Rust - Chapter 572



Only Krnovel

RUST [RUST]-572

Beep-

Beep- beep- beep-

[Radiation fallout risk confirmed. Radiation levels are stable.]

The Ripper suit’s assistant AI has detected residual radiation. This means that there won’t be any major problems for now, as long as you don’t rub your bare body on the ground covered in fallout. Even so, it’s best to get out of the fallout area as quickly as possible.

‘I’m going to turn around-.’

Now we all experience a nuclear explosion right in front of our noses.

I ran at full speed using all means at my disposal, but I barely managed to escape about 2.5 to 3 kilometers. If the road had been normal, I would have gone further, but even so, I had done an incredible job.

‘There won’t be any problems because of radiation, right?’

Honestly, I was scared of radiation too.

‘It’s a spec that can respond to biochemical warfare. It’ll be fine.’

The Reaper suit was basically capable of chemical, biological, and radiological response. So it was able to move freely even in places where nerve gas exploded. Even now, it is fortunate that it can respond to low-level radiation.

“Communication?”

[Communication functions are working normally.]

“No, not that. Is there any communication that can be caught?”

[There are currently no confirmed radio waves. We inform you that there is almost no possibility of communication connection on the 4th basement floor.]

“I know. I just said it because I was frustrated.”

[We recommend uploading after at least 24 hours.]

“I told you so.”

Maru came up to the surface after more than 24 hours. The explosive power, nearly twice that of Little Boy, was no joke.

If a tactical nuclear weapon of only 30 kt has this much power, then what is the maximum power of the B61-11, 340 kt?

They say it’s a tactical nuclear weapon, but honestly, the 340kt weapon was a strategic nuclear weapon. It was dizzying to think of the United States, which labeled such a vicious thing as a tactical nuclear weapon. What’s even more absurd is who would have thought that the United States would end up like this?

“······.”

[Please wear your helmet properly. There is a high probability that radioactive fallout will be floating due to the current light wind.]

The sound of AI’s beating was faintly heard. The city, which had been hit by an earthquake and tsunami, and now by a nuclear explosion, had turned into a giant graveyard with nothing left to call a landscape.

Chiik- As I lowered my goggles, the chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear response system began to purify the slightly contaminated air.

[······.]

After calling the airship, Maru carefully headed towards where the camp was.

Although he had never felt uneasy before, Maru did not want to leave any room for even a single possibility.

‘If there’s anything left after this, the only answer is the hydrogen bomb.’

If I felt even the slightest bit uneasy, I would go to the Eastern Empire without looking back and drop a hydrogen bomb on it.

The 2km radius where the tactical nuclear device exploded was clearly completely melted by the intense heat. I thought it was very fortunate that I had escaped even 3km.

Coming here and seeing it for myself made me realize how reckless it was.

Even if I had been just a little bit late, it would have been difficult to escape the nuclear hot sphere, and I thought it would have been difficult to survive if I hadn’t been able to escape underground.

Creek-

Jjigrick-

The sound of glassy crystals being crushed by intense heat.

The remains are still burning even after a day has passed. The ruins still feel warm, as if the scorching heat has not yet cooled down.

I circled around, but there was no feeling of anxiety, no pressure from my pounding heart, no uneasy feeling. At the end, I felt cool, so I risked my life and blew it first, and it seemed to work.

Maru felt somehow relieved.

[Chijijik- Hey, are you crazy? Tactical nukes? You detonated a nuke right in front of our noses? … I was wondering what was going on since we lost contact for a day, and it was a nuke? Disaster? You said you weren’t the only one with a big body, right? Beep… Then we’ll go to the Empire and whine about capturing the returning US soldiers and dropping tactical nukes on San Francisco… Chijijik]

The sound of the aircraft swooping down echoed through the airspace as the airship approached.

[Stop it. Go here and negotiate with the returning American soldiers.]

[^&*^&*^%*&^%]

It was Maru who finally felt that it was over.

Negotiations between Ki-sun and the remaining American troops were long and tedious.

The returning American soldiers had five main options to choose from:

Whether to join the Holy Kingdom, the Empire, the Confederacy, or any of the other minor states, or finally become an independent warlord yourself.

To be honest, it was difficult to become an independent warlord.

To maintain an army in an independent territory, there had to be a supply loophole, which meant having production facilities and civilians to take care of them.

The problem was all the production facilities and supplies. The Empire, the Confederacy, and the Holy Kingdom had gone around and stolen all the major production facilities, and the only land left was the area west of the Rocky Mountains and the wastelands.

There were no production facilities or proper reclamation land. Seattle, which had production facilities and farmland, was reduced to ruins by the fierce battle between the Empire and the Confederacy, and San Francisco and the surrounding areas were also swept away by an earthquake and tsunami.

