I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 690

"Something feels off about this."

"...What do you mean?"

"Even if Artemis was cooperating, I can't understand how they managed to establish themselves in Lower Manhattan. How did they get in so deeply?"

"...Maybe they came in by submarine?"

"Whether it’s a submarine, destroyer, or aircraft carrier, that’s not important. What matters is that their position is in Lower Manhattan. Regardless of what they used to get there, to drop a two-company-sized unit in Lower Manhattan, they'd have to enter Upper Manhattan first."

"...Is that even possible?"

"Well, if Upper Manhattan were still clean like before, it wouldn’t be a problem. But now, with it covered in garbage and mines, of course it’s impossible. That’s why we’re here."

Tribeca Point, the next day.

May in Manhattan was eerily quiet. It was quieter than expected. Even when looking through the cameras installed on the rooftops of dozens of skyscrapers in the area, there was almost no movement visible.

Moreover, there was no need to even look through a window. The active surveillance function of the cameras linked to the Icarus gear was beyond imagination. With the drones added, there was no need for a person to even look.

Thus, we were closely monitoring the building known as 33 Thomas Street, also called the "Windowless Building," which was now being used as the command center of the Russian-Chinese coalition subunit, along with the patrols and strongholds in the area.

If anything unusual happened, the cameras connected to the gear would catch it and immediately send it to the Central Park HQ, so Olivia and I planned to directly respond only to the most crucial matters.

For example, if the subunit moved up to the Central Park area for reconnaissance… well, that would be a problem.

'That subunit doesn’t seem particularly interested in reconnaissance…'

It almost felt like they came to check on what was happening in Manhattan.

Anyway, back to the point, I wasn’t sure what context Olivia had in mind when she raised her concern, so I was racking my brain to understand. Why was she suddenly so troubled?

Meanwhile, Olivia showed me a map that displayed not only Manhattan but most of New York City, and began explaining everything.

In short, this is what she said:

"There are about four ways we can guess the subunit entered Lower Manhattan. The first is through the north of Manhattan, the second is through Brooklyn or Queens, the third is via New York Harbor, and the fourth is through New Jersey. Out of these, the third and fourth options are completely out of the question."

"Why?"

"Because the Hudson River and New York Harbor are covered with reconnaissance drones. If they came that way, they’d have been detected long ago."

"So, the second option is... Brooklyn and Queens are full of escapees, right? With cleaners in the mix, if they came that way, it would have been a complete disaster."

"Exactly. And Zodiac didn’t seem to know there was a subunit in the north. Even if they were moving at dawn, it would have been impossible to avoid the eyes of escapees and cleaners."

It made sense.

Then, the last possibility was that they came from the north of Manhattan... but wouldn’t that be impossible too? There was no need for it. If they were going to do that, it would have been much easier to stay in the northern part of Manhattan.

Besides, Midtown, the necessary passage from Upper Manhattan to Lower Manhattan, had a much stricter security than Brooklyn. There was no reason for 200 armed men to make their way down to Lower Manhattan, and if they did, they’d be caught.

Olivia finished explaining, and only then did I understand why she was worried.

If we didn’t know how the Russian-Chinese subunit made its way here, we’d keep being vulnerable to the same method in the future.

...But now that I think about it, maybe I could just ask that Zodiac person? Maybe we’d get some answers.

I said that, and although Olivia made an unwilling face, she agreed to try at least once. I also didn’t think it would make much of a difference, but it was worth a shot.

Anyway, the communication line was set up, and we had a way to contact them. We immediately adjusted the channel and sent the signal.

About 10 minutes later, I heard a slightly husky, almost shy voice over the communication device.

• This is Zodiac.

"Stalker Actual. Are we able to communicate right now?"

• Yes, I can… What’s the matter?

"Have you seen any movements of heavily armed troops from Brooklyn? About 200 of them, armed similarly to the U.S. military?"

• Hmm... I don’t recall any. I don’t think there have been any related reports even from the Hyena Council. Does that answer your question?

"Understood. I’ll contact you again before the operation starts."

• Got it. But... hmm...

There was a brief silence.

Then, her voice came back.

• It’s not certain, but lately, I’ve heard that the cleaners are active in the northern areas. Up near the Bronx... I think around Fordham. I heard there’s something going on near the railroad there.

"...Is that all?"

• When you mention heavily armed troops, that’s all I can think of. It’ll take a bit more time for any better information to come in.

