Rust - Chapter 574



Only Krnovel

RUST [RUST]-574

Whether or not he could hear Maru’s howling, Ki-soon shook hands firmly with the PD.

“Judging by the reaction from the outside, it looks like the recruitment will be successful.”

“Hahaha. I thought we were already short on troops, so this is fortunate.”

At the PD’s answer, Ki-sun’s eyes drew a thin line.

“No. It’s really thanks to you. I had a lot of worries because the King asked me to handle things generously. In many ways.”

“Hahaha, I see. That’s just like him.”

Ki-sun was worried that he should first create an atmosphere where he could cut it off in order to show Maru’s generosity. He could secure evidence through hacking and use that as an excuse to pressure the military leadership, and if they didn’t give in, Maru would naturally step up and judge them leniently.

It wasn’t bad to use the character’s life to display an undeniable presence and charisma, but the result of working with the PD was even better.

“As expected, it was a good collaboration. Since he was the one who planned the advertisement for the previous Vladyack Town, everyone’s response was very enthusiastic.”

When Ki-soon first saw the HOLLY commercial, he spit out the tea he was drinking. He wondered who would come and see such a commercial, but if you look at the results, the HOLLY commercial was a huge hit.

It was the same even now. It was difficult to understand what point they were so excited about with Ki-sun’s emotions, but the soldiers were going crazy.

‘Are your feelings and mine very different?’

The PD began the story as if he had guessed Ki-sun’s thoughts.

“I found out that the current returning soldiers have nowhere to put their minds. They have also lost a lot of their sense of purpose and goal.”

“···I guess so.”

It was a war that was neither won nor lost. That is why the soldiers were even more angry. If we are going to end it with neither a ceasefire nor a ceasefire in a situation where victory or defeat is uncertain, what is the meaning of the sacrifices made so far?

It is true that they retreated from China to avoid greater damage, but what happened next was the problem. Now that the United States is divided, what exactly is the purpose of the United States Federal Armed Forces? Whose orders are they to receive, and where should they guard?

Charlotte Sim Yeong took advantage of this gap. While the military’s goal was to protect civilians, the Charlotte Group took on the role of supply.

Now that there was something to protect, the military spirit that had been anxious quickly returned to its original place, but the issue of command authority was a separate issue.

Even if the military was maintained under the pretext of protecting San Francisco, a fundamental problem remained: What about their salaries?

If there had been a United States of America, the US government would have paid the salaries of its soldiers, but not anymore. In the short term, it would be to protect San Francisco, protect civilians, and crack down on criminal groups, but for how long?

“The Charlotte Group, which was in charge of supplies, quickly began to take control of the military, even taking charge of the military’s salaries.”

“It was ridiculous to ask someone to work without a salary, so someone had to collect the salary. That was the Charlotte Group.”

Being in charge of supply didn’t just mean providing ammunition or equipment. In fact, being in charge of the needs of the military meant meeting the soldiers’ basic needs.

Charlotte had done it. The military command had no choice but to focus all its efforts on maintaining command while preventing the entire military from becoming privatized into Charlotte’s group.

“Even so, it would have been difficult to maintain the existing vertical command structure. The result is the conflict shown in the video.”

The PD’s gaze was directed at the excited soldiers below the airship.

“When officers lose their fundamental command authority, the way they control their men inevitably becomes closer to the command authority of a gang or cartel than to the original military hierarchy.”

Ki-soon’s narrow, curved eyes accepted the PD’s words.

“It seems that the commander needed the tacit consent of his officers to issue an order, and as a result, he had no choice but to gather consensus through a meeting.”

“Yes. Don’t the soldiers know that the atmosphere has changed? What they need is abundant supplies and a stable life. And someone who will lead them clearly and say, ‘Follow me.’”

PD showed such a presence to the soldiers.

His holiness, not as someone who just gives orders from behind.

It only made known His true and generous power and divine kingdom.

Just as the PD’s gaze was directed at the private soldiers, Ki-soon’s gaze was directed at the command center barracks. How would the officers, who had woken up from a deep sleep, react to the soldiers’ enthusiastic response?

“···I guess I should start soon. I should go down.”

