Rust - Chapter 583



Only Krnovel

RUST-583

A scene of large concentric circles forming in the snowfield and snowflakes rising from the ground to the sky. The stronghold became busy with the scene that defied the laws of physics.

“Did you hear that sound? As fast as you can. Please.”

Caaaak!

As the commander of the stronghold, who had a video memory chip hanging from the neck of a crow, opened the window, the crow flew up powerfully and headed south.

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■!!!

The stronghold was put into a level 1 emergency state as the howling erupted again.

“Um. What is that?”

“······.”

“······.”

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

The emergency siren started to sound.

[The current situation is the actual situation.]

[All personnel are fully armed···.]

“All combat positions!”

“Sit down as you trained. Do it!”

“Don’t be nervous.”

“Aim and wait.”

At the command of the fort commander, the officers and sergeants below began to tighten the reins on the soldiers.

“Get your finger off the trigger!”

“Watch ahead.”

“Just hold on to your direction!”

“Get into position and take aim. Don’t turn your head!”

“Look ahead, ahead.”

“I repeat, do not fire until ordered.”

“Take your finger off the trigger and wait.”

“Don’t you know what waiting means?”

“Just keep your fingers off me, kid.”

The mutant bear was about 5-6 meters tall when it stood on two legs, but this one must have been 7-8 meters tall. Because of the fog and snow, it is not clear what it is, but one thing is certain: it is something beyond common sense.

Quaddudduk-

The video on the screen was taken by a crow scout team that had approached from 500 meters away. The sight of them running without hesitation through snow piled up over 1 meter was somehow like a cartoon.

“Try to get closer.”

“The crow refused to approach.”

It was difficult to see any details because the footage was hazy and obscured by falling snow and steamy fog.

“The Scout Crow Returns.”

“Unidentified organism moving rapidly. Increasing speed!”

“Distance 2 miles (3.2 km). Direction! Towards the main fort.”

“Back on the street.”

How long has it been since we started using the metric system, and we still use the yard-pound system?

“2nd horse… 3.2km rapidly approaching the fortress.”

Although it was equipped with an advanced radar system that could detect over 40km, it could only be used for about 4~5km due to radio interference. Still, it was a thankful situation. If it weren’t for that, it would have been necessary to set up a reconnaissance post and be on standby at all times.

“What about the wolves?”

“There is no signal nearby.”

The wolves in the group were doing long-distance reconnaissance, but at some point, all the news was lost. The crows would sometimes move around carrying repeaters to connect communications, but that alone was difficult to transmit and receive.

By the way, if the wolves who were on long-range reconnaissance had seen something like that, they would have warned them. But when something like that suddenly appeared and headed toward the stronghold without any warning, the fortress commander was just furious.

‘We need more crows.’

They were good at reconnaissance, installing repeaters, recovering installed repeaters, and even bombing if necessary.

If you can just manage to get 100 to 200 crows to run around, the defense of your stronghold will go up a lot. Even if it’s hard to scout long distances like a wolf, you can thoroughly inspect a radius of about 6 to 8 km.

The problem was that crows, like humans, hated working in remote areas. They tried to lure them with extra pay, but most crows were more interested in work-life balance than money, so the number of crows willing to work in remote areas was very small.

“Prepare to bomb the crows. Cross-drop napalm and white phosphorus.”

Even if they mutated and their hide became thicker, they would still avoid napalm and white phosphorus. If they were living things, they would not come to us while burning in the high temperature of 1,500 degrees and the unquenchable flames.

‘There should have been a 120mm tank gun, or at least a 120mm mortar.’

The stronghold’s main defensive system consisted of the Mark 44 Bushmaster II 30mm machine gun, 81mm M252 series mortars, and anti-tank missiles.

The MK. 44 cannon was compatible with the 30×173 mm ammunition exclusive to the GAU-8/A Avenger, allowing it to use ammunition such as armor-piercing incendiary (API), high-explosive incendiary (HEI), and fin-stabilized separate armor-piercing tracer (APFSDS-T) rounds, thereby maintaining sufficient firepower.

Not only was it easy to supply and store ammunition, but it also had excellent ground and air defense capabilities. Can’t you shoot helicopters or airships with a 120mm anti-tank gun?

