I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 231 – Operation Northpierce

“…What on earth is this game called Dark Zone? What does ICARUS headquarters have to say?”

“Surprisingly, they said they don’t really know either.”

“What? How does that make sense?”

“The NSA sent some reliable guys to investigate, and they found that Dark Zone updates its content within the game through logical operations of AI, adjusting things individually. The AI is the problem.”

“So, what do they say?”

“With the current technology, it’s impossible to dismantle it. There’s definitely something fishy going on.”

“That’s absolutely insane.”

Indeed, such mutterings spread into the air – but it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible. At that time, New York was rife with bizarre phenomena that defied common sense and physical possibility.

Moreover, it couldn’t have been explained otherwise what happened to Christopher, Logan, and Yoo Jin. In this world, there were a few things that current modern physics couldn’t explain. At least the Taskforce Dagger team defined these phenomena that way.

The return of memories, Yoo Jin returning to the original world, and the existence of the game Dark Zone that memory holders experienced – academic fields in this world were still lacking a lot to explain these reasons.

Anyway, today was the day Yoo Jin’s streaming was on.

“Living to see Operation Northpierce as a game, it’s an incredibly fresh thrill.”

“From the look on the rookie’s face, he seems to be thinking the same thing. He’s probably racking his brain.”

“Shall we make a donation?”

“That’s the most ‘shouldn’t-do’ suggestion I’ve heard in recent times.”

Fort Bragg, USA.

In mid-November, among the numerous people in the USA, those chosen for their sculpted bodies, moving undisturbed by the cold morning wind, a particularly noisy personal room for a few individuals existed.

There were six people in the room. Twelve eyes stared at a point. Two people were running without hesitation on the runway of Kennedy International Airport.

An open field was the worst combat location for such special forces soldiers, but the sniper