Rust - Chapter 604



Only Krnovel

RUST [RUST]-604

The air feels cold, humid, and heavy.

Death seemed to have dissolved in the sticky air.

Ha-ak-hak-

Breathing gradually becomes rougher.

A feeling of the lungs filling with blood rather than air.

Erica, who said that the body in the coffin looked like a clone corpse, fainted slightly, unable to bear the suffocating fear.

“A clone?”

The office felt refreshed, as if all the sensations Erica had felt earlier were fake, along with Maru’s soft voice. Erica took a deep breath and nodded.

“Yes. It’s a clone.”

“······.”

Maru’s gaze turned to the open coffin.

The thought of being tricked by the clone’s corpse sparked a rage, but it soon died down like burning charcoal.

‘If it were President Den Brown, he would know my personality···.’

If you had responded honestly, you could have gotten away with it. The world has changed so much, so what if Naru, who had enlisted in the military, was killed in action?

Moreover, if you look at the information sent by Ki-sun, you can see how much trouble Naru has caused in the empire. After breaking up with Joo-yeon, Naru has literally lived without restraint.

The Confederacy couldn’t handle it and sent him back to the Empire. Even after he came to the Empire, he entered Juilliard where he sang, but was expelled before he could even finish a semester.

The dream that Naru cried out for was just like that. The ideal that many people dreamed of was a story based on a time when the world had not fallen into ruin.

Back then, kids could dream of becoming a Newtube creator, but not anymore. In a world full of mutated monsters and cannibals that eat humans, a child who dreams of becoming a Newtuber can’t exist.

The dream of becoming a pianist was the same… Naru knew that it was meaningless now. That’s why Naru became even more obsessed with becoming a pianist.

Because the only thing that remains connected to the past is a dream. But that too is a story from when the world moved on.

Naru, who realized that the world was falling apart, was expelled from Julliard, where she had been crying out so loudly. She probably wanted to do everything she wanted before things got any worse.

Staying in luxury hotels, buying luxury goods, and spending every meal as if it were their last.

Looking at the data that Ki-sun sent, it seemed like that. Naru’s life, which had been consumed by the present, by pulling in the past and the future. The actions. The results. That was all.

Selling DNA and participating in the plan to create clones could be understood in that context. If the world is a world without dreams, a world that is doomed, then what’s the big deal about clones?

Considering that he didn’t actively sell out his position as the younger brother of the King of the Holy Kingdom, there may have been room for reform.

Talk-

Maru pushed away the data that Ki-sun had sent with his fingertips.

He demanded the return of Montreal and southern Quebec, and the area south of the St. Lawrence River that was originally Canadian territory. He also demanded that the Holy Kingdom protect the escaped Naaru clones. Finally, he demanded that all data on the Naaru clones be handed over and destroyed.

‘I guess that’s what you wanted to ask.’

I didn’t know that Ki-sun, who had fallen head over heels for Naru, would ask me.

‘Did you get it right in virtual reality?’

I didn’t know that I could overcome Naru’s death in my own way because I had been repeatedly killing and dying with Naru in the tens of thousands.

Maru felt both relieved and saddened by Gi-sun’s cool-headed judgment. Perhaps that was why Maru was able to think again.

‘You didn’t hide Naru’s death and announced it, but you sent the clone’s body as the important one?’

At first I was angry, but the more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

President Dan Brown knew that there was a psychometric person here. If he were to examine the body with psychometry to determine the cause of death, wouldn’t it be revealed that the body sent was a clone?

The fact that they sent it despite the risk must have meant something.

‘Is this a response to the rejection of the military alliance?’

The empire requested a military alliance, with the border being divided along the St. Lawrence River.

Maru had no desire to be drawn into a war between the Empire and the Confederacy, so he flatly refused and instead signed a non-aggression pact.

The same was true of the Confederacy, where cannibals and vampires began to take over the ruling class.

The principle of excluding cannibals and vampires remained the same, but it was not necessary to fight the Confederacy before the Empire. A non-aggression treaty was also signed with the Confederacy.