The 30mm MK. 44 machine gun was the best weapon for above-average effectiveness against any enemy, be it man, anti-armor, or monster.

‘Until now, that is.’

The commander stared blankly at the monitor.

[Crows take off. Bombing begins.]

A dozen crows dropped napalm and white phosphorus bombs the size of 60mm mortar shells. Small bombs, but not fireworks.

The intense flames and white phosphorus smoke began to mix with the rising snow and steam.

Boom- boom- boom- kookook-

Contrary to my wish that it would run away, the monster began to gain speed.

“Increase monster speed.”

“Unidentified organism approaching within 1.2km.”

A monster that ran 2km in an instant. Was it a mistake to hope to avoid the fortress? There was nothing I could do about it now.

“Shoot!”

30mm machine guns and anti-tank missiles began pounding at something running a kilometer away. Armor-piercing and high-explosive incendiary shells lit up the blizzard, and Javelin missiles blasted ceaselessly.

As the falling snow disappeared and the rising fog cleared, a giant horn was revealed.

horn?

Through the snow and frost fog, it was clear that it was a horn.

A soldier from the vicinity of the stronghold shouted after confirming this.

“It’s a moose. A moose!”

“Moose?”

So, it’s called a moose?

But horns?

The widely spread horns were indeed typical of moose horns.

The season was winter.

Didn’t the horns grow in the spring and fall off when the mating season was over?

Even the size of a 2nd or 3rd floor apartment building is like a moose···.

Even a monster bear wouldn’t be able to get away with a 30mm machine gun bullet, but the mad moose was different. Two Javelin missiles were fired at the monster, which was charging at a speed of over 80km, but most of them got caught in its horns.

“It’s blocked.”

“oh my god···.”

“Oh, Lord.”

“It’s a collision!!!”

A dull jolt began to pound against the outer walls of the stronghold.

======

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The researcher survey was certainly timely. There were no researchers who would betray, but there were some who showed signs of corruption.

Finding out wasn’t a problem because everything about virtual reality was kept secret. The problem was why the researchers were corrupting themselves.

There were even those who truly believed that they had done nothing wrong. There were those who believed that it was neither a betrayal nor a fall, that they simply wanted to know the truth.

‘What were you going to do after knowing the truth?’

‘To find freedom by knowing the truth?’

‘What are you trying to find freedom from?’

‘What are you going to do to find freedom?’

They say they just wanted to study freely in virtual reality, but in fact, what they really wanted was authority over virtual reality. They wanted control over virtual reality. So what else could that be but corruption?

“I read Dr. Jack Neese’s material.”

Ki-soon handed over the materials with a tired face.

“The reason I wanted to become a god in the new world wasn’t just because I wanted to become a god and bully others.”

Jack Neese, a mad scientist who created a virtual world and evacuated humanity there, and then claimed that he would become the god of the new world and rule over humanity.

A hard worker who, despite being a brain-boggling information extractor, managed to awaken the ability to emit brain waves and turn things around at the last minute. Ki-soon’s judgment was that he was not simply a lunatic.

“If you can control everything in a virtual reality, you will be like a god to those in the virtual reality. That was the seed of corruption.”

Some researchers working in a virtual reality, not a real one, thought: If we had quantum computers and bunches of grapes at our disposal, wouldn’t we be able to create even more diverse spaces?

We could create a zero-gravity laboratory by substituting space, and we could experiment by creating a high-gravity, high-energy situation near the sun. The same goes for black holes.

It was possible to enlarge invisible viruses to a large scale and see them with the naked eye, and it was also possible to confirm structures that could be identified with an electron microscope as three-dimensional stereoscopic images.

Even without using genetic scissors, we could insert and remove genes like building blocks, and almost immediately check how the altered genetic traits were expressed.

You can control all the environments in the universe. There, life blooms and withers at your fingertips. It feels like you are controlling the evolution of life.

That omnipotence.

Virtual reality is another reality that is not virtual. The omnipotence felt in that reality soon began to turn into the seed of corruption.

What if virtual reality became reality?

Virtual reality affects reality?

So does that mean reality can be transformed like virtual reality?

“Just another version of Dr. Jack Nees.”

Dr. Jack Neese, who wanted to become a god by turning reality into a virtual reality.

A corrupted researcher who wants to escape from virtual reality and become a god of reality.

