I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 649

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-[Reporter Sanghoon Ahn // [email protected]]

-[Songdo Expo Downtown Terrorism Response Training Day 1… Are Humans No Longer Necessary?]

-[Registered 2037-08-06 18:24]

<Photo of numerous drones flying into the sky>
- This is a photo of a terror suppression drone from Icarus Dynamics, a subsidiary of Icarus International, which is conducting joint terrorism response training for national key facilities and crowded facilities, scanning the facility and flying toward a person who raised their hand. Courtesy of Icarus International.

At the Dark Zone Expo, which is being held from the end of July to the end of August, Icarus International conducted terrorism response training for crowded facilities alone with the consent of visitors to promote its drones.

The training was conducted under the assumption that a large number of terrorist suspects had entered the Expo facility, which was crowded with people, and the Expo underground building that managed electricity, communications, water, and gas.

The suspects and hostages were handled by Icarus Dynamics' humanoids, and the suspects were armed with various weapons including knives and crossbows, as well as improvised explosive devices. Icarus checked whether the situation could be ended with only its own drones.

<Photo of a shield drone deploying a force field>
- The large drone isolated the surrounding people and the scene using unknown technology. Photo provided with the cooperation of an unknown photographer.

115 drones were deployed to prevent the spread of the situation and subdue the suspects that day, including 15 shield drones that Icarus Dynamics recently produced in collaboration with 'Think Tank'.

The drone deployed an energy force field to safely isolate the actual bomb that had been detonated and the ceramic ball inside, and at the same time, the explosion that occurred elsewhere was also isolated without any major safety incidents.

The multi-complex terrorist situation response training that took place today for 15 minutes will be divided into two parts over two days. ?Part 1 will deal with the infiltration of the Expo underground terrorist suspect and the simultaneous hostage situation.

?Part 2 will be conducted assuming a situation where the drone release fails due to an EMP, and Icarus International will conduct joint training with the Naval Special Warfare Flotilla (hereinafter referred to as UDT) under the Naval Operations Command of the Republic of Korea Navy.

Some have argued that 'the drone's performance is being verified at the expense of the citizens' risk,' but Janet G. Harper, a former US Secretary of Defense and a think tank affiliated with Icarus Dynamics who was observing the training, dismissed the issue, saying, 'The explosion isolation was carried out after all personnel were evacuated to a safe location.'

.

.

"<It's been a while.... Nice to meet you, Marcus and Rapier. I didn't expect to see you here.>"

"<Likewise... I heard that the youngest Mecha were here, but I didn't know they'd be working like this. I came here to talk about work, but those thoughts are just about to disappear.>"

"<You should talk to Icarus Dynamics about that... ayaya.>"

"<Do you think I don't know that your breath reaches even further than that?>"

Songdo Expo, 8 PM.

After today's training ended safely, and the remains of the hostage situation that occurred inside Starbucks were also neatly cleaned up, a group of familiar faces gathered inside a maid cafe that had completely closed.

Thanks to the variable glass that could be seen from the inside of the store, the inside of the store didn't leak out, and thanks to that, I was able to meet them without any major problems - and there were sharks from the other world.

It was a truly chaotic situation.

"<The kids you always hang out with?>"

"<Those friends… well, they came alone this time. To be honest, the two of you came to talk about the contract this time. I can't let the new youngest ones go with you… they're already aware of that.>"

"<Well, I guess that's fortunate. Anyway, it's nice to see familiar faces… but everything else is unfamiliar.>"

"<It can't be helped. This is the first time we've met in person like this, right?>"

Laurentina slowly opened her mouth. Specifically, New York-Laurentina.

Strictly speaking, since Marcus and Rapier of this world have their main jobs, it was their first time meeting the Mecha youngest ones and Laurentina of the other world. But it's fortunate that they didn't feel any anxiety.

Anyway, it's a contract… .

"<I can't say for sure if it's possible. I believe you understand that.>"

"<Surely you wouldn't bring up the economic espionage law while holding an expo in a country other than the US, right?>"

"<It was possible because Korea newly joined the Five Eyes. Shouldn't you have noticed the sharks here from the beginning?>"

"<...That's not wrong.>"

Exactly.

Of course, the sharks here right now are from New York, but the fact that they're walking around so openly is also something like that... Furthermore, this shark's current position is CWO-3, which roughly translates to Third Class Warrant Officer in Korean.

That's also something he earned while working in DEVGRU, a Tier 1 special forces unit where each person's personal information is treated as a strict secret, and he's scheduled to become CWO-4 after this deployment ends.

