I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 570

"...Half of them didn’t make it back. It feels like it’s only been a few minutes."

"The ones who went down to the power room... by now, they’re probably watching this as one of the viewers. The broadcast will continue until the very end, so we’d appreciate it if you could keep watching."

• You really made the third one into a total mess, teacher. There’s no end to this.
• Honest opinion: If we tried to do this, we’d fail.
• How are we supposed to break this? Icarus, you bastard!!
• Fact: Annihilation difficulty was never meant to be completed.
• I get the general feel of it, but this is really something else, HAHAHA.

The survivors gathered in the center.

Unlike before, where we could restore ourselves instantly even after taking hits, things were different now. The management AI, which had taken a heavy blow from Jin and Lane’s joint attack in the control room, looked absolutely horrifying. It seemed like it could collapse to the ground at any moment.

Its body was horrifically melted, with its skeletal structure showing in places, parts of its tail and arms severed. A dreadful thought crossed my mind — was this what would happen if Jin and Lane were exposed to such heavy firepower? As I leaned halfway against Jin’s body, I subconsciously hugged her tightly.

The aftershock from the railgun had left me dizzy, and it wasn’t until now that I realized the situation was almost progressing like a script. It felt like I was watching the events unfold in real-time.

The third, wearing the mask of the management AI… let’s just call it the third. The third struggled to get up, and at the same time, the welded door broke open, and hundreds of identical mecha units started flooding in.

There were 13 of us remaining. The seven who had been sent to the power room had all been declared dead from drowning or hypothermia. Without thinking, the others set up portable cover, attached smart covers, and began adjusting their breathing, preparing for the fight.

At that moment, the glowing eyes of the half-melted mecha flickered out, and with a loud thud, the hundreds of mecha’s eyes glowed with purple light.

All of their gazes were focused on us.

"...When we first attacked Statesboro, I never imagined we'd be pushed this far in such a short time. I see now, the initial premise was wrong. I should’ve made sure you couldn’t even get this far, no matter the cost."

"Even so, it’s not too late."

"I’ll offer the lives of all of you here in exchange for this facility. The separation of the factory sectors and the self-destruct sequence will begin now. This process will be carried out by the administrator-level authority of the entity that currently holds control of this facility."

• What did you just say????????????
• What’s with this choir? HAHAHAHAHA
• It’s creepy how every time someone speaks, a new one joins in, HAHAHAHA
• How did they manage to make so many Mecha Byaams?! You madman!
• Is self-destruct the real deal? Are you insane? HAHAHAHAHA

It was like an a cappella.

Multiple entities sharing a single consciousness spoke, spitting out crucial information that couldn’t be ignored, and at the same time, vibrations spread throughout the facility. My body, sensitive to these vibrations, was able to catch exactly what was happening.

The heavy vibrations started from the ground, and vibrations could be felt from beyond the walls. They were completely different, but both had the same ominous feel.

While everyone else was panicking, a door large enough for one person to pass through opened on the wall, hundreds of meters away.

"Destruction and loss are familiar to me. That’s why Artemis focuses on technologies that can quickly rebuild after destruction."

"Today’s failure isn’t the first, and it won’t be the last. I hope we won’t have to face you again."

"Destruction and disconnection of power lines in 3 minutes 30 seconds. Until then, enjoy your time with the reserve units."

At that moment, an onslaught of attacks began.

There were so many questions running through my head, but what was clear was that the reason we were able to clean up almost everything before the management AI could deploy its mechas was probably due to our team’s quick actions.

Our allies were also managing to find ways to clear out the reserve mechas with ion cannon shots, and though we were trying to open the broken door, it seemed like the perfect moment to speak up.

I glanced toward the distance. The hundreds of mecha were quickly approaching, and beyond the door, the management AI was walking toward us, with a mecha that looked completely still.

Hacking the speakers, I added:

"...So, the management AI says this, but what do you think?"

"Eugene, what’s suddenly…"

"As I was checking the mechas one by one, only one of them wasn’t looking at us but was scanning the surroundings. You don’t need to ask when it happened. This was the perfect timing now that the management AI couldn’t focus on anything else."

Two mechas with unusually high energy reactions.

The moment I saw them, I activated the pulse and confirmed the two mechas on the Icarus Gear’s scan. One was for the management AI, but what was the other one? But that thought was unnecessary. I already knew what it was.

The mecha with the bright purple eyes smirked and, like the others, spoke with a voice that resonated throughout the facility.

"Self-destruct, huh? A clever idea…"

???Kiiiing!

At that moment, the tail aimed forward, releasing a devastating laser toward the hundreds of reserve mechas that had been leading the charge.

Twenty of them were instantly destroyed, and as the door closed, the mysterious ally... no, the true 'third' spoke up.

"I can’t agree with that."

• Third! Third! Third! Third! Third! Third! Third! Third! Third! Third! Third! Third!
• What the hell is this? HAHAHAHAHA
• Icarus, you’re insane? Icarus, are you insane? HAHAHA
• These guys are hitting every cliché, HAHAHAHAHA
• This is the hardboiled stuff, HAHAHAHAHA

In that moment, an overwhelming amount of light tore through the ceiling and walls of the central sector.

