Long-term salvation

"Start recording."

Vulture No. 1 said, his eyes fixed on the monster that emerged from the darkness ahead. The Ozodek scanner on his shoulder was opening and closing frantically, emitting a harsh warning sound.

"Time 0034, the exchange of fire begins!"

Without any hesitation, Vulture No. 1 pulled the trigger - the bullet flew out of the chamber, wrapped in a shrill scream and spinning in the air, passing by the side of Vulture No. 3 who was throwing an incendiary grenade, passing through the faint white smoke and dust raised by the roaring M240 general-purpose machine gun, and drilling a bleeding hole in the bony and huge body. The bullet lost stability in the blasphemous flesh and blood, forming an instantaneous cavity, tearing the flesh and blood, shredding the tendons, and breaking the bones!

At this moment, human wisdom and the power of nature defeated supernatural creation!

The darkness is thus stagnated here, right in front of humanity.

"It's injured, keep it suppressed!" Vulture No. 1 shouted angrily. He pressed the magazine release button on the rifle, letting the magazine and the shell drop to the ground like a bullet shell, making a crisp sound when it hit the thin rails. "Calculate the amount of ammunition. Don't think about using a combat knife to fight this thing that is more disgusting than an MRE!"

Except for No. 4, the other three members of the Vulture Squad slowly stepped forward, stood side by side, and used firepower to force back the monster that was struggling and rolling in the dark.

Flames ignited in the mine tunnel, but only a few of them could cling to the ancient, evil monster—it shed its wrinkled skin as if molting, revealing even uglier muscle texture beneath. As if struck hard, the monster, this wendigo, suddenly shrank, dodging the relentless fire like a stick insect. Then… it raised a finger and began to speak:

"Eat."

The sound exploded in the minds of everyone in the Vulture Squad.

In an instant, the desire to eat hit Vulture No. 1's brain. The chaotic feelings caused by dizziness and tinnitus filled his thinking space, thereby restricting his breathing and igniting his thirst, causing the soldier to subconsciously throw away the rifle in his hand and scratch the gas mask on his face.

The gas mask was taken off, and the cold stench squeezed out the air, causing Vulture No. 1 to gasp painfully.

Vulture No. 1's head was dizzy. He saw No. 2 falling to the left, No. 3 biting his weapon, and No. 4... He couldn't see No. 4, but he seemed to hear the buzzing sound of the motor turning.

"Eat," the Wendigo bent down in front of Vulture 1, "and fill your stomach—you are quite suitable."

The monster's fingers slid across Vulture No. 1's forehead, bringing a cold and dry touch. It was very satisfied with the qualifications of the person in front of it, and here it only needed one person to become its own kind.

"Eat up everything you have... and send it to me..."

My...everything?

Vulture 1, Nathan M. Knipe, thought of his home in Florida, the decor, the furniture, the windows—for God's sake, he really hated the style of those windows, but his son liked them—that was nice, you had a son, and the man who poisoned his body had two sons too—his son was in school, doing well academically—it would be even better when he was like you—

Same as me?

No! He would never be like his father who had little education and could only shoot and kill people!

Vulture No. 1 suddenly broke free from the illusion, pulled out the dagger from his waist, and stabbed it into the monster's drooping head!

In the monster's already opened, overlapping mouth, Vulture No. 1 saw the blade of his dagger reflecting his own hideous face.

The Wendigo retreated in shock and anger, and was then knocked off balance by a shield!

“Ollie!”

"Fvck, it stinks!" Ollie Sutherland, Vulture 2 threw away his shield and picked up the general-purpose machine gun that had just fallen to the ground. He had a gas mask on his face, obviously affected by the monster just now.

Pulling the trigger, the gunfire once again shone in the mine pit, where darkness and light were clearly separated. Amid the monster's roar, Vulture No. 2 turned his head and smiled at his captain, saying helplessly:

"Your dagger is just in time... Didn't we agree not to use combat daggers to fight monsters?!"

"You can save your witty banter for when you get out, or for the lady you're courting."

Vulture No. 1 got up from the ground, loaded a new magazine into his rifle, patted No. 3 who was grieving over the loss of a permanent tooth, and raised two fingers to signal No. 4 who was standing between the two four-wheeled robots. The latter, with a crack in his gas mask, threw two magazines to him - taken from the backs of the robots, ready before the battle began.

