Long-term salvation

Chapter 204: Half Asleep and Half Awake (3K·1/3)

Dream.

"..."

Rhodes stood in front of the window in the reception room and looked out:

Chaos and darkness traverse it, with twinkling stars imprinted in it. Beyond that is the endless nothingness. Beneath the room is the dream world of countless creatures. They fall asleep and wake up, leaving only a trace of memory about the dream - above the distant dream sky that no one knows and no one remembers, the dazzling sun is slowly rising... and igniting.

Retracting his gaze, Rhode said to Asuka Iki with an apologetic look:

"I'm very sorry."

"You shouldn't have said that to me."

The black-haired girl sat on the sofa and said to Rhodes without looking up. She was reading a book published by Chiba Atsuko, which talked about the strong connection between the dream world and the human brain... But Rhodes could see that she was very angry and difficult to appease.

"You sent a short message and nearly set the entire Hill Villa on fire. But don't worry, we're all very calm," Asuka Ikeji calmly flipped through the pages. The rustling sound made Rhode feel uneasy. He was about to cough a few times to ease the embarrassment when he was interrupted by the girl's voice:

"Marian has gathered everyone, including the soldiers of the Army Without Borders, and contacted Aperture Technologies and Atlas Corporation. We are preparing to mobilize forces to directly destroy the Umbrella headquarters in Raccoon City. We are confident that we will achieve a perfect victory."

Rhodes: “…”

"You should have seen her face then. It was so calm, like the angry clouds before a storm."

The girl's delicate hands slid across the pages of the book, her face calm, revealing the sorrow she had only felt before she met Rhodes, as well as a hint of madness. Her will was tempered by the chaos and madness of countless dreams, and she was also under the guidance and teachings of Abigail. Her mental abilities now surpassed those of the past, even surpassing those of the students of Kivotos.

"Ahem, I can be resurrected. I remember I should have told you all this," Rhode averted his gaze. When he first arrived in the dream world, he wanted to hug the girl, but was immediately forced back by her overly calm gaze. Now he could only stand awkwardly by the window. "I will be back, in just three days."

"No, you haven't thought about it from our perspective, nor have you considered what Mr. Irons and other foundation directors are thinking—what would happen if you didn't come back?"

The girl spoke aloud, slamming the book shut with a muffled thud filled with complaint.

"System...unknown benevolent existence..."

"I don't care about that thing, no matter what it is, what it will do, or what it promised you," the girl interrupted Rhodes again. She had never had the courage and willingness to refute Rhodes' words before. The adorable existence like a fawn shed its outer disguise, revealing its extraordinary nature that was enough to disrupt and destroy the human mind.

The girl looked back at Rhodes, tears and anger welling up in her eyes:

"How could you let us endure the pain of losing you, even just once?"

"Some things must be done, Muji."

Rhode wasn't angry, but he didn't obey either. He simply pulled the girl into his arms, gently stroking her soft black hair. He had thought a lot, especially when fighting the monster and preparing to go on the journey together:

"Although I really want to answer you with words like 'no sacrifice is too great to bear', I won't say that in front of you... I don't want to die either, and I'm even a little afraid of real death. But this world is too beautiful, and I don't want to die, especially when I'm sure—I will see you when I sleep, and I will see others when I open my eyes—so, I'm sorry."

"For this beautiful world, for all the people in this world, whether good or bad, smart or stupid, and for you, the lovely and beautiful ones, I am sorry."

Silence danced around them like a pet begging for its owner's attention, but the girl immediately kicked it away. She turned her head and stood on tiptoe, so that her cheek could touch Rhode's chest and listen to the sound of his slowly recovering heart. After a few seconds, the girl sighed and said:

"You're such a silver-tongued person... You should think carefully about how you're going to face the others when you return."

After saying that, Rhodes was pushed violently by the girl and fell backwards.

Open your eyes.

Rhodes felt the soft pillows and mattress wrapping him up, and when he looked up, he found that he was not in a hospital or on an emergency evacuation vehicle or plane. The surroundings were quiet and safe.

"Unrecognized ceiling."

"Just knowing my face is enough... Why are you turning your face away?!" Nayako pounced on Rhodes with her teeth bared. She sat astride him, her body slightly suspended in the air to avoid touching him and causing him extra pain. "Although your body is gradually recovering, your hands and heart will have to wait a little longer. Wait for two days. Don't do any strenuous exercise during this time."

