Long-term salvation

The younger man was wearing a beige police uniform and was named Daniel, while the other was an elderly man with white hair and beard named Ben. The latter was anxiously looking at the terrified pregnant woman Maggie. That was his granddaughter - huh? She was actually a cult member!

As for the body of the elderly doctor on the ground, Rhodes used his all-seeing eyes to see only the name "Richard Powell" and a brief description:

[Doctor, father who lost his daughter, cult leader, corpse.]

A wonderful description. The system rarely marks the status of dead creatures.

At this moment, an inexplicable atmosphere of anxiety was pervading everyone. Everyone was shouting, calling for help, threatening, and persuading... No one noticed that the monster in the ward next door had quietly stood up and staggered towards the corridor.

"It looks like we're in trouble," Carter, who was following closely behind, frowned when he saw the scene in front of him, but when he turned around, he saw that Marian and Yuka had already taken out their weapons - machine guns and SIG MPX-K submachine guns.

Carter: "...Do you need machine guns and submachine guns to deal with a gangster?!"

This cry attracted everyone's attention. They only saw Rhodes leisurely lighting a cigarette, then pulling out the revolver from the holster and firing several shots at the ward door that had not yet been fully opened!

The sound of gunfire echoed in the corridor, and then the monster's painful roar was heard!

"Certainly not dealing with robbers, Mr. Carter."

Rod exhaled smoke and made way for Marian, who was holding a machine gun. Yuka leaned close to the former, raised the muzzle of the gun, and stared vigilantly at the hunter father and son who had rushed to the hospital gate - it was really a big show, but fortunately all the actors were there.

The roar of machine gun fire rang out! The wooden bed door was torn to pieces by bullets, and dirty blood splattered out, gathering into gurgling streams on the ground.

Limbs and tentacles, growing wildly like an evolutionary error, waved about recklessly, adding even more blood and stench to the already turbid air. But for flesh and blood, the power of steel and gunpowder was terrifying, and even the creatures of the other world were no exception.

Driven by pain and the instinct to resist death, dozens of snake-like tentacles flew out of the ward along with the monster's howling, but Nikki did not move at all. She raised her gun and fired calmly, and those tentacles with tricky angles were blown up one by one by Rhodes.

The monster was frightened. It trembled like a cub drenched in freezing rain and retreated deeper into the ward, but Rhodes had no intention of letting it go. He smashed the glass of the fire cabinet with his elbow, took out the fire axe inside and threw it to the still dazed Randolph Carter, who shuddered when he felt the coldness of the axe handle.

Rhodes's meaning was clear, but Carter had a hard time expressing his feelings:

I hit the creature from the other world, is it true or not?

But... Carter took three quick breaths in and out, picked up the axe, kicked open the broken door of the ward, and walked in stepping on the blood.

The lights in the hospital flickered, accompanied by the sound of an axe chopping flesh and blood, and the strange sound of flesh bubbles bursting, as if this place had turned into a slaughterhouse, and the cruel and horrifying reality was revealed to every living person without reservation.

"That curly-haired guy over there, your name is James?" Rhodes flicked the ash off his cigarette and waved at the curly-haired man holding the pregnant woman hostage. "Come here, I have something to ask you."

Curly James looked at the scalpel in his hand, and then looked at the hunter father and son who had come in under the threat of machine guns and submachine guns and were standing facing the wall... He thought for about half a second and immediately threw away the scalpel in his hand, pushed the pregnant woman into the arms of the old man next to him, and put his hands on his head, slowly walked to Rhodes and squatted down.

This guy is quite skilled. He must have had a gun pointed at his head more than once.

"Yuuka, keep an eye on those two. I'll question them later."

Rod turned his head and said to the girl, who was holding a SIG MPX-K (compact) submachine gun named "Logic and Reason". This weapon actually only appeared in 2013.

"Okay, teacher."

"Wait, who are you guys?"

