Long-term salvation

Many journeys are filled with a lot of boring time. Randolph Carter couldn't help but think that he suddenly wanted to obtain the power in his own story, directly cross time and space, come to the "savior" and scare him! Just like the latter did at the dinner party.

So, on a gray afternoon, at a gas station on Interstate 95, Randolph Carter met Rod:

Silver-gray hair was ubiquitous in winter, but it stood out in a crowd. The slightly thin, handsome young man had the same hair color. When those azure eyes glanced over, Randolph Carter subconsciously tensed up—he could clearly see that Rhodes was wearing the black eyepatch.

Randolph Carter (United States of America, writer, director of the Cogitto Foundation)

[Origin: Cthulhu Mythos]

Description: Born in the United States of America, a descendant of Sir Randolph Carter, he is an antiquarian and writer who served in the French Foreign Legion. Melancholic and sensitive, he is prone to fainting when stressed, but he is also adventurous and possesses the wisdom and courage to face the horrors he encounters. Although he loves to create, his works are not well-known.

【Attitude: Guilt/Expectation/Anxiety】

"Ah, Mr. Randolph Carter, director of the Cogito Foundation, antiquarian, and former member of the French Foreign Legion?" Rhodes said with a smile, extending his right hand. "Honestly, your name is truly legendary."

It was a normal male voice, neither thin nor rough, and he immediately told his past experiences... After taking a deep breath, Carter stepped forward and shook hands with Rhodes, saying:

"Randolph Carter, I'm accompanying you this time. After all, the town of Salem you mentioned is not far from my hometown, and the other directors think this is a good opportunity."

"good chance?"

"This is a good opportunity to mend fences and correct mistakes," Carter said sincerely. He decided to write an article immediately upon his return to denounce Irons's recklessness. Then, looking Rhodes in the eye, he continued, "The council members are not sociopaths, much less lizardmen holding onto little secrets and plotting to rule the human world."

"This matter...will naturally become known after I meet each director."

"But now," Rod looked back at Marian and Yuka who were carrying a bunch of food out of the convenience store and said with a smile, "We still have a mission to complete. Ah, there is still one question, Mr. Carter——"

"Are you armed?"

Chapter 19: The Void: The Beginning (2/2)

Randolph Carter, of course, was unarmed, so he could only sit in the passenger seat and listen to Rod's nagging complaints about his own lack of preparation and the icy roads slowing the car down and potentially missing the target.

Wiping the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief, Carter calmed himself down, recalled the things in the trunk of the car, and asked:

"Do we really need to bring the M60 general-purpose machine gun?! And all that explosives!"

Carter had a feeling the car would skid on the icy road, hit the roadside guardrail, burst into flames, and explode, sending everyone into the abyss. But Rod was driving very steadily, and this was a Ford Taurus, a popular car from the moment it was launched, and Atlas had provided it.

"If you don't want to use it, you can also use the M16, but it's an M16A2."

Rod was driving, and he tilted his head slightly to bite off the bread that Yuxiang fed him. The bread was filled with sweet cream, which rubbed the corners of his mouth. Then Marian immediately took the handkerchief that Rod had given her before to help wipe it.

"Commander, would you like a drink?"

"Oh no hurry."

Carter: "..."

The interaction between the three of them was a huge blow to the unmarried uncle, who was nearly 40 years old. His chest heaved, and finally turned into a helpless sigh:

"Do you have a FAMAS rifle? I can't get used to the M16, and I hate that triple-shot."

"No, and even if I did, where would I find enough M193 ammunition for you?"

"Then I want the M60," Carter said immediately.

For safety reasons, Rhodes and Carter did not have Atlas security personnel with them. Instead, they were assigned to Arkham as a support group. They agreed to contact Atlas every four hours, and if they lost contact, they would contact Atlas for rescue. Because of this, Carter got into Rhodes' car.

From the moment the car was filled with gas and left the gas station, the atmosphere in the car was very tense. The two sides had not been together for long, and there had been some unpleasantness before.

After a long silence, Carter asked:

"Can I ask a question?"