"...The subway?"

That last word was something I muttered to myself.

At that moment, all the scattered pieces of the puzzle suddenly clicked together, forming a picture—naturally, Olivia seemed to realize it at the same time. We both started to understand what was going on.

Looking back, it seemed obvious. If they used the subway, as long as the tracks weren’t destroyed, they could move underground with relative ease, without the risk of being detected since they wouldn’t be moving on the surface.

The only problem was that, considering the tracks alone... they could come into Lower Manhattan from anywhere. But, the subway tunnels connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan had all been flooded, so that had to be taken into account.

Meanwhile, Olivia quickly adjusted the screen and checked all the subway lines in Manhattan, pinpointing one of the lines that stretched out like veins, branching into the surrounding areas.

It wasn’t just Manhattan or New York City.

It was a port city in Connecticut, New Haven, on the right side of New York state.

"Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line. The route from Harlem to Grand Central Terminal runs underground."

"So, how did they avoid detection when traveling above ground?"

"Who would tell us that? They're either dead or have fled."

Cynical, but honestly, it was hard to imagine any other answer.

Besides, we weren’t using all of Central Park. The southern half was filled with new facilities, but the northern half had seen a mass exodus of civilians. This had caused delays in construction and the water supply system.

In other words, while there was some control over the southern part of Manhattan, the northern part wasn’t as easily accessible for the government.

So, in the future... would we have to block all the subway tunnels leading outside the city? And if something happened there, we’d likely have to go and deal with it too.

While we were having this discussion, the other voice on the communication line spoke up.

• ...Stalker, uh, Actual? Is there a problem?

"Stalker Actual. No problem. That was sufficient help."

• Right... Okay, I’ll keep an eye out. By the way... Could you send me some gas masks? About 300 of them. You’re spreading white phosphorus, right? I’m worried about the smoke and particles after the bombing.

"Unlikely to reach the lower parts of Brooklyn."

Adjusting the range and marking the future impact zones was part of our job, but still...

There was some concern. White phosphorus in a large city like this… I’d heard that its effects were somewhat limited. That’s why we planned to spread a lot of it to catch all the hidden enemies.

Even though I was worried Lower Manhattan would turn into a literal inferno, no one was really concerned at this point. Civilians had long since disappeared from the southern part of Manhattan.

This had been confirmed through drone surveillance multiple times.

The communication cut off, and we switched the screen to a camera installed on one of the tallest buildings, which allowed us to observe both bridges connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn.

There were a dozen or so rioters on the bridges, crossing from Brooklyn to Manhattan. It had become so routine by now; we’d already seen hundreds of people come over.

We continued switching screens, confirming the escapees spreading through Lower Manhattan’s central and eastern areas, marking the coordinates, and updating the 3D map before sending it to Central Park.

Olivia, still talking to HQ while glancing at another screen, spoke up.

"Eugene."

"Yes?"

"Time: 21:33. The operation will begin in exactly 2 hours and 27 minutes. The number of escapees coming to Manhattan is higher than expected. The more they spread out, the exponentially larger the area that needs bombing."

"Got it. I’ll send the AOE data to the CP. The ICE (individual chemical equipment) settings are also complete."

"Good. You’re ready to jump into the fire, right, rookie?"

Honestly, I wasn’t sure, but I nodded.

At that moment, Olivia smiled widely and pressed a button — Bang. I knew instantly that she had activated the IEDs hidden all over Lower Manhattan.

She spoke up.

"Let’s get ready."

"We’ll be the first ones to operate in a white phosphorus-filled city, won't we?"

"Let’s think positively."

That might be easier said than done.

The time to operate in a city filled with white phosphorus smoke was approaching.

Valkyrie 1 through 4, ready for takeoff.

Partmos 1 through 4, ready for takeoff.

White phosphorus bombs equipped. Safety devices functioning properly. Moving to the runway.

Polar Bear 1: Engagement at Kips Bay completed. Artemis remnants eradicated. Currently returning to Central Park, have acquired some network devices.

Acknowledged. Starting Midnight Sun operation now.

Whoooom!

The roar that made my ears ring and the body vibrations were absent. The most notable advancement in technology was the quietness of aircraft and drones.

However, what was attached to these countless bombers was not something to be taken lightly. Quite the opposite. No one questioned whether these would be used; the mere thought of it was unsettling.

White phosphorus.

