I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 626

"Welcome to the northern coast of France, Servur, Caen, Le Havre, Rouen, Dieppe... Truly, welcome to northern France," I said.

"Wow, now it really feels like we're in Dark Zone 2.0. The battles are happening on a global stage now," Dice remarked.

"...It kind of feels like we're going back 100 years. Am I the only one who feels that way?" I asked.

"It does feel a bit like that," he replied.

• France (destroyed)
• Couldn't win against the virus ????????????
• Calais, Lille, Mons, Charleroi, Arras, Amiens, Saint-Quentin, Cambrai... Eugene... ugh, my head...
• These place names sound so familiar ??????????
• Why... does this seem familiar?
• Is this maybe around 1944????

The next day.

It had been only a few weeks since Dark Zone 2.0 was updated, and we finally set foot in northern France — I had never been to Europe in that world, so I never expected to visit in this way.

I wasn't exactly thrilled about it.

The weather in northern France was as dreary as expected. It wasn't surprising, given how close it was to the notoriously gloomy England, only a few hundred kilometers away, sometimes just 40 km.

And Dice, standing on the aircraft carrier heading to Le Havre, made sure to point that out.

"...But why is the weather so gloomy?" Dice asked.

"Well, like the chat says, it’s probably because France became a half-destroyed Paris Republic. I never imagined the situation across Europe would be like this," I replied.

"Wait, France is destroyed?" Dice asked.

"How many times do I need to tell you to read the setting book? Do you want me to explain that not just France, but many European countries are completely shattered?" I said.

• The EU is destroyed! Now, the Manchester United gallery rules this place!
• In this world, even Manchester United is gone ????
• Fact) This is true.
• I read the 2.0 docs, and it's complete chaos everywhere ????
• The only somewhat intact places in Europe are the UK and France. How is that even possible? ??
• Is this really a WW2 reenactment???

That’s what I’m saying.

Considering the toothbrush-mustached figure reincarnated in Southeast Asia—there were many things to discuss, but that’s one key point.

First of all, the Omega Virus outbreak led to Israel being completely isolated, unable to receive support from the U.S., UK, or France. What happened? They were cleanly wiped out.

The problem came after that. The ones who wiped Israel off the map were Iran, but Iran was not alone. Iraq and Saudi Arabia, along with countries that weren't on the best terms with Iran, joined in, and eventually, the powder keg exploded.

Meanwhile, India, who managed to strike a fragile deal with Pakistan over Middle Eastern and Eastern European interests, swept Afghanistan aside and then stomped Tehran, Iran’s capital.

Naturally, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Egypt in the Middle East reacted strongly, but unfortunately, the India-Pakistan alliance, with their sights on Middle Eastern dominance, was unstoppable.

It didn’t take long for a nuclear cloud to rise from the heart of the Arab world.

"...So, the Middle East was thoroughly plundered, and the self-proclaimed South Asian Federation forces are now stationed not just in their homeland, but in Eastern Europe, North Africa, and even Tunisia," I said.

"Looking at the map... if we keep going, we’re already in Europe. Is this possible?" Dice asked.

"We lost the Suez Canal. It’s a 150,000-ton ship route, and even with repairs taking about three years, larger warships can easily pass through now. The repairs are already finished, and the Mediterranean is in a difficult situation," I explained.

"And since we’re already engaging in military activities, there’s no negotiation in this world anymore," I added.

"You know your stuff," Dice said.

• Is a war like the Olympics happening here? www
• Why are there so many gaps in the Middle East? ???
• They probably got nuked, right? ????
• Fake madness) They were talking about the past, Shiite vs Sunni, and then military action / Real madness) Nuclear missile launches
• They’re just crazy bastards ????

Just as they said.

However, to our disappointment and their luck, the South Asian Federation forces couldn't push further. The U.S., with its focus on technology, began supporting Europe.

Considering the fusion reactors supplying power to Paris near the Peccang area and the U.S. forces guarding them, we can see where this is headed. Plus, the U.S. can intercept incoming ballistic missiles with railguns.

Right now, the SR-72 is endlessly circling tens of kilometers above South Asia and Eastern Europe, gathering intelligence, and making sure the other side thinks twice.

But that wasn't the only problem.

"The buildings in Norway and Denmark have been completely demolished, and Hamburg is being torn down in real-time by an unidentified drone. A defensive line has formed near Bremen," I said.

"Bremen, like the town with the music band, right?" Dice asked.

"Yes, it had a statue of the Bremen Town Musicians, which has now been demolished along with everything else," I replied.

"This game seems to be all about dark humor," Dice commented.

"Ha ha," I laughed.

