I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 738

"These red dots you see, and the red lines connecting them, are crucial points and network areas that must be defended during the forthcoming Russian-Chinese joint offensive."

"Military bases, arsenals, weapon depots, command centers, submarine bases, air defense bases, nuclear power plants... there's no shortage of places we need to defend. Even if the U.S. were fully functional, I wouldn't be confident in holding all of them."

"Along the coastline from Main to Florida, there are 16 nuclear power plants. If even one of them blows up, it’s going to... get horrific."

"Still, thanks to the fact that those plants are still operational, we're managing to secure the necessary power supply."

"Let’s be clear. They’re not ‘operational,’ they're only kept running because we have no choice."

Central Park HQ, Underground Top Secret Area Ark, Supreme Command.

A sense of impending doom was creeping over America. Even the most cynical people couldn't help but worry about the future, and reports based on data provided by Cyber Command kept piling up on the table.

And with every analysis, senior officials at the Central Park Command had to admit it: at this point, the U.S. couldn’t stop the landing of a Russian-Chinese alliance, and that was the best-case scenario.

However, one thing was clear—anyone who didn’t take into account a slightly “less” optimistic forecast when running simulations was not in that room.

The world was half-destroyed, but the U.S. still had a lot left. The number of crucial facilities, resources, and weapons to protect was countless.

Among them, the military bases and nuclear power plants mentioned earlier were absolute priorities for defense. Especially the latter—if even one of them were to fall or be destroyed, the very survival of the nation would be in jeopardy.

"...We've already mobilized every remaining person and shut down every power plant except the ones in essential locations. But we won’t meet the dismantling deadline before the war starts."

"Currently, only 1/10 of the nuclear fuel in the U.S. power plants has been replaced, disposed of, or shut down. We don’t know when the war will end, but a complete shutdown might only happen once the war winds down."

"Just say you can’t do it. The important thing is how to defend them."

"At least there’s some good news: the enemy won’t have too many troops to deploy initially. At least Russia won’t. The reality is pretty well-known due to the Ukraine war."

"That’s a relief."

As it was said.

In the war that broke out about eight years ago, Russia showed the world just how incompetent it was, and the updated data revealed every flaw of the Russian Federation’s military.

From the terrible junior officers and frequent corruption issues to the horrific logistics support, the lack of airlift capabilities for airborne troops, and more...

Russia, during the Ukraine war, used a large number of unskilled soldiers, non-Slavic forces, and criminals as cannon fodder to deplete ammunition. But doing that on U.S. soil? Completely impossible.

And that's why China joined forces...

"By the way, the 3rd and 7th fleets are tied up in Japan, and other fleets are in similar situations. At least the 2nd Fleet remains at home, so that’s something."

"I'll pull up the composition of the 2nd Fleet."

A hologram appears on the wall of the Supreme Command control room.

Beneath it, numerous words appear. All the units that make up a fleet were listed, but many of them had slashes or percentages beside them. At least half of them were in that form.

The 2nd Expeditionary Fleet, which includes amphibious assault ships, landing ships, expeditionary support bases, and all control and construction battalions used to build landing bridges after the assault—currently, it couldn’t be operated due to a lack of personnel.

Similarly, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower-based 2nd Carrier Group, USS Harry Truman-based 8th Carrier Group, and USS George Bush-based 10th Carrier Group were also incapable of operations.

At least the last one...

"...The 12th Carrier Group, centered around the newest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, is the only one that might be operational. Even then, the number of operational aircraft, destroyers, and air defense cruisers is likely very low. If we scrape together what’s left of the 2nd Fleet..."

"The best we can do is about 20% of the 2nd Fleet’s power. But that’s not certain. The problem is maintenance and compatibility. The aircraft carrier in the 12th Carrier Group is a prototype."

"What issues are there?"

"Electromagnetic catapult durability issues, elevator defects for ammunition supply, dual-band radar problems were identified back in 2016. While they’ve been fixed for a long time, once we enter combat..."

"No one knows what’ll happen."

Meanwhile, someone watching the holographic meeting in the Supreme Command moved quickly.

A woman with a warm expression that didn’t seem to fit a soldier. But her position as the 36th Chief of Naval Operations of the United States could never be taken lightly.

After some time, with a click, a new hologram appeared beside her.

The 2nd Fleet Commander, Admiral Glen L. Lewis, was now visible.

"This is our first meeting, Admiral Glen. It’s reassuring to know that even in these difficult times, you’re still holding up a part of America."

