Long-term salvation

"Um...climbing the wall in the middle of the night?"

"Drink yours!"

"Hey hey hey."

Ignoring the smirking Little Red Riding Hood, Rhode lifted his crowbar and pried open a wooden box. Inside was a random pile of gold artifacts stained with mud and the smell of the ocean. From mined crystal gems and Spanish gold coins engraved with crosses to simple discs, and even candlesticks and necklace fragments crafted by skilled craftsmen—if only calculated as gold, the value of the salvage in this box exceeded one million US dollars. Not to mention the many well-preserved indigo dyes, highly collectible bronze cannons, and other valuables.

This is the fifth batch of salvaged items, each batch contains about ten boxes. The first batch of salvaged items has already been shipped and, with the help of Gomez Addams, began to be publicly auctioned in major auction houses in North America.

In Rhodes's memory, the wealth aboard the Lady Akato was estimated to be approximately $4 million. It's worth noting that in the original timeline, the shipwreck was discovered in 1985! The difference in time between the two dates is not much, and the value of the treasure is obviously not much different. Perhaps with Gomez's operation, he could make even more money.

This money is definitely enough for Rhodes to cover the initial expenses of forming an army... In fact, if research and development are not counted, the bulk of the cost of forming an army is all on various types of vehicles and subsequent maintenance. In the 90s, an F-15 alone cost 3000 million US dollars (1998), and even an F-16A/B cost 1460 million US dollars (1998), not to mention subsequent upgrades, weapons and ammunition consumption, base construction and operation and other miscellaneous expenses!

In addition, if a considerable portion of the military budget is used for personnel (such as military salaries), then it can be basically judged that the future prospects of this country's military power are worrying, such as a certain self-proclaimed leader of the Global South.

This was why Rhodes thought it was a huge loss to exchange the pollution points from the other world for individual weapons. However, now that Ains had given him access to Atlas' individual weapons, he naturally didn't have to worry about such trivial matters anymore.

"Has the money from the first batch of auction items been deposited into the commander's account?"

Little Red Riding Hood reached out from the opened box and took out a gold coin, then held it in the sun and looked at it carefully. From today's perspective, the workmanship of this gold coin was by no means exquisite, and it even had a bit of disgusting roughness, but the wonderful and sinful luster of this sufficient amount of gold in the sun was truly pleasing.

"Obviously," Rod rummaged through the salvage in the box. Then he heard the engine and motor of the salvage boat gradually die down. It looked like Marian was cleaning up the aftermath and the remnants. "But I need someone suitable to manage the current and future funds... We definitely can't do it. We'd just be treated like quails in the business world."

"Then let's have grilled quail tonight. Let's barbecue it outside!"

Throwing the gold coins back into the box, Little Red Riding Hood stretched. Her beautiful figure attracted Rhodes's attention more than the gold coins. Then she said slowly:

"Commander, have you decided how to build your team? I don't think it would be a good idea to have all the members of the United States Army at the beginning."

"Because of this, I plan to hire another team of mercenaries who hate the United States government but are loyal to their employer (money). They don't need to carry out any urgent missions, just existing is enough."

As Rhode spoke, he recalled the documents Dr. Hannibal had sent him a few days ago, which contained information on mercenaries and small security companies. This thoughtful and thoughtful director had indeed expressed his support for Rhode.

If Rhode did it himself, besides being questioned by Irons, it would also take a lot of time. Moreover, some of the information involved was not something a newcomer could get.

Could it be that Dr. Hannibal attacked Irons or the United States military?! The latter is possible, but the former is unlikely.

But Rhode still felt that some people's brains had probably been eaten...

"Commander, move aside!"

The wind suddenly rose.

In the bright sunshine and warm breeze of Miami, Marian jumped from the boat to Rod's side, as light as a swallow, with a slight blush on her beautiful face, just like the slight intoxication after drinking fine wine.

"You can just jump into my arms. I can catch you." Rhodes looked at Nikki in front of him and raised her chin with his hand. "Just like the first time we met."

"Woo——"

The teased Nikki instantly disappeared in front of Rhode, and he had no choice but to make a trumpet shape with his hands and shouted at the back:

"Little Red Riding Hood said we'll have a barbecue outside tonight! Don't forget to prepare the sauce, and ask Baizi, who's going cycling, to come back early!"

