I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 713

"Our operations friends definitely seem to be good at what they do. The number of possible enemy positions wasn't very high, but even so, setting up a sniper position in such an artistic place is no easy task..."

"That's true. I definitely didn't expect to be able to see the enemy's movements and scale from here."

"The sniper range is between 600m and 800m, which will be pretty tough for the rookie. I'll handle most of it, but since the Icarus Gear has a precision sniper calculation function, you can use that as a reference for your shots. That should be enough."

Tick-tick-tick-tick.

The windage and elevation adjustments on the scope mounted on the sniper rifle were carefully rotated to set the windage and height, adjusting for zeroing as I waited.

The sky was full of darkness, but with the mutant's enhanced vision and the snake-like thermal imaging, I could smoothly see the enemy moving over 600 meters away at Bronx High School of Science.

What can I say, it looked like red dots in the shape of humans moving from a distance. With the Icarus Gear’s correction, it was so clear it almost felt like I could grab them with my hands.

In the distance, a strike team of nine members was moving near Bronx High School.

Nine humanoid, teal-colored dots led by a mutant. The sharp contrast of colors was truly impressive. It almost looked like our side was digging into a red ant colony. The problem was, it wasn’t much different from that in reality.

The same scene I’d seen in FPS games was unfolding right before my eyes. But if we failed here, someone would actually die. That was what made my heart sink.

???Whoooooo!

The stock monopod or rear pod – a single-legged height-adjustable stand mounted on the rifle stock – moved cautiously with only my thoughts guiding it.

In the past, I used to adjust height by turning the threads, so even adjusting the height with something like a sniper sock (which adjusted the height based on how much you squeezed it by filling it with rice or sand) was more convenient...

But now, this was much easier.

Anyway.

It was time to start.

"Dagger, this is Owl 1. I've visually identified the target and I'm ready to begin the operation."

• Owl 1, Dagger here. We're starting the mission. Eliminate all enemies in the paths that might interfere with infiltration.

"I understand."

The distance was 600m, so the vertical click was 6mil.

The wind was blowing from left to right at a very mild 5mph. The enemy was moving at a steady pace around the area, but the Icarus Gear had already predicted the enemy's position during the anticipated sniper shot.

As the holographic red dot in the shape of a person appeared about 5 meters to the left of the actual target, another accurate aiming point for the red dot appeared next to it.

In other words, the Icarus Gear handled all the aiming for hitting the person. This was the terrifying feature of the Icarus Gear.

‘At this point, wouldn’t it be better to send a sniper drone instead of me?’

But there had to be a reason for everything.

The moment to pull the trigger was getting closer.

"...Dagger 1. I've spotted a four-man patrol on the building rooftop 120 meters ahead. I'll handle it."

The controls had been set to fire a long time ago.

Though there were four of them, the enemy was stacked 2 by 2, just like something you'd see in a game, and Olivia and I each had one side aimed.

A light trigger, almost incompatible with firearms, was resting between my finger and the trigger.

Not only because of the mutant's finger strength, but because the Geissle trigger itself had an extremely low pull weight.

The moment I gently brushed it, a counter appeared right next to it. Anyone who didn’t know would have no idea that it was to synchronize the shots.

3.  

And 1.

???Piiiii!

With a subtle vibration felt in my shoulder – subjective, of course – a sharp noise exploded from the muzzle.

Because it wasn't a subsonic round, the match-grade armor-piercing round inside the box magazine easily broke the sound barrier, and the sound of the shot cutting through the air rang clearly in the darkened world.

However, the silencer was used not to reduce the noise, but to confuse the firing position, and at a distance of over 600m, it didn’t mean much.

About one second of fate passed, and—

"Good shot, good kill. For your first time, you did well."

"...Got him."

It didn’t fall as cleanly as in the movies.

It didn’t give the same satisfaction as a game either.

Instead of penetrating the head of the person in front of me, the bullet literally blew it apart, and the next moment, it tore through the chest of the person behind them, sending them flying with the remaining force.

The four of them crumpled to the ground like disconnected strings, and without losing speed, Dagger Team swiftly entered the science high school.

Below, I saw a pipe connected to a reservoir.

