I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 569

"Th-That person's eyes are gleaming with madness!?"

"No, that’s not madness. It’s more likely… some kind of computational overload, or something similar. We’ll know more once we confirm the situation…"

"Massive drone detection! They’re spreading in all directions!"

• What is this place now?
• Didn’t expect the cooling room, server room, and power room to be all mixed together, haha.
• Look at the cold air flowing down the walls, HAHAHAHA
• Even though we’re just standing here, the shield energy is depleting because of the temperature? HAHAHA
• This is really impressive, haha.

The space was at a temperature of dozens of degrees below zero, with 15 operators inside.

The cold was so intense that it could cause frostbite on contact. Cold air flowed everywhere like a waterfall. However, near the operators inside the cooling room, the air seemed to cycle between cold and heat, especially around the dark-colored pillars placed like supports in a temple.

LEDs were attached regularly to the pillars, and thick power supply cables, about the size of a human fist, connected to the bases. Multicolored lights blinked in a disorienting pattern, while Mecha Eugene appeared in the distance, scanning the area with a chilling gaze.

At first glance, it seemed like the third, who had been above earlier, had come down below. However, considering Eugene was still struggling and unable to respond to communications, it didn’t seem to be the case.

Before Lorentina could explain that part, the drones flipped over quickly.

There were reflective panels, almost like mirrors, attached to them.

"...Intercept the drones! Now!"

The sound of gunfire blended, followed by a dazzling flash of light from the other side.

Despite dodging swiftly before the attack began, laser beams still came at us. The majority of the people affected by the attack immediately realized what had happened. The lasers had bounced off the reflective surfaces of the drones and hit the surroundings without damaging the pillars, targeting the intruders instead.

Naturally, by that point, everyone knew the identity of the pillars and drones.

"...All personnel listening to the intercom, notification: Pillars cannot be destroyed. Some countermeasure has been taken. Even if we shoot, the shields are deflecting it."

"It seems we’ll need something much more powerful to attack them..."

"How about hacking the drones and using them to fry the server tower with lasers?"

"...That’s a great idea."

• Playing with other people’s weapons, ON.
• Seriously, they’ve learned well from the Byaam, HAHAHAHAHA.
• Lorentina’s face lights up as soon as she hears the idea, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
• She really looks like she’s eager, haha.
• Byaam, you planted the seeds for this!!!!!!!!!!

How is it that we only have such clever and adorable teammates?

Had the situation not been so urgent, Lorentina might’ve smiled and casually thrown out the idea of working together. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible now. Instead, she quickly accepted someone else’s suggestion and immediately began scanning the surroundings.

She had confirmed earlier, but the Omega-type across from them had clearly become more mechanical. Lorentina leaned against the wall and hastily checked the intercom conversation logs, gathering various data.

First, Eugene, who had been left above, was still engaged in battle with the Omega-type, while Jin and Lane had also started their own battles.

'...I get the general idea.'

Through three rounds of testing, we had verified something important: the majority of this facility was controlled by the management AI, and the body of the Omega-type was no exception. In other words, while Eugene was fighting to capture it, the remaining 15 operators, entering the cooling room, server room, and power room, were dealing with a management AI-controlled Omega-type, which was also attempting to recover sectors Alpha and Delta, seized by Jin and Lane.

And all of this was being managed by a single entity.

Lorentina wasn’t sure of the exact capabilities of the management AI, but she concluded that it was impossible for it to manage everything, and she was absolutely right.

Someone attempted a hack, and at that moment, a few drones floating in the air swayed briefly.

A flash erupted.

???Kagagagak!

"Ahhh...!"

"Damn it, aim carefully! If we keep shooting our own people… Wait a second, this...!"

"Goddammit, the pillar is collapsing! Get out of the blast zone!"

• What the hell, HAHAHAHAHA
• Ten seconds ago, someone was complaining that the pillars wouldn’t break.
• How do they come up with these countermeasures on the fly?????
• Fact: Those who didn’t think of a countermeasure are dead.
• 100% right, HAHAHAHAHA

Despite the repeated laser shots ricocheting off the reflective surfaces, the laser’s power was horrific.

In an instant, a laser streaked across from left to right, slicing through everything in its path. The server-pillar, which looked like something from a temple, exploded with a horrible noise, spewing flames and electricity in all directions. It was like a severed hose spewing death.

This wasn’t just a one-time event. The Omega-type staggered as though it had been hit by something invisible, struggling to stay upright.

But that didn’t mean things were getting hopeful.

"...Damn!"

A deep rumble sounded.

At that moment, flames began falling from the sky. With a single gesture, the remaining reflective drones ignited in a brilliant fire, then exploded like hail, wreaking havoc in all directions. The cold, frozen cooling room suddenly heated up violently.

The explosion’s power, almost twice that of a grenade, indiscriminately struck the surroundings, but the formation didn’t break. They had come too far to lose heart over such minor details.

And they had already figured out how to turn this situation around.

"Thanks to the indiscriminate bombardment, we now know exactly where the ground is weakest. Sticky bombs—vibration installation complete. Let’s go further down."

"We’ll trigger them. As discussed, the others just need to keep drawing attention in the server room. It would be helpful if you could find and open the stairs so we can come back up more easily."

"...Of course. I’ll send a signal to Eugene, who’s struggling up top. Everyone, prepare for the shock. We’ll do what we can before we cut the power."

• What is this!?!?!?!?
• Something big is coming!!
• Prepare for the shock? Are you crazy???
• Something’s happening… what is it...
• It’s going to explode, break things, and cause chaos like in an action movie!!!

