I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 647

[General] Wait, how is the shark flying around??????

<GIF of Lorentina stepping on the stairs and jumping>

Wait, the baby Biyams can’t do this, right????
What the heck is going on????

[All Comments] [Sorted by Newest]

• Ah, that's a shark.

• Honest Opinion: I thought everyone would become like Biyams or Biyam acquaintances once they reached EM level… but turns out that’s not the case.

  • Right? Haha
  • Even the cute ones just remain cute, even as Biyams.
  • If forced to become predators, they’re just bigger pigs eating more, haha.

• Awakening was just the beginning, haha.

• I thought Wookjin and the shark would be the average among awakened individuals, but it turns out they were more like Ronnie Coleman among them?

  • Exactly.
  • So they’re the chosen ones of the chosen ones, haha.
  • If they keep being trained under the shark, who knows what’ll happen?
  • Now the newbies are getting used to it, why try to treat them roughly, haha.

• Whether they have a tail or not, Biyams and Biyam acquaintances seem dangerous vs. Harmonie, Dice, and Iris who aren’t scary at all even with tails.

  • Huh.
  • Even if Wookjin loses his tail and fights, I think he could easily win, haha.
  • Sure, he’d lose due to weight class, but I bet he’d take one down.
  • Without their tails, Biyams are pretty weak, right? Haha.

• Seriously, what can't these guys do, haha.

• Honest Opinion: The scary thing about the baby Biyams isn’t their strength, but the madness that makes them add a tail to their own bodies.

  • Haha, you’re right, haha.
  • The editor is mind-blown, haha.
  • Hahaha.

• The humor is that, after doing all this, Lorentina just casually snatched the broken Gaia hologram drone and destroyed it.

  • Wait, what???
  • No way, hahahahahaha.

• She should’ve brought the drone that she crushed with her hand strength.

• The funniest part is when the baby Biyams are left staring blankly, haha.

• Wait, does this mean Wookjin can also do that?

  • Logan and Olivia could do it too.
  • If it was Olivia, she’d probably catch up faster than the shark, haha.

• How do awakened individuals ignore fall damage? Is this even real?

  • That’s a cheat code, honestly, haha.
  • Wait, does that mean all the forum users are really just brainless idiots? Are there mad scientists giving electric shocks to my brain?
  • This guy is gonna disappear without a trace soon, haha.

• Damn scientist, hurry up and turn me into a Biyam!!! It’s the only life I have, you should at least do that for me!!!

  • Not happening, haha.
  • Instead, I’ll give you Iris.

"…We definitely had fun, but why is the data collection so perfect?"

"Hehe, that’s because it's the shark."

"Well, I suppose so. Anyway, we’re all done here. From 1900, we’ll return separately. Are you having dinner, Captain?"

"These youngsters’ reactions are so underwhelming. Well, I expected that. If nothing comes up, I’ll head back around dinner or tomorrow morning, so tell everyone not to waste their energy too much right before the mission."

"Got it. Enjoy yourself."

Evening, as the sun completely set.

Regardless of race, the people who were most suited for the dark zone expo, in a certain sense, began to gather around Lorentina, each saying something before leaving.

It seemed like they had worked out quite a bit, as their shirt sleeves seemed ready to burst from the size of their forearms. It was a sight I’d definitely seen before...

In fact, carrying metal weights in the several-kilogram range and wearing dozens of kilograms of gear all day, for weeks or even months, can’t be good for your body.

They had built their bodies like this to endure such a hard schedule.

"I’ve been feeling it for a while, but it seems like you’re just now learning about the pleasures of society."

"That’s the good part, crossing that fine line. And, I’m in a position where I can go out for various reasons... Besides, when you go outside, there are no fun events like this, and you won’t meet the energetic friends who move quickly when you say something."

"...Well, I thought that’s what it would be like. I knew a shark like you couldn’t resist something fun."

If there’s one thing I know about this person, it’s that they’re all about personal fun.

Well, I’ve already said this several times, so there’s no need to bring up how Lorentina spends her time or what she enjoys. After all, the goodbye wave from a senior or a colleague meant they were off to another mission.

