Rust - Chapter 857



Only Krnovel

RUST -857

Ms. Kim was momentarily taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.

They targeted the time around 3 AM when most people were asleep and dropped the rats. Even if the rats cut the power lines, everyone would be asleep so there wouldn’t be an immediate problem, and since the buildings in Syracuse were well insulated, they thought that if they set the operation time short, there wouldn’t be much damage to the general public.

Waaaa …

But soon after the rats cut down the power lines, emergency sirens began to sound.

Waaaa …

It was not what she expected when an air raid siren blared in a small town in the middle of New York State.

[Air raid warning? What did you touch? What did you say to the rat to start this mess?]

Miss Kim was confused by Maru’s communication.

“Just a moment. I’m checking now.”

Bright searchlights began to pierce the darkness, and images of soldiers emerging from various places and searching the surroundings appeared on the monitors.

You said you knew how to do it, but it seems you didn’t trust that little rat. Ms. Kim immediately contacted the group of rats that were searching.

“What did you just touch to start this mess?”

[Click- Crack- (Power off- Communication cut off.)]

“You’re not biting people while they’re sleeping, are you?”

[Squeak? (Are you crazy?)]

Kim immediately understood the rat’s question of whether he was crazy while he was right next to her. They weren’t stupid enough to get excited even after seeing and experiencing death.

‘I won’t show off until the next generation changes. Then what?’

I checked here and there, but the rats didn’t do anything wrong. They just responded incredibly quickly.

“First of all, it would be good to increase the altitude.”

Kim Yang had no choice but to say that to Maru.

[······.]

While the Black Drake gained altitude first and the Maru airship followed far behind, the Black Drake’s assistant AI analyzed the situation based on the data hacked into Syracuse City Hall.

[It has been confirmed that the existing information and current information are different.]

“Put it up quickly.”

Beep – The information appearing on the monitor was different from the existing information from the beginning.

‘Shit – why did it suddenly change like this?’

If the quantum computer and the bunches of grapes had been intact, they would have extracted the information in its entirety, but that was a mistake.

That was understandable, since he had already leaked information when Hood went to New York last year, so he wasn’t particularly worried.

Besides, even if the Holy Kingdom declared that it would not interfere with the Empire, doesn’t that mean it would become an enemy?

The current situation is one that can’t be helped.

‘huh.’

So, to sum it up, the fact that there was an army and that the response was so quick paradoxically meant that there was something in Syracuse.

‘huh.’

Ms. Kim took a moment to sort out her complicated thoughts.

It was an unexpected response, but nothing changed.

Even if there is an army, what do you know?

There is death on this side.

Without evidence and witnesses, it was assassination.

It didn’t matter whether it was at the city level or at the battalion level.

“I checked and it’s a lot different from the existing information. First of all, there are battalion-level defense forces in the city, and they are also very well-armed.”

According to the reconnaissance report of the Rat Pack, considerable fortification was underway.

It’s a fairly well-defended city, but it’s buried in snow and you can’t see it properly.

The army is tiring, the fortifications are annoying, and even the reaction speed is good.

“The other side responded too quickly, so it was difficult to work quietly.”

At this point, the options have been narrowed down to roughly three.

The floor is lowered and cleaned up as planned.

The other is to give up now and go back.

Finally, the idea was to drop an additional swarm of rats and use them to clear things out.

[What if we thought we sent rats to attack?]

“There’s also the New York rat case, so I think it’ll be okay if we pretend not to know. Or not?”

It wasn’t like the Holy Kingdom was controlling all the rats on Earth. What if the rats around them were running rampant?

“Then send more rats?”

[···No. I’ll go down once I find the lab and those guys.]

“Wouldn’t it be better to just send the rat?”

[It’s difficult with just a bunch of rats.]

Can a wild mouse defeat a werewolf?

impossibility.

It was the same in the stronghold. When the rat pack and the werewolf fought, they had to use flashbangs and napalm before they could fight the werewolf. Before that, they were hunted down unilaterally.

