I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 492

"…"

"I’ve decided to participate in the International Sniper Competition with Logan, which will be held on the first Friday of November."

"Poof—!"

"…Lorentina, Senior?"

Oh no, I shouldn’t have said that while someone was drinking.

Lorentina, who had just taken a sip of her highball, sprayed it forward with a look of disbelief. Her usual smugness was nowhere to be found. Her eyes were wide open, just like a shark, and she stared at me, her face contorting with an expression of shock.

Before I could even hear a response, I turned on the hologram to show her. Naturally, her shark-like gaze shifted to the screen. The competition would be held from November 3rd to 10th, the first week of November, in Fort Moore, Georgia—an isolated rural area.

The basic objectives ranged from target detection and elimination missions to urban combat, shooting from moving trucks, helicopters, boats, and long-distance shots, all while relying on a map to travel several miles before taking the shot. There were also various other challenges.

Lorentina, staring blankly at the screen, muttered.

"…When did you decide this?"

"About 30 minutes ago."

"You’ve got to be kidding me. Please tell me this isn’t because of some external pressure—"

"External pressure? Me? The CEO of a company that will play a key role in projecting military power for the next president? That’s not possible."

"Well, that’s unfortunate, but I guess you’re right. I like your confidence."

…Thinking about it, that did sound kind of annoying.

Once the atmosphere settled down, I started explaining how all this came about in the past hour. I had been reinstated as a sergeant in USSOCOM by Nakasono, acting on behalf of the Secretary of Defense, which left me in a somewhat awkward, halfway state, but still technically a U.S. soldier.

It wasn’t really a command but more of a suggestion, and since Logan was the intermediary, there wasn’t much coercion involved. However, there were subtle hints of certain people wanting to use me, now that I was back in the mix.

The long-range sniper shot I took in Hawaii probably served as the trigger, but if that was the case, they should have contacted me earlier, back when I was causing chaos in virtual reality.

Anyway, once Lorentina realized that I hadn’t been pressured into making this decision, she quickly regained her usual composure.

The conversation continued.

"Have you ever participated in a competition like this before, Lorentina?"

"No. I didn’t think it was necessary."

"That makes sense. I heard I’m participating as part of a side team too."

"That’s the only way it could be."

Lorentina didn’t elaborate on the reason, and I didn’t ask.

There was no need to.

In special forces, overwhelming physical ability is an immense advantage. With senses far beyond human limits, and a body capable of armored vehicle-level output with proper supplies like fuel and food, she was practically unstoppable. There were countless other advantages that couldn't even be counted on fingers.

While her distinctive appearance would prevent her from doing any covert work, in situations that tested physical ability, split-second decision-making, and shooting skills—things like the qualities traditionally expected of special forces soldiers—her capabilities would be on par with any Olympian, just like the reason why some special abilities don’t participate in the Olympics.

While a machine that appeared out of nowhere wiped the highball Lorentina had spilled, she skillfully refilled her glass and casually started talking again.

"Looks like they’ll ask us to bring bolt-action and semi-automatic rifles, or maybe they’ll provide them."

"Probably the latter. They’ll probably send a list of available firearms and accessories. That’s not really a problem… What’s bothering me more is that I’ll be late for the Asian qualifiers."

"Those start the third week of November, and the Korean players have to leave about a week earlier to acclimate, so I’ll just focus on making sure we get there in time for the main event."

"Exactly."

Since I could speak Russian fluently, I wanted to go with the national team, including those two, but it wasn’t necessary.

Those two were trained to the point where they could handle even demons from hell in virtual reality, so they’d manage just fine without me.

Aside from that, it seemed like my supposed "vacation" was quickly turning into a work-filled ordeal. What I thought was a relaxing time just a few days ago was clearly an illusion.

As I sat there, half in a daze, Lorentina chuckled and added:

"Now that we’re at it, how about we fly to JFK International Airport instead of going back to Korea? There’s a place near the base that makes amazing grilled sandwiches…"

"Oh no, really. Stop advertising."

"Oh, you don’t think I’ll keep talking just because you say that—ugh!"

"Quiet now."

The best way to silence someone is to cover their face entirely. If they keep talking, just bury their face between your chest, and they’ll generally quiet down.

I gave Lorentina a "special force hug" and mercilessly suppressed her unnecessary affection for Norfolk, then returned to my seat, eating cheese and ham from the snacks as I thought about how to explain this to Harmony and Dice.

There was no need to beat around the bush. With over three weeks left, I could cram all the necessary knowledge in time—unless there was something else I needed to learn.

It’d work out somehow, I thought.

The next day, after I’d cleared my thoughts and gotten a good night’s sleep, those who wanted to have a little more fun—specifically, the "manifested" ones—jumped from the balcony, several meters high, and dove into the blue Pacific. The rest of us, the "normal" ones, spent time in the swimming pool at the back of the yacht.

Of course, that wasn’t the end of it. Lorentina and I pulled out two jet skis from the yacht’s interior and started cutting through the sea. Behind Lorentina, Harmony followed, and behind me, Dice stayed close.

For safety and to create space, I wrapped my tail around Dice’s body, then pulled the throttle with excitement, accelerating to speeds of 50–60 km/h.

"Haha! Isn’t this fun!?"

"Wow—ahhh!"

"…I can still hear Lorentina’s voice even from this distance."

"Ha!"

Amidst all this, another event unfolded.

By the time everyone had finished their jet ski experiences, it was about 10 AM, and a slightly delayed breakfast was waiting for us.

Then, my bombshell hit both of them.

