I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 657

"…Hey, are you all watching? Everyone? From now on, I'm going to deal with Kato here in this way."

"Guys, I've been caught… I'm going to become a slave to Viyam from now on…"

"…What is this?"

"Am I the only one not following what's going on here?"

"I feel like I'm going crazy."

-???????????
-What is this, the intro to an NTR comic? hahahahahahahahaha
-Why is Viyam letting this happen? hahahahahahahahaha
-Kato??? What the heck??? Are you crazy??????
-Despite denying it, they really match so well together hahahahahaha

It was Monday, the third week of the Expo, sometime in the afternoon.

The group of Hoddeok, who had been adjusting their plans with the thought, When should we visit the newly opened theme park?, was met by the familiar banter of two people. Whether this could even be called banter was questionable, though.

As soon as the scene appeared before their eyes, the fuse in everyone’s head literally popped, and it was only natural. The overload of information and the sight they could not fully process caused a short circuit in their brains.

But Eugene, who had dropped the bomb, didn’t care at all and continued speaking.

• "Well, of course, it's just a joke. It’s nothing major, I just happened to meet Kato at the theme park. It looks like I came here alone without notifying you guys, so I captured him like this."

"…The conclusion is pretty bold, isn’t it?"

• "Haha, I have something to discuss with you all. It’s nothing big, just something I overheard before making this video call. It seems like Kato is trying to figure out when to visit."

• "Right, I did talk about it on the stream haha"

• "That’s what she said wwww"

• "Living point) Viyam’s nickname is Big Sister"

• "But why did Kato go alone and get caught by Yujin? hahahahahaha"

• "Don’t dig into Kato’s secret preferences!!"

• "Capture? Are you serious? hahahahaha"

Everyone's gaze subtly shifted toward Kato, who was captured on the screen by Eugene.

His body was wrapped up by Eugene’s snake-like tail, but Kato, despite that, seemed to not be bothered, even placing his own tail on top. Still, it would be a disaster if this fact was ever mentioned aloud.

To protect what little honor Kato had left, they desperately shifted their eyes elsewhere and tried to add something.

"…Uh, so we were discussing the schedule. As you can see."

• "The discussion is moving fast. I guess I’ll have to help speed things up too. All you need to do is circle the dates you’re available. Let’s wrap this up quickly."

"Circle…?"

And at that moment, a screen appeared before them.

From Thursday of the third week to the final day of the Expo, and even dates beyond that. Some were green, some were red.

The group, gathered to discuss the schedule, instantly realized that this was indicating Yujin’s available and unavailable days, and their eyes shifted from the third week to the fourth.

But at that point, there was something they needed to confirm first.

"…So, what about Kato? Hey, are you okay to go at any time?"

• "Well, I… I’m fine with whenever."

"Don’t ask him, his focus is completely gone."

• "That’s not true… Ugh, teacher! Don’t squeeze me with your tail!!"

"…"

• Hahahahaha
• So, what exactly are you enjoying and squeezing??? Hurry up with the explanation!
• I said it already, stop pretending you didn’t hear it, idiots hahahahaha
• Kato is really just Viyam’s plushie at this point hahaha

It was becoming clear that just appearing on the broadcast was enough to shatter Kato’s image.

Just a few years ago, he had received offers to become an AP pro gamer, and had been acknowledged for his skills multiple times, but now… he was completely, utterly degraded. Could you even call it degradation?

That thought flashed through everyone’s minds. If anything, it felt more like chaos. And because of that, they all exchanged glances. They couldn’t waste any more time; otherwise, Kato might actually become a legitimate female character.

Of course, if he heard it, he would probably vomit blood and try to fight back.

Everyone placed their fingers on the screen. They all circled the fourth week.

The date that lit up was Monday of the fourth week. It was surprisingly quick, almost to the point where they questioned whether it was too simple.

Yujin then smiled and added.

• "It looks like you guys are coming less often than I expected."

"Hah."

"Well, even after the Expo ends, the main facilities will still be available, so I was planning to go after the popularity dies down. Plus, thanks to you, Yujin, I’ve been able to experience it before others."

• Hmmm...

• Hahahahahahaha

• Instant excuse!!!!

