Rust - Chapter 862



Only Krnovel

RUST -862

While Maru went into solo practice, Na Ju-yeon analyzed the footage taken by Kim Yang. The sight of a huge building being completely engulfed in black vines was terrifying in itself.

The vines that snatched those trying to break windows and escape from the air became more and more nimble. Later, the vines moved more like whips than snakes.

Even without the power of death, if I was hit by that vine, my flesh would tear and my bones would break. Whether it was biology or physics, Na Ju-yeon gave up on analyzing it because of its power.

The Black Garden. So, the Garden of Death is incomprehensible, so it would be ridiculous to try to interpret the blades of grass and vines that bloomed within it.

‘Can we implement that in virtual reality?’

That was the problem. It was a virtual reality that reflected reality exactly. How could such a virtual reality reproduce an unrealistic reality, a surreal situation?

Even if we mobilized all of our supercomputers and biometric terminals, would we be able to reproduce that kind of death? I thought about it seriously, but concluded that it was impossible at the moment.

‘It’s difficult to continue like this.’

A more powerful quantum computer was needed. If one couldn’t do it, then two or three more were needed. The biometric terminals were also in short supply.

Fortunately, there were a lot of werewolf and cannibal heads coming in, so it was expected that if they were used to make a bio-terminal, it would be able to withstand some of the computational overload.

‘I will definitely show you how to do it. Definitely.’

It couldn’t end with a simple reproduction. It was a virtual reality. That is, Mayenshi was designed to know everything about him.

While Na Ju-yeon was busy with various projects, Hood was also busy. The engagement records that Kim Yang brought contained many things that could not be overlooked.

The most important thing is that there are many parts of the information about the Empire held by the Holy Kingdom that are incorrect. Since Hood was in charge of information and security, it was a mistake to miss the information about the Empire.

“Samantha, did you check the information that woman just brought you?”

[I confirmed it.]

“What happened?”

[It seems like the Empire has released some dummy information.]

“You didn’t know it was a dummy?”

[The analysis results showed that it was not a simple dummy.]

After the Holy Kingdom realized that the Empire was stealing information, the Empire began creating a dummy intelligence. The Imperial administration was largely comprised of Homeland Security personnel, so they had considerable control and manipulation of information.

“If it wasn’t just a dummy, then it was real information and at the same time a lie?”

[If they said they were moving 3,000 troops, they actually only sent supplies for 3,000. It is true that they sent 3,000, but they wrote the data in a way that hid what exactly they sent, thus hiding the real information.]

If Samantha had checked all the data, such mischief could have been avoided, but her top priority right now was preparations for a large-scale punitive operation in the spring.

Just before winter completely ended, Samantha’s computational power was being used to prepare for the spider extermination that would begin between winter and spring.

Moreover, the Empire was not an enemy country, and since I only wanted to understand the general situation of the Empire, I did not verify and analyze all the information 1:1. There was no reason to do so.

“How’s the computational power? With the new bio-terminal added, you can investigate all the information from the Empire, right?”

[It is still in the testing phase, so a full investigation is impossible.]

Hood stared at the monitor quietly. Samantha’s character was floating at the bottom of the monitor. She looked cute in 2D, two heads tall.

“They say they declared the principle of non-intervention, but the Empire’s reaction is too strange.”

[Because there were many werewolves as well as cannibals.]

It was strange that the strongholds in northern Canada were occupied by cannibals and werewolves, and that there were nearly 100 werewolves in a small city in the Empire.

According to information, the Imperial Intelligence Service was also independently tracking the cannibals, but the results seemed precarious.

Because of him, we were able to catch the cannibals and werewolves hiding in the city. Without him, it seemed like the city would have been taken over by cannibals and werewolves during the winter.

So is Syracuse the only city where cannibals and werewolves are active?

“It’s winter, with traffic cut off and communications unreliable. If cannibals or werewolves are trying to take over remote cities and towns, now is their chance.”

[That’s why the empire secretly dispatched troops. Without anyone knowing.]

