I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 706

"It’s raining."

"It rained a few times not long ago. The youngest seems to be in a good mood."

"Well, I usually feel good when it rains. Since my body is like this, I guess I can’t help but feel that way…"

"Mm."

At 11 AM, rain falls steadily across the city of New York.

It had already been almost 12 hours since the operation had begun. The sky darkened quickly because of the clouds, and rain started pouring down. Luckily, I loved the rain.

The thick scent of blood, almost sharp enough to make my nose hurt, was washed away by the rain. Still, it hadn’t disappeared completely. It couldn’t have, really. The number of enemies the Dagger Team had killed in the first 8 hours exceeded a thousand.

That’s just counting the Dagger Team alone; if we include the Cleaners’ kill count, well, maybe around 1,800 or so. It was like an entire regiment had vanished.

But even though it felt like the Dagger Team might just load up their rounds and fire them straight into the heads of all the thugs in the Bronx, their momentum had to momentarily halt.

There were several reasons for that, but the biggest one was, of course, the rain and the Titan.

• This time, it was lucky that such a crazy bastard was charging right down the wide boulevard, but if they encountered us in a narrow alley or hallway with no space to dodge, the Dagger Team would have to prepare for significant casualties.

It was a logical, sharp, and intellectual observation.

Honestly, I also found it pretty overwhelming. We could’ve lost one or two people in a bad way, to be honest. It was a bit surprising that Logan took the full brunt of it head-on.

But of course, that didn’t mean I could ask if Logan could stop it again next time when the same thing happens. It’s one thing to block it, but being the sole defender is a completely different story.

Plus, Logan was currently in quite a difficult position.

"Ugh, shit. I knew this was going to happen."

"Your wrist’s really swollen. The self-healing function is active, so it’ll be fine soon. Let’s put on some patches and wait."

"You should be thankful that your fingers and wrist bones didn’t completely shatter, you crazy bastard. How the hell did you think you could throw a counter punch to that bear’s face?"

"It could happen, damn it… Anyway, I killed it, so that’s that. I never imagined a lunatic would throw cars, but at least my arm’s fine, so that’s a relief."

There’s no one more of a man’s man than Logan.

Still, in a way, maybe that was understandable. It’s a bear after all. If I were a bear, not an anaconda, maybe I’d think about doing it too.

Of course, I didn’t dare say that in front of Logan. If I had, I’d probably be in a headlock right now.

Anyway, during the twelve hours of operation, there were numerous skirmishes, but luckily, the Dagger Team’s biggest loss was Logan’s wrist, as you can see.

Of course, everyone, including me, took at least a dozen bullet hits, but the Icarus Gear’s shields… they were literally invincible. Not a single bullet managed to pierce through our bodies.

Without the shields, we would have all been dead by now.

"How many gang members did they estimate?"

"About 14 to 15 thousand. With the Lickers joining in, we should call it 16 thousand."

"That means we’ve killed about one in every eight. Not bad. At this rate, it might be enough to make the bastards hiding somewhere in fear for their lives."

"That’s not enough. We need to kill them all to ensure there are no aftereffects."

Meanwhile, strange talks were circulating from the other side.

It wasn’t surprising that I agreed with those talks. Frankly speaking, I almost got raped by an escaped convict in Brooklyn, and really, whether they’re gangsters or escapees, they’re all the same there.

They’re all bastards who deserve to be killed.

And on a larger scale, unless almost every gang lowers its tail — which, honestly, you couldn’t even count on — they’ll never be able to properly operate the railroads.

If someone planted an IED on the tracks… what would happen then? A disaster in an instant.

Logan didn’t seem like he was going to stop fighting here, and thanks to the drones delivering ammunition and combat support equipment, there was no problem at all.

When you think about it, the combat power of the thugs wasn’t particularly impressive. We at least had plenty of ammo. But those guys would probably be out of ammo unless they looted supplies scattered elsewhere.

Besides, most of them weren’t even former soldiers, so they hadn’t been properly trained in shooting. Do you really think they could fight with trigger control, adjusting between semi-automatic and automatic fire at the right moments?

‘Anyway...’

The conversation dragged on.

There was no need to summarize it. The enemy was just a bunch of stupid idiots with a lot of numbers, and we were going to crush them all. We wouldn’t stop until we couldn’t move anymore.

And it seemed like Logan thought the same.

"Where’s the next operation area?"

"Still checking. It looks like we’ll head towards the railroad again. We’ll confirm the repairs, join up with the Cleaners, and enter the subway station."

"Let’s fix the shield on my right forearm and hold a handgun with my left hand. That should work."

