Rust - Chapter 420



Only Krnovel

RUST -420

It was Roy Stern who couldn’t hide his bitter expression as he looked at his epaulettes and military cap reflected in the mirror.

The command structure of the returning soldiers who arrived in the United States was half-collapsed. Given the nature of the Federal Army, a collapse of the command structure meant the entire structure had collapsed. The command structure should have been reorganized as quickly as possible, but there was no communication from above.

The East and the South each reached out to the soldiers who arrived home on Charlotte’s ship.

Which hand should I hold?

Who will receive the salary and benefits?

How do I contact my family?

What about the promotion? What about the one they said they’d raise me by one rank because I worked in Japan?

Since most of the troops guarding the armory in Japan were from the western region, it was difficult to tell them to abandon the ruined west and go to the east or south.

‘Fuck···.’

After months of maintaining order and eliminating mutant monsters in Japanese refugee camps, the troops who had been guarding the armory until the end were virtually abandoned.

Communications were cut off, supplies were cut off, and contact with the US forces in Korea, which were relatively close by, was also cut off, so the situation was bleak.

Although it was enough food for the unit members, it ran out in an instant when it was provided to the Japanese refugees. Even if it was enough to feed several hundred people for several years, it would be enough to feed tens of thousands of refugees in an instant, so it was natural.

But what would happen if we left the starving refugees alone? It was obvious that they would try to raid the military camp before they starved to death, so we couldn’t help but release food.

In a desperate situation where there was no way out and supplies were not available, the Charlotte Group approached.

‘The whole group is planning to move to the United States. Would you like to come with us?’

The price is everything in the armory.

‘The weapons in the armory are those of the Federation. They cannot be negotiated!’

‘There have been many instances throughout history where soldiers were saved by selling weapons. This is the case now.’

‘Are you ignoring the United States of America?’

‘Would you starve your soldiers to death in Japan, where there are hungry refugees running around? Or would you shoot the hungry refugees and have a cannibalistic feast?’

The first round of negotiations broke down.

‘We’d rather capture Charlotte’s ship.’

‘That would be better.’

It was decided to load the heavily armed company troops onto three fishing boats that had been obtained with great difficulty. The company that left like that was never heard from again.

The Charlotte group gave an ultimatum as if nothing had happened.

‘The advance party has already departed for the United States. We have our own circumstances, so we cannot wait any longer. If I do not hear from you by 9:00 AM tomorrow, I will assume that you have decided to remain in Japan.’

The command, whose highest rank was captain, was divided.

‘We just need to get the fishing boat back. It doesn’t matter because we can connect with the US forces in Korea in just a few hundred miles.’

‘If it was so easy, why didn’t you contact the USFK until now? I’ve already contacted them five times using fishing boats. I haven’t received a single reply.’

‘Don’t you know that our supply line was cut off in the first place? The home country, the US forces in Korea, and the Asia Command have forgotten us.’

‘Rather than saying they’ve abandoned us, I think it’s more like the situation is so messed up that they can’t care about us.’

‘Maybe this is the end after Charlotte leaves.’

‘Even if they come straight from their home country, it will take at least a month, and the starving refugees may rise up at any time.’

The executive meeting ended in a stalemate. And later that night, several executives who had staunchly opposed the deal with Charlotte were found dead. The atmosphere in the unit was that tense.

‘You idiots. You’re going back to your home country anyway.’

‘Yes, the things in the armory cannot be transported to the home country, so they are being stored, so you can think of them as taking them.’

I rationalized it by thinking that it was being transported to the home country via Charlotte.

After many twists and turns, I finally arrived in my home country, but there was no one to welcome me, and I could not contact the Ministry of National Defense, the Army, the Air Force, or the Navy.

Not only was it difficult to contact my family, but it was also difficult to retrieve the salary I had received after working in Japan for over a year. The banking system was paralyzed.

Although the dollar was still in circulation, only cash was accepted. There was no card service, and military status was meaningless.

Charlotte reached out to the bewildered soldiers. She told them to come under her group. Even if they were connected to military command, they wouldn’t be able to get supplies or pay.

Who should command the troops?

That question brought one person to mind for the unit members.

Ensign Roy Stern.

He was a captain and was almost guaranteed to be promoted to major, but was demoted two ranks to second lieutenant.

It was natural that the soldiers’ hearts would be drawn to the person who was most active in the operation to suppress the mutant monsters. There were few people who could be trusted in a war, not a war against monsters, and that person was Roy Stern.

Even in the bloody battles with the special forces of the Northern Theater Command of China, the armored platoon he commanded suffered no casualties, although there were some wounded, so the soldiers began to rally around Roy Stern.

And it was Roy Stern who negotiated with President Charlotte and the military.

President Charlotte to gather the scattered troops, and Roy Stern to keep the Federal Army and get as much support as possible.

But the result was Chairman Shim’s complete victory.

Charlotte didn’t have a big problem even though she didn’t have an army right away, because she had armed forces including many capable people.

But the military was different. How could a consumer group of nearly a thousand people survive? Looting? What else could they do in LA, where gangs, cartels, and the mafia had already plundered?

There were even several gangs led by cannibals, so public safety was a mess. In LA, a city of plunder where no one took responsibility, a city of violence where anyone could die, the Charlotte Group was the only force that could properly provide supplies.

Would you like to become a private soldier of the Charlotte Group?

Or will they become military looters?

He simply chose to be a private.

Ensign Roy Stern, now a major, headed to the maintenance depot.

