Long-term salvation

"We can't just rescue him. Yeah, we rescued him, but then what? You plan to let him lead you in guerrilla warfare? That's not possible, even after the collapse of the Soviet Union... So, we must allow him to openly appear in Russian politics and become an idol? A banner? A guide for the new era? The wording isn't important; what's important is that Sablin has to have appeal."

As he spoke, Rhodes raised his eyes and looked at Perseus, his blue eyes carrying a rare seriousness and majesty.

"I need you to mobilize all available forces to ensure that Sablin's reputation is restored and he returns to the public eye. Bribe, buy off, coercion, whatever means are fine. Television, radio, newspapers, whatever means are fine. Just do it - seek the help of Marshal Sergei Fyodorovich Akhromeyev, he is trustworthy. Go to your friends in the KGB and do this, Andrei. Remember, you only have one chance."

"……I will."

"Then, there's only one last thing left," Rhodes folded his hands and asked in an almost interrogative manner:

"Are you sure that Sablin can shoulder this responsibility?"

"I do not know."

"What if he fails, compromises, becomes afraid, and sells out the people like everyone else?"

"I do not know."

Perseus's face strained into a tired, pained smile.

"It's just that, wanting to try and save it, perhaps this alliance should have been shattered long ago, but that red flag must not fall... In the future you see, the crimson star will eventually rise, but before that, in this pitiful world, we may be swallowed by darkness, swallowed by the [Tide], and fight each other to the last man for the last shred of pure land."

"Please forgive my selfishness, Rhodes, but other than that, I have nothing."

"I understand. Let's try it."

Rhodes nodded slightly, stood up and walked outside.

"In that case, Weihua, you will come back to Arkham with me first. D, Marian, and Little Red Riding Hood, the three of you will go to Berlin first and lead the agents of the Army Without Borders to conduct preliminary recruitment throughout the Warsaw Pact. Then, in two weeks, I will personally go there to review the results."

After all, before that, he had a date with the wolf girl.

Note ①: There is no protagonist named Bell in the original game "Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War", so Xianyu just made up one here.

Chapter 229 Daily Life: Walking with Angels

"Ave Maria...gratia plena...Dominus tecum...benedicta tu in mulieribus..."

The pink-haired girl sitting in the passenger seat folded her hands together, lowered her eyes slightly, and chanted a holy song.

"et benedictus fructusventris tui...Iesus...SanctaMaria...Mater Dei..."

Rhodes could tell the girl was quite happy, but if she kept singing like that, the entire car would be consecrated as a relic—perhaps the contained demon Pazuzu could be placed in the car as a pendant? He had always been very happy and motivated when it came to torturing these "religious demons."

The only pity is that I didn't find a chance to take Asmodeus in this time, otherwise, I would have another toy in the future.

After thinking about it for a while, Rhodes, who was driving, reached out and pinched the girl's cheek, making her murmur in dissatisfaction.

Patting Weihua's head amusingly, Rhodes withdrew his hand, turned on the car radio, and said with a smile:

"If you keep singing, this car will start talking to me, Mika."

"I don't have that kind of power!"

The girl whispered, but her face soon filled with smiles. She reached out and grabbed the seat belt and said happily:

"It's just the two of us now."

"Because the others didn't come back with us," Rod raised an eyebrow at Weihua. He rolled down the window and took a cigarette out of his pocket, but then put it back under the girl's blank stare. He said helplessly, "At this time, you should have said, 'Sensei, let me light you a cigarette.'"

“Will other people do the same?”

"Not really."

"Then I feel the same way," Mika smiled, her eyebrows slightly curved, as bright as flowers, "but we did take a long plane ride... I thought we would take a helicopter or a small plane back to the town, which is also good, I like it."

"Is it because you're alone with me?" Rhodes raised his eyebrows and made a face at Weihua.

"Hmm↓hum↑"

The girl confessed openly and without reservation, her face a mixture of anticipation and shyness as she hummed a brisk, unknown ballad. The sunlight streaming down the North American landscape filtered through the car window, casting a faint halo around her lovely face, like an angel descending to earth—an angel she was, bound to a man, and forbidden to be touched by anyone else.

Rod smiled and continued driving, letting the car continue along the road.

Unlike when I came to Arkham in winter, and also unlike the many times I returned to the town before, the sparse forests and shrubs on both sides of the road have already become lush and full of vitality due to the arrival of summer.

The river meandered off into the distance, its emerald waters shimmering in emerald green. The forest beside it sank into a silent meditation, awaiting the arrival of the sweltering summer heat. The mountains, bathed in sunlight, shimmered in a shimmering green, appearing infinitely vast, as if the forest had already covered the entire world, endless and without boundaries.

Perhaps it was good this way. The car could keep running forever, and Rod could always listen to the girl's expectations, complaints, and more worthless words beside him - Nothing - Everthing - thinking this way, even the flowers, plants, and gravel on the roadside became lovely, like the scenery in a fairy tale.

