I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 628

"Ha ha ha... Ha ha ha ha! Did you see that! I can be helpful too! Finally, I can show my usefulness!"

"Who gave the fourth Mecha newbie a job? You’re so noisy."

"It's the perfect choice to cover up the nearly collapsed European Command. Plus, we met the newbie from the other world, so how could I not be excited? Just leave them be. It’s fun watching them throw tantrums."

"When can we leave?"

"If you want to train, you should’ve said so, Jin. You can go right now if you want."

"Oh, no, I didn't say anything."

The place that used to be Central Park HQ.

As high-rise buildings in the surrounding area were gradually being dismantled, only the essential buildings needed to relocate the numerous agencies that were packed inside Central Park remained, leaving the area eerily empty.

Among those buildings, there were a few that hadn't yet been moved for various reasons—namely the accommodations for operators, the break room, and the briefing room. And in the last one of these, a large team, which had grown significantly compared to the past, was seated.

The end of the war naturally reduced the amount of work to be done, but the numerous supplies produced during the wartime period were still piled high in the warehouses, and with the gradual recovery of the U.S., food resources were starting to circulate as well.

In other words, it meant that the time to relax and eat had come for everyone, including all of Icarus Operators still on the roster, including the Dagger Team.

One way to overcome the boredom that came with that was to watch the Mecha newbies.

"I heard things are a mess over in that world too. I heard there’s been a significant increase in mutations... I bet it's busy right now. The newbie will call you later, so just hang on until then."

"Your face looks grumpy. Looks like I’ll have to assign some homework. I think it’s time for a deep discussion about the world situation in Dark Zone with the Mecha newbies. You all would love it, right?"

"Ugh, no!"

"There are some pretty interesting points, though. Too bad."

As expected.

Normally, geopolitical matters and the dynamics in Southeast Asia and the Middle East weren’t something they needed to consider deeply. However, the knowledge they naturally gained due to the prolonged war piqued their interest.

In the world where the Dagger Team existed, the fact that mutual destruction had occurred everywhere due to data transmitted by the SR-72 reconnaissance flight was well-known. On the other hand, discussions about the IF-In and others became excellent topics.

Regardless of whether Nasty focused back on the screen, their conversation continued.

"If something like that happened in reality, it would have been a major headache. Don’t we still have to settle a lot of the debts with Russia and China?"

"Not sure. I don’t think Russia is the problem, but China’s been causing some noise lately. Morrison, who’s been assigned to the Department of Homeland Security, threw out a few words last time. He said that without deploying the peacekeeping forces, things could get dangerous. Domestic issues are bad enough as it is."

"Recently, I’ve been getting a lot of suggestions to build something for them, now I get why."

"...Gaia?"

The sound of a chair being dragged across the floor.

Among the Mecha newbies, Gaia, the last of the five sisters who looked distinctly different from the others, and who had been the most hardworking person in the U.S. recently, sat down. Instead of the usual sultry snake-tail charm, she gave off an intimidating aura by deliberately spreading her tail joints. However, no one seemed to care, and everyone waited for her to speak, as Gaia unfurled a few proposals in the air.

"One of the major projects is to construct an underwater tunnel connecting Alaska’s Wales and Diomede Islands with Russia’s Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. And another is to build a base large enough to house a QRF (Quick Reaction Force) division from China’s Qinhuangdao."

"...Is it really that big?"

"I’ve heard quite a bit about China. The reserve units that were stationed in Korea and the 7th Fleet were urgently deployed to the western sea. If left unchecked, they’ll be in a worse situation than just paying off the debt to the U.S. The country could be completely shattered."

"Well, the 7th Fleet blew up the Three Gorges Dam, so that’s to be expected."

As said.

After the dam was shattered, places like Yichang, Wuhan, and Nanjing had long since turned into water parks. The resulting refugees, along with the naturally occurring plagues, had turned China into a living hell.

Of course, many had already died due to the virus spreading before that, but this was none of the Dagger Team’s concern. They were the ones who had struck the first blow in such dire conditions.

Anyway, with the gloomy topics pushed aside, the conversation continued.

"Speaking of which, was the newbie’s hometown in Korea? I doubt it was in a very good state over there."

"I heard the Seals in Yokosuka managed to hold off about half of it at the beginning of the war. Let’s see... Daejeon? A place with that name was pushed back, but they’ve even reached Shenyang now."

