Rust - Chapter 296



Only Krnovel

RUST -296

Communist 7 China and the United States, who will raise their hand first?

In a normal world, there would have been countries that would have popped popcorn while watching the big match, but that wasn’t the case now. There was no country that was leisurely enough to watch the fight.

Even if we had successfully stopped the infected people who had caused the anger management disorder, it would have been impossible to perfectly respond to the outbreak of cannibalism through Chinatowns that spread out in every corner. Is there a country in the world without Chinese people? Are there Chinese people even in remote areas of Africa and South America?

Even if we avoid the mutant virus and cannibalism, the result is the same. What are we going to do with the animals? As the mutated animals start to spread, there is virtually no answer.

Since the United States had gun freedom, it held out to some extent, but countries with gun control were literally torn apart in an instant.

This is mostly happening in small European countries. Even if they managed to stop the mutant virus, they couldn’t stop cannibalism and terrorism, and while they were worrying about that, monsters started wiping out rural villages.

[Rural areas in Europe are collapsing rapidly.]

“Like this all of a sudden? Everything was fine until April.”

Maru was surprised by Dina’s regular report.

[Information is that rats are turning European rural villages into ruins.]

“Rat? Not something like a wild boar or a wild dog?”

The mutated rats were already difficult to catch, but the breeding ability of these difficult rats has improved. It is dangerous that their numbers are increasing exponentially, but the rats are also starting to use their heads.

[It appears that the rats were hiding until their numbers had grown sufficiently.]

“Hah- So, you used tactics like the human wave tactic?”

[In the circumstances, yes.]

“Tsk- I’m tired.]

Well, they were the ones who cut off the electricity and internet and even laid an ambush. Since their numbers were increasing explosively, it wouldn’t have been strange if some smart ones emerged among them.

“Aren’t those smart rats? The ones that acted like poisonous rats.”

It was Kim Yang who remembered the horde of rats that had invaded the village. Although she had been prepared with exosuits and napalm, she would have been torn apart in an instant if she hadn’t been prepared. They had even set traps.

“Even the US, which has gun freedom, is suffering, so what about Europe?”

Originally, war was fought between people, not animals or cockroaches. So it took time for NATO to return. Right now, NATO was focusing all its efforts on containing Russia. And that was the biggest mistake.

Countries that failed to respond early began to emerge one after another, and it was not long before they lost their state functions.

When you see small European countries being cut down in an instant, it is truly amazing that Japan survived the winter and into the spring.

“Japan really did a good job of blocking it. Yeah.”

“There are some capable people there.”

“Aside from Tokyo and its surrounding areas, the western region is also holding up quite well.”

“There must have been many capable people among the refugees who went from Kanto to Kansai.”

That’s the end of it. Since strategic nukes, not tactical ones, were dropped, there probably wasn’t anything left. Diana’s report continued.

[To date, there have been no cases of mutation in insects other than cockroaches.]

“That’s fortunate.”

Because the 15-30cm cockroaches I encountered in Japan did things that were truly out of the ordinary.

[The Chinese front is in a stalemate.]

“America must be frustrated too.”

Although tactical nuclear weapons were dropped on US military bases in East Asia, such as Guam, Hawaii, Okinawa, Pyeongtaek, and Daegu, a considerable amount of the materials stored there were salvaged. This was because the arsenals were built to some extent in preparation for nuclear weapons.

Even though more supplies were salvaged than expected, it was not enough to sustain a force of nearly 200,000 soldiers, including the Korean army, for a long period of time. Accordingly, Korea began to mobilize all its forces to operate its military factories, but there was a fatal weakness.

The problem is raw materials. Korea is a country that lacks raw materials, so it relies on imports for raw materials. Due to the Ukraine crisis, raw materials that were imported from Russia were being replaced with those imported from Australia and Southeast Asia, but Indonesia suddenly imposed export restrictions.

That was also the case with nickel, copper, coal, iron ore, and natural gas. They were key resources for running military factories. They even unilaterally banned the export of mines and natural gas in which Korean companies had shares.

“You’re crazy. Are you going to openly ignore America now?”

[It appears to be connected to China and Japan.]

“China, Japan?”

“It’s possible. I heard that Southeast Asia has a lot of Chinese and Japanese capital.”

It was Ms. Kim who was talking about when she went on a business trip to Southeast Asia for her company. She said that there were quite a few overseas Chinese who had blood and school ties with high-ranking Chinese Communist Party officials, and that the power that had grown rapidly with Japanese funds, including World War II compensation, was larger than expected.

“This is truly unbelievable.”

Maru was so amazed that he couldn’t believe it.

At the beginning of the Chinese war, they were very nervous about Uncle Sam’s threats, but after only a month, they struck down the leader. The wave of the leader that had been centered around Indonesia and Vietnam swept over Korea.

[Ojin Group has decided not to export key drugs, including treatments for intermittent explosive disorder.]

“It wasn’t restricted by the government, but by the group itself?”

[It seems so. The government tried to resolve the situation by exchanging medicines and raw materials, but Indonesia and Vietnam seem to be demanding the recipes for key medicines. In response, Ojin Group rejected the government’s mediation plan and stopped producing the medicines.]

It’s hot. But can you handle the aftermath? I guess it’s because you’re confident you can handle it.

“The Korean government won’t stay still, will they?”

[It is said that Chairman Na’s popularity among the people is unusually high, and his employees are also very loyal. There are even rumors going around that he might blow up the production facility and go into exile, so it seems like they can’t mess with him.]

