I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 495

“...And with that, the yacht tour is officially over. Did you all have fun?”

“Yes!” “Yeah!” “Glad to hear that.”

“Ugh, the hotel smell. It’s good to be back...”

Oahu Island, Hawaii, 9 AM.

On a Sunday morning just as the day was beginning, the seven of them returned to the Icarus Residence Waikiki Suite Room. After putting down their luggage in their rooms, they either lay down on their beds or took in the sight of the waves crashing on the beach.

However, more of them opted to lie down rather than gaze at the beach. This was because of what had happened when they returned after the yacht tour and helicopter ride.

“I thought we’d just come back to the mountains, but I didn’t expect a volcano tour to be added to the schedule…” “Condensing the schedule is important. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see the flowing lava, but that’s out of our control. Maybe we’ll have the chance again someday.” “If we’d seen the crater, it would have been perfect. It was fun.”

As they said, it was true.

Things had jumped around unexpectedly, so to summarize what had happened... it was exactly what it sounded like. Just like landing the helicopter on the yacht, they had taken a helicopter back to the mainland.

They had gone on a tour around Big Island, the southern part of Hawaii, before landing back in Hawaii.

To be specific, they toured Mauna Loa, an active volcano on Big Island in Hawaii. Hawaii itself was a volcanic island, and the volcanic tours were at the top of the touring packages for that reason.

Though snorkeling, shark tours, experiencing Hawaiian nightlife, hula dancing, and various other activities were provided to the group, it was uncertain when they’d have the chance to return to Hawaii. So, they made sure to do everything they could while they were there.

With the helicopter tour now done, most of the items on the mental checklist had been checked off successfully.

The next thing to say was already decided.

“From today, it’s free tour time. If you want, you can go around individually or with whoever you want. You can go shopping, eat whatever you want, or rent a sports car and enjoy a drive.”

“...Really? Just like that?” “This is all I had prepared for you…”

It wasn’t a lie, it was the truth.

It might have been a bit surprising to Minah, Dais, and the others, but surprisingly, it was all true.

In the week they had stayed in Hawaii, they had spent about four days running wild with guns, done shark tours, and enjoyed a three-day luxury yacht tour that cost around 300 million KRW for a week’s rental — with a lot of help from the parents.

Lorentina had even extended her vacation by two days, which was an intense schedule. Because of that, the protagonist started to feel like he might have only done things he wanted to do for himself, so he decided to make sure they could all enjoy their last day with some free time. But...

It seemed his expectations were wrong once again when he saw how flustered they were.

“Ugh… wahhh… I’m Baby Dais… take me on a trip…” “Hmm, what should we do outside…?” “Looks like our little one planned the trip really well.”

Indeed, he hadn’t expected this outcome.

But after several trips, Harmony and Dais’ English had gotten decent enough, and even if they said they couldn’t go anywhere without him, once they were out, they’d likely do just fine. Plus, today he had something planned with Lorentina, so he had no choice.

Realizing this, Dais and Harmony started to throw tantrums, but what else could he do? As always, he just spread out the carrots — and that meant, of course, giving them Viyam’s tail.

It was a lot more effective than expected.

“It seems like I’ll be going around with Lorentina today, so we’ll meet up again at dinner. You all can have fun, right?” “Yes.” “…I feel like a kindergarten teacher, but oh well. See you later, everyone.”

Click.

There was, of course, a difference in reactions between the people whose destinations and routes were mostly decided and those who had been told, "Now you’re free to do whatever you want." It was likely that Harmony and the others would take at least 30 minutes to leave the hotel.

While thinking this, as they closed the door and headed toward the elevator, Lorentina pulled out a stick-shaped object from her pocket and glanced at him.

He spoke.

“Should I turn on the jammer?” “Please.”

The reason he had said he was going with Lorentina today was because of this.

He had seen this jammer before. When carried in a jacket pocket, it would interfere with the CCTV cameras and cause the images to distort. In other words, it was a fairly early model. So, the shark needed his help.

Icarus Gear’s jammer, on the other hand, would check the positions of the surrounding CCTV and use various methods to literally delete the person’s shape on the screen, making it ideal for Lorentina, who didn’t want any traces left behind.

When they arrived at the underground parking lot, Lorentina took out a tablet and synced the GPS location. About 15 destinations appeared sequentially on the navigation screen.

The parking lot was quite large but easy to navigate. They headed toward the section labeled 2201 and 2202, which was assigned to their suite on the 22nd floor. After reaching the designated section, they would board the waiting vehicle.

He was curious about what car they’d have. Last time, it was a four-person Rolls Royce sedan, but since there were only two of them this time, they could probably use something a bit more understated.

However, when they reached the parking lot, he immediately realized just how much money parents could spend.

A number of sports and supercars were waiting for them.

“Haha, I like this one. It’ll be great to spread the misinformation that operators don’t drive something like this.” “…Just say you want to drive it.”

Maybe the sedan would have been better.

At any rate, Lorentina seemed quite pleased, so that was good enough. There was no need to carry the car keys. When Lorentina saw the black McLaren Artura, she started pretending to be a racing girl, and he couldn’t watch her any longer, so he placed his hand on the hood.

The hologram shimmered across the car, and with a voice command, the door opened.

Behind the driver’s seat, there was a hole to stow the tail, and seeing this, he naturally climbed into the driver’s seat... and Lorentina’s expression twisted slightly.

“…You’re going to drive?” “Do you think I’m the kind of person who breaks everything just by grabbing the wheel? Sigh, fine. Just get in already.”

"I can't deny it; I've destroyed too many cars to refute that."

The door closed, and the location data linked to the tablet Lorentina was holding was input into the vehicle. A hologram displayed the distance to the destination on the windshield.