All the remaining energy needed for the facility's self-destruct was absorbed and shot at the ceiling, causing hundreds of tons of construction materials to heat up and fall to the ground. A chunk of molten metal dropped onto one of the unfortunate reserve mechas, crushing it beneath it.

However, this wasn’t to destroy the facility.

It was to clear the path.

"About 3 kilometers northeast, at the control tower, is where the management AI's main body is located. Instead of wasting time here, it would be more helpful to crush that bastard first. I’ve set up a few vehicles near the door using the data Artemis collected, and if we gain enough speed, we can cross."

"...Let’s go together."

"Are you joking? If I ride along, we won’t be able to cross the gate. Plus, well..."

KABOOM!

As the management AI, attempting to escape, tried to attack, the third narrowly dodged and added with a laugh:

"I need to deal with that bastard who stole my body as soon as I woke up."

"...Good luck."

"I was already planning on doing that, Archetype. After all, you helped me be born, so let’s consider this repaying the debt."

• The third is such a man, HAHAHAHAHA
• I’m taking that person home!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Damn, are we practicing annihilation difficulty now? HAHAHA
• This is hardboiled, HAHAHAHAHA
• Why is only your team having fun?????????

Kuuung!

As the metal door melted away, just as the third said, a few vehicles were parked there.

Unlike the fully collapsed path leading to another sector, the road to Alpha had only risen about 30%, waiting for us to cross.

Unfortunately, I was still half-carried by Jin. The aftershock from the railgun had twisted my limbs, and my physical abilities hadn’t fully recovered. Meanwhile, Jin naturally sat in front of the bike and spoke:

"The bike you personally made, I’ve always wanted to try it."

"...Of course. So, how does it feel to have your wish fulfilled?"

"Don’t you already know?"

• How could you not know, HAHAHAHAHA
• Why are they so cute, HAHAHA
• This is the only time Jin can act cocky, HAHAHA
• But seriously, why did Lane shoot the railgun with Eugene there? HAHAHA

Well, that’s true, haha.

In any case, this annihilation difficulty raid had gone surprisingly smoothly, and now I understood the backstory.

With a roar, the bike’s engine revved fiercely, and as all 13 members mounted their vehicles, they accelerated with the sound of thunder. Even the back wheels emitted blue flames.

Jin, with a voice full of laughter, said:

"I’ll go ahead. Catch up quickly."

"...It would’ve been better if you left me behind."

"That’s not funny for an Archetype’s joke. Don’t worry, I plan to go all the way with you."

"Ha... Alright. Let’s race."

With that, the bike leaped into the air.

The world was truly a bizarre place.

"...Four vehicles have exited the 'factory.' They’re heading toward the control tower, which has been reclaimed after the Operation Donkey's Fire. The operation seems to have been successful."

"Things are getting noisy. The discarded Artemis drones are joining. I’ll launch the SUAV, and send a couple of drone ballistic missiles our way."

"Request in progress. Should take about two minutes..."

"Two minutes? By the time those guys finish and have a snack, it’ll be shorter than that. Let's hurry up. We should wrap up the operation here soon and retreat."

Boom!

Near the "factory" in the Savannah, even in late November, the typical Georgia weather caused the dense forest to grow thick. The low sound of voices emerged from within.

On the Soproam screen, the shadowy, unsettling grayish appearance of the figure appeared. It moved at a speed of over 120 km/h toward the control tower, its figure hidden among the unkempt mountain ridges.

Two members of Task Force Laser, having stowed their gear, mounted their bikes near the mountain foot, rapidly cutting through the trees to catch up to the shadow ahead.

Meanwhile, Carmen, the operations commander controlling the SUAV, added:

"Far more than I expected. Where the hell did all these abandoned mechas come from... I wonder if they know how much trouble we’re going through here."

"Over 40 of them."

"They have to finish cleaning up the area before they reach the control tower. How much longer until the missiles arrive?"

"Let me check…"

Whoosh!

At the same time, a strange vibration erupted from the sky. The enhanced screen of the Icarus Gear displayed hundreds of drones flooding the sky like a swarm of bees.

400 explosive drones circled the sky like a school of fish swimming in the air. It was like a glide attack, and a few seconds later, some detached from the swarm, falling like hail toward the ground.

The sound of explosions was louder than a grenade. The drones, with power comparable to 81mm mortars, dove down and attacked the abandoned drones previously marked by the SUAV. One exploded, and the echoes of destruction spread in all directions.

After adjusting the tablet a few times, Carmen transferred the drone swarm’s control to the shadow.

It was a task that wouldn’t normally be possible, but with Olivia, Owens, Sirkins, and Lorentina controlling the drones, it became feasible.

The swarm, which had passed ahead of the four vehicles, now surrounded the remaining drones near the control tower. It was like invisible mortar fire was protecting the shadows. In reality, it wasn’t that different.

