Rust - Chapter 981



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Rust [RUST] – Episode 981

The people’s slogans grew louder.

A cry for a strong emperor, a trustworthy emperor.

Even when he was the president, there were so many people who were complaining that it was undemocratic, so how can he so easily say that he wants an emperor?

“You’re crazy. You’re not normal.”

Dan Brown could not believe it. The Empire was the successor to the United States. Its citizens could not have voluntarily expressed their desire for an emperor.

“Psychic ability… or is it the influence of a psychic wave?”

[······.]

Otherwise, I could not understand how the descendants of those who created a free nation by gun could put their lives and freedom in the hands of others.

To place an absolute ruler over one’s head, whether a king or an emperor, was an act tantamount to handing over one’s right to survive.

“In the early days of the Holy Kingdom, the Southern Alliance attempted to use a psychic generator to cause terrorism. It is highly likely that the same situation is happening now. We need to check if there is a psychic generator, even if it means removing as much security as possible from this side.”

[It is dangerous to remove security personnel.]

The psychic device that attacked the Sacred Kingdom was a device that heightened emotions. It was intended to heighten sexual emotions and cause sexual problems among key figures in the Sacred Kingdom, thereby creating internal rifts.

After that incident, the Holy Kingdom installed psychic countermeasure equipment in various places after the psychic terror attack, and reacted sensitively enough that Vladimir Kalin personally responded.

‘Heightened emotions. Amplified crowd psychology.’

Perhaps, what can sometimes be more dangerous than brainwashing is the emotional and psychological swaying. The victim may not even know that they have been swayed, but they believe that they have been moved by their own emotions, and that they have felt and judged in that way.

The Empire also installed psychic countermeasure equipment in key buildings, and used testers whenever there was an important meeting to check for cannibals or vampires.

But less than six months after he stepped down from power, those bastards were in the heart of the empire, running wild.

“The situation is serious. The news that a psychic generator has come in means that someone is in league with those guys.”

[······.]

[······.]

Who is it? Who is holding hands?

The new president and the ruling party? The opposition party that lost within the margin of error? Or Leon Bonnard, who came back from the dead with their help?

[Could it be that Leon Bonnard helped you enter the maritime city?]

[It could be the military.]

[Even so, this is already a situation that has occurred. If, as you expected, they have established their power within the sea city, they will attack here.]

It was Dan Brown who kept cannibals and vampire politicians out of important institutions.

If they were going to use Leon Bonnard to destroy democracy in the Empire, they were definitely going to do it with repercussions.

[Yes, you’d better escape.]

where?

[If it is the Holy Kingdom, they will grant you asylum.]

Even if we don’t intervene in the situation, we will protect Dan Brown and his men if they escape. But what does that mean?

Dan Brown’s sunken eyes turned toward his subordinates.

“If there was a psychic generator, it would have disabled the psychic countermeasure equipment.”

That meant either the central control room controlled it, or the psychic response device was destroyed. Either way, it was the worst.

[Teams 2 and 3 will go to the central control room.]

[···We will check the mental wave response device.]

Den Brown and his men exchanged glances.

‧

How many hours passed like that?

The media and broadcasting began to pour out broadcasts and articles as if this were the will of the people.

(Angry mob executes corrupt politician.)

(The suspicion that he was trying to kill the hero was true.)

(Corrupt politics. Fallen empire. Broken future.)

(The president and the military ordered to fire on civilians.)

(Why we need strong leaders.)

(Failed Generalissimo, Corrupt Presidential System. So what is the alternative?)

(The citizens of the empire want an emperor.)

(How did the Holy Kingdom become the most powerful nation?)

(A strong king makes a strong nation. The secret of the Holy Kingdom.)

(Enough confusion. The imperial citizens’ wish is for a strong leader.)

(What the Empire Needs. A True Leader.)

Leon Bonnard, who was watching TV, closes his eyes and hears the voice of opposition leader David White lingering in his ears.

‘You. Are you aiming for this?’

His face turned bright red as if he had not expected someone to betray him like this. I could picture the members of the National Assembly grabbing him and taking him away.

‘The Empire is a democratic country! There can be no such thing as an emperor!’

‘You will surely die.’

David White screaming while being dragged away.

‘Whether it was the emperor or the king, in the end, his head was cut off.’

‘The people who praise you now will rejoice when your head is cut off.’

His voice seemed vivid.

‘That’s history! That’s history!’

after-

Leon Bonnard had no intention of becoming Emperor. He simply wanted to use the public opportunity of testifying before Congress to completely cut out the rot.

I wanted to avenge the soldiers who died meaningless deaths while being entangled in politics, and I wanted to inform people about the deaths of officers who remained loyal to the empire until the end.

To be honest, I also had a desire for revenge against the politicians who tried to use me until the end. That’s why I revealed the evidence and publicly exposed the corruption of the government, the military, and the politicians.

But his speech had an unexpected reaction. The crowd attending the memorial rose up and the maritime city defense forces joined in. In an instant, something akin to a revolution broke out.

‘This is the worst.’

Things were going as if they had been waiting for it. In just a few hours, they started to purge politicians. And physically.

Whistleblowers poured out to expose corruption among politicians, and when evidence of corruption was deemed solid, angry mobs would hang and shoot them on the spot.

The crowd was no longer just a crowd. It was a force of armed men, including the Maritime City Defense Force, anti-terrorist special forces, and heavily armed police. There was no way to stop them in the Maritime City.

‘I can’t be dragged around.’

He was like an emperor waiting for me. I had no intention of becoming a puppet emperor. The reality was that I couldn’t even completely control the Philadelphia attack force.

But ascending to the throne? In a situation like now where there is nothing, sitting on the throne would only lead to being manipulated.