Olivia, not taking her eyes off the sniper rifle, added:

"A facility that can accommodate a server room, with a river or reservoir nearby to supply cooling water... There are dozens of places in the Bronx that meet these conditions, but there are almost none that satisfy both at once."

"Isn’t there another place that fits…?"

"So, this is the first place we're hitting."

...Now that I thought about it, that made sense.

Finishing our work in the Bronx today meant that. I’d heard the mission wouldn’t end with just this one, but now I understood what that meant. I guess understanding, not memorizing, was key.

Anyway, while that was happening, the scout drone floating in the air scanned every enemy moving around rooftops or balconies. The logic circuits of the Icarus Gear confirmed the location of Dagger Team and systematically categorized the targets.

One, two, and three. As the three teams made their way up the front, side, and back doors, Olivia and I marked the positions of all the enemies in the vicinity.

And—

???Piiing! Piiing! Piiing!

Literally, everything in sight was crushed and broken.

The Artemis forces disguised as gang members, whether they knew their comrades were dead or not, moved quickly, trying to find anything suspicious, and we had to stop them.

Thanks to the micro-thermite cylinder mounted on the front of the round, bullets pierced and exploded through any armor, regardless of how thick or whether the enemy was in a vehicle.

If this had been available, maybe we could have taken down an enemy like Code Name Titan with a single shot... But the rounds we were issued today were the latest armor-piercing rounds. Only a few hundred were available at DARPA.

Heavily armored soldiers wearing thick armor and helmets collapsed helplessly, and the bullet that pierced through the vehicle's bonnet caused the engine to fail.

We could even take down the weaker infantry with just the sniper drones hovering above.

• Dagger 1, contact inside the building, heavy resistance! Sending scan data, please neutralize any enemies in penetrable terrain!

"Owl 1 confirming, I'll do my best."

• Wait... Got it.

Boom!

But there was no need to worry about how to hit the enemy behind the wall. As the communication came through, the wall of the science high school exploded. I wasn’t sure if it was the best way to destroy the wall just to make the sniper support easier.

With a loud crash, the outer wall crumbled like Styrofoam. I wasn’t sure how it was possible, but now was the time to think about the gain rather than the reason.

As I turned toward the collapsed wall, I reloaded my rifle.

The shooting began.

???!

This wasn’t a mission intended to drag on.

Beyond the broken wall, one of our team members, carrying a giant bag, was visible. I already knew what it was. It was a bomb, one that could fill the bag completely.

EMP-inducing non-explosive magnetic bombs and actual C4 explosions.

Soon, this building and the server room inside the high school would be gone without a trace.

And—

• Photon 1, LZ arrival in 3 minutes. Finish up quickly and get out.

• Dagger 1, reaching server room. Bomb installation underway!

The transport helicopter, which had been hovering in the air, began rapidly descending toward the ground.

It landed on the pre-set LZ, folding its wings and covering the entire craft with an optical camouflage as the pilot started the engines, waiting for us to come down.

It was about time to leave and move on to the next location.

"Owl team, wrap it up! It’s time!"

"It's been a crazy mess. Let’s make it count, until the very end."

It was just as they said.

I always feel that way, but real missions are always... chaotic.

The long night was just beginning.

"Ugh, this damn mess. It's so chaotic,"

"Dagger team, we have arrived at New York Presbyterian Ellen Hospital!"

"Alright. Let’s get back to work, everyone. Stay sharp!"

Central Park, 2 AM.

The TOC (Tactical Operations Center) hidden underground was so bright it seemed like the lights would never go out, and it was loud, like the noise would never stop. The operations went on day and night, and the officers' work was no different.

Support officers and operation staff moved according to Dagger Team's schedule, including UAV pilots, fire control officers, mechanics, and all the necessary personnel responsible for fire support.

The eleven best operators worked tirelessly day and night, fighting for the restoration of America. Support officers could rest when they were tired, but Dagger Team couldn’t afford to let their guard down for even a moment.

These operators, trained with at least ten million dollars’ worth of investment, couldn’t afford to die just because of a lack of preparation.

Once an operation began, no one could sleep.

The many screens filling the walls showed various different views in front of the support officers.

Some were feeds from unmanned drones, some from reconnaissance planes, and some were body-cam footage from Dagger Team.