Perhaps, Generalissimo Dan Brown was also responding to the Holy Kingdom’s pragmatic attitude with pragmatic actions.

“It’s true. It’s true···.”

What if Dan Brown sent the clone’s body with this meaning?

It was definitely a problem that needed to be thought about why they sent the clone’s corpse instead of just cremating it.

“Send the body to the lab for analysis.”

Maru glanced at the clone’s body lying in the coffin.

“Isn’t this just crazy?”

Kim Yang tilted her head, confirming that the atmosphere on the floor wasn’t that bad.

“No matter how bad your relationship with your brother was, he’s still your brother. Sending a clone instead of giving him his body seems like a provocation.”

“I don’t think it’s a provocation. There’s no reason for General Dan Brown to provoke the Holy Kingdom.”

Hood objected to Kim Yang’s words.

“What if you were after the highest dignity, not the kingdom? What if the dignity, whose eyes had turned red after the death of his younger sister, was the bait to tell you to come alone?”

“Isn’t this exaggerating? If it were just General Dan Brown, he would be fully aware of our interpersonal combat capabilities.”

Despite Hood’s objections, Ms. Kim continued her argument.

“So, this is how it feels. I tried using ginseng and it works well, but how good would it be if we could clone it with the highest dignity? Isn’t there a way to obtain our dignity’s bio-information without any trouble? While thinking about it, I ended up sending a clone corpse. It would be good if the highest dignity was involved, but even if it wasn’t, I sent it back so that we could talk.”

“You don’t think that makes sense, do you? Diplomatic problems have never been solved that way.”

“Do you think diplomacy like before is possible in today’s world? Why not? They’re just guys who blew up their own warships and went to war, claiming they were attacked. Sending clone corpses to provoke is just a show of affection.”

“If we are talking about the Spanish War, the situation is different. Rather, I think he conveyed his opinion in a careful and roundabout way. A small mistake can ruin diplomatic relations.”

“So the reason you sent the clone corpses was to tell us to be careful and not make any mistakes? To tell us to be careful and make our own judgments?”

“If you look at the results now, that’s true. If there wasn’t even a clone corpse, someone would have gone to confirm the death of his sister, and in that case, the King would have gone himself. If the purpose was to lure her, I think it would have been more effective not to send a clone corpse.”

The PD, who had been quietly listening to Kim Yang and Hood’s story, opened his mouth.

“Regardless of the reason, I think it’s important that you sent the clone’s body.”

“······.”

“······.”

“If it’s revealed that they’re clones, they’ll definitely want to study them, and that would mean they sent us here under the assumption that we’re studying clones.”

“We wanted to study clones naturally?”

The PD continued his story in response to Maru’s question.

“Yes, that’s what happened now.”

“Did General Dan Brown send the clone’s body after thinking about that?”

The PD, who had been choosing his words for a moment, answered.

“If the body had originally arrived, would you have asked us to study and analyze it?”

“······.”

“As a result, it seems clear that we want to discuss the topic of clones.”

Now that I have the clone’s body, I need to gather my thoughts and send a special envoy. Of course, the clone story will come up. Unless I want to start a war right away by asking where my sister’s body is.

“And Governor Bernard Green seems to have answered the question. He has ordered that your sister’s clone be placed under the custody of the Holy Kingdom, and that all research related to it be handed over.”

I gave Ki-soon full authority and he was doing well on his own.

“For now, let’s leave this matter to the Governor’s discretion.”

It was Maru who decided to proceed as is until he figured out the situation.

======

======

The Governor General’s Residence in Ottawa, Canada.

Ki-soon was out of her mind since morning. Naru’s clones were so free.

“When are we going to see the King?”

“I want to see you soon.”

“I’ll make you forget about your body year.”

“Oh. La. Ver. Ni?”

“······.”

Everyone was interested in Maru. Was it because it was based on childhood memories?

“Even if I want to go, it’s difficult right now. I have to go for a few months because it’s winter.”

“Why?”

“Why?”

“jealousy?”

“Huh-huh-”

“······.”

The Naru clones rebelled.

“You see, it’s so cold that even sending a drone for communications is risky.”

