Rust - Chapter 387



Only Krnovel

RUST [RUST]-387

The telepathy came with a slight nod from Julia.

[It’s an opportunity.]

[What opportunity?]

[A chance to be free.]

[how?]

[I’ll use Brett Baden.]

I already knew who it was through Erica’s powers. Unless Brett Baden is on the other side of the world, I should be able to contact him telepathically.

[Isn’t that dangerous? That bastard is a true cannibal. He’s a pervert who eats cockroaches.]

Despite Erica’s words, Julia’s thoughts remained the same. In order for them to disappear without evidence, everyone here had to die. In order to do that, she needed Brett Baden. What would she not do to find freedom?

[Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.]

[···Okay. But what are you going to do with Nana?]

[He’s the same.]

[Then… we can go together.]

[What would he regret that he would run away with us?]

[still···.]

[Okay, I won’t do it if you don’t want me to. So are we giving up on running away? Just do it without whining every time we do it.]

[······.]

[Why aren’t you answering? I’m going to have to work until I die of old age. Just tell me you’ll do it. Don’t make excuses for me later.]

[You… do you really have to say that?]

[Don’t change the subject. Erica Lisbon. This is a life-or-death decision. I’ll pretend to be good. I don’t want anyone to die. That’s not true. Will you be free even if everyone else dies, or will you live as a slave and die? It’s your decision.]

[······.]

In a world as broken as this, the value of himself and Erica was far beyond expectations. To the extent that an airship was traded in exchange for renting the two of them.

When the price of a top-of-the-line passenger plane is said to be around $300 million, that means each one would cost at least $150 million. And that’s including the rental fee.

So if this operation is successful, will that be the end? The cannibals aren’t just in New York, so they’ll be wandering around the country, right?

until when?

There was no promise.

It would be horrible to spend your entire life as a slave, tracking down and relaying communications with cannibals. You would be locked up for security reasons, and even if you went out for a short while, you would be buried under layers of bodyguards.

Let’s say we’ve found and killed all the cannibals that threaten America, and then we’re safe? It’s psychometry and telepathy.

He was a capable person who had to be eliminated by traitors and those with dirty intentions, so it was clear that assassination attempts would continue.

Every day will be a challenge, and your whole life will be a prison.

until when?

Until death.

Julia never intended to live and die like that. Never.

[okay.]

[What? I knew?]

[I want to find freedom.]

[Yes. It’s your choice and my choice. It’s our choice. Be strong.]

[······.]

Erica’s body trembled.

Nanae Ono suddenly hugged Erika, who was starting to shiver, and said.

“There are experts here. They said special forces are on standby. So it’s okay. Speak slowly. What did you see? If you tell them, they can prepare.”

The handsome man nodded.

“Yes, just in case, I brought plenty of flamethrowers and even insecticide.”

Even the agents wearing power loader-type exosuits looked sturdy as they took up positions in the direction of the underground waterway and stood guard.

A supply camp was set up near the entrance to the culvert, in a place with sufficient airflow and where there was no problem using flamethrowers.

Erica hesitantly explained the situation. She said that there was a cannibalistic leader who controlled the cockroaches and told them to find living humans, so the cockroaches might come here soon.

“I see. Then do you know where the man controlling the cockroach is?”

A handsome man with a smiling face, but his eyes were not smiling. Their gaze was cold and piercing.

Again? You want me to do more here?

Julia was right. If we continue like this, we’ll just be squeezed endlessly.

In the dark shadows, Maru was on edge with the two of them. He had a bad feeling, and he couldn’t relax for even a moment, so he could see it.

Psychometry and telepathy made eye contact. And I felt a faint murderous aura in the slight nod of telepathy.

‘Murderous intent?’

Telepathy to live?

It was very faint, but it was certain. He had been through a lot, so he couldn’t have been mistaken. It was definitely murderous intent. The direction was where the nurse and the psychometer were.

‘Is it jealousy?’

Something like stealing friends among girls? Before the house was ruined, my younger sister had many friends. After the house was ruined, those friends became half enemies.

‘But I still don’t know.’

