I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 205 – VTS

[Streamer Battle Sub Gallery]

[General] Who’s super hyped for this Domination Streamer Battle? Let’s see those thumbs up!

I’ll start, LOL.

[All comments] [Newest]

-Thumbs up to start

-If you’re not hyped, you’re a loser, LOL

-This will keep me going for another two weeks….

ㄴWhat will you do after this? LOL

ㄴThen we watch the Asia preliminaries duo squad, of course

ㄴTotally agree

ㄴHow can anyone resist, LOL

-The lineup looks solid

ㄴOf course, they kicked out all the bad players, LOL

-All the participants getting advice from pro gamers is really top-notch

ㄴAt least we don’t have to worry about seeing idiots messing around

ㄴAgreed

ㄴRaising the overall standard is good, LOL

-Honest opinion: Isn’t this just too high-tier?

ㄴThe best are Kato and Manager Kim, so it’s going to be tough

ㄴBut they have to teach their team members themselves, LOL

ㄴThe balance patch is perfect

-Feels like a proxy war with every pro team having a coach, LOL

-Now the controversy about Harmony’s skills will finally be settled, for real

ㄴUgh, don’t start that topic, damn it

ㄴSomeone’s lighting the fuse, LOL

ㄴ??: Isn’t Harmony just a bully?

ㄴUgh, stop it, seriously

ㄴBut honestly, I’m curious to see how far they can go, LOL

ㄴThe higher the tier, the more it becomes a team game, so they won’t perform as well as expected????

-??: Wouldn’t Nocknyangdan be in the top tier?

ㄴI can hear that damn topic rolling around again

ㄴHow can you guarantee that? LOL

ㄴTheir skills have improved, but we don’t know for sure since they haven’t had a proper match, for real

ㄴIf you don’t know, just cheer and don’t speculate, idiot

-Just show us if you’re good or bad, Nocknyangdan!

ㄴIs this stupid topic finally getting resolved????

ㄴFor real, LOL

ㄴHow long have we been dragging this out? LOL

ㄴFact) I am really dying to know

ㄴThat’s not a fact; it’s an honest opinion, damn it

[General] Honest opinion: Nocknyangdan is way overrated, idiots, LOL

???: Then let’s turn the overrated into the real deal?

[All comments] [Newest]

-?????????????????????????????

-Crazy, crazy, crazy… she’s really crazy….

-Why the hell would you bring a nuclear bomb, you maniac, LOL

-This is how you settle rankings? This is how you settle rankings? This is how you settle rankings?

-Oh my God, Dice is there too, LOL

ㄴWow, both 1st and 2nd from the Asia preliminaries are here, LOL

ㄴIf push comes to shove, I’ll pull out ‘Yoo Jin’

-Damn it, you Harmony maniacs, you brought out the final boss because of you

ㄴWasn’t this a gallery post but actually a Yoo Jin summoning ritual?

ㄴHow do you interpret it like that????????????

ㄴUnbelievable, LOL

ㄴIt was all part of the plan

-Seeing those two standing together is terrifying, LOL

-???: There’s two weeks until the tournament? Plenty of time

ㄴLOL

ㄴCrazy… crazy….

ㄴWow, damn it, LOL

-Of course, LOL

-I can hear Kato’s spine chilling from here, LOL

ㄴFor real, LOL

ㄴJust give Harmony a fishing line and Kato will quit the game immediately

-Harmony, you crazy girl, why prepare to attach a snake tail!!!!!

ㄴIf you don’t like it, you should’ve jumped on the Yoo Jin bandwagon first, LOL

ㄴFor real, LOL

-Bringing Dice is pure horror, LOL

ㄴThe fact that she’s so confused is the best part

ㄴReally, LOL

ㄴHer face is like, why am I here? LOL

-Turned off VPN, LOL, no more posts about Harmony

ㄴStop burning the gallery down!!!!

ㄴCapture the admin and change the gallery!!!

