Rust - Chapter 71



Only Krnovel

RUST -71

For those who recall memories, the past always becomes the present.

The sea where corpses are floating,

It was strikingly similar to the river in which the corpses were floating.

This was even more so because thick volcanic ash hung there like fog.

Yeah, that time.

That moment when the cold wind blew.

“······.”

“?”

Maru watched Kim Yang’s pupils slowly dilate.

Clang-slurp-rick?

The sword came out of its scabbard with a sharp snapping sound.

Sririring-

With that cool sound, Kim Yang’s eyes snapped back into focus.

Hmm- Maru nodded and looked around the ship with the lantern.

The objects floating among the floating corpses were a jumble of odds and ends that were difficult to classify.

Maru took a deep breath. He was tired. And looking at the corpse.

Whoosh-

If it was a gas mask, the filter would have been clogged already. It’s because I was wearing an oxygen tank, but in this situation, an oxygen mask would have been much more advantageous.

[Hey, did you find something?]

It was Ki-sun who went to the left.

“No, this is just like what I saw earlier. There are dead bodies and floating objects everywhere. I wonder if I can just go to Japan like this.”

[Let’s go to Tokushima Port in Shikoku first. As far as I know, there are no volcanoes there, so it should be better than southeastern Kyushu. Let’s find out what the situation is on the mainland first, and if we can fill up some more fuel in advance, let’s fill up.]

“OK. I’ll check if there’s anything dangerous up ahead. Move slowly.”

[Draw.]

The yacht, with its sails down and its engine on, began to slowly move forward.

Thud-thud- With a low, small crashing sound, the ship pushed forward, cutting through the debris and waves.

The fog mixed with volcanic ash kept getting thicker and thinner.

However, there was hope as the fog gradually began to fade. Even though the fog mixed with volcanic ash was fading, radar and GPS frequently malfunctioned, so we had no choice but to move slowly. After another day, we finally reached the vicinity of Tokushima, Shikoku.

The area around Tokushima Port was insanely crowded.

“There won’t be any room to dock this at the port.”

“I know.”

The port management office also didn’t seem to be operating properly. Normally, you would have to radio to let them know you were going to the port before you got near the port, and if you approached without doing it on the ship, the port management office would have radioed you, but it was quiet.

Especially if it was a foreign vessel, they had to make sure to report their entry and receive it, but the fact that there was no other radio transmission from the port management office meant that the situation was not good. In any case, since there was no one to tell them where to go, they had to figure it out on their own.

“Looking at the situation, I guess we should just squeeze inside the breakwater and anchor in a suitable spot?”

Although it was a fairly large port, it was full of large and small ships and people. Arguments and even fistfights broke out here and there, but there were no police or administrators in sight. The entire port was in complete chaos.

“Look at the fight over there. The management office has given up. If they come here to take something away, it’ll be even more of a headache. Let’s just quietly get what we need and leave.”

Since there might be a situation where they have to take the boat out, Ki-sun and Kim Yang decided to stay behind.

“First of all, what you need is oil, right?”

“Yes, we loaded it up when we left, but we spilled over for more than two days, so I think it would be better to fill it up if we can.”

“I’ve already received the oil delivery, and I’ll bring you some newspapers and things like that.”

“Take everything you can.”

Maru looked at Ms. Kim. Her pupils were normal and her mood was normal. Maru whispered to Gi-sun.

“If there’s fog or a smoke bomb goes off, Ki-soon, stay away from Ms. Kim for a while to protect yourself.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“I just checked just in case, but from what I saw earlier, it looks like you have a trauma from fog or smoke? It’s okay when it’s billowing from afar, but when you’re in the fog or smoke, your pupils dilate and you feel like you’re having a seizure. I’m worried that you might have a shooting accident. Don’t approach, and speak from a distance. Speaking.”

“okay.”

Ki-soon nodded.

“You know? If possible, let’s do it well.”

As if the memory of the time when she had been knitting came back to her, Ki-sun spoke with a wrinkled face. What could she have done then? Maru was indifferent.

“Okay. I won’t force it, so just freeze it.”

“Ice? Hey- I said you weren’t pushing yourself too hard?”

“That’s what they say, that’s what they say. Then let’s go.”