The irreplaceable high-level personnel who knew how to operate the system integrated with Icarus Gear processed the reconnaissance data and immediately displayed it on the operators’ screens.

Fire control officers, able to precisely place bombs exactly where they were needed according to Dagger Team's requests, thought about how to extract the most effective results from the overwhelming number of enemies.

And more, much more...

But—

"...Does this even make sense?"

What an incredible sight I had to help monitor as I looked at the operators, staring intently at the screen. It was like something out of a game or movie – a modern-day epic of heroes in war.

It was unfolding in reality, and the officers gathered in the operations center were witnessing it up close.

It wasn't even a matter of feeling unreal. Watching through the biggest screen or experiencing the view through the special helmet that allowed the first-person perspective was something else entirely.

Dagger Team was changing the course of reality itself, transforming what seemed like an impossible, utopian future into action for the rebuilding of America.

"...This damn Jam... you really dream big!"

"Ugh, chug..."

"Are you okay?!"

When Lorentina crouched down to take cover after her rifle jammed, she spotted something on the tray, covered in dust. It was a scalpel, and without thinking, she grabbed it, slipped it between her fingers, and hurled it straight ahead.

In an instant, the blade flew faster than visible speed, piercing the right eye of an Artemis gang member, exiting out the back of his head. The shark stood still, collapsing in front of him.

And such things happened regularly.

"Shit, that startled me!"

"Gghh...!"

"...I wasn’t expecting that, but he died in one shot."

The reflexive strike of Logan’s rifle butt hit the head of an enemy that suddenly popped out, causing instant death. By now, such swift, brutal takedowns had become commonplace.

However, despite this, the "decapitation operation" still faced hundreds of enemies at every turn, even with the surprise attacks.

It was a hellish modern warfare that only a small, highly trained group could attempt, and even fewer could survive.

Almost everyone watching that spectacle would bow their heads in genuine respect.

Of course, when I say "almost everyone," it means there were some who felt different emotions other than respect.

"...Attention. Explosives have been placed in the generator underground, and Photon 1 will reach the extraction point in 3 minutes and 30 seconds."

• Got it. You might have to do something similar soon, so make sure to pay attention... Damn these bastards!

"Don’t talk during combat! It’s too risky!"

Lapland.

She was the one who had recently managed to half-save Central Park on her own, and her reputation had skyrocketed as a result.

Because of that, just recently, she had received something like a scouting offer, and because of it, her thoughts were quite complicated. She doubted whether she could truly live up to someone’s expectations.

Moreover, the skills required by Dagger Team were undoubtedly high. How could she not be anxious when life and death crossed paths every single moment?

One mistake, and not just her life, but the lives of others were at stake.

It was no different from that when she was unfamiliar with guns.

'...How the hell can Eugene, that kid, handle a weapon so well…!?'

He never even thought about grabbing a pen to head to school; he was always holding a gun.

She had no real connection to the military either. Her first real encounter with firearms was after escaping from Riker's Island when she became a fugitive. Even during recent shooting training, she’d been insulted countless times.

But somehow, Eugene – with his young appearance – handled firearms so skillfully. Rumor had it he’d been in the military, but could that even be true?

The world was full of strange things, and one shouldn't judge people by their appearances.

And in this tightly packed place, rumors spread quickly.

"You seem to be deep in thought, our rookie operator."

"...Stop teasing me. What can I do about it! I’ll be an operations officer!"

"Of course, you will."

The senior operations officer chuckled, placing a hand on Lapland’s shoulder and added:

"You’ll be fine. Whatever you choose, whether to stay as an operations officer or become an operator, it doesn’t matter. Just don’t end up dead in some strange place. Field work is about putting your life on the line."

"..."

"It’s just something I thought I’d say now that there’s a bit of breathing room. Focus again."

"...Okay."

The hand left her shoulder, and the senior operations officer turned back to his station.

Lapland absentmindedly rubbed the spot where he had touched her. There was a faint scent of cigarette smoke lingering on her shoulder.

She mumbled to herself, smelling the faint rise of the cigarette scent:

"...Damn it."

But somehow, it didn’t feel unpleasant.

Slowly, cautiously, she was beginning to change into one of Central Park's own.

The summer, where bullets fly and the noise never stops, was fast approaching.