Rust - Chapter 397



Only Krnovel

RUST -397

A night in December when the temperature dropped to minus 57 degrees Celsius.

A Homeland Security cargo blimp has crashed near Detroit. It crashed in Canada across the river east of Detroit.

“Is it possible for a perfectly good airship to suddenly crash?”

Even if you lose power, can’t you just float around like a balloon?

“The problem may have occurred when the plane attempted to land forcefully while losing power due to extreme cold.”

Kim Yang and PD exchanged opinions. The coal that the Department of Homeland Security has taken so far is approximately 100,000 tons. It is not a small amount of fuel for the stove used as auxiliary heating, but it may not be enough in this kind of weather.

With Detroit hitting -55 to -60 degrees, it was likely that New York would have dropped to at least -20 to -30 degrees. Even though New York is adjacent to the ocean, it was certainly true that temperatures in the middle of winter dropped to -2 to -5 degrees.

“It’s strange that they suddenly came here after they said they wouldn’t be operating airships for the time being due to abnormal weather and political instability.”

As Hood said, something was strange.

“We should consider it as something that urgent.”

What could be so urgent that they would risk flying a blimp to come here? It hasn’t even been a month since I last saw you. Could it be that there is something urgent that requires psychometry?

‘You’re not saying it’s necessary after you tried to forcibly take me in, are you?’

“Anyway, I recommend you go. It’s important to see what’s going on, but it’s also important to note that a large cargo airship wouldn’t have arrived empty-handed.”

It was as the PD said. Considering the relationship with the Department of Homeland Security and the supplies loaded onto the airship, it was the right thing to do.

The problem is that it is not easy to conduct rescue operations even if you want to. Not only did the crash occur in Canada, but the current temperature was -57 degrees Celsius.

“This is true.”

Maru made a troubled expression. Although they had prepared winter supplies, most of them were items that could be used in a normal winter. Just warm clothes.

At the time I was packing my supplies, I thought that regular winter clothes would be sufficient since Detroit was warmer than Seoul even in the lowest winter temperature.

“Isn’t it dangerous when it’s minus 57 degrees? If you go out, won’t you just die?”

[In Oymyakon, Russia, elementary school students go to school even in temperatures of minus 50 degrees.]

Maru was moved by Diana’s kind explanation that school is closed only when the temperature drops below -52 degrees.

“This is a crazy town. So, have you identified the crash site?”

[Near Chatham, Canada. Most likely 1-2km southeast of Chatham.]

It was about 45km by road from Vladivostok Tower, and about 38km in a straight line. Since the airship was large, it didn’t seem difficult to find it once you got close to it.

“Should we just deploy the exosuit unit?”

[The lowest operating temperature of the armored exosuit is -25 degrees, which is expected to cause problems during operation.]

So, what I’m saying is that the only way is to wear winter clothes and go alive like the Oimyakon people.

“No choice, contact Dick. I’ll go with your team.”

[I contacted you.]

Maru set off with the newly joined ability users.

Five people, wrapped in layers of winter clothing like chubby teddy bears, walked in a long line through the snow.

[Tie yourselves together because the floor might suddenly collapse.]

[No snowmobiles or anything? There were electric motorcycles, you know.]

The problem was the battery. Battery efficiency drops at very low temperatures, and there was no way to do it at -50 degrees Celsius as it is now. There were many reasons why it was difficult to use the exosuit, but the biggest problem was the battery performance problem at low temperatures.

[It will be difficult for the time being.]

The border system collapsed due to a cold wave beyond imagination.

Until now, crows have been patrolling and guarding, but the weather has made it difficult for crows to move, so there are holes in the guard.

If they had installed CCTV for the cold season from the beginning, it would have been different, but since they didn’t, when a blizzard came, the surveillance cameras were effectively out of service. Manpower had to be mobilized to fix them.

If it was a short period of time, it would have been okay for ordinary people to go, but considering the possible threat, it was right for the ability users to go out, so this ability user team had to be on site almost every day.

What can I do if I feel bad about turning the people with the ability to take revenge on the cannibals into AS technicians in the cold season? The situation is like this.

