I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 571

"…Ugh, I’m dying. Now I can finally move my body as I want."

"I envy you. I got retired before that…"

"You did well."

• No one didn’t suffer, hahaha
• Took four tries to deal with the disobedient Management AI and get the third prime on the first go, hahaha
• Just a minute ago, you were limping, and now you're fine, haha
• So, does this mean we have to do it like this to clear the annihilation difficulty???? Are you crazy?????????
• Icarus Special: Intentionally puts one or two impossible difficulties that can't be cleared by humans, haha

The first journey leading to Statesboro.

On the large transport helicopter that came to meet us, the seven who had died first were already onboard. With the strong helicopter winds, the ramp opened, and with the dirt blowing in, we struggled to board, dragging our aching bodies. As the 13 of us boarded, the weight of nearly 2 tons was added to the Chinook.

As soon as we barely sat down, the ramp closed halfway, and for the last time, I took in the sight of Savannah, Georgia, which I might never see again. The control tower, now so low that one could never imagine we had been there, and the drones swarming for self-destruction, now useless.

At first, I wondered where they had come from, but when they called them ballistic missiles, I immediately felt relieved. Who else but the U.S. would have the capability to operate ballistic missiles in this world?

"...I think this is much better than Operation Ouroboros. Compared to that time, everyone’s skills have improved a lot, and Jin and Lane have become much more proficient in weapon handling..."

"Even so, Eugene, you got hurt a lot, didn’t you?"

"During Ouroboros, I died in the later stages, so this is a huge improvement."

• Look at Jin and Lane’s faces, haha
• Now that I think about it, wasn't Byam dead back then? Haha
• With this, we can see that even Byam’s party, which was handled by him, is nearly wiped out in annihilation difficulty.
• That’s true, haha
• Fact: The Icarus Special annihilation difficulty wasn’t made for challenges.

...That's true.

I was about to bring up Operation Ouroboros again, but there was only one sample for comparison, so I couldn’t help it. Anyway, while I was in the northern part of Canada, rattling around and half-recovering, many people had asked Icarus for help.

The inquiries didn’t need much explanation, but to sum it up, it was something like... "Give us a shot at annihilation difficulty too!" And, from Icarus’s and my perspective, there was no reason to stop them, and since the main story had already been cleared, we gladly accepted.

So, we opened it up, and Hellgate followed.

'At that time… out of the thousands of parties that challenged, none succeeded under the same conditions as ours.'

Of course, to put it differently, there were quite a few parties that succeeded by changing their conditions.

A team of ten that faced the prototype was the default, so there was no need to worry about that. At the time, the team sent to break the Tower consisted of me and three other Awakened, plus Harmony, Dice, Kato, Blooming, Jin, and Lane, so we were about nine in total.

Most of the parties that succeeded in clearing annihilation difficulty increased this number by at least 3 times, sometimes even 4, and succeeded. Of course, just because the number was higher didn’t mean the success rate was better. If the total wasn’t perfectly coordinated, it was just fodder to be wiped out.

Anyway, I got a bit long-winded—

"Eugene, thanks to you, we cleared this raid and are heading out. Do you think someone will clear it during the Final Championship?"

"Well, considering what happened last time... Maybe by January next year? Or maybe even sooner."

"But if the challengers bring two Byams... doesn’t that mean if they fail to secure the central sector, Jin and Lane will be taken from them?"

"Uh..."

• Damn, now that I think about it, you’re right???
• Hey, even during Ouroboros, we weren’t that ruthless!!!!!!
• If they can’t recover Jin and Lane, they won’t be able to challenge next time, hahaha
• That’s a thought even demons wouldn’t entertain~
• Who would do that? You crazy bastards, hahaha

...Now that I think about it, that’s true.

If that’s the case, I’ll contact Icarus about it later and ask them to fix it. If the risks of the challenge are excessive compared to the rewards, the motivation will be completely crushed. I probably won’t need to change much, so if I send a message within the next day or two, there should be a patch soon.

Of course, we will be leaving Korea before that, so after that, the users will handle the clears.

Anyway, if I don’t say anything, the viewers will probably cause a huge uproar, so for their peace of mind, I added this.

"We’ll contact Icarus about that for now... Don’t worry too much. We’re fine with handling the risks and clearing it ourselves."

"Processing... We’ve already cleared it, so it’s fine, huh?!"