As he was shouting, Rhode heard Little Red Riding Hood's giggles behind him. He turned around and said unhappily:

"That's great! All the moving work has fallen on us... Maybe if we wait a few minutes, Noah will come over to help."

"She only comes when you're alone. What's that line of hers? 'I was alone to ask for your help, and only my poetry held all your charms.'"

Little Red Riding Hood winked at Rhodes, and together they lifted the box and placed it on the trailer beside them. When the heavy wooden box made a dull sound when it hit the trailer, Red-haired Nikki spoke again:

“Actually, I like this poem too.”

"Huh? What?"

Rod tilted his head out from behind the box in confusion. Due to the obstruction of the box, he could not see Nikki's face clearly. He only saw her crimson hair swaying with the movements of its owner.

The next second, Little Red Riding Hood's face suddenly appeared from behind the box. She made a face at Rhodes:

"Boom!"

"Don't come on, Abigail won't be scared by you."

"Haha... Speaking of which, Commander, should we open that bottle of wine we fished out and try it?"

"No, I don't want to be sent to the hospital."

Chapter 61 Daily Nighttime BBQ (2/2)

Night falls.

The lights of Miami city not far away have already come on. The brilliant neon lights and the occasional flash of searchlights illuminate the dim night sky. Even in the slightly remote small pier, you can get a glimpse of the prosperity of this city from the endless stream of bright cars.

On Miami's beaches and bars, men and women speaking different languages ​​indulged in the excitement of young bodies. However, many chose to sit in suits and ties in luxurious restaurants, clinking glasses and adding another chip to their gamble. On the wide roads between skyscrapers, several police cars roared in pursuit of an underground race car, leaving behind only a streak of bright red, ghostly taillights.

Crying and laughing, singing and screaming, a complex and unpredictable cacophony is echoing in every corner of the city, but everyone is used to it - this is what Miami is like, full of a wonderful and unique vitality, and she will be like this every day in the future.

However, none of this had anything to do with Rod. He just wanted some fries.

In front of the two-story building at the dock, Rod and Noah carried a brand new barbecue grill out of the warehouse. They rinsed it several times with clean water and wiped it with a towel before putting the neatly bought firewood inside. Then they used the map with circles drawn on it to start the fire.

This time, Rhodes' lighter finally did something other than smoking. The flame gently licked the map and gradually engulfed it. It took about ten seconds to ignite the dry firewood. A little green smoke drifted away in the direction of the sea breeze, but it would not cause any trouble to the people sitting in front of the barbecue grill.

"Sensei, I've washed the vegetables. Can I cut the potatoes into finger-thick strips?" Noah came over with two plates filled with vegetables. Various mushrooms were washed and chopped, and even the large eggplant was split in the middle and evenly covered with minced garlic. "And the corn. I put some cream cheese on it. I remember you mentioned eating this many times."

"Oh thanks, Noah, that's so sweet of you."

"I also made some clam chowder. It's delicious," Marian said, bringing a small round casserole dish and placing it on a corner of the grill to prevent it from getting cold. Nikki ran her fingers through her hair and stood beside Rod, who was fanning the grill. She said softly, "Little Red Riding Hood is cutting steak, but Yuka... is still in the house calculating the funds."

"I'll go get her down."

Rhode raised his eyebrows when he heard that. He stuffed the thin fan in his hand into Marian's hand, took a run, then jumped up and grabbed the railing on the second floor. After flipping over, he rushed into Yuxiang's room.

"Eh? Sensei?! Wait, wait a minute! It's not counted yet—"

Ten seconds later, Rod came out of the house carrying Yuxiang, who was struggling because of embarrassment. He walked down the stairs leisurely, walked around the barbecue grill, and then put down the girl who was covering her face and afraid to see anyone.

Patting Yuka's head, Rhodes said with a smile:

"It's not that heavy. I always thought Yuuka weighed 100kg."

“It’s not that heavy!”

After teasing Yuuka, Rod turned his head and was about to call Baizi and Abigail over, but he saw that the two of them were feeding a kitten - Abigail was holding a small tentacle that was constantly twisting. She placed the thing in front of the kitten and watched the latter eat it bit by bit.

After hearing Rhode's voice, Abigail picked up the cat that had finished eating the tentacles and started licking its fur, walked up to Rhode and asked:

"Could you feed Pickman some steak?"