The fact that this guy is in Korea means that permission has been given from very high up in the US.

This is a bit long, but in short, the Expo held in Korea was held because it was possible. It was possible because our Emperor Henry and the Congress said that it was okay to demonstrate technology in Korea or export it to some extent.

But, um. Well. I wonder if it’s a little early for the US military to transfer the items that are just being installed to the PMC… Of course, assuming that there are, Marcus and Rapier will be very useful.

The base is Icarus Gear.

"<If our humanoid is adopted at the Military Expo in the US at the end of September, wouldn't things be okay after that?>"

"<It's already been adopted, you punk. Are you saying that now after seeing the youngest mechas working here?>"

"<I told you they worked hard to make them. They used so much special metal that's hard to make… If they make things that are supplied to the US military like that, Icarus will go bankrupt.>"

"<Oh, I get it. I get it.>"

While grumbling like that, the two of them slyly grabbed Jin's cheeks who was sitting next to them.

While the silence was broken by the sound of "Eubue-e-e", I noticed that Marcus and Rapier's expressions weren't that bad. In fact, it seemed like they hadn't come to receive a final answer on the contract. It couldn't be helped, though.

The important thing was that these two Blaze Company members knew me. Later, when they expand into the civilian market in earnest, at least they will be able to buy them in small quantities for money.

When other places have money but no goods and are fighting over who to buy.

By the way, these two seemed to really like the feel of the cheeks of the youngest mecha members they met for the first time in reality during that short period.

"<I've heard about them a lot, and I saw them at the Dark Zone Expo held in the Dark Zone Town near Rochester last time… but seeing them in person is beyond my imagination. Are these guys AI?>"

"<They're electronic lifeforms, to be exact. Aren't our youngest mecha members cute?>"

"<If these guys go to the battlefield and come back half-broken, it'll be quite a headache. I mean, the soldiers' feelings.>"

"<That might be true…>"

In the past, there was even a bomb disposal team member who gave the EOD bot the name Slowpoke Joe… The ending wasn't all that great.

Anyway, snacks and drinks were automatically delivered, and everyone sat down at a large table and started enjoying a quick late-night meal.

The main agenda was the drone used during today's training, and the second mock response training tomorrow - the name was the same as today, but the subject was completely different.

"<UDT guys are coming tomorrow?>"

"<I've already posted a notice. Starting tomorrow afternoon, Building C and Building D will be inaccessible. The actual operation time will probably be about 20 to 30 minutes at most...>"

"<I guess I'll have fun watching it.>"

"<The youngest members of Mecha, don't ever greet Laurentina with her helmet upside down. Okay? If you disobey, I'll warn you in advance that you'll never be able to set foot on this land again.>"

"<Wow, I don't like that!>"

Of course, this is the most certain threat to Mecha thugs.

Anyway, since Laurentina was mentioned, Marcus and Rapier turned their heads towards where the New York-Shark was sitting and nodded, and she opened her mouth as if she had guessed what he was going to say.

"<That kid has nothing to do in this world, so he can do whatever he wants. Bang Ji-chul, I've been suffering there for 6 years, so I feel like my endorphins and adrenaline gauges are overflowing... .>"

"<I guess I've been doing so many things I want to do that I've become calmer... I felt that way, but it's a bit strange when I actually see it.>"

"<So does that mean that Laurentina in this world has to fight endlessly for 6 years to become a little gentler?>"

"<... To take it that way? The youngest members of Mecca also have quite unique personalities.>"

That's right.

Of course, I've known their personalities for a long time, so I didn't need to worry about the youngest members of Mecca's stupid remarks now... Anyway, there was nothing more to worry about at this point.

If things continue like this, the Expo will probably end without any major problems, and the analysis engine has already shown that the Expo will turn a profit next week. Then there's nothing much to worry about.

So I didn't have much to say to them.

"<Anyway, since you've all come a long way, enjoy yourself as much as you can. You all know my phone number, right? If you need anything, call me anytime.>"

"<I don't know when the youngest member of the Dagger team, who used to cry all day, grew up so much.>"

"<Thank you. As for the full contract, I'll tell our shareholders in advance that we can't discuss it until this winter at the earliest.>"

"<Yes, yes.>"

At the same time, I snapped my fingers.

Suddenly, several people who wondered what was going on looked around, and a cart was coming from the other side, bringing a large amount of snacks and several bottles of wine.

While everyone's expressions changed to a bad one, I opened my mouth with a big laugh.

