Rust - Chapter 236



Only Krnovel

RUST -236

Maru’s movement course was simple.

Should I take Highway 212 or Highway 90? I decided to take Highway 90 to Yellowstone National Park, but there were people blocking the highway in the middle.

[Transmission and reception of radio waves are unstable, so we are switching to satellite.]

[It appears there is a problem with the repeater adjacent to the highway.]

While Diana explained the situation in real time, the trailer gradually slowed down to a speed of 10 to 20 km/h.

Maru first inhaled the noodles he had picked up with chopsticks.

Slurp-

While munching on spicy jjajangmyeon and a fried egg, I called Director Dan Brown of the Department of Homeland Security.

It definitely wasn’t connected properly with my phone. The areas around the highway are usually designed to have good communication, but this is the case.

“These kids didn’t intentionally break the repeater?”

[Not confirmed.]

“Connect me to satellite.”

[The video is difficult.]

“By voice call.”

[Connected.]

“Sir, I’m on Highway 90 right now.”

‘Where am I?’

(Near the border of Minnesota and South Dakota.)

“I’m about to enter South Dakota, and there are people blocking the highway here. My cell phone is dead, so I can’t even report it. What should I do?”

Chief Den Brown’s stomach twisted at Maru’s words.

Vladimir Maru was against taking out the agents in the building and escorting them. In fact, he was someone who didn’t need escorts. He was already very careful and cherished the building, so he was against taking out the personnel and weakening the building’s power.

However, it was not a situation where we could afford to take manpower from other places. The entire US was in chaos. We were short on manpower, and we were in a desperate situation.

What could possibly happen? It’s just a matter of driving to get there. And since the driving is done by autonomous driving and artificial intelligence, there’s no risk of accidents due to drowsy driving or anything like that.

Since it was supposed to be a search under the guidance of local staff upon arrival, Vladimir left on his own. Who would have thought that would turn out this way.

“Now that I look at it, it looks like they’re blocking the road and robbing passing cars. Can I do that on my own? If they touch me first, it’s considered self-defense, right?”

Chief Dan Brown stirred up controversy over the term “self-defense.”

[···Please wait a moment. Those people may not be criminals.]

In the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak, there was an incident where cargo loaded onto a vehicle transporting quarantine supplies was forcibly seized. Some cases were covered up and some were made public, but at the time, there was conflict between state governments over the supply and distribution of quarantine supplies.

What if that were the case now? What if the local police and the vigilantes had joined forces to block the roads, threatening to forcibly conscript supplies because they were suffering from a shortage of supplies?

I’ll commandeer a vehicle from Vladimir Maru for regional development, so just leave the trailer with what you’re carrying and go. Will that work?

Manager Dan Brown paused for a moment and began to nag his staff.

“Where is the big city nearby?”

“Interstate 90. The closest major city near the border of South Dakota and Minnesota is Sioux Falls.”

With a population of about 200,000, it was the largest city in South Dakota.

“Tell the guys at the branch what happened. They probably didn’t block the road in Sioux Falls, right?”

“I just got a call. Sioux Falls is also short on supplies, and I heard that nearby towns are also seriously short on supplies. They are trying to get supplies from other places, but there are no transport vehicles, so they are commandeering large trailers.”

“Did the South Dakota government say so? Did they consult with neighboring states?”

In the United States of America, things like the United States of America and ‘China’ happen sometimes, and it just so happens that it’s now.

While Manager Dan Brown was popping the noodles here and there like popcorn, Maru was very, very uncomfortable as he gulped down the noodles without even having time to chew and swallow them.

It’s been a while since I’ve felt like I’m in a PC room, but what does this mean?

[Drone reconnaissance begins.]

A small drone took off from the trailer. The drone flew towards a place blocking the road 1.5 to 2 km ahead. There were two cars blocking the road and three cars parked nearby.

“Wait a minute. Isn’t that a police car?”

[Local police car confirmed.]

Judging by the fact that there was a local police car involved, it didn’t seem like a simple robbery. But even if the police were involved, it was strange that the cell phone didn’t work.

“Check the news on your local broadcasting station. See if there are any reports of police cars being stolen or robbed.”

[···Confirmed. There are no records of stolen or stolen police cars within a 20 mile radius.]

“Can you tell which neighborhood and whose car it is from just by the license plate number?”

[Drone approaches to recognize license plate.]

There were explosions of fireworks and gunshots, and then the footage from the drone suddenly cut off.

[The drone was shot down.]

“······.”

[The attacking weapon appears to be an automatic shotgun.]

[Confirmed armed personnel: 17 people.]