Old state trooper Mitchell and town policeman Daniel - it was he who took the curly-haired man to the hospital for treatment, but at this moment, Daniel was as stunned and horrified as everyone else, especially when there was a monster in the ward - they had seen the monster long before Rhodes, the old state trooper and others entered the hospital!

Without answering their questions, Rhodes leisurely took out five bullets from his revolver and left one. After letting the cylinder rotate a few times, he put the muzzle of the gun against Curly's forehead, who was trembling in despair as he realized something.

The lights in the hospital were flickering due to voltage instability caused by the snowstorm. Between the flickering lights, the shadows of everyone cast on the wall seemed to be twisting and turning like living things.

"I'm going to ask you questions, James," Rod said expressionlessly. "If I'm not satisfied with your answers or if you answer too slowly, I'll pull the trigger. When that happens, all you can do is hope for good luck... but luck won't be infinite, understand?"

"Yes, sir, yes! I will answer seriously!"

"First question, what happened here? Why did you hold that pregnant woman hostage?"

"It's that old man, the doctor I killed lying on the ground! I escaped, the place is full of monsters!"

The curly-haired man, James, clutched his head and screamed in pain. He then looked fearfully at Carter, who had already emerged from the ward. Carter was holding an axe in his right hand and adjusting his messy tie with his left. Seeing this, James strained his throat and quickly added:

"I ran away from a cult sacrifice site. I was a woman! She said there were drugs there, so I went... but it was full of lunatics in white robes. It was that old man lying on the ground who was the mastermind behind all this! He even called it a church—but those who were sacrificed and killed no longer looked like humans. They had turned into monsters!"

"Shut up! Dr. Richard has known my father for so many years. He is the most respected doctor in town. How could he be involved in cult sacrifice?!"

Officer Daniel stepped forward and angrily scolded the curly-haired man, but then saw the girl with the machine gun pointed at him. Under threat, the officer raised his hands and stepped back, blocking his wife, Alison, a nurse at the hospital.

"Okay, monster."

Rhodes nodded and pulled the trigger. A crisp sound was heard, but no gunshot was heard. This made the curly-haired man scream again. Rhodes ignored the curly-haired man's cries and continued to ask calmly:

"Second question, where is the dead old man on the ground?"

Chapter 22: The Besieged Hospital (1/2)

"Second question, where is the dead old man on the ground?"

Rhodes asked a second time, but no one responded. Everyone looked at each other, unable to respond.

No one knew why the body on the ground had disappeared in the few seconds between the flickering lights—only a long trail of blood, as if a snake were crawling on the ground, extended along the corridor floor into the depths of the hospital.

The strange and bizarre phenomena tore open the hearts of the people involved with bloody fear, violently pulling out the fragile spirits inside and exposing them in this cold corridor.

No one could give Rhodes an answer.

"Tsk... We should have burned the body right away," Rhodes frowned, sheathed his revolver, and said to the two police officers next to him who were still in a daze and shock. "Keep an eye on this guy, and that pregnant woman over there. She's also a cult member."

"What?!" / "How is this possible?!" / "Maggie, what the hell are you—" / "No, I'm not! He's lying!"

As the chaos began, Officer Daniel mustered up the courage to step forward and handcuffed the curly-haired man, James, to the railings along the corridor wall used to help patients walk. James's face was ashen, and he curled up, trying to stay away from the monster's dirty blood flowing out of the ward.

"Who are you?" The old state trooper finally regained some of his sanity. He clenched his pistol, causing the veins on the back of his hand to bulge. "I need... I need to report..."

"Watch your gun, old officer, don't let it go off accidentally. You don't want to know who I am. Just think of it as a nightmare. I'll get you out of here."

Rod said casually as he walked over to Yuka and looked at the hunter father and son, Vincent (father) and Simon (son), who were clasping their hands against the wall. The two were law enforcers living in Salem and managers of a nearby hunting ground. As such, they had rushed into the hospital with their hunting rifles in hand.

After hearing Rhode's words, the old hunter Vincent turned his head and looked outside the hospital, and said with a hint of anger:

"Leave? Do you see those white-robed cultists in the snow? They won't let us leave."