It could be a weak murderous intent that came from seeing the psychometry sticking close to the nurse and not him. Or it could be a real murderous intent to do something, so he needed to be careful.

Perhaps because it was an underground waterway, the sound of voices could be heard quite far away.

‘A cannibal who controls cockroaches.’

If only Kim Yang and his bodyguards had provided backup by any means necessary when they were dispatched to sweep away the underground water, this wouldn’t have happened…

At the time, Director Dan Brown was unconscious and hospitalized, so there was nothing he could do, but it was truly regrettable.

And judging by the fact that he didn’t actively back up even after regaining consciousness, the result would have been similar.

‘Is it because the scale is large?’

What was important to Maru was not the residents’ complaints and anxiety, but their safety and survival.

Citizen anxiety? Discontent?

Even that is something to be dissatisfied and anxious about while alive.

Looting. Arson. Rioting?

Isn’t this a chance to kill all those criminal bastards?

‘I don’t know.’

Sigh- Maru, who had been stretching his head from side to side, checked his weapons.

From flash grenades, fragmentation grenades, and the cute Vx gas grenade that Kim Yang secretly used to kill cockroaches and rats in Japan, there was more than enough to use in times of danger.

‘Okay. Let’s wait.’

Why do I feel so uneasy?

The shadow that had been swaying for a moment slowly sank into the darkness.

The tall, handsome agent’s eyes were cold.

He knew he was handsome. A beautiful woman, whether male or female, is always treated well. He knew that half of his success in becoming a Homeland Security agent was due to his face, so he was confident in his appearance.

It was he who convinced the telepaths and psychometrists to bring them to New York, and he was also in charge of managing the two women on site.

So, although I was the center of this operation, I had too many limitations.

First, limit skinship. Since the other person had psychometric abilities, it was natural because you didn’t know how far she would be exposed the moment her hand touched you.

‘It actually turned out well.’

A telepath who keeps his distance from the nurse and the psychometry as they become close friends.

No matter how you look at it, the nurse attached by Vladimir Kalin was a watchdog, and the two seemed to be talking telepathically, avoiding the nurse in the middle.

After catching the cannibal using psychometry, it would be a good idea to use telepathy to calm him down. Then, the relationship between psychometry and telepathy will be shaken up a little.

Isn’t that how it is? What if the person I like shows interest in my friend instead of myself? Even close friends can feel awkward. That’s where the shaking of the two women began.

In order to get into that kind of work, he had to separate the nurse from the psychometry. If the nurse acted as a buffer between the two, as if she was calming the psychometry down, there would be no room for him to intrude.

‘First, let’s catch the cannibal leader.’

“Where is the cannibal leader?”

“These underground waterways are so complex that it’s hard to explain.”

“Then, could you draw a map here for me?”

“Uh- Not that detailed···.”

“You just have to mark the fork in the road.”

Although the psychometry’s complexion was not good, he always encouraged me with a smile on his face.

“If you need help finding your way, I can help you.”

The telepath, who had come up next to him, spoke to the agent.

“How do you say that?”

“I can telepathically convey to you what Erica sees with her abilities.”

That’s… an amazing story. It means that you can use psychometry to see into enemy territory, and share everything about it with telepathy. That means you have an overwhelming advantage in terrain and information.

“Then thank you.”

“Telepathy may feel a little uncomfortable, but please don’t resist it and just be comfortable.”

“Can only one person do this at a time?”

“No, everyone here can do it at the same time.”

Even wide-area functions? This was… an ability absolutely necessary for the reconstruction of the United States. The agent’s eyes unknowingly sparkled with greed.

Julia calmly ignored the agent’s gaze. She thought that the author, who would soon become a corpse, was watching. She thought back to Brett Baden’s words.

‘Are you a telepath? What’s your business?’

‘As you know, there are those who are after you.’

Brett Baden’s thoughts, which showed joy rather than fear or distress in her telepathy. Julia shuddered involuntarily at the sticky appetite she felt through telepathy. Brett Baden spoke leisurely, perhaps thinking that he had hidden his appetite.

‘···I’ll ask again. So what’s your business?’