"Of course," Rhodes steered the wheel, staring at the road ahead, while calculating the cost of exchanging for the M60 - only 15 points, but only one M60 general-purpose machine gun and a basic amount of ammunition.

Damn it, I still feel like I'm at a disadvantage. Irons and the Foundation know they're wrong, so why don't they just give out gold coins?!

Rhodes complained in his heart, but he continued to say to Carter, "Excuse me, Mr. Carter, my impression of you is much better than that of Dr. Hannibal."

"Okay, uh… I mean… where did your… where did your weapons come from? Oh thank God, I told you!"

Rhodes: "...Don't be like this, I'm not some harem-loving woman."

"But we're certainly in the wrong, aren't we?" Carter spread his hands helplessly. After asking the previous question, he seemed to relax a lot. "As Irons' friend, I must apologize for his recklessness. Ever since his son was killed in Grenada, he's become increasingly radical."

"The invasion of Grenada in 1983?"

"Your memory is skewed, but it did happen," Carter said, subconsciously glancing at Rhodes, who remained focused on the road ahead. After mentally registering the incident, he continued, "It was in 1985, and it's related to the other world. Some soldiers claimed to have seen moving corpses. According to the Foundation's subsequent investigation, we believe they may have been the product of voodoo sacrifices—but regardless, Irons lost his son during the invasion, and the Foundation recovered several voodoo dolls that seemed to have lost their function."

"It's a tragedy."

"Yes, it's a tragedy," Carter shook his head. He was melancholic and sensitive, always falling into melancholy moods. "And what's even more tragic is that we don't know whether this is caused by humans or creatures from the other world... Never mind, let's not talk about this. Do you mind if I turn on the radio? I know a few channels that play country music."

"Of course, Mr. Carter, but you seem to have forgotten the question."

"...Damn it, I must be wearing too much. I shouldn't have worn this thermal underwear! Aperture Technology claims it's double the warmth, but when I put it on, it's just twice as thick as a regular sweater! They deserve to be on the verge of bankruptcy!"

Carter looked a bit annoyed, as if frustrated by the false propaganda, but Rhodes beside him was a bit stunned... Aperture technology really exists! After we finish tinkering with Salem today, we need to quickly have Irons check if there is a Black Mesa base. However, judging by the situation in this world, if the Black Mesa base really exists, then they might not be opening Xen, but the other world.

This shit isn't any better.

Sighing, Rhode began to explain to Carter how he could obtain help from an "unknown benevolent being." He'd just give it a vague explanation and let the Foundation's directors guess! Knowledge from the other world could be shared unconditionally, but not about himself. After all, everyone has their own little secrets, right?

Furthermore, if this Mr. Randolph Carter was here, coupled with the "Transaction" and "Silver Key" in the system tasks, Rhodes just hoped that he wouldn't run into anything outrageous this time, and that it definitely wouldn't be that person or his offspring... although the possibility was not great.

When the country music on the radio reached its fourth track, the atmosphere in the car relaxed. After asking a few questions, Carter, as if completing his mission, began to talk non-stop about the otherworldly events he had experienced. Of course, he told them as adventure stories, half true and half false.

Marian and Yuka really liked these stories, and Rod couldn't help but smile because of the plots of the stories in the books.

After several hours, as the car slowly drove into the town of Salem, night had already fallen. The headlights illuminated the drifting snow, reminding Rhodes of those hours in Silent Hill, except there was no biting cold wind there.

The wipers swept away the snowflakes that hit the windshield, making a clanging sound, but this sound was immediately drowned out by the jazz music that switched to the next song - after listening to country music for two hours, Rod decided to change his taste.

The melodious jazz vocals made Rhode feel drowsy, so he opened the car window slightly and then closed it again, letting the momentary chill wash over him. Rhode, now sober, gazed out into the darkness, a sense of worry rising in his heart about the events in the other world. He hoped his lateness wouldn't cause things to get out of hand... The lights coming from behind made him frown.

"So, I made an alliance with those mythical creatures in the secret realm, and then? Oh, ladies, nothing else! Then I woke up in my Boston apartment and accidentally broke my favorite flowerpot, which I brought from France..." Carter was still telling the dream adventure story he had written, and was very satisfied that someone liked it.

