Long-term salvation

The general turned his head in disbelief, looking at his soldiers, but they were all preparing their weapons and praising the superbly crafted automatic rifles, clearly oblivious to what was happening. Turning back to meet Rhode's gaze, he simply tilted his head, as if anticipating the general's reaction.

Suddenly, General Hammer remembered what Rhodes had said to him that day, and that arrogant yet fascinating goal.

"The Tower of Babel will eventually fall," General Hammer whispered.

"As long as it can hold up the collapsing sky, it doesn't matter how long it lasts," Rod replied in a relaxed tone. He put all the weapons and ammunition that didn't need to be stored in the storage space into a long black bag, making the bag look like a plump python. "Besides, people back then hadn't been 'guided' yet. It's different now, isn't it?"

"The ambition to rule humanity is always disguised as a desire to protect it," the general said, angered by Rhode's words. He pursed his lips and squeezed out a word through his teeth, "And arrogance is the first sin."

"I send this message to your country, General."

Rhodes paid no attention to the general's doubts and rebuttals. He just calmly made preparations. Among the girls, only Abigail stayed by his side. Marian and Yuka set off to go to Director Gomez Adams to discuss subsequent cooperation, while the others returned to Miami, Florida to continue the salvage work.

Currently, Rhode still lacks talents who are absolutely loyal to him. He can only hope that after this otherworldly event is over, the system will issue more character exchange coupons... Another problem is that Abigail took the initiative to join this event, and she bluntly said that it was her "father's" request.

That's okay, we can't afford to offend that big guy.

"When you are ready, you can go to the presidential suite upstairs to rest and gather here at 23pm sharp. Do not drink alcohol or use strong-smelling bath products," Rhodes said to the soldiers. His eyes swept across everyone, but only stayed on Krauser for a few seconds, with a playful smile on his face.

This made Krauser feel a little cold in his heart, as if the other party had seen his future.

After sending the soldiers away to rest, General Hammer sat on a chair and looked at the cup of hot milk Rhodes poured for him. He stretched himself and said with a smile:

"You should rest as well, General. The intense battle ahead will last for hours."

"Just call me Hammer, just like Irons." General Hammer took a sip of sugared milk and sighed deeply. He looked at Rhodes, recalling his experiences over the past few days, and said helplessly, "Are you really not Irons' illegitimate son?"

"Regarding this matter……"

"No, that's definitely not the case," the general said firmly after taking another sip of milk. "That fellow Irons certainly couldn't have given birth to such a handsome son. Which family did he steal you from? From Rivendell?"

Why do you also like to persecute Irons? Is it because he is too serious? Or is it because he always has a bitter and resentful expression?

Rhodes sighed, sat opposite the general, and said unhappily:

"If you have nothing to do, you can go prepare some weapons for yourself to save time."

"I'll make good preparations, kid, even if it's just for the five million dollars. After all, you've already paid the deposit, so you'll definitely pay another five million, right?"

"Are you a general of the United States, or a Mexican loan shark?" Rhodes rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, "If the cooperation goes well, five million dollars is just the beginning. You'd better think about whether you can survive this mission, old man."

"what."

Hearing this, General Hammer laughed. He took out a cigar from his pocket, lit it, and let time pass slowly.

Until midnight arrives, until the deep night completely covers the city and the sky.

After they were fully prepared, everyone boarded the Atlas Company's special car and arrived at the entrance of the New York subway station, which had long become deserted.

Chapter 68: Arriving at the Station (1/2)

The overly bright lights reflected off the white-painted load-bearing columns, making the entire space appear as if it had been soaked in disinfectant and then vigorously scrubbed several times, losing its original color. This is a perfectly ordinary station in the vast New York subway system, bustling with people on weekdays, but now all that remains are the cool lights and the whisper of a cold wind coming faintly from the dark tunnel.

Mohageni was sitting on a bench on the platform. He was wearing a neat suit and his posture was so straight that it seemed as if his spine was shaped by steel. His hands, clean and somewhat pale, were resting on the handles of the black leather bag on his legs. His face was solemn and he did not smile.

