Long-term salvation

When I saw the bloodstains next to the cat's bed, I understood a little, but I also had more doubts.

The room was on the second floor, on the same corridor as my bedroom, just at opposite ends. At the far end of the room, across from the window, was the cat's den. The room was covered in scattered blood and scratches from cat claws. It was clear these poor little creatures had fought futilely in the face of death—all that was left of the four cats were bloody bones and fur, the flesh eaten clean, as if scraped off bit by bit by a knife!

I can't imagine what kind of beast could have done that, especially since the footmen locked the door and closed the windows every night, and yet both were intact, without even a stain! Oh, there was some blood splatter on the door, but that didn't matter.

After pacifying the servants, I instructed them to clean up the room, lock the doors and windows every night, and place mousetraps in important places. But from that day on, strange things happened more and more, and my health also began to deteriorate.

I dream, often nightmares. I dreamed that I was looking down from a height into a cave, a dark and incomparable pit! The pit was filled with human and animal skeletons, but mostly human ones, and the foul air of decay and stench evenly covered them.

This stench must be coming from the bones piled deepest. Ha, I guess there must still be some shreds of meat on top, just the smell of stinking blood and flesh. The bones at the top, however, are not like that. It's like they've been eating meat for a long time. There's not a single shred of meat left, they've been eaten clean, just like my poor cats.

"Is that all?"

Rhodes raised his eyebrows slightly, his broken memories slowly surfacing and his head aching a bit. The black cat Pickman beside him suddenly burrowed into his clothes and curled up into a cat ball - it was obvious that he had also heard the tragic story of his own kind.

"How long have you had this nightmare?"

"Every day since then, Mr. Rhodes," Eugene Delapore sighed. He fixed his gaze on the Exum Priory that gradually appeared before everyone's eyes, and then said slowly, "The content of the dream is the same. Please let me tell you, apart from the skeleton, the content of the nightmare is-"

In the dark and bottomless pit, at the edge of the pit filled with bones, I saw a white-bearded swineherd standing in the filthy mud.

That abominable nightmare looked like a grotesque concocted by a drunkard using his vomit. It was twisted, swollen, and old. Then it used its crutch to drive a group of fat, spongy livestock. Were they maggots? Or mud? I couldn't tell. I only felt anger, disgust, and even hatred!

During the day, I was tortured by the sound of rats running past, and at night, in my dreams, I would fall into that deep pit again, watching countless rats rain down on me like raindrops, hungry rats running past my feet, eating up the swineherds and livestock. Oh my God, how many times have I said this word? Please forgive me, Mr. Rhodes, Dr. Flett, I am afraid I will never forget those white bones in my life.

I tried medication, hired a rat extermination company, and eventually even the servants heard the noises. They were terrified and tried to persuade me to leave... but what could I do? I was the last of the "Draper," and even death wouldn't matter. More importantly, I had a feeling I'd find the truth here.

So I dismissed the servants and began to study the history of the monastery, discovering those terrible legends from those ancient books. Then I thought of my old friend, Dr. Timothy Flyte, who studied history, paleontology and the occult!

"To be honest, when I saw the copies you sent me, I almost burned them on the spot."

Dr. Timothy Flyte sighed, resting his hand on the car door handle. He waited a long time before opening the door and getting out. Standing in the rain and fog, he looked up and took in the ancient building that loomed from the mist. The building brimmed with darkness, profanity, and sheer chaos, its alternations only deepening its eerie aura, as if someone had deliberately crafted it, deliberately trying to please a certain entity.

"What a dangerous place, Rhodes," Dr. Timothy sighed and turned to Rhodes and asked, "What do you think about this?"

"You'd better not get involved with this Mr. Delapore. You'll end up in a terrible situation."

Rhode said softly, reaching out to pat the black cat Pickman, whose head was sticking out from his collar. The cat was staring at the building in front of him with its emerald eyes.

Exham Priory, with its "rats in the walls".

Note ①: The original text does not specify the name of the protagonist "I", so I will simply write one here.

Chapter 173: The Shining Trapezohedron

Rain clouds were gathering, and the breeze they brought with them blew away the thick fog, bringing with it a picture that seemed to be the only thing a dying person could see - dim and blurry light, with Exham Priory as its center, spreading from the distant forests, swamps and hills, causing everything around the building to be gradually covered with hazy shadows, shivering in the coming storm.

"Come in, both of you. It's going to rain soon, and the rain in northern England is very cold." Mr. Delapore opened the gate of Exham Priory. He and Dr. Timothy Flyte carried the boxes in. Only Rhodes was still standing outside the gate, looking at the building.