"You’re still safe, sir. This is surely God’s blessing..."

"Thank you. Donna will ask the detailed questions. It might be sudden, but I’d like a briefing."

"I’ll answer anything I know."

At the same time, the questions continued.

The members of the national cabinet—essentially a hybrid of the ruling and opposition parties and surviving members of the executive branch—watched intently, and Admiral Donna, the Chief of Naval Operations, cleared her throat before speaking.

"The President has not yet made a firm decision, but in light of the potential outbreak of World War III, the Commander-in-Chief understands that the 2nd Fleet, the only naval force capable of defending the U.S. mainland, has a critical role."

"I understand."

They continue discussing the operation of the 2nd Fleet, emphasizing the importance of defending critical regions. The situation remains dire, and every available resource is being used to maintain a defensive posture.

The dialogue between military officers and the ongoing strategic planning reveals the gravity of the situation. The conversation underscores the desperation and determination in a rapidly deteriorating world.

"Currently, the only available fleet power from the 2nd Fleet is the 12th Carrier Group. That group alone may have to defend from Norfolk to New York, and possibly Florida. Do you understand?"

"...What’s the goal of the defense operation?"

"I don't think we can stop the enemy’s alliance forces from the start. Instead, we need to ensure that there’s enough remaining strength to counterattack after the first offensive."

Beep!

With the addition of new data, Admiral Glen let out a sigh of relief, and after scanning a separate screen, he added:

"I’ll do my best. But additional personnel support is absolutely necessary. Right now, aside from the 12th Carrier Group, the other fleets can only manage maintenance."

"Try your best. How many resources and personnel do you need?"

"To deploy the 12th Carrier Group into combat, we’ll need at least 9,000 skilled personnel. Right now, we only have about 6,000."

"I understand."

As always, the situation was grim.

Once engaged in combat, the fleet would be a strong force, but to exert that kind of power, a significantly larger number of highly skilled personnel was required compared to other branches.

Moreover, unlike aircraft carriers with nuclear power plants, destroyers and cruisers typically used gas turbine engines, which required large amounts of fuel.

However, they couldn’t afford to ignore those needs.

"I’ll relay the order to the responsible commanders. May God bless the United States."

"Air defense systems are being set up at Governor’s Island and other locations. If you sink in the northeastern seas, we’ll try our best to retrieve you, as long as you don’t die."

"Understood."

One hologram flickers out, and there’s a brief silence in the room.

But that quiet doesn’t last long, as new information begins to appear. The coastline stretching from Main to Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Baltimore, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida...

While it would be impossible to protect the entire coastline stretching thousands of kilometers, at least some defense could be provided with anti-aircraft missile platforms being set up in key locations.

That wasn’t all.

To create additional task forces, a list of agents who had performed exceptionally well in the first deployment was compiled, and, most importantly, the Icarus Gear, which had been under strict management, was about to be put to use.

First deployment agents like Carmen Johansson Mitchell, formerly of the 75th Ranger Regiment’s direct search unit (RRC), Edwin Sirkins, a former Green Beret and first deployment agent, and many others were listed.

No one knew what results they would bring, or what results they would provide for America.

As President Henry skimmed through the analysis results sent by Cyber Command, the next words followed.

"Sir, shouldn’t we consider moving to a safer location than Manhattan?"

"...Hmm."

"Most of the traitors within the Department of Defense have been dealt with, and we’ve inflicted severe damage on Artemis, so moving to a safer location seems..."

At that moment, Henry looked around subtly. His eyes met the others in the command room, and he instinctively knew they all agreed with that reasoning.

Logically speaking, it made sense. If there was an opportunity to leave Manhattan, the rest could be handled by the staff. Plus, he couldn’t afford to die.

But...

He gathered his thoughts and spoke.

"I’ll do so in the near future. I’ll delegate the movement plan."

"Understood."

"But... I will return to Manhattan. Do you understand what that means?"

There was a brief silence.

Then someone spoke.

"Big Apple won’t fall, sir."

Only then did he nod.

"I can’t take it anymore, it’s too hot!"

"The wolf was the first to pass out. Rookie, take this guy to somewhere cooler."

"Yes, sir."

Meanwhile, at Governor’s Island, something akin to a serious construction project was underway.

"Without the Icarus Gear, even a Mutant would struggle to survive New York’s July... I need to make a note of this."

