Long-term salvation

Just as he was thinking, Rod noticed that the corner of his clothes was slightly pulled up. He turned around and saw that it was Yuka holding the contract document - the one signed with Gomez. After drinking a bottle of wine, the two happily signed the contract, and even cut their fingers and dripped blood to swear never to betray each other.

"I thought Sensei would invest in the financial market, or even buy lottery tickets," Yuuka whispered, her brow furrowed. "But if that happens, won't someone catch him? Given Mr. Irons's abilities and his understanding of you, even without proof, he'll definitely assume it was you once the news comes out."

"First, he can't track us right now, and Gomez will buy us a few more days. Secondly, we're robbing a gang-run bank... they won't call the police. Even if a journalist reports it, there's a high probability it will be suppressed. What gang would publicly publicize their robbery?"

Rhode smiled. He reached out and gently tapped the girl's smooth forehead. Suddenly, he remembered the girl named "Asuka Jing Muji" - he would definitely meet her again in his dream tonight. This suddenly made Rhode feel like he was cheating on his wife. After considering his words, Rhode continued:

"Finally, even if Irons finds out, what can he do? Will he bring the FBI to arrest me? Or will he accuse me at the board meeting of robbing a gangster bank and spreading most of the money around the city? That's right! This is the core of our plan!"

Looking at the girl in front of him lovingly, Rhode reached out and touched her head, comforting her in a gentle tone:

"Hasn't our math genius already calculated how much the salvage plan will cost? Even if we raise the price by another 200,000 gold, it'll only cost $1.5 million. We'll grab $3 million and lose $1.5 million! Let the FBI investigate!"

Hearing Rhode's voice, Bai Zi suddenly stopped talking and began to think carefully. After a moment, she took a pencil and silk thread and drew circles around the police station and bank marked on the map, connecting the commercial district and the port.

"With so much money, it would be best if we could evacuate by air... Hmm... It would be great if Ayane (Okusora Ayane) was here. She can fly the helicopter."

"This is the least of my worries," Rhode stroked his chin, thinking about the battle group vehicles provided by the system. "Helicopters are easy to get. I can even get you an attack helicopter. Tsk, if it weren't for the convenience of continuing our operations in North America, we could even throw dirty water on the United States Army."

Wait, maybe we could do an arms trade later... If selling to African warlords isn't convenient, wouldn't it be nice to sell it to some Eastern superpower? Things like UH-60s, F15Cs, F16s, M1A1 tanks, and so on. And maybe other countries' vehicles later on. All for sale! T80? Sell! SU-27? Sell! And if we develop warships or other aerospace weapons later on, then damn, sell them too!

Anyway, Rhodes didn't have any sentimental feelings towards North America as a beacon, and whether the United States' technology was leaked or not was none of his business.

Not only that, the rewards required do not even need to be money, but soldiers, workers, resources and even political support!

In this case, planning for the impending disintegration of the Soviet Union must also be put on the agenda...

The future of the world's resistance will never be a solo dance of one country. That is a scene that only appears in Hollywood movies. Moreover, even a superpower cannot withstand the accumulated terror of billions of people.

In the face of disasters in the other world, humanity must unite!

Chapter 48: Chicago Daytime (8/15)

It takes thirteen to fourteen hours to drive from New Jersey to Chicago, passing through Pittsburgh.

Because of this, after saying goodbye to the Adams family and leaving, Rhodes and the two Nikkis took turns driving. Apart from necessary food and fuel supplies and the purchase of materials needed for the operation, they rarely stopped to rest until the metropolis, which was extremely prosperous even in winter, appeared in front of them.

Although it is the third largest metropolitan area after New York and Los Angeles, Chicago is not the capital of Illinois. This led to General Omar Bradley being detained by military police during World War II... As the core city of a metropolitan area with a population of nearly 10 million, Chicago's economic level is proportional to the number of gangs and crime levels in the city, and the history of gangs is very long - this laid the foundation for Rod's financial freedom.

In Chicago's most chaotic South Side, just north of the city, Rhodes found a paid parking lot near a residential area and parked his RV. The parking lot was mostly filled with trucks, making it relatively quiet. He then contacted the parking lot operator and, after paying a small fee, was able to park his car there for a week.

The parking lot was located between a residential area and a warehouse complex, but the warehouses were in disrepair. If it weren't for the occasional snow removal, Rhode would have thought it was completely abandoned. The parking lot operator said there would be a warehouse auction this afternoon, where unpaid warehouses would be sold along with their contents.

