I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 423

"Starting... this is quite something."

Henry muttered as he looked at the large screen that filled the conference room.

Rather than a typical operation or engagement, it seemed more like... a full-scale battle. It was a bizarre scene, almost like watching an old FPS game’s single-player campaign, with everything taking place in real life hundreds of kilometers away. This surreal sight, unfolding in the reality of far-off distances, made their minds reel.

A large transport plane, speeding down the runway at several hundred kilometers per hour, crashed straight into the control tower, obliterating it. However, instead of a fireball, a blinding flash erupted, and the massive 65-meter tower was severed in half, starting a brief freefall.

The transport plane turned into ashes and fragments, and the control tower, flattened like a pancake, lay in ruins. Yet, the Dagger team seemed not to care at all, cutting through the wreckage as they headed toward the control center.

"Where is the Dagger team heading?"

"According to the Icarus database, the Artemis HQ facility structure suggests the control center is at the end of that direction. It seems to serve as the command center overseeing everything happening on the ground."

"As expected, another decapitation operation. Given the circumstances, it's the right call, but..."

There were no further words.

While the Dagger team rushed toward the control center, explosions and gunfire continued near the hangars and weapons storage area. But no one paid attention. The fact that they had infiltrated Artemis HQ with shadows was known to everyone.

How much time passed? Nine members entered the massive, modern building.

Gunshots rang out.

"Can we still claim there are innocent people after seeing that?"

"They were clearly prepared."

Staff trying to draw weapons from under their desks fell with holes in their heads. UGVs shot from the walls, and grenades flew in.

It was a truly lavish welcome.

Amid the spinning of head cams, the barrels moved constantly, spitting flames. Even though they were in the heart of the battlefield, they moved without a single shake, calmly erasing the enemies in front of them. There were nine such individuals. The lobby was cleaned up in no time.

• "Second floor balcony, left side!"
• "Grenade incoming. I feel like unmanned vehicles will be reinforcing soon. If we could just toss grenades into the transport tunnel, that’d help."
• "Is Bravo-level anti-matter weaponry available?"
• "Resistance is weaker than expected. If we enter a more difficult area, we’ll authorize the use."

The communication continued without interruption.

It was eerily quiet for a battlefield where lives were exchanged constantly. Anyone who had been in an actual battlefield would know how absurd this was, and a few in the conference room felt it for themselves.

On the battlefield, even the smallest detail could determine life or death, so comms were filled with irritation, shouting, and screaming. It was inevitable. If a request or target wasn’t completed on time, someone would face dire consequences.

But these people...

"There's really no such thing as a war god."

"None of the personnel had any issues in the psychological evaluations..."

"Maybe they’ve just gotten used to it."

As they spoke, the lobby was already overrun.

The pulse scan swept through the area, revealing all nearby objects. The main facilities were slowly becoming clearer. The power plant supplying energy to the electromagnetic barrier was connected to the control facilities, and the control room, which oversaw most of the ground situation, was nearby.

The Dagger team then chose both options.

• "Lorentina and Logan will split up. The shark goes with me, Logan will attack the power plant with Serkins. How long will it take?"
• "Give me 15 minutes. You’ll see a mushroom cloud rising from the power plant."
• "Confident, I see. Start moving."
• "See you later."

The screen split once more.

The split-screen now showed Owens' head cam on one side, and Serkins' on the other. Owens climbed the stairs while Serkins turned to the right. Though their paths were different, their encounters with enemies would happen at almost the same time.

How many minutes passed? Owens' team engaged the Artemis Cybernetic Kill Team, which possessed strength and speed far beyond human capabilities. These cyborgs, equipped with implants, alloys, carbon fiber, and titanium, were formidable foes.

However, the first three enemies evaporated at the hands of Lorentina’s anti-matter sniper rifle, and with the Lambda energy restriction lifted, the Dagger team quickly immobilized the agile enemies with foam grenades and cam launchers, beginning to beat them senseless.

Within three minutes, the entire Cybernetic Kill Team had been reduced to fragments.

"...What exactly is happening here?"

"Bravo is also in combat."

Meanwhile, Logan's team, entering the power plant, was met by numerous laser turrets embedded in the walls.

But that wasn’t all. Spider-like robots, capable of moving freely on walls and ceilings, sprayed machine gunfire from blind spots, and proximity mines activated in real-time. However, Logan’s ballistic shield, enhanced by the Icarus Gear’s output, was advanced enough to block even 155mm artillery shells.

What followed was straight out of a hero movie. As Logan’s team absorbed the rain of lasers head-on, the other team members quickly eliminated the laser turrets with sticky bombs and melted all the enemies with shock traps and oxidizers.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the heart of the power plant, and once there, several anti-matter grenades were placed strategically.

But that wasn’t the end.

• "The hangar seems quite busy. It would be great if we could fire some railgun or plasma shots at the marked coordinates. Shouldn’t be too difficult, right?"

With those words, the Bravo team quickly retreated from the power plant.

At the same time, a UAV circling above Artemis HQ displayed a new screen.

Bzzzzt!

A bluish flash erupted from the hangar, several hundred meters away.

Some shots, traveling at an almost invisible speed, struck their targets. Upon impact, some exploded in flames, and the ominous blue light relentlessly hammered the power plant. After about four more shots, the building was penetrated.

The flames erupted, and the electromagnetic barrier surrounding the facility began to crack.

While watching the screen in stunned silence, someone spoke up.

"...Prepare for a precision strike. The barrier’s been compromised."

Was this truly the war they knew?

The answer to that question would take a long time to unravel.