“What if that force alone can’t handle it? What if, come spring, the Empire has to retake cities overrun by cannibals and werewolves, let alone spiders and ants?”

[Okay. I’ll assume that and create several scenarios.]

Hood decided that he needed to prepare for the worst. To do that, he had to go back to the drawing board.

“Please.”

As Samantha and Hood began to gather information to prepare for the worst, Ki-soon rubbed his bleary eyes.

“Ah- I’m tired.”

The rough, gritty eye boogers scraped against my eyelids like sand, causing a stinging pain. Looking at Mr. Den Brown’s hard face, I couldn’t tell if it was an intentional expression or had some other meaning.

‘If I had seen your face in person, I would have been able to read your emotions.’

Should I go see him in person?

‘I’d rather try attending a meeting where the Imperial Council, military, and executive branch all participate.’

In one room, you will be able to distinguish between those who are hostile to the Holy Kingdom.

‘I don’t know exactly what ability it is, but I guess they see my ability as something similar to the ability to discern truth or falsehood. If that’s the case, they won’t let me attend the meeting.’

I’m tired.

According to Hood, the information about the empire had to be updated as a whole. It was better to prepare in advance than to lock the barn door after the horse was bolted.

Ki-soon compared the video that Kim Yang had sent with the on-site situation that Maru had written. Since Kim Yang’s video report was shot from a high altitude, it mostly showed vines wrapped around the pharmaceutical company building.

‘It was a total mess.’

Fortunately, the robots and drones that were deployed to clean up the scene gave us a glimpse into what happened.

The most unusual part was the corpses that had been transformed into mummies. Whether they were imperial soldiers, cannibals, or werewolves, they all looked as if all the life had been sucked out of them.

‘It never changed like this before.’

In addition, the color of the blood that was sprinkled on the floor was also strange. When blood originally poured out from a deep wound, the color was usually close to bright red. However, it had now changed to a dull, dark red trace, as if it had been several days.

‘You said it felt like you were sucking life out of me.’

Ki-sun rubbed her eyes again as she recalled Maru’s story about substituting life for death.

“Ah-shi- what’s wrong with just being a little ordinary?”

The Garden of Death, which drains the lives of cannibals and werewolves, has had its lifespan increased.

If there had been more enemies, it would have lasted longer.

Maybe it could encroach on a wider area.

‘At least it’s a tactical weapon, and at most it’s a strategic weapon.’

Any being in the area that cannot be captured will be annihilated for sure. The time it takes to die varies depending on the amount of vitality, but statistically it should take 3 to 5 seconds at most.

The scary thing was that the moment they got caught in the vines and tangled in the grass, they became helpless. When their feet got tangled in the grass, they couldn’t tear them off with their strength. When the vines entangled their limbs, no one was able to tear them off and escape.

There was a space that virtually ignored physical attacks. Bullets, claws, everything. Nothing could penetrate the vines or grass.

‘Wow – it’s limited time, but isn’t it almost invincible?’

I don’t know if I could withstand real bombardment or bombing if I had enough life. The problem is that I can’t control the realm of death at will.

‘That’s true, but things have definitely changed since I killed the rats and ants.’

As the number of kills increases, the living will become stronger. And now, it can expand the realm of death. What if you kill hundreds of thousands of spiders in a spider-wipe operation?

Isn’t there a danger that we will lose control of death?

Isn’t it the ability to escape from humanity anyway?

Some might say that it would be good to strengthen one’s abilities by hunting, but Ki-sun thought differently.

There was no way to predict how the floor would change.

Even the realm of death and the black garden are difficult to handle now, but what happens there?

I’m in a situation where I have to live alone right now, so what more can I do here?

What if, when we cross the critical point, our very existence changes?

Ki-soon remembered when she was infected with barnacles.

I knew from first-hand experience that thoughts create existence, but existence also creates thoughts.

When the barnacle factor took over his entire body and his attitude toward people changed, he remembered that moment when he had no hesitation in killing people, something he would not have done if he were himself, so he was worried that Maru might cross the line.

