Rust - Chapter 219



Only Krnovel

RUST-219

Maru’s unilateral notification.

People were speechless. The first thing they encountered since they were born. It was pure fear.

“······.”

“······.”

As the silence continued, the cold murderous aura slowly melted into the air.

Maru left the auditorium without listening to people’s answers.

A CCTV with a red light blinking silently captured the situation.

Hood, who was looking at the control room monitor, took a deep breath. The chill that could be felt just by looking at the monitor. The faces of the people who were gripped with fear. Even though he had not experienced it himself, goosebumps ran through his entire body.

“Samantha. How long does it take?”

Samantha, who was always with him, went to take control of the supercomputer. It was just a used supercomputer, so it took this long. It was strange.

I thought it would only take a few days to secure it, even if I was careful not to get caught, but it had already been over two weeks.

‘I hope they got caught and something happened to Samantha?’

It was an AI that had been growing together for several years. I made a backup in case an emergency occurred, but an error occurred for an unknown reason.

Even the copied Samantha was subtly different from the original Samantha. That’s why Samantha was unique. Her one and only friend, assistant, and colleague.

Hood had a hard time doing his job without Samantha’s help. If he couldn’t do the job, he would probably be fired and someone else would be hired.

It couldn’t be. I was finally one step closer to my dream. Samantha was also on the supercomputer, so I couldn’t get kicked out.

CCTV footage. People on the monitor. They were gathered in groups of three or four, talking with blank expressions on their faces when they were told to leave immediately.

If we were to send them all away, there had to be someone to fill their positions. What exactly do we need? They’re sending away everyone involved with the Department of Homeland Security right now.

Hood quickly checked the list. He needed to know the criteria and the Maginot Line for classifying those who should be sent out and those who should not.

What people who didn’t send out had in common. The younger they were, the more likely they were to have special experience or qualifications. There were all kinds of qualifications.

‘Qualifications. Field experience. Age.’

It wasn’t just technical positions. There were also people in languages, psychology, and sociology. But these were Homeland Security agents, and their college majors were in that area.

Since it was a completed shelter, maintenance personnel would be sufficient, but they were blatantly asking for technical qualifications in various fields.

‘Diverse occupations? Various qualifications? Field experience?’

The outline gradually took shape in Hood’s mind. Now Vladimir was looking at a different world. It was clear that he was certain of a situation different from the present.

Otherwise, there would have been no reason to categorize and send out a mere 500 people, since they had stockpiled a huge amount of supplies that could be used by tens of thousands of people for a long period of time.

‘Isn’t the goal simply to maintain shelter?’

no way?

‘Do you want to build an ark, not a shelter?’

It kept piling up.

China was piled on top of Russia, and North Korea was piled on top of that. Problems were piling up, crises were piling up. And signs were piling up.

The world was standing on the edge of a cliff.

At the edge of a cliff where even a slight touch could send someone falling into the abyss.

What if the world falls off a cliff?

Yes, he was trying to make this building into an ark. More than just a fortress or a shelter, an ark.

What the ark needs is people.

We had to recruit people with diverse expertise and field experience, not just simple human resources. And they had to be able to join as quickly as possible.

Given the things Vladimir Maru and Kim had been solving, it was likely that moving would become more difficult as time went on.

‘If you’re looking to pick up in the Detroit area, you might want to start with What’s Up TV.’

There were many local broadcasting stations, but in cases like these, the older stations had an advantage. That much history meant they had connections. Advertisements were advertisements, but I didn’t know if I could get people through that line.

If you can’t get a job by advertising on What’s Up TV, you should advertise nationwide. Advertisements should be placed in college career centers.

======

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What’s Up TV wasn’t a riot.

As a local broadcasting station that was already struggling, we were thirsty for news, but suddenly we had an overflow of news and things to report on.

“There’s a report that the National Guard has moved into West Town in large numbers. Check your social media!”

“Did you get the footage of the huge flames rising from where the National Guard moved?”

“Rumor has it that the entire village has gone missing. Who is in charge of that?”

“A rat the size of your forearm? That should be included in the animal-related issues.”

“Is rats the problem now? Texas’s seceding from the Union is more important, so let’s start with that.”

