I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 618

"Iris, what do you want to eat later... Ah, you’re working, huh? Should I come back later?"

"No, it's almost done. It's fine if you come in. And as for the name... No, it’s better to just stick with Iris."

"Still not used to the new name, huh?"

"Yeah."

The door clicked open, and two figures with slightly different coloring from Yujin entered the room.

Sitting on a hole-riddled chair that seemed custom-designed for Yujin was the editor, while the two recent "awakened" individuals quietly took seats on the bed in the room.

The room itself wasn’t anything special—nothing too elaborate, but certainly not too plain either. Unlike Dice’s or Harmony’s rooms, it was plain and calm, with just enough decor. The high-performance video editing computer, multiple monitors, and microphones set up here, along with a quietly sleeping drone cam, made it clear that this was an editing space.

Her body had changed to that of a woman, but her personality still retained masculine traits. The sparse nature of the room reflected that, as she hadn’t yet fully embraced her new self.

But that wasn’t what they were here to talk about, and the two newcomers glanced at the four screens, making their way into the conversation.

"So, are you planning to go back to being an editor too?"

"If possible, yes. I’ve been juggling both for nearly half a year, so it’s not too difficult... and above all, I have a real attachment to this job."

"I get what you mean."

Iris. She was the one who got Yujin started with the official operation of YourSpace and, in a way, she was the very beginning. She had been part of Yujin’s team from the start, almost like the "chief" of the group.

The circumstances under which she met Yujin were also different from anyone else’s. In the past, she had operated Yujin’s fan space without any compensation, and Yujin eventually bought the entire channel and brought her in as an editor.

Dice quickly turned his gaze around, noting that Iris had entered Yujin’s sphere right after Harmony, meaning she had started much earlier than Dice.

Of course, such distinctions weren’t too meaningful, but one thing was clear: Iris was proud of her role as an editor and could never part with it.

"Yujin’s off doing something, and we didn’t really have anything to do, so we were thinking of having a girls' talk... but looks like you’re working."

"As I mentioned earlier, I’m almost done. But speaking of a girls' talk... is that really a thing?"

"Hehe, now you don’t want to deny it, right?"

"How could I deny it..."

A slight gloom filled the air.

But as she said this, Iris added:

"Still, as I mentioned earlier, it’s better to just stick with calling me Iris than the new name. I’ve been going by that name for months, so..."

"Ah, really? You should tell Yujin when you get to his house later. I think he's been trying to figure out how to call you lately."

"Ugh, you’re kidding..."

Dice and Harmony burst into giggles, while Iris, flustered, grabbed her phone and quickly sent a message to Yujin.

From now on, Yujin would continue to call the editor Iris.

The girls' talk continued.

"Have you talked with the other editors or thumbnail creators? I remember there were so many at Yujin’s house party a while back. It’s probably even more now, huh?"

"Of course. Actually, I feel a bit bad. Yujin recently said he’d send us all on a trip, but it got delayed because of me..."

"It’s a natural disaster, really. Don’t worry about it. Have you noticed how Yujin has been focused on taking care of Iris lately? It’s just unavoidable."

"...I know."

Iris rolled her eyes and lowered her head slightly.

Her face was now flushed, and her ears were red. Because her skin was pale, the blush was even more noticeable. Honestly, it was almost impossible not to notice that Yujin had been paying close attention to Iris's care.

Even though she had the strong personality of someone who didn’t care much and had no problem hunting for "Bi-Yam tails," comparing her to Harmony and Dice, whose appearance hadn’t changed much, was odd.

Because of that, the two were focusing less on why Yujin acted the way he did and more on Iris’s reaction.

'...This person is acting like an anime heroine!'

'...A rival?'

'What rival? Get a grip.'

They truly saw her reacting like a heroine. Given that it had only been less than two weeks since her body changed, it was surprising. With this in mind, the two whispered in a low voice behind Iris, who was trying to regain her composure.

It seemed there was no major problem in the message they would deliver to Yujin later. From their conversation, it was clear that the two had come at Yujin’s request.

While virtual reality was a part of it, people couldn’t live confined only to rooms. The upcoming expo, just a month away, was a good reminder of this. Society might tolerate it, but people had to go outside.