"Do you want to become Mecha Harmony?"

• Hahaha
• You said you got hurt, hahaha
• ?? : I did get hurt, but you guys aren’t any stronger, what are you looking at, hah
• Wow, that tail twist, hahaha
• Is it a Byam trait to act cocky sometimes? Hahaha

Why are they like this?

Anyway, while I was busy enforcing discipline, the helicopter was retracing the path we had taken over the past 10 days. As usual, the southern U.S. had a pleasant temperature at the end of November, with trees and greenery everywhere, and in between, there were broken ruins scattered around.

The land, scarred and gouged, could still be seen even from thousands of meters in the air. The scars of war were not just visible—they stood out like chocolate chips embedded in cookies. This meant the battles in this operation had been heroic.

In the other world, they only took Mav and, through preemptive bombing, wiped everything clean, so this kind of intense battle wouldn’t have occurred... but if this had actually happened in that world, it would have been a horrific war of attrition.

Will something like this happen again?

'...Maybe it will.'

With the current reparations being repaid in countless forms, the half-dead Operation FixSkill - the China and Russia invasion operation. But if it happens, the world will burn again.

Well, that part isn’t something I can control. The form of the battles that will happen around that time is hard to imagine. Maybe it won’t happen, and even if it does, the personnel including the Dagger Team will probably stay on the mainland and play the role of trainers.

The helicopter, traveling at hundreds of kilometers per hour, eventually landed in Statesboro, and the screen went black.

As the text showed that three weeks had passed, the twenty users, including me, were now standing in the middle of the Miami Humanoid Research Institute.

Through the script, we were just observing the situation, and beyond the screen, we could see us chatting freely. In the coffin ahead, there was a unit resembling Jin and Lane, peacefully sleeping and waiting to wake up.

I wondered when they would wake up, but just as I was thinking that—

• 45 seconds until boot. There’s no issue in the process.

• Is that the Management AI? The third little one was brought as a trophy, but I didn’t expect it to look like this.

• Ah, no! Don’t touch it! It’s still under body adjustment!

The familiar voice echoed from somewhere.

And when I rolled my eyes and looked down, I saw... a baby Mecha Eugene?

"...Cough."

"What is that!?"

"Is that the Management AI? This is insane."

• What the heck, hahaha
• What is this tiny Byam, hahaha
• What is Middle School Mecha Byam?? Who came up with this idea?????????
• They’ve taxidermied it in a different way, hahaha
• Damn, look at it throwing a tantrum, hahaha

As they said.

A tiny Mecha Byam, looking like my middle school self—if such a thing existed—was scurrying around and being happily harassed by Logan. Its eye color and glowing body lines were yellow.

From its brief appearance, I, the team members, and the viewers all understood what was happening. It seemed they had decided to trap the Management AI in a body that had no combat ability and use it as an early warning system.

After 45 seconds, the coffin opened with a hissing sound.

• ...Ah. Ah.

• Long time no see, Type Omega. The first one is Jin. I don’t think you’ll say you don’t recognize me.

• Ah... Ah.

At that moment, the third’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she reached out her hand.

Her mouth opened.

• Considering all the hardship I’ve been through, I’d love to snap this little brat's neck right here... but, sadly, I can’t. Nice to see you, Jin. And the Archetype. We’ve met before, haven’t we?

• That’s right... I had something I was going to say when I met the third, but I suppose it’s not important.

A brief silence.

Then, I reached out my hand and grabbed Mav’s.

• Welcome.

• As you said. I’m here.

• Hahaha

• Wow, Byam 1.5x recruitment event, hahaha

• Is the 0.5 the Management Byam? Hahaha

• Holding my breath until next week!!!!!

• How can I endure this in annihilation difficulty, you crazy bastards at Icarus, hahaha

At the same time, the screen turned black, and we woke up not in Statesboro or Central Park HQ but at Miami HQ.

While Jin and Lane were going to show Mav and the Management AI around the facility, the twenty or so of us—excluding those with no schedules—began to scatter.

Fortunately, Harmony and Dice rushed to speak to the newly joined Byam, and thanks to that, I fixed the streaming screen to a different image, muted it, and tapped my wrist twice.

How much time passed?

"…As expected."

"Unlike over there, we haven’t even started production here yet, Archetype."

"So, you do plan on it."

"...No comment."

Just as expected.