"<Did you all reserve a room nearby?>"

It was time to let out some air after a long time.

"<… Oh my. I thought my whole body was sore, but something bigger happened than I thought.>"

"<Eugene, this brat… Marcus' neck and face are covered in scale marks! What did you do with my boyfriend yesterday!>"

"<Wow, it's because I have a bad drinking habit! Sorry!>"

And the next day, I slept with my tail wrapped around Marcus's body, and when I woke up, I got a big scolding from Rapier.

Did I run too much?

"The sunlight is killing me. It's a great day for a helicopter ride. Isn't it?"

"Yes."

"I like the confidence in your voice. Let's see if they can do it well later."

Pyeongtaek Naval Base, 5th Special Forces Battalion Briefing Room.

30 minutes until the start of Operation Frontrunner, the operation name Frontrunner.

While numerous helicopters were completing their inspections and entering the refueling phase, only three team leaders were checking the special items in the briefing room where Laurentina and the Hammerhead team from Gold Squadron were waiting.

The ten people including Laurentina were divided into two large sub-units, and each was given the codenames Beast and Watcher.

And below them, the three UDT teams were scheduled to be called as Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie squads according to the phonetic code, and thus a total of 40 direct troops were scheduled to be deployed for this operation.

The shark continued.

"I'm sure you all know the details of the operation process by heart, but let me put it simply."

First, the alarm at the Expo As soon as the order was given, 40 people who had been waiting boarded four helicopters and took off.

Second, Hammerhead Team landed on the roof of Building D, and Alpha and Bravo Squad landed on Building C, and completely surrounded Building D - thus simultaneously striking the remaining enemy forces on each floor.

During this process, three people remained on the helicopter to act as a sniper team to block additional enemy forces from the passage leading to the underground. This was done considering that the UDT was a seven-person team.

Laurentina's team was an exception.

Third, from the moment the friendly force deployment and formation formation were completed, they were left to individual judgment.

When I said that, one of the UDT team leaders added with a small smile.

"I've thought about this before, but the operation process itself is so simple and clear that it can't even fit on a single sheet of A4 paper. It's always been a bit more dense than this."

"Operations tend to go awry when they enter a real situation. It's much better to separate the basic process and the operational area for preventing friendly fire, and leave the rest to individual judgment."

"I agree. There was nothing that worked properly in the event of an emergency among the tightly planned scenarios."

A brief laugh followed.

Then, they started checking the checklists separately assigned under the process one by one - from basic IFF to individually owned grenades and flashbangs, ballistic shields, and body signature detection sensors.

It's not that people don't die, but in this operation, when hit by the enemy, the patches attached to various parts of the body partially restricted the movement of the body, and even continuously shocked the arm if it was damaged, making it impossible to use the damaged arm.

Of course, this was also a matter promoted under Laurentina's strong will.

"The infiltration route and individual objectives for each squad should be announced after you return to the waiting room, so you should do that part on your own. I don't think anyone needs motion sickness medicine when riding a helicopter."

"Haha, that's not true. Instead, there are still many people who are having trouble adjusting to the reinforced plastic UI attached separately to the helmet display this time."

"HMD is something to be adapted to, not compromised. Everyone will have to adapt somehow until I leave Korea."

"I'll tell my subordinates about that as well. They'll be very happy."

Laurentina laughed quietly at that.

A pre-briefing with a bit of humor. One by one, green V marks were placed on the items written on the holographic checklist, and when it was all over, there were only two minutes left until departure.

Four MH-60S Seahawks waiting outside were quietly sleeping on the helipad, but they were scheduled to soar into the air in a few minutes, powerfully turning their rotors.

'I guess there's going to be chaos at the Expo right now...'

A thought crossed Laurentina's mind.

It would be chaos since they had to empty out Buildings C and D, which were half of the Expo, and Eugene would have already issued a status call and sent a mock emergency call to the surrounding military units and fire stations.

Since Operation Frontrunner basically started with a scenario where well-armed enemy special forces launched an EMP-like attack to stop the deployment of the crowd control drones, direct human intervention was necessary.

There were two minutes left until the operation, but it was roughly plus or minus 45 seconds.

Laurentina took a leisurely breath and felt her heartbeat beating faster and faster.

Today was going to be a good day.

And-

???Why, why!

"It's starting."

"Let's go, boss."

"Okay. "Shall we go and sabotage the youngest's expo?"

With that joke that wasn't a joke, the ten people including Laurentina kicked the ground and ran towards Seahawk.

The live broadcast started.