[Should we send additional drones?]

“No, that’s okay.”

[Some vehicle numbers have been confirmed. These are vehicle numbers from a nearby town.]

[There is no criminal history for using this vehicle. The owner of the vehicle has no felony criminal history.]

No criminal record?

“So the neighborhood elders and the police came out and blocked the road?”

Maru was speechless. Wouldn’t you be punished for blocking the highway? Even if it was not a highway but a regular road, blocking traffic was a crime. But what is this?

[Vehicle approaching. Four armed men on board.]

Four men armed with shotguns and rifles got out of a vehicle that approached in an instant, less than 2km away.

“Isn’t there anyone in the driver’s seat here?”

“Where’s the driver? Look around.”

[Chichik- I don’t see the driver here. Hank- Get the kids and the dog out there and search. This doesn’t feel good.]

[Okay – Okay.]

Maru was dumbfounded at the sight of them singing a folk song to each other outside. But he should at least talk to them. Wouldn’t it be wrong to act in self-defense when they’re just ordinary people?

Maru prided himself on being a man of common sense. He had manners. So all he had to do was tell her that he was on his way to do a job that involved the Department of Defense, the federal government, and the Department of Homeland Security.

This is all on the way to serve the United States of America, so what could possibly go wrong? As Maru opened the trailer door and stepped outside, people started to cheer.

“Here it is!”

“No. I’m not Chinese…”

“Shut up. Shut your mouth and lie down with your hands on your head.”

“······.”

“Where did the driver go?”

“No. I···”

“Shut up! Be quiet! Where’s the driver!”

Maru, who had swallowed the sobs that were welling up inside him, looked at the people. People who were aiming shotguns and glaring.

Most of the guys who pointed guns at him were either drug dealers, criminals, or the Chinese military. They were enemies that he had no reason to tolerate. But Maru’s hands were trembling as he tried to endure them, since they were people with no criminal records.

“Put that gun away and let’s talk.”

“Shut up and get down, kid.”

“Isn’t that the drug smuggler?”

No. Can we talk?

Before Maru could even open his mouth, they were beating drums, janggu, and dancing among themselves.

“Look inside here. This isn’t a motel, it’s a hotel.”

“Mobile prostitution? What kind of a bastard are you? Why are you wearing pajamas?”

“Where did the driver and everyone else go?”

“Didn’t you say it was strange that it stopped without stopping?”

No, why are you only thinking about that? Maru couldn’t even laugh in vain anymore.

“So, the national security···.”

“Shut up, you little shit. Shut up and get on your knees!”

“Here. Look at this. This.”

One of the men inside came out holding a Rsh-12 revolver. The man in the sheriff’s uniform’s face turned fierce when he saw it.

“Where is my gun permit?”

“······.”

Oh my god, this is driving me crazy.

What kind of firearms permit is there for a gun that was taken from Chinese special forces in Japan? They are treating people like criminals when they are blocking the road? Maru was starting to get angry, not to mention absurd.

The man in the sheriff’s uniform spoke in a low voice, perhaps sensing the atmosphere becoming chilly.

“Clasped hands on your head. Kneel down.”

The muzzle was pointed straight ahead at the floor.

This damn dog is really going to die. Maru’s patience is running out.

“Didn’t I tell you to put the gun away?”

The figure of Maru blurring before the sheriff’s eyes. Crunch- The arm facing the gun barrel was bent into an L shape. Before the sound of a slap could be heard, the sheriff’s jaw was pulled out, his eyes rolled back, and he passed out.

uh?

Kwajik- With one punch from Maru, the furry man next to him spat out five or six kernels of corn and fainted. The guy who was looking at Maru’s Rsh-12 revolver with pleasure turned his head after hearing a dull sound and saw that the two men had already fainted.

what?

Creak! The man fell to the ground with a scream after his leg was broken by Maru’s low kick.

“Eww! My legs. My legs-”

Before the Rsh revolver he was holding could hit the ground, Maru snatched it out of the air and threw it at the man who was returning from checking the front of the trailer.

Kwajik-

A man who was hit by a 2.5kg chunk of iron shouted, “WHAT!” as he curled up like a caterpillar, unable to breathe properly.

“Eugh- Hank- let go. Let go. The dog-”

He kicked the revolver lightly like a ping-pong ball, making Maru shut his mouth and picked it up on the floor. It was just a feeling of being suffocated. I felt like my insides were going to burst because I couldn’t let out the heat that was running through me.

“Oh. Really-”

Kroong groan

Kwangkwangkwang

Dogs were running towards the floor. Five fierce dogs were running towards me. I could clearly see the saliva spraying out of their open mouths.