ㄴDamn it, the snake girl came out, how do you stop this, LOL

-If you were going to do this, you should have called her sooner, damn it, LOL

“…Harmony. Why does it seem like your viewership increases every time you start a broadcast?”

“Yeah, why is that….”

-Playing dumb, LOL

-Nocknyangdan, don’t be too humble, LOL

-Fact check) Today’s joint broadcast has over 100,000 viewers

-The Misfits crew is confused

-Dice is the most confused, LOL

113,348 people.

Even if each person only chatted once, that’s over 110,000 lines or words being spewed across five broadcasts. Of course, ICARUS’s chat management capability wasn’t hindered by such a number.

Naturally, it was the humans who struggled to manage it.

Even a large company couldn’t handle such a huge influx at once. They completely forgot about today’s original goal of receiving feedback, and everyone was dumbfounded as if they were broadcasting newbies.

Nevertheless, the broadcast had already been going on for several hours. Harmony, with a familiar gesture, sent off the earlier participants and waited for the next list. Because the entry criteria for the Domination private server required a tier of SOF or higher, the list filled up slowly.

Thus, this waiting time became their debriefing time.

“Okay, Harmony, come here. The one who needs to listen the most shouldn’t be somewhere else.”

“Ugh….”

Thud.

Harmony trudged over and plopped down in a chair, while Yoo Jin took a few steps back and tapped Dice on the back with her tail. Dice, deep in thought, lifted a paper filled with notes and met the eyes of the four sitting in front of her.

It was a paper analyzing their Domination mode play in Dice’s own way.

After listening to the contents of the paper, Yoo Jin would give a passing mark on the correct evaluations, point out the mistakes, and debate the parts open to discussion. This method allowed not only Dice, Yoo Jin, and the four listeners but also the viewers to gain useful information.

Of course, the developer of this methodology was Yoo Jin.

After taking a deep breath, Dice began to speak first.

“…As I said earlier, everyone except Harmony didn’t deviate much from the previously expected content. Let’s focus on individual practice until two weeks before.”

“Okay….”

“But isn’t two weeks a bit short? Is it okay?”

“That person can change the landscape in two weeks, so it’s fine. Anyway, if you follow the plan, you’ll be at least above average… Harmony, I saw your curriculum. You pinpointed the core well. I’m surprised at your excellent ability to analyze weaknesses.”

“Hehe.”

The chat started to buzz a bit, but Dice, being Yoo Jin’s second-best disciple, ignored it all and continued.

“As I mentioned earlier… Honestly, I don’t know if you’re doing well in the squad leader position. But your ability to resolve situations when your team is in danger seems good. Using your excellent shooting skills to help your teammates retreat is standard but effective.”

A brief silence followed.

Dice looked around the group and continued speaking.

“Still, it seems you need to practice briefings often. Identifying terrain features that can serve as cover during combat and giving clear instructions without stumbling over your words is much harder than it seems.”

“That’s true.”

“And team members often miss Harmony’s instructions during urgent fights, likely due to the pressure of the battle itself. With more experience and composure, they should get better at it.”

“Okay….”

And a glance.

Dice made eye contact with Yoo Jin, but she didn’t respond.

Although there were more briefings, referring to clips from the recent match for explanations, Yoo Jin remained silent throughout. Dice felt a bit anxious, but soon stepped aside as she moved.

Yoo Jin spoke up.

“Well done. Nothing majorly off. Be more confident in expressing your opinions.”

“Come on, then give me some public praise. It makes me anxious when you stay silent.”

“That’s part of mental training.”

“You’re just making excuses….”

-LOL

-This is… Asia preliminaries 1st and 2nd?

-Did they mean Pat and Mat? LOL

-Dumb and Dumber/Pat and Mat/Fatty and Skinny/Merman and Barnacle Boy LOL

-There’s always someone who says anything, LOL

Just another ordinary day.

Meanwhile, the queue lit up. The sound indicating that all six allies and twelve enemies had been recruited was heard.

As everyone quietly stood up to prepare, one operation team name caught Harmony’s eye.

