Rust - Chapter 1013



Only Krnovel

RUST [RUST]-1014

The black vine used its dagger as a skewer and pulled a chunk of well-cooked pork out of the pot.

Whirilirik-

Crunch- rustle-

The sight of over 40 vines cutting the meat was bizarre. The meat was cut evenly as if it was cut by a machine. And Kim Yang, who was eating the ssam with the happiest expression on her face, glanced at Maru.

‘Did you eat enough?’

Judging by the way you’re eating, you must be quite full.

“Is it delicious?”

“Uh- Yeah- But why aren’t you eating?”

“I’ll keep it. I’ll boil it more and eat it.”

“Meat. If you cook it too much, it won’t taste good.”

Kim Yang, who was moderately full, praised the taste of the meat. It tasted like a mixture of beef and pork, and it was surprisingly chewy and tender even after being boiled for so long.

“The rich flavor is stronger than pork or beef. Was elephant meat originally this delicious?”

“If that were the case, elephants would have been used for food.”

“Ah- So that means if I eat all of this, I can never eat it again.”

“I couldn’t eat it all in my entire life. So when I eat it, I feel like I get a warm surge of strength like when I eat bear meat?”

Question marks and exclamation marks seemed to float above Kim Yang’s head as she tilted her head at Maru’s half-joking question.

“I don’t know about the strength. Huh-”

Miss Kim, who was looking at the wooden floor, smiled faintly. She had a slightly dazed expression on her face even though she hadn’t even had a drink.

“I think there were side effects.”

“What side effects?”

“Liver···.”

“Liver? Liver?”

“I think things have gotten a little weird.”

“Liver? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

So, our Baekjeong. These days, it looks like a thousand or ten thousand, but after eating elephant meat, it looks like a ten-year-old.

???

Ki-soon, who was watching the video, sighed and changed the subject.

[Let’s finish the story we were talking about earlier after we finished eating.]

Kim Yang’s subtle reaction was buried in the story of the Emperor’s participation in the Vietnam War.

[You’re not planning on killing Emperor Leon Bonnard, are you?]

“What if the Emperor’s powers were to grow stronger by feeding on faith? What if the Emperor were to gain divinity and become a god of war or victory?”

If the Emperor’s ability is to project telekinesis onto objects within an area based on his spatial perception, what would happen if that were to become extremely powerful?

Even now, it blocks long-range sniping and guides shells to increase accuracy, but what if it continues to grow stronger by eating faith?

What Maru cared about most was survival and stability. And the Emperor of the Empire seemed dangerous enough to threaten the safety and survival of the Holy Kingdom.

[It is dangerous for you to kill the emperor yourself.]

Even if they succeeded in killing him, the aftermath would be difficult. They didn’t know what would happen to Den Brown right away, and even if they passed Den Brown, the Imperials would be a problem.

Currently, Emperor Leon Bonard has absolute support to the point of being a religion. Such an emperor was assassinated? Who could kill an emperor who has spatial perception and is immune to long-range sniping?

The biggest suspect had to be Maru.

“So, are we just going to watch the Emperor of the Empire go around waging war?”

[Just as we have problems, the Empire will have problems. It is bound to have problems.]

Just as the idea of ​​closing the sinkhole and exterminating the monsters and cannibals who had eaten the faith created anti-Sacred Kingdom factions and guerrillas, and caused a chain reaction in each country, the story was that if the Emperor of the Empire continued the war, he would face resistance.

[Unlike us who can achieve success with a small number of elite troops, the empire needs troops and supplies to exert its power.]

While Maru alone could display destructive power greater than that of a legion, the Emperor needed troops, firearms, and supplies to fully demonstrate his abilities.

Even if the emperor won the war, troops, firearms, and supplies did not just come out of nowhere. As the enemy grew stronger, the number of enemies increased. It was a victory that inevitably required enormous expenditure.

In the end, Gi-sun thought that the emperor’s continued victories only served to squeeze the empire and grind down the defeated nations.

[If the price of victory in war is the impoverishment of the empire and the end of the empire, will that old man still be there? Will that old man still be there?]

“······.”

