Long-term salvation

A shot from a shotgun shattered the joints of the arm, causing it to hang limply. The other arm was directly hit by rifle and submachine gun fire, and the bullets tore apart the flesh and blood that had completely lost its ability to regenerate and defend itself, filling the monster's heart with the fear of death!

The monster banged its head against the wooden wall in vain, making the hole bigger and bigger until it could stick its head out. But the next second, it was pulled back - the hard butt of the gun suddenly attacked and exploded the white of its left eye!

No. 2, holding a rifle, thrust the muzzle into the eye socket and pulled the trigger!

The dirty, smelly blood splashed onto the soldier's body, causing him to sneer in disgust:

"Fall down, Bird."

The back of the monster's head was blown open by the spinning bullet, spraying out its brain or some other organ that was different from that of Earth creatures. An even more indescribable stench spread, and even the gas mask could not completely block it.

Now, its head is like those dead bodies, empty and worthless.

After a few more shots, the monster stopped moving completely, with only the ends of some of its limbs twitching slightly.

The battle was over, but no one was happy about it. After all, this otherworldly incident was far from over.

"Number 4, stay here and watch the monster's corpse. The rest of you, come here," the captain ordered. He used his gun to push aside a thin blanket made from dirty cloth, revealing a still-living baby underneath, its face reduced to a bird's beak. "What should we do with these... Number 5, do a preliminary inspection first."

Medical Soldier No. 5 in the team nodded slightly. He did not act rashly, but first took out a tool similar to a dental mirror from the bag on his waist, carefully moved the baby's body, and then slowly stretched out his hand and covered the baby's chest.

"The surrounding temperature is obviously not suitable for the survival of a human baby, but he is still alive and well, and his heart is beating very strongly. His body temperature is also above the normal level for a human baby, as if..."

Just like birds.

Everyone remembered the jar labeled "FOOD" and the human brains inside.

"Boss, did you already know this before we entered?"

Cashel asked, his voice trembling—not from seeing corpses, death, monsters, or fear of his own possible death, but from knowing what was about to happen—the soldier felt sadness and helpless anger:

"You know what we're up against, don't you?"

[Yes, the events didn't deviate too much, except that the monster was more resistant than I thought.]

"Wait, maybe we can take these babies back and let the Atlas researchers take over," Number 3 shouted, holding on to the crib rails tightly, thinking of his own children in Texas. "Those smart people will definitely know what to do! They'll develop a vaccine or some other weird potion to turn these babies back into human form!"

"No," the voice coming from the communication channel was particularly cold. "They have already undergone irreversible changes, their skulls are deforming... Even if they survive, they will live in pain for the rest of their lives and become aliens in human civilization."

"Number 3," the captain reached out and patted the team member's shoulder. His facial muscles were tense, like a metal face covered in anger. "If there is a way, then the boss will definitely tell us. But until then, we should do what we should do—this is war! In war, there will be death, and not just the death of soldiers!"

"..."

Hearing his teammates' arguments, Cashel suddenly found it a bit ridiculous. They were all battle-hardened soldiers, diving into the sea and deep into the jungle, bringing death in the name of the United States and taking pride in it. Were there no civilian casualties in those battles? Not necessarily, but no one cared back then.

He had never thought about how many casualties those actions would cause, or whether they were reasonable or consistent with the beliefs they had always upheld and promoted. But today was different. Everything that happened here made the soldiers feel painful:

The first time I attacked in the name of saving someone, I saved nothing.

The crying babies were laughing at his weakness and powerlessness.

Gentlemen, you have crossed the iron curtain of reality and entered the strange and crazy world of the other side.

[Now, execute them, take their bodies out of the house and cremate them on the spot]

"...Who has more bullets left?"

I don't know who asked this, but no one answered him.

About half an hour later.

A police car drove up, and several heavily armed officers got out, but all they saw was a burning house and a cordon. A dozen workers in white hazmat suits were collecting the burned bodies and placing the remains into body bags.

New UH-60 helicopters flew in, dropped off more personnel, and took away a batch of body bags.

"It's definitely here... but what's going on?" the bespectacled policeman muttered, "Hey, ET! Don't be impulsive!"

A man rushed towards the burning house, roaring sadly, tears streaming down his thin cheeks, but was immediately stopped by the guards. The man called "ET" was pinned to the ground, struggling hard, and was not afraid even when a gun was pointed at his head.

The grief of losing his child had driven away the fear from his heart, leaving only despair.

"Let him go and let him come over."

A voice was heard, causing the police to look in the direction of the sound.

He was a man wearing a strange combat uniform. He wore an eyepatch, and his other eye was a deep blue, flickering from the dancing flames. Behind him were five fully armed soldiers. The soldiers were silent, like statues hammered out a thousand times. Gun smoke and a foul stench stained them, clearly fresh from the battlefield.

"Your child has been confirmed dead. I'm sorry, sir, no one here survived," Rhodes said. He saw ET's eyes suddenly widen, and his face gradually changed from a fierce look of anger to a mixture of despair and sadness. "Please accept my condolences."