"for example?"

"..." Nayako forced a strange smile. She leaned over and gently kissed the corner of Rhode's mouth. She whispered, "I don't mind, but if the heart breaks, I can only use the heart I made with my bare hands. I like completing the goal ahead of time."

"No, forget it," Rhodes immediately said seriously, as if he really was a gentleman, "I am now calm."

"Tsk, your heart isn't that fragile," Nayako said listlessly, sitting back down on the bed. "I was actually planning to play a little trick on you and secretly give you a new heart."

"You guy!"

The corners of Rhodes' eyes twitched slightly. Just as he was about to reach out and grab the silver-haired creature's ahoge, he found that his hands had been wrapped in thick plaster and his body had been changed into a light blue hospital gown.

Now, he felt sore every time he moved his body, but what was even more unpleasant was that Nayako was still slapping Rhodes' cheek with her ahoge... He really had to find a chance to teach this guy a lesson in the future.

This is a room that is exquisitely decorated, but not luxurious. There are rows of photo albums and some weapon models on the cabinets in the room, as well as many French books, ranging from military novels to old news magazines. There is not a trace of dust. It is obvious that the owner of this room has good living habits, or someone cleans it regularly.

"Sensei!" x2

Hina and Mari's surprised voices were heard at the same time. They had just been sleeping on the chairs next to them, and only woke up after hearing Nayako's cry.

The girls quickly gathered around and breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Rhode's dead eyes. Then they said with some complaints and sadness:

"You fainted in the helicopter after only a few words, which worried us terribly. But you don't have to worry about your safety—this is the home of Director Plessy's father-in-law. He and the others are waiting in the living room downstairs. Although the old man has a bad temper, he's willing to hold back on reporting the incident and listen to our side of the story."

Even though it was under our coercion... Mary carefully stuffed the words back into her throat. It was indeed the first time for her to point a Desert Eagle pistol at someone's head. She was a good girl.

The main reason was that Director Plessy did not want his child to be cursed by the two offspring of the evil god, so he had to come out quickly to smooth things over, persuade the two tense parties, and by the way, clear the memories of the irrelevant people.

"Okay...where's Abigail?"

"She's still sleeping. Even the loud noise just now didn't wake her up."

Hinai said, moving aside. Rhode then saw the delicate, doll-like blonde girl lying on the small sofa, holding the equally sleeping black cat, Pickman. On the girl's chest, the exquisitely crafted, antique silver key emanated a faint, beautiful luster.

"Abigail sealed the rifts in the catacombs' otherworldly realm and then spent an entire night running around Paris to prevent any small gaps from being discovered by Umbrella... and then she dealt with the biochemical contamination. After all, she's not a professional, so she could only scrape the air and the entire land clean and throw them into another dimension."

"I'm helping, too! I'm helping, too!" Nyako jumped up beside her, raising her right hand high in a pose. "I'm working diligently to fulfill the orders of my beloved fiancé and follower of the evil god!"

"That's too loud, Nayako."

"This is really..."

Rhode sighed, closed his eyes, remained silent for a few seconds, then slowly opened them and said to the girls:

"Let me go downstairs now. I'll meet with Director Plessy and the others. Also, contact Irons and the other directors of the Foundation. Although it's difficult to take action within the United States, it's still easy to cut off their tentacles in Africa and South America."

"Inform D and have her locate and destroy Umbrella's laboratories and training bases in Africa and South America. You're allowed to mobilize mercenaries and Atlas Corp. troops. Several top agents will be joining soon. As for the ICA... I have other plans."

"Inform Yang that I want Umbrella's market capitalization to evaporate by at least ten percent within a week, and that Aperture Technologies develop anti-BOW technology. I don't care how they do it, but they better not let my investment go to waste and become fodder for the next round of experiments."

"No matter what method, I just want victory." Rhode struggled to his feet with the help of the other girls, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes. "If someone like Mobius gets involved, then we'll deal with them. I don't believe the Organization would dare to confront me head-on just because I chop off a few paws. This is the best way, the best way."

"Finally, inform Marianne... Tell her I'm awake and will be home in a few days. I want to eat the Italian food she makes."