It’s the same now. If a pack of rats finds their lab and they come across a werewolf, they have no choice but to use napalm.

A pack of rats wielding weapons? Where did those weapons come from? The intervention of the Holy Kingdom would inevitably be known. Perhaps the reason they came down in person was to avoid such a situation.

Ms. Kim nodded coolly.

“Uh-uh, I see.”

Anyway, if there is no evidence or witnesses, it is assassination.

‧

‧

‧

The city was as noisy as a beehive being poked.

At 3 a.m., citizens woke up to find that the electricity had been cut off and started turning on their Home Energy Storage Systems (HESS). They had fully charged their batteries using the abundant power supplied by the modular nuclear power plant.

If I hadn’t come down here and seen it in person, I would have passed by these changes without noticing them.

‘There’s been a change here too. I thought you were trying hard because I always saw rats and ants getting slaughtered.’

It wasn’t just the Holy Kingdom that was advancing in technology.

‘Are you distributing home ESS systems and home power plants?’

As the saying goes, extreme situations advance technology, and the empire wasn’t just swept away.

Just two or three years ago, parts of New York City would have been in urgent need of wood- and coal-burning stoves, but in just two or three years, individual energy storage systems have been installed in small and medium-sized cities.

If Syracuse was this good, the level of the sea city the Empire was building was also quite high. Objectively speaking, the Empire was operating dozens of supercomputers.

Although not as much as nuclear fusion, modular nuclear power plants were able to produce abundant electricity, and this was used to spur technological advancement.

‘That’s all well and good, but are the defense forces stationed even in such a small city?’

Why is that?

Has it ever been attacked? Or is some important research being conducted here?

Maru shook his head, though he was briefly curious. The reason he came to Syracuse was to find out about the werewolf. He had to avoid reversing the roles of the subject and object.

‘Let’s just clean up their secret lab and leave.’

As Maru, with his stealth function activated, entered downtown Syracuse, searchlights installed on the rooftops of major buildings were dispelling the darkness.

Even though they couldn’t properly search because of the blizzard, the sight of soldiers mechanically checking their assigned areas was so serious.

[Tick- (I found a strange place.)]

Following the instructions on the HUD, Maru retrace his steps through the area the rats had already checked and passed through.

[Is this the right place?]

[Tick- (Yes-)]

A little far from the city center. A rat says that the old building is strangely located near the waterway.

[How is it weird?]

[Choo-choo (Those who went in are not coming back.)]

That was definitely weird.

[Tick- (I found a strange place here too.)]

An additional location appeared on the map that appeared on the HUD. It was a building almost on the opposite side of this place.

[Squeak- (I saw a werewolf.)]

[Tick- (There’s one on this side too.)]

···

···

[Chiik- (There is a researcher who appears to be a cannibal.)]

[Tick tick – (There is a cannibal disguised as a patient.)]

The marks on the map began to increase in number.

what?

What city is this?

In this small town, there were more than ten locations and related facilities where cannibals and werewolves were present.

[Uncle Den sent an emergency transmission. He seems to know we are in Syracuse.]

So, what I’m saying is that I can’t solve it secretly and leave quietly.

[Just ignore it?]

[Ha- No. That’s enough. Now, pass on the information the Rat Pack has secured to the Chancellor. And tell me what I should think of the Imperial Defense Forces’ impenetrable defense while Syracuse is swarming with cannibals and werewolves.]

Kim Yang blinked at Maru’s words.

‧

‧

‧

Dan Brown’s forehead became swollen when he heard the reply from Kim Yang.

“Who is commanding the Syracuse defense force?”

[This is Colonel Bell Graham.]

“That’s the person who got promoted this time.”

[Yes, that’s right.]

The empire, which had experienced the Rat Incident, accelerated the fortification of each city. It had already been promoting fortification to prevent mutant monsters from entering the city, but the pace of fortification was increased.

