Rust - Chapter 200



Only Krnovel

RUST -200

As Maru drew his sword, a terrible smell wafted out. The smell of death.

The blade, which had been serrated here and there, was tangled with something that hadn’t yet fallen off. Something like fiber, fat, and hair…

Sim Eun-young remained calm even when faced with such a fierce blade.

“What do you mean? You knew you were going?”

“Chairman Naojin came and greeted me, asking why I was so late.”

Shim Eun-young’s eyes are getting narrower. There was something that caught my eye, but I couldn’t say anything.

“As soon as I arrived in Korea, I saved Chairman Shim from the KTX terrorist attack and went straight to the Ojin Building to look for Ki-sun.”

“······.”

“The people who know that you’re going to the Ojin Building are me, Ms. Kim, Chairman Shim, two bodyguards, and the hacker. There are six of us. Since it’s impossible for me, Ms. Kim, and the hacker to have leaked the information, the only people left are the chairman and the two twin bodyguards…”

“Just a moment. Don’t jump to conclusions. Just think about it for a moment.”

Whatever was said could not be taken back once it was out of the mouth. And now it was better for us to keep our mouths shut.

Or so he said. Maru looked at one place quietly. One of them was out of hiding, and the other was hiding next to the chairman.

Did both of them leak the information? Or just one? What would Chairman Shim say? I thought they were on good terms.

Kim Yang’s throat got choked up by the rising tension. What the hell is going on all of a sudden? It’s like ‘Baekjeong is Baekjeong’, so it’s hard to say anything. But isn’t this wrong?

‘Let’s put our swords in. Let’s put them in.’

‘why?’

‘Please, sir.’

‘······.’

Maru was secretly avoiding Kim Yang’s desperate gaze.

“Let’s think about it from a common sense perspective. Would there be a reason for me or the bodyguards to pass on Mr. Maru’s information to the Ojin Group?”

“There could be many reasons, right? Money, feelings of oppression, wanting to fix a bad habit, or a conflict of interest between groups.”

Sim Eun-young could tell that Maru wasn’t acting like this all of a sudden. There were hidden meanings in the seemingly forced stories. If you think about it, they were things that you should be wary of.

“First of all, let me say that there is no coincidence of interests between the groups. As you know, Charlotte and World became enemies because of the armed conflicts that occurred in Busan and Japan. The Ojin Group and the World Group are virtually one.”

“I’ve experienced it. This is a world where there are no eternal enemies or allies. Isn’t that right?”

Sim Eun-young understood Maru’s answer.

The moment he pulled out his sword, the conclusion was already made. There was no stopping it, no evasion. If he had decided to kill, that was the end. Then why didn’t he pull out his sword and swing it?

“What do you want?”

“After trying it, I think I will need a lot of neutralizers in the future.”

Just like when breaking the human wave tactic, you had to move close to overheating to respond to heavy weapons. It is possible to fight moderately in small-scale engagements, but what if that is not the case? You had to consider the heavy weapons as essential.

In Japan, strange people with powers or superhumans have started to appear. Will China or the United States just watch? What about Russia? What about Korea? In the end, it was obvious that powers would appear like mushrooms after a long time.

When you think about the drug addicts, the need for a neutralizer becomes even greater. The gangs and cartels that fought in the United States also had enhanced physical abilities compared to ordinary people. There were even some who did not lose their reason and only saw the effects of drugs. Although they were a small number, it was important that they existed.

‘The cartel white suit guy, and the gangster guy.’

What if the number of these guys increases? It means that it will be difficult to fight leisurely. Up until now, we fought sparingly with the neutralizers, but from now on, it will not be possible to just be sparing with them.

So what should we do? What will happen? Even if we secure the neutralizer while rescuing Chairman Shim from the KTX terrorist attack, objectively speaking, it was not a large quantity.

What if I need a neutralizer later? Will I receive the neutralizer by courier? How will I pay for it? What if the neutralizer I sent by courier disappears in the middle? Will I have to turn it over again to find it?

At Maru’s words mentioning the Chinese medicine, Sim Eun-young’s brow furrowed.

“I promised to give you all the neutralizers you produced, but you still need more? Are you asking for the neutralizer recipe?”

“The entire process is required, from raw materials to synthesis.”

When I talked to Kisun, I decided to give up on the recipe. I thought it would only increase the risk if I kept a recipe that I couldn’t make.

But at that time, I couldn’t even imagine that I would be connected to Virginia or the Department of Homeland Security. Now, I had built up a good image with the Department of Homeland Security, the US Marine Corps, and the Army. Even if I secured the recipe and produced it in the US, I could easily handle it.

After a moment of silence, Sim Eun-young opened her mouth.

“Did the US request this?”

I could think so. I didn’t get the chance to get the recipe from Japan even though I did.

When he could have it, he didn’t take it, but since he asked for the recipe for the Chinese medicine, it would have been natural for Chairman Shim to connect with the United States. There was no need to clear up the misunderstanding.

“······.”

Sim Yeong-eun understood Maru’s silence as affirmation.

“I see. If I refuse, you tell me to clean it up?”

“······.”

Huh? It wasn’t like we were going that far, but Chairman Shim went too far. But it was also a strange atmosphere to say no, so Maru just kept his mouth shut.

Kim Yang started to look at him with questions like, “What are you talking about?”, “What did you talk about with the DHS guy?”, “Did you tell him to clean it up?”, “Gold and silver? I didn’t even get any gold, but you cleaned it up?”

It wasn’t going to be a clean-up, but it suddenly popped up unexpectedly.

“Ah- yes. It would be necessary to use tactical weapons properly.”

“?”

“Okay, I’ll do that. I’ll give you the recipe for the neutralizer and the detailed process.”

“Mr. Chairman! Actually···.”