He had been sitting here for several hours, waiting for work time to come amid the puzzled and mocking gazes of the people around him.

That is a sacred work.

Whenever he thought about the essence of his work, Mohagnyi wanted to cry, tears of pride. Sometimes, he also longed to reveal his identity to the whole world and enjoy the awe-inspiring gazes of pigs and sheep, but this useless emotion was quickly suppressed by responsibility.

It's midnight, the time has come.

Mohagni stood up.

The butcher stood up and walked into the subway car.

The subway car was still the same as before, and because of this, the butcher Mohageni could still smell the faint but familiar smell of blood - the smell of blood that he had created - smashing skulls with a bone-breaking hammer, breaking humeri, ribs, and femurs, slitting the throats of the still-struggling livestock and hanging them upside down to bleed them, and when the warm blood splashed on the butcher's face, he always enjoyed this wonderful moment.

This was his job as a butcher, his sacred job.

Passing through carriage after carriage, Mohagni suddenly realized that something seemed amiss today:

There were no passengers in the carriage.

The subway passengers who passed by, some tired and some excited, disappeared. They disappeared like lambs taken away by wolves.

What should we do if there are not enough sacrifices?

Rubbing the ring on his finger that symbolized his status, Mohagni decided to go to the last carriage again. If there was still no one there, he would ask the subway driver to stop at a few more stations along the way to gather enough people.

With this in mind, Mohagni took out a bone crusher from his black leather bag, walked towards the last car of the subway.

The metal frame of the carriage creaked due to the friction between the wheels and the tracks. The darkness outside the window almost never disappeared. The occasional streak of light that appeared and quickly disappeared was the subway station whizzing past. The subway train passed through those forks like a poisonous snake in a rat hole, heading towards its final destination.

In the cold glow cast by the overhead lights, Mohagni walked steadily, his shadow twisting and swaying with his movements, transforming into an even more bizarre existence. But as he entered the penultimate car, he felt dizzy, and a violent coughing made his body subconsciously hunch over. He was just a chosen, blessed human, subject to fatigue, aging, injury, and death.

Mohagni had fantasized countless times that he could be elevated to the same level as his masters, but this was just a delusion.

Perhaps it is necessary to choose a new person to take over his job, Mohagni thought. He could die in obscurity, but the sacred work must be continued and the blood food of the masters must be guaranteed.

After a few seconds to recover, Mohagni continued to move forward, but the closer he got to the last carriage, the deeper his frown became... The small window on the door of the last carriage was covered with a black curtain, just as he had done when executing passengers in other carriages.

Standing in front of the carriage door at the junction, Mohagni, who was holding the bone crusher tightly, stretched out his other hand. He was ready to charge and swing the hammer as soon as the door opened.

The door was suddenly opened, and Rhodes held the rifle and pulled the trigger expressionlessly.

The 5.56mm bullet spun out of the muzzle, accompanied by a blast and a cold murderous intent imprinted on it.

The first thing to be shattered was the neat clothes, and then the skin. When the cavity effect burst out in the flesh and blood, the fragile human organs were torn into soft and warm minced meat, and bright red liquid mixed with other colors splashed out from the huge hole on the back.

A familiar smell, the familiar smell of blood, butcher Mohagni immediately realized that it was his own blood, but it was too late.

The butcher wanted to warn the driver, but the rapid loss of blood and broken spine caused him to collapse face up on the ground. He tried to get up, but the hard soles of his combat boots stepped on his nose and the thought in his head!

After pulling out his revolver and firing another round, Rhodes, wearing the all-seeing eye patch, turned his head and said to General Hammer and the soldiers:

"From now on, any living creature on this subway is an enemy. Don't be stingy with your bullets."

The soldiers were divided into two groups, stepping over the bloody corpses on the ground, with their weapons pointed vigilantly at the carriage ahead.

"Although I don't know how you identified this person, it's fine for professionals to do professional things," General Hammer nodded. But then he stepped aside, revealing Abigail, who was holding a cat behind him. He frowned and scolded, "But what do you mean by letting a child get involved? Or did you let her undergo military training?"