Now, the robots that had not been destroyed, from other directions, were gathering together, bringing new cables and flashlights.

Reaching out to dispel the lingering stench in front of him, Vulture No. 1 calmed his mind - he heard the command team's anxious inquiries - it seemed that there was no problem with the communication just now, it was just that he and the other members of the team could not hear it.

Looking at the Wendigo before him, who was in a state of shock and fury, pulling out the dagger stuck in his head and trying to struggle to death, Vulture No. 1 felt a mixture of disdain and pure anger. He said to the command team behind him:

"Please dispel the darkness ahead!"

The lights are on!

More intense gunfire rang out immediately!

at the same time.

At the corner of the mine, Rhodes, leaning against the rock wall, flicked away a half-smoked cigarette and walked out in the swirling smoke.

The moment he stepped out of the mine, the system sent back a prompt indicating that the mission was completed:

[Side Quest: Deer Antlers (Completed)]

【Task rewards begin to be distributed】

[Pollution points in the other world have been collected]

Chapter 164: Arkham Town Welcomes Everyone

A ray of sunlight passed through the gap in the plain curtains, through the constantly shaking glass of water, and cast ever-changing light and shadow on the pages of the book.

After closing Alice in Wonderland, which she had been using to pass the time, Julia Meadows didn't have the courage to continue reading other works by the author of this fairy tale, such as Foundations of Determinants. Instead, she gently parted the curtains and gazed out the window of the intercity bus with melancholy:

The town of Arkham is just around the corner, and under the bright sunshine, it seems to appear from a fairy tale.

Julia, who was exhausted, had some more expectations in her heart - after the incident in Sips Falls, her brother chose to surrender himself and gave out the members of the entire drug network in the town, most of whom were killed by armed men of unknown origin, and only a few were sent to prison... But the town will still continue to decline, and perhaps it will be better to wait until the mining company restarts a few mines.

Julia, unable to bear it any longer, chose to leave. She sold her house and belongings, took the money and the two business cards Rod gave her and crossed the United States to come here, to the town of Arkham.

However, at this time, Julia still didn't know what she would face next.

After all, in theory, the Cthulhu Mythos is also a fairy tale - there are talking supernatural creatures, adults and children can listen to it, and there is a happy ending (believe it).

After getting off the bus and looking at the intercity bus going away, Julia, who was carrying a large backpack, fastened the straps tightly and dragged the suitcase into the town.

Arkham is oval in shape, like a flattened spindle nestled between the forest and the river. A grid of roads divides the town into manageable neighborhoods. Thanks to its relative affluence and the strength flowing beneath the surface, serious crimes are rare. At most, housewives need to go to the police station to escort their husbands home after a fight outside a bar.

Julia glanced at the Hummer waiting at the traffic light, gripped the handle of her suitcase, and when the pedestrian light turned green, she walked forward. She crossed the white zebra crossing and stepped onto the neatly paved stone sidewalk. She spent a few minutes trying to find a hotel with a suitable price—most importantly, a cheap enough one—that would allow her to stay long-term.

A hotel called "114 Years of Perfect Sleep" caught Julia's sight. The hotel looked ordinary from the outside, and the interior decoration was simple and old, but it was very clean and there was no peculiar smell.

"Room 514," the innkeeper tossed Julia a key and, after looking her up and down, spoke slowly. "If you want to find a job, you can go to the city hall or the police station. Guys in suits often organize job fairs, but the jobs are pretty ordinary and short-term, like being a salesperson in a town supermarket or a logistics worker. As for the police station..."

The innkeeper shrugged, opened the wooden crossbar of the counter, and came out to help Julia with her backpack. As he walked towards the elevator, he said to Julia, who was following him in small steps:

"You'd better register. That way, those idiots who are crazy about donuts can find you a better job, like babysitting the kids at school."

"Actually... I have two business cards," Julia quickly took out the two business cards Rod gave her, "The man named 'Rod' told me that I can go to these two places to see... uh... people I knew before."

"Business card? Given to you personally by Mr. Rhodes?!"