"What happened? Did you—"

"Nothing. The kidnappers were gang members. They were collecting babies to smuggle and sell en masse. When they noticed us, they immediately killed all the babies and set the house on fire after a last-ditch effort... The rest is what you saw. Believe it or not, that's the truth."

A father fell to his knees helplessly, wailing heart-wrenchingly.

Seeing the policemen gathered around to comfort him, Rhodes turned and left. The soldiers of the Harpy Squad silently watched ET for a few seconds and then chose to follow.

"This is a tragedy," Rhodes said without looking back. "If we do nothing, such tragedies will only increase. The other world is real, and it hates us."

Among the infinite stars, is there really a place for humans?

In the distant future, can humans really escape from the other world?

All of this is unknown, but one thing is certain:

“Only by living the ‘present’ can we think about the ‘future’.”

Note: I tried Broken Arrow and it feels pretty good. Basically, the protagonist can use this thing in future system upgrades, but the test server of this game is really too bad. I hope it can be improved when it is officially released.

Chapter 130: Confession

Elizabeth put on her nun's uniform, left the room, and left Hill Manor.

The girl had many pieces of clothing, from short skirts and long-sleeved shirts that exuded a youthful vibe to simple, cute home clothes. They were all washed, dried, and stored in the closet, waiting for the day they would be used. Rhodes was never stingy in giving the girls a better life, but for Mary, she usually wore a nun's uniform.

As usual, Mary would first go to the small church halfway up the hill to sit for a while, clean up, and see if anyone would come to ask for help today:

In fact, there is not much that needs help. Mary mostly provides emotional counseling and advice to adolescent girls in the town, listens to their troubles and gossip at school, and some housewives or women come here to ask her to mediate family conflicts.

After the families of the soldiers from the Army Without Borders moved in, Mary would go to help with some guidance work. After all, as a nun with a sweet and lovely appearance, she could have a say in many places.

After finishing her work in the chapel or the small town, Mary would return to Hill Villa to help Yuka and Noah organize the materials, take small courses in the afternoon on how to drive armored vehicles, tanks and attack helicopters, and occasionally serve as a sparring partner for the soldiers of the Army Without Borders... Cats are masters of hunting in nature, and they like to play with their prey.

But now, we still have to complete the routine church cleaning work first——

The girl bent down and tied her nun's long skirt around her ankles, revealing a touch of pale skin underneath and the brown leather boots on her feet. Then, she opened the door and used a broom to sweep away the almost invisible dust on the ground. She also arranged the benches one by one and wiped the crucifix in the back of the church, especially polishing the golden laurel wreath until it gleamed.

Mary came down the folding ladder with a whoosh, put the rag that had been washed white on the edge of the bucket, and then staggered to the back with the bucket in her hand.

The sunlight shines into the church through the bright windows, giving people a warm and comfortable feeling.

After cleaning the church, Mary would sit in the confessional and quietly wait for the first visitor of the day.

About ten minutes later, when the girl finished humming the fourth song, a man walked into the church and went straight to the confessional.

The man sat down in the confessional and spoke earnestly to the little nun inside through the gauze curtain and wooden partition:

"I want to repent."

"...Please...please speak." Mary's pretty face flushed with shame when she heard the familiar voice. She closed her eyes tightly, subconsciously grasped the corner of her clothes with both hands, and said with forced calmness, "God will forgive you."

"In fact, I have a deep affection for Miss Eli Marie, who lives in the third room from the east on the second floor of the long building at Hill Manor, and I have developed sinful thoughts about her."

The little nun folded her hands together and placed them over her chest, suppressing the unspeakable thoughts that were raging in her heart. She wordlessly scolded her violently beating heart, hoping it would calm down a little. Then, she took a few deep breaths and tried to keep her tone calm:

"What kind of sinful thought is that?"

"I want to hold her in my arms."

"Ahem, this isn't a sinful act. It's a gesture of love for the one you love. You can hug her more often in the future. You should hug her every day, from morning to noon, and then to night, day after day."

"I want to hold her in my arms and squeeze her cat ears."

"Well...it's not a sin, but be careful not to use too much force, be gentle, and say something in her ear that she likes to hear...in short, something she likes to hear."

"I want to kiss her hair, cheeks and lips."

"...This, this, this is not a sinful act, definitely not! Ahem, you should hold her in your arms, look into her eyes, and then... then..."

"And kiss her on the lips?"

"Yes! Um... I mean, yes, she would be willing... huh... Sensei!!!"

The embarrassed and angry little nun suddenly opened the window of the confessional, grabbed Rhodes' collar, and dragged his entire upper body into the inner room.

After a moment, Rhodes sat back in his seat, straightened his collar, and said with a hint of joking:

"I thought you were going to continue this role-playing. Don't abuse your authority, Sister."

"Repent therefore. Otherwise, I will come to you quickly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth."

"The sword in my mouth...it's not impossible. Wait, why are you fighting? Stop it, I surrender!"