"Today’s been especially hot. It went over 33 degrees, anyone without a cooler would struggle."

"Here, hop on my back. You must be really hot."

"Ugh, heh..."

At 2 PM, on Governor’s Island in Manhattan, with the temperature nearing 34 degrees, the wolf passed out.

Luckily, unlike the motif of the wolf, Ms. Rapland had special sweat glands, so she could cool down much more efficiently, but she was still soaked in sweat.

Anyway, what could be done? I was the least experienced on the team. Of course, this “experience” has nothing to do with the team’s creation time. It’s purely based on military experience. So, I had to carry her.

I prepared to move Ms. Rapland to the shade, but a familiar face approached, one of the military police sent for security.

"What's going on, kid?"

"...Ah, Sergeant Mitchell!"

"Looks like someone became a pancake in the heat. She's your new recruit, Eugene. Take her somewhere cool."

"Heh, will do."

"And here are the folks who took the rookie. Glad to meet you. Word is you’ve been doing some serious work."

"Glad to meet you."

Sergeant Mitchell.

Back when I first joined the 107th Military Police Company with Captain Fawcett, he took care of me like I was his own. It was pure coincidence that he was here now, but of course, a military police unit would show up at a construction site.

As he approached, some of the other military police started looking over too. They whispered to each other, then pointed at Ms. Rapland, laughing.

"Long time no see, kid! You’ve changed quite a bit, how’ve you been?"

"Long time no see, everyone. Quite a lot’s happened, hehe."

"You've got a much better expression now. That's great. Anyway, the rookie's the first to pass out. You sure you're not a little weak for a Mutant?"

"She just didn’t have her gear. Anyway, I think she’ll struggle even more if we leave her here, so I’m going to take her to the shade. Please move aside..."

"Yeah, yeah. Take care of her."

We spent some time in friendly conversation, but there was no major concern.

Once I made contact with her body, I could activate the cooling function on Ms. Rapland too. She must have felt much cooler by the time I carried her. Though, it might be a little hard to tell since she was still grumbling in discomfort.

The sun was shining bright, but the area was still lined with intact concrete buildings.

I opened the door and went inside, where a clean lounge awaited. Unfortunately, there were no cooling devices. I guessed there wouldn’t be any, as the air defense shelters being built at Governor’s Island were set to be completely non-operational.

Regardless, it would dry quickly since it was so hot, so without hesitation, I sprayed cold water on Ms. Rapland’s body.

The moment a wet dog was born.

Splash!

"Ugh...!"

"Feeling better now?"

"Who wakes someone up by splashing water, ouch... but I do feel a bit better. I’ll let it slide since it’s cooling."

"Hehe."

The effect was astonishing!

Ms. Rapland bounced up like a spring, and I chuckled at that. Honestly, there was no more effective method than this, so I had no choice.

She wiped off the water and sweat mixture with a towel, eagerly drank the beverage in front of her, and I scanned her body temperature with the Icarus Gear. Fortunately, she was back to normal.

I sighed, looking at Ms. Rapland, thinking I should quickly provide her with an Icarus Gear. If we were to use Mutants, we had to understand their characteristics.

I looked at her closely. She didn’t seem to mind, but her ears were drooping a bit. She always did this when she was feeling down. I wasn’t sure why, but if it were me, I’d probably feel bad about not being able to help.

I didn’t think it was good to dwell on that, so I decided to bring up the earlier conversation.

"By the way..."

"...Hm?"

"What were you going to say earlier?"

"Whoops—!"

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to hear the rest of her words because of her violent coughing.

The coughing seemed endless. At one point, I thought she might choke, so I rushed to sit beside her and pat her back. She looked at me with a red face, likely from suffocating, and seemed like she wanted to say something but couldn’t.

I quickly apologized, assuming I knew what she meant.

After a while, Ms. Rapland calmed down, and I handed her some water, about to speak—well, I was going to speak until...

BANG!

"Rapland, you here?"

"Wha- what... wait."

"Ah, Captain Fawcett! Long time no see! How did you know I was here?"

"The squad members told me. Anyway, long time no see, kid. And the new recruit, Rapland."

"No, no. Why are you coming here in person?"

As expected, Captain Fawcett appeared.

The conversation quickly continued, but something felt strange. I instinctively turned my gaze to Ms. Rapland.

And at that moment, even though her face was still red from coughing, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t just the coughing causing it.

And then, I understood.

Ah.

I understood.

That’s how it was.

I smiled widely.