Rust - Chapter 319



Only Krnovel

RUST-319

As the red-hot flames died down, blackened traces and rat-gnawing marks were clearly visible on the church’s exterior walls.

Smoke like a trace rose from the corpse of a rat that was directly hit by the flamethrower. When viewed from the sky, the U-shaped burn mark is clear, and a large group of rats that ran away from the flames died.

The crows flying quietly above it were a little noisy.

Huh? Huh.

Kaaaak.

Caw!

Have you seen it? It’s freaking awesome.

Right now I have sphincter tremors.

Hold on, you punk!

The nurse nodded slightly at the crows’ honest expression.

In addition to being able to understand sounds more clearly, I was also able to vaguely sense what the crows were feeling? Something like emotions.

[great job.]

Caaaak?

Caw!

The nurse nodded as she listened to the crows’ story, which was becoming noisy again.

[Let me explain.]

The nurse cautiously headed toward the floor.

The sight that caught her eye. The sight of Ms. Kim, who was hesitating with a sense of anticipation, saying, “Me? I’m really going?” and the man who didn’t seem to care at all. The nurse approached him and knelt in the traditional Japanese manner and waited.

Maru was shocked in real time.

Miss Kim was doing something she never did before. The nurse seemed to have decided to kneel whenever something happened, so she came to a clearly visible place and knelt down and took a seat.

Why are you guys doing this? Are you trying to make people burst their stomachs?

That couldn’t be true. I suppose that’s because Miss Kim is a person who can’t tell where she’ll end up, but at least the nurse was a normal person.

really?

···was close to normal.

“Haa- What’s going on?”

The nurse knelt down and bowed deeply at Maru’s voice, who was leading the sigh. Maru coughed in vain at the sight of a certain part of his body naturally touching the floor and his front knee.

Big- big-

[The crows seem hungry.]

Come to think of it, they were having a hard time without eating. They took turns feeding in between, but they lost track of time due to attacks by cannibals and rats, so they were past the point of being hungry.

‘But did you guys tell the nurse to tell me directly?’

The crows fluttered nervously as if they noticed Maru glancing up at the sky.

[Please show favor to the crows.]

Grace?

ah?

What to eat?

mouse.

“Please do so.”

Maru’s tone suddenly became serious. The nurse who had received permission leaned forward slightly again, stood up carefully, and stepped back every now and then.

After a while, the crows landed quietly.

Ms. Kim was heartbroken.

Are you saying that you don’t call me even though it’s so pitiful?

It’s so cold-hearted.

It’s so cool.

As expected, he is a bloodless, ruthless person.

How can this be?

You caught five?

I caught five mutants, big ones? Really?

The movements of the crows that were flying in the sky changed. They felt like they had become more lively.

‘crow?’

When I turn my head, this is the scene I see.

A kneeling nurse and a butcher chatting away.

!

How many times did you laugh when there was a scene where you had to strike the trigger at a crucial moment? Why did you do it at such a moment? It really happened…

······

Unit 1···

······

======

======

Western society is so deeply intertwined with religion that it is difficult to understand it without Christian culture.

The same goes for understanding American society, because America was a country that started out as a result of Puritans who crossed the Atlantic in search of religious freedom.

Some scholars claim that the Puritans were just as insane as the Catholics, and others claim that America was founded by criminals from the Old World who came to the New World and murdered others, but the general consensus is that it is difficult to understand American society from a cultural perspective without Christianity.

This was true even though the number of Christian believers has been rapidly decreasing in recent years. Even though empty churches are popping up, the culture is not going anywhere.

The fact that the American president suddenly started praying while giving a speech and placed his hand on the Bible while taking the presidential oath was also something that had to be understood within that cultural context.

So the HOLY ad was groundbreaking. It was a cheap-sounding ad that had an overt religious vibe, and so it unexpectedly gained a cult following.

It was controversial because it was religious, and it stayed in people’s minds because it contained explicit content that is now rarely seen. There was even a term called “viral marketing.”

So what kind of people are those who have shown interest in the Holy Ark Tower after seeing an advertisement that smells like religion? What kind of people are those who have taken it beyond simple interest and given it serious thought?

Those who did not return after falling from the Holy Arch Tower and settled nearby? As the scriptures say, they were already prepared, and there were more religious people than you might think.

For better or worse.

Those who saw the miraculous scene were divided into two groups. While the majority were full of faith that it was Him, surprisingly, there were also those who had the opposite interpretation.

“What do we say to the one who saved us just now?”

“Isn’t it written in the scriptures? In the last days, the devil will come in the guise of a savior.”

The sight that unfolded as the closed door opened was equally shocking.

The sight of rising flames and black smoke, crows circling the sky, and a man standing alone as if cutting through the corpses of rats on the ground.

An indescribable sight.

The sole appearance is the incarnation of death itself.

What followed him was clearly the hell of this world.

“No. Think about it. If he were evil, would you have told him to prepare?”

“Don’t you remember what he said on the radio? He warned us about cannibals. If it weren’t for him, we’d all be eating each other.”

“That’s how evil works! Evil disguised as good. Absolute evil!”

“That’s right. How many kinds of birds are there? Why the crow? Isn’t it a pagan symbol, a symbol of evil, a symbol of ominousness and death?”

To the few who are genuine, Maru is beginning to look like an apocalyptic demon who has descended upon the world.

In Korea, even if someone swears at a villain actor, nothing dangerous happens. Most of the time, it ends with an incident where people say, “He played the villain role realistically.”