It’s always comforting to have someone you can talk to.

The two hands that were held together were filled with trust in each other.

======

======

As soon as Kim Yang and his bodyguards began operating recruiting centers, soldiers began lining up at more than 30 recruitment windows.

Kim Yang nodded at such a warm response.

‘As expected, the highest dignity.’

It’s inevitable that the mulberry will rise. Yeah.

Even the girl who went with me felt her heart pounding when she saw the video, so how would the soldiers feel?

[next.]

Thanks to the newly introduced state-of-the-art administrative AI, the soldiers’ document submission and review were completed in an instant. All Ms. Kim had to do was sit down like a totem and call out the order.

[-Please place your hand on the indicated spot.]

As the soldier placed his hand, the artificial intelligence began the process.

[Are you born on **month**/year**?]

[Is your name **** *****?]

[Please answer the following questions with yes or no.]

[Do you swear to abide by the sacred laws of the Holy Kingdom and cooperate under the guidance of His Majesty?]

“yes.”

······

······

A series of questions and answers followed, and anyone who lied was automatically filtered out. The AI ​​had analyzed the lies.

“You fucking tin can! I’m a soldier. A soldier who kills enemies!”

[The Holy Kingdom does not recognize as soldiers those who indulge in murder and plunder. It is unacceptable for the army of His Majesty to become a den of criminals.]

The process of confirming whether someone is a psychopath through a lie detector and EEG was followed. Those who were likely to be problematic were filtered out at an early stage.

Ms. Kim quietly watched as those who were dragged out made a fuss.

Just cross the line. Yeah.

Her eyes sparkled at the thought of turning into a blood clot if she just crossed her path.

“Do you have any evidence? Do you have any evidence? Proof that what I’m saying is a lie!!!”

“Look at what the Holy Kingdom brats are doing. They don’t trust what people say.”

“These are the kids who are ruled by artificial intelligence.”

“All those guys are hypocrites! What crime can they commit during a war? Huh?”

The soldiers’ gazes at those causing a commotion were cold.

As word spread that the problematic individuals were being filtered out, ordinary soldiers began to trust the interview process more. This was because it meant that they were not just being interviewed for the sake of formality, but that they were really being filtered out.

“Huh? Why are you guys standing in line here right now?”

“Choose? What do you want me to choose?”

The officers who woke up from a deep sleep were shocked to see the soldiers lined up. The officers who realized what was going on began to protest vehemently.

“What are you doing now? Recruitment?”

“Don’t you have a conscience? You’re going to blatantly withdraw troops? This is invalid.”

[What the hell are you talking about? All these soldiers came here of their own free will.]

“You’re just talking nonsense?”

“The will of the soldiers?”

The officers were in a fit. Whether they did or not, Kim said, looking at the long line.

[By what right did you command the soldiers? Shouldn’t they be disbanded since they returned? By what right did you make them soldiers and meat shields? Who will pay their wages? Who will pay them in the future? Are you going to fill them by looting?]

The officers forgot how angry they were at Kim Yang’s sudden outburst.

[The soldiers lined up are all people who want to rely on the Holy Kingdom, so don’t even think about extorting or threatening them, and just get out.]

“···What? What are you saying to us now?”

“Blackmail… Threat?”

[If you want to get beaten up, you can keep acting cool.]

Kiyong- The exosuit clenched its fist.

“If this isn’t betrayal, then what is? Betrayal so blatant···”

A heavy exosuit fist knocked on the officer’s temple.

puck-

Plop- Whoa-

“This crazy bitch!”

The palm of the exosuit passed over the head of the officer who had been cursing as if it had been waiting.

Pokkak-

Kkeuk- thud-

As Kim Yang looked around to see if there was anyone who would hit him again, the surroundings became quiet. As expected of an officer, he was good at controlling his anger.

The officers dispersed in groups of three or four, along with the soldiers who had failed the examination, and glared at Ms. Kim. She responded without avoiding their gaze.

‘If you have a complaint, why are you staring at a good fist instead?’

Kiyung – The exosuit stops rising with a motor sound.