Abigail named the kitten she adopted a few days ago "Pickman." She'd originally wanted to call it "Professor Armitage," but after Rhodes mentioned that there was a council member named Armitage, she changed the name to that. As for why she adopted a cat, Abigail said proudly, "Every witch must have a cat!"

Well... fine, but this cat is occasionally fed some strange things by Abigail, and now it requires very little care. It even flushes the toilet after using it!

"If Pickman can eat it," Rhodes nodded in agreement, and Baizi came over with a large plate with some processed seafood on it. "But don't waste it. You can feed it to him bit by bit."

"Great!"

After seeing off the overjoyed blonde girl, Rhode tilted his head slightly and looked at Baizi, who seemed more interested in poultry, fish, and lamb chops. Because it's a jackal? Why does it feel like it lives by the sea? But there's no sea lion meat here.

Noticing Rhode's gaze, the gray-haired girl turned her head somewhat confusedly and asked softly:

"What's wrong, Sensei?"

"It's okay, I just feel like the present time is a bit dreamy. The other world and the crisis of the destruction of human civilization have nothing to do with us."

Rhode raised an eyebrow at Baizi, like a McDonald's chef, and this expression amused the usually stern girl. She took a half step to the right, her body in shorts and a T-shirt pressed against Rhode's. She ignored the slightly widened eyes of Yuuka and Noah across from her and placed the seafood on the grill.

"!!!"

Yuka's throat moved, and she was about to stand up to grab the seat on Rod's left, but Noah got up early and stood there intentionally or unintentionally, stirring the clam chowder with a spoon.

For a moment, the only sound was the sizzle of fat and tender meat searing on the flames, with the fish and shellfish giving off a subtle, just-right fishy flavor, but this was quickly overcome by garlic and chopped green onions. A little mustard was gently stirred into the soy sauce to create a brown dip.

Marianne placed some pickled cucumbers and vegetable salad on the table, seemingly unconcerned about the situation.

"If you keep squeezing me, I won't even be able to stretch my arms," ​​Rhode, feeling both amused and helpless, flicked the two girls on the forehead. "You two go help Marian set the table for dinner. I'm going to see why Little Red Riding Hood hasn't come back from cutting the meat for so long. Yuuka, turn the meat and vegetables over and spread some sauce on them."

As he turned around, he saw Little Red Riding Hood coming out of the small building, carrying a pile of steaks. She was also carrying a box of Budweiser beer in glass bottles, with a smile on her face.

"You must not leave home drunk tonight, Commander!"

Noticing the strange atmosphere around the grill, Little Red Riding Hood smiled even deeper and said to Rhodes who came over to help:

"I told you that one day you would be locked up in the Emperor's Chambers."

"I don't have the time to think about that right now. We don't even have a safe place to stay," Rhodes replied helplessly. "Don't try to stir up trouble, or I'll be the first to get involved!"

"Hey...but, Commander, have you invited any guests today?"

guest?

Rhodes frowned and turned around to see a convoy of four black Hummers and a box truck parked in the distance. A man got out of the car and walked along the broken brick sidewalk - Irons?

Is this person here to call for punishment?

"He always finds a good time to come over," Rhodes sighed, stuffed the things in his hand back to Little Red Riding Hood, and walked towards Ains.

"Marianne, add another chair!"

Chapter 62: Daily Life: Irons' Past (Part 1)

Irons came alone. Although his security personnel also got out of the car, most of them were dispersed to keep watch. With Little Red Riding Hood's eyesight, she could even see the speedboat on the sea in the distance and the helicopter hovering at low altitude.

It looked like Ains was going to bring his men to surround and suppress Rhodes...

"Forgive my intrusive visit," Irons said, still in his formal attire, but with his coat already in his hand, leaving him with only a spotless white shirt with three buttons undone. "But it seems I've arrived at the perfect time."

"You can always come over when you want to eat,"

Rod showed a disgusted expression on his face, but he still stood up and brought a set of tableware to Irons, and took a steak and grilled fish the size of an adult's hand from the grill. Marian brought a bowl of sauce and a few sliced ​​pickles on a small plate.

After nodding his thanks to Marian, Irons poured the sauce over the steak, cut off a piece with his knife and put it in his mouth.