Now there’s only one place left: LA.

LA, which Maru had cleaned up once in the beginning and Director Yoo had cleaned up twice, was relatively okay, but after Director Yoo’s death, Mexican cartels, Chinese gangs, and Japanese yakuza had taken over.

On the plus side, the Charlotte Group was preparing to take over LA, so it wasn’t a big problem to take advantage of that and settle in.

However, in order to take control of the city, they had to fight a full-scale war of attrition against gangs and cartels. Recently, even the yakuza had begun to overflow from Little Tokyo, a Japanese residential area, so there were more opponents to fight.

Street fighting with heavily armed criminal groups was certain. LA was an area that would be difficult to control without sufficient supply support, and it was likely to be a target if the Confederacy expanded its power, so considerable military investment was needed to protect LA in the future.

“You want to settle down in LA? You want to be an independent warlord? Then go ahead.”

“Ahem. Not just a simple independent warlord, but joining hands with the Holy Kingdom···.”

“I told you not to do franchises. Is the Holy Kingdom a chicken or hamburger restaurant? In the first place, we need people who are currently managing the border area of ​​Canada, not people fighting over rice bowls in the Southwest.”

“Isn’t this guy talking too carelessly? A chicken place? A hamburger place? Is he ignoring us?”

The officers took turns saying a few words, but Ki-soon was not pushed back.

“No, I’m not ignoring you or anything. The Holy Kingdom needs active-duty troops to defend its Canadian border. Not people who want to share the spoils with gangs, cartels, and yakuza in LA.”

“Once our military wipes out all the gangs, cartels, and yakuza, the economy of the southwestern region, starting with LA, will be revitalized…”

“What does that have to do with the Holy Kingdom? What does that have to do with the security of the Holy Kingdom Canada region? To be frank, it’s not in the Holy Kingdom’s interest. Why should the Holy Kingdom promote an independent warlord in LA?”

“Can’t we make a deal? Make a deal.”

“So what’s the deal? Since you’re close to Mexico, are you going to distribute opioids? That’s illegal in the Holy Kingdom. What about the LA film industry? Do you have any plans to watch movies or dramas in these times?”

“Wow- If you look closely, LA has not only cultural industries but also cutting-edge industries. Esla, famous for its electric cars, also started in LA.”

Yeah, I was wondering when it would come out. There were a lot of people on that side, so they kept repeating the same thing over and over again, and Ki-sun was starting to get annoyed.

“Eslado started in LA, but now its headquarters is in Austin, Texas. What does that have to do with LA? Even if an independent warlord took control of LA, I don’t think they have anything to do with the Holy Kingdom. If they sell me fish caught in the Pacific, I’ll buy them, but you’re not asking me to give them fish in exchange for supplies, are you?”

Ki-sun instantly remembered a list of transactions on a certain peninsula where mackerel and self-propelled guns were exchanged, but he immediately erased it from his mind.

“If we need a Canadian Regional Defence Force, how about this? We’ll send troops here, and you can treat them as mercenaries?”

[crazy.]

Ki-soon swore in Korean.

So you’re saying you’re going to send the soldiers out like mercenaries?

“Let’s take a short break and then talk again.”

“Let’s do that.”

Ki-soon recited the status of the negotiations to Maru, who was standing outside, dazed.

“Wow. I wonder if this is really true.”

“Really? But I don’t think they’re the kind of people who eat gluttony.”

“No, it’s not. The soldiers were so intent on taking out my spine. Man, I’m really surprised. The US military is also losing supplies and its ties are breaking, so I feel a little sad. It reminds me of the old days when I was spinning my wheels. Wow, I thought I was getting PTSD.”

“You little shit. Life is like that. And even though it may look funny, they’re not easy people.”

Didn’t Charlotte know about the tactical nukes? Of course she did. Even if she knew, she didn’t let them touch it. There’s no way that the command center would be stupid. Ki-soon nodded slightly at Maru’s words.

“I checked separately as soon as I got here, and it seemed like the command center was divided into at least three forces.”

“In three pieces? How come?”

“It can’t be helped because our goals are different. Right now, whenever something happens, opinions differ. Here, opinions are completely divided on the use of nuclear weapons, so it seems like it won’t be easy to reconcile.”

“So that’s why we’re talking about LA?”

Ki-soon shrugged.

“It’s effective to create an external enemy for unity. If the enemy is relatively easy, it’s even better. If you eliminate the enemy and create a stronghold, it’s even better.”

“Yes. Even if the opponent is a heavily armed gang, cartel, or yakuza, I’m confident I can win if I fight them.”

