I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 742

"Why don't you come with us to Boston?"

"Eh!? "

"...Olivia. That's not an invitation, that's kidnapping."

In late July, the sweltering New York, where the average temperature hovered around 30°C.

The sky was a bright blue with scattered clouds lazily drifting by, and beneath it, under a world no longer blessed by the cold breeze sent by the angel Willis Haviland Carrier, who had once graced the humans below with his blessings...

In one of the few remaining areas where there was still air conditioning working without issue, an alarming shriek echoed through the Alpha-class mutant residence.

What was there to hide? It was none other than the now annoying, tireless mutant, Rapland.

A squeal. Olivia, who had perched herself on Rapland’s bed, laid back and rested her head against her waist. From the hastily made hole in her pants, a wolf's tail swayed back and forth.

When they first met, the tail had been unremarkable, but thanks to Loren Tina's new hobby of brushing the tail, it had become shinier and fluffier. Olivia grabbed the tail and wrapped it around her neck.

Rapland, who had been lying face down with a strained posture, reading a manual, buried her face in the pillow. She looked utterly helpless.

After a moment of silence, the conversation continued.

"...Are you serious?"

"Don’t worry. There won’t be any hard work. Probably."

"Probably?! How am I supposed to trust you guys and go that far with that kind of uncertainty?!"

"I can’t guarantee nothing will happen, you know. A plan without considering the worst-case scenario is pointless. What’s important is whether we’ll have the resources to protect you if things go wrong, and the Dagger team can handle at least that."

"..."

An exchange of glances continued. Not just between Olivia and Rapland, but also with me and the others.

However, the conversation didn’t go any further. For instance, if Olivia, who spoke first, had dragged a blackboard to lecture us about what might happen in Boston, we would have known that something more was coming, but clearly not yet.

In short, the actual plan hadn’t been finalized yet—but that didn’t mean the Dagger team couldn’t imagine what might happen.

Logan, who had pulled over a chair, added.

"Well, Olivia and the Eagle Team will probably have to handle things, but are there any tall buildings nearby with good vantage points for reconnaissance? Have we done any terrain analysis?"

"That’s a bit of a problem. There are some tall buildings nearby, but the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory is pretty far away. We’ll probably have to bring the Titan again. But internal support won’t be possible."

"How far away?"

"At least 1 km, at most 3 km. If the sniper team is stationed in just one place, they’ll only be able to provide support from limited angles. At least three positions are needed."

"Are you seriously bringing her along? I don’t know about that. She doesn't even have gear. Don’t make her relive awful memories, just leave her alone."

"Hmm..."

Olivia was in deep thought, and Logan shook his head with a subtle expression.

Meanwhile, Rapland... she had buried her face in the pillow, looking frustrated.

Honestly, there was no wrong answer here. We were at a point where we had to use whatever manpower we had, but at the same time, involving highly skilled operators in the mission was another matter.

Of course, I was half-forced to join because of my potential...

"Ugh..."

"...It seems like your mental age is regressing the more this goes on. I’m thinking a good competition with the youngest might be possible now."

"Eh...?"

"I’m also being dragged around by my older sisters... Ayyah!"

"Who’s the older sister, huh? You little brat."

At that moment, hands from all sides pinched my cheeks!

Only Loren Tina seemed to find my title amusing, and Olivia and Logan didn’t let it slide. In an instant, I became a pillow with a tail.

Thanks to that, Olivia, who had been lying on Rapland’s back, ended up moving closer to me. So, I let myself be "rescued" and accepted the punishment.

As my cheek was squished like cheese, the conversation continued.

"By the way, is Boston under the jurisdiction of Mackenzie Branch? I’m not sure what will happen, but if there’s anything likely, it’s probably some rioting, right? If something as horrible as Bronx happened there, they would have requested support already."

"I don’t know. Maybe... no. We won’t know until we get there, so don’t jump to conclusions. For now, let’s just narrow down who might be involved."

"As long as it's not Artemis or the enemy's division, it should be fine. If they are involved, it’ll make things worse. Personally, I hope it’s not them."

"Most of it can be sorted out with prior reconnaissance, so don’t worry. If something happens, the Northeastern Division would have caught onto it by now."

Squish, squish.

As always, while we were having tactical discussions, someone was still kneading my cheeks and using me like a pillow, which felt... strange. On top of that, I could even feel subtle sensations coming from the tail.