• When has it not been like this? ??
• Unidentified drone<<<<Is Mecha Eugene showing up again? This is insane ????
• After selling his likeness once, now Byam is draining his soul ??
• Artemis people are back, sucking resources like they did in the savannah. No conscience, seriously ??
• Is Byam Allstars showing up again? Seriously, Eugene is a legend...

In the meantime, we boarded a tilt-jet aircraft on the aircraft carrier.

Our destination was Essen, Germany, near Düsseldorf, Cologne, Bonn, and Dortmund, major cities now turned into the forward base of the US European Command (EUCOM).

Originally, the headquarters was in Stuttgart, but since Gaia had invaded from the north, we had to act immediately.

The tilt-jet passed through France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, landing near Essen, a city transformed into a military hub, a far cry from its former self as a peaceful mix of forests and urban areas.

The railroad, once used to carry people, now sent enormous amounts of military supplies to the frontlines. The roads, once hastily built, were all reconstructed.

‘In the other world... this kind of thing couldn’t happen, not with Gaia already being brought home.’

After collecting some intel, we learned that, by the standards of that world, South Asia had already crumbled, and the Middle East had been close to that for a while.

Thinking this over, I stepped off the tilt-jet and was greeted by the Icarus UI. I wondered if I should greet someone, but today, assessing the combat capabilities of our new recruits was more urgent than watching a cutscene.

Luckily, nearby, there was a train ready to head for Bremen, prepared for quick departure.

After a brief identity check, I boarded the train, but suddenly, a strange sound came from my ear.

• [Notification: <Uroboros Operations Team>, welcome. From now on, EUCOM's combat analysis engine and combat simulator 'Nasty' will be actively supporting the Archetype team.]

• [Notification: Hehe, I told you I could do something too.]

"...Huh?"

"Looks like Nasty found something to do after all," I said.

• Baby Byam! Baby Byam! Baby Byam! Baby Byam! Baby Byam! Baby Byam! Baby Byam! Baby Byam!

• Why is a middle schooler calling out Baby Byam? I don’t get it.

• Well, if they’re younger than Byam, it makes sense ??

• Is that... reasonable?

• What the hell are they saying ????

As I mentioned earlier, it looks like Nasty found something to do.

It's been nearly half a year since I brought this little one here, and after creating many valuable things from Nasty's perspective, it was about time to start delegating tasks like this.

Unlike Lorentina, who didn’t care much, my friends, who were obsessed with Byam even after turning into Byam themselves, quickly brightened up, but it didn’t last long.

The 20-minute ride to Bremen was perfect for a pre-operation briefing.

A holographic map appeared, and among the many micro-tasks broken down to achieve EUCOM’s macro objectives, we were assigned one.

"2nd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Battalion 'Saber' has discovered several unusual structures in a small town called Achim, located to the right of Bremen. These structures are highly likely to be artillery positions for fire support. We're scheduled to strike the base in 3 hours."

"Striker cavalry reconnaissance units from 4th Battalion, the Nemesis and Desperado companies, and the Field Artillery Battalion 'Hellraiser,' including Archer and Bulldog batteries, will be supporting us," I continued. "Twelve 155mm howitzer batteries, so it shouldn’t be too bad."

"So what are we going to do..." Dice asked.

"We're the spearhead unit," I replied, gesturing at the holographic map.

With a flick of my fingers, I sent the holographic display zooming off, where it quickly dissipated. Lorentina, who had been chuckling beside me, seemed to enjoy my confidence.

"As we head to the objective, we’ll tear apart anything that stands in our way," I added.

"...Got it," Dice responded.

"You’ll be able to keep up, right?" I asked.

• This is what I’m talking about ????
• If they don’t follow, you’ll just grab them by the collar and drag them along, right? ??
• Iris is shocked ww
• You chose your employer! Push through with grit!!!
• Fact) Viewers didn’t even get a chance to hold on

Of course, there was no refusal.

Gaia hadn’t been mentioned yet, but I could already sense that the grand prologue had just begun.

"Ugh, save me…!" Dice’s voice cracked.

"Is there no water…?" Harmony asked.

"I guess they can’t keep up," I remarked.

"Right."

• Even if you're a manifestation, not all manifestations are the same ????
• Of course, ??
• Byam and Shark have worked their asses off for this, ??
• Are these guys the ones making everyone else do intense exercises from the start? ??
• This is dizzying, seriously dizzying ??

Of course, that was never going to happen.

"Before we get into the real fight, let me warn you," I said. "You’re probably going to struggle, but don’t worry. The three of you will make mistakes, and it will be up to us to clean them up."

"I tested things out a bit while walking around, and it didn’t seem like there was a major issue… but it sounds like you're already expecting us to mess up," Dice replied.

"Heh, you’re aware of your own limits, but if that were the case, I wouldn’t be talking like this," I said. "Ultimately, the one thing you’re missing is combat experience since becoming a manifestation."

