Rust - Chapter 863



Only Krnovel

RUST -863

No matter how the world changes, liberal democracy will remain precious.

That was an undeniable fact. If it were not for liberal democracy, individuals would have been prey to those who controlled politics and the economy.

But now is the end of the world. What would happen if the person in power were a cannibal with actual military power?

What if you’re a werewolf whose firearms don’t work properly?

What if there was a vampire with unstoppable dominance?

Can we advocate liberal democracy in front of them?

That was one of the reasons Maru chose the monarchy. It was to prevent cannibals who could use liberal democracy to destroy society from gaining a foothold in the first place.

‘Just look at the Canadian Free League.’

Independence, freedom, democracy, overthrowing the dictatorship, protecting human rights. They all have good words, but their leaders have become cannibals.

Those who supported the Free Canadian League became livestock raised by cannibals. They even held elections to see which cannibal was the good one.

Isn’t it funny?

It was therefore ironic to advocate liberal democracy in a world where cannibals, werewolves, and vampires exist.

[A rescue request has been received from Toronto.]

[A request for assistance has been received from Ottawa.]

[The Montreal defense line has collapsed.]

Despite the outpouring of cries for help and pleas for his life, Maru remained calm.

“Ignore it.”

All thoughts and judgments were free, but there was one unchanging truth.

That you are responsible for the choices you make.

So whatever happened to the Canadian Free League was the result of their choice.

The moose broke through the walls of containers and moved west to east along the lake, through the city. Starting in Toronto, wolves followed the moose as they tore through the outer walls of major cities, from Ottawa to Montreal and Quebec.

The wolves chasing the moose did not just pass by the exposed city, because the savage humans were a good and tasty source of protein.

Woof! Woof!

Krrrr-

It was only a matter of time before a city of over a hundred thousand people was overrun by hundreds of wolves. The wolves stopped chasing the moose and blocked the breached fence.

Awwww—-

A howl echoed through Toronto, calling for the city to become a hunting ground for humans.

‧

‧

‧

“You sons of bitches!”

“You fucking bastards!”

The mouths of those who escaped through the bitter cold of minus 50 to 60 degrees were constantly swearing. The leaders who had been talking the talk but had turned into cannibals were also like that. The Holy Kingdom that had told them to evacuate when wolves were coming and pretended not to know was also like that.

Couldn’t the Holy Kingdom have driven the wolves away by bombing them with airships? They could have just dropped a few napalm bombs to buy them time.

If only we had time to regroup, we could have rebuilt the broken walls and prevented the wolves from invading the city.

“Bogs!”

“You should have known from the moment they tore down the power plant.”

“I told you those kids aren’t human!”

“The Holy Kingdom? Salvation of mankind? This is ridiculous.”

Why bring an airship if you’re just going to watch?

Want to take a look?

Would you like to watch from the sky as people fall prey to wolves?

The only thing more hateful than the incompetent leadership that had gone nowhere was the Holy Kingdom.

I lost my home, I lost my family, I lost my relatives and friends.

For whom?

For what reason?

Even the Holy Kingdom rejected refugees who fled for their lives. When they tried to go to the western region controlled by the Holy Kingdom, hordes of rats and crows appeared from nowhere and attacked and drove away the refugees.

“Ahh! It’s a crow.”

“A crow pecked my forehead.”

“Ouch! Ankle.”

“You little rat!”

“Everyone, watch your ankles!”

The further they went towards the Holy Kingdom, the more fiercely they were attacked by crows and rats. The refugees had no choice but to change direction.

By the time the Toronto fugitives reached Ottawa, which took more than a week, Ottawa had become a wolf hunting ground.

“Montreal was attacked by a bear,” he said.

“A bear?”

“Yes. They say dozens of them took over the city.”

“What about Quebec?”

“Hey, is anyone from Quebec?”

“It’s over here.”

“There. The spiders are attacking people.”

“They said the whole city was covered in spider webs.”

As refugees gathered, rumors from each region merged.

Carnivorous and omnivorous animals, mainly wolves and bears, attacked cities and towns. And even spiders. Some people said that swarms of ants and rats swarmed the towns.

“Ants? Are you saying that the Holy Kingdom intervened?”

“Didn’t you say that the Holy Kingdom attacked the Ant Empire?”

“I don’t know about ants, but a swarm of rats is definitely strange.”

“Hasn’t Montreal ever been invaded by rats?”

“That never happened when the Holy Kingdom ruled.”

“Come to think of it, isn’t the wolf also part of the sacred kingdom?”