"That must’ve been quite the mess."

"Well, it’s a country right next to China. It couldn’t have been avoided."

As the topic changed quickly...

"Now that you mention Korea, I remember a place I visited last time—Seoul. It was quite a prosperous city. I’d love to visit again if I get the chance, but that cheeky newbie hasn’t been in contact with me lately."

"As I said earlier, I heard there’s been a significant increase in mutations. That brat isn’t just going to sit around, right? They’ll get in touch when they have more free time."

"Ah, I know that the archetype has been casually adding a few comments."

"...Even if you pretend not to notice, everyone is already preparing to join in."

At that moment, Mav, who had been eavesdropping quietly, sat down and spoke.

"I heard there’s going to be an expo in Korea soon. I was thinking maybe we could quietly call the Dagger Team to join. Since we’re the main players at the expo, we’ll probably get there somehow, but... I don’t think the archetype will leave other people alone."

"...It’s not impossible."

Mav continued with:

"I could proudly step forward then! Last time, I had to sit outside while the three main players took the spotlight!"

"First time I’ve heard someone say a machine had to sit outside, that’s hilarious."

While all this was going on, many eyes turned toward Gaia, but she didn’t seem to care. Unlike Jin and Rain or Mav, she was made for a specific purpose—and Gaia was naturally a workaholic.

Though she was curious about the other world, and had been excited when crossing through the world line, she was someone who knew how to separate business from personal matters. This reaction was worlds apart from Nasty acting like a kid.

As expected...

"Well, if we can go, that’d be great, but it’s not the end of the world if we don’t. I find fulfillment in getting things done, and I was designed that way from the start. If you really want to go, you could always ask the original one."

"...The mental age of the Mecha newbies seems to stay balanced thanks to the third and fifth ones."

"Hey! What’s wrong with us!"

"Exactly!"

"Alright, alright. I was just kidding, you little rascals... Ahh, don’t climb on me! You’re heavy!"

"Well, it’s not really wrong."

Creak!

As soon as the weight of Mecha Yujin pressed down on the chair, the one that Chester had been sitting on broke apart with a crash, sending dust flying everywhere.

For a brief moment, silence. Owens let out a sigh as he gestured for Lorentina and Logan to come over. As he did so, Rain’s eyes shifted around frantically.

As Rain was dragged off to the training ground with a loud cry, someone spoke.

"Are they really going to make those idiots the main players of the expo? I can’t even imagine that."

"Well, if they’d messed up, the newbie would’ve kicked them out already. They’re probably watching their every move, and if they start doing something weird... that’d be something, for sure."

"Mm."

Listening to this, Serkins exhaled a short breath and rubbed his chin before adding.

"I’ve got a good idea."

"What is it, Section Leader?"

"I think if we take the role of overseeing them under the guise of monitoring them, we could participate legally."

"Ha, that’s a funny thought."

Then, he continued.

"Let’s contact them now."

"...I’m hearing all of this as well, you know."

"Jin doesn’t usually cause trouble, so it’s fine."

"Heh heh heh."

Of course, even openly mocking someone, as long as you praise them, it could create a split in opinions.

That’s how it was. Today was just another lazy day for the Dagger Team.

And then,

"Clank!"

"Ah, Yujin, you’re here... Waaaah!"

"What’s going on? Why are you suddenly—kyaaaah!"

"Heh heh, you look like you saw something you shouldn’t have! Our new little ones! They’ve grown tails and flew all the way here!"

"...Ah, hello. Nice to meet you."

Meanwhile, somewhere in Korea...

Shark had come to teach reality with a huge pile of gifts.

"Mm, I see now. So the one who’s been especially taking care of the newbies lately is you, huh? You seem a bit clueless, but your face shows no worry, so it seems like you've lightened the load in your heart..."

"Uh, well... yeah, I guess..."

"Ah, it's bringing back memories. Yujin was once as cute as you all are. It’s not so much that he’s lost his cuteness now, but sometimes he shows those clumsy sides..."

"Sis!"

"Ugh, don't call me sis when it’s inconvenient, Yujin."

I had unconsciously shouted "sis."

It wasn’t a term I used often, especially not to tease others—especially Logan—but when Shark would turn my embarrassment meter to max, it came out. This time, of course, it was the latter.

As soon as I called her "sis," Harmony, Dice, and Iris all stared at me wide-eyed. Maybe because it was a title that seemed like it would never come from my mouth, even if the world were ending?