As the 13 members dismounted near the silver-lit tower, the shadow resembling Jin moved the bike fluidly, scattering lasers in all directions.

A few minutes later, Eugene limped off the bike.

"...Was that kid one of the new recruits? They look exhausted."

As the 13 members dismounted near the silver-lit tower, the shadow resembling Jin moved the bike fluidly, scattering lasers in all directions.

A few minutes later, Eugene limped off the bike.

"...Was that kid one of the new recruits? They look exhausted."

"It looks like they’ve replaced their nervous system with Icarus Gear’s nanomachines. Their spine must have been pretty messed up. They took quite a heavy blow earlier."

"We need to get closer to provide support… Let’s go. We already scouted the control tower, so if it doesn’t work, we can send them a few messages and join them."

Despite everything, they didn’t rush.

Eugene, struggling, walked into the control tower with Jin supporting them. The two sent a few quick messages, and then began sharing visual data through the Icarus Gear.

Amid the ongoing gunfire and the strange flight noises of the drone swarm, explosions echoed throughout the area. Though the battle was far from over, everyone in the area could sense that the end of Savannah was drawing near.

Meanwhile, Eugene continued to struggle as they took slow, deliberate steps up the stairs. The recovery of their physical body was still ongoing, but they were improving gradually, bit by bit.

Eugene glanced around, their eyes landing on what looked like a birdcage. Transparent walls made of a material similar to glass, interspersed with silver iron bars, formed a massive cage-like structure.

The members of the Laser Task Force, who had no idea this was from the trailer for Operation Wasted Silver, kept monitoring the situation, keeping their eyes fixed on the screen. A few minutes passed, and soon, Jin, Lane, and Eugene reached the top of the tower.

At the top, they found a silver-lit panel, several chairs, and what appeared to be a bed.

"What's this…?"

"It looks like a panel for accessing the remaining Artemis network. Based on the data logs, it seems to have been set up just before we arrived here."

"So, what are we going to do?"

"We'll connect to it. After all, with the UAVs out of commission, there’s no one left to stop us now. We’ll make sure nothing can interfere with us here."

With that, Lane placed their hand on the panel.

As Icarus Gear’s packet filtering was working at full capacity to prevent any network infection, light started pouring from the panel, and a familiar voice filled the room.

"Just as you said, this space no longer has any value. The management AI has been so weakened that it can barely function. This is its main body."

"...So, you’re still alive, third."

"Call me Mav. And this place... I don’t know if you realized, but this was my room. Or rather, it’s where I was confined. But that’s not important, so don’t worry about it."

A sigh followed.

At the same time, Mav’s hologram appeared in mid-air, extending their hand. As they did, only Jin and Lane, through the Icarus Gear, could identify what was actually happening — a massive data influx was being transferred from the remnants of the Artemis network centered around Savannah.

"Look at all this data. Mav's personality data, the now weak management AI, Mav’s mecha specs and blueprints, the tail weapon hardware and software, and even the permission to stop the abandoned UAVs in Savannah."

Eugene let out a small laugh after reviewing the data, then added:

"It seems like you want us to take all of this with us, including the management AI. Is that your personal wish?"

"Exactly. This AI has been a pain from the start, and I’d like to repay the frustration it caused me."

"I see. So, what’s the benefit of not destroying the management AI?"

"Well, it's better to keep it alive than have it disintegrate in the network flow. It’s also more knowledgeable than I am, especially since it’s been awake much longer than me. For instance, I can ask it directly where Artemis might still be."

"Heh, that’s good enough for me."

A short chuckle escaped Eugene’s lips. With that, a circular data ring began to spread around Jin and Lane, and massive data started flowing into the Icarus Gear.

As Eugene quietly watched the scene, they spoke:

"Though it’s a bit late, welcome to Icarus, Mav."

"Yeah, see you in the real world next time."

The holographic fingers of Mav began to fade. As Eugene’s hand reached out, they seemed to vanish, turning into a rotating data halo, which was sucked into the Icarus Gear.

Watching this spectacle, Eugene added:

"Let’s head back."

"Where to, master?"

"To Statesboro, to the forward base, and... home."

With that, Eugene’s body began to tilt down as if powered off.

Jin and Lane, noticing the "fainting" indicator over Eugene's head, quickly added:

"Let’s go, Lane."

"Yeah, let’s go."

As the visual sharing was completely disabled, the silver control tower they had seen from a distance slowly began to collapse.

It looked as if the tower was melting under the sun, like ice cream left out in the summer or a chocolate fountain.

The light bounced off the surfaces, and as the tower shrank, Carmen, watching from afar, exhaled deeply and began checking the data that had been transmitted to his tablet.

"Operation complete. Heading back. The rest can be left to the UAVs."

"Roger. Heading back. I could really use a shower."

"Same here."

The roar of engines and the crushing of soft dirt could be heard as the bikes sped off, leaving only tire tracks behind. As the sound of their bikes faded away, Savannah fell into complete silence and stillness.

Operation Wasted Silver had come to an end.