Surely, if Dan Brown were Prime Minister, he wouldn’t just sit by and watch Emperor Leon Bonnard ruin the empire.

[On the other hand, what about an emperor who wants to continue winning wars, gain faith, and become stronger? Would an emperor who wants to gain divinity tolerate a guy like Den? How long? So even if you don’t kill him or anything, I think time will solve this.]

“······.”

The story of Emperor Leon Bonnard, who will bring about his own downfall if he pursues endless war in order to gain more faith.

In fact, if you think about it, everything is like that. If there is an uphill, there is also a downhill, and if there is a fast-moving place, there is also a slow-moving place.

Gisun thought that if the emperor were to become blinded by faith and divinity, then his fortunes would end.

Likewise, this story applies to Maru. If you are obsessed with closing the sinkhole for survival and safety, and keep trying to sweep it away, you will inevitably have enemies like you do now.

[How long are you going to keep closing sinkholes? How long are you going to keep waging a public opinion war? The more we obsess over sinkholes, the more people will think the opposite, thinking that there is something in the sinkhole.]

“······.”

That’s what it was.

[Likewise, the more we close sinkholes, the more people will try to hide them. You know, sinkholes are dangerous, so you’ll do that… I don’t think rushing into it will solve anything.]

“I know what you mean. But it’s better to deal with Southeast Asia as quickly as possible.”

Maru was of the opinion that if he had started something, he had to finish it somehow. Since he had already touched each country in Southeast Asia and had even involved Korea and the Empire, it was not something that could be ended by letting go now.

If Thailand had been left alone, things might have gotten so bad that they would have been beyond our control. Even a white elephant could do wide-scale brainwashing.

It was dizzying to think that he had spread such brainwashing powers throughout Southeast Asia. But why didn’t he do it?

The reason Thailand couldn’t do it was because there were people in each country who could keep them in check. On the other hand, the reason Thailand couldn’t be touched was because there was an elephant monster and a Thai king.

So when Maru collapsed Thailand, other countries began to target Thailand directly or take advantage of the imbalance to seek internal power.

In any case, it’s a situation that causes a chain reaction like dominoes. In that case, it would be right to end the sinkholes, the gods, the cannibals who eat religion, and the cults in Southeast Asia.

However, going forward, we should consider pushing it aside like we are doing now and then cleaning up afterwards.

After finishing a satisfying meal, Kim Yang, who had been listening with a languid expression, tilted her head. Maru’s words and Gi-sun’s words were good and all, but to her, they felt like they were being talked about unnecessarily.

“Hmm- I think it would be right to just push them away like we did? Those monsters are still crawling back into the sinkhole, but what if they suddenly change their behavior and don’t go back into the sinkhole?”

Why did they try to close the sinkhole? Wasn’t it because of that monster?

“It was the same in Japan. It spread out and then went back into the Tokyo sinkhole. It has the property of returning to the sinkhole, so what if it was weaponized? If it had spread out in all directions, would they have said something like that?”

The sinkhole monster’s infectious and erosive powers were enormous. Once the erosion began, it would mutate in an instant, within minutes, so if it spread, it would be instantaneous. If it spread without returning to the sinkhole, there would be no answer.

“So what if the situation changes? What if the sinkhole monster suddenly starts running wild? So instead of fiddling around with this and that, I think it’s best to deal with it as best as you can while you can. And just let the sinkhole go.”

[We have been fully informed of the dangers of sinkholes. That is why we have received reports.]

“Did you properly inform them of the dangers of infection and erosion? And to be properly informed, you should also inform them that the sinkhole monster is weak to salt, seawater, and sunlight.”

[If it becomes known that it is weak to salt and seawater, they will try to use that?]

Kim Yang answered with an annoyed expression, like a full cat purring.

“Anyway, when we close the sinkhole, we use salt and seawater. Doesn’t everyone know that? It’ll be known over time anyway. It would be better to disclose it right now and let them close it themselves, or to say that we’ll protect and control the sinkhole. We’ll just keep going around closing sinkholes. Yeah.”