"Stay here and get some food. I'll go check out the surroundings," Rhode said as he prepared to get out of the RV. But just as he stepped out, he leaned back and, looking at the girls who had all poked their heads out, instructed, "There are a lot of criminals and petty thieves here. I've left a magazine of Frigga bullets for each of you. Use them when you need them, and don't listen to their pleas or excuses. Remember my words—humans are far more terrifying than creatures from the other world."

"OK." / "Okay." / "Bring back a burrito." / "I want a burger, a cheeseburger with pickles." / "I want a mille-feuille."

"That's too much to ask!" Rhodes said angrily, "Ask Marian about meals, and ask Yuka about money!"

"I'm going with Sensei. We need some supplies for our bank robbery plan."

It was Baizi who spoke, her face filled with eagerness. This girl had always been obsessed with robbing banks in the Azure Files game, back then, with excuses like trying to prevent Abydos High School from closing down. Now, she's even more obsessed, completely unabashed, doing it purely out of interest...

Rhode even saw the names of major cities in the United States, such as Chicago, Detroit, Boston, and New York, in her notebook! He tried not to imagine what this girl would do in the future, and could only observe a three-second silence for the gangster banks in major cities.

After repeated instructions, Rhodes took Bai Zi out of the RV, but as soon as they got out of the car, the girl stared at the warehouse, as if there was something there.

After Rhode greeted her a few times, she quickly followed him and walked towards the block.

To Rhodes' surprise, although the underground of Chicago's South Side was filled with a sewage river bred by chaos and crime, poisoning every child born there and every man and woman living there, there was still a vague order and a peculiar vitality here.

The streets were still quite bustling, with cheap restaurants and various shops already open. People, tormented by life, were numbingly pushing the snow in front of their doors onto the road. The snow was still falling, lightly, but perhaps because it was in a big city, even heavy snow would feel ashamed by the bustle.

A middle-aged black woman pushing a hot dog cart was shouting loudly, wrapped in a thick but dirty cotton coat, oil stains glistening on it. A few teenagers dressed oddly walked and chatted quietly, their black tattoos faintly visible through their deliberately open sleeves, indicating that they were gang members... Of course, it was more likely that they were just small-time thugs pretending to be gang members. They would only be recruited by the gang when they were older, and now they were just hired as spies or to secretly transport drugs.

A group of middle-aged and elderly homeless people were gathered around a round iron barrel stuffed with cotton wool and torn cardboard. The flames were not very strong, but each of them was drinking a bottle of cheap beer. The empty bottles collided with their laughter and their feet trembling from the real cold, making a crisp sound. The warm white mist mixed with alcohol and bad breath came out of their mouths and rose up, blending into the dark sky above.

Winter is still here, but it won't last long.

"We also need to purchase some more supplies, like high-strength plastic cable ties, sealing tape, and cutting tools," Bai Zi said calmly, her eyes sweeping over the people hurrying along in the cold wind on the street corner. "We also need to rent a warehouse to store the supplies. Explosives and firearms that won't be needed right now should be stored there, too. It would be terrible if they were detected before we leave the city."

"Just shoot each of them. Use Frigga bullets. It's simple and efficient."

After hearing Rhode's words, Bai Zi sighed helplessly. Such a cute expression made Rhode unable to help but pinch those wolf ears. As if by telepathy, when Rhode extended his palm to the girl's head, the wolf ears immediately drooped, and when his palm was removed, they stood up again.

It's quite fun.

Ignoring Rhode's desire to play with his ears, Bai Zi continued to explain:

"A bullet with high efficacy but few side effects would be more worthy of pursuit than those millions of dollars. Then we'll definitely be targeted by more nation-states. It's better to just shoot ourselves in the thigh with a regular bullet... Also, Sensei needs to figure out how to launder the money. Should everyone open a different local bank account? Deposit tens of thousands of dollars into each account? If it's just used to register a salvage company and rent a salvage vessel, that should be enough."

"How do you know so much?" Rhode finally grabbed the wolf's ear and gently kneaded it, causing the girl's eyes to narrow slightly. "I don't remember teaching you this."

"You are gifted. Study hard and improve yourself!"

Rhodes: "...If I wasn't trying to save the world, I'd take you guys to play with the whole gang."

"Save the world," the girl whispered, and she put her arm around Rhodes without paying any attention to the others. "It's such a distant word, Sensei, but we will accompany you to the end."

"A journey of a thousand miles begins at the hardware store. Come on, let's go see where we can buy... Damn, I should have bought a map. Wait, it doesn't seem like this kind of store would be marked on a map."