“There is a possibility that this was done using the wolves of the Holy Kingdom.”

“The dogs are trying to kill us!”

The Holy Kingdom used rats, crows, and wolves to conduct searches and control borders. More recently, they have been using ants to build infrastructure.

“······.”

“······.”

The hatred and anger of the refugees has thickened like drops of blood. So what to do?

“Let’s go to the empire.”

“······.”

Refugees headed to the empire.

======

======

Empire. Temporary capital Boston

The fall of the Free Canadian League sent shockwaves through the empire.

“If this is the outcome the Holy Kingdom wanted, then they are out of their minds.”

“You told us to keep our hands off you, and now this is what you’re doing?”

“Hundreds of thousands of people have become food for mutant monsters.”

“The Holy Kingdom is mad!”

“What are you talking about? Don’t you know that the leadership of the Free Canadian League has become a cannibal?”

“The Free Canadian League was under the control of a cannibalistic and vampire count, and the Holy Kingdom couldn’t just leave it alone.”

“What crime did the civilians commit?”

“Are you saying that they are innocent of inviting cannibals and vampires?”

“Aren’t these people the ones who chose to become livestock anyway?”

“Whether you become food for cannibals or food for mutated monsters, it’s the same food, so it’s strange to blame only the Holy Kingdom.”

“So you’re saying that it’s okay to turn a normal person into prey for a mutant monster? Are you in your right mind? Is that something a person would do?”

“You warned them to avoid it, but they didn’t, so you’re putting the blame on the Holy Kingdom?”

“Is a warning the only answer?”

“You should have just warned me. What more do you want?”

Dan Brown never thought the Holy Kingdom would do this.

‘Whose idea was this?’

No. It didn’t matter whose thoughts it was anymore.

Holy Kingdom. Since it has the word kingdom in its name, it means that the current situation is the decision of the king, Vladimir Kalin.

‘You know that if a mutant monster eats a human, a secondary mutation will occur, and yet you still do this?’

Why did the Holy Kingdom help the Empire all this time? There may have been economic reasons, but ultimately, helping the Empire was beneficial to their safety and survival.

Let’s assume the empire falls.

What would happen if tens of millions of people were scattered and became prey to cannibals and mutant monsters? Monsters that would prey on humans to their heart’s content, causing secondary and tertiary mutations, would overflow.

The same goes for cannibals, werewolves, and vampires. If the empire falls, they will gain a huge number of humans for food, and they will become stronger. If things go that way, will the Holy Kingdom be safe?

No it wasn’t.

That is why the Holy Kingdom helped the Empire. Behind the give and take, helping each other was beneficial to the safety and survival of both sides.

‘But is this the reason why you suddenly declared the principle of non-intervention and asked the Empire to keep its hands off the Free Canadian League?’

To drive the Free Canadians out of their territory? To do so without getting blood on their hands, using mutant monsters?

‘That alone is not enough.’

A sudden eerie thought occurred to me. What would happen if the beasts belonging to the Holy Kingdom were to eat the mutated monsters that ate humans and the mutated monsters that caused secondary mutations?

‘What if crows, wolves… and ants eat the secondary mutant monsters that destroyed the Free Canadian League?’

Wouldn’t the Holy Kingdom have a more powerful animal army? Or would it allow them to gain experience in defeating secondary mutant monsters, thereby awakening their abilities?

Dan Brown’s eyes sank heavily.

‧

Officially, the Canadian territory became an empty no man’s land.

“It can’t go on like this.”

“With the support of the Empire, we must reclaim our homeland from the monsters.”

Some Canadian refugees raised their voices, demanding that a provisional government be formed and that imperial support be provided to reclaim their homeland.

“Unfortunately, I cannot assist you directly.”

“For what reason?”

“Because we made a treaty with the Holy Kingdom not to get involved in the Free Canadian League.

“What is that···.”

“But if you create a mercenary corps or a company and trade with them, it wouldn’t be breaking the treaty. If it’s that way, it’s possible.”

“I will do that.”

The story goes that the Empire signed a treaty not to interfere with the Free Canadian League.

“Look at that. I’m telling you, that’s what the Holy Kingdom kids were after.”

“I told you not to let the Empire help.”

These refugees increasingly believed that the Holy Kingdom was involved in the destruction of the Free Canadian League.

“Are you saying that the moose broke down the container wall and the wolves pounced through the gap?”

“Yes.”

Several pieces of information began to pile up, starting with statements that moose, a herbivore, had stormed into a human city in an attempt to throw off the pursuit of wolves.