"Are we almost there?" Weihua suddenly asked. She looked out the window and saw the road sign flash by. "Can we stop for a while? Right here, by the river."

"Of course you can. What do you want to do? Let me tell you in advance. I don't have any fishing gear or anything like that."

Although he was a little confused, Rhodes obediently parked the car on the side of the road. He saw the girl open the car door and get out. She took off her shoes and white stockings by the river, tied up the hem of her skirt, and slowly walked into the slightly cold river water.

Weihua walked slowly. The sharp gravel on the riverbed had long been quietly moved away, leaving only the smooth and flat pebbles, forming a stone road hidden in the river for her.

Suddenly, the girl turned around, opened her arms to Rhodes, and said with a smile:

"Come play in the water, Sensei!"

The girl's lovely little selfishness quietly wove into a thread in the broad daylight, penetrating through the skin of Rhodes' fingers, along his palms, arms, all the way up, into his brain, controlling his legs to move forward like a puppet.

Damn it... I was manipulated by this pink-haired girl.

Rhodes thought about it, threw off his shoes and jumped into the river. The splashing water made the girl scream a little, but she immediately bent down and scooped up the river water with both hands and splashed it back.

The river water exploded on Rhodes' face, forcing him to squint his eyes and bend down, both to avoid and fight back.

The splashing water sparkled like stars in the sunlight. Several unknown small fish were frightened by the chaotic river water and swam away quickly, never daring to come back.

Weihua stood beside Rhodes, holding a flat stone in her palm, which was then held by Rhodes' broader hand. The warmth from the back of his hand made the girl squint her eyes slightly, feeling proud of her sudden whim.

"We can't hold the stone with too much force and then stretch our arms back..."

Listening to Rhodes' slow voice, Weihua thought for a second and decided to take a step further and be bolder - she stepped back, wanting to get closer to Rhodes, but as soon as she took a step, she found that she seemed to have stepped on something soft.

"My toes!"

The girl's stomping was heavier than Rhode had imagined. At that moment, he almost thought his toes were saying goodbye to the soles of his feet. Subconsciously, he stepped back with his other foot, but the panicked Weihua took a few more steps back, knocking him backward into the clear river.

Her pink hair swayed slightly along the direction of the river's flow. A hint of embarrassment and shyness appeared on her willow brows dotted with water droplets. Weihua gave Rhodes a silly smile.

"Hey."

"Hey, you're so big!"

Rhode stood up, grabbed Weihua's face with both hands and rubbed it wantonly, forcing out a funny expression, then pulled her out of the river and said unhappily:

"I can already imagine the complaints we'll get from others when we get back. You have to wash your clothes yourself, although there are several washing machines in Hill Manor... Is it cold?"

"It's a little cold. I want Sensei to carry me."

"I thought you'd want me to hold you."

“…Huh?! Is this even possible?”

"So you didn't expect that?!"

Hearing Rhodes' exaggerated feigned surprise, Weihua's cheeks puffed up. She clung to Rhodes like an octopus and couldn't get rid of her, forcing him to walk in the river with difficulty. But Rhodes immediately seized the opportunity, pulled her off him, held her in his arms, and strolled towards the shore.

Rhodes held Weihua in his arms, feeling the scorching heat coming through her cold clothes. He then heard a faint, gentle, almost whisper-like request:

"Please... walk slower."

"In that case, Weihua, what do you want to pay with?"

"Eh?"

"Look, you want me to walk slower, slower in this freezing cold, bottomless, and dangerous river—my God, you're such a cruel woman," Rhodes lied shamelessly, causing the girl in his arms to open her eyes wide, her golden pupils filled with disbelief. "If you want me to walk slower, you have to pay something as a reward."

"B-but I didn't do anything... Uh-huh..."

Rhode didn't give her a chance to continue speaking—this slightly roundabout love talk probably wouldn't make the girl understand for a while—so he took action directly.

"If you think you're getting a kiss for every step you take, this reward is pretty mediocre."

"What... Sensei!"

So, on a bright warm day, he took the angel home.

Chapter 230 Daily Life: Good Girlfriend

The heavy paperwork was almost as tiring as the combat.

Reviewing, examining, rejecting, calculating whether the data contained therein is false, and monitoring whether the projects have been implemented - this often requires the supervisor to be present in person - and for this reason, when Yuuka dragged her exhausted body back to Hill Villa, she saw Mika awkwardly looking at Hina at the lunch table.

Lunch time was dull and warm. Aside from the lively Nayako, everyone just chatted about the little things that had happened recently in a friendly manner. Occasionally, they would complain to Rod about some work troubles, and by the way, suggest preparing a grander welcome ceremony for Weihua one day.

After lunch, Yuka yawned as she slowly walked through the corridor of Hill Villa. She then saw Abigail carrying a basket and walking towards the forest outside. Abigail was wearing a black hooded robe, with only a few golden hair hanging outside due to the breeze. Her black cat, Pickman, was following her, swinging its tail and meowing from time to time.

