"Listen to me Edward, run away. Leave New York and run as far away as possible. This is good for everyone."
After receiving the warning from HER, Edward stopped pursuing the second machine, and the Osiris did not fight back. Edward found a phone in the empty Grace Church that could communicate with the outside world. He opened the priest's notebook and looked for anyone who could help.
The person talking to him now is John, the leader of the New Jersey guerrilla group "Sons of Liberty." Edward was furious when he heard that John asked him to abandon the kidnapped refugees and escape.
"They were kidnapped because of me, and you asked me to abandon them and run away? If I don't go to HER, the bastards will shoot them!"
John on the other end of the phone said: "Calm down and let me analyze it for you. Do you think that even if you surrender, HER will let you go? Sending the hostages to their mines as slaves is already the best outcome. ! Besides, even if you have withdrawn from the North American Rescue Alliance, your Unit 3 is still an important asset to the North American resistance cause. Compared with those refugees, you should protect Unit 3 and not give it to the enemy in vain. .”
"you…"
"And if you want to fight HER, what about those hostages? Can you defeat the HER army on Staten Island? I heard they have at least five Yingyangs."
"It's not like I haven't defeated this number of enemies before!" Edward roared.
"Yes, yes, but that's also because you are familiar with New York. You grew up there and defeated the original HER New York defenders by surprise. The enemy is well prepared this time. You will definitely be in danger if you try to break in. .”
"So I said, please send some troops to support me, preferably a few 'fast militia'!"
(The "Quick Minuteman" is a humanoid weapon of the North American Rescue Alliance. It is characterized by low cost, quick assembly, and easy disassembly and maintenance after being shot. However, it has major flaws in its armament and armor.)
"No, I won't support you." John denied quickly.
"What? I'm John who has helped you many times!"
"They are two different things! Edward, you care about your New York, and I also care about the refugees in New Jersey! There are far more of them than the refugees in New York! I have advised you more than once that New York is dead! It won't help if you go back!"
John continued: "Edward, you think you are the savior of New York, but you are just a home-loving brat! So what if you rescue the hostages and let them continue to live in the ruins of New York, which is seriously polluted, in your Under protection? You are hypocritical, Edward!"
"Stop talking nonsense! Let me ask you again, are you willing to help me?"
"No! We, the Sons of Liberty, only have three rapid militia units, and we have to protect the people of New Jersey. I will not lend you anything."
"Hmph, do you know why I quit the North American Rescue League? It's because I saw through the faces of you people who call themselves freedom defenders! You only care about your own little land!"
"Edward, we are the same in this regard. We all have things that we can't let go of. Take my advice and you should run away. If you resist, other New York refugees will also suffer."
"I don't want to be a coward lying in a coffin! Goodbye John!"
Edward hung up the phone and kicked open a deformed can. He slumped down on the priest's chair, rubbed his forehead vigorously to calm himself, and then made a second call...
"I'm sorry Edward, listen to me, you should escape by yourself..."
"I have known you for a while. You are an upright young man. But you are too one-minded! It would be best if you ran away. I don't want to see the people from HER driving Unit 3 to attack me. warrior…"
"Sorry, there's nothing I can do..."
…
Night falls, and there is still a lot of time before noon tomorrow. Edward asked many people for help, but no one or group was willing to help him. They were all afraid that HER would retaliate afterwards.
The priest still had many phone calls in his notebook, but he didn't know who to call. He flipped through his notebook irritably and finally found a call worth trying.
"Hello? I'm Edward Terras from New York. I need to ask your help."
"Wait a mininute."
The voice on the other end of the phone was indifferent, and Edward waited uneasily for the person who could help him to appear.
"Hi, I'm Lucas."
"Mr. Lucas! I am..."
"It goes without saying, I already know your situation."
"Really? Will you help me?"
There was a strange, uncomfortable laughter on the other end of the phone.
"Are you asking me for help?" Lucas asked.
"Yes! I have asked many people for help, but they are all unreliable!"
"Your name is Edward, right? I've heard about your story and abilities. I can help you, but there are conditions."
"What conditions?" Edward asked.
"Give me Ten Swords Unit 3, and you will be my mercenary, so that I can rescue those hostages, how about that?"
Edward was silent, and the person named Lucas on the other end of the phone laughed strangely again. He said, "This is a very good deal for you. I am willing to wait for you until 8 o'clock tomorrow morning. Don't keep me waiting." ”
Lucas hung up and Edward put down the phone and roughly threw the notebook to the ground. He walked to the place where the remains were laid under the church, patted the priest’s coffin lid and said:
"Old man, will God allow this to happen?"
At this time, footsteps appeared upstairs, and Edward became alert. He put on AR glasses, activated the camera of the "Howling Dog" hidden nearby, and found an armored vehicle parked outside Grace Church.
"How dare you come back!"
Edward took out his pistol and walked quietly to the hall. He found a blond man wearing a Covenant uniform walking inside the church. He seemed to be the only one in the hall.
Edward did not relax his vigilance and carefully searched for the location where the enemy might be hiding. Unexpectedly, the intruder spoke first.
"Is there anyone? Is the pilot of Unit 3 here? I'm from the Osiris! I fought with you today."
Edward was hiding in the dark and said, "Don't move! My gun is pointing at you!"
The intruder raised his hands to show that he had no hostility. He said: "I am the former Covenant sergeant Anton Gagarin, the person who sniped you on the Osiris this morning."
Edward sarcastically said: "Your sniping skills are really not that good!"
"Both each other!" Anton did not accept Edward's sarcasm. He said, "We heard what HER said to you, and the Osiris is willing to help you rescue the hostages!"
"What?"
Edward felt incredible. He sought help from people he thought were reliable for a long time, but no one was willing to help him. Now, people who have been attacked by him have to take the initiative to help him.
"Don't lie to me."
"What I said is true."
"I don't believe you. You must want me to hand over 'Erlang Shen' afterwards, right? I won't hand it over to anyone!"
"We are not interested in Unit 3. We only ask that you do not interfere with the Osiris leaving New York."
"I no longer care about your ship, and your ship has already left the range where I set the trap. If you want to leave, you shouldn't be here now."
"Yes, we can leave. But guess what? I heard that you broke away from the North American Rescue League. Although I don't know the reason, I believe you did it to protect this city, although the method is too stupid!"
"You don't have to judge me!"
"Unfortunately, our crew of the Osiris are the same as you. Our hometown surrendered to HER, so we left the Covenant Alliance and wandered on the earth to fight against HER alone. Do you think we have an agenda? It's up to you, but I Let me tell you, after we rescue the hostages, we will leave New York without taking anything, believe it or not!"
After Anton finished speaking, the church became silent again. He raised his hands and waited for Edward's answer, but there was no response.
"You are such a fool! Forget it, we would have saved those hostages without you!"
Anton heads for the door, but Edward suddenly appears and blocks his way.
"I agree, how do you save people?"