“The 12.7mm bullet didn’t work?”

“Yes. Even the 81mm mortar shrapnel was useless.”

Neither moose nor wolves could be stopped by any amount of firepower.

“That. That’s a monster. A monster.”

One of the men who was testifying suddenly had a seizure. He was the man who escaped from a bear attack in Ottawa.

“Everyone dies! Everyone dies!”

“Where’s the tranquilizer? The tranquilizer!”

“Press the arms and legs. Inject a sedative.”

An Imperial Army officer asked the psychologist who was recording the testimony.

“That guy. Why is he doing that?”

“It’s PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder).”

“Can I see the statement?”

“Here it is.”

Testimony about a monster bear that was said to be 8~9m tall when standing up. An unbelievable story of a bear that rushed forward despite being hit by a tank’s main gun and Javelin missiles, wiping out an exosuit squad, three tanks, and a company-sized infantry force.

“You’re crazy.”

“······.”

The counselor expressed discomfort at the so-called crazy remark instead of responding.

“Excuse me.”

The so-called bowed his head slightly to show his apology and went out. It was a crowded place with people crying here and there and medical staff administering tranquilizers and sleeping pills to calm them down.

okay.

It was clear that he was crazy.

The penetration power of the 120mm main gun using tungsten bullets is 600mm to 800mm. The same goes for Javelin missiles.

But even if it was a mutated bear, it didn’t make sense for it to be immune to tank main guns and Javelin anti-tank missiles.

“It’s so frustrating – do I even have to report such crazy things?”

“What can I do? If it has to do with mutant monsters, I’ll upload it, no matter how strange the testimony is.”

A variety of statements were sent to the conference room.

“I don’t know how much to believe.”

“It wouldn’t be the only time this year has happened.”

The testimonies of refugees who escaped from Canada were full of incredible stories.

There were many accounts of wolves running at speeds of up to 60 miles (97 km). Furthermore, the stories mainly focused on the fact that they had armored car-like defenses and could not be stopped by personal firearms.

“The wolf opened the doorknob, went in, and dragged the person hiding under the bed?”

“You broke the window to lower the temperature in the house and made people who didn’t want to freeze to death come out?”

“Crazy. What kind of wolf is a person?”

“Didn’t rats use their heads? Maybe wolves have become smarter too.”

“It’s strange. The wolves mentioned in the testimony here. They know human culture and tools too well.”

“Big- Are you talking about the wolf of the Holy Kingdom?”

“I think we need to check it out.”

“We will capture any wolves that cross over to the Empire.”

Even if the wolf were like that, the problem was the bear. It was a monster so big that it would not be an exaggeration to call it a mutant monster. It was a monster so big that it was controversial whether to believe the testimony.

“A bear that is impervious to tank guns and anti-tank missiles.”

“It is said that they even ran at a speed similar to that of a wolf.”

The conference room was in an uproar at the statement that he had run 60 miles (97 km). It was a mess of wolves and bears. 60 miles is not the speed of a dog running.

“We need to deploy clone units armed with the new Javelin to our borders.”

“You never know when mutant monsters might cross the border.”

Although no one said anything, it was a situation where one could not help but suspect that the Holy Kingdom might have intervened.

======

======

Ki-soon’s eyes widened as he received intelligence that the Canadian refugees, the Imperial Parliament, and the military were suspicious of the Holy Kingdom.

“Ah- oh my-.”

Kim Yang glanced at the materials that Ki-sun was looking at and then said something.

“If it’s ruined, it’s ruined. What is the Provisional Government of the Free Canadian League? What is the Canadian Mercenary Corps? And did we tell them to die? They wouldn’t listen even when we told them to run away, and even if the commanding officers turned into cannibals, they said they would make lunch boxes with their own fingers, so why are they yelling at us?”

It’s annoying when people start going crazy and saying things like they want revenge if you try to save them and take care of them for no reason, and then they find the wrong number and go crazy.

[It doesn’t matter. We will subdue the mutant monsters in the Canadian region. Form a subdue force centered around the Royal Guard, Growth Unit, and Regeneration Unit and drive them out. Distribute the mutant monster corpses among the crows and wolves.]

When I say we should form a punitive force and clear them out, I mean we shouldn’t bomb them with airships. Kim Yang said with a shrug.

“From what I’ve seen in the video, the bear is bigger than the one we caught last time. There are more than one or two of them, and if we catch them all, a lot of kids might die. Is that okay?”

[I’ll clean up the bear.]

If that’s the case, then yes.

Ms. Kim nodded.