Rust - Chapter 126



Only Krnovel

RUST -126

People disembarked from four yachts that arrived in Guam.

“This way.”

Following the staff’s instructions, Ki-sun got into the car heading to the headquarters. There is a US naval base and Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. The joint command was located in Nimitz Hill Base, which is located midway between the air force base and the naval base.

“Do I really need to go?”

“I’m going with you because you asked me to go with you from above.”

The employee answered coldly. Ki-sun looked outside. Tall palm trees adorned the roadside. It was a peaceful sight for a last bastion of the American North Pacific front.

In the 2000s, China began to rapidly expand its military power and challenge the North Pacific order led by the United States. Guam and Okinawa, which can check China’s expansion, became military strategic bases to protect America’s strategic interests in East Asia.

“You’re more resourceful than I thought.”

“There are over 11,500 people in the Navy alone.”

Approximately 11,500 personnel from the 7th Fleet of the Pacific Fleet Command and 6,700 naval personnel not belonging to the 7th Fleet were stationed there.

“The Marine Corps alone has over 19,000 members.”

“There are a lot.”

Excluding the Air Force, the Marine Corps and Navy alone numbered close to 40,000. If you include the 12,000 Air Force personnel at Andersen Air Force Base, there were close to 50,000 troops in Guam. As you can see from the composition of the troops, the US forces in Guam were a rapid-movement force consisting of the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps at their core.

It was a unit that was ready to rush to the scene at any time in the event of an emergency on the Korean Peninsula, but it was currently on high alert for China’s provocations to invade Taiwan.

Before opening the door to the Joint Command Operations Conference Room, the staff member looked at Ki-sun and said.

“I am attending a meeting regarding the security of the United States. I don’t have time right now, so I will speak, but later I will ask you to sign a confidentiality agreement.”

“No, I said I didn’t want to know.” Ki-soon made a look of resentment, but the employee ignored her.

“Now is the time for us to show our patriotism as American citizens. You know that the Pacific Fleet, as well as the Marines stationed here, have no ill feelings, right?”

“······.”

“I’m Korean.” “If only it weren’t for the identity laundering…” The employee added, perhaps interpreting Ki-sun’s silence as tension.

“As a descendant of the unit that fought the most fiercely against the Japanese military, we have traditionally had some tendencies like that, but it has improved a lot, so I would appreciate it if you could convey the most accurate information honestly.”

“··· I already sent you everything I know by email.”

The employee chuckled.

“Didn’t I tell you last time? The military likes confirmation?”

“···I said it was a review, not a confirmation.”

“Why would you review?”

“······.”

“Then let’s go in. Please don’t forget the oath of secrecy and the accurate and detailed information.”

As the staff opened the door, sharp eyes were directed at Ki-sun.

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Ki-sun kept her mouth shut. She would never say anything. She was determined not to get involved.

“···The navy still in Sasebo is still intact. If we utilize that fleet···”

“Which way should I go? There are volcanoes erupting all around, and if I’m not careful, I could end up drifting away.”

“The Yokosuka base is completely silent, so how can you conduct a rescue operation with just one company of troops?”

“···Strengthening reconnaissance with the elite Marine Corps and Delta Force···.”

Is this what the US military is like?

When an operation is announced, documents are sent down and orders are given, and when the immediate superior says, “You go to Hawaii,” isn’t it like you just go to Hawaii? This kind of atmosphere was very different from what I expected.

“···Alpha Company is reconnoitering east from Kamakura, heading towards the Yokosuka naval base···.”

“Beta Company began its search from Kamakura northwards towards Yokohama···.”

Ki-sun thought as he watched the operations staff point to the map. It seemed like they had planned the operation based on the information he had sent via email. The route of landing in Sagami Bay and moving by land without entering Tokyo Bay would take some time, but it seemed relatively safe.

“Then let’s hear the story of someone who escaped from Tokyo. What do you think?”

“Is this your first time sending a rescue team?”

The officers looked at each other at Ki-sun’s question.

“Hmm- that’s not true. We sent a Freedom-class littoral combat ship from Sasebo Naval Base to Yokosuka Naval Base, but it went missing along the way.”

“······.”

Is it one of the ships that were said to be drifting in Tokyo Bay? Or did it really sink? I couldn’t see it with my own eyes because of my injuries, but I heard about it.

“In order to rescue the unified command at Yokota Base, the US military in Korea sent a helicopter from Busan, but it disappeared. The cause is unknown, but it is believed to have crashed. The US military in Korea sent a rescue team three times, but contact was lost each time.”

“······.”

I remembered what Maru had said.

“If we had gone by helicopter, we probably would have been attacked by birds and crashed.”

“Are you sure?”

It meant that it was not a simple collision accident, but a certain attack. There were more accidents of aircraft colliding with birds than you might think. In particular, in the case of helicopters, if they were hit by the horizontal wing, there was a high risk of losing balance and crashing momentarily.

“It’s true. We don’t know why, but the animals have become very aggressive. The birds in particular have attacked not only the boat and the helicopter, but also the boat.”

“The way you avoided the bird’s attack was… You used CS bullets?”

“We used tear gas and flash grenades.”

I was a little annoyed as to why he kept asking about the content I sent in the email, but Ki-sun was good at controlling his facial expressions.

“Did you ever think of scaring away birds by provoking and disturbing them?”

“No, my group did.”

Ki-sun quickly pushed in the floor that wasn’t there.

“Is that so?”

It was a brigadier general with a regretful expression on his face.

“If you have any advice for us, please feel free to tell us.”

“doesn’t exist.”