She chuckled and added:

"Let’s start heading back. The newbies are probably waiting for us. We’ll have to proudly tell them today’s story."

"...Story, huh? Is that really a story, though? More like property damage and destruction of goods—ugh!"

"Who said you could bombard me with inconvenient facts, newbie?"

Before I could say anything, Lorentina immediately grabbed my cheek.

She didn’t even let me finish speaking before she punished me, and by the time we arrived where Dice and the others were, my face was so red it looked like a ripened peach.

Everyone burst into laughter, but well, it’s whatever. And the redness of my cheeks wasn’t even a topic of discussion considering the chaos awaiting us.

And that chaos was, of course, Lorentina, still holding the destroyed drone.

"...That… why are you holding that?"

"I lightly grabbed it and it broke. From now on, I’ll have to pay more attention to the durability of drones, newbie."

"That thing doesn’t usually break so easily."

"Well, durability is relative. Especially for us EMs. Anyway, Gaia was quite a formidable opponent, quite fast. If she’d been a bit quicker, we might have missed her."

"...Wait, you caught up to the hologram climbing walls?"

"This is the proof."

• Huh?????????
• Wait, what? She just casually walked in holding the destroyed drone, what the heck?
• What, that was Gaia’s hologram?
• So, that was the real deal? Haha.
• And once again, doing some Olympic-level stuff all by herself, haha.

With a swift flick of her wrist, Lorentina tossed the drone—now with some of its body crushed in the shape of fingers—into the air like a baseball and caught it again. The whole action was recorded, and everyone stared at the footage with wide-open eyes.

But Lorentina was completely shameless, and without hesitation, she played the footage from the drone cam, including the insane parkour she had just done with me, Lorentina, and the rest of the team.

It took less than five seconds for everyone to be completely dumbfounded.

"...Why did we ever think that just adding a snake tail would help us catch up with the teachers?"

"It’s not that hard. Just calculating where and how to jump is enough to make it happen. Of course, our newbie team needs to build up more leg muscles first."

"I don’t think we’ll ever manage..."

"Ah, but giving up before you even try isn’t a good habit. How about we hit a nearby fitness club together?"

"Wow, how did the conversation shift so quickly?"

• Hahahahahahahahahaha
• Seriously, is this person the god of Taekwondo or something?
• No matter what they say, they immediately get a yes as an answer, hahahahaha.
• Eek, I don’t want to but... (It’s an honor! I want to join the navy immediately!)
• I’m terrified, really hahahahaha

I haven’t tried following Lorentina, but I think it’s totally possible.

Anyway, as I watched, old memories suddenly flooded my mind. What was it they used to say? That mutants need to establish their own combat styles? And that was our responsibility, right?

I remember when we first met and thought she was so terrifying, all covered in blood. But now it’s been over six, maybe seven years. I don’t even know how it still feels so vivid.

I don’t really know how things spiraled out of control back then, but now, seeing all this, life truly is unpredictable.

But, I forgot something around that time.

• BEEP BEEP!

"…Huh?"

Suddenly, my Icarus gear rang.

It was an official contact. Specifically, it was something like a regular communication or a personal message from someone registered as an ally or beyond.

Thankfully, Lorentina had grabbed everyone’s attention, so I quickly made a gesture to excuse myself and ran to a quiet spot to take the call.

No, actually, before I answered, I saw the name that popped up on my gear and realized what was going on.

• […Looks like I’m causing a ruckus again in the other world, newbie. Please stop that person!]

"…Didn’t you say something about the shark network? Why don’t you talk to them yourself?"

• [You really want me to say it???]

BEEP.

I ended the call.

And just like that, the apocalypse New York-shark took the bait.

"Coming back home after so long… or rather, it’s hard to adjust with two sharks in the house. This is insane."

"I figured the shark network would be working, but yeah, here we are, haha..."

"...The last time I saw you was at Disney World, but it felt like this would happen. What are you up to, exactly?"

"Oh, are you saying that?"

Two sharks, really? This is insane.

And somehow, my life is legendary, wedged between two 188cm sharks, it's crazy. There’s no real pressure, but it’s so uncomfortable.

Anyway, as they said, my home unexpectedly became a meeting spot. Well, specifically, it was where the ten-plus members of the other world’s shark team gathered with the sharks from this world.