Carmen, the team leader of the laser group, had apparently brought in Management AI-related data.

The baby Mecha Byam was added to the New York Byam lineup three weeks ago.

Viewer Interaction

<Today’s Kimchi Dumpling Dinner donated 5,000 KRW.>

• But isn’t this enjoying 2-3 weeks' worth of content all at once, haha?

"Thank you for the donation, Kimchi Dumpling. Well, that’s true. Even for me, the pace has been forced to go a bit faster because of the upcoming Final Championship, but I’m just glad everyone is keeping up."

"I actually expected it. With only two weeks left until we leave, I had a feeling when Eugene started showing a lot of interest in this operation."

"But I enjoyed it."

"Hehe, I never said I didn’t enjoy it."

• Look at Harmony’s expression, haha
• Harmony is loving the giant gift from Byam, hahaha
• I still say that Harmony and Dice are going to get a tail whip from the new Byam... or maybe it’s already happening...
• Personal opinion: Mecha Middle School Byam is ridiculously cute
• Why have these two fallen so deep for Byam?

After the completion of Operation Wasted Silver—just for our session, of course—everyone gathered in the break room.

Everyone, except for those who had to leave early, was there, and the room quickly felt cramped as about ten people gathered. Jin, Lane, and Mav had already left, and most of the others were pro gamers. Hotteok, Kimstone, and Limit also snuck in, but that wasn’t something to worry about too much.

This lineup was gathered for one reason today: to inform the viewers about the Final Championship.

Honestly, there wasn’t much to say. There were a few changes from last year. First, the venue had changed a lot. Last year, it was in Manhattan, but this year, it would be somewhere in northern New York. I heard it was about a hundred kilometers east of Niagara Falls.

Because of that, parking lots and accommodations were plentiful, and apparently, they could easily accommodate hundreds of thousands, so unlike last time in Manhattan, there wouldn’t be any trouble.

Discussion on the Final Championship

"And the second change is that the schedule has changed a bit. Last year, there were fourteen matches with two games per day, and a few partner streamer competitions mixed in, but this year, it’s going to be much tighter for the players."

"Last year, there were fourteen matches, but this year there will be twenty-one. Simple math means three matches a day. Plus, partner streamer battles and event matches with me or Logan participating."

Icarus had arranged the accommodations near the stadium, so that was possible.

Further Information on Eugene’s Schedule

"...I’m sure many of you already know, but here are the changes compared to last year. Honestly, I don’t know much either. Except for a few days, I’ll be in Manhattan and Washington D.C. for some business."

"Are you going to be traveling again, Eugene? Doesn’t that seem like a lot to handle in the adaptation period…"

"Well, there are things I have to do. Last time, I got some advertisement requests from gun companies during the sniper competition, so I need to handle those as well… but I can’t really say much more, so you can just imagine it’s all a part of the job."

"...Well, Eugene, you’re always full of secrets."

Viewer Comments

• That’s Eugene for you!
• The little Byams give up too quickly, hahaha
• What, why not just tell us already?!?!
• Fact: People who have been watching Byam streams for a long time know better than to expect anything, hahaha
• What can you guys do, anyway? Complain and give up, that’s all, hahaha

Back to the Room

The first question came from Harmony, and the "giving up" came from Dice.

Last year, the pro gamers who entered the pre-final briefing room with me saw me hugging Henry. And if anyone who’s even remotely interested in current affairs remembers, they’d know what position he’s probably in now.

Dice, even after delivering Henry’s letter to me, seemed to have no interest in current affairs at all...

Eugene’s Secretive Discussion

So, should I tell them a little more?

"I’m meeting someone in Washington D.C. for a meal. That’s probably all that’ll happen, but I can’t really say much more about it. Sorry."

"Oh, come on. Tell us a little more."

"No, wait… I didn’t hear anything. Eugene, I didn’t hear anything."

"What? Why are you talking about something only you know?!"

Shifting Focus

Some people had no idea what I was talking about. Others, just a few, probably figured it out.

As for the millions of viewers, most of them were in the latter category, completely unaware of what I was saying. But at least a couple of them would have gotten a clue, and if they did, they’d know that it was something I couldn’t speak about.

There were a few people who had gotten close to the truth, but they couldn’t speak up because they knew they shouldn’t. The fact that only I knew this was actually pretty fun.

Now I understood why some people called me a villain.