Carrying two carriers full of yen, the amphibious vehicle roared toward Tokushima Port.

As Maru entered the port as an amphibious vehicle, the eyes of those nearby were focused on it. Whether they looked at it or not, the amphibious vehicle naturally climbed from the water to the land. The eight wheels powerfully ran along the cement floor.

Maru went ashore and immediately started looking for a marine gas station. The first thing to take care of was fuel. There was a tall sign on one side, so it was easy to find the marine gas station. However, there were too many ships waiting.

I didn’t know how long it would take to fill up the tank. Time was of course a factor, but if I ran out of gas all of a sudden, it would be a disaster.

Sometimes-sometimes-

“Ah- Wait. Don’t come in and wait outside. Didn’t you see what I wrote on the door? Wait outside.”

It was the sound Maru heard as soon as he entered the ship’s gas station. He glanced back at the entrance and saw a handwritten notice on A4 paper.

“Instead of filling up at a gas station, I’d like to use a fuel line to get it.”

Maru pretended not to know and placed ten ten-thousand yen bills on the table as he spoke. The employee who saw the cash looked around, then bowed his head slightly and asked.

“Is it large?”

“I have a large 100-foot catamaran. I would like to fill it with 10,000 to 12,000 liters of fuel and load it with 20 45-liter emergency fuel tanks. Is that possible? Of course, I will pay in full cash. I will give you 30% more than the current market price, and I will pay in cash upon delivery. Right now. Is that possible?”

“Please wait a moment.”

The employee went into the office right over there. Then a thin, middle-aged man greeted the floor.

“You know that the market price has gone up a lot these days, right?”

“Yes, I know. I’ll add 30% to that.”

“I heard it was a large catamaran. Where was it moored?”

“The harbor is busy, so we’re anchored near the east breakwater. There’s only one large catamaran there, so you should be able to find it right away.”

As Maru spoke at length, perhaps his pronunciation was a bit obvious, and the face of the gaunt middle-aged man briefly tensed and then relaxed.

“Are you a foreigner?”

“I’m from Korea. I’m from Charlotte Group.”

Maru saw his face harden at the word Korea, so he sold the name of the Charlotte Group. The Charlotte Group is famous in Japan too. It certainly had an effect, as the middle-aged man’s response softened again.

“Ah- Charlotte Group. Okay. I’ll send you a fuel supply line right away. In addition to your order, twenty 45-liter emergency fuel tanks. How much will you pay as a down payment?”

“Normally the down payment is 10%, but I’ll give you 20%. I’d appreciate it if you could process it quickly.”

“That would be great. Thank you. I’ll send it to you as soon as possible.”

Maru opened his carrier, took out a bundle of 10,000 yen notes, and placed them on the table. The middle-aged man swallowed without realizing it when he saw the bundles of 10,000 yen notes tied with string.

“Aren’t you going to give me the receipt?”

“Ah. Yes, sorry. Please wait a moment.”

A middle-aged man hurriedly wrote a receipt. The handwritten receipt had a stamp on it. After finishing the transaction, Maru picked up a few newspapers on the table and asked if he could take them. The middle-aged man said of course he could.

As we left the ship gas station office, people were surrounding the amphibious vehicle. If it had been before, I would have thought they were just watching, but given the circumstances, they were a bit like that. Maru said, slightly moistening his dry lips.

“Excuse me. I’ll pass by.”

As he spoke, his hands unconsciously went to the handle of the rose-patterned sashimi and Chinese food tucked into his waistband. Maru squeezed it once and then released it. The strange excitement calmed down a little.

‘Let’s do it well. Let’s go well. Let’s do it well.’

If something happens, I hope it just ends in a fist fight.

“Hey. Is this yours?”

“Yes, but.”

At Maru’s indifferent answer, the man with his hair slicked back and waxed frowned.

“Sell this to us. We’ll pay you plenty of money.”

“It’s not for sale, but if you really want to buy it, please contact the Charlotte Group.”

The man’s impression has changed completely.

“Charlotte Group? Are you part of Charlotte Group?”

“I’m not affiliated with the company, but I’m a delivery person who goes to Charlotte. This is also their stuff.”

“Really? Delivery? Well, then.”