In any case, the people with the ability who went out to search with Maru without any time to rest couldn’t help but feel dissatisfied. Maru also felt sorry because he had some shame.

[I’m making an engine, so the snowmobile will be out in a few days.]

[I hope it comes out soon.]

Although it was only about 38 to 40 kilometers away from the expected crash site, it was not easy to get through the thick snow.

‘Seeing the piled up snow reminds me of that.’

I remembered the time in Japan when cockroaches were lying in wait in the snow. If the snow keeps piling up like it is now, it’s only a matter of time before it piles up to 5 meters like in Japan.

[Cross the river right away.]

The river was completely frozen, so there was no need to go all the way to the bridge.

[How about following the river to the lake and then crossing the lake?]

[I think it’ll be okay.]

The shortest route is upriver and across Lake St. Clair.

[Just in case, let’s ride along the edge of the lake.]

Maru suddenly felt uneasy thinking about Japan. All the infected, mutants, and cannibals around Detroit were killed and they were safe, so how could he feel uneasy?

Why is that?

Canada and Detroit are divided by rivers and lakes…

River? Lake?

Frozen?

‘Hah- Shit.’

Aren’t the rivers and lakes frozen and freely crossing? If so, then things in Canada can also freely cross to Detroit.

‘You have to be careful about the direction of Canada too.’

If I had only been paying attention to the other side like before the river froze over and something had happened, I would have been tired, but it was fortunate that I had noticed it now. Kuk- Maru, who had planted a relay station on the riverbank, relayed the situation.

[Install additional CCTV on the riverside. CCTV to prepare for the extreme cold. The river and lake are frozen, so you can cross from the Canadian side.]

[Transmitted. A distress signal was cut off from the airship that crashed a little while ago.]

[There was nothing strange?]

[There was none.]

Maru checked the time at Diana’s report. They had come about 3.5km in an hour. It was a fast speed considering they were moving with snowshoes on.

‘Should we speed things up?’

This was the limit of speed. Even at this rate, it would still take 12 hours to reach the destination.

Beep-beep-

Fortunately, the temperature was not dropping any further.

‘I guess I’ll have to take a break once in a while.’

It would have been an impossible forced march for ordinary people, but Maru and the other ability users easily endured it.

[It’s strange.]

Dick said, looking around.

There was nothing as we walked along the river to Lake St. Clair, along the edge of the lake, towards Chatham. It was below -50 degrees, so it would have been more unusual for something to be moving around, but even that aside, it was strange.

[Watching.]

Maru’s eyes were also turned towards the houses on the lakeside.

In this cold weather, there should have been smoke rising from the chimneys, but there was no such house. Not a single one during the nearly five-hour walk.

‘There are no survivors?’

With only a river between them? Were there survivors in that mess of Detroit?

[Stop. Stay nearby for a day and then move.]

The original plan was to walk even after the sun had set, but it was better to change it if it seemed strange.

[Shall we go to the house by the lake?]

Canadian homes, like those in the United States, were mostly made of lightweight wood. This meant they were vulnerable to attacks by mutants and cannibals, who could penetrate walls.

Even the wolf monsters that Kim Yang caught in the northern region were capable of breaking through walls and windows. It would be even more so if there were mutants or cannibals wandering around.

So Maru looked for a sturdy building. A church or a government office seemed sturdy, but it was too big for five people to defend.

[No. Go to the lighthouse.]

A lighthouse standing alone on top of a hill was chosen as today’s campsite.

[Spread out the motion detectors and prepare to camp. You know the atmosphere here is strange? Manage it well so that the light doesn’t leak out. When setting up guard, be sure to hide properly.]

[Okay, but where are you going?]

[I have something to check around here.]

[Are you okay being alone?]

Dick asked if at least one person should be included.

[It’s okay. Don’t forget to install the repeater. If anything seems strange, contact me right away.]

[yes.]

Maru headed to a house a little further away. Because of the snow piled up to about 3m, he couldn’t enter the first floor entrance anyway. Knock knock knock- He shook the second floor window slightly and it was open and unlocked. Knock knock- The window opened as the ice on the window frame broke.