The mechanic greeted Roy Stern by looking at his face, then stopped talking after looking at the epaulettes on his shoulder.

“Sir… Major, the armored personnel carrier’s operation time has become too short.”

“how much?”

“That’s a bit strange. It’s a similar temperature···.”

“How much can it operate exactly?”

Temperatures in Japan have also dropped. Areas that would normally be above freezing have dropped below -10 degrees Celsius. However, there were no major problems in operating armored personnel carriers and exosuits.

That was because the battery efficiency was only around 10%, so I thought it would be similar in LA.

If the temperature is -10 to -15 degrees Celsius, the battery efficiency would drop by about 10 to 15%. However, now the efficiency has dropped by about 40 to 50%.

“You can move for about 40 minutes at most.”

“Is this the maximum output standard?”

“It is a normal operating standard.”

“That means it will take 10 minutes at most, 15 minutes at most, at maximum power.”

While he was talking to the maintenance man, a man in maintenance uniform passed by and tapped Roy Stern on the shoulder.

Is he a guy who is dissatisfied with being promoted to major in one fell swoop?

It’s already annoying to think about some lieutenant kid causing trouble, but-

huh?

The moment I put my hand in my pocket to take out a cigarette, I felt a strange sensation at the tip of my fingers. There was a business card inside that I had never put in before. It was the business card of Virginia Langley The Company.

Roy Stern’s brow furrowed as he read the place and time written on the back.

That evening.

As if the dazzling lights of LA were no longer there, Roy Stern’s footsteps toward the city engulfed in darkness led into a bar.

“Here it is.”

A man sitting in a corner waved at Roy Stern.

“I knew you’d come. Roy Stern… Major. It’s an honor to meet a hero who was promoted from second lieutenant to major in one fell swoop. My name is Ethan Doe.”

Roy Stern frowned at the subtle, nerve-wracking sound.

“Why are you looking like that? You’re the one who turned your subordinates and colleagues into Charlotte’s dogs.”

Roy Stern just got up from his seat at that natural-sounding antics.

The way to arouse and excite the other person and lead the story in the way you want. Roy Stern had already experienced being tricked by a Chinese spy. Seeing the way Agent Virginia did it, the situation must be similar.

“Please sit down. Unless you’re trying to sell me something else.”

Roy Stern’s body, which had been facing outward one step, rotated 180 degrees.

Pfft- Roy Stern’s expression hardened as he blew away the thrush of the laughing agent. The agent, who had fallen down after one punch, was not breathing.

FUCK!

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A large monitor showed the entire United States.

The area where the central region, known as the Corn Belt, and the Rust Belt overlapped was colored green and red.

“There was a reason why it multiplied so quickly in Chicago and the central region.”

“There must have been corn and wheat scattered across the fields that were not harvested properly last year.”

With farm machinery reduced to scrap metal by the EMP, it’s a feast for the rats.

“If exports were cut off and the grain warehouses were overflowing with grain, rats would take over…”

The corn grown in Iowa alone could feed between 1.5 billion and 2 billion people for a year.

“Before winter is over, we need to reduce the number.”

It was clear that once the weather cleared and they started breeding, their numbers would grow to an unmanageable level.

Maru, who was talking to the PD, laughed in vain.

“This is ridiculous – it’s not because of mutants or cannibals, but because of rats that humanity could disappear from the North American continent.”

“Vladislav Town will be safe.”

The PD declared to Maru, who was smiling hollowly.

“That must be the case. What did you give to the Rat Tribe that sent tribute?”

“It’s a narcotic treatment.”

“Huh? Wait a minute. So you gave me some medicine?”

“yes.”

Maru was shocked by the PD’s answer that he had given her a medicine containing painkillers, antibiotics, and stimulants.

You gave me that medicine and told me to act like a god?

“Once you see the effects, your faith will become stronger.”

They are smart mice and will quickly figure out how to use the medicine effectively.

During war, it will be used as a combat drug to create berserkers, and after the war, it will be used as a treatment, just as mankind has long used opium as a treatment.

What would the leader rat think if he had been blessed by God with a mysterious potion?

How would rats behave if they were addicted to a mysterious drug that could only be obtained from God?

will try to expand its territory.

“By taking advantage of the rat tribe, we can also expand our territory.”

PD drew a line on the map.

A line that crosses the Michigan state border and the upper part of Toronto, Canada.

“Just in case, I think we should take control of Michigan and the area north of Toronto, Canada.”

There was a need to seriously consider the PD’s thoughts.

“Haa- Let’s start by taking care of the grain storage in Iowa, and then we can all get together and talk about expanding our territory.”

“All right.”

[An abnormal reaction has occurred in Incubator A-01.]

[Researchers have now determined that cell division and growth have accelerated dramatically.]

One of the two surrogate mothers who were smuggled from the secret laboratory of the Department of Homeland Security was already dead. Miraculously, the fetus was alive and could be dramatically rescued through surgery. It was a premature baby, so it was put in an incubator, but it suddenly showed an abnormal reaction.

“Is it an emergency?”

[This is not an emergency situation.]

Then that’s fine. Why are you making such a fuss?

“What happened to the mercenary woman?”

Mercenary Rebecca was implanting the U+ program into her body.

[They say there are no major abnormalities within the normal range.]

“Okay. Unless it’s something serious, I’d like you to filter out their stories.”

Is it because you killed Director Yoo? Or is it because you decided to accept him?

Maru shook his head, feeling as if he was being forced to become a father.