“Is this something they’ve been doing for a day or two? They whine about quitting at every opportunity. More than them, the Russian explosion is bigger. Nuclear. You know? If we do it right, it’ll be World War 3. Let’s start with this special.”

“This is a mess.”

The PD got up in the midst of chaos reminiscent of a market street. It took almost three weeks for his broken and damaged body to be able to move. Even that was all thanks to the successful surgery.

The night he was kidnapped by the gang. Anger and fear changed him. The soul that had been burning with revenge suddenly turned cold that night.

His mind was shattered like iron that has failed to be tempered. His blazing eyes proved that there was no turning back.

The case where the gang members were found dead was buried because of the overflowing incidents. And the PD claimed that it was not a case that should be buried like that.

“Do you think I’m crazy?”

A sharp and nervous voice. The unconcealed emotions were directed directly at the female employee.

“That. The gang case is old now, and the police have practically closed the investigation.”

“Huh- Okay. Let’s say that’s true. But what about the gratitude for wiping out all the maggots?”

“Thank you?”

The female employee started to feel uncomfortable in her seat, not knowing what to say to the PD’s dazzling gaze. As rumored, things really did seem strange.

“Yes. Thank you. Drugs, kidnapping, murder, robbery, assault… It has been proven that there is someone who wipes out all the crimes committed. This society doesn’t know how to be grateful.”

“······.”

“Even if society doesn’t know gratitude. What are we? Aren’t we journalists? Even if we become dogs that wag their tails at the falling wads of money? Even dogs know gratitude. And yet we don’t say a single word about the gangsters we helped to get rid of? Journalists?”

“PD, I think that’s a dangerous idea. If you’re talking about personal justice, then that’s a really dangerous idea.”

“Private justice? No. No. Since when did condemnation become private justice? What happened when you let go those guys who committed so many crimes, including drug use, kidnapping, and robbery? Nine previous convictions just became ten. Ten previous convictions just became eleven.”

“······.”

The female employee kept her mouth shut. Wasn’t this the kind of topic you’d only talk about in a liberal arts class at a university? The way her eyes lit up as she talked about such things.

“Those guys kidnapped me and tried to kill me. What if I died that day? What if I turned into a handful of ashes? What if I disappeared without leaving any evidence? What if the gangs passed off a homeless person as the culprit? What if that homeless person was mentally unstable and only lived for five years before being released? Is that justice? Is that right?”

“I think you only talk about extreme things.”

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s extreme. But isn’t there a consequence?”

“······.”

Drug dealers and criminals were overflowing. And those drug dealers and criminals are victims of society? Then what about the victims who were robbed and killed by them? Are they victims of the victims?

“For the gangsters getting rid of us, what we should have done was be thankful. But what did this society say? They are criminals because they committed violence privately. Private justice is illegal. Huh? They are the ones who see but do not believe, hear but do not understand, and are saved but do not know how to be thankful.”

“······.”

“Even if it’s ruined, it’s still cheap.” The PD’s muttering made the female employee feel a bit creepy.

“Producer Michael. I’ve been contacted about an advertisement.”

“Give me the call.”

When the PD picked up the phone, the female employee tried to hide her expression of being alive and left the place. The PD’s eyes narrowed. Yes. She didn’t know anything important.

The fact that God exists. The fact that death is always around. And now, the ungrateful and faithless world is already over. I didn’t know that.

He saw. He saw the rippling darkness and the gangs being cut down by the crimson line he swung. What was being cut and dismembered was not human flesh and bone, but sin.

If a society where sin is eliminated is a society where people are sinners, if a world where people are not grateful to those who saved their lives is a world where people are not grateful to those who saved their lives, then what is that if not hell?

“I changed the number. This is Michael Brake PD. Are you asking about advertising?”

[Yes, I am contacting you because I would like to post a job advertisement.]

Voice modulation? Machine-like sound? The PD’s brow furrowed.

“I’ll tell you in advance, if it’s a job advertisement looking for someone with a certain specialty, it might be difficult. For example, an advertisement looking for a chemistry or chemical engineering expert is not a good idea.”