• Well, it’s not like I couldn’t go because I was busy, but honestly, it’s your fault hahaha

• Fact) The third group secretly visited multiple times during their free time

• What were you doing~~~~~~

Of course, none of that mattered.

And the aftermath of that fell on Kato. Eugene’s tail, moving like a separate creature, wrapped around him even tighter, and then poked at his cheek.

Perhaps they wouldn't let him go until next week, before they visited the theme park. The thought crossed their minds, but luckily, that didn’t happen.

Yujin just added one more comment.

• "These days, Minah and Yerim have been busy with tournament rankings, so there’s a bit more free time. Anyway, it’s decided for Monday of the fourth week, so you guys should come around that time. See you then."

"Okay."

"Oh, right. Speaking of which, the theme park just opened recently. Is there a Gaia chase there?"

• "Oh, that..."

There was a brief silence.

She added.

• "This time, we’ll release two core parts for the avatar. One from the Expo, and one from the theme park. The most important part for the upper body is probably the horns and hair, but the lower body is already decided. It’s the tail."

"Oh."

• "After opening the Expo and theme park, I realized something. You guys are unexpectedly obsessed with tails… I hope everyone’s dreams and hopes are fulfilled from now on."

"The last part is just a service comment, right?"

• "Of course. You perverts."

• Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

• Hoooooohhhhhh hahahahahaha

• Public meeting’s over wwww

• Wow, I’m not lying, I actually stood up hahahahahaha

• You guys are crazy hahahahahaha

Somehow, behind Yujin's words, there was a sigh that could be heard as everyone was exposed to a second notification that spread even faster and more widely than the Expo announcement.

Two Gaia tails will be released.

The costs for the Icarus Expo had already turned a profit by the second week, but with the theme park opening, they experienced a slight deficit. However, it was well known that the deficit had been recovered in the past few days.

How much profit would this person gain? The thought briefly crossed everyone’s mind, but it didn’t take long for them to realize that the silver-scaled dragon’s tail covered up that thought.

• "Well, let’s go. I’ll return Kato after using him well."

• "Uwah, where are you taking me, kyaaaahhh!"

"…"

"I know a great restaurant near my house that does amazing Yukgaejang. Let’s have that for dinner today."

"Tell me where."

• Yukgaejang, hahahahaha
• Kato’s going to be buried alive hahaha
• Living point) Snakes mate for weeks…
• These guys are completely out of their minds hahaha
• Kato…

The beginning and end were full of incomprehensible things.

For them, the world was still full of mysteries.

It was summer.

"…Looks like more and more people are getting the hang of it."

"There aren’t that many who’ve really mastered it, but they’re still much better than the new Viyams. The starting point is completely different, after all. The wearable tails themselves come with some behavioral corrections…"

"But no one writes out sentences in cursive while sitting like Yujin does."

"That’s going to take years of practice."

The fourth week of the Expo, Monday.

The calendar and LED clock were already pointing towards the end of August, but the scorching sunlight still relentlessly hit Songdo. Thankfully, the interior of the theme park was a completely different matter.

Through the transparent partition walls surrounding the area, a cool breeze swept in, mixed with the faint fragrance of nature. Naturally, this was made possible by the air conditioners installed everywhere.

No one knew that the underground fusion reactor was responsible for ensuring the park didn’t have to deal with the sky-high electricity costs, though.

But aside from that, a week left until the theme park closed, Eugene and the Hoddeok group finally reunited at the central square of the park. Naturally, their appearance was the same as the last time they visited.

As expected, the one responsible for opening the place, Kato, was met with loud cheers.

Though it wasn’t exactly a cheer of the most positive kind.

"You went to the theme park alone without saying anything? Ridiculous! Punish him!"

"I’m going to execute Kato by fire now. Do you have any last words?"

"So what if I went alone? Uwahhh—!"

But as Kato thought, it wasn’t going to end with just a fire-hologram performance rising from the ground.

When the fire hologram didn’t appear after a while, Kato began to panic and open his eyes. But instead, it was Hoddeok who stepped forward, holding out his hand with Chinese characters on it. And of course, it wasn’t ? (fire).