After performing the French military salute, Rhodes leaned back in his chair, restrained his smile, and talked about business:

"Mary, do you remember what I told you about the Global Occult Coalition (GOC)? I think Noah drafted an initial plan."

Global Occult Alliance... Mary nodded slightly. After seeing the general content of the plan and the goals it sought, she immediately understood what Rhodes was thinking. This was perfect. The little nun had been worrying about what she could do for Rhodes, and this matter was naturally in line with her wishes.

But this is not an easy task. Let’s not talk about other religions for now. The internal affairs of Christianity alone are enough to make people’s brains spin:

Heretics are much worse than pagans!

Furthermore, the Vatican is also a problem, and their attitude is worth considering. Because of this, Mary is inevitably feeling a bit tricky, and she still needs to think carefully about what to do.

Facing Rhode's encouraging gaze, the girl pondered for a moment and then said:

"I mentioned Father Lankester Merlin before. He has a high reputation in the religious community of the United States. There's also Father Gabriel Amos, who has deep ties to the Vatican and is the Vatican's chief exorcist... If you have time, it would be best if you could have a conversation with these two. Aren't they both members of the Cogito Foundation?"

Hearing the girl's words, Rhode smiled helplessly. The Foundation's directors had no fondness for religion. They recruited some clergymen only because of their morality and abilities, not their religious connections. Furthermore, those who truly believed in religion often fell into two extremes when faced with events in the other world:

Extremely stubborn, but also extremely weak, and may even aid and abet evil.

However, if you don't occupy the position, the enemy will occupy it. The Global Occult Alliance was established for this purpose.

Thinking of this, Rhode reached out and tapped Mary's forehead, agreeing:

"Just in the next few days, I'll take this opportunity to take care of the Aperture Technology business, and then... um... go to Europe? To France and England. Do you want to come with me?"

"If this is what you expect," the little nun folded her hands again and placed them on her chest. She lowered her head to prevent Rhodes from seeing the smile on her face, "then I will obey."

Chapter 131 Joint Visit

To Rhodes' surprise, the two renowned priests arrived quickly, seemingly well prepared for today's meeting. Meanwhile, the Cogito Foundation also sent a director to participate in the entire meeting.

"Oh, Dr. Hannibal!"

Rhodes stood in front of Hill Villa and shook hands with the well-dressed gentleman, who had a sincere smile on his face.

"I heard your recent operations were very successful. Several otherworldly incidents were resolved and the corresponding artifacts recovered... Irons is a little unhappy with you handing over that 'projector' to Aperture Technology. You'd better get them to produce some results quickly, even just a little bit."

"Don't worry about that. He'll just complain a few times," Rhodes whispered to Dr. Hannibal as he saw two priests in formal attire approaching along the path from the foot of the mountain. "We've seen some results, and Calvin Johnson from Aperture Technology has invited me to visit their headquarters in Michigan. I plan to leave tomorrow."

"Really? It looks like Aperture Technology has been reborn."

Dr. Hannibal looked up and glanced at Hill Manor in front of him. Hill Manor was perched on the hill, wrapped in the dark forest as a cloak, suppressing its hunger and thirst, and looking at every visitor who came here with malicious eyes through the gaps.

It seems that my and our choices were not wrong, and he has the ability to control the power of the other world.

Dr. Hannibal thought so after catching a glimpse of a ghost flashing behind the curtain.

On the other hand, if Rhodes fell... No, he wouldn't. Those "angels" wouldn't let him do that, and neither would the directors of the Cogito Foundation.

"Rebirth is rebirth, but whether it can continue and last for a long time remains to be seen. I am here to ensure this."

As Rhode was speaking, he saw Mary slowly walk out of the villa, stand beside him, and whispered:

"I've refined the Global Occult Alliance's plan and handed it to the two priests. They haven't raised any objections... and their attitude is somewhat ambiguous. You need to think carefully about your words."

"I see."

Unlike the three people standing calmly in front of the villa, the two priests felt the darkness lurking in Hill Villa the moment they got out of the car, as well as some more peculiar existence that they were unwilling, unable, and dared not to believe.

"Lankester, if he's truly as... noble as you say, then I must inform the Pope," Father Gabriel Amos whispered to Father Lankester Merlin beside him, his face filled with worry as he switched from English to Latin after only a few words. "Dark evil is stirring. In the past five years, the Vatican has confirmed over four demonic incidents. Starting this year, the frequency will only increase."

"The Foundation calls those demons 'otherworldly creatures' or 'otherworldly anomalies,' but there are also sentient and non-sentient ones. Don't always talk about demons and evil spirits, Gabriel. Your term is too loose."

"Those arguments are too academic. I have to say something that those people in red clothes who have consumed too much wine and Holy Communion can understand," the portly Father Gabriel smiled, but his heart was far from relaxed as he looked. It was not only because of the cold and terrifying Hill Manor, but also because - Rhodes, the legendary savior - even the directors of the Cogito Foundation were impressed by him and were just waiting to hand over power to him.