The hotel owner screamed, startling Julia. The bearded man carefully rubbed his hands on his trousers, then solemnly took the two business cards with both hands:

The pure black business card had the name "Rhodes" printed in gilded cursive on the front, and a line of small text that read, "Please provide necessary assistance to the bearer of this business card." The back was printed with "Miskatonic University," and the other business card had "Arkham Asylum" printed on it. Below both business cards were the same logos and names of Atlas Corporation and Aperture Technologies.

"Wow, you should keep these two things," the innkeeper said regretfully, handing the business card back. "I have a feeling it'll become very valuable... and not just in money! And I bet they'll definitely take it back after you go to those two places. Take advantage of the opportunity, lady."

"……I will."

Julia nodded in a daze, but when the door creaked open, she came to her senses and asked the hotel owner who was helping her with her luggage:

"This...Mr. Rhodes, is he famous here?"

"Famous? No, he's a legend!"

The innkeeper said cheerfully, pulling open the curtains in his room and pointing with his stubby finger at the hills in the distance, which were blocked by layers of buildings and could only be seen through the gaps:

"See it? That's the direction. That's Hill House, a haunted house—everyone in the town knows it! But the Count of Monte Cristo lives there and is still alive and well. Not to mention, he's brought a lot of jobs to the town, hiring people to repair the river and those old lead water pipes—oh wow, this is a really big project, and there are many other things, big and small."

Putting down his hands, the hotel owner put his hands on his hips, shook his head and sighed:

"Damn it! If he'd just said he wanted to be mayor, the current mayor would have been hit by a car on his way to work this morning and ended up in the hospital! Of course, he might have been stuffed into a long wooden box, but that's not important! What's important is that he's a living, breathing person from a legend... Oh, and there are a lot of beautiful girls hanging around him. They love to stroll around the town, as you'll see later."

As the innkeeper chattered, Julia felt that the image of Rhodes in her memory was becoming increasingly blurred, as if the young man with cold eyes standing in front of the house on fire was just a disguise, or was it that the playboy who seemed like a mental patient in the mouths of passers-by was his disguise?

With these doubts in mind, Julia packed her luggage, stuffed some money into her pocket, took the room key and the two business cards and left.

A week had passed since the Sips Falls incident, and she was a little worried about the Weaver children, Lucas and Aiden, and whether they were being treated kindly. Another point was that she really needed to find a job.

While it was still early, after greeting the innkeeper, Julia walked out of the hotel and stood on the street in Arkham town... Now she needed to find someone to ask for directions?

"Ms. Julia?"

Julia turned around and saw Lucas standing behind her, holding a bicycle. A few boys were waving goodbye to him from across the road.

Looking at his obviously improved complexion, Julia took a deep breath, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and apologized sincerely:

"I'm sorry, Lucas, I didn't do anything."

Whether it's stopping your brother and your father from dealing drugs, or giving you a better life.

"This isn't your fault," the boy shook his head and pushed his bike forward. "I'm going to see Aiden now. Do you want to come with me?"

Chapter 165: Arkham Town Cannot Escape

"Aiden is now locked up in Arkham Asylum... the mental hospital. He wears a metal mask that he only takes off when he eats, and everyone except me needs to wear armor to get close to him."

"The doctor said that his condition is under control. Although his appetite will never be satisfied, if he can maintain this sanity until he grows up, his strong will will allow him to continue to persevere. He will definitely be able to do it. I believe in him."

Lucas spoke calmly, and Julia noticed that the boy was wearing decent clothes, perhaps cheap, but obviously washed properly and frequently, and smelled of softener - he was living much better than before, with a brand new school bag, bicycle and a new lunch box in the front basket.

"I go to school half a day every day, go to class with Aiden in the afternoon, and then I exercise," Lucas said, a smile on his face. He plucked the bell with his fingers, making a crisp sound. "Mr. Rhodes bought me a bicycle and asked Sister Baizi to teach me how to ride it."

"Shiroko? Sounds like a foreign name."

"Yes, Mr. Rhodes and his... well, a lot of ladies... live in Hill Manor. There are also many people helping me. And Sister Mary, she suggested that I join the choir in the town church, where I can receive some financial assistance."

The boy took a deep breath and looked at Julia. His eyes, which were originally filled with sadness and desolation, now showed some hope for the future.

"The soldiers of the Army Without Borders, the generals, the technicians from Aperture Technologies—but I knew this guy just wanted Aiden to be their experiment, so he never mentioned it again after someone put him in a sack one night and swollen his calf with the baseball bat that Big Sister Abigail gave him."