As the man nodded, the people surrounding him stepped aside. Maru loaded the carrier onto the amphibious vehicle and headed toward a large electronics store.

Because of the current situation, there were no people at the electronics store. Maru bought a lot of filters that were compatible with the air purifier he was currently using. After that, he stopped by a firefighting supplies store and bought an oxygen tank. It was much more expensive than he thought, and there were only a few available.

“It happened because the demand for oxygen skyrocketed due to Corona.”

Since money wasn’t the issue, but quantity, I asked around and managed to get four more large oxygen tanks. I even bought a charging device, so I could connect them to the smaller oxygen tanks and charge them.

‘Fuel, oxygen, air filters, and gas mask canisters are hard to come by.’

Maru, who had cleaned up the cargo space, sat down on the cargo space of the amphibious vehicle and opened the newspaper. He was planning to read it briefly and buy anything he needed.

[Kyushu Volcano Front, Serial Eruptions!]

[A series of volcanic eruptions in Kyushu. Many casualties and missing persons in Kyushu! Search efforts difficult!]

[Local government’s response is lukewarm. Contact with the temporary disaster government has been cut off.]

[Japan, each on its own path to survival. The choice of the Shikoku region!]

[The truth about the sinking of the Kyushu Southern Coast Guard high-speed patrol boat!]

[China is trying to invade Japan by taking advantage of the great disaster!]

Large, small, and densely written letters filled the front page of the newspaper. It reported that volcanoes in the Kyushu region were erupting simultaneously, causing air travel to be suspended, and that electronic devices and automobiles were breaking down frequently in the Kyushu region.

Since the volcanoes in Kyushu had erupted, there was no telling when the volcanoes on the mainland would erupt in a chain reaction. I thought it was a good idea to buy a lot of filters. For a moment, an unpleasant sensation was felt from all sides. Maru folded the newspaper, shoved it into the luggage compartment, and got up.

The man with slicked-back hair saw that and snickered.

“Oh- You’re perceptive?”

Olbaek said, slightly unfolding the top of his jacket and showing off the .38 caliber revolver inside.

“Put the key down and get out. I’ll try to save you.”

Maru moistened his lips without realizing it. He felt like there were about seven people, including Olbaek. He wasn’t sure if the ones who felt far away were this side. There was also a possibility that they were just onlookers.

I don’t know how to neutralize it. Up until now, if I used my hand, I would definitely kill it. The only person who survived after Maru used his hand was Miss Kim. Maru forcefully stopped his hand from reaching for the sashimi tucked behind his waistband.

Olbaek’s face distorted when he saw Maru’s expression.

“This guy!”

The men rushed in with a shout of ‘Go-no-rae!’ from Allback.

‘Okay. Just don’t pull it out. Just pull it out.’

Don’t draw your sword or gun.

Boo-

Maru, who had neutralized the flying fist with a large hook by taking a half step closer, got up on his knees.

Huh?!

Olbaek, who had been holding his shins that had made a strange sound, sat down in place. Olbaek, with a face as wrinkled as a dried persimmon, cried out.

Oh my god!

The guys who had just rushed in saw that sight and jumped in shouting something.

“asleep!”

The guy who flew up at the same speed he had been running at, saying ‘Sinu’, and kicked him in the side. Maru slightly shifted his center of gravity and turned his body. Then he gently bent his elbow and swung it next to Navillera.

Spin elbow.

The center of the heretic side kick that was passing by in vain was grazed by the spinning elbow with a crunching sound.

There was a thud and the face of the guy who fell to the ground and rolled around turned blue. He was unable to scream properly and was just squirming.

Knock- uh- uh- woo

‘This isn’t it.’

Even though the floor was done, it felt like it wasn’t right.

“This kid!”

“asleep!”

As the two men were struggling, the men who had been running towards them suddenly pulled out knives and Beretta guns.

Live strong!

Maru reflexively spun his body around and swung the hand that had been behind his waist.

Pak-

With a squeaking sound, the sashimi went through one of the guy’s heads.

Swish-

The spinning Chinese knife hit halfway into my head.

The remaining three who were about to attack Maru froze for a moment.

Maru picked up the sashimi with a look on his face like he was saying, ‘Fuck, I’m screwed.’

It was a gorgeous rose-patterned sashimi.