And these two had brought a couple of excuses to go out with them.

"Anyway, I’m glad to hear the work is almost done. Since I’ve only been staying at Yujin’s house after meeting my parents, I was thinking of taking a light walk outside. Wanna come?"

"Let’s go shopping. A new brand that Olivia was working as the lead designer for just opened in the luxury street area. How about we check it out? We can grab some food, walk around, have some coffee, and walk in Hangang Park."

"Ugh, suddenly?"

"Staying cooped up in the house is a waste, a waste. Let’s go now!"

"No, wait! I wasn’t just staying at home—WAAAAAAH!"

Dragged along, Iris was quickly targeted by Harmony and Dice the moment it was confirmed that the work was almost done. According to some simple math, to subdue one "awakened" person, two awakened people were needed.

So, Iris was taken to the fitting room, where various sensors scanned her body and assessed her skin tone and body proportions, setting up the most suitable style.

What kind of makeup would suit her?

What would be the best outfit for summer?

Which accessories would match her best?

The results popped up: cool, sexy, cute. Then, the possible clothing options in the fitting room were categorized, some of which could be bought separately.

Looking at this dazzling result, Iris's face turned pale.

"Ugh, this is gross..."

"Huh, what’s gross? I don’t think you were eating anything."

"It’s because of you two that I ended up releasing venom!"

"Eh?"

Dice quickly grabbed some tissues nearby, and Iris wrapped her long fangs around them. A dark yellow liquid slowly soaked through the tissues.

Once it calmed down, she was asked:

"Sorry, but what does the venom taste like?"

"A bit bitter, slightly sour, and... it’s really strange. Anyway, how can you drag me out like that! I can’t just throw the venom-soaked tissue away!"

"Sorry..."

"Really... If you’d just asked, I would’ve thought about it first. I’m telling Yujin about this later."

...Was she really never a woman before?

The thought that maybe she was even more feminine than they were crossed their minds briefly, but the two lowered their heads and apologized. Only then did Iris find her composure and add:

"...But even though I met my parents, I was still thinking about getting used to being outside again. It’s not like I’ve been avoiding going out... I’ve already gone out a few times when no one was home!"

"Really?"

"I even went to the SSM headquarters nearby. I was hoping to see some pro gamers, but turns out it was an idol training studio and artists' studio... I totally got tricked."

"Ah... if you want to see pro gamers, you should go to the headquarters in Wangsimni, Seongdong-gu. From what you’ve said, it sounds like you’ve been trapped there for a while..."

"Well, they kindly guided me though."

So why did Yujin tell Harmony and Dice to take her out?

The answer was simple.

"I secretly went out. I told the people working here not to say anything, and after I went out, I even took a shower."

"...Good job. Anyway, if going outside for a change of scenery isn’t a problem, then we’ll follow through with the schedule as we were asked to."

"No problem."

"Then get dressed. Let’s go out."

With that, Dice and Harmony slipped out of Yujin’s house to get dressed, leaving Iris alone in the fitting room.

'...Come to think of it, if we go just a bit further up from Ttukseom Hangang Park, the Stella Universe headquarters is there. Should I suggest we visit that too?'

Of course, Iris hadn’t fully accepted the sudden changes but wasn’t inactive either.

The chaotic triple Bi-Yam outdoor adventure was about to begin.

"...Oh my, goodness."

"The world has really changed a lot. I admit it. The things machines that evolve on their own can create are much more impressive than I expected."

Near Central Park HQ, Roosevelt Island.

Yujin and the others watched in awe as a massive flying drone, several times the size of an aircraft carrier, moved factory-sized facilities from Norway to New York. It was an incredible feat.

It was summer.

"Now this is looking like something. Watching the ghost buildings scattered everywhere wasn’t pleasant. It’s a bit strange seeing all the familiar buildings gone, but..."

"I don’t know about that. It doesn’t feel like I’ve lived here in Central Park long enough to make such a statement. But by the way, why do our Mecha youngest ones look like puppies in need of a bathroom?"

"Oh, them... It’s because of Gaia. It’s their first time dealing with someone with such massive influence joining in, so they’re probably worried they’ll lose their jobs."

"Tsk..."

Click.

