjoy this week-long relaxing journey.

Chapter 44 Daily Afternoon (4/15)

A smile full of expectation bloomed on that beautiful face, and the cold muzzle of a gun was pressed against her forehead.

The trigger was pulled, blood splattered, and Rhodes woke up from his dream.

"...Why was he dragged in even during his nap?"

Rod opened his eyes. The fireplace in front of him was burning brightly, and the crackling sound of firewood being chewed by the flames echoed in the living room. He felt sweaty and moved, causing the blanket to slowly slide down, and the slight coolness brought by it enveloped his entire upper body.

It was the third day at the Adams' house, an ordinary afternoon with no cultists, no murderous dolls, and no howling blizzard.

Bending down to pick up the books that had slid off with the blanket, Rhode leaned back in his chair, smacked his lips, and reached for the cup on the small round table next to him. The tea inside had already gone cold. After taking a sip with a frown, Rhode placed the cup on a small shelf near the fireplace, hoping the heat would make the tea more palatable.

"The taste of black tea will deteriorate."

Noah's voice came softly from the side. Rhode didn't look in the direction of the sound, but closed his eyes and sniffed gently. He did this for a few seconds until he smelled the faint scent of flowers approaching. Then he smiled and said:

"It is indeed a light rose scent, Noah. When we return to Arkham, you can learn how to make perfume from that lady."

"I thought Sensei wouldn't like the smell of perfume." The girl's silver hair fell to Rhodes' ears, making him feel a little itchy. "You never wear men's perfume, and you rarely use strong-smelling shower gel. Do you hate these smells?"

"The smell on my body is too strong, which will reveal my location... I have died at least twice because of this."

Rhode spoke lightly, leaning forward to pick up the teacup and taking a sip. The black tea inside had turned lukewarm—it certainly didn't taste very good. Seeing Rhode's frown, the girl took the teacup from him, poured the old tea into the bucket in the corner of the room, and then poured new, boiling hot black tea into the cup.

"But it doesn't matter to you. I'm very strong now, and you're also strong enough for you to have your own little willfulness."

"We won't and can't be protected by you forever," Noah reached out and tucked his hair behind his ear, his brows slightly curved but not much of a smile in them, "Besides, I'm not Yuka or anyone else."

Unlike Yuuka, who seems rational but is actually more emotional, Noah has a more rational heart beneath his emotional words.

Hearing this, Rhode smiled and said nothing more. He stood up from his chair, stuffed the blanket and books into Noah's arms, and asked:

"What is everyone else doing?"

"Yuka is helping Mrs. Adams with some accounting work. Shiroko and Abigail are playing with the Adams children. As for Marian and Little Red Riding Hood... Marian should be helping in the kitchen, but I don't know about Little Red Riding Hood."

In other words, you finally found the opportunity, right?

Rhodes stared at the girl in front of him with empty eyes. The latter had a smile on her face, without a trace of shame for being discovered.

"Hey, if you have time, you can go help Yuka." Rhodes reached out and touched the girl's head, then walked towards the living room door. He picked up the coat hanging on the back of the sofa and raised his hand to signal Noah not to follow him. "I have to go see what Baizi and the others are doing. Yesterday they were planning to use my bazooka to blow up the bell tower of the church at the foot of the mountain. Luckily they found out early, otherwise Gomez and I would have been arrested."

"An hour ago, they said they were going to clear the snow from the cemetery."

"What? A flamethrower?!" Rhodes was shocked. He put on his coat, opened the door and went to the corridor.

Like other places in the Adams Mansion, every corridor in the mansion exudes an air of age and decay, with mottled wallpaper, old-fashioned portraits - the characters in them will even look at you when you have your back to them - and those strange and bizarre statues and decorations. Anyone who comes here will think that this is a haunted mansion, just like in countless rumors and legends, built on a mass grave, where dozens or hundreds of people have died and some evil sacrificial rituals have been performed.