“What do you mean, when I see that? I don’t really want to get involved with religion and I don’t like it either. I think I need to think about it seriously.”

“HOLLY?”

“Yes. There were no such signs for researchers who faithfully believed in HOLLY.”

“······.”

There was not the slightest hint of depravity, of wanting to become a god and rule over virtual reality.

Whether they believe in the Holy Kingdom King Vladimir Kalin as a phantom, a messenger of God, or a savior, those who believe in HOLLY do not fall into a sense of omnipotence in a virtual reality.

I have never been tempted to become a god by acquiring the fruits of wisdom, such as quantum computers and grapes.

“So, let’s strengthen our faith to prevent the researchers from becoming corrupted?”

“I think that might be the most realistic way.”

Quantum computers and grape clusters alone have already brought us to a technological singularity, but research using time-scale-controlled virtual reality has accelerated technological progress.

A miniature jetpack used by Maru.

Composite armor used in Kim Yang’s custom exosuit.

Special bullets made from monster byproducts were the beginning.

A new engine and motor-powered aircraft was about to undergo a demonstration experiment, and even before the prototype could be built and tested, parts for the prototype of the aircraft using the Earth’s magnetic field were being manufactured.

“A flying vehicle that uses the Earth’s magnetic field?”

“Yes. In theory, it’s possible to fly over the Earth without needing refueling or charging. They’re using Tesla’s theory and stuff. Anyway, that’s how things are going right now.”

“If flying is possible, then exosuits can be used without charging, right?”

“That’s right. Even if that fails, something like a micro-core will come out. A request for permission to conduct a demonstration experiment on nuclear fusion power generation has also been submitted. They said that it was 98% successful in virtual reality, but they rejected it, saying that a demonstration experiment cannot be conducted until the success rate exceeds 99.8%.”

At that moment, Maru’s heart began to pound with anxiety.

A great turning point beyond one’s own power was approaching.

The wave of science.

A wave of upheaval.

Should I stop it?

If you wanted to stop it, you could. You could just freeze the quantum computer and the bunch of grapes. I was debating whether to do that last time too.

If I freeze it, will that be the end of it?

“You said the same thing. Didn’t you say it would be difficult with just you, Kim Yang, and Director Yoo’s clones? That it would be difficult if the Southern Confederacy bastards infiltrated and caused trouble.”

“······.”

“I think so too. If the Holy Kingdom is to survive, it must strengthen its regular forces. That means strengthening its exosuits and armored personnel carriers. I think the entire nation must be technologically and scientifically superior to the Empire and the Confederacy in order to survive.”

I know. But why is my heart beating so anxiously? Maru’s expression was serious.

[Emergency support signal from Fortress 24, Sector C, Canada.]

[They say they are being attacked by an unidentified monster.]

A wrinkle formed between Maru’s eyebrows.

Because it was unclear whether it was because of the anxiety caused by the rapidly developing science and technology that could not be controlled, or because of the attacks by monsters.

“Let’s just get through what we’ve studied so far and think about the rest. I have a feeling that’s the case.”

“Why do you think technological advancement is dangerous?”

Is it because of technological advancement? It feels a bit ambiguous.

“No, that’s not it. I’m not sure.”

“If you have a weird feeling, tell me right away. If you really feel that way, I’ll be shaking. Oh, and isn’t Area C where he is?”

“The guy whose arm flew off and gave you a mechanical arm?”

A woman with a knife who simply blew off the arm of someone who tried to trick her into becoming a beauty queen. The place where she was trapped was in the Canadian C area.

There are also rear support units supporting the stronghold, so it should be sorted out soon. Maru and Gisun talked about how to control the technological power that continues to ascend even after breaking through the singularity.

And within a few minutes, a red light began to flash rapidly on the monitor depicting the Holy Kingdom evangelism.

[Emergency support signal from Fortress 11, Sector C, Canada.]

[C-Sector 18 Stronghold Fortress has fallen. Rescue signal has been cut off.]

[It is said that the 72nd stronghold in Area B is under attack by a giant monster.]

[Fighting a group of monsters at Stronghold 24 in Area C···.]

[7th Wolf Battalion. Annihilated···.]

[12th Wolf Battalion. In retreat.]

Northeastern Canada on the monitor.

The lights that had been blinking in one or two places were spreading red.