The brigadier general, who had been scratching his cheek while looking at Ki-sun who had responded reflexively, snickered.

“I wish you would think about it again and talk about it. I’m starting to have a reasonable suspicion that you might be the type who only thinks when you’re out in the field.”

“that···.”

I wanted to scream, “What kind of nonsense is that?” but Ki-sun held it back. Are you kidding me? You’re kidding me, right? Why would the US military forcibly drag civilians into an operational area? Now that I think about it, I remember the rumor that they drafted locals in the Afghanistan war.

“You can chase animals with tear gas and flashbang grenades, but that doesn’t mean you can shoot them.”

The brigadier general nodded as if telling me to continue.

“To reduce the numbers, we need firepower. However, since Mt. Fuji’s eruption makes air support impossible, we must assume that air resupply is also impossible.”

“In addition, many areas in the operation area have been cut off from roads and turned into mud due to the earthquake and two tsunamis. The volcanic ash and smoke from the eruption of Mt. Fuji also renders internal combustion engine vehicles unusable.”

“So? What’s the point?”

“We need an electric vehicle. We need a vehicle with a replaceable battery pack, at least enough to maintain its firepower.”

“and?”

“The earthquake and tsunami created a swamp-like mud pit. The mud won’t freeze, but it will be very cold. You’ll need equipment that can keep you warm in the mud.”

The brigadier nodded, then smiled ominously at Ki-sun and said:

“Did you all hear? The local situation is worse than expected, so distribution has become more important.”

“Give tear gas and flash grenades a top priority. If you run out, bring in stockpiles from the US military in Korea.”

“Bring all the electrically powered transport equipment, even prototypes, that you can use. Set up a temporary camp at the stolen hospital and plan a supply plan based around that.”

“ancient!”

The officers dispersed. Is this the end? Ki-soon let out a breath he had been holding back.

“It seems to me that you still have more to say.”

“no.”

“Hmm. Is it because I’m used to being on the field?”

“······.”

Ki-soon decided to just pretend not to know. He had really done enough to get to this point. He was determined to take it if they touched him any more, but there was no additional pressure.

“The stories in this report. Honestly, I find it 100% hard to believe. Even if they were true…”

The brigadier general, who was about to say something, frowned. ‘Yeah, just don’t talk. I don’t want to hear it.’ Despite Ki-soon’s desperate pleas, the brigadier general continued talking.

“I worked with Korea’s World PMC during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. They were excellent PMCs.”

“······.”

“That PMC also went to Japan to do rescue work, and they’re using the stolen hospital as a base. So I don’t think we’ll have much trouble securing a base.”

‘Fuck. World PMC? Isn’t that a company under the World Group? It can’t be? It can’t be.’ Ki-soon’s thoughts became complicated. The World Group’s armed forces are taking over the stolen hospital. Is it really because they’re saving lives? They might be saving lives, but it was clear that they were after something else.

‘Rapid treatment’ or ‘combat stimulant.’

‘Fuck.’ Why the hell are you saying this to me?

“···Now tell me. An executive from Korea’s top PMC company goes to hell in Tokyo and personally leads the rescue operation? What do you think?”

“······.”

Ki-sun was momentarily distracted and couldn’t hear what was being said. The brigadier general also pressed Ki-sun’s silence with silence. How much time had passed? The brigadier general, who had been quietly watching Ki-sun, who was pretending not to know until the end, spoke.

“I don’t know. I don’t know. Anyway, thank you for your cooperation.”

Ki-sun felt like she had lost all her energy.

======

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The brigadier general looked at the report with few details and recalled the information sent by the World PMC that had set up a base in the stolen hospital.

It was World PMC that performed impressively in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The people leading World PMC at that time were President Cho and Director Yoo.

In Japan, where we don’t know when another earthquake will strike, and public order has completely collapsed and lawlessness has taken over, a director-level employee is directly in charge? It was clear that this was not a simple hostage rescue issue.

“There is a reason why the executives themselves must go to Japan, which has turned into hell… What do you think?”

The staff answered the brigadier general’s question.

“They are probably rescuing important people or searching for something important. Maybe they are after something Japan was secretly researching, like Unit 731.”

“No specific information?”

“Unfortunately, we have lost contact with all the agents dispatched from this side. We must go to Tokyo to obtain additional information.”

“That guy named Bernard just now. What about his group?”

“I don’t know about anything else, but their fighting prowess is certain. They say they took out 17 gangsters and cartels in an instant. The company was wondering if they were from Japan’s special forces or agents under the Cabinet Intelligence Office.”

“I don’t know about the others since I haven’t met them in person, but Bernard? (Ki-soon) doesn’t seem like that guy.”

“······.”

“He’s definitely bright in the military, even though he’s just a civilian, but he doesn’t have that special feeling that special forces or elite agents give off. He’s also not very lively.”

“Is that so?”

“If you’re a somewhat unusual civilian, I don’t think there’s a need to drag you out to the field. There are a lot of things that need to be done right away. There are also operations that can’t be shown to civilians.”

“All right.”

‘He’s a lucky guy.’

Virginia was a somewhat disappointing employee who didn’t do Virginia.

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Although the US military had obtained various data from various places around the world, there was no situation like the disaster that is now happening in Japan. In this difficult environment, Ki-sun’s experience was of great help.

Even if it was a warship, if the air filter got clogged with volcanic ash and smoke, that would be the end of it. Fortunately, they had loaded as many supplies as possible as Gi-sun had advised.

The fleet carrying the rescue team barely managed to reach Sagami Bay, southwest of Tokyo, after changing filters several times.