The engine automatically started, and with a faint vibration, the low hum of the engine began to reverberate. It was likely much louder outside.

With a click, the seatbelt was fastened, and I pressed the accelerator to begin driving. The car carefully began to exit the parking lot.

During this, Lorentina, whose complexion seemed to have suddenly worsened, added:

"Are you sure you won’t wreck it this time?"

"Hey, stop saying that, or I'll kick you out."

The destination was 15 kilometers away.

Today, it was time to prove that my infamous reputation as the "Car Destroyer" wasn’t true anymore.

With the clear sky, the driving began.

"Here we are. It's been fun going on a drive after a while."

"You’ve calmed down a lot compared to before."

"Ugh, really."

Screech.

We got out of the car, and Lorentina stepped out as well. After driving for about 15 km along the coastline, we arrived at a quiet residential area in Hawaii. Even though it was just a few kilometers away from bustling Honolulu, the atmosphere here was completely different.

The salty scent of the wind blowing from the east filled the air. In the distance, the emerald-blue ocean could be seen from the hill below. If one were to paint a picture of tranquility, this scene would surely fit the description. But Lorentina didn’t seem to care much and walked ahead.

After walking for about 5 minutes, we came across an abandoned building on the hill and a half-destroyed telephone booth next to it.

"This place turns into a haven for bugs if you leave it for even a little while."

Lorentina picked up a broom that was lying around and started sweeping away the spiders, bugs, and dust inside the phone booth, which seemed to have claimed the space as its home. She then opened a half-rusted metal cabinet with her hand, and to our surprise, it opened smoothly despite its neglected appearance.

Inside, there was a peculiar-looking machine. Lorentina pressed her thumb on the device that seemed to be used for fingerprint scanning. Then, she gestured for me to do the same.

I followed her lead and pressed my finger on the scanner, and soon, a clear mechanical sound was heard.

Identification complete.

Welcome to Sector A11. For more detailed information, please proceed inside the building.

"Let’s go."

The destination was inside the abandoned building.

It looked like a basement that hadn’t been touched for decades, but surprisingly, the moment we stepped inside, the ceiling lights turned on.

As we stood still, the light, which seemed to be just a simple ceiling lamp, suddenly flickered off, and red lasers scanned our bodies from head to toe, as if scanning a barcode.

With the sound of a mechanical whir, the doors on both sides opened, revealing what looked like a modern... server room. Lorentina glanced at it and asked me to check the armory, then picked a device and began working with it.

"Is the armory... here?"

We entered the path to the right, and right in front of us was the familiar sight of a metal fence.

There were numerous ammo boxes, dozens of firearms, grenades, bulletproof vests, gun accessories, and constantly running air purifiers. Checking the inspection chart in front of the entrance, I began marking off each item one by one.

After pulling and testing a few charging handles and bolts to ensure they worked properly, I placed the slightly stiff ones in the cleaning machine and waited. After repeating the process a few times, I ran a scan using the Icarus Gear. Since there were no issues, I updated the chart and signed it with my finger.

By then, Lorentina had finished whatever she was doing and trudged over to where I was. She added:

"This is a hub of sorts for when there’s a counterterrorism crisis, or when road collapses or command centers are hit and we can’t get weapons easily... you’ll see this everywhere as we travel around Hawaii."

"If we finish quickly, I was thinking of stopping by the outdoor shooting range to practice for the sniper competition, but I hope we won’t be too late."

"It won’t take long."

Vroom.

At some point, the McLaren, which had been parked below, had driven up the hill. The door opened automatically.

With a click, the door closed again, and the tires pushed powerfully against the ground as we sped down the gentle slope. Lorentina, now beginning to trust me, relaxed her stiff face and began asking me various questions.

“…I have a pretty good idea of what to expect. After all, it’s always similar. We’ll be shooting from moving vehicles or helicopters or boats, shooting without observation, and after CQB, I’m guessing we’ll move to a specific location and shoot there…”

"You already know everything. Have you done this before?"

"I’ve never really been out there. But in the end, it’s always the same. Who do you think is the chief instructor training all the new Tier-1 operators?"

I figured that made sense. It was a logical response.

The conversation continued. One of the main topics was how much Icarus Gear we would use, but this time, I decided to rely more on my own calculations. Sometimes, it was necessary to recalibrate by doing things manually or by reviewing reports.

After chatting for a bit more, Lorentina added:

"If we get the chance, maybe we should consider being judges for the international sniper competition next month."

"…So you’re definitely going to participate then."

"Of course. Do you think I’d say something like that for no reason?"

That made sense too.

I thought to myself that Logan probably had no idea about this, and knowing Lorentina’s personality, she would probably ask me to keep it a secret from him... but well, he was sharp enough to figure things out with just a little bit of a clue.

Looks like all three of the operatives will be entering the sniper competition.

"After the competition, the editors will probably have to pull their hair out."

"Ha, that’s not something we need to worry about."

"Yeah, I guess not."

I wondered what would happen when the video eventually went up on your space.

They’d probably just lump us all together as “Special Operations Forces” anyway, so it wouldn’t matter... well, that’s something I didn’t need to worry about.

So my conclusion was... there was none.

"Shall we speed up a bit?"

"…What? Wait a minute. What are you saying, little one? Eugene? Eugene!?"

VROOM!

But the rest of the words didn’t follow.

The last day in Hawaii was passing by.

Click

"This isn’t a penetration team, it’s a sniper team. Should I take it as an invitation to prepare for the sniper competition next month?"

"Of course. You should practice whenever you get the chance."

"Well, that’s really dirty of you."

Logan, carrying several box-sized magazines with .50 caliber bullets the size of a board marker, chuckled when he heard Owens' words.\

Delta was always busy.