"Then let's ask someone," Bai Zi said, pointing to a woman who came out of the supermarket carrying a bag of food. She was very beautiful, with a hint of melancholy and maternal temperament, and her every gesture was full of pain after being tortured by life.

So, on an ordinary day in Chicago's South Side, Fiona Gallagher, the eldest daughter of the Gallagher family, encountered something that changed her life.

"Hello, ma'am, we'd like to know where the Home Depot is located here?"

PS: Home Depot is an American retailer of home decorations and building materials, headquartered in Vinings, Atlanta, Georgia.

Fiona Gallagher from the American TV series Shameless

Chapter 49 Shameless Person (9/15)

"There's no Home Depot in the South Side. You need to drive to another area. If you really need tools, there's a Brazilian hardware store a few blocks down the road."

Fiona clutched her grocery bag tightly as she sized up the man and woman before her. They were both incredibly young and handsome, their clothes unidentifiable but neat and elegant, their conversation revealing the marks of a well-educated family. The man, in particular, had deep blue eyes as cold as a deep winter lake, exuding an irresistible majesty.

"I'm going home," Fiona instinctively felt that she was going to get into trouble, so she prepared to leave immediately. "Please ask someone else..."

"Fiona, what are you doing here?"

Rhodes looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young man with a stitched wound on his forehead. He had his hands in his pockets and a defiant expression on his face, but a hint of sadness flowed in his eyes.

"Why, are these two people bothering you?" Carl Gallagher asked his eldest sister. He pursed his lips and slid his tongue across his teeth, making a clicking sound. "Although I don't know what happened, it's best for you all not to mess with them-"

"I'm fine, Carl, it's just that these two asked me where the hardware store is," Fiona said quickly, a little embarrassed on her face, "I told them old Prodita's store."

"He's stingier than a hungry stray dog ​​and will rip off outsiders, but he's the only hardware store in the last few blocks," Carl said. After sizing up Rhode and Baizi like he would his older sister, he nodded. "If you're willing to give me $50, I can take you there. I can get you up to 20% off, and maybe even give you some extra screws."

"Karl!"

"It's okay," Rod raised his hand to silence Fiona, "You look like you need some money, boy."

Carl, still with his hands in his pockets, raised his hands and shrugged. The swaying hem of his coat made him look like a penguin, and even more so against the dirty winter streets around him. Then, he reached out and took the thing from Fiona's hand and said to Rhode:

"So, is it a deal or not...Sir?"

"Deal," Rhodes said with a smile.

"I have to help my sister send some things back first. There are... you know, a lot of children at home." Carl licked his lips subconsciously and stood in front of Fiona who was about to say something. "But we're on our way. If you want to avoid trouble, I can also act as your guide for this trip. The South Side of Chicago is still very dangerous for travelers like you."

This guy has a strong sense of observation... Rhode didn't ask him how he saw it, but turned his head and said to Bai Zi:

"Let's just go shopping. Do you remember what those idiots want to eat?"

"I remember," the girl nodded, "I even remember Sensei calling them idiots."

"You don't need to remember the last sentence."

Fiona smiled at their interaction, but Carl still looked troubled. He walked ahead, holding a bag of food, and it was unclear what he was thinking about. Seeing Carl's expression, Fiona sighed slightly and whispered to Rhode:

"My brother, he's been having some troubles lately and also hit his forehead. I'm sorry."

"It's great to have help, ma'am," Rhodes said with a polite smile. He wrapped his coat tightly to prevent the growing snowflakes from drifting into the gaps in his clothes. "We're traveling in our RV. We didn't book a hotel and had no plans to come to the South District. It's just that the door of the RV's storage cabinet fell off, and we need some tools to fix it."

"travel?"

"Yes, traveling. I started from Colorado and headed to Pennsylvania, where I spent an unforgettable trip in the small towns. Then I stayed in Philadelphia for a few days and then rushed to the small town of Salem in Massachusetts. Oh, I think you must have heard of the witch stories there."

Rhode said this casually. He fished out a pack of Red Apple cigarettes from his jacket pocket, took out a cigarette from inside and lit it after moving a little further away from Fiona. He exhaled a puff of smoke, watched it violently knock away the light snowflakes, and then he sighed softly and said with a smile:

"Finally, here is Chicago. It's a pity I didn't come here in the summer... Oh! I only know from TV and books that the security in the South Side is very bad. So, how bad can it be?"