"...Hah, what would I say to an Arctic bear who’s already taken down another bear? Give me your right hand. I’ll apply a splint."

Olivia sighed and grabbed Logan’s wrist, which was so thin and frail that imagining her fighting off a Titan would be unimaginable.

She twisted his wrist into place, then wrapped a splint and bandages around it. Logan grimaced, clearly displeased, but what else could he do?

After a while, the Icarus Gear vibrated, and something landed near the room where the Dagger Team was.

It was the ammunition and combat support equipment I mentioned earlier.

"If there’s no significant damage, orders are to resume operations from 1300."

"By that time, my wrist should be almost back to normal. Just need a little more rest..."

"Should I set a timer for you?"

"Gross, you bastard."

Logan sighed and leaned back on the hospital bed mattress, letting out a quiet breath and falling asleep.

He probably didn’t care about the noise around him. The Icarus Gear had noise cancellation, so no matter how loud things got, he could sleep peacefully.

He had already calculated the exact number of rounds needed, and because of that, the box only contained that exact amount. So there was no need to obsess over the supply boxes.

It was a quiet day.

And with the rain falling, it felt almost like listening to ASMR.

"Ahhh, I’m so sleepy..."

"A very comfortable yawn. I guess it’s no surprise. When an operation goes on for so long, it’s normal to feel sleepy. You should rest more too, youngest."

"Can you give me a pillow to rest my head on...?"

"Where the hell is this coming from, kid?"

"Ahhh!"

Naturally, I got a slap on the head.

It was cruel. They used to do this a lot at the Alpha-level mutant dorm... but now wasn’t the time to say that. I learned that Olivia didn’t just do this at any time.

Well, maybe it was embarrassing. I had no choice but to lie down like Logan and let the coming storm wash over me. I hadn’t slept much, so the drowsiness came quickly.

Thoughts melted away, and the world became a blur.

‘...What am I doing here?’

My body was stuck in a hospital somewhere in Harlem, but it felt like I was still wandering somewhere in Brooklyn.

When will I be able to go back? Is Korea still okay? Are my parents fine...? All those thoughts dissolved into the pot of sleep, melting away into nothing.

The sun was high in the sky, but the world was still dark.

Just like my heart.

"...It’s kind of pathetic every time I see it."

"This is why you can’t leave the kid alone, huh? You should give him a hug and such."

"No, that... I could do that, but I’m still a little uncomfortable. I’m not fully ready, you know."

"Tch."

"...Damn, you’re trying to make me feel like trash, you bastards. Fine, I got it!"

Meanwhile, inside the room where Eugene cried herself to sleep.

An hour later, after Logan had taken a nap, she was once again at risk of being destroyed by other mutants.

Not long ago, Logan had his first-ever mutant hug.

After having just finished with the Bloodhood gang, which had taken control of the 42nd Support Regiment building above Harlem Hospital, and crossing the 145th bridge over the Harlem River, the Dagger Team methodically combed through the nearby buildings that needed to be secured, as expected.

The fighting resumed from 1 PM. Even though we had already partially given up, there was still no time to head back to Central Park. Eleven people were far too few to control the Bronx.

Fortunately, the Cleaners advanced relentlessly and rapidly. Their numbers were vast, and their speed in pushing through each building was tremendous. They were also deploying a crazy weapon called the Dragon.

However, the Dagger Team wasn’t in the same position. It was extremely difficult to find and capture all the thugs hiding in the Metropolitan area.

Furthermore, the higher-ups issued orders for total annihilation. This was physically and mentally exhausting.

Of course,

"…Central Park, Dagger Team here. We’re currently at a nightclub called the New City Cabaret… we’ve visually identified what appears to be a mass murder of civilians by a gang."

If there were ever a reason to exterminate the enemy, that was the driving force.

One of Icarus Gear’s many functions was the Echo function. After analyzing the visual and auditory data from CCTV, it would recreate a hologram showing what had transpired in a specific area.

Once it activated, the Dagger Team was able to clearly understand how many civilians had been killed, and in what manner — though the corpses we saw were decaying. It seemed like a long time had passed since then.

• “Don’t be scared. The rules are simple. The one who drinks more survives. How merciful! Let’s start quickly, haha!”

• “Shit, I’ve got kids at home, I have to go back... Ugh, this is bleach, ugh...!”

• “Oh, did I? My bad. But hey, how could I have gotten such expensive booze in a situation like this? Just tough it out with bleach. You’re not saying you won’t drink, right, friend?”

One.

• “Please, please, let me go! I swear I won’t come back here again!”

• “Palms are 5 points, arms and legs 10 points, abdomen 15 points. And the head... 20 points? Haha, this is fun! I used to be a recreation instructor.”