"..."

Rhodes quickly walked to the hospital gate and looked out sideways, only to see dozens of cultists wearing white robes and with black triangle symbols on their faces standing in the howling wind and snow. They stood there motionless in the biting cold wind, and the sharp knives in their right hands flashed with undisguised murderous intent under the illumination of the hospital lights.

That's it?

Rhodes thought there might be a group of monsters outside ready to make a move.

No, it's hard to say. According to the curly-haired man, beneath the white robes of these cultists might be twisted forms. Perhaps they've come into contact with creatures from another world, or perhaps they've been seduced by some ancient messenger walking the real world. But in any case, they've lost their status as human.

Needs to be purified by steel and fire.

"It looks like you know something," Rhodes said to the Hunter father and son without turning his head, looking at the cultists outside. "Tell me, that's why I'm here. Don't waste time and don't hide the details, otherwise I won't mind getting rid of you sooner rather than later."

"…What else could it be! You've already killed a monster here!"

The old hunter, Vincent, spat to the side. He lifted his foot to avoid the blood in disgust. "Only by setting the bodies on fire can we prevent these cultists from turning into monsters. Besides, I don't know if they are contagious."

"It's not contagious, I'm sure of that," Rhodes said calmly. "Also, judging from what happened just now, these monsters are just cultists."

The old hunter opened his mouth, was silent for a few seconds, and finally chose to swallow his words - he clearly saw the fierce firepower of the machine gun in the girl's hand. As for the girl who was watching over them, she beat her son into a shrimp with just one punch - it seemed that because of her age, the girl did not use violence, but the black hole of the submachine gun muzzle was obviously not fake.

"Rod."

Randolph Carter, who had washed off much of the blood in the bathroom, came out and found a few towels to wipe his face. He said as he walked:

"Damn it! I feel like my sweater is soaked with that thing's stinky blood. Ahem, we need to contact... you know, we need to contact more support."

"Why do you still have the illusion that we can contact other people?" Rhodes asked in surprise.

Carter choked upon hearing this and spread his hands helplessly:

"That makes sense, so what should we do now?"

"While our vehicles are still relatively close to the hospital, let's clear a path and get the civilians out. Even freezing to death is better than staying here." Rhode glanced back at the others in the hospital. He saw the cult believer's face was horrible. He couldn't tell if it was from the anger after her identity was exposed, or the pain of impending labor. "Then, Marian, Yuka, and the others will go and dispose of the body that should have been buried long ago."

"I'll be with you, no matter where you are," Carter sighed, "and my DV camera is still in the car, and it needs to be taken down."

Since Carter had made up his mind, Rhode naturally wouldn't be pretentious. He patted Yuka's shoulder and said:

"Yuuka, you stay here and be on guard against possible attacks, and that pregnant woman. If necessary, you can... Never mind, let's just leave it at that. Protect the others."

Yuuka blinked, tightened her grip on the submachine gun, and whispered:

"I'm ready..."

Rhodes raised his finger and placed it on the girl's lips, causing her to mutter only a faint nasal sound.

"There's a difference between 'being forced' and 'being used to it.' Some things should be done as little as possible, or even not at all," Rhodes said gently. He reached out and ruffled the girl's hair, "Those kinds of things are my responsibility as a teacher. I'll protect you, just like I protected Marian."

After saying that, Rhode turned and left. Nikki glanced at the angelic girl, whose face was slightly blushing, and subconsciously reached out to touch her soft cherry lips, but she quickly escaped from her delusion and followed closely behind the figure who had already left the hospital.

When Rhodes opened the hospital gate, a cold wind carrying broken snow rushed in, temporarily dispelling the stench of blood that permeated the hospital corridor and making the frightened people feel a little clearer because of the cold.

"I'm going with them, too. You two hunters, stay here. We'll help the young lady who's staying behind," Officer Daniel suddenly said to the others. He looked at his bewildered wife, Alison, and explained, "There's a shotgun in the police car. I need to get it back. I don't want to be riddled with bullets."