It seemed that he had not won the seat for golf betting.

What do you say?

Yes. There was a person I really loved, but the lover got cannibalistic. They were living peacefully after taking the cure, but the people around them and the militia killed the lover like a witch hunt. So the story is about wanting revenge on the people.

A mental image of Brett Baden, unmoved by her passionate telepathy.

He didn’t believe it at all. No, it had nothing to do with belief. A world of mind unrelated to other people’s love, loss, revenge, and the like. He was a monster in and of himself.

‘Revenge. Sounds good. So you want to kill people? By my hand?’

‘···is it so.’

A strong appetite and possessiveness came rushing in like a tidal wave.

It was targeting her. She wanted to break the telepathy with that greedy spirit, but she was stubborn and held on. She had to endure it. If it was for freedom.

‘I don’t have a hobby that matches the rhythm, but that’s okay. But there are conditions on this side too.’

‘What is it?’

‘I’d like to at least say hello in person.’

It was a clever rhetoric. If he refused, he would say that revenge was a lie and would not move, and if he agreed, it would end with a greeting.

‘Of course I should greet you. First, I’ll send you the tracking team composition and current location.’

As Julia telepathically transmitted the location of the tracking team, a stronger sense of possessiveness surged through her. Her legs felt weak from the sticky, persistent greed.

‘You’re too close to the exit. We need to drag them deep inside to annihilate them. I’ll send out a small cockroach, so follow it and lure them in.’

‘all right.’

That’s what Julia told her trackers.

“Then I will operate with telepathy from now on. Even if you feel a strange sensation, just stay comfortable and you will be fine soon.”

The moment he started operating on the people around him with wide-area telepathy, Julia got goosebumps.

There was something here.

Something that is not affected by telepathy.

“What’s going on?”

“Yes? No.”

It was clear that I had made a mistake because I was nervous.

“Erika and I will be at the supply camp. Our telepathy abilities should be sufficient here.”

“Just in case, let’s go together. If an emergency arises, you might need psychometric abilities. You’ll also need telepathy to convey that information.”

It was a correct answer.

“······.”

“Besides, since the entire exosuit unit will be mobilized as well, it would be better to move with the main force rather than staying at the supply camp. After all, the operation will continue until the cannibal subjugation is over.”

The agent caught Julia trying to sneak away. Her mouth felt dry, but if she insisted on staying at the camp, the agent might get suspicious.

“···yes.”

“And you said you were a nurse?”

“yes.”

“The exit is close here, so stay at the supply camp. If things get weird, you can escape right away.”

“Ah, again. That. I want to be with you two···.”

“If a battle breaks out, you have to protect yourself. Can you do that? The two of you here are former mercenaries, so you know how to handle firearms. But you’re not a nurse, are you? If you still say you’ll go with us, we’ll have to split our forces to protect you. If we split our forces, we’ll lack firepower in the event of a fight, and everyone could be in danger. Still, will you go with us?”

The nurse hesitated when the agent asked if she wanted to be a nuisance. Then, Erica quickly answered.

“Yeah. You don’t even know how to shoot a gun, so why are you going with me?”

“···That would be good.”

Telepathy agreed. The nurse, who had been fidgeting at the two men’s words, nodded in greeting.

“Everyone, take care and come back safely. Don’t get hurt.”

The agent pushed the nurse away, smiling contentedly, while Erica and Julia smiled gladly that the nurse was no longer involved, and walked deeper into the cistern.

As the people disappeared from view, a rippling space approached the nurse.

[great job.]

The nurse barely managed to suppress her gasp at the sound of Maru’s voice in her ear.

“Uh… How did you get here?”

[I’m saying this because I don’t feel good.]

“Huh? Huh? Then what should I do? Two people went inside.”

[I’ll go and see, so wait on the airship. You know the airship we were supposed to receive?]

“yes.”

[Okay. Get ready to take off from there at any time. Have the crows stand by there too. Keep my presence a secret. Got it?]

“Yes, I understand.”

The nurse let out a small sigh as she watched the rippling space disappear into the darkness and often walked towards the entrance.

If he went, both of them would be relieved.