"Stop, Mr. Carter," Rod said suddenly. He looked at the flashing police lights in the rearview mirror and said seriously:

"We're in trouble."

Chapter 20: Snow and Wind (1/2)

Amid the shrill sirens, Rod slowly stopped the car on the side of the road. He saw in the rearview mirror an old policeman wearing a cowboy hat walking towards him.

"I'll take care of it," Rhodes said to the others in the car while temporarily removing his blindfold and lowering the window. "We're all university students investigating folklore. Mr. Carter is our mentor. We'll handle the rest as it comes... Oh! Hello, officer."

"State Trooper, Mitchell."

The old state trooper said this, showing his ID to Rhodes. Then, using the dim interior light, he took a look at the people in the car - there were both men and women, young and middle-aged, a somewhat strange combination on this winter night.

"Where are you going?" The old state trooper frowned. He took off his hat and shook off the snow. "According to the weather forecast, there may be a blizzard tonight."

"We were planning to head to Salem. We originally planned to arrive in the afternoon," Rhodes shrugged. "But as you can see, the ice on the road is as thick as the shortbread on apple pie."

"Why are people still putting shortbread on apple pie?! What the hell are you doing in Salem?"

"We're students from Miskatonic University, majoring in history and folklore. This is my advisor, Carter, and we're also residents of the neighboring town of Arkham... What? Professor, you moved away when you were in middle school? Well, anyway, we're planning to revisit the sites where the Salem witch trials took place so we can write a suitable article about it."

Rhode spoke rapidly, bombarding the old state trooper's brain with dense, half-truthful language. Before the latter could react, the cold wind blew again. He had no choice but to tighten his collar and said helplessly:

"Something happened in the town recently. Unregistered outsiders cannot enter directly after nine o'clock in the evening, so you must follow me to the town hospital first."

"This……"

Rod and Carter exchanged a glance, and the latter nodded slightly, leaning forward to ensure the old state trooper's eyes were on him.

"I'm Randolph Carter, from the neighboring town of Arkham. We have no problem with each other, but could you tell me what's going on in the town recently? I have a friend who lives there, and I'm worried."

"Group drug use, massacres, self-immolations, and other hellish things. I've never seen so many bodies die in such horrible ways. Come with me to the hospital," the old state trooper explained simply. He turned and walked towards the police car. "Let's go to a warm place first, otherwise we'll all freeze to death here when the car is covered by snow."

At this point, there was nothing more to say. Rhodes decided to follow the old state trooper to the town hospital. This was fine, though. Although he couldn't remember the exact plot, he vaguely remembered that the movie "The Void" took place in a hospital, but the town in it was definitely not Salem.

After a delay of a few minutes, everyone set off again.

A chilly wind picked up on the road toward the town hospital, transforming into a shrill howl within a quarter of an hour. The cold temperature crept up the car's body, causing the now-unmelting snow to carve irregular, distorted patterns. Occasionally, it would even smear the windshield, forcing Rhode to force open the window and wipe away the snow.

The road was barely visible within the beams of the car's headlights. Only the intermittent flickering blue and red warning lights ahead served as a guide. The radio signal had become intermittent due to the snowstorm, finally disconnecting completely with a slightly piercing click.

Rod put on his eye mask and drove silently, using the night vision function provided by the eye mask to provide him with vision. At the same time, the Python revolver had quietly appeared in the holster on his waist.

"The snowstorm is approaching," Carter sighed. He could feel the temperature in the car dropping, forcing him to put on his coat, which made him bloated like a well-fed raccoon. "I hope the car doesn't break down on the road."

"When that happens, you'll have more to worry about than just the cold, Mr. Carter."

"I think……"

"Teacher!" Yuka suddenly interrupted Carter. The girl was wrapped in a blanket, but her expression was extremely serious.

"Something's coming!"