Lorentina was naturally surprised too, but she burst out laughing. Truly unbelievable.

"You keep digging into my past!"

"Alright, alright. Why would you try to hide it? A person should be proud of their past. And since these guys are also talking about the newbie’s past, their faces are pretty entertaining, aren’t they?"

"Of course! I haven’t told anyone else!"

"You're going to burst from laughing if I keep teasing you. Alright, alright. I’ll stop, sit down. I’ll keep it under control."

It’s not that I didn’t believe her, but I had a feeling she wasn’t really holding back.

Anyway, while the sudden unveiling of my past had thrown me off, that was precisely why I was working hard to take care of Iris. She was like looking into a mirror.

Just like how I found someone to rely on in Central Park HQ and the seniors before I completely broke down, I too hoped I could become that support for someone.

Harmony and Dice? Well... at this point, did I really need to explain? I hadn’t even considered the possibility that they wouldn’t adapt to the situation.

Meanwhile, Lorentina, who had been wandering outside, proudly laid all sorts of food she had brought on the table. However, considering there were five EM-grade individuals present...

In other words, people who should be counted in tens, not units, when it came to food consumption. The delivery cost would surely be in the million-dollar range today.

What Lorentina had brought was more like an appetizer.

"Newbies, give up the idea. Sometimes there are things in life that you just can’t change, no matter how hard you try."

"But Lorentina, you started the fire with us!?!"

"But putting out the fire is up to you guys."

"…Now I get why Lorentina is called evil. She really has an incredibly unique image."

I didn’t call her "sis" this time.

Anyway, teasing us endlessly without giving any real answers—this was the signature skill I learned from my seniors, and Lorentina carried it out far better than I did, shifting the mood around us.

Originally, I had wanted to ask Shark how they communicated with their counterparts in the other world, but since there were three other Biyams here besides me, that question would have to wait.

Regardless of my thoughts, Lorentina took the opportunity to speak up and bombard everyone with her usual eloquence.

"So, how does it feel for you new ones now that you’ve grown tails? I guess we can’t call Green Cat ‘Green Cat’ anymore, huh?"

"I thought I’d be able to do anything once I grew a tail, but I was wrong..."

"It seems we need more practice. A lot more. I’ve really learned that nothing in this world is free..."

"Considering the path you’ve walked, it’s not impossible. Our newbie here worked hard enough to handle it this well. And Iris, the newest addition?"

"Ah, yes?"

"I saw you drawing hearts with syrup. That was quite impressive."

...Ah, that.

The video of us playing maid roles was, unsurprisingly, the instant trending video as soon as it was uploaded to YourSpace. And of course, Lorentina had seen it.

She continued.

"I wasn’t too worried, but still. I’m glad to see you all adjusting well. However, let me tell you, there’s still a lot you need to enjoy and experience as Manifestors. Do you know what I mean?"

"…Things we have to experience as Manifestors?"

"Even though you’re curious, I won’t tell you everything. You’ll naturally figure it out as you go along. But just sitting back and watching isn’t all that fun, and since we’re here, let me share a couple of things with you."

Things we need to experience as Manifestors.

As I thought about it, the answer came to me within a few seconds, and a smile crept onto my face. Meanwhile, the newbies who had only recently entered EM-grade looked confused.

What could it be? Then came the follow-up:

"Think carefully about what kind of animal you are."

"...Ah!"

"You’ve more or less figured it out, huh?"

A snake.

Since I’d already experienced things like vibration detection and night vision after becoming an EM-grade Serpentia, it was no surprise, but oddly enough, aside from Lorentina, everyone else present had visited my penthouse at least once.

In other words, they’d been to the swimming pool in the basement.

Snakes, sharks, or any other water-loving creatures—it was no surprise that we all liked water, which is why Lorentina spoke up.

"You won’t want to get out once you get in the water."

"...Ah, I’ll go grab my swimsuit when I get home."

"Yujin-sensei, I think I need to buy a swimsuit first..."

"Iris might be one of those kinds that are used to water like an anaconda, but let’s go buy swimsuits tomorrow."

"Yeah."

At that, Iris let out a weird laugh, half-giving up, while Lorentina...

'...It looks like she’s testing if they’re fit for the navy, but she’s trying to hide it.'

Though she seemed to be trying to hide it, her eyes were not normal.

This is really maddening.