‘Maru must think of a way to catch spiders and ants without causing mass destruction.’

Ki-sun suggested creating a department that would specialize in studying tactics and strategies.

Maru, who was not practicing closed-door training but was practicing closed-door training, answered.

[Why are you asking that? It’s okay if you tell me later, so if you think there’s something you need, just go ahead and do it.]

“Okay. Okay. Is the closed-door training worth it?”

[Ah. I guess the rumors about this spread and all the guys nearby disappeared.]

There used to be as many as ten werewolves per stronghold, or as few as two or three. Now, most of them are empty.

“How long are you going to be there?”

[Is there a deadline? In order to avoid a major accident, we need to at least have some control over it.]

“Can you practice without an opponent?”

[To catch a mutant monster. Oh, right. Is the virtual reality upgrade finished?]

If death could be recreated in virtual reality, I thought I could use it to train.

“Na Ju-yeon and the research team are working through the night, so it will probably take at least 40 to 50 days. It could take as long as three months.”

[I guess I’ll have to wait.]

While Maru and Gisun were talking, the artificial intelligence Diana reported the situation.

[The movement of mutant monsters has begun.]

The movement of mutant monsters was observed in northern Canada.

“Like the buffalo and moose migration last time?”

[A herd of moose is moving south, with a pack of gray wolves in pursuit.]

It was a similar situation to last time.

“What are you going to do?”

[What should I do?]

There was no reason to protect it like last time. They were independent as the Free Canadian League, so they would do whatever they wanted.

“Let’s at least give them a warning. Since we decided not to listen, shouldn’t we give them time to escape to the Empire? We should also avoid the wolves from continuing to eat people and mutate, which will cause them to become a variable.”

Even if a pack of hundreds of wolves the size of small cars came, Maru could turn them into fertilizer by himself.

“You also have a strange ability. You might end up being a person who preys on people and changes into something strange.”

If Na Ju-yeon’s hypothesis is true, what kind of concept would a wolf that eats people and becomes stronger form and how would it be realized?

[Okay. Just don’t accept refugees, so do as you wish.]

[But will they believe us?]

Kim Yang said that the people who supported the Free Canadian League were unlikely to believe the Holy Kingdom’s warnings.

[If you don’t believe it, it’s your own fate.]

[Because if I don’t run away and stay home, I’ll end up as food for wolves.]

That could be a possibility. Maru shrugged.

[Watch and deal with only those that undergo secondary mutations.]

Kim Yang nodded, understanding what Maru meant.

[Okay.]

The wolves will set the Free Canadians free.

======

======

The Free Canadian League was in political turmoil as Maru had nearly wiped out the cannibals.

Not only was the cannibal leadership gone, but the disappearance of the vampire count who ruled them also made things literally a mess.

Infrastructure reconstruction work has also halted, and local defense systems that rely on cannibals to defend the area have been neutralized.

The same goes for the military. Troops that were not supplied turned into local militias or local defense forces. Even then, most of them were maintained at the company level.

[A pack of mutant wolves is advancing south.]

[Warning: A pack of wolves that have become mutated monsters are advancing south.]

[I advise you to abandon the city and evacuate to the Empire.]

“Why are those kids acting up all of a sudden?”

“Mutant monster? A wolf?”

“I think I can easily catch that much.”

“They want us to abandon the city.”

“That can’t be.”

The Free Canadians remembered the Holy Kingdom’s easy hunting of mutant monsters. They also had special ammunition for giant monsters obtained through trade with the Empire, and although they had a small number of exosuits and large-caliber firearms.

Even if they were mutant monsters, there was no reason why they could not be stopped while fighting a defensive battle in a fortified city. That was how the Free Canadians and the beasts clashed.

“Huh? Isn’t that a moose over there?”

“What are the moose doing?”

Doo doo doo doo-

They said something happened last time

I didn’t really know what the Holy Kingdom was blocking.

That was it.

“Moose crash!”

“Stop it!”

“Shoot!”

Kuuuung–

Fortified city.

The container walls that had been built like a castle wall collapsed.