Rust - Chapter 211



Only Krnovel

RUST [RUST]-211

The beginning of the video sent from Texas was ordinary.

Wild boar hunting was a routine activity on the farm. The hunters were motivated to catch these animals, which would otherwise wipe out crops, invade villages, and threaten people and livestock.

The wild boar hunt began with a scene of a man standing guard in ambush on a road where wild boars appear. The sound of gunfire was loud, as if he was carrying an automatic rifle.

Bullets poured down following the white-hot flares and struck the wild boars. The startled boars began to run away.

The lights that followed the running wild boars, biting their tails, and the wild boars that disappeared into the forest were captured on an infrared camera.

The hunters’ cursing in the video was vivid. They shot so many times, but not a single boar died.

The video continued.

This time, the footage was taken by those who went hunting in helicopters. The smiling hunters riding in helicopters with machine guns on them soon changed into faces filled with shock.

When I looked at them with an infrared camera, it was difficult to tell their size because it was night, but when I looked down from a helicopter, I could clearly see that the boars were no joke. Should I say that they were the size of a rhinoceros rather than a boar?

A helicopter flies in pursuit of a wild boar. Machine gun bullets rain down. 7.62mm bullets whizz through the herd of wild boars, but they keep running away.

The video was filled with the hunter’s verbal abuse as he fired his machine gun.

“Ha- This is driving me crazy.”

The last video. It showed the hunters laughing in front of a boar the size of a rhinoceros, struggling to butcher the boar with a Bowie knife, and then bleeding after getting stabbed by the boar’s fur while cutting the hide.

‘Boar hair is not a needle.’

The hunters were also amazed, and they were even giggling while pulling out wild boar hairs and pinning them to trees. Is that something to laugh about?

Manager Dan Brown’s heartburn and acid reflux were already at their limit. After taking an antacid, the manager immediately called the Texas branch.

“I’m talking about the video you sent me a little while ago.”

[yes.]

“Did you get that wild boar?”

[I couldn’t. The hunters said they were going to auction it off.]

crazy

Hehehehe

Chief Dan Brown, who was laughing like a crazy person, shouted.

“National security is at stake, so you’re just leaving it alone? Are you out of your mind? You should have secured it! How can you just leave it alone because you’re putting it up for auction?”

[···Sir, this is not New York, this is Texas.]

In front of heavily armed hunters, you want me to just take it because it’s national security? You want me to auction it off right away, but how much should I pay for it? Are you telling me to quietly die in the line of duty? Or are you telling me to sue you?

“Ah- Right. Then you have to catch it yourself. You take responsibility for catching the wild boar and send it to the lab.”

[All right.]

The manager took a deep breath as if he was going to break the phone.

Is it normal for an intelligence agency agent to just keep an eye on the hunters? I was frustrated, wondering how far they had fallen and where the problem started.

Once word got out that a monster hog was appearing in Texas, it meant that something like it could appear in other places too.

People often overlook the fact that dogs, cats, and wild boars are actually wild animals. Dogs are at least wary of wild dogs and coyotes, but cats and wild boars are often laughed off.

But can you really do that when you know that a single stray cat is decimating small and medium-sized mammals and birds in your backyard? Can you really call it cute when you see it hunting small animals for play without eating them?

In Japan, such cats grew to the size of leopards. What did such large cats hunt? What was the diet of the giant cats that appeared around Tokyo?

“Write a report stating that we need to kill all the dogs, stray cats, and even the rats in the sewers. Use the situation in Tokyo, Japan and the video sent from Texas today as evidence.”

[Is that okay? There will be strong opposition from animal lovers and animal protection groups.]

“Do you think you can say that after seeing the Japanese cat video, the Texas wild boar? But do it anyway. The wild boar is the size of a rhinoceros, what about other animals? Do you think cats and dogs are the same size as they are now? Make a report with the highest risk level. I’ll do the rest. As fast as I can.”

[All right.]

Manager Dan Brown’s worries soon became reality.

======

======

Yellowstone National Park was teeming with hikers for an unusual time of year.

Violence erupted as people became angry over small things, and the National Guard and police patrolled the city to try to stop it.

There were also stories that people who were infected with the mutant virus would lose their ability to control their anger, and that those who were infected would be quarantined somewhere.

Some said it was a conspiracy theory, others said it was real, but overall, the city’s security was improving compared to before.

But active people were growing tired of the virus-controlled city life. They needed to travel and get out into nature. One place they found themselves visiting was Yellowstone National Park.

“You’re too close. Back away.”

A female hiker who keeps taking pictures despite the dissuasion of those around her.

“Hey, I said it’s dangerous!”

“Let’s just go. I’ll figure it out.”

In Yellowstone National Park, it was illegal to get close to wildlife and take photos.

“They say SNS is abandoning people.”

“You should report them. People like that need to be fined to come to their senses.”

There were also regulations requiring a minimum distance of 300 feet (91 m), and deliberate approach was illegal under wildlife protection laws.

“The woman over there is filming illegally right now.”

People who saw him continue to take and upload photos while pretending not to hear shook their heads. The woman’s group and the hikers passing by also moved away. One of the hikers who was walking by tilted his head.

“It was a cub, wasn’t it?”

“Oh. It was cute.”