The bedroom was barren. The bookshelves were empty. There were no blankets or mattresses on the bed. There were no rugs, which are usually laid on the floor, and there were no thick clothes left in the closet. The other rooms were the same. The three rooms on the second floor were all in similar condition.

The first floor, which I went down the stairs to, was very dark, probably because it was buried in snow.

Beep-

Motion detectors, infrared cameras, and thermal imaging cameras also failed to detect anything.

‘The gas is cut off.’

The same goes for running water and electricity. Did they move somewhere else? There were too many traces of life left for that to be the case. This was especially true around the fireplace, where traces of books being burned remained.

The fact that there were blankets and mattresses in front of the fireplace meant that people had gathered in front of the fireplace to avoid the cold. That meant that people had been there at least until the weather became cold. That made it even stranger.

‘The snow is piling up and it’s getting colder and colder, and you’re leaving home?’

Pot- When I turned on the tactical light, the thick floor made up of rugs and carpets was clearly visible. There were holes here and there. There was a clear sign that something had gnawed at it.

The moment he saw the traces, Maru was reminded of a village from long ago. A village that had been attacked by a pack of rats and had lost all traces of humans.

[There is a rat nearby.]

[Rat? Are you talking about a rat?]

Maybe it was because he was in New York, but Maru’s eyebrows twitched at the insignificant voice.

[A man-eating rat as big as your arm.]

[···yes.]

Dick noticed that the atmosphere was not good.

[Keep the snow clear around the lighthouse and be ready to use napalm at any time.]

[All right.]

Maru looked at the next house.

A circular hole was made in the wall. Again, there were no traces of people. Just like the first house.

Contrary to their nervousness, Maru and his party safely spent the night and headed to their destination on the frozen lake.

Aww-

Dick reacted to the sound of a wolf howling in the distance.

[It was minus 55 degrees and I heard a wolf howl.]

[Because it’s a monster.]

Maru walked calmly.

It would be better to have a wolf than a pack of rats. It would be dangerous if a pack of rats swarmed us. Right now, all the team members were wearing layers of winter clothing, so if a pack of monster rats came rushing in, they would be instantly disbanded.

Aooooooo-

Awww-

The occasional howls of wolves did not stop. The group moved away from the howls of wolves and arrived at the predicted crash site of the airship.

[It’s there.]

It was a quick search for the airship. The massive airship was stuck in the snow, almost intact. I looked around, but there was no sign of it having dug through the snow.

[Okay. Let’s clear the way to the cockpit area.]

Two people stood guard and three people went down through the snow. While they were going through the snow, Maru raised his hand.

[stop]

Holes between the eyes. Holes the size of a 2L Coke bottle were drilled here and there in the eyes.

[Prepare shotgun and flashbang.]

The cockpit window that was exposed like that was soaked with blood. Crunch- Maru, who had torn off the glass window that had burst on one side due to the impact of the landing, stepped inside.

Not a single bone was left behind. The only thing that indicated that something terrible had happened here was a trail of blood.

It was the same even after going inside the cockpit. All that was left were traces of blood. There were marks from machine guns here and there, but that was it.

[What is this?]

[A pack of rats.]

Is this a rat? A rat can do this?

[oh my god.]

[Lord.]

As the search continued towards the cargo hold, screams erupted from those standing guard above.

[It’s a wolf!]

[The wolf dug his eyes out···.]

Thud thud thud-

With a gunshot, Maru tore through the side of the airship and leapt out.

[Don’t follow me and defend yourself there.]

[Huh? Yeah!]

Pukak- What the high ceiling saw through the snow was two people whose limbs were being bitten off.

[This dog-]

Ugh-

A man’s head disappeared into the wolf’s snout.

[Ahhhh – Save me -]

Before the screams could stop, Maru ran. Thud – The footsteps that were trying to break through in one step were buried in the snow and lost their momentum.

What the fuck.

Pok- pok- pok Short steps continued and the blade on the floor extended.

Kwajik – The blade was stuck in the wolf’s head.

[Ah-uh-]

The sight of a man with his stomach ripped open and his intestines eaten away, gasping for breath, made Maru’s body swell with a rage.

A deep and dark murderous intent. That dense murderous intent killed time.

Kang?

Kwang?

The wolves that were rushing towards the floor froze in place.