It was ?. A rarely used character that meant to burn, or to bind, and its meaning was crystal clear. Kato was about to experience a chiropractor’s shrimp-crack under the pretense of a Kairopractic move from Hoddeok.

A woman’s scream echoed across the central square after going through the voice changer.

"…Ughh…"

"It wasn’t even that painful. Get up, you. I’ll dust you off."

"There’s no dust on the floor… and I got caught by Yujin! I was captured!"

"You were NTR-ed."

Everyone present knew exactly what had happened that day, and only then did Kato finally close his mouth.

After a moment of awkward silence, Eugene checked her wristwatch and quietly opened her mouth.

"I think everyone who needed to gather is here now. Is there anyone who’s having issues with their equipment?"

"Yeah. By the way, in the fourth week, something new happened. They added tactile suits and even exoskeleton-like components. I was completely surprised. Didn’t we not have these last week?"

"In reverse, that means it’s something new. The Expo is just a small part of it, but this space won’t be closing in just two weeks. There are a few reasons for that."

The first reason: There were some who wanted to experience the physical abilities of the users, at least in a limited sense.

And the second reason was something else.

"We’ve had quite a bit of feedback that the tactile suits take up a lot of stamina. Fortunately, we solved it by applying some remote-controlled humanoid technology that Disney World and Disneyland have been using."

"Hoddeok… you didn’t wear one, did you?"

"This body is strong even without them."

"You’re saying that in front of Yujin. Good job, really."

At that moment, Hoddeok glanced at Yujin, but she only chuckled.

Once she confirmed that there was no issue, Hoddeok proudly boasted. While in reality, she could easily be a walking bodybuilder, here she was just the long-haired white tiger sister.

Nevertheless, they started to check in on Viyam’s opinion. Now that they had verified the equipment, they were likely about to discuss combat content next.

After some time, Eugene did not speak, but the ground in the central square suddenly opened up, and obstacles began appearing to block people’s path.

While everyone was confused, Eugene added.

"I thought it over. The simulation battle room in Building D could be fun, but it can’t accommodate too many people… Plus, half a year’s worth of reservations are already full."

"W-what then…?"

"Let’s think about the structure of the simulation room in Building D."

The first element: The panels that allow the environment to change freely.

The second element: The tactile feedback suits, speakers, and hologram projectors on the ceiling, which could change the appearance of the people involved and provide everything necessary for a simulation battle.

When asked which was more important in setting up the simulation room, various answers could be expected, but the conclusion was clear: the second element was undeniably more important.

As Eugene explained that, everyone looked at her with wide eyes, as if struck by lightning.

Could it be that Eugene had actually brought the simulation into reality?

?Beeep!

"It’s time."

"Time… wait, are you serious, Yujin? Are you actually planning to turn the theme park into a battlefield?!"

"I think I mentioned it last time, but it’s good that you guys catch on quickly."

Whooooooosh!

At the same time, Eugene waved her hand, and a drone cam flew from afar, reading her GPS data and starting the stream.

Before the people around her could even react, parts of the exoskeleton they were wearing began to change shape, forming gun-like grips and placing them in the hands of the people standing there.

The drones in the sky, and the thousands of hologram projectors on the walls and ceiling began to change the surroundings. The tactile feedback features were tested, confirming their functionality.

And they all accepted it naturally. Thanks to Eugene’s earlier announcement.

"To enjoy the event even more, don’t look at the announcements," Eugene had added, so except for the four people who didn’t have the data, everyone else jumped straight into the frontline.

As Eugene looked at the people on the other side of the central square, all of them turned red. She smiled, seeing her allies in blue on the other side.

As shield and HP gauges appeared on the UI, the speakers overhead amplified her voice.

"The winning team will receive a special prize. Please do your best."

• ????
• Wait, why is the broadcast on all of a sudden
• What’s going on? Is this suddenly Battlefield? hahahahahahaha
• Yeah, I’m pretty sure Viyam did something weird again hahaha
• Theme park survival kit wwww

Toodoodoodoo!

The sound of beans being roasted filled the air, and Eugene’s new model started to melt away. She had arrived here through holograms, just like always.

As expected, Viyam’s events were completely unpredictable.

It was just another day.