WHACK!

As soon as the bodyguard next to her opened his mouth, Sim Eun-young slapped him in the ear. It was a slap so strong that the bodyguard’s body staggered.

“Where are you meddling! Get out!”

He hit him so hard that his lip burst and his nose bled profusely. The bodyguard greeted Chairman Shim and went out, blood dripping down his face. The space behind Chairman Shim shook for a moment.

“Ha- I’m sorry. Because of the situation, I couldn’t control my emotions.”

“Yes. What.”

Kki-kiri-kirik

As Maru put the sword back into its sheath, the smell of rusty iron gradually diminished.

======

======

Negotiations with Maru were simple.

All I had to do was give him what he had promised and hand him the recipe for the neutralizer and the detailed process.

“I’m sorry. I will gladly accept any punishment.”

Sim Eun-young let out a deep breath as she looked at the bodyguard, Miyako, who was bowing deeply. If she opened her mouth in front of him and said things like it was her responsibility or that she said it, she wouldn’t be able to guarantee her life.

It was a lot different than when I saw it in Busan. It was completely different now than when my friend Gi-sun was by my side. The ominous feeling he gave off when he pulled out his sword wasn’t an illusion or a worry.

It was definitely the smell of death. It was definitely spreading death.

“What on earth were you thinking?”

Bodyguard, Hatsune Miyako had nothing to say even if she had ten mouths. The idiot Ojin group. You idiot woman. If you gave her information, shouldn’t you have captured her, killed her, or at least injured her?

“sorry.”

It was dangerous. It had to be ruled out. For the future of the Charlotte Group, for Chairman Shim, and to escape from anxiety…

As she recalled the crimson blade, her fingers began to tremble slightly. Miyako took a deep breath.

Sim Eun-young said, shaking her head.

“I’m going to step down from my position as bodyguard and take a break.”

Miyako fell to her knees.

“I was wrong. I just thought it was too dangerous.”

“Yes, he is a dangerous person. But who is to judge that? Who is to decide what to do?”

The judgment, the decision, the responsibility was solely his. And this old bodyguard who had protected him since childhood had forgotten that.

As I just said, he may have thought it was dangerous, or it may have had to do with regret or revenge for not being able to protect the stand-in in Japan.

Whatever the reason, Miyako crossed the line. She managed to escape the moment by slapping him, but there was no telling when something could happen.

“Don’t judge him too hastily. Let’s rule him out because he’s dangerous. Don’t you think that ruling him out could actually be dangerous?”

“That guy stole our group’s intellectual property. Should I get revenge? If you think that way after seeing what kind of person he is, isn’t that a problem?”

“······.”

“······.”

It’s unfair because it was taken away from me. I suffered a loss. So, revenge? Can you survive with such a one-dimensional thought?

If he hadn’t been there in the first place, I would have been in a terrible situation and either died or been robbed. Instead of feeling wronged, it would have been better to be thankful that it ended at that level.

What if you asked for the Rapid Healing Potion? What if you asked for the Rapid Healing Potion Recipe and the Berserker Fall Recipe? What if you asked for all the research data you brought from Japan?

If he had passed information to the US government, wouldn’t the US have wanted it all? But he didn’t. That alone was reason enough to maintain the relationship.

“I don’t understand the hidden meaning behind the statement that a lot of neutralizers are needed.”

He said the situation was getting so dire that he needed a lot of neutralizers.

“You have been relieved of your duties. Cool down and wait for the personnel changes.”

“···All right.”

======

======

In the car heading to the US Air Force base, Ms. Kim felt regretful.

It was a strange atmosphere to bring up the topic of gold. I gave Maru a hint, but he pretended not to know even though he understood.

“Why again?”

“No work.”

Come to think of it, Chairman Sim Eun-young was also bad. She only talked to Baekjeong and didn’t ask herself. What kind of worthless suffering is this because of that bastard Gi-sun?

“I wish I had gotten the Colt Python. What’s the big deal?”

“······.”

Kim Yang’s face relaxed for a moment. Hee-juk- Maru shook his head as he took out the Colt Python that had been wrapped tightly and began to clean it slowly.

“I healed with Colt Python,” Kim Yang said.

“How is Kisun?”

“He said he escaped. So we have to assume he’s alive.”

“Can’t find it?”

“If that guy had decided to hide, we wouldn’t have found him.”

He was a guy who had made up his mind to even file a death report. It meant he had abandoned his identity as Kim Ki-soon. He wasn’t the kind of guy to give up on Naru, but since he had abandoned his identity and gone into hiding, it was impossible to find him in a day.

That son of a bitch. What kind of trouble is this? Is it a good thing that Ki-soon ended up looking for that guy and ended up settling Eun-won with Chairman Na?

‘It’s Naju-hyeon.’

It was a pity. The medicine that was made to make my parents happy ended up being the seed of unhappiness, and the medicine that was meant to find love ended up giving birth to hatred.

Yeah- Yeah-

“Yes, hello.”

[This is Dan Brown of the Department of Homeland Security.]

“Yes. Go ahead.”

[Thank you again. I will never forget you for saving my cousin.]

If we consider the rescue of Lt. Col. Gilbert Brown and the Marines, and the subsequent rescue of Army personnel and civilians, it was actually a merit worthy of a Medal of Honor.

It was an achievement worthy of the news and newspapers, but it was covered up due to the need to hide Maru’s abilities from the Homeland Security subcontracted mercenaries.

“It’s okay. I have quite a few things that I decided to receive separately.”

It was good for Maru, since he had quite a connection with the military, including the Marines and the Army.

[I heard that you are planning to return home today on an Air Force transport plane.]

“yes.”

Dan Brown, who had been hesitating, sighed softly and opened his mouth.

[One forward base stationed in Japan was completely destroyed.]