As resources were important, so were medicines. The only medicine that could treat intermittent explosive disorder and cannibalism was from Ojin Pharmaceuticals. If Ojin Group had made up their mind, there would literally be chaos.

[Indonesia and Vietnam are strongly opposed, saying that controlling essential medicines and regulating resource exports are two entirely different issues.]

[He began to argue that the recipe for the cure must be revealed for the survival and prosperity of humanity.]

These guys are crazy. They said they would change the recipe and resources, and now they want to give it away for free? Even at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, when the vaccine shortage broke out, there was no demand to release the recipe and give it away for free.

But the fact that such nonsense was possible meant that America’s influence in the international community was gradually disappearing.

No, now we should see that the international community has virtually collapsed. Perhaps at least half of the international order and free trade was maintained by the United States.

‘It’s over.’

It just felt like something that had held modern society together was over. Maru sighed.

The series of events that began with the mutant virus incident completely destroyed the existing order. It felt like even if this incident was resolved, we would never be able to return to the past.

So, what had to be done now was clear.

“What happened to the underground shelter in District 14?”

[No objects approaching nearby.]

The underground shelter, heavily booby-trapped with VX gas, literally became an ant hell.

More than 100 people died, and swarms of rats entered the area, targeting them and killing them. As the corpses piled up, animals including mutated coyotes entered to eat them, causing even more deaths.

Criminals and gangs who roam the underground shelters hunting and looting people enter and die, and then the beasts that go in after their bodies die.

After so much death had piled up, it became a place where no one ever visited.

‘Good thing.’

This was good.

======

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Puhwaaaaak-

The flamethrower blew fire. The super-hot flame reached temperatures of nearly 3,000 degrees. The flame, made of sticky napalm, burned and melted everything it touched.

The nurse was horrified at the sight of the swarm of rats running towards her and then running away into the darkness with their tails pulled out.

Kkiyungkkiyung

Kim Yang’s exosuit strides ahead even though the flames have not yet died down.

[Unit 1. Isn’t it coming all of a sudden?]

[Still, the fireworks···.]

Nurse Ono Nanae couldn’t figure out why she was there. She was a medical professional. And she was a mediator and interpreter between the crows and the people. But then she was suddenly put in an exosuit and left to wander underground. And she was carrying a flamethrower.

[I told you it was okay. Why don’t you stop whining and come right away?]

[···song.]

What can I do? If I have to do it, I have to do it. Could it be because of the crow? No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out why it was suddenly like this.

[Because I pushed you into a place with VX gas. You can go in a little later.]

[yes.]

VX gas was effective in confined spaces. It was colorless and odorless, and since the basement was filled with a putrid smell, even rats didn’t notice it.

So the operation began. They created a mass killing field using VX gas in an underground space near the Vladiak Tower, and then used flamethrowers to drive people in and kill them.

[···If we do this in every basement of that building, wouldn’t it be dangerous for people?]

[What kind of person is this? They’re blaring a siren saying it’s dangerous and even posting warning signs telling you not to enter.]

Kim Yang snorted. If they crawl in and die despite the danger signs, isn’t that suicide? Why bother? He was more worried about whether rats or coyotes would notice the danger signs and avoid them.

[Uh… So that’s it again-]

[Don’t waste your time talking. Just say what you have to say.]

The nurse said, slightly upset at Ms. Kim’s cold reaction.

[Isn’t it really necessary to do it this way?]

So, when the nurse asked if it was really necessary to turn the basement upside down like this, Ms. Kim kindly answered.

[Unit 1. Starting now. Implementation.]

[City-implementation.]

No, if you have something to say, say it? The nurse, who was furious inside, glared at the back of Ms. Kim’s head.

Kim Yang was confident despite the tickling back of her head. Huh- Whatever. Honestly, Kim Yang was also annoyed, but she agreed with Maru.

‘In Japan, remember? The rats were chewing through the concrete.’

‘The ground will be cleaned up soon enough because there are crows, but the underground is the problem.’

It was said that it was dangerous when rat babies settled underground and started hatching. Cities, especially cities where human power was weak, were the perfect places for rats to thrive. Maru wanted to prevent such a situation. He said that he would sweep everything while cleaning up the surroundings.

‘What about the refugees?’

“Would normal refugees still be underground? In a basement overflowing with rats?”

Maru’s thoughts were like this. If there is a person who lives with rats, he or she is not an ordinary person.

If there were humans living in symbiosis with rats, then it would be dangerous to be near the Vladiak Tower. Maru didn’t want to leave even the slightest possibility open, and Kim Yang agreed.

‘What if there is such a guy?’

‘There’s a baby living with rats near us, leaving the other underground? Should we just leave it alone?’

So the answer was just VX gas and a flamethrower.

‘Okay, but what about the nurse?’

‘They say you can communicate with crows through emotional feelings. Do you know? If you hang out with rats often, you might be able to communicate with them.’

That’s how the nurses started rolling in too.

Click-

Jjieeeek-

The desperate sound of rats squealing in the darkness far away. It was the last sound of the rats entering the slaughterhouse where VX gas had been sprayed.

Kim Yang, who had been walking confidently, looked back. This was because the sound of her following had stopped.

The nurse stood still.

[What are you doing?]

[······.]

The nurse’s exosuit was a power loader type. Since the full body protective suit was exposed, the nurse’s trembling hands were clearly visible.

Hoo-

Kim Yang’s eyes narrowed.