"Because of scheduling conflicts in November, it looks like only the two of you will have to leave for the Asian qualifiers in advance."

"Eh?"

"…You’re lying, right? I don’t speak Russian!"

Of course, at that moment, the two of them started clinging to me as if I were their real-time translator and interpreter, without realizing there was no one else around.

Silly kids.

"This mysterious Johann's Apocalypse always seems to be placed on my desk when I forget about it."

Meanwhile, in the other world's Central Park—The White House.

Even though it was clearly a room being monitored in real-time, as soon as he closed and opened his eyes, there was a stack of documents sitting on the table. The first page, with a malicious joke written on it saying No Such Agency (though it wasn’t from the NSA), immediately revealed shocking content as soon as it was turned over.

Henry let out a deep sigh and pressed a button to connect the communication.

"You’ve been called, Mr. President."

"Get the advisor and Director Solomon on the line."

"Understood."

There was trouble.

Again.

"Georgia’s Savannah? Never heard of the place."

"It’s a tourist city. If you go up north, there’s an industrial area with factories."

"So, everything that was sent from there… was fabricated? Since when?"

"Since April."

The rustling sound and busy movement.

As always, when orders came down from above, it was the task force team that had to bear the brunt, and the Dagger Team, among many other task forces, knew this all too well. But this time, things took an unexpected turn.

The order from the top was specifically aimed at Task Force Dagger.

Including Jin and Lane.

Owens, who had been casually reading the operation details, added:

"Fortunately, it seems like we don’t have much to do this time."

"Are you telling me that it’s a top-secret mission, but there’s not much for us to do? That’s a little unexpected."

"There’s a note about shadows appearing."

"Ah."

Shadows.

The phenomenon known only to the United States and Canada… Or, more specifically, a combat simulation avatar created by Eugene through some method from another world, then sent to this world. The former was common knowledge, while the latter was a closely guarded secret known only to a few.

An undead army will appear. That fact alone was enough to make further explanation unnecessary.

However, despite that, there was a reason Dagger Team was being sent there, and even before the specifics of the operation were explained, every operator in the room already had a suspicion.

"Artemis’ remnants?"

"Well, you could call them remnants, but… I’m not sure that’s the best term."

"Yeah, the arena was destroyed, and the hounds came charging out. The only difference now is that it’s an automatic factory with Mecha-hounds coming out endlessly. They’re just roaming around, attacking everything they see."

"So, after Artemis’ fall, there’s a factory in Savannah, Georgia, that’s still churning out murder-machines? This is beyond messed up."

"Now I see why they specifically called Dagger Team."

But the conversation didn’t continue further.

With a rustling sound, two figures approached, eagerly scanning the papers with curious eyes.

"What else is there?"

"Of course there’s more. It looks like Artemis hasn’t finished cleaning up the mess it made. Also… this time, we might need to borrow some help from our new junior members."

"Can we expect archetypes too?"

"Most likely. If they don’t show up, then we’ll just have to deal with it."

"I’ll hold my breath until they arrive. Hup."

"Who taught you weird things about holding your breath…"

Jin, who tightly shut his eyes and pretended to hold his breath, drew the attention of the entire Dagger Team, who were dumbfounded at his antics.

Lane smacked the back of Jin’s head, and only then did Jin make a strange squeaking noise and stop his ridiculous act.

Owens, chuckling to himself, then marked the areas where the team would need to strike and secure first—concentrating around Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, which would serve as the central point from which allied forces would spread radially.

However, this wasn’t something Dagger Team needed to focus on.

"Drone swarms, our unmanned vehicles, cruise missiles, EMP… Once we unleash a storm of fire over Savannah, those Mecha-Artemis drones will practically be begging to stop. We’ll just land leisurely at the airport once those pest-like machines have been neutralized."

"So, in a way, we’re not really conducting an operation, but rather overseeing one. Looking at how things are turning out, it seems like the junior is quite involved in this mission."

"Do you think that some rebellious junior doesn’t want to push Dagger Team into another hellhole?"

That was, in fact, the case.

Once the world started stabilizing, the role of Task Force Dagger, which had been eliminating all enemies across countless battlefields, began to shrink.

Despite the war effectively being over, the fact that Dagger Team was still being deployed in operations, even after the fall of Artemis, was strange. Most of the other task forces had long since been disbanded.

Except for one.

With their overwhelming achievements and battlefield leadership abilities that couldn’t even be framed within the title of "operational agents," Dagger Team had earned their place in this operation. Despite it not being one that specifically required them, they were called in because of the path they had carved and the opportunities they had earned.

After looking around, Owens added:

"This might be our last mission out in the field. Who knows when the next one will be, but by then, we’ll likely be controlling remote humanoid robots."

"Not sure about Logan and me. We might be sent in with something like exoskeletons."

"Are they really going to make you wear suits? Are you planning to conquer a nuclear power plant or something?"

"I can’t even imagine."

One thing was clear: once those two were put into exoskeletons, something that could withstand recoil from a 20mm minigun or a 155mm howitzer might emerge.

Naturally, Logan and Lorentina chuckled but didn’t deny it.

Amid the back-and-forth teasing, the plan for what might be Dagger Team’s final operation was starting to take shape.

The Central Park, now tinged with autumn colors, was still busy.

"Ugh, it’s moving!"

"I warned you, really! If it gets any closer, I’m going to scream!"

"…Am I the only one who looks cute?"

Meanwhile, in the Pacific Ocean, several kilometers off the coast of Hawaii.

The sea snake Eugene discovered while swimming around the boat sent all the people leisurely spending time on the yacht into shock and panic.

But they were still going about their usual routine.