Rust - Chapter 875



Only Krnovel

RUST -873

The fact that there are spider webs 30 km away from Quebec means that they have spread their detection network this far.

[It’s strange that the spider web spreads this far.]

It wasn’t even 3~4km, but 30km, so it was detecting from a really far distance. Even if it wasn’t as good as radar, it was at the level of an artillery observation team at a distance of 30km.

Everyone agreed with Ki-soon’s strange assessment.

[It seems very different from the typical spider behavior.]

Na Ju-yeon explained something strange. Most spiders consider the web they build as their territory. If another spider enters their web, they consider it an intruder and even fight.

However, the spider web that is now spread out so widely could not have been created with such an exclusive tendency. No matter how thin the web is, it is impossible for a single spider to cover an area with a radius of 30 km.

This meant abandoning exclusivity and using each other’s webs to create a 30km detection zone.

[If you look at the data from when we fought in Richmond, it certainly is.]

The monitor showed a scene of a structure made of a giant balloon rising into the sky.

It was a scene where spiders flew in from a structure floating in the sky, spitting out silk, and weaving the entire sky with spider webs.

[A single spider could not have created a structure the size of a 3-4 story building.]

The story goes that spiders were using their webs to create structures together.

“That’s why it was so hard to bomb.”

That was the reason why it was ambiguous to bomb Richmond with crows or cruise missiles at the time. It was because the spider webs in the sky made bombing difficult.

“Are you saying that even the spiders of Quebec can float structures if given the signal?”

[Isn’t that likely?]

Ki-sun answered Maru’s question.

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

Kujik- The spider web crushed by the military boots broke like a candy cane. Maru said as he watched the ice crystals tangled in the thin spider web fall like corn.

“It’s not just that it’s cold. It’s that it’s gotten heavier.”

[······.]

[······.]

[······.]

It was a spider web that had frozen in the bitter cold of minus 60 to minus 70 degrees Celsius. It wasn’t just frozen, it was a spider web that had hardened with ice and snow.

Even if I had created a structure, it would not have been able to come up properly in this situation. If I had created it anew and launched it, it would have been different, but it was highly likely that everything I had created in advance would have been like a spider web spread out on the floor.

“It’s okay to march quickly. The ground spiders are finished.”

Kim Yang, who had once fought with spiders, checked the battlefield.

Even the ground spiders that build their webs underground were helpless in this situation. Even if they build their nests underground, they will be finished when the snow and ice pile up to 5 meters above them.

When I cleared the snow piled up at the entrance, it revealed that there was a spider here, so the spider ambush was over and I had to see it.

Even if you build a ground spider’s nest in the snow and ice instead of the ground, the results are not good. You can’t disguise the entrance with dirt and grass, but you have to disguise it with snow and ice. Even if you do that, you have to wait indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer. Can the ground spider endure that?

[Didn’t you say that the fact that they took over Quebec during the bitter cold itself suggests that they might have been a mutated spider?]

Kim Yang narrowed her eyes at Hood’s words that there might have been spiders that were resistant to cold. He wasn’t wrong. Still, it was right to move quickly when operating the military.

Attack before the enemy can defend. Attack before the enemy can counterattack. Catch up and attack before the enemy retreats. So, in Kim Yang’s experience, a quick attack is the best strategy.

First of all, if there were ground spiders with cold resistance, there should have been at least one by now. Aren’t they? If they’re going to lay webs that can go as far as 30km, there should be at least one or two guards. But the fact that they haven’t been seen yet means that there aren’t any ground spiders or ambushes.

Even if there was an ambush, it was okay. Isn’t there a floor here? If there was a problem, we could withdraw our troops and drop the floor in the middle. Naturally, we had to advance at full speed.

Just as Kim Yang was about to suggest a blitzkrieg, Maru gave the order first.

“First, let’s remove the cobwebs on the floor.”

There was a need to check the reaction when the spider web was removed.

[The spider web still has a weak EMP effect.]

[Adhesive strength weakens at temperatures between -25 and -30 degrees Celsius.]

[It starts to freeze at temperatures below minus 40 degrees.]

In an instant, the webs began to fall apart. And the spiders in Quebec did not react to the web removal.

“Advance 10km from Quebec and set up positions.”

It was Maru who chose to advance quickly.

‧

Moving an army of over 100,000 men in the bitter cold was a daunting task. The distance from Mississauga to Toronto to Quebec was, at best, 800 km.

It was over 850 km, with a detour from Montreal along the way. Even if they marched 30 to 35 km a day, they would have had to march for nearly a month.

The reason why the average travel speed was only 30-35 km even though skis and sleds were used to increase the travel speed was because they had to rest when a blizzard hit or abnormal weather occurred in the middle.

“How about going into something like mechanized infantry next time?”

“It’s dangerous because mutant monsters can set traps.”

From a defensive standpoint, mechanized infantry was not bad, but it was questionable whether it would be good at breaking through enemy lines.

The rats that had occupied the old village had also dug traps to attack the armored vehicles.

Is there any law that says wolves and bears can’t do that?

What about spiders and ants?

Of course, traps could be sold. So, Kim Yang’s argument to train mechanized infantry and conduct a blitzkrieg needed to be carefully considered.

“Then what about the Black Drake-class airship? Why not make a large airship into a troop transport ship?”

Maru thought for a moment at Kim Yang’s words that it would be enough to secure a large number of airships that could transport 2,000 to 3,000 fully armed troops at once.

“The structures made by spiders are like that, and ants have wings.”

What if spider structures and webs covered a large transport ship?

What if a fleet of wings numbering in the millions or even tens of millions were to swarm a convoy?

“I think it would be okay if we escorted it with a Black Drake-class airship.”