The viewers were in an uproar, but only the Byaams truly knew the worth of what was happening.

As the vibration bomb was triggered, a huge crack appeared in the floor, which was already weakened. The 15 operators split into smaller groups, and those carrying explosives tied ropes to the vertical path and dropped into the darkness.

Meanwhile, the Omega-type, which had been sluggishly moving around the cooling and server rooms, began deploying drones again.

"It's coming."

At that moment, an enormous vibration echoed from above.

???Kuuuuung!

"Ugh…!"

"What the hell... ah, the wall is cracking!"

"Cooling agent is spilling! Where's the polyurethane canister?"

The narrow passage that connected the cooling room, server room, and central sector was now being blasted by wind and debris, with walls crumbling and liquid nitrogen—once the cooling agent—pouring out like water. The gas composition inside the cooling room quickly changed, and the Icarus Gear’s life support system activated.

In the chaos, a faint voice could barely be heard.

"...Ah, this is Lane. I’ll start providing fire support. Everyone, come back alive."

• What is this, HAHAHAHAHA
• I want to take Jin and Lane to a raid too!!!!!!!!!
• HAHAHA Don’t you want to bring them? You’re tough, haha~
• Viral? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Operation Wasted Silver was heading toward its chaotic conclusion.

"What… what’s the problem? What’s the problem here...?!"

Ziiing!

The massive light from the tail swept across the central sector, and an explosion tore through, the melted walls flowing like blood, solidifying on the floor. But despite all of this, they still couldn’t catch the single enemy.

Billions of calculations were being made every second, yet nothing went according to plan. Sector Alpha, which had seemed reclaimable only moments ago, was now losing thousands of drones every second. Sector Delta was the same. The management AI had given up on responding the moment it recognized who had entered.

It was true that they aimed to divide the enemy’s power, but no matter how much the enemy’s power was split and weakened, fighting them remained incredibly difficult.

'...Re-prioritizing. First, eliminate the Archetype... if I could have done that, I would have already done it.'

The management AI made its judgment and stared ahead.

The walls, floor, and ceiling were all crumbled and melted, resembling something dragged straight out of hell. In the AI's eyes, the entire area ahead had long been designated as a red combat zone—this was the firing range for the Epsilon and Gamma types that had taken Alpha and Delta.

Regardless of the specifications, the energy boost from the facility’s power meant that once it entered close combat, the Omega-type could melt the Archetype in seconds.

But despite repeatedly firing ion cannons, the AI could only watch as it struggled. The moment it tried to get close, the railgun, capable of tearing its body apart with ease, and plasma capable of turning it into molten metal flew toward it.

But there was not much time left.

"...!"

Kabang!

In an instant, it was impossible to control the machine at such overwhelming speed. The Omega-type’s body was torn apart as it made the slightest movement into the combat zone, but this was a deliberate move.

The railgun bullet that burrowed into the central sector’s floor shattered the cooling liquid nitrogen tank, completely obliterating it. While drowning the enemies in liquid nitrogen from the lower facilities, the Omega-type stopped the external drones from misusing the facility’s power.

With the destruction of the generator and facilities, the Omega-type’s remaining power was weakening. The way to turn the tables had become clear.

How much time had passed?

"…!?"

The remaining power was reduced to almost nothing.

And not only that, just moments ago, all access rights to lower entities that had been manageable were lost instantly. But this had been anticipated. The management AI rushed across the battlefield, and no attacks came in response.

The Omega-type dashed toward the control room, and at that moment, it locked eyes with the Archetype.

And in that instant, an attack of unimaginable speed and destructive force hit.

KABOOM!

The Omega-type knew exactly how to respond. It emitted all the remaining energy, sending Eugene flying across the room. Eugene crashed into the wall, barely able to catch his breath as the Omega-type surveyed the surrounding area, noticing the remaining intact panels.

She spoke:

"The liquid nitrogen flowing from the lower facilities is at least several thousand tons. If I lock the stairs, the enemies down below will naturally drown. Good attempt, but I won’t let you go any further."

"...That’s just a coincidence."

"Do you still have anything to say?"

But Eugene only smiled and spoke.

"I was thinking the same thing."

"What?"

KABOOM!

And in that moment, the entire control room was pierced through.

Eugene’s body, caught in the aftermath, was thrown far away. A delayed, blue flash pierced the room and turned everything inside into suffocating metallic vapor.

About 30 meters from the now destroyed control room, Eugene, whose right arm was the only part still intact, struggled to inject an emergency nano-machine kit into his body. His twisted bones were forcibly realigned.

But the important part wasn’t that.

"Archetype—!"

"...Wow."

Having failed in every attempt, the Omega-type broke free from the destroyed control room, looking like a humanoid frame pulled from a furnace. It let out a painful scream as it rushed toward the now near-defeated Eugene.

Eugene realized that the raid was nearing its end.

As Eugene struggled to stand, he noticed four figures approaching from a distance. Despite the complete destruction of the generator, individual units were still able to operate independently, which had allowed this to happen.

Jin and Lane, having completely destroyed the generator in sectors Alpha and Delta, were now rushing toward the central sector, opening fire at the Omega-type who had just approached the control room.

Eugene, now struggling to rise with his half-broken body, was helped by a group of users who had appeared beside him, grabbing his arm and supporting him.

"It's still a bit early to rest, rookie."

"...Why are all these tails suddenly appearing?"

"There was a reason for that."

With dizziness and a strange smile, Eugene chuckled.

Operation Wasted Silver was nearing its conclusion.