The plan was for the central forces to be deployed while the fortified city was used to hold off the mutant monsters, but New York was unable to withstand the ant empire’s onslaught and was breached.

It was an empire that learned the lesson that no matter how well fortified it was, it could be breached in an instant if it did not have a proper defense force.

So the empire stationed defensive troops even in small and medium-sized cities. In fact, it was a rather unreasonable policy, because there was a risk that highly productive cities and armies would combine to form warlords.

At the beginning of the incident, especially since the cannibals had already taken control of the area in that form, the Imperial Diet passed a law allowing defense forces to be stationed in the small and medium-sized cities.

This was because the threat of a small number of warlords taking control of the region was judged to be worse than the possibility of not being able to protect the citizens of the empire.

Since Den Brown also agreed, battalion-sized troops were deployed as defense forces in the small and medium-sized cities of the empire. This is what has now unfolded.

“Upload all information related to Colonel Graham.”

I had to figure out whose line it was, and if it was connected to the lobbyist (suspected of being a cannibal) who went to Syracuse.

“Send a summary of the situation to the Holy Kingdom and ask them if they want to cooperate with you on this incident. If they refuse to cooperate, declare the principle of non-interference and ask them why they are there.”

It was better than headlines about Syracuse’s defenses clashing with the Holy Kingdom, or Vladimir Kalin dancing with his sword in the Imperial City to slay cannibals.

‘Not good.’

The question of how we are to understand that Syracuse is infested with cannibals and werewolves made my stomach turn.

“We’re going to root out people with ties to key Syracuse figures and lawmakers, and see if they have any ties to the military.”

Blood ties, regional ties, school ties, everything.

‧

‧

‧

[They told us to cooperate or get out.]

[You want to cooperate? You take command?]

[Yeah. I told them to stay still for a while if they were going to cooperate. I told them to wait and not use physical force until we secured the evidence.]

[You want me to wait while there are cannibals and werewolves swarming around?]

Maru took a deep breath to calm his heart, which was about to burst into tears.

Hehehehe-

Heheheh …

[Why is there suddenly a hissing sound? It’s disgusting.]

[Hahaha-kkk- what?]

[Gasps, “That’s weird.”]

[······.]

Maru, who had lost his breath due to Kim Yang’s sudden assessment of his breathing, made a dejected expression. Anyway, Maru, whose emotions had completely disappeared at a single word, snickered.

[Click- (The werewolf moves.)]

The snickering didn’t last long. As Maru had predicted, the guys started to move first, as they wouldn’t do any good if given time.

[Crunch- (The werewolf here also moves.)]

[Tick- (The cannibal is gathering data.)]

Maru pulled out a knife.

[The cannibals and werewolves have started to move, and we can’t just let them escape. Tell them that if you stop Gongjogo and Nabal from catching them, they won’t stay still.]

[Okay.]

The figure of Maru disappeared into the rippling space.

‧

“Dan Brown noticed.”

“I have to get out of here quickly.”

“How did you know?”

“Didn’t you say you took care of those kids who were following you?”

“It left a trace.”

“Everyone, be quiet and gather your materials first.”

“We have to hurry and get to the assembly point in 5 minutes.”

“Can’t we just each leave?”

“——.”

“Hey- Why are you just sitting there? Get the materials···.”

A pungent smell that the cannibal’s sensitive sense of smell could sense. The man who had been holding the materials and thrown them on the floor because of the smell of rusty iron tried to scream.

!

But no voice came out.

Knock-

A dull sensation in the back of the neck.

It felt like my neck and nerves were snapping at the same time.

There was no sign of life whatsoever.

I just thought I smelled a pungent odor, and then the cannibal fell down, his whole body losing its strength.

Big-

Fugue Pole-

Starting with a blow that severed the neck, the blade pierced the spine and split the heart, finally piercing the back of the head and exiting.

Hehehehehe-

Hehehehehe-

Haaaah—

After the ruthless, emotionless swordsmanship, a subtle sound dispersed towards the next target.