Of course, the sharks here, having become a lot more audacious compared to the original, didn’t care about pressure at all and were pushing their way through.

"Logan, Olivia, and Lorentina are the only ones who’ve met the sharks from the other world, right? And now I see that they’re much harder to control than I thought. Newbie’s gonna have a hard time."

"Hey, are you calling them kids?"

"They’re adults, but the problem is they do whatever they want and take full responsibility, ugh."

"...Don’t you pass most of the responsibility onto the newbie?"

...Come to think of it.

I’m not sure if that’s really passing on responsibility, but on the other hand, it’s not entirely wrong. They handle their actions well in the outside world, but they’re good at hiding their dual identities.

I’m sure millions of viewers are seeing Lorentina as a current military member visiting the Expo—though they have no idea what role she’s actually playing.

Anyway, the sharks from this world, upon confirming that the shark team from the other world had gathered in my empty house, seemed to understand how things were going right away.

"Well, thanks to the newbie, you all seem to be getting a nice tour of Seoul. As for me, I can roam around within legal limits, right? Isn’t that true?"

"Considering that you and I exist separately, yes."

"That’s just the way it is. This reckless newbie told me much later than I expected."

"You were already connected to the shark network!"

"Ah, you almost got past that, but it’s too bad."

And once again, Lorentina tried to slide her way out with a half-lie.

"Well, even so, I wasn’t trying to make things difficult for you. But considering I’m carrying something that can change my identity and appearance anytime, can I be blamed for that? Plus, publicly, you shouldn’t be here in Seoul."

"True. It’s right that we shouldn’t be here... but that doesn’t erase what you’ve done."

"Did you get hurt?"

"Mostly my image in New York..."

"...Ah, that’s something we can’t help."

Maybe so.

But New York-shark also doesn’t exactly have a stellar image either.

Well, I just kept that thought to myself as the two sharks grabbed my cheeks and stretched them. How do they always pick up on my unspoken thoughts? These sharks are scary.

Anyway, thanks to that, or maybe because of it, here’s what New York-shark said:

"Well, about the things I owe you from before. How about this?"

"Like what?"

"Well, about the things I owe you from before. How about this?"

"Like what?"

"Since I have training next week and won’t be able to stay at the Expo openly, how about you fill in for me with something like a hologram? You could take my place, and I’ll be fine with that."

At the same time, a moment of silence followed.

The reason this was impossible was simple – Lorentina was in the UDT, and Dice’s group would definitely start asking, "Why are there two sharks?" if the hologram wasn’t used.

However, the thing about holograms is that they typically only alter the appearance. Without someone manipulating the voice and movements in real-time, it’s a bit tricky.

But, as I said before, if the shark could just replace itself with another shark... then that changes things.

New York-shark let out a laugh.

"...Heh, haha! You really are a troublesome person."

"Since I have personal debts, I was thinking, how about this? Next week, I won’t be able to stay at the Expo openly because of training, but if you could take my place with something like a hologram, that would work."

And thus, another moment of silence passed.

The reason this wouldn’t work is because, as mentioned, Lorentina was in the UDT and Dice's group would probably start wondering why there were two sharks around. But that was if the hologram wasn’t used.

The issue with holograms is that they usually only change appearance. If voice or movement wasn’t being handled in real time, it would cause problems.

However, if the shark could just replace itself with another shark… then things would be different.

New York-shark broke into laughter.

"...Heh, seriously, you're a tough one to deal with."

"Due to personal debts, I’ve been considering this. You know, it seems like next week, I'll have to train and won’t be able to stay at the Expo openly, but if you could fill in for me with something like a hologram, I think that would work."

A brief silence followed again.

The reason this was going to be a problem was simple: Lorentina was part of the UDT and the group with Dice would be asking, "Why are there two sharks?" if a hologram wasn’t involved.

Still, holograms only change the outward appearance; voice or actions are a different story, and real-time adjustments could become tricky without proper supervision.

But, as previously mentioned, if sharks could just substitute for one another... that would change things.

New York-shark chuckled again.

"Well, let’s just say I owe you a few favors, and here’s one solution..."