“It’s not easy.”

Maru shook his head.

The billion-dollar ant empire that took over New York in an instant, the spiders of Richmond that completely devoured an entire city and even took over the air supremacy using the structure.

“They can produce troops in an instant. The more they gather, the stronger their bio-EMP becomes. If a fleet of ten million winged beings comes near a transport fleet, there will be chaos with the bio-EMP. There is no need to take risks.”

Maru judged that it was dangerous to use airships as the main means of transporting troops. After considering various scenarios, the march in the bitter cold began.

Even though they seemed to have fallen prey to mutant monsters and cannibals, humans were strong. They were able to march even in the bitter cold of minus 50 to minus 60 degrees Celsius.

As long as they had winter equipment and proper supplies, humans were the ones who could plant flags in both the South and North Poles. Likewise, humans were the ones who could survive in deserts with temperatures between 40 and 50 degrees Celsius.

“What about non-combat losses?”

“11 people were evacuated with severe frostbite. 5,721 people are being treated at the camp with mild frostbite. 821 people were withdrawn due to mental health issues.”

When asked why 11 people suffered severe frostbite, Ms. Kim explained with a hazy expression.

“Those guys are crazy.”

From a person who giggled while filming a video saying that peeing at -60 degrees Celsius would freeze and cause frostbite, to a soldier who was boasting unfoundedly that this temperature was the temperature for cold water friction, I felt sorry for him.

In many ways, people who are overflowing with male hormones have caused accidents. Since there are over 100,000 people, there were people beyond imagination. Fortunately, there were no accidents in the main units, the regeneration unit and the growth unit.

“What about psychiatric problems?”

“The doctor said it was because they had been walking through snow-covered fields for a month, but I’m not sure.”

Accidents were common among soldiers who volunteered to become citizens.

Citizenship was required to participate in the lottery for voting rights and city residency. It was not long before enlistment became the norm regardless of gender, as there were various lifestyle benefits, including tax breaks.

In the beginning, there were quite a few people who wondered what the point of voting was since it was a monarchy anyway, but now there are many people who enlist in the military just for the sake of the lottery for the right to move into the floating city.

In particular, many people from Canada came to the Holy Kingdom to apply, and thanks to that, we were able to form a sufficient reserve force. The problem was that, like now, some people who were something or other also joined the army.

“From now on, if there is any possibility that even a minor mental issue could cause problems in group life, we will send them home immediately and change them to alternative service.”

“Okay.”

Maru and Kim Yang have gained a variety of experiences through their experience in operating large-scale troops of over 100,000 people. The same goes for virtual reality, and with this operational update, they can now run corps-level simulations.

“What are the results of the simulation that combined the information on the Richmond engagement and our current military power with the Quebec air reconnaissance information?”

[The spider webs are frozen, so it appears that our team has the advantage.]

“Even though it reflects the EMP effect in the spider web?”

[Yes. It has been confirmed that there are no problems with short-range communication when operating while densely installing repeaters.]

“How about napalm bombing?”

[It was split into two due to lack of information.]

Na Ju-yeon uploaded a scenario that proceeds in the exact opposite way.

One scenario involved a successful napalm bombing that turned Quebec into a sea of ​​fire and roasted the spiders.

The other was the opposite. As Quebec was heated by the napalm bombing, the frozen spider webs and structures returned to their original function. A scenario where structures would rise into the sky and spiders would counterattack with their bodies frozen.

Maru pondered over two scenarios.

The original plan was to start the war against spiders after winter ended. I had predicted that the spiders would only move once the weather cleared up, but that wasn’t the case.

When spring came, war would break out, and in preparation for that, large-scale training and mobilization of troops took place, and it has come to this.

There were many opinions.

The argument is that the spiders currently occupying Quebec are most likely controlled by cannibals, just like in Richmond, and that attacking Quebec now would only provide the enemy with information about our forces.

On the contrary, there was also talk that attacking now would be the cornerstone of victory. It was said that blowing away the spider webs when they were frozen and unable to move properly would reduce the number of enemies and blow up their strongholds.

Rather than attacking right away, it would be better to surround Quebec, figure out how and where they are connecting, and quickly eliminate the places connected to Quebec.

“Build a stronghold to surround Quebec.”

“Bombing.”

It was necessary to first check whether they were capable of responding to the bombing.

‧

The city of Quebec, covered in white snow, was a bit unusual. The tall buildings were used as pillars, and spiderwebs spread out like tents, connecting them to other buildings.

Snow piled up on the spider web tents that stretched from one tall building to another. A spider shivered as it came out to clean up the snow from time to time to prevent it from piling up.

The spider shivered once again in the cold that felt like its joints were freezing. As it began to sweep its eyes with its forelegs, something flew into its eyes. It didn’t know what it was, but it was definitely a human weapon.

‘Emergency. Emergency.’

‘Red’.

Even though he sent a signal by flicking the web with his hind legs, there was no answer. This was because the moment he cleared the snow, the web froze in the extremely low temperature of -50 to -60 degrees Celsius.

At that split second, the missile pierced through the thick tent. Normally, it would not have been able to pierce through the strong elasticity, but the spider web, which had hardened, could not stop the missile.

Kwaaaaang-

A flame rising with a loud noise.

From that moment on, what appeared in the spider’s eyes were bombs that started to pour down like rain.

A stick.

The load-bearing building collapsed, and napalm flames ignited the spiderweb tent as it was sucked into the flames.

‧

Kim Yang sent a video of Quebec surrounded.

[Check the aircraft structure. It was hidden under a tent.]

The tent was ablaze, and a cotton candy-like structure was floating between the torn cracks.

“Operation begins.”

Kaaaaaaah!

Black waves flew towards the white structure.