Rhodes was wearing an all-seeing eye mask, and all he could see were ordinary symbols. However, the occasional system prompts about the rising world pollution points made him feel uneasy.

With this thought, Rhode stepped forward and placed his hand on the thick door covered with metal sheets. At that moment, he saw the world before him begin to collapse.

Rhodes was shocked to find himself standing in the vast wilderness. Everything around him became eerily quiet. Invisible pressure was squeezing every inch of exposed skin. A faint sound at first, then a disturbing noisy sound, crawled over along the flow of air, tearing at his spirit and soul.

The wilderness began to turn white, dyeing the sky the same lifeless pale, which made the cloudless sky appear infinitely mysterious and magnificent, majestically and forever hanging over Rhodes' head.

The sounds were getting closer and closer, and finally, Rhodes could make out what they were.

Far in the dead and desolate wilderness, in this spiritual world beyond time and space, Rhode heard deafening drums, shrill flute notes, hoarse singing, and even the muffled sound of ancient humans casually striking the rock walls with stones. These countless melodies and sounds from the history of intelligent life overlapped layer by layer, woven together in madness and pure chaos, and violently squeezed into his brain, causing blood to flow from the corners of his eyes, covering his azure vision.

In the intense pain, Rhodes saw through the blood and saw countless thin black figures standing beside him. They all raised their hands and pointed upwards, only to see a shining square trioctahedron slowly descending.

It was so huge that it almost covered the entire sky, but it was so small that it could be held in Rhodes' palm.

Rhodes' fingers moved, and he raised his hand to touch the object. He didn't know why he wanted to do so, nor did he know the consequences of touching it. He just felt that something in his brain was itching, as if it wanted to break through the barrier of bones and flesh like a new bud. But the next second, the square trioctahedron was suddenly pulled away, and an infinite number of infinitely large rainbow-colored spheres floated up from the milky white clouds, pushing away the pale sky mixed with shadows like an endless starry sky.

The barren wilderness began to tremble, the earth cracked, and the air stagnated. In the instant before the unimaginable catastrophe began, Rhode was dragged forward and fell into the gate emitting a faint purple light. Then, the eye in the mist slowly retreated, allowing this dimension on this timeline to completely collapse in the rage of the great god.

[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 1000]

[Repair points have been deducted]

[Repair Started]

【…】

Repair completed

Suddenly, Rhode felt a slight itch on his face, and occasionally a damp sensation. He tried to move his fingers, but could only feel waves of aches and pains all over his body. His head still stung, but it was much better.

“…Rod!”

Hearing the familiar voice, Rhodes forced his eyes open and saw Abigail's worried face. Was she summoned by Pickman? Or perhaps, the adorable cat was now lying listlessly on the windowsill. Behind the girl was Dr. Timothy Flyte, who was washing towels in a basin.

The doctor rolled up his sleeves, took the wrung-out but still damp towel, walked around Abigail, and came to Rhodes. He tried not to look at the girl's face and said directly to Rhodes:

"For God's sake, you're finally awake! I saw you standing at the gate a few hours ago, blood gushing out of your eyes like fountains... I won't be able to sleep well tonight. The other directors will definitely ask about your situation over and over again."

"Thank you for your hard work, Director Timothy."

"Hard? No, it was frightening! The black cat's body suddenly swelled up and split in two, and then this... this girl ran out. Her appearance was a little bit inconsistent with the general aesthetic of humans - I'm sorry, Miss Abigail, I didn't mean to. Could you please move your face away?"

The doctor sighed. As he handed the towel to Abigail, he wiped his eyes with his wet hands to clear his dizzy brain. He also saw some strange scenes, but they did not last long. After confirming that Rhodes was in good condition, the doctor stood up and walked outside.

"I'm going to make a satellite phone call. Mr. Delapore is making dinner for us. He feels very bad and is frightened. He is talking to himself occasionally. I plan to check on him later."

After Dr. Timothy Flyte left, Rhodes reluctantly raised his hand and placed it on Abigail's head, saying weakly:

"I thought Pickman was all that was needed to resolve this incident... Your silver key has become much darker."

"I didn't expect that either. Besides, that liar must have been targeting you a long time ago. Don't believe what he says."

Abigail wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and placed Rhodes's hand on her cheek. The sky-like blue and the polar ice-like blue met each other's eyes, and she saw her own appearance in each other's eyes.

"I didn't expect He would choose to descend directly and offer a token to lure you, rather than just sending a clone. If it weren't for Father's power to push Him away, you would have been in trouble if you had really encountered that thing!"

"Just a nuisance?"