When I turned my head down, I realized that Rapland had started massaging my... tail. I wasn’t sure how to react, but being the nice guy I am, I decided to let it slide.

And honestly, the "youngest treatment" wasn’t as bad as I expected.

Everyone felt soft and smelled nice...

"So, when are we leaving?"

"I think it’ll be around August. The base construction is almost finished, and HQ is pretty eager to put us to work. Do you know they’re taking anti-aircraft turrets off from all kinds of military bases?"

"...I think I heard that they’re going to install them on the rooftops of Manhattan’s high-rise buildings."

"Right. These days, the labor office and civilians are working 24/7. They’re working in shifts, but it’s intense."

"We should check it out."

Logan, who had been holding me like an emperor penguin father, projected a hologram into the air.

The full view of Manhattan appeared in front of us, with unmanned drones and transport aircraft continuously moving around. Hundreds of LAV-AD, IM-SHORAD, and AN/TWQ-1 Avenger systems were rushing in along roads that hadn’t been fully blocked.

From what I’ve heard, they’re planning to attach the LaWS laser interception system and the RIM-116 RAM short-range ship-to-air missile platforms to Central Park...

'At this rate, the entire Dagger team, including HQ, will be working nonstop for a month...'

What else could we do? We’re in a total war era.

At the moment, Dagger team was doing more grunt work than training. If we had more time, we probably would have set up mines in the sea to prepare for an enemy landing and built defense stations along the coast.

Of course, as always, things never go as planned, and nothing would happen where we could laugh at the sight of the enemy charging into a well-prepared defense line. Furthermore, since the "cleaning" of JFK Airport was just completed, the work load increased again.

But somehow, I didn’t think that would be enough.

As the conversation continued...

"Recently, the enemy’s strategic nuclear submarines’ long-range communication system sensors reacted. The operations officers are likely hard at work figuring out where the enemy might set up a bridgehead."

"...So, does that mean the prelude is over? Thinking about it makes my head ache."

"Stop with the gloom. If you dwell too much on things that haven’t happened yet, your thoughts will get stuck. If you have some free time, go clean your guns."

"If you order me to, I will."

"My gun’s fine, so I’m good. If I handle it too much, the sights will be off."

"Then I guess only the youngest and Rapland will go out. Want to smell some gunpowder?"

"Eh, well..."

Ugh...

I couldn’t help but think, "Is this really all for this?" The conversation was completely turning into a joke.

While Rapland, who had been holding me like a pillow, stiffened, Loren Tina, the highest-ranking member, gently grabbed my clothes.

It felt like I was being gently pulled out like a doll stuck in a claw machine, and I let out an involuntary squeal as I was pulled out. As I glanced around, the wolf, sensing the situation, carefully walked out with a little caution.

Then, Loren Tina, who had observed the situation, asked softly.

"Are you coming with us?"

"I’ve already told them they can’t join the construction work because of their training."

"Right. I wanted to take Olivia with me too, but if we all leave, it could get tricky. I’ll let them know, so rest up and get ready to work."

"You wanted to take me? What were you planning to do?"

"Oh, it’s nothing. It’s not shooting training, anyway."

A brief silence.

And then the continuation.

"I’ve been ‘advised’ to figure out if we can integrate mutants’ unique traits into combat. I was going to check it out for close-quarters combat."

"...Hmm. That’s starting to sound interesting."

"I didn’t want to, but I guess I’ll go now."

Rapland’s words were immediately suppressed.

Our next training session was going to be close-quarters combat after a long while.

"The youngest, who is currently going through the close combat curriculum without any problems, probably knows this well, but... for the benefit of our new recruit, let me explain again. Just relying on your body alone and diving into close combat as a mutant would be foolish."

"So...?"

"Krav Maga, Kali Arnis, Judo, Systema, MacMap, Pencak Silat... It doesn't matter which one. The important thing is to learn and practice until your body gets used to it. This helps minimize unnecessary actions in real combat. And... Wolf, you should take this."

"...It’s thinner than I expected."

"This book is one of the U.S. military's close combat curricula, with unnecessary theoretical parts removed. It’s written by me. You might find the explanations and theories a bit lacking, but later, you should read the CQC manual for more details."

Flap, flap.

The book in Rapland’s hands flipped open, revealing its contents. I already knew what it was. The glimpses of muscle illustrations confirmed it was a kind of anatomy-related material.