A weapon so controversial that its use as a military-grade weapon had been banned, and yet it was a special incendiary that would keep burning even after it melted flesh and bone, unless oxygen was cut off.

Today, over several tons of this material had been prepared.

Hundreds of drones, followed by UAVs and manned aircraft, took off.

It didn’t take long for them to follow the predetermined flight paths toward Lower Manhattan, and the subunits and escapees still engaged in combat on the ground waited for them.

Strictly speaking, they weren’t really waiting, but...

How much time had passed?

Olivia spoke.

"Valkyrie squadron, notify Stalker Actual. Requesting type 2. Targeting type BOC (Bomb on Coordinate). Let me know when ready."

Valkyrie 1, Bravo 15. Ready to go.

"Proceed to IP Aleph. Target location 2 mic. 4 is N/A. Refer to pre-sent offset coordinates for target. Laser code 1358, vertical laser. No friendlies in AO. Mission abort code: Vulture. Standby for additional instructions."

"Understood. Briefing now."

"Maintain final attack direction, deviation path azimuth 225. Hold time not to exceed 20 seconds. No AA threats. Have you received?"

"Received. 15 seconds to IP entry."

At the same time, the HMD of the UAV pilots displayed the bright green laser markings.

The vertical laser, developed specifically for CAS (Close Air Support) in the skyscraper-filled Manhattan, was a method of target designation that shot a laser upwards from the point to strike.

Once the laser was recognized, the offset coordinate data activated, and the pilots could easily check the remaining distance and the time to IP entry in seconds.

How much time passed?

Four UAVs crossed the IP.

"Valkyrie 1 notifying Stalker Actual. Ready to go. In hot."

"Enemy movements absent. Commence attack."

"Affirmative. Commencing attack. WP bombs away."

And then, countless white bombs dropped from the sky.

With a click, the white phosphorus bombs, filled to the limit of the UAV’s capacity, flew silently through the air, and their delayed fuses began to activate. They were all set to ignite at a specific altitude.

How much time passed?

"Stalker Actual, WP (white phosphorus) ignition confirmed."

White flames began to pour from the sky.

In an instant, it felt as if all of Lower Manhattan was painted white, the sheer volume of it overwhelming. It fell languidly through the air, splitting into 116 wedges mid-flight.

This was one bomb. The payload included enough submunitions to incinerate an area the size of four soccer fields, and these bombs rained down over the combat zones where the subunit and the escapees had clashed, bringing a temporary ceasefire.

Naturally, the result was clear.

"Command, this is Bimpel 1. Suddenly, bright light from the sky—Aaaaah! Save me! Save me!"

"Wh-What’s happening? Ahh, fire from the sky...!"

"Ahhh! Haaah, please, help! Cough…!"

"Bimpel? Bimpel 1, respond! What’s going on?"

But by the time they saw the white light, the Valkyrie squadron had already disappeared from the scene.

Next in line for the enemy forces in Lower Manhattan were the numerous drone squadrons, led by the Partmos squadron. Each of these drones carried tens, if not hundreds, of kilograms of white phosphorus.

The reason was simple. They would have to dispose of these bombs anyway, so they might as well use them now.

The hell that was about to unfold for the coalition forces and the escapees landing in Manhattan wasn’t far off.

"Where do we go, where do we go...?"

"Damn it, the smoke, the smoke is coming! Cover your mouths!"

"Ahh, it’s burning! I can’t breathe...!"

"Shit, the whole world is on fire! What the hell do we do!?"

The answer? No one knew.

The apartment complexes, the combat zones, and every place where people might have been—all were engulfed in white flames, smoke, and the widespread fires that followed.

Naturally, that wasn’t the end of it.

"Finally, we can breathe... Damn it. Who the hell...?"

"...Wait. I think a drone just entered the first floor—Waaagh!"

Boom!

As the 10-kilogram white phosphorus and the explosives attached to the drones went off, the lobby became a mess.

It didn’t take long for the first floor of the building to burst into flames. It was simultaneous and not a one-off event.

Lower Manhattan was set ablaze in a spectacular display.

And few knew that this was just the beginning.

"Good, sealed tight. Air circulation normal, fire protection working, shields functioning. Let’s move out. It’s time to kick the coalition’s asses."

"...Am I good to go, though?"

"Well, you’ll know once you try."

Meanwhile, near Lower Manhattan, two figures in bizarre outfits were steadily making their way through the white phosphorus smoke and flames, stepping forward amidst the chaos.