"Don't forget that thing on you. It's a sharp arrow shot from the depths of the infinite void. It's a symbol of order. I'll definitely help you, but there will be a price to pay." Abigail leaned forward and lay on Rhodes' chest as he lay on the sofa, muttering softly:

"Even my father wasn't willing to take direct action, but chose to trade with it... Otherwise, you would want me to come to your side to help you?! You must thank me!"

"Yes, yes, Miss Abigail is the greatest~~~~After this incident is over, I will take you to Paris for a tour and have some French desserts." Rhodes exhaled slowly. He felt that his body was getting better - this was the help from the system, but if he was killed directly, then this recovery ability would obviously be of no use.

At the same time, it seemed that because it involved the spirit and soul, the repair points spent this time alone amounted to as much as 700 points. It was really a waste of suffering just now.

Lying on the sofa, Rhodes listened quietly to Abigail chattering beside him, his mind a little confused - not to mention the system on his body, just the weird ideas of those two indescribable gods made him a little overwhelmed. He really didn't know what would happen next when he faced the faceless god.

Clenching his fists slightly, Rhodes frowned, feeling that his body seemed to have undergone some changes.

【System Task Update】

[Side Quest: Twelve Trials: Rat in the Wall]

Mission Description: Go to Exham Abbey in northern England, resolve the events in the other world, seal the gaps in the other world, and complete the transaction as appropriate.

Complete the transaction based on the circumstances? Rhode rubbed his brow, feeling that the system was also beginning to become unreliable... but clearly not as unreliable as that god.

Rhodes thought for a few seconds and immediately gave up thinking. He still needed to have a good rest.

+++++++++++

Night falls.

A stern-faced man sneaked into Exum Priory under the cover of darkness.

It had to be said that his luck was indeed bad, choosing such a time to arrive here. But perhaps for the legendary agent—James Bond—the 007 of MI6, this would only be a minor difficulty… It was just a reconnaissance mission, what could he possibly encounter?

Thinking of this, 007 gently opened a window that was not closed tightly and climbed into this ancient and dark monastery.

Chapter 174: The Rat in the Wall!

James Bond landed lightly on the ground, making no sound thanks to the newly renovated thick wooden floor, but there was still a slight creaking sound when he stepped on it.

The sound seemed particularly loud in the quiet corridor, but it seemed that because the occupants had fallen into a deep sleep, the noise was not noticeable.

After standing there and listening quietly for a while, James Bond, who was sure that there were no hidden dangers, continued to move forward. He stuck to the wall and looked at the surrounding environment with a monocular night vision goggles as he walked - the ancient monastery was full of gloomy darkness, and large groups of darkness were entrenched on the decorations, as if they were real human figures.

If you stare at those black human figures for a long time, a creepy sense of fear will arise in your heart, take root in the depths of your most fragile soul, and take away the sanity that is indispensable for human survival.

Bond glanced at those things and then looked away, paying no attention to them. When he walked past carefully, the darkness seemed to dissipate as if it had deflated, merging into the shadows created by the weak light of the few corridor lights on the upper floors.

Walking in this creepy monastery, Bond recalled the history of this ancient building and the last member of the Delapore family, an old man who came back from North America, a businessman, and a son who had passed away... It didn't sound like anything special, except that he had recently been frequenting the homes of scholars studying occultism, and had sought help from his son's former superior, Colonel Allen Faulkner of the British Army, but the latter said he could do nothing to help.

It seems that the legendary "illegitimate child" of Irons is only related to Dr. Timothy Flyte and may be the sponsor of the latter's research. It is understandable that rich young people like to try something unconventional.

However, Bond still hated this place. The moment he stepped into Exham Priory, his hair stood on end. No matter where he went, it seemed as if something was watching him.

As he walked through the corridor on the first floor, Bond heard some strange noises, and then he felt dizzy as if he had been hit by a heavy hammer. He frowned in pain, and his shoulders leaned against the wall subconsciously - this contact made the sound louder, like the rustling sound of a group of rodents running in the wall, weak, but like waves, surging layer by layer, pouring into the legendary agent's brain without any hindrance!

After several painful gasps, Bond forced himself to stand up straight and staggered forward. He needed to find a safe place to rest and sort out his thoughts... What had happened? Was he poisoned? And was this sound a sonic weapon?

Damn it, I should have taken the mission in Rio de Janeiro. It would have been more comfortable than following a playboy to investigate an old house on a rainy day.

Bond's heart moved slightly, and he shook his head, rubbed his face vigorously with both hands, twisted the muscles on the inside of his thighs, using the pain to dispel the strange feeling, forced himself to ignore the voices, and continued to move forward.