"That sounds... brave," Julia said with a strange look on her face, but she was still happy for the boy's change. "If you could have fought back against those bullies like this in your small town school before, it would have been even better."

"Actually, a lot of people came here. Everyone disliked that guy. Of course, he wasn't a bad guy, he just had some mental issues. How do you say that? Low emotional intelligence? So he apologized to me later and invited me to visit Aperture Technology someday. He also said he could let me drive a big robot."

No... he just wants to find a reason to trick you over, Julia sighed, but she didn't say it at this time, but continued to listen to Lucas's story.

The boy spoke to his former teacher eagerly and quickly, both to comfort him and to express his gratitude from the bottom of his heart - the boy was too embarrassed to thank other people in person, even if it was just a small favor for them.

The two walked along the streets of Arkham, cars coming and going, the sound of tires scraping against the asphalt. Under the warm sunshine, the lawns in front of every house gradually stretched out, but were soon trimmed clean, the neatness of which made people feel happy.

"Yo! Lucas boy!"

The boy stopped talking and turned to look at the road, and Julia also turned her gaze over there - there was a red-haired woman riding a cool motorcycle, with a beautiful figure and a sly smile on her face.

"Little Red Riding Hood sister," Lucas said, raising his hand in greeting, "Why are you here?"

"You know, the commander went on a trip with a beautiful young lady. He left not long ago, and now we, an old and withered woman, are left alone in our empty house."

Old and faded? Julia glanced at the woman with the name of a fairy tale character. She looked like a burning flame, her golden eyes etched on her beautiful face, shining brightly... This was a description that was so humble that it was arrogant, obviously a deliberate ridicule.

"I will tell Mr. Rhodes and Ms. Marian what you said."

"Tsk... I'll give you two sandwiches made by Marian, and then shut your cute little mouth!"

"Thank you, Little Red Riding Hood sister!"

Lucas shouted to the red-haired woman walking away, then lowered his waving left hand, took out a sandwich and handed it to Julia. Then he pushed his bicycle while eating and said incoherently:

"I don't live in Hill House, though—the ghosts there are too scary, and it's also very cold. So I live near Arkham Asylum, on the edge of the 'Military Dependents Area,' where the soldiers of the Army Without Borders and their families live... If I have to say, it's in the north of town, near Hill House."

"Ghost? Army Without Borders? What are you talking about?"

"I can't talk about this with outsiders, Teacher Julia, but Mr. Rhodes said you can know a little bit, provided you work in the school and the asylum."

Lucas stopped and looked into Julia's eyes, which were full of doubt. He continued with words that were almost reverent:

"Mr. Rhodes is a prophet, he knows everything—he said you would come and find a job here in Arkham. Will you come and find a job, Miss Julia?"

"...I...I really need a job, and he gave me two business cards."

Julia clutched the sandwich tightly in her hand, and even the most delicious food became difficult to swallow. She frantically rummaged through her bag, causing her room key to fall out. When she squatted down to pick up the key and stood up, she saw the surveillance camera at the intersection.

Not only the cameras at the intersection, but also at the street corners and next to the street lights were all turning towards her, and the small red lights in the lenses were flashing bit by bit, like blood-red stars in the dark night sky.

From the moment she stepped into this town, she was being watched.

After noticing Julia's gaze, the cameras slowly and casually turned away and continued with their daily work.

A creepy feeling instantly crawled up Julia's spine. She pursed her lips and looked around. The residents around her seemed to turn a blind eye to this, or seemed to be accustomed to it. Strong men in military uniforms walked through the streets in twos and threes, carrying some beer and plastic bags filled with snacks and boarding eight-wheeled armored vehicles. A helicopter flew over the town, its gray-black fuselage barely glistening in the sunlight. The helicopter even had the leisure to shake its fuselage in response to the housewife holding her baby's arms and waving!

This place is practically a prison tightly controlled by a massive network! What are they controlling? Or rather, what are they imprisoning?!

A heinous criminal? A politician opposed to the government? Perhaps a secret powerful enough to destroy existing civilized society? Julia almost applauded her imagination. She took a deep breath and began to ponder deeper questions:

Lucas's appearance was not accidental. He was led outside the hotel specifically to... persuade himself?

What is my own value?