Of course, top-tier operators had extensive knowledge of human anatomy. It was a given. That way, they could understand how to incapacitate an opponent and how to apply first aid when they or their allies were injured.

The purpose of the book Rapland was holding was to serve the first purpose.

In other words, the theoretical parts that were left out were about muscle structure, and the content inside explained the consequences of damaging specific areas of the body.

Loren Tina, leaving the book behind, motioned toward me, and only then did I stand up.

The conversation continued.

"Not long ago, when the youngest first equipped the gear, I told you to try using your tail as a third hand in everyday life. How’s it going now?"

"Well, I use it sometimes in daily life, but when it comes to combat... I haven’t really used it properly yet."

"I see."

Loren Tina thought for a moment before speaking again.

"Anyway, I was ordered to find ways to incorporate the unique abilities of mutants into combat. For the youngest, there’s nothing much to say. But for others, aside from the tail, things like vibration detection and thermal vision are different from regular humans."

"...Right?"

"Given those features, it might sound irresponsible, but I can’t really help with that. However, as I’ve said before, it’s possible to engrain existing military martial arts knowledge into your body."

"You told me I have to figure that part out on my own."

"You understand that well. Considering all that, the youngest just needs to keep doing what they’ve been doing, and Olivia?"

"Huh? Did you have something to say to me?"

I sat down, and Olivia stood up. The conversation continued.

"We all know Olivia’s night vision is beyond incredible, but I’ve noticed something. When you move, you're too quiet. Haven’t we mentioned this a few times?"

"...Now that you mention it, that’s true. But I didn’t think much of it. Didn’t you guys not really pay attention either?"

"That’s right. But thinking it over... mutants can’t even notice you sometimes. Even me or the youngest, who can sense vibrations, have trouble detecting you."

"Is that so...?"

"Since I became like this, I can now detect bioelectricity from tens of meters away and I’ve become sensitive to slight temperature changes. On the flip side, without that, I’d have a hard time finding you too, Olivia."

"Hmm."

"So, I once checked it out, and I noticed that when you move, the airflow around you changes slightly, which is weird..."

At that moment, there was a brief silence.

But it was only brief—immediately, a sound so faint that it could only be detected if you were concentrating was heard, and I realized soon enough that Olivia was standing right behind me.

When I turned my head, there was a smile.

"Is this what you mean?"

"...Yes, exactly. I knew owls could fly silently, but seeing it in person is... unsettling, in many ways."

"But I’m not sure, can this actually be used in combat?"

???Whoosh!

"-Huh?"

"I’m not sure how you did it, but you disappeared from my sight for a moment. It didn’t seem like you moved at that speed. It was more like you moved in a completely different way, and in the process, the noise was almost absorbed."

"Definitely an owl-like movement. It’s tempting; I’ll have to try it myself someday. But for now, can you show me as much as you can?"

"Wait, hold on. It’s not that easy..."

Olivia hesitated, but then gathered her focus and prepared.

Logan, Loren Tina, and I used various methods to observe the movement... and in an instant, Olivia melted into the air like paint dissolving, and something started moving rapidly from that point.

Analysis continued.

"It’s a kind of... visual distraction. It seems like your silhouette distorts just before you move. When focusing on that, it looks like you disappear from view."

"Based on the decibel levels we measured, it’s definitely... if you're not paying attention, you might even mistake it for teleportation."

"At this rate... hmm, how about this?"

"Whoa!? "

At the same time, Olivia disappeared from my view, and within a moment, Loren Tina appeared behind me, pinching my cheek. I almost had a heart attack.

She continued speaking.

"The important thing is that before you leave the observer’s sight, you confuse them. It’s a simple trick, whether it's with holograms or light refraction... but Olivia, I still don’t get how you do this without gear."

"...Well, I’m not sure either. Let me analyze it and get back to you."

"What about me? Don’t I have anything?"

"All you’ve got is the strength to demand the air conditioning be set to 18°C in summer while you’re a grumpy army bear. I don’t have anything for you... Argh!"

"Die, you seal bastard!"

...Why does it always end like this?

I thought to myself, shaking my head, and patted Rapland on the back, whose expression was a mix of confusion and dead eyes.

As Rapland approached, I added,

"Well, whatever."

"...I didn’t say anything, idiot."

At least it seemed to have helped cheer her up.

August was fast approaching, and New York remained as it always was.