Without directly answering the general's question, Rhode turned sideways and asked the girl while loading his revolver:

"Abigail?"

"Well... I'm not a trash can. Remember to buy a caramel apple tart for the great witch Abigail!"

The girl muttered softly, shook her hair, and the shadow under her feet suddenly stretched out and passed under the butcher's body -

The shadow instantly devoured the dirty pool of blood. Several tentacles stretched out from it, pulling the corpse into the shadow in front of the horrified eyes of General Hammer and the soldiers. The creepy chewing sound came slowly and regularly... until the shadow retracted under the girl's feet as if it was full.

"Do you have any other questions, General?"

"No, it's nothing, let's continue," General Hammer covered his eyes in pain, and was glad that he and his soldiers did not do anything out of line on that rainy night. Although he already knew that he would face monsters that only appeared in horror movies, he did not expect that such a terrifying monster would be right next to him, and it looked so cute!

Seeing the expressions of General Hammer and the soldiers as if they had entered a members-only restaurant, Rhode was delighted and touched Abigail's head. However, Abigail did not squint her eyes and enjoy it as usual. Instead, she frowned and whispered:

"The subway is approaching darkness, and the [door] is just ahead."

Darkness? Door?

Unlike General Hammer and the others who were somewhat bewildered, Rhodes' heart sank, and some fragmented memories immediately flooded into his mind, making him recall some details of the system's mission.

The next second, as if crossing a [door], the light suddenly disappeared, and the faint, empty nothingness instantly swept across the entire subway train, sweeping away all the intelligent life in the entire carriage!

Rhodes saw some kind of "existence" entrenched in the endless tunnel, and the tunnels were connected to each other wantonly, without any rules, regardless of cost, and extremely complicated, like countless constantly wriggling esophageals converging into the darkness in the center. Suddenly, a gurgling sound like a stomach twitching came from the depths of the darkness, as if it was eating or defecating.

At this moment, Abigail held Rod's hand, helping him break free from the illusion and let the pain that felt like thorns crawling under his skin subside.

[Begin to clean up the pollution in the other world]

[Pollution in the other world has been cleared]

[Pollution points in the other world increased by 300]

At this moment, the carriage was shaking violently, causing the old plastic handrails to collide with each other, making a crisp collision sound, but it was soon drowned out by distorted and noisy screams. Those were the desperate cries of innocent people who died tragically in the subway train, and they could only be heard here.

Everyone felt as if they were in an endless purgatory. The hot, humid air, like the breath of a wild animal, came from all directions, almost squeezing every last bit of air out of their lungs! However, this did not last long. It was like stepping through an ordinary wooden door. After crossing, it was another world.

[Pollution points in the other world increased by 1]

The light returned, as if it had never disappeared.

There was a sharp brake sound and the subway slowly stopped.

Looking at the nightmarish scene outside the window, General Hammer's heart almost stopped beating.

[Pollution points in the other world increased by 1]

[Pollution in the Otherworld...]

Chapter 69: Heavy Firepower! (2/2)

"The train has arrived. Grab your luggage and get off in an orderly manner," Rhodes muttered, leaning against the open carriage door. He propped up his head with his hands and kindly reminded, "Wake up, everyone. It's time to start work... Watch your step!"

It was a little late to say this. Abigail had already stepped on empty air and fell into the dust below, and the black cat Pickman also let out a shrill meow.

No one laughed at the girl's slight embarrassment. With stiff faces, they jumped off the train one by one and stood in the dust and mud.

The subway stopped in a relatively empty, gloomy area. Steel beams from the collapsed buildings protruded haphazardly from the fetid earth, colliding with thousands of chains dangling from the darkness above. The rustling, crawling sounds of something drifted from the depths of the darkness. Heavy breathing, painful murmurs, and even desperate sobs all converged there, forming a strange and eerie ballad.

Human bones were scattered all over the ground, overlapping layer upon layer, mixed with dirt and debris to form a solid pile of bones. Some of them had turned yellow and white due to the passage of time, and the flesh that had not been completely torn off and eaten had rotted away early, filling the entire space with a foul smell.