Kim Yang thought so. Those who wanted to weaponize sinkholes also knew that it was dangerous. Because it was dangerous, they would want to weaponize it strategically.

The problem was the civilians who would get involved and the Holy Kingdom who would be entangled in a headache. If the Holy Kingdom got tired, who would get tired? Even he, the proud second in line, would get tired.

Why does it have to be like that?

If those idiots keep talking about weaponizing something, they should be held accountable.

Ms. Kim was disgusted by the idea of ​​people taking shit and people cleaning it up separately.

I thought it would be better to disclose the information clearly, close down what needs to be closed, and let them figure it out on their own. Instead of getting politically entangled and annoying.

I also told them how to close the sinkhole, so even if it explodes later, they’ll do it on their own since it was their choice.

“Anyway. If I tell you about salt, seawater, and sunlight, you’ll probably pile up salt sacks near the sinkhole. The people living near the sinkhole will also stockpile salt. That’s it. Or is it?”

[······.]

Maru nodded at Kim Yang’s words that revealing their weaknesses would at least increase the salt reserves.

“Information on sinkholes···.”

Maru thought about it for a moment and made a decision.

“We will also reveal information about the sinkhole monster.”

It would be better if information that could be a weakness was disclosed so that the general public could prepare for it.

“I warn those who try to control sinkholes and use them as weapons that they will be wiped out if caught.”

Information that was previously only known to governments, ruling powers, and the military of each country has now become available to anyone living in Southeast Asia.

‧

‧

‧

The elephant meat that Maru had dismembered was sent to the floating city of the Holy Kingdom.

[It has been confirmed that bone broth is also effective.]

If the giant bear meat had an effect on overall physical abilities, the divine elephant meat had an effect on the mental side. It was revealed that mental abilities, dominance, and mental wave resistance increased.

“It’s not just the meat that’s like that, but the gomtang too?”

[If you look at the effects so far, yes.]

“I saw Miss Kim’s liver swell. Are there any other effects or side effects?”

[···It was effective for people with mental anxiety.]

So, if we apply that story to Ms. Kim, does that mean that deep down in her heart, she was either afraid of Maru herself, or that she still had a sense of pride?

Na Ju-yeon decided not to comment on Maru’s interpretation. She was glad that Maru thought that way, but she also didn’t think so.

‘I need to eat some boiled pork and get some good sleep.’

Anyway, Na Ju-yeon decided to have elephant meat stew for dinner tonight.

[It is more effective than most medications for people with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). It is also effective for depression and nervousness.]

“Really? Then it would be better to manage it and use it rather than using it as a special food like bear meat.”

I don’t know how long it lasts, but I didn’t know it would have a semi-permanent effect like bear meat.

[Yes, I think that would be a good idea.]

“Then let’s do that.”

[And the problem with Androids equipped with artificial intelligence has also been confirmed.]

It was a problem with the assistant AI and android bodyguards that caused malfunctions in the elephant’s abilities.

[Just as thoughts and minds affect the physical world, they also affect programs and chips.]

“It’s dangerous.”

[Yes, it means that humans are at risk, but AI is not safe either.]

The story was that if elephant meat increases mental resistance, it could actually make humans and animals safer.

[Diana and Samantha are looking into ways to prevent the AI ​​assistant from becoming corrupted, so a countermeasure will come out soon.]

“Android production will be halted until a countermeasure is found.”

As soon as Na Ju-yeon heard that Android was behaving strangely, she stopped producing Android.

[yes.]

“And what happened to the sinkhole monster research?”

[So far, there are no apparent weaknesses other than being vulnerable to salt, seawater, and sunlight.]

Artificial intelligence Diana delivers breaking news.

[It is said that the four-party talks for peace in Vietnam have broken down.]

Was North Vietnam’s will to unify strong? Was South Vietnam’s will to separate and become independent strong? Or maybe Dan Brown was unable to break Emperor Leon Bonnard’s will to fight.

In any case, the breakdown of the four-party talks involving North Vietnam, South Vietnam, Korea, and the Empire meant that the Vietnam Civil War was about to break out.

Tsk-

Maru, who clicked his tongue, headed to the situation room.