The face of the hiker who had brought up the subject turned pale.

“Why? What’s going on?”

“It’s mid-February now.”

The group said as if to ask what the problem was.

“however?”

“Mid-February is when you should be hibernating. If you were to wake up from hibernation, wouldn’t that be when you’d be the hungriest?”

Since there were pups, it was clear that there must be a mother nearby.

“Hey. Run-”

“Huh? Why?”

A man started running first, leading his friend. How long had it been? When he was out of breath, a shriek echoed from far away.

======

======

The events at Yellowstone soon made headlines.

It was a disaster that resulted in 23 deaths without any injuries. Seven rangers were killed by grizzly bears that charged at them despite being shot more than 10 times with hunting rifles. Sixteen mountaineers were also killed.

Grizzly bears weren’t the only problem. Gray wolves were also a serious threat. They also preyed on humans, and there were many cases of people going up to hunt bears only to be hunted by wolves instead.

So, when we banned entry to the mountain, wild animals began to come down to the villages near the national park and attack people.

“It’s because I got bigger.”

In order to maintain their large size, they needed a lot of high-quality food. They happened to see humans, and once they ate them, they found it easier and tastier than hunting other things. That’s how they started to continue to target people.

“Do you plan on leaving the hunters like this?”

After the news broke that over 20 people had died, hunters flocked from all over the country to catch the man-eating bears and wolves.

Perhaps thinking this was an opportunity to gain national recognition, social media gurus were also heading to Yellowstone National Park armed with weapons.

“Three helicopters have already crashed.”

“It’s time to declare the entire area a no-fly zone.”

Crazy birds were attacking helicopters and drones flying near the park.

“We need to make a decision before the situation gets worse.”

“Is it really your decision to burn down Yellowstone National Park?”

“After Yellowstone, you’re going to have to burn the Rockies, and then you’re going to burn all the way to the Canadian border?”

“That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying that we need to get rid of the mutated beasts as soon as possible, by any means necessary.”

“That’s right. Isn’t the most important thing to do to prevent such things from spreading further?”

“It’s because of a mutated virus. Is burning it going to work? We need to stop it from spreading. Spreading.”

“So how are you going to stop it? It’s spread all over the country.”

The conference room became noisy.

Chief Dan Brown chewed on a headache pill. The situation was getting worse by the minute. Although he had succeeded in securing security in the city, one by one, villages in the countryside were losing contact.

Even as the National Guard was sent to check and clear out the villages that had lost contact, the number of casualties continued to increase. In this situation, mutated animals were also added.

A water drop falling one by one into a full glass of water. A dangerous situation where it holds out until a certain point and then overflows all at once.

What would happen if something happened in an agricultural and livestock area, not in a remote rural village? What if the stockpiled agricultural and livestock products were rapidly depleted and the supply chain to the city was cut off? Would security be maintained even if the necessities in the market ran out? I was skeptical.

“What was the Department of Homeland Security doing to allow things to get to this point?”

“I sent a report saying that the population should be reduced in advance, and I think those who ignored that have nothing to say.”

“What’s the point of talking about the past?”

“Tell me a plan, a plan.”

Close-range low-altitude air support was impossible because of the crazy birds. The operational area was mountainous, making it difficult for armored vehicles to enter. So what was left was…

“We need to mass-produce exosuits. We need to supply the ones we’ve already produced to the field as quickly as possible to reinforce our firepower.”

Rapid supply of exosuits and armored personnel was necessary. A 3.5~4m armored personnel carrier would not be pushed back by a grizzly bear. Considering the adaptability of humanoid machines, they could be used in mountainous terrain.

“At the same time, we must withdraw as many troops as possible from the city and deploy them to secure key production bases and facilities.”

It was necessary to protect the main production areas, and to control densely populated urban areas with a small force.

“Martial law must be declared.”

At Dan Brown’s assertion, the conference room fell silent.

======

======

Maru said, sharpening his knife.

“How many people went out?”

“Four people left.”

There are 4 people. Isn’t that too few?

The number of people currently living in the Maru Building is over 500. Many are Homeland Security personnel and their families, but there are also quite a few research lab researchers, production technicians, and their families.

There were people under the Strategic Defense Command who were supposed to inspect the modular nuclear power plant, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were also holding out. Considering the service and technical staff who were added here and there, four people was definitely a small number.

“There must be spies there?”

“There are still nine people left with traces of secretly exchanging information.”

Srrrrrr- Hood felt a slight chill down his spine at the sight of Maru putting his sword back into its sheath.

“Is the evidence clear?”

“There is evidence of calls, texts, and emails.”

“I gave you a chance to go out on your own two feet, but you’re holding on. Do you think it’s water?”

Are you thinking, ‘Isn’t it obvious I’m going to kill you?’

“What kind of guys are they? Give me some information.”

Now that we’re on the subject, I should just wrap things up.

Beep-

[···Why aren’t you coming? No shifts?]

“I have something to take care of, so bear with it a little longer.”

[How long do I have to return?]

“Shouldn’t we first clean up the surrounding area?”

Kim Yang paused for a moment to listen to Maru’s words and then spoke.

[Cleaned out even though there are no survivors in this town?]

No survivors? In a country with gun freedom?

“Where are you now?”