Chapter 205: Where to Go From Here? (3K·2/3)

When Rhodes staggered downstairs, he saw Director Plessy, Bourne, Bond, Captain Price and a sullen-faced old man sitting in the reception room, looking at each other in silence. Each of them had fatigue and fear on their faces.

"...Good morning, gentlemen."

"It's already noon, Rod," Director Plessy pressed his hand to his forehead and exhaled slowly. "I asked the guys at the logistics company to try to erase the memories of those who weren't involved, but there's really nothing we can do about the Eiffel Tower incident... The official propaganda is that a terrorist organization set the tower on fire after attacking Paris. Fortunately, it was already closed by then, and no tourists were injured."

"Young man?!" The old man slammed the armrest of the sofa excitedly. He was wearing a French army general's uniform and his face was full of anger. "They are all agents and spies! Damn Plessy, I never knew you were doing this behind my daughter's back! And you even mixed it up with the stuff that only comes from ghost stories!"

"Well, Dad, when you scolded 'Plessy', your two grandchildren were also scolded... and she supports me very much, so you don't have to worry."

"Shut up!"

The old man flew into a rage. He grabbed the dessert on the table and threw it at Director Plessy, who took it lightly and stuffed it into his mouth - this made the old man so angry that he started rummaging around for it.

"The pistol is in the upstairs drawer, father, and our guest is awake."

"..."

After taking a few deep breaths, the old man stretched out his hands to straighten his clothes, then walked up to Rhodes, grabbed his injured arm and shook it gently, saying seriously:

"Please let me thank you on behalf of the French government for your help, young man. No matter who you are or what you have done in the past, you protected Paris last night. I saw that monster and how you killed it with your sword. Thank you, thank you very much. Without you, I can imagine that the blood of the French people would have completely dyed the Seine red."

"It's my job, General Edmond Bertino."

Rhode said with a smile. He watched the general's facial muscles relax slightly. The general walked around Director Plessy and sat back in his seat. He sighed and said,

"What otherworld, what supernatural creatures, what powerful psychics... This world already feels unfamiliar to me. And you even erased the helicopter pilot's memory. Why don't you just erase mine too?"

"We need a friend who can support our actions at a critical moment, and you will always know in the future, General."

"It's so tiring to be your friend," General Bettino grumbled. He sighed, "The future! The future! The future is beyond my imagination."

"I feel the same way, General."

Bond and Price exchanged a glance, then spoke to Rhodes, who was sitting on the sofa with the help of the girls.

"We came to Paris just to ask you something, but we didn't expect to run into all this chaos. It's like we've gotten a taste of future battles. Do you know this behemoth? Over a hundred meters tall, unfazed by nuclear radiation, I can't even imagine how it grew so large!"

As Bond spoke, he placed a photo in front of Rhodes and folded it slightly. It was obvious that he wanted to let General Bettino know, but also didn't want him to know... This little thought was easily known to the general, who turned his eyes away and then listened attentively to the conversation between other people.

As soon as he saw what was in the photo clearly, Rhodes subconsciously retreated tactically:

What the hell?! Godzilla? From the Legendary Cinematic Universe! What the hell is buried in Antarctica?!

Thinking about the destruction those Titans could cause, Rhodes just wanted to cover his head with his hands - wait, isn't there Dr. Alan Grant in the Foundation? So next up is "Jurassic Park" and then "Jurassic World", right?

Dinosaurs are fine, but this doctor should not get involved in some hyperspace teleportation experiment or find a horror novel writer. But according to the direction of this world... Rhodes leaned back on the sofa, his face full of an expression of "Oh shit, why is this world so bad?"

"What's wrong, Rod, you look bad."

Bond's face was calm, but his heart sank. He glanced at General Bettino, sighed, and whispered:

"Great Britain will probably pass this news on to other NATO allies in a month. I wonder if it can be resolved within that time. Although I know it will be difficult, it's good to be able to gather intelligence."

"Don't even think about it. You, all of you, and the entire human race are no match for it, at least not in this day and age. Using nuclear weapons to attack it will only recharge its energy. Besides," Rhodes frowned and scratched his forehead, "you can't kill it. Okay, let me tell you, this behemoth is—"

"Godzilla."