[Overflow from the other world detected]

[The otherworldly disaster projection is happening]

A blizzard of snow immediately lashed the car's windshield, making a crackling sound similar to falling hail. The wind grew sharper and sharper. Although the temperature inside the car was not low, everyone's breath was clearly foggy, as if the coldness welling up from the depths of their souls was penetrating their skin and freezing their flesh!

[Pollution points in the other world increased by 1]

This strange scene did not last long. In just a few breaths, everything around it had disappeared.

The wind died down, and the blizzard turned into fine drifting snow, bringing the road and police cars back into the sight of Rhodes and his companions.

"...We, we just experienced an otherworldly event?!"

"It's [Disaster Projection], Mr. Carter."

Rhodes said this calmly, but he felt relieved in his heart. He really didn't want to hike in such a pitch-black snowy winter night or fight against strange and evil enemies.

Recalling the knowledge of the other world that the system instilled from time to time, Rhodes explained to Carter:

"Disaster projection refers to the reappearance of the concept of 'disaster' in the human subconscious as disasters from the otherworld. These are unnatural phenomena that appear out of thin air, such as flames without flammable materials, blood and water, electromagnetic anomalies, light and shadow anomalies, gravity anomalies, time anomalies, space anomalies, extreme weather conditions like typhoons, snowstorms, droughts, and geological disasters like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and rock bursts. This series of extraordinary phenomena can range from the size of a fingernail to covering hundreds or even thousands of kilometers."

"If this phenomenon occurs, it means that the area is experiencing [Otherworld Overflow]. Simply put, something from the Otherworld is entering the real world through the [Otherworld Crack] in the veil of reality."

Carter was stunned. He grabbed his coat and thought for a moment before concluding:

"When things from the other world cross the 'rift' and 'spill over' into reality, there will be 'disasters', right?"

"You're quite right," Rhode nodded slightly. "But it's important to note that the severity and duration of a disaster are not fixed. A powerful creature from the otherworld, or a massive rift, might only project its effects within a forest or a tall building, and humans might survive it for a long time. We need to analyze each case individually. When facing these strange creatures, we can learn from their patterns, but we must not be stubborn or inflexible."

"So that's how it is... This may explain the Foundation's losses in containing certain otherworldly artifacts and the strange data collected at that time," Carter sighed again. He suddenly found that he sighed more often when he was with the savior next to him than in the past year.

"But no matter what, what just happened is good news."

Rhodes looked at the brightly lit Salem Town Hospital and followed the police car in front of him towards the hospital gate.

"It tells us that the destination of this journey is right here."

Chapter 21 Salem Town Hospital (2/2)

Two cars stopped in front of Salem Township Hospital, with a police car parked nearby.

"Damn, that strong wind on the road was really killing me!"

Old state trooper Mitchell opened the door of the police car. He took a few breaths, and the cold wind blowing in his face made him cough non-stop:

"Ahem, I thought I was going to be swallowed by the blizzard, but luckily I can still see your headlights in the rearview mirror... How are you guys doing?"

"Fortunately, we almost got lost," Rhodes said, but when he got out of the car, the pistol holster on his waist made the old state trooper frown. Facing the scrutinizing gaze, Rhodes shrugged, raised his chin to the two people getting out of the car, and said:

"I always have to take responsibility for the girls."

"...Then keep an eye on it, kid, and don't fire it accidentally."

The old state police officer didn't insist too much on this issue and walked straight into the hospital gate. Rhodes and the others looked at each other, locked the car, and followed the old police officer into the hospital.

As soon as he touched the door handle, the world before his eyes collapsed. Giant fleshy organs, soaked in blood, pulsed rhythmically, as if breathing, though more like beating hearts. These densely packed organs, arranged like the compound eyes of a fly, stretched out into the infinite darkness.

[Pollution points in the other world increased by 10]

The next second, these horrific and disgusting images receded like flowing water. Rhodes, who had regained his vision, did not say anything, but pushed the door open and walked in.

He saw the old state trooper who had come in earlier, his pistol drawn, confronting the curly-haired man who had held a pregnant woman hostage. There were two other men and two female nurses standing beside him. On the ground, an elderly doctor in a white coat lay in a pool of blood.