Yes, Abigail said she wanted to eat mushrooms at night...but mushrooms usually have to be picked in the early morning, right?

Yuka vaguely recalled that Abigail had recently tried to poison Nayako, though she hadn't succeeded once. The two of them were constantly fighting and making Hill Manor seem especially lively even when Rod was away.

Looking at Abigail who was tripped by a branch and fell, and Nyako who immediately ran to laugh at her but was also tripped, Yuuka's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a slight smile.

"Okay, now I have to go back to work!"

Yuuka clenched her fists, cheered herself up, and continued walking along the corridor - she ran into Noah, who was smiling.

The silver-haired girl narrowed her eyes, placed her hands on her chest, fingers touching, and stood in the shadow of the corridor, her words tinged with persuasion:

"It's better to take a rest, Yuuka."

"Hmm... I might sleep on the sofa in the study for an hour," Yuuka blinked, not noticing the strangeness in her bestie's tone. "Because I need to coordinate the transfer of construction funds in Africa, and Aperture Technology's reports also need to be audited. All in all, it's a lot of work."

"It's better to go back to your room and rest."

"But……"

"This is an order from Sensei," the silver-haired girl opened her eyes slightly, her bright purple pupils standing out in the shadows. "He told you to go to his room and rest."

"Eh eh eh?!"

"Okay, go ahead, I'll get the job done."

Noah smiled and turned Yuka around, then pushed her all the way to Rod's room and opened the door.

There was no one inside, perhaps they hadn't returned yet, or they were waiting for a more appropriate time, but stepping into this room was enough to spark one's imagination.

After a few seconds of silence, Yuuka took a few deep breaths and slowly stepped inside. She removed her shoes and stepped onto the slightly hard carpet. The window in the room was only slightly open. A half-finished plan lay on the desk, the remaining half covered in doodles of various Warhammer chess pieces. Some of the doodles even had angry faces painted on the shoulder armor of the golden warriors, which looked particularly funny.

Looking at Yuuka who was touching him gently in the room, Noah smiled slightly, then slowly closed the door, turned around and walked down the corridor towards the study... What would happen next?

Would a weary Yuuka surely walk around the room first, then doze off on the sofa? No, no, she would blush and think about random things, then carefully climb onto the slightly hard bed and cover herself with a thin blanket, anticipating the moment she opened her eyes, when the person she wanted to see would lie beside her and kiss her.

And then? Then...

Noah thought about it and almost laughed out loud in the corridor.

She walked up the stairs, turned the corner, crossed the corridor, and arrived outside the study in a minute. She calmed her mind, composed her expression, and opened the door.

"Sensei, I'm here to help you with the documents."

The silver-haired girl lowered her eyes, her face as calm and elegant as ever.

"Oh! This is such a great help, Noah. I didn't realize there would be so many... Hinai is planning to go out too, and Mary just dragged Mika to the church in the small town—wait, let me call them first. Father Merlin doesn't have a good heart—alas, the others aren't very good at handling this paperwork, so they can't help."

Rhodes placed piles of documents beside him in distress. These things almost blocked his view of the newcomer. When he turned sideways, he only saw Noah preparing to make coffee. He asked with a hint of doubt:

"Why didn't Yuuka come with you?"

"She's resting," Noah said calmly, but his words gradually became full of complaints. "We've been so busy lately, and you took Miss Weihua to the river to catch fish."

"Actually, I wasn't fishing... I'm so sorry," Rhode immediately clasped his hands together and apologized sincerely, without any delay or change of subject. "I should have called you all here to combine work and rest!"

Hearing Rhode's words, Noah's mouth curled up slightly, her fingers slid across the edge of the cup, and she chuckled and said:

"I'm not blaming you—your work is far more tiring and dangerous than ours, which consists of writing papers and reading reports. Not to mention the previous battles, even the recent battles in England, France, and Spain have filled us with terror, fearing that one day you will return with your dying body—love and hatred have become mutually exclusive in my heart, forcing me to become your assistant, helping you rob me, you gentle thief!"

"S-Sorry... And there's no need to use Shakespeare's verses to describe me..."

"Oh, I told you, I'm not blaming you." Noah walked over to Rhodes with a cup of coffee. After placing the cup on the table, the girl walked behind Rhodes and rubbed his head. "I just hope you can look at us more, even if it's just a glance, say a few more words, even if it's just a word of comfort, like you did to Yuuka today... She's very tired."

"..."

Rhodes felt the soft fingers, and the faint scent of the girl's perfume came to him slowly, accompanied by the gentle and sweet whisper. He almost fell into the sticky spider web. He struggled, but only attracted the owner of the spider web. He waited, but only died of hunger and thirst little by little, and could not escape the final fate.

That's despicable, Noah...

+++++++

Night falls.