“Balkan Boys…?”

What kind of weird name is that?

But she quickly dismissed it, pressed the game start button, and began to visualize the expected battle scenarios in her head again.

But,

───Bwoooom!

“How do you end up bringing a minigun here-!”

A literal storm of bullets.

Harmony’s baffled voice echoed through the chaos.

“That’s quite an interesting tactic.”

“We almost got turned into minced meat, what’s fun about this!”

-Of course, LOL

-When will this person ever be tactically flustered????

-It’s amazing she isn’t fazed by the Balkan Boys, LOL

-Already lost all points for winning, just tell us how to win

-The tactical encyclopedia is spinning, LOL

Bwo

ooom.

A weapon that could create an impregnable fortress the moment it was set up properly was roaring with a chilling sound. The low vibrations shaking the dead New York air.

Six barrels. Thick ballistic shields covering the front, with a bulletproof camera replacing the shooter’s view. A minigun capable of spitting out an average of 4,000 rounds per minute, in other words, about 66 rounds per second, was creating a kill zone connecting Point A and B on the main road.

Of course, that wasn’t the important part. The question was how this was possible in Domination mode.

“The minimum requirements for operating a minigun are power and ammunition supply….”

Considering 7.62mm NATO rounds, 2000 rounds weigh about 40kg. The minigun itself weighs roughly 20kg. Using a 1.5kW motor, a small generator would be needed for power, which would weigh over 40kg.

Adding extra ammo, a bulletproof camera, power cables, ballistic shields, and so on, the total weight would be around 130kg. Plus personal gear like guns, magazines, and body armor would add around 20kg.

In any case, this was manageable for a four-person team.

Once the minigun was set up at B, they would be lighter.

“It’s a more practical strategy than I thought. Not something you’d expect in a streamer tournament….”

Saying that, I quickly assessed the situation.

We spawned at A, the enemies at C. They amusingly abandoned C right away and rushed A and B – sending 3 to A and 9 to B – causing our team to be brutally defeated in the initial B battle.

Dice and I were covering Harmony’s squad, but following Harmony’s command, we retreated to A and snapped the spines of the annoying enemies, though the tide had already turned. The enemies successfully captured B with their initial rush, buying time to set up the minigun.

-But can’t we just avoid the path with the minigun?

“Conversely, the enemies know our team won’t use the main road. Not worrying about the most critical route is a huge advantage.”

“They’re coming from the side.”

I already knew.

I pulled three grenades from my pouch, yanked the pins with my tail, and cooked them briefly. The metal lumps arced through the air, becoming fleeting flashes that scattered thousands of fragments at supersonic speed.

Shrapnel scattered in all directions. The three-person detachment, caught off guard, barely managed to take cover, but Dice and I were already 15 meters away, sprinting through the snow-covered road.

With a rattle, casings flew out. By the time the empty magazine hit the ground and melted the snow with its heat, three bodies lay on the cold ground.

This would buy us a few more minutes to block enemies attempting to circle back to A.

Reloading and keeping watch simultaneously, Dice added.

“Now, let’s hear Yoo Jin’s expert opinion.”

“Engagements are about not doing what the opponent expects. No matter how much attention the minigun draws, just ignore it.”

Next destination: C.

If the enemies hunkered down at B, we’d trap them as they wished.

Of course, things don’t always go as planned.

-Wow, teacher! We’re trying to get to B, but there are too many enemies on the detour!

“…Harmony, try to learn independently how to minimize losses while buying time.”

-LOL

-Harmony has a long way to go, LOL

-A squad to draw attention shouldn’t have bad timing, damn it, LOL

-The essence remains unchanged….

-Just… a silly Harmony!

As expected.

Harmony had improved, but she was still Harmony.

I tucked away my thoughts of increasing my teaching intensity and started running towards C. The crunching sound of snow under my weighted steps continued.

The Dark Zone season was summer, but the Domination map was winter.

A perfect weather to raid the enemy’s rear.