• “Throwing stars, shurikens, daggers. How did you know I liked this stuff? Let me try… haha! 15 points, you bastards!”

• “Ugh, aaahhh…! Stop, stop! Please—!”

Two.

• “What’s a party without music? The piano keeps stopping, this is a problem!”

• “Aaahh, my leg! My leg…”

• “Wow, you cut the femoral artery clean off. No mercy… Hey, who said to stop playing? Don’t complain just because you got a knife stuck in your thigh.”

• “Grrr... ggrrgh…”

Three.

Of course, that wasn’t the end. It was just the beginning.

Here, many people had died. Those who had fought desperately to survive for just one more day, and who had survived the virus outbreak, had died without any dignity.

However, the members of the Dagger Team looked on with indifference. Unlike me, who was sitting there, ready to vomit from the sight, their reactions were completely different.

But I knew that it wasn’t because they felt nothing — I knew that better than anyone.

"Looks like they’ve been dead for over four days. Given how faint the bodies are, I can guess what happened."

"This was the work of Mara Salvaturcha. There aren’t many gangs that would commit such acts."

"I don’t know exactly where the gangs are located or how many of them there are, but maybe we can leave a few alive and ask."

"Youngest, looks like it’ll take a while to get home... but I believe you’ll understand."

"Yeah..."

How could I not understand?

These people were me. If I hadn’t met Captain Parkinson, if I’d been shot in Brooklyn and lost all will to fight, if I hadn’t retreated with the 107th Military Police Company from Brooklyn, this would have been the end that awaited me.

I had never forgotten that fact.

And as such things continued to happen, one thought constantly crossed my mind — because of this special situation, the higher-ups wanted total annihilation, and that was the right thing to do... No, I didn’t even need to question it.

It was the right thing.

"…Lorentina. If we wipe out all these thugs… will the world be a better place?"

"First, let me remind you that you don’t need to worry about such things, Youngest. What we’re carrying out is an order, and the Dagger Team has carefully considered the validity of this order and has judged it to be sound. Don’t attach any more meaning to it."

"…I guess that’s true?"

"Of course."

...I wasn’t sure what to say, but I figured it might be that way.

In a way, I was relieved. It calmed my mind after almost losing it from the horrific sight. I sighed and went outside, deciding not to think strange thoughts anymore.

Sadly, just being there for a moment, my body was already starting to stink horribly. I regretted not turning off the smell-blocking feature. Anyway, I would have to wash my clothes when I got back.

...I couldn’t believe I was having these thoughts after seeing over a hundred unidentified, unprocessed corpses. I had been here for only a few months, and it hadn’t even been half that time since I became a combatant, yet already I was thinking like this…

My head ached.

Then, at some point, I felt a familiar presence from behind.

"Youngest."

"…You followed me, even though you must be busy."

"Psychological care is one of the many tasks the team leader must handle. I can’t ignore today’s events, but don’t worry. Once the higher-ups receive the footage of that scene, the result will be total annihilation."

"That’s true…?"

"Of course."

That alone gave me some comfort.

I wasn’t sure if this was the right kind of comfort, but I decided not to think about it anymore.

Then Lorentina, with a deliberately playful smile, added:

"I’ve gone this far to take care of you, so please don’t forget it. Hehehe..."

"...Of course, I won’t. Who else would I trust but Lorentina? Ah."

"Lorentina... I never thought I’d be called that, but I guess it’s not so bad after all. Well, if not me, who else would take care of our little cutie?"

Then, she handed me a trident insignia and patted my head. This was definitely... a signal to join the navy. Naturally, it couldn’t have been anything else.

Yet, she still made sure to emphasize that "that’s not the intention," which made everything perfectly clear in its own way.

Leaving behind my confused expression, Lorentina casually walked off to another place, and I stood there staring at her back, pocketing the insignia.

I had no idea where I was headed. Even I didn’t know that.

And later, I had to admit that I should have joined the navy.

Sharks, in more ways than one, held grudges.

• Dagger Team Greenwood is expected to arrive in northern Manhattan within 30 seconds. The Eastern Air Defense Zone (EADS) remains silent. There should be no major setbacks to the operation for now.

• Understood, Greenwood. As soon as you arrive, initiate contact with the gang and begin ‘recycling.’

• Acknowledged. I’ll contact you once we’re in position.

The communication cut off, and Greenwood, who had been overseeing it, looked over the transport aircraft filled with unmanned drones, hundreds of firearms, and various other unknown machines.

The Artemis symbol was prominently engraved on the devices attached to his head and spine.