The faces of the officers and the soldiers who saw it turned bright red. She gestured while slung the 12.7mm gun next to her over her shoulder.

‘Young- If you want, you can use a gun. If you’re going to do it, do it quickly.’

Ms. Kim laughed and provoked her.

“···Crazy bitch.”

It was both refreshing and amusing to see the officers and the rascals running away.

Someone’s laughter came to mind in Kim Yang’s mind as she giggled. The owner of the strange smile that reminded her of a crazy woman. She felt a sense of foreboding.

‘ah-‘

Kim Yang looked puzzled as Director Yoo’s mad laughter came to mind.

‘My brain was soaked in this fun.’

Ugh.

While Kim Yang kept the recruiting station tidy, an ominous atmosphere hung over the command center barracks.

—-bang!

“What are you doing now?”

The general couldn’t control his anger and hit the makeshift table. He hit it so hard that it dented the table, but Ki-sun didn’t even blink.

“What did I do? I just revealed the truth and gave them a choice.”

“Truth? Choice? Do you know what you’ve just done? You’re taking them? If the soldiers leave, all the civilians left in San Francisco are going to die?”

“We will also take civilians. The Holy Kingdom is full of empty land and empty buildings.”

“Huh! So this was your plan from the beginning!”

Despite the strong hostility and murderous intent that the general was exuding, Ki-sun did not flinch and played the video. The video that appeared on the tablet PC screen was a scene where Vladimir Kalin was holding onto the tentacles while discussing detonating the nuke.

“Hacking? Are you bragging about hacking military information right now?”

And then some amazing stories started to come out.

There were various opinions, ranging from capturing Maru and selling him to the Empire or the Confederacy, to poisoning Maru and making him the Barge King in order to take control of the Holy Kingdom.

It is true that such a story came up, but isn’t this something that can happen in a situation where opinions are freely expressed? Can’t anything be done with words?

It wasn’t even something that came up during a formal meeting, it was something that just came up while officers were talking among themselves.

It was a ridiculous story that made you wonder how frustrated he must have been to come up with such a story, but that was the situation for us, and for the Holy Kingdom listening, it was a story that could never be overlooked.

“So? So! You’re doing something like diverting troops like that right now?”

“Let’s talk frankly. The star on your shoulder right now. Does it mean anything? It doesn’t. No, it can’t. The United States of America is gone. What kind of enforcement power does the ranks of the Federal Army have? Isn’t that why we’re having this meeting?”

Some say it’s just a way to survive, but why should we tolerate it? It’s a pass because you only talked about it and didn’t act on it? That’s bullshit.

“Since there was no justification for securing command, wasn’t it to reduce discontent by gathering public opinion through a meeting? Wasn’t it to maintain your command? There were just various opinions? Since when has the military taken various opinions into account? And by the command of the United States Federal Armed Forces?”

Before the general, whose face was red from the blatant remark, could say anything, Ki-sun’s narrow eyes drew a curve.

“There are three factions with conflicting opinions in the military command? Three factions that are each inflating their own power? Could such a thing have happened without your tacit approval and help? Do you think we are blind fools?”

Do you think that I didn’t know that I was deliberately turning a blind eye to the division of power in order to maintain command and solidify my position as a mediator? If either side caused an accident, I was planning to use that as a way to cut off their tails by saying that it couldn’t be helped?

“······.”

“Let’s all just take care of our own lives. Don’t get carried away with things like command authority, not knowing the Holy Kingdom would do this, honor, and all that.”

As the cold silence of the Ki-sun’s commotion subsided, silence filled the command barracks. Angry officers rushed into the barracks as if to burn the cold silence.

“General, the Holy Kingdom brats are up to dirty work!”

“Didn’t I tell you that? We should have blown it up with a nuke!”

“If you look at what the Holy Kingdom is doing, it seems they never intended to supply it to us in the first place.”

“Those who deceive their own allies and steal their troops are comrades? Are those who do such things considered to be on the same side?”

The officers who had been expressing their anger at the general’s nod turned their gazes to the side. When Ki-soon, whose eyes met mine, shrugged his shoulders and greeted them instead, the officers’ eyes turned away.

“Catch that kid!”