There is no wind here, only turbid air, making people feel as if they are buried alive in a narrow and closed coffin.

Rhodes raised his hand and exchanged for two M2 heavy machine guns. The heavy wooden box containing the weapons smashed in front of General Hammer and the soldiers. They stared blankly at everything in front of them, whether it was the surrounding environment or the "miracle" that Rhodes had just displayed, the "miracle" of steel.

"Set up heavy machine guns on both sides and be alert to the possibility of an enemy surprise attack from the rear."

Rhode said he had seen those monsters slowly emerging from the depths of the pile of debris, their hideous faces filled with anger after being offended. They were smart and knew to make their figures looming, thereby inflicting fear and pressure on the humans who were lucky or unlucky enough to arrive here alive.

"I... forget it," General Hammer frowned at the choking smell. He met the five gazes directed at him and ordered, "Follow the order, soldiers. I am not the supreme commander here."

The soldiers dispersed, but the door of the subway cab was suddenly opened. A gloomy-looking man wearing a subway driver's uniform stood at the door with a calm expression:

"Many people have come here with the same thoughts as you."

"Huh?! Do they want to stuff your head up those monsters' butts like I do?" Rhode's eyes widened in surprise. He stretched his neck and jumped a few times. "Then you have to introduce them to me. After all, it's not easy to find friends with similar interests these days."

The subway driver's face darkened. He jumped to the ground and slowly walked towards Rhodes.

After taking a closer look with his all-seeing eyes, Rhodes lost interest in him and turned to Jack Krauser, who was guarding General Hammer.

"Captain Krauser, I leave that guy to you. It would be best if you could capture him alive. We also need some intelligence. Also, he can rip a human heart out of his chest with his bare hands, so be careful."

Krauser was stunned when he heard this. He turned his head to look at General Hammer, but the latter just raised his rifle and looked vigilantly at the darkness ahead, as if he did not hear Rhodes' voice.

Gritting his teeth, Klausa rushed towards the subway driver, firing the rifle in his hand intermittently, and the gunshots immediately echoed in the dark area.

However, in just two breaths, Klausa was thrown back by the huge force, and his back hit the subway train, making a dull sound and causing the subway car to shake slightly.

"Why, do you need a hand, Captain?"

"……whispering sound."

Hearing Rhode's teasing words, an angry Krauser spat out a mouthful of blood-stained saliva. He stood up, unhooked his chest mount, and pulled out two daggers from his waist. After stretching his body with a ferocious expression, he pounced on the subway driver with disdain on his face again.

Ignoring the fight on the other side, Rhode walked in front of everyone, facing the darkness and the monster that walked out of the darkness.

The monsters looked very ordinary, so ordinary that they had two legs, wrinkled and rough skin like the dead skin on an old human, not very tall, with sharp black teeth embedded in their ugly faces, and only their narrow eyes flashed with hunger and excitement.

"You should serve us quietly."

It said, the corners of its mouth stretched to the sides, like a clown in a circus.

"You should serve the eternal greatness," the monster walked up to Rhode and stretched out his hand. His fingers were pointed and smelled of rotten blood. "Offer a sacrifice to the God of Eternal Hunger. He eats, and then lets us eat. Sign a contract with the city and time to satisfy our hunger..."

After hearing this, Rhodes turned sideways and shouted to the soldiers:

"Everyone! Did you hear what this guy said? He actually wants us—to make humans bow down to such an ugly abomination!"

There were some laughs.

Then, Rhodes turned around, put the revolver to the monster's head, faced the offended and angry look and the sudden scream, and pulled the trigger.

Just like killing a butcher, the bullet pierced through the twisted skull without hindrance, crushing the gelatinous organs inside, and exited from the back of the head, dragging dirty blood and dark brown slurry! The monster's head exploded, leaving only the front layer of the empty face, like a terrifying leather mask.

The monster's body fell straight down, enraging its fellows in the darkness. They rushed towards Rhodes frantically, with shrill and sharp howls coming one after another, as if the entire space was boiling.

"You're nothing special," Rhodes said calmly, letting the cheers behind him drown him out.