With that sound, the artificial warmth from arms, legs, and the waist attached to her grew. It was the Mecha monsters trying to subtly latch on.

As I mentioned earlier, Gaia's Icarus and the U.S. joining had caused a massive ripple effect. The weight of the terraforming technology was huge.

I don’t even know how this relates to the Mecha youngest ones losing their jobs, but they probably feel like ‘if this keeps up, we’ll be completely jobless!’

I don’t think that’s going to happen.

Anyway...

"Quite a spectacle. Wasn’t it about three meters per hour?"

"If we sleep for a day or two, the nearby area will be flattened. It looks like they’re separating reusable materials from the building supplies... this feels a bit strange, though. It almost seems like something that shouldn’t happen is going on."

"Don’t think too deeply. Ultimately, all these buildings here were created for human convenience and needs, and if those needs are lost, the buildings become meaningless. It’s a natural process of prosperity and decline."

"Impressive words..."

Zing.

There was no need to ask how terraforming worked. What was happening right in front of them was that.

Several silver spikes shot up higher than the top of the buildings. They wrapped around the buildings, and from them, red lasers scanned the buildings. It didn’t take long before the concrete scattered and the steel skeleton was exposed.

The question of what to build here didn’t really matter. The housing department would take care of that. But, a little imagination couldn’t hurt.

'One good thing about this is that we could stop demolishing the buildings at any point...'

For example, we could just cut them off at the waist and use the remaining parts as needed.

There was no doubt that, with so many government agencies, intelligence agencies, and military headquarters crammed into Central Park HQ, they’d have to disperse some things around.

But we weren’t the only ones thinking that. The first goal was to move all the temporary buildings, the tangled mass of wires, and so on to nearby areas.

After that, it was about building condos for the nearby citizens—basically apartments.

"Maybe ‘Apartment Republic’ is exactly what we need right now."

"Did you say something, youngest?"

"Ah, no."

But given that the infrastructure had been completely destroyed, wouldn’t it be more practical to build apartments for easy supply of water and electricity, and easier to monitor how many people live in each apartment?

Well, it was a completely useless thought. As I said, it had nothing to do with us, who were busy with shooting and fighting.

While I was thinking this, a familiar, but not entirely familiar voice reached me.

"What’s going on, why are the sisters clinging to the original? If you’re not busy, come see the theme park being built. It looks like it’ll be ready for trial runs in a few weeks."

"Oh, that’s quite... an interesting thing to say. What’s the theme?"

"That place we visited with the original last time. It’s hard to fully replicate, but we’ll improve it gradually... Anyway, we need people who’ve been there to give their feedback."

"Sounds good. Let’s go."

At that moment, just as if it were timed, the wind picked up, and a drone descended and landed.

Instead of a helicopter, it was more of a drone—a small one, but it could carry about three tons comfortably. We all climbed on.

Today, Olivia, who had been hanging out elsewhere, came along, and we flew together to Coney Island. For those who might not know, it’s a neighborhood under Brooklyn.

We flew through the ghost town, and after a while, we saw it.

"...Wait a second."

"Our youngest, what’s with that ridiculously huge Mickey Mouse?"

"That? Well, it seemed kind of dull from the sky, so I built a huge sculpture. How about it?"

"...Should we talk about copyright or discuss your twisted sense of aesthetics?"

"Just tear down that giant thing. You know what I mean?"

"...Ugh..."

The giant Mickey Mouse face was the first thing that caught our eyes.

Naturally, before we even entered the theme park, an order for it to be demolished was issued.

But there was something even more surprising:

"Wow...!"

"Why are we demolishing that, Archetype?"

"It’s huge! I’m taking a photo!"

"Is this what Mecha youngest ones like?"

Well, you could say that.

I sighed and began brainstorming how to correct the hopeless foresight and taste of our Mecha youngest ones.

Maybe they just think bigger is better.

"...Was it a mistake coming out here?"

"It’s too late now, isn’t it? You should’ve stopped me at the signing session, heh."

"I knew it would end up like this as soon as the signing session started..."

Meanwhile, in Seoul, Cheongdam-dong, the three Bi-Yams were surrounded by a crowd just 10 minutes after they stepped out.

It was only natural.