The cheers? The support? The enthusiasm? The enthusiasm of the people outside shouting for Leon Bonnard? It was all a mirage.

A tree without deep, strong roots is bound to fall.

Because there is no such thing as an eternal idol.

[General. Representatives of the citizens and the new military government are requesting an interview.]

“······.”

[General.]

“···I get it.”

Representatives of the citizens and the military junta entered cautiously.

“Please sit down.”

The two exchanged glances at the calm appearance of Leon Bonnard and began to talk.

“The corruption of politicians has gone too far.”

“How can that be? It’s been only about six months since Chancellor Dan Brown stepped down. The former Chancellor reformed the parliament and purged the cannibals.”

“No. Chancellor Dan Brown believed too much in the self-correcting mechanism. He believed that if the big evils were eliminated, the smaller problems would be resolved naturally through law, principles, checks and balances.”

But the reality was not like that.

If checks and balances had been established according to the principle of separation of powers, would corruption and bribery have occurred in so many countries that claim to be democratic? Even if they had, they would have disappeared quickly.

The same goes for the empire. Because money and power have been intertwined for a long time, the insides have become even more corrupt. When the judiciary, legislature, and executive branches are corrupt, the media, which should expose it, is the same.

The law is swayed by lobbying. The media is controlled by advertising. The moment the values ​​pursued through democracy become money, everything is bound to be swayed by money.

In reaction, they tried to pursue political correctness, but political correctness also could not escape from the logic of capital.

Even in times of war and apocalypse, the logic of capital could not be avoided. That was the limitation of Dan Brown’s generalissimo.

“If profit comes first, what will happen to the lives and future of citizens?”

“It’s obvious that money is important. But if money becomes everything, won’t the future of the empire flow in the same direction as the ruined United States?”

“So what do you want?”

“Please reform the empire.”

“The Imperial citizens and military await General Leon Bonnard’s decision.”

The citizens’ representatives and the military junta’s representatives looked at Leon Bonnard with burning eyes.

“I have no intention of becoming a puppet emperor. I have no intention of being led around.”

“No.”

“The officers who survived the New York and Philadelphia operations formed the core of a new military government.”

Leon Bonnard shook his head.

“No. That won’t work. It’s not normal right now.”

“There are many people who think that this is not normal. Even though they know this, they remain silent and support the general because they think this may be their last chance.”

The Empire’s last chance to survive. It was a chance to completely root out corruption, so even though they felt something was off, they didn’t raise the issue.

As time passes and the anger towards corrupt and depraved politicians subsides, those who seek to take the power that has been emptied will emerge.

There will be those who will try to undermine Leon Bonnard, his greatest rival for power, and start to stir up trouble in order to change the minds of the citizens who had called him Emperor.

It would have been the same even if Leon Bonnard had refused the throne and gone into hiding. Whoever took power would have remembered the slogans the people had shouted at Leon Bonnard.

Or sit on the emperor’s throne.

Or be remembered as a good hero.

Or go into exile in the Holy Kingdom.

Or become a vampire in the Confederacy.

Whatever he chose, there was no time. If he did not choose the Emperor, the civil representatives and the officers who formed the new military junta would all be purged when the new government came into power.

Leon Bonnard’s eyes sank deeply.

“I have no intention of becoming a puppet emperor.”

If you can’t avoid it, you have to do it right.

‧

‧

‧

Dan Brown checked the reports coming in and put his hand to his temple.

The memorial service that started at noon was overturned, and in just half a day, the government, politicians, and even the military were purged.

‘Too fast.’

The new military junta, which took control of the maritime city defense forces and elected citizen representatives, began to take complete control of the maritime city.

[Found it. It’s a psychic generator.]

[It has been confirmed that the psychic response equipment has been turned off in the central control room.]

And then Leon Bonnard, who had been silent for half a day at the crowd’s request to ascend to the throne of the emperor, appeared in public.

(Leon!)

(Leon!)

(Leon Bonnard as Emperor!)

Towards them, Leon Bonnard proposed a national referendum. Whether they would really elect him as emperor or not. The crowd responded to his speech asking them to choose here and now.

[Mental wave generator destroyed.]

[Central control room psychic response equipment reactivated.]

Even after being freed from the influence of the psychotic wave, people’s enthusiasm did not cool down.

(Leon!)

(Leon!)

(Leon Bonnard as Emperor!)

Direct voting using mobile phones began. A graph showing the pros and cons began to move in real time. It was a direct vote that took place not only in the sea cities but throughout the empire.

The approval was overwhelming in the maritime cities, and also in non-maritime cities on land.

Leon Bonnard as Emperor.

Strengthen the empire.

The approval graph began to rise vertically. The approval rate quickly surpassed half. The imperial citizens were ending democracy with their own hands.

“We have to stop the election! Now!”

Leon Bonnard ascended to the throne of the Empire with an overwhelming 89.2% approval rating, without even having time to do anything.

(Wow-)

(Leon!)

(Leon!)

(Long live His Majesty the Emperor Leon Bonnard!)

(Long live the empire!)

(Wow-)

“Oh, God.”

I don’t know what they chose.

‧

‧

‧

Leon Bonnard, who ascended the throne of the emperor, began his investigation without staying up all night.

“There is not a single exception.”

The media that wrote articles supporting him also investigated the military junta and the civic delegation that would become his support base, as well as Leon Bonnard himself.

The tests revealed that a small number of them were cannibals. Leon Bonnard executed them immediately and made it public.

Then we headed to Den Brown’s house.

“Your Majesty, that man is dangerous.”

“······.”

Despite his chief secretary’s persuasion, he did not change his decision.

Two people who were so lonely.

Dan Brown looked haggard when he faced Leon Bonnard.

“You’re fearless.”

“Why did you do that?”