Maru felt angry as he saw the dogs running towards him with bloodshot eyes. You’re releasing the fierce dogs without even checking the situation?

You don’t care whether I live or die?

Don’t you point your gun, don’t you let the dogs loose. What the fuck – these are civilians?

The dull anger instantly turned into thick murderous intent.

As the black, smoky aura shot out at the dogs that were running towards them, the dog running in front collapsed from a heart attack. In an instant, the dogs froze in their running posture and collapsed.

The intense murderous intent that paralyzed the hunting dogs spread like a wave backwards.

Those who had let their dogs loose and followed behind were caught in the waves of life, unable to breathe and clutching their chests. Like drowning people, those who had been gasping for air collapsed after gasping for air.

“Dog- F**k!”

Maru’s angry shout pierced the night sky. As the people who had come this way fell down, those who had been blocking the road on the other side did not dare to approach.

Kwajik! Kwajik! Kwajik!

Next to a trailer parked on the side of the highway.

The sound of trees being chopped into pieces echoed through the night sky. With a few strokes of the knife, the trees were cut into circles and turned into firewood. Then, the firewood turned into chopsticks, and the chopsticks turned into toothpicks, and it was unrealistic.

Hoo- Maru took a deep breath as he looked at the pile of toothpicks and chopsticks. He felt like he was going to get sick from holding back his anger.

If it was just a gang, a cartel, drug dealers or robbers, I would have just cleaned it up, forgotten about it and played a game.

Aren’t they criminals because they blocked a perfectly good highway? And since they pointed a gun at them out of nowhere, wouldn’t it be self-defense if they killed them?

Contrary to Maru’s thoughts, Manager Den Brown was serious.

[Are there any casualties?]

Then what? Get shot and fall?

Or should I have said I couldn’t go because the trailer was confiscated?

ah?

It should have been so. It would have been so.

Maru sighed as he realized it too late, but it was already too late.

“The dead people died suddenly of a heart attack as they were running towards me. What can you do if they die of a heart attack?”

[Heart attack?]

“Can’t we just do an autopsy to find out the cause of death? And if the vigilantes come and cause trouble like they are doing now, we’ll just leave everything behind and go back.”

It was a state-of-the-art electric trailer that reflected Maru’s tastes, but if I had known it would become this cumbersome, I would have thrown it away and taken my motorcycle back.

If you say you can’t go because there’s no trailer, then either make a new one or get it back. Who knows?

Chief Dan Brown noticed that Maru’s voice was unusual and immediately said he would send an agent and an ambulance, but Maru’s upset feelings did not subside easily.

Fatigued Homeland Security agents arrived and cleared the blocked highway, while half-crippled paramedics loaded the wounded and bodies into the hospital.

Maru lay in bed, pretending not to notice the people blocking the road and the Homeland Security agents scuffling.

By the time the sun was shining, we had arrived near Yellowstone National Park.

“How were the road conditions?”

[Road conditions were good.]

“Other than that. Wasn’t there another section blocked by vigilantes or police in the middle?”

[It was controlled from two places.]

It’s a mess. When I was in the building, I thought that maybe the internet delivery was just a bit bad, but there’s a lot of noise here and there.

Maru headed to the situation room where the search party was gathered, thinking that he would definitely return with a Homeland Security agent when he returned.

The atmosphere in the situation room was heavy, perhaps because even the search party armed with armor and exosuits had gone missing.

“My name is Vladimir Kalin, and I am assisting from the Department of Homeland Security.”

“Nice to meet you. Thank you for coming.”

“Please give me the materials so that I can start right away.”

“Here. This is a file containing location information and communication records.”

I received the necessary materials and handed them over to Diana.

“If you find survivors or spot armored personnel carriers or exosuits, just shoot a signal flare and radio them.”

“Is this a signal flare?”

“Yes. As soon as we confirm the signal, we plan to send support by helicopter.”

Although they had to avoid air support due to frequent bird strikes, Maru nodded at the words that they would prioritize rescuing survivors even at the risk of an accident.

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Weeeeeing – The scenery passing by with a low motor sound,

The thick trees and mossy rocks spoke of the years that had passed. Maru, riding an electric motorcycle to the last signal point, looked around.

“···This is strange.”

There was no trace of it when they arrived. Another search team also came here and lost the signal a few hours later. There must have been some trace of it…

But there was something even stranger than that.

“Diana. When we came into the mountains, on the way here.”

[yes.]

“Were there any animals?”

I don’t think I’ve seen it.