Normally, the corridor would be covered with dust and cobwebs, but now it is spotless. It is obvious that the Adams family has made some special changes to welcome guests.

Leaving the warm living room, Rhodes, feeling a little cold, put on his coat and immediately ran into Little Red Riding Hood at the gate of Adams's mansion. The tip of Little Red Riding Hood's nose was slightly red, and it was obvious that she had been tortured by the cold wind for a long time.

"Hey, Commander!" Little Red Riding Hood tugged at her not-so-finely-made cotton scarf. She was soaking wet, but she looked quite happy. "Mr. Gomez was just leading us in making a trebuchet. We were planning to use snowballs to break the windows of the judge's house at the foot of the mountain."

Rhodes: "...Where are they now?"

"In the cemetery! I went to change my clothes. I just fell into a grave. It was full of snow."

Without hesitation, Rhode hurried out the door. He saw the Adams family's housekeeper, Lu Qi, silently clearing the snow from the flowerbed with a small shovel. The withered branches of long-dead flowers and plants peeked out from the snow, carefully avoided by the housekeeper so that they would retain their dead and decaying appearance even as the snow melted.

This is another example of the Adamses' unusual preferences, which may explain why they will never be popular.

It was snowing lightly at this time. The wind was not strong but still bitingly cold. After noticing Rhodes' appearance, the butler Lu Qi nodded at him, his mouth muscles twitching slightly, coupled with his terrifying and ferocious face - Rhodes thought it was a gentle smile.

The cemetery required walking a distance eastward from the mansion gate, and as soon as Rhodes walked there, his eyes went dark.

Wednesday was wearing a safety helmet and standing under a two-person-high wooden catapult. She blew the whistle regularly, while Baizi, Abigail, Gomez and Pasley followed the whistle and pulled the two drawstrings of the catapult backwards. The leather bag was filled with compacted snowballs the size of fists.

Rhodes sincerely hoped that the snowball didn't contain any rocks or explosives - after all, who was it that Adams and the others hated so much?

"For the love of God or something, could you please leave those unfortunate neighbors alone?"

"Rod, God is dead!"

Gomez did not loosen the hemp rope, but stood there and greeted Rod breathlessly. The mist from his exhaled and the smoke from the cigar in his mouth dissipated into the sky.

"Are you finally ready to go see my collection in the Adams vault? I've been ready to show it off to you. It's a pity your girlfriends aren't interested, and neither are you," Gomez said with a smile. He reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a stack of folded paper strips. "Look, I even wrote a poem to boast about it."

The letter paper, which was estimated to be half a meter long, hung down to Gomez's waist, swaying in the cold wind, which looked particularly funny.

"If there are creatures from the other world inside."

Rhodes sighed and stepped forward to help Gomez and Pasley slowly release the tension from the hemp ropes, so that the catapult wouldn't be used. After only three days here, he was already fed up with being blocked at the gate in protest.

"I'm not interested in your real wealth. I'd rather see your collection of otherworldly artifacts."

"Of course there are, but they are things that were once and are not dangerous. I gave away the things that could harm humans to Atlas a long time ago."

Gomez winked at Rod and said with a bit of pride:

"I'm an appraiser and shareholder at several of the largest auction houses in North America, so I often get some old trinkets to satisfy my collecting hobby. For the Foundation, many sources and intelligence about otherworldly artifacts come from these auction houses, especially underground auction houses with a touch of occultism. Since my grandfather, the Adams family has been frequent visitors to such places."

Appraiser? Auction house?

Hearing Gomez's words, Rhodes, who was brushing the snow off Bai Zi's head, was stunned. He looked down at the confused girl in front of him, and a bold idea gradually took shape... But for now, he still had to deal with the business first:

"That's perfect. I also wanted to ask you about the history of your foundation. The Adams family history you gave me didn't mention it."

PS: I originally planned to write another chapter about daily life, but after thinking about it, I decided to compress the chapters about daily life a little bit to speed up the plot.