Director Plessy spoke calmly, seemingly unsurprised. Facing Rhode's surprised gaze, he explained with a hint of seriousness:

"Koji... Dr. Ishiro Serizawa of the Foundation has been studying this giant beast. He's been tracking it for years but hasn't found its true form. The other two directors are also helping him—he's the successor to the Japanese one, if anything goes wrong."

After saying this, Director Plessy fell silent, his fingers rubbing subconsciously until Abigail, who had come downstairs, yawned, a faint cat-like sound, breaking the silence. Looking at the blonde girl who continued to sleep in Rhodes' arms, the director forced a smile and continued:

"We've always thought it was just a legend and fantasy. After all, we've never seen anything real. Only the occasional ancient mural depicting it seems like with the rising tide, those long-dormant beasts are about to awaken."

"This is Mother Earth's way of dealing with crises," Rhodes warned. "There won't be just one giant beast. Be prepared."

"Rather than a means of protecting humanity, right?"

"It's obvious, gentlemen. So we need to maintain good relations with that big guy, or at least prevent the battle between the giant beasts from happening in human cities."

Rhode turned his arm and felt an itch that he couldn't scratch. Under the serious gaze of the girls, he gave up the idea of ​​untying it.

"Humans are just one of countless creatures on Earth. Even if the entire planet turned into a desert, what would it matter? It's just bad luck for the creatures there. It's better to say that if there weren't life there, Earth wouldn't be blasted apart by the tides of the other world."

"The planet can be blown up?!"

General Bettino, unable to bear it any longer, stood up abruptly. He paced around the room with his fists clenched, but after a few turns, he sat back down in his seat, resting his hand on his forehead. After a few seconds of silence, he said:

"This isn't something a single country can resolve. Worse still, even if I report it, the president and other senior officials won't believe it. Besides, you've already covered everything that happened last night. Even if you're blaming Umbrella, there's no reason to blame them. Those dead were mercenaries from around the world. I doubt they even understood French... The French government will continue to investigate, but for now, they can only declare it a terrorist attack."

"There will be opportunities later, General," Rhodes consoled him. "You can communicate more with Director Plessy. I believe he knows what to say and what not to say. Besides, according to my estimation, the other world will be completely exposed to the world in two to three years at most. Of course, ordinary people's opinions are another matter."

General Betino's facial muscles twitched slightly. He covered his eyes with his hands to avoid looking at his son-in-law's eager face - this bastard would definitely answer his questions with a mixture of praise and criticism. Tsk, it's better to ignore him for the sake of the two children.

"Thank you, dear. Please watch the front door and stop any guests who might come."

After reaching out to take the tea brought by Mrs. Bettino, the general nodded slightly to his wife, and watched the latter serve a cup of hot tea to everyone present and then quickly leave the room.

After thinking for a moment, General Bettino said:

"What can I do for this country? I need your advice."

"Train your soldiers well and wait for the time when you're needed. I'll also introduce some retired soldiers to my Army Without Borders, a military organization fighting against the otherworld," Rhodes said calmly. Then, with a smile, he added, "French intelligence agencies like the Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE) or the Directorate-General for Military Intelligence (DRM) can also be used to place spies there. I don't mind, as long as they're capable enough."

"……I will think about it."

After solving the general's problem, Rhodes turned to Bond and whispered:

"You've seen the mess Umbrella has caused. If that thing gets out of control, the crisis humanity will face will be no less severe than that of the otherworld. If a biochemical crisis can happen in France, it can also happen in Britain. Just think about it."

"They will be my targets. I have many friends in Europe who will help me."

Bond nodded gravely. He tucked the note containing Rhodes's instructions—that there was more than one giant beast, that it wasn't afraid of nuclear weapons, that it was a natural creation of Earth, and so on—into a secret compartment in his pocket. He then stood up and prepared to leave with Captain Price, who had already discussed a lot with Bond on the way here and now needed to go back and think carefully about the future of Task Force 141...

Just as he was about to leave, Captain Price turned his head and said to Rhodes:

"Someone from the CIA is tracking you and Atlas Corporation. Be careful."

"I understand—Bourne, you're going somewhere with me later."

Hearing Rhodes' words, Jason Bourne nodded slightly, feeling a little uneasy.