But what if it was America? There was a real risk of bullets flying at the actor playing the villain. So the actor who played the villain realistically had to stop his external activities for a while and wait for people to calm down.

Just as there were people who believed in Maru as a true savior, there were also people who saw him as the evil of the end times, which meant that there was no telling what would happen.

“Then, would it be satisfying for a pigeon to fight a rat?”

“No, that’s not what you mean. If it’s not necessarily a pigeon, it’s something like an eagle or an owl…”

“What? An eagle or an owl? If you were talking about the owl of Minerva, you would have thought it was a pagan symbol.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if it were an eagle?”

“Eagles are useless. Even pigeons would have been the same. Pigeons eat mice? They’re the devil. That’s what they’re supposed to do.”

The people were instantly divided into two.

“So some people think I’m the devil?”

[I am ashamed.]

You were calling him that for a long time and making people feel awkward by saying HOLY, and then suddenly you’re the devil? Satan? There’s a limit to how much you can change your stance, all of a sudden?

“What is the reason?”

[I think it’s because of the crow.]

Crows? What’s wrong with them? They’re smart and know how to do things on their own.

[Isn’t it often the case that it appears as an evil agent or hints at the emergence of evil in media such as movies, dramas, and games?]

“Video media?”

Maru thought, “No way. You really can’t tell the difference between movies and reality?” Kids play around with Iron Man or Superman, but do people actually exist who carry guns and want to punish evil? In America?

The PD’s expression was serious. It was true.

As expected, people were being selfish. They called him a savior, but before a day had passed, there were kids who called him the devil of the apocalypse.

Among the 478 people, only a small number, about 20 to 30 people, were saying such things, but Maru was so shocked that he felt bitter. The descended god, the representative of god, the savior of the end times, was now the descended evil, the incarnation of evil, the devil of the end times.

“okay.”

[······.]

PD became anxious when he saw Maru’s face. He was seething with anger towards those who had no faith. Wasn’t he the one who saved his life? Didn’t he save him from death? And yet, he was branded a devil?

PD was truly furious. Not only did they insult his good deeds as evil, but they also plotted division and dismissed his grace as the devil’s work.

If He leaves in disappointment, who will take responsibility? Will we be glad that He casted out the devil?

Will we be happy to be eaten by rats, saying that the devil has left us? Will we happily become cannibalistic lunch boxes, and starve to death, having been robbed by armed gangs, cartels, and mafias, and have overcome the temptation of evil. Will we go to heaven?

They were the very seeds of evil.

All the prophecies, preparations, miracles, and salvation that have been shown so far are denied by the unclean things.

As a journalist and as someone who has learned enough, I knew the dark side of religion. So didn’t I approach it with words? Didn’t I try to lead people to follow voluntarily without forcing them?

That’s why I did it so blatantly, childishly, and blatantly. Think about it. Think for yourself. And yet, the seeds of evil keep making a mess.

PD understood.

The reason why purification is necessary must be separated into wheat and chaff.

Those who were watching Maru and PD talking seriously from a distance winked at each other.

“If you shoot the devil, it’s all over.”

“Lord, give me courage.”

“If you kill Satan, the apocalypse will stop.”

“For the children. For the future. For heaven.”

Those who vowed in a solemn voice pulled out their guns.

At that moment, the sound of a crow cawing was heard above their heads.

Caaaak?

What are these kids saying?

Caw?

Did you turn around?

“Ah. The devil?”

“I knew it. I knew it!”

“It’s a trap!”

“Run away!”

“Shoot!”

Kaaaak?

Are these guys really crazy?

Caw?

Did you shoot?

Gunshots, crows croaking, and screams began to mix together.

======

======

What the heck is this?

Suddenly a tang tang tang plot?

You said you were grateful for saving me, but you acted like you didn’t have a liver or gallbladder, and among these people were reactionaries hiding?

Kim Yang, who was already feeling very, very uncomfortable, began to walk hesitantly.

Kiriyunkiriyunk

Well then, that’s right. I can’t trust those who kneel down cheaply.

huh.

Why did you kneel? To gain momentum to stab your stomach with a sledgehammer, right? Soup…? No, the rules!

Ms. Kim spoke passionately.

[It’s true. It was the same in China, and when I worked in Japan and Southeast Asia. All the kneeling was a backstabbing. I’m telling you, I experienced it. As I said last time, there was no one who was grateful if you spared them.]

You have to be wary of those who get on their knees and beg for their lives, and then act like they’re thankful for being saved! Just look at them now. Those who were like saviors and such are just trying to hit you in the back of the head. After a long time, Kim Yang’s mouth opened.

“Okay, so be quiet.”

Maru frowned at Kim Yang’s change of stance. You said they were people who would never betray you? You said we should push forward as a great general. Now, do we have to root out reactionaries all of a sudden?

I didn’t really intend to be a good savior. Strictly speaking, I just wanted to live comfortably, giving and receiving from each other. But is that really that hard?

“First of all. Let’s classify people who are called devils or something.”

Should I take those guys away because they’re crazy? But the ones who came out next to me were only about 10 people. Didn’t you say there were 20 to 30?

The PD’s eyes were filled with apology. There was nothing I could say to the PD. I hadn’t delegated any authority to the PD.

“Ha- Right-.”

Maru shook his head and spoke to the crows.

“You know those weird people? Move aside.”

Kaaaak!