Was that really the case?

That thought crossed all three of their minds, but their reactions varied—Harmony and Dice shared similar thoughts, while Iris, still mostly unaware, just looked around, trying to catch up.

But it wasn’t like they had completely misjudged themselves. They both knew well enough how many trial and error moments I had gone through to optimize my body settings. They understood that even the slightest adjustment could make a huge difference in combat.

One of the most important things in a fight is muscle memory, and any slight deviation from that can lead to errors. It wasn’t hard to understand.

Still…

‘…So just how big of a mistake do they think we’re going to make?’

The first real battle after becoming a manifestation. Just how different would it be compared to what they were used to?

It was hard to simulate that in my mind, but looking at Lorentina and Eugene, it was as if they had already anticipated everything, calmly watching them as the three of them tried to piece things together.

Surprisingly, no further explanation was given. As mentioned before, Eugene and Lorentina were confident they could handle any mistakes the three would make, and the trio knew that was true.

Especially with Lorentina holding her signature spear, making it all the more apparent.

And so, the newly manifested trio and their two senior mentors set off toward the operation zone.

Despite the dark, the surroundings were clear even without using night vision. The second surprise came from how easy it was to move despite the removal of any physical enhancements. It felt like the real body could move freely with no effort.

But after a while, several structures that had suddenly appeared in the middle of fields and roads caught our attention, along with Artemis drones patrolling the area.

Then, the real battle began. As the stream began…

"Ah, the trigger…!" Harmony yelped.

"I knew it. Take the extra Geisley trigger, then fall back quickly and swap out the firing mechanism," Eugene called out.

"Ah, I cut the explosive line."

"Figured. What do you need? Detonator wire, blasting cap, or the cable? Just tell me," Eugene said.

"The electric conducting cable," Harmony replied.

"Here you go," Eugene handed it over.

• What are they doing? ???
• Don’t break the gun, just shoot it ????
• Oops, Harmony dropped the magazine again ???
• How do Byam and Shark always know exactly what extra equipment they need? ??
• They’ve probably been through it themselves ??

At that point, noises from all directions filled the air.

Surprisingly, Iris, who had been nervous, was handling the situation more calmly than Harmony or Dice, who were panicking.

And, with an ironic twist, the two senior manifestations observed the scene, chuckling at the trio’s progress.

Despite the gunfire all around, Eugene and Lorentina’s voices rang clearly.

"First thing you’re overlooking is power control. Especially in these urgent situations, there’s no way your strength distribution is going to be perfect. If you’re not careful, the foregrip and trigger guard will get crushed due to your grip strength," Eugene explained.

"Green Cat needs to focus more on explosives. If you want to compete in this year’s final championships, avoiding hard-core mode might not be a bad option," Lorentina added.

"...I’ll try to find a middle ground," Harmony muttered.

"Iris is doing well. Staying calm and handling things smoothly is key," Eugene said, giving her some praise.

"Hehe..." Iris grinned nervously.

• ‘Female’
• Is this a man? ??
• Truthful comment) It’s just Byam, a femme fatale and homme fatale combined into one
• Byam's tail<<<< it’s their fault
• Everyone’s talking nonsense again ??

Countless issues cropped up in no time.

However, Eugene and Lorentina never once said it was the end of the problems. And as time passed, the first issue was slowly resolved, only for the second one to emerge.

Naturally, the first problems came from Harmony and Dice.

"Ugh, this is harder than I thought, aah! Forward grenade!" Harmony cried.

"You need to calculate the power distribution for each movement separately. It’s unavoidable. And Minah, you threw that grenade too far, did you know? It’s probably traveled over 160 meters," Eugene noted.

"Ugh, this is really tough! I think I’m running out of energy!" Harmony groaned.

"That’s to be expected. At least the two of you are fine. I’ve trained you to control your movements precisely, so any small deviation would cause problems. Honestly, Iris adapting without issues is only natural," Eugene explained.

"Well, I have some talent for this. Being the next generation of Byam, it’s kind of scary how good I’m getting," Iris grinned.

"Is that so?" Eugene asked.

But, as always, Byam didn’t miss the chance to joke around.

"Well, Iris, now you’re on the front lines. Move out," Eugene said with a smirk.

"H-Hold on, sir? That’s not what I meant…" Iris stuttered.

"Don’t worry, that’s exactly what I meant. Now, move out!" Eugene grinned.

"Ahhh!" Iris screamed.

• ????????
• The source of all evil ??
• I knew it ????
• Suddenly, it’s like they’ve changed ??
• Can’t stand the dominance of Byam, huh? ??

Iris was forced to pay the price.

In the world of manifestations, there was no room for complacency.