"...US Prime Angus beef, firm and high in fat. Unfortunately, because it's grilled, some parts are a little burnt, but the sauce makes up for it. Good cooking, Ms. Marian—it seems you've really made a lot of money recently, Rod."

"Even steak can't stop you?" Rhode looked up at the Atlas convoy in the distance. He didn't see anyone familiar inside, so he asked jokingly, "Why, did you send Gideon and the Joker to train Atlas' private army?"

"About this matter..." The smile on Irons's lips gradually disappeared. He put down his knife and fork, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and then said slowly: "The two of them are on leave, due to injury."

"...The Otherworld incident?" Rhode raised an eyebrow. He could sense a hint of sadness in Irons' tone. "You took the initiative to suppress and eliminate the creatures of the Otherworld?"

After a few seconds of silence, Ains considered his words and whispered to Rhodes:

"Atlas's agents in Sydney reported a mass disappearance in an abandoned tunnel from World War II. I suspected something might be hidden there, so before the Australian government, which was planning to build a reservoir, filled it with water, I dispatched a team of soldiers trained in the Otherworld, led by Gideon."

Hearing this, Rhodes rubbed his brows - the dark and complex tunnels were an excellent hunting ground for non-human creatures, and he didn't want to lead the team in unless it was absolutely necessary.

If absolutely necessary, it is best to mobilize a force of hundreds of people. It does not need to be all armed personnel. They can just set up cameras and lighting equipment and block intersections. Basically, the clearance should be carried out in the form of street fighting.

Sending only a few elite soldiers in would be too dangerous... Moreover, even if they had received some training related to the other world, it did not mean that they had enough experience to face different types of monsters.

For the future underworld confrontation forces, specialization and specialization are the inevitable development direction.

"Just tell me the result," Rhodes sighed. He could probably guess the process.

"Of the six-man team, two died, three were seriously injured, and the rest were slightly injured—Gideon lost his left hand, and the Joker was lucky to be the only one slightly injured."

Irons' tone was filled with sadness, but Rhodes could see the anger burning in his eyes. After a few seconds of silence, Rhodes spoke comfortingly:

"It's not your fault. Even I, without extraordinary physical fitness, can't do better than them."

"...Thank you for your comfort, Rhodes,"

Irons forced a smile and took out a slightly yellowed photo from his jacket pocket and handed it to Rhodes.

The photo's background was a tropical jungle, with several soldiers of varying ranks standing before them. After a closer look, Rhode spotted the young Irons. His face was solemn and uncertain, as serious as it was now. And standing next to him... Hammer? His expression wasn't looking good either, his lips tightly pursed, anger and sadness practically oozing from every crease in his face.

Only the man in the middle, who also had the highest rank, had a smile on his face, which made him look out of place.

"That was during my time in Vietnam," Irons said, reaching out and pulling out a bottle of beer from a plastic box beside the table. The box was filled with ice cubes and melted ice, and various drinks and liquors were stuffed inside.

"It was there that I met Hammer and Herschel Sheffield, who had now been promoted to Lieutenant General. The latter was now Hammer's direct superior, but their relationship was not good... I digressed. It was also during the Vietnam War that I first encountered the 'other world'."

“The River God, that’s what I call him.”

"There was no skin, no flesh. His bones seemed yellowed from being seared by flames. The two eyes, pinned to his skull, held deep hatred and sorrow. Then, flesh and blood appeared out of thin air, enveloping him like armor. And truly, it was. None of my company's weapons could harm him. Bullets bounced off him, grenades exploded, rocket launchers struck him directly... He just stood there, in the fire, motionless. No wailing, no cursing, just standing there."

Irons drank the entire bottle of beer, appearing extremely heroic, as if the story had brought him back to his military career. He took out a new bottle of beer, pried open the bottle cap with a table knife, and continued:

"You know what, Rod? I've always been wary of you because I'm afraid you lack humanity, no pain, no fear, and no emotions that humans experience when facing the unknown and darkness... Perhaps others would like a savior like you, but I don't think it's a good thing."

"You're drunk, Irons," Rod said gently.

"Of course I'm drunk. If I hadn't been drunk, if the alcohol hadn't paralyzed my brain nerves, reduced my judgment, and given me more courage to uncover these memories, I wouldn't be sitting here telling you this." There was a glimmer in Irons' eyes, and under the surrounding lights, Rhodes thought he was crying.