The news was being delivered via a micro high-altitude unmanned airship using assistive artificial intelligence.

These small airships could travel high enough to approach the stratosphere, out of the reach of weather and avian attack.

“You can just make it bigger and go.”

“That’s right. That’s right.”

“Why not make it a one-person ride and go back and forth?”

“Huh-?”

“······.”

“You want to build a blimp that can go near the stratosphere? With no experiments and a single person? What are you talking about when you might crash before reaching the stratosphere? Don’t talk nonsense. If you have nothing better to do, go to Montreal and look for No. 4 and No. 18. It’s not far, so you can take a snowmobile there, if you don’t freeze to death.”

The Naru clones raised their voices in unison toward the serious Kisun.

“““Oh-oh-oh-”””

“Kisun is so calm.”

“The green one has changed.”

“You keep saying that it’s not the main body.”

“Huh?”

“······.”

These bitches.

Ki-sun’s narrow eyes squinted to the side.

“You all get out. All of you.”

It was Ki-sun who chased the noisy Naru clones out of the Governor’s office.

“““Woo-oooo-”””

“He said I could just stay right next to him.” “He changed in just one day.”

“It’s the upper limit.”

“Eeeeek!”

“······.”

Uruuru-

One of the clones that was rushing out staggered as if his legs had lost their strength, and fell down after taking only a few steps. It was a clone that had been silent since a while ago.

“Stop fooling around and get out.”

The noisy clones suddenly became quiet.

“Hey. Are you guys joking?”

Since the clones’ health checkups showed no problems, Ki-soon didn’t move.

“Stop it and get out of here. You have a lot of work to do.”

The clones stood in a circle, watching the fallen clone. Feeling a little uneasy, Ki-soon got up from his seat and approached the fallen clone.

Color- Color-

His breathing was ragged and he was sweating profusely. This wasn’t a joke, there was a real problem.

“What are you guys doing! If you’re sick, you should say so.”

Ki-soon, who had called the medical team, got angry at the clones who were just standing there. And as soon as Ki-soon finished speaking, another clone fell to the ground.

It was a clone who was making a ‘hehehehe’ sound.

What is it? Why are you suddenly doing this?

The health checkup and detailed examination were both fine, right?

======

======

Empire. The conference room of the President’s residence in New York, the city that never sleeps, was filled with shouts.

“You’re talking about territory that’s already been taken over? How much must you have ignored the Empire to say something like that?”

“Yes, the arrogance of the Holy Kingdom has gone too far.”

“For a mere governor to say something like that?”

Hurrrrrr-

Führer Den Brown took a sip of his strong black tea and nodded as if to continue.

“The kingdom will own the clones created by the Bloody Mary program? Is that what you mean?”

“I agree. If the Holy Kingdom wants to take the clones the Empire created, aren’t you saying we should fight?”

“I’m not saying that we should fight. Not only would it not be a justification for war, but if the Empire and the Holy Kingdom were to fight, only the Confederacy would benefit.”

“It seems reasonable to view this as the new governor waging a diplomatic war against the empire.”

“As you all know from the information, Governor Bernard Green was in love with Vladinaru Kalin. Naturally, he wanted to monopolize the clones.”

“So are you saying we should just leave the governor who ignores the empire alone?”

“I won’t leave it alone. He won’t be able to escape from the hands of His Excellency the Führer.”

Those words changed the atmosphere in the conference room.

People who understood what it meant to say that there was no escape began to come forward one by one.

“Ah, I see. As expected, it is His Excellency the President.”

“I guess you’ll be begging for your life soon.”

“I don’t know. Since it’s a clone, they might just throw it away.”

“That won’t happen.”

“Hahaha. You reaped what you sowed, for trying to eat the Empire’s clones raw.”

Hurrrrrr-

The rich scent of black tea spread throughout the room.

[Your Excellency, a ferry has arrived from the Holy Kingdom. Governor Bernard Green of the Holy Kingdom of Canada has arrived in person. He says it is an urgent matter. What should we do?]

President Den Brown tilted his teacup slightly and answered calmly.

“Tell him to wait.”

There’s still a lot of tea left.