Ki-soon made a “sssss” sound at Maru’s words.

“It doesn’t seem like it’s that easy.”

“why?”

“I’m talking about the awakened ones. It seems like there were quite a few awakened ones after last winter. In absolute terms, it’s not that many, but compared to the year before last, it’s increased quite a bit.”

“All the other neighborhoods?”

“We’re even classifying the awakened people. Isn’t it likely that LA is the same? And if they awakened their abilities, they would have to choose between joining the organization or dying.”

“It sounds like the organization has some capable people. If you go in underestimating them, you could end up in a lot of trouble.”

“It’s not that the damage could be overwhelming, it’s that it is. There’s a high possibility that it will be a repeat of the urban warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan. Think back to the capable people you’ve killed. Do you think you can get an answer by pushing in ordinary soldiers?”

Even just the floor was a nightmare in urban warfare.

If we just install things that are around 0.018 Maru, the number of casualties will increase rapidly.

“So you’re saying it’s useless to spread it? Are you saying we shouldn’t get involved?”

Ki-sun nodded to Maru’s question.

“If you get involved in a dirty situation in a street fight, it’s going to end badly. It’s not like you’re going to help someone who’s just going to end up in trouble.”

“That’s true. If the street fighting gets messy, then that’s true.”

Maru was lost in thought.

‘It’s popular.’

Even if 100,000 troops fired just 10 rounds a day, that would be 1 million rounds. The approximate number of ammunition consumed in urban combat is 200 to 300 rounds per person. That means that the daily ammunition consumption is 20 to 30 million rounds.

Even excluding all other infantry weapons, including grenades, only rifle bullets are like that. But can you fight with only bullets?

How about food? Just to maintain 100,000, the daily combat rations consumed are 300,000 packs, which is three meals a day. Maru was dumbfounded by just the simple calculation.

“Wow, how did Chairman Sim Eun-young manage to survive with just San Francisco and the surrounding areas?”

“I don’t know. I really felt sorry for that older sister.”

“It’s a shame. Just looking at an earthworm passing by now gives me the creeps. I don’t even want to think about octopuses or squids.”

“Don’t pretend to be weak. You can’t eat because you don’t have any.”

Ki-soon’s expression, which had been giggling, turned cold.

The already small, squinty eyes have become narrow and long.

“If the negotiations drag on, the general will ask you to meet privately to resolve the issue, but I think it would be best to refuse no matter what he says.”

“···Why?

“You said the military forces were divided into three groups? They had different views on what to do with the tentacles and how to use the nukes. Some said we should detonate the tentacles so that we can catch them for sure, while others said we should resolve the issue through dialogue without killing the tentacles, or if that’s difficult, we should secure samples and make a bioweapon.” What about the other?

“At the end, he still had a conscience. He said that he had to do as we talked about. He said that he had to protect his honor and will. You’re in a difficult situation right now.”

“why?”

Ki-soon made a bitter expression.

“You searched for honor and loyalty, and now you see? The Holy Kingdom only cares about their own interests and doesn’t even promise to provide supplies. And they’re just picking on you. Isn’t that what politics is all about?”

“This is ridiculous.”

“······.”

“······.”

In Maru’s opinion, the military was a group that lived off of honor. It was a group that prepared during peacetime and fought and defended with their lives when war broke out.

That’s why the military, which had lost its purpose to protect, was a sad existence. And that was the situation of the returning American soldiers. They were an existence with nothing to protect and no honor to seek or find.

Maru, who was briefly reminded of a certain peninsula, kicked a rock and cried out.

“It seems difficult to bring all the troops here. I can do it if I want, but I don’t plan on maintaining all the troops I have now by squeezing them hard.”

“I said it would be better to take them all if you can, so why?”

“I have to think about distribution. I want to provide the best and most generously. I don’t want to give in a pinch and show off.”

“······.”

“We also need to take care of the civilians and capable people on Charlotte’s side, and if we add them up, there will probably be around 100,000 to 150,000 people.”

“So the military only wants to take over some of them?”

“Yes. Those who have kept their honor and loyalty should go together. What we need are people who can give and receive trust.”

“···That won’t be easy. I’ll approach you with that in mind. If the general meets you alone, he’ll probably take advantage of that.”

Can’t you even provide supplies to the soldiers who considered you their comrades? If they hadn’t opposed you, you wouldn’t have been able to catch that monster’s tentacles. Can’t you even help them until they occupy LA and establish a foundation?

“There are many ways to hang on and hang on. There will be many suggestions, but it is right to refuse.”

“It’s difficult. I want to organize it generously.”

Ki-soon was slightly taken aback.

“Coolook. Generous?”

“okay.”

Treat. Me. Well.