"If you get robbed in an alley, forget about getting your stuff back," Fiona sniffed. She felt a little envious of the life Rhode described, but more than that, she felt the chill. This winter was exceptionally cold, and perhaps by the time spring arrived, many of the familiar faces on the block would be gone. "Unless there's a murder or some other bloody crime, they won't care. Even for serious crimes, they'll be slow to arrive in a neighborhood like this. Ambulances are an exception, but they're very expensive."

"Another point."

Carl, who was walking in front, raised his hand and said without turning his head:

"This gentleman is more 'welcome' here than the lady next to him. It's best not to leave the house or your car at night, let alone wander around the streets."

"That's indeed dangerous," Bai Zi suddenly said. She turned her head and looked at Rhodes seriously. "Sensei, be careful."

“…You don’t have to say that.”

"Oh."

After walking two blocks and sending Fiona home, Carl led Rhode and Bai Zi towards the hardware store. The young man, who looked like a gangster, seemed to be worried and didn't show much of a friendly attitude towards ordinary pedestrians.

Seeing this, Rhode put on his all-seeing eye mask and observed Carl carefully, making him feel a little uneasy. Then he said slowly:

"Have you ever been in a gang?"

"I quit last week." Carl didn't dare ask Rhodes about the eye patch. He felt that his entire body was exposed in the exposed azure eye.

"Do you need money?"

"Everyone in this city needs money, Sir, and everyone in the world needs money."

"I see. You need money to support your family now," Rod said thoughtfully, "but you should find a decent job. Even washing dishes is better than guiding people."

Hearing Rhodes' words, Karl did not get angry, he just smiled:

"That's not much, sir, but I know of a bunch of abandoned warehouses being auctioned off in the storage district, and I'm going to try my luck there. So, with your $50 and my savings, I can buy one or two warehouses, sell the junk inside, and rent them out. I'm sure I'll make back my money, and maybe even a lot more."

Carl said this with a smile on his face, but Bai Zi beside him asked:

"In a storage area next to a parking lot?"

Rhodes frowned slightly. He could feel the strength coming from the girl's palm beside him, and the girl's face was serious, which he had never seen before.

"Yes," Carl said in surprise, "How did you know?"

"..."

"Because our RV is parked there," Rhodes reached out and patted Bai Zi's hand, then turned to Carl and said, "It sounds interesting. I want to go and see it too. Hmm... how about adding another $100?"

"make a deal!"

Carl responded super fast.

Chapter 50 Warehouse 36 (10/15)

When Carl followed Rhodes to the parking lot with a bunch of messy things in his arms, he saw an RV converted from a large truck parked there. The dark paint job combined with the cool flame pattern made it particularly eye-catching among the dirty gray-white snow around it.

Carl couldn't help but whistled and exclaimed:

"If Fiona had an RV like this, she could definitely take the Gallagher family across the United States."

As the eldest sister in the family, with only an alcoholic and irresponsible father among the elders in the family, Fiona Gallagher has to some extent taken on the responsibilities of a mother... She wants to escape from this family, but is bound by responsibility, kindness and love for her family.

"Wait," Carl stood there in a daze. He saw several pretty girls running out of the RV and taking the things from Rhode's hands. There was also an equally cute little blonde girl looking out the window, her face full of anticipation. After seeing the girls surrounding Rhode, Carl took a deep breath, turned to look at Rhode, and said seriously:

"Sir, I'll give you $300. Tell me how you did it."

"First, you need to go to college, the farther away from home, the better. Then, you need to get a proper job," Rod raised his eyebrows at Carl. "In your spare time, you also need to exercise and read books. You need to read everything so that you can easily interrupt others when they are talking about anything... Do you need me to teach you the rest?"

Carl was thoughtful after hearing this.

"Here's the money, $300," Rhodes said with a deadpan look.

Carl's eyes suddenly widened.

"Haha!" Rhodes laughed and took the wooden box from Carl. Inside was a large metal drill with an insulating component, specially used to drill through thick metal casings. "But before you do these things, you need to save up some money, at least enough to pay for your first year of college tuition."

"That's a little difficult, sir," Carl sighed, his eyes sweeping over the RV with envy. "After I stop being involved in gangs and selling guns and drugs to those scumbags like me, I won't have much money to earn. I can't even apply for a student loan. It all depends on whether I can find some good stuff in the old warehouse this time. With the capital, I can start a small business. That's what I think at the moment, if things don't change."

"Opportunities will find you, Carl from the Gallagher family," Rod said, reaching out to take the thermos of slightly hot cocoa handed to him by Marian.