There was already a precedent for this. A fake company was created, and students majoring in chemistry, chemical engineering, and pharmacy were recruited, kidnapped, and leashed to manufacture drugs.

[Oh… Is that so? First of all, we need people with professional qualifications.]

“What kind of certification is it?”

Is that a woman? There was a subtle tone to her voice that couldn’t be hidden by voice modulation.

[We need people with extensive field experience or qualifications in various fields.]

“It’s too vague. Could you possibly send it to me by fax or email?”

[Yes. I will send it now. Please tell me your email address.]

As soon as the PD gave me the email address, an alarm went off saying that an email had arrived.

“I received it. I will check it right away and contact you.”

[Yes. My contact information is in the email. I will wait for your call. Thank you.]

As he opened the email, the PD’s brow furrowed again.

‘?’

A wooden house builder is a construction company. If it were a company related to construction, they would naturally hire people in that field, but what is this? They said they were hiring people with construction-related qualifications and experience, but below that, they were hiring people related to a completely different industry.

‘Fisherman? You’re looking for people related to the fishing industry?’

In general, companies tend to have their own areas of expertise. Even groups tend to have related departments.

But now, this was not a series or a standard. It was literally the entire field. It would not be an exaggeration to say that all the industries essential to modern society were covered.

“What is this?”

What are you planning to do by picking them out like this?

My touch tingled. There was something there.

Let’s see where they do such strange things.

‘Maruta Tower? Oh? Is that it?

A building that had been renovated and expanded. I thought of a building that had been under construction day and night. It was a place where containers were piled up to form a wall and reinforced with reinforced concrete to make it look like a fortress. It was a building that looked like something out of a zombie or apocalypse movie.

?

Apocalypse?

The PD’s eyes turned to the monitor again.

An advertisement recruiting people for a variety of jobs.

No way.

The PD shook his head. But he still had to see it with his own eyes.

“This is PD Michael from What’s Up TV. I checked your email. I would like to meet you in person and discuss advertising. Is that okay?”

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After I kicked out the people I didn’t need, Hood took care of filling in the necessary people. Seeing that, I thought it was a good idea to accept him.

‘I’m glad you took care of things yourself.’

Maru extended the extension.

In front, thawed beef was hanging on a hook. Just like tuna, beef also had a considerable difference in taste depending on how it was frozen and thawed.

“The thawing went well.”

I should stay in the building for a few days and eat and evaluate the dishes they serve. If the chef is not good enough, whether in skill or experience, I should replace him. If he can’t even slaughter a cow, should the building owner slaughter him?

hmm-

This is really new.

As I held the slaughter knife for the first time in a while, I remembered the events of World Livestock and Japan.

Phew-

The sharp blade plunged in and the foreleg was cleanly separated. With just one stroke. A stroke that cut through bone and muscle.

Swish- The hind legs fell off at once. The knife passed here and there, but Maru lifted up the cow, leaving only its body, and placed it on the workbench.

Left hand took hold, right hand followed. The body remembered. Swish-swish- The knots of meat and bone. The tangled parts of muscle, tendon, and fat were dissolved at the fingertips. The lumps separated by section.

Kkadak-

The blade cut through the bone.

“······.”

Maru stopped cutting. He cut the bone. He could have avoided it. Of course, when slaughtering cattle, you don’t cut the bone raw. He cut it with force, even though he could have separated the joints and seams cleanly.

Maru looked down at the hand holding the knife.

Since when did you start relying solely on strength and speed to cut?

Because it was convenient. Because it was easy to cut them to pieces with great force and speed.

“······.”

[PD Michael came to What’s Up TV with an advertisement.]

As I came out of the studio and entered the lobby on the first floor, there was a face sitting there that I had seen somewhere before.

‘Where have I seen it?’

Oh? That gang?

He was the person who saved me when I first came here and cleaned up the gang that was installing it. PD trembled as Maru approached.

Oh. I came right after slaughtering the cow, so I guess I felt a little bit nervous without realizing it. Maru awkwardly extended his hand and greeted me.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Vladimir Kalin.”

Tears suddenly flowed from the PD’s eyes as he looked at Maru’s outstretched hand.

Gulp-

Why is this old man crying all of a sudden?