Turning the corner of the corridor, a faint light appeared in front of Bond through the crack in the door. He heard the strange sound of rats running towards that room, and the sound became louder as the distance shortened.

Filled with curiosity and vague uneasiness, Bond took out a Walther P99 pistol, walked over gently and reached out to slowly push the door open a little - this was a large kitchen with shiny metal kitchen utensils hanging up, reflecting the yellow light from the opened refrigerator, casting a shadow of dusk on the entire kitchen.

A figure squatted in front of the refrigerator, greedily devouring the food inside.

The man ate voraciously, hardly chewing. His bloody teeth tore the meat from the chicken skeleton and swallowed it into his stomach. He then sucked hard on the bloody smell of the skeleton, and finally threw the cleanly eaten skeleton backwards, hitting Bond's feet.

Bond's eye twitched slightly, and he looked down, seeing the scattered skeletons and various foods - only the meat had been eaten, while the vegetables were thrown away like disgusting garbage.

After muttering something in his heart, Bond moved his feet carefully, wanting to observe who this person was.

It was Eugene Delapore, the last of the Delapore family, owner of Exham Priory.

Eugene Delapore suddenly stopped eating strangely as if he heard some sound, squatted on the ground, raised his head and sniffed around, and in the next moment, he jumped up like a beast and pounced on the stunned Bond!

"Fvck! Mr. Delapool, you should brush your teeth—ah damn!"

Bond raised his arm to block Eugene Delapore's attack, but the latter immediately turned his head to the side and bit off his clothes and flesh together, and blood was dripping!

After spitting out the pieces of clothing, Delapore's face had become distorted. His eyes, which were originally kind yet somewhat melancholy, were now wide open. He was chewing the small piece of human flesh over and over again in his mouth, as if he had eaten some delicacy from the world.

Swallowing it, Delapool fixed his gaze on the intruder, who was now pointing a pistol at him, reluctantly... Who was he? Or, to put it another way, what was he? Food. No, a rat! His flesh was soft and alive, like a sea of ​​greedy little creatures, like the rats that ran past the feet of the crazy and grotesque swineherd, making cries, shrill sounds, sounds that were never satisfied...

"Mr. Delapool, if you're hungry you can check the refrigerator again."

Bond stood up, enduring the burning pain in his arm. He picked up the plate on the table as a shield and pointed his pistol at the old man in front of him - he really didn't want to shoot and cause trouble - this was simply suicide for an agent, especially when there was someone next to him who had a deep connection with Atlas Corporation.

Oh! An MI6 agent broke into the target's friend's house with a gun, shot the owner and then threatened him with a gun... This damn possibility went through Bond's mind and was immediately thrown away. He pursed his lips, ready to knock the man unconscious and escape.

Maybe he could steal some money and fake a burglary? He could try, but he needed to solve the problem at hand.

"Look, sir, I just wanted to come in and get some money and not cause any trouble, but if you..."

"MI6's top agent comes to steal the money, what a good joke—Abigail, did you record this?"

"uh-huh."

Bond moves his gun as the sound comes, but someone is faster than him—

The bullet from the revolver flew out of the chamber and accurately hit the muzzle of the Varta P99 pistol, shattering the entire pistol! At this moment, Delapool, who was about to rush towards Bond, was knocked unconscious by a punch and lay on the ground like a frozen fish.

The next second, Bond felt someone grabbing his face, and then lifting him up!

Looking at 007, whose feet left the ground and was still struggling, Rhodes twisted his neck and sighed, saying:

"It looks like Mr. Delapore will have to spend the rest of his life in a lunatic asylum... So what are you going to do, Mr. James Bond? Let me remove your frontal lobe and send you in too? How about putting you next door?"

"Eat him?" Abigail raised her hand and asked, the shadows beneath her feet stirring. "But it seems eating him would be troublesome. After all, he's an official agent, different from the previous ones."

"indeed so."

Rhodes let go of his hand and looked at Bond who fell to the ground. The latter stood up suddenly and punched, but was immediately knocked to the ground by a faster, stronger and more domineering counterattack, and almost couldn't breathe.

"Listen, Mr. James Bond of MI6," Rhodes squatted in front of the agent and said calmly, "I was tricked recently and I'm still a little unhappy. You'd better not cause me any trouble. In other words, you need to get out of here..."

"Rod!"

Dr. Timothy Flyte's voice burst into the kitchen. He leaned against the door, breathless, and said gravely:

"I found a cave in the lower cellar that leads underground."

Note ①: From "The Wild Geese"