"Be careful," Alison whispered, looking at her husband, who had become increasingly estranged due to a miscarriage. Her fear of the unknown and monsters gradually turned into unease about the actions of the man before her. "Be careful of cultists, both inside and outside... although I don't really believe in them either."

"I will."

Daniel took a deep breath and followed Carter, who had put on his coat again, into the wind and snow outside the hospital.

Chapter 23: Fighting Outside the Courtyard (2/2)

Police officer Daniel walked into the heavy snow, but even his thick leather coat could not withstand the biting cold wind. The snow melted on his clothes and then formed a thin layer of frost, which shattered and fell off as he walked, and this cycle repeated.

As Daniel shivered through the snow and approached Rhodes and his companions, who had already turned on their headlights, he saw them standing at the rear of the car, smoking a cigarette, their right hand resting on the revolver holster at their waist. Besides Rhodes, Nikki Marian and Carter were unloading several long black backpacks.

"Ah, Officer Daniel, don't ask me why I know your name." Rod tilted his head slightly and saw Daniel walking slowly towards him, almost slipping. "If you want to do anything, you'd better do it quickly. When we first came out, those guys wanted to take our car somewhere else."

Those guys?

Daniel looked in the direction of Rhodes' finger and saw dozens of cultists slowly walking out of the woods. Their white robes were blown wildly by the wind, revealing the naked flesh underneath - there was no skin covering it, only the ugly marks left by the cracked muscles and rough stitches, like hundreds of centipedes converging along the limbs to the heart and brain.

"I'll go get my gun from the police car," Daniel's heart sank, and he quickly walked towards his police car.

"Commander," Marian came up to Rod and brushed the snow off his shoulders. "Everything has been sorted out, and Mr. Carter has also grabbed the M60 machine gun. It just takes a little time to clean up the frozen areas."

"Hmm..." Rhodes took a deep drag on his cigarette, flicked the butt away, and said in a deep voice:

"It's about to begin."

"What do you want—"

All the lights in the hospital suddenly went out!

At that moment, Rhode once again saw the world before him begin to crumble. The cold and the sound of the wind left him. But this time, the expanding and contracting flesh and blood organs turned into the boundless starry sky.

Billions of stars twinkled in the milky white clouds, but then turned into infinitely overlapping and chaotically arranged rainbow-colored spheres of light. The knowledge of countless worlds was melted and cast here like metal in a furnace, and then tiny fragments were randomly cut off and thrown into the infinitely deep starry sky. At that time, a life form on a certain planet in a certain universe would burst out with incomparable wisdom compared to its own kind.

Rhodes looked at everything in front of him in horror. A cold and slippery torrent pierced his brain, causing the long-lost pain to rise from the depths of his soul. But before he could scream due to reaching the limit of his endurance, it disappeared without a trace. Only a keyhole-like [door] was left, emitting a faint purple light, and a short figure walked slowly through it.

Then, the ancient, nameless being withdrew its casual glance.

[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 500]

"—Commander! Commander!"

"!!!"

Rhodes suddenly woke up from the vision, and his ears were filled with the sound of wind and gunfire again. The stinging pain brought by the cold and low temperature gave him a strange sense of satisfaction at this moment - this was the real pain and discomfort felt by his own senses, not the painful torture that came from deep inside his body, as if thousands of ants were biting him but he couldn't scratch or slap him.

"Commander, those cultists are rushing towards us, and gunshots have been heard in the hospital!" Nikki said anxiously. When she gritted her teeth and was about to pull the trigger, she heard Rhodes' voice:

"Open fire! These cultists are no longer human!"

"Yes!" Marian felt relieved when she heard Rhodes' voice, "Start clearing!"

"Aha, little girl, see what I just said? These guys won't listen to you. I've seen too much!" Carter picked up the M60 general-purpose machine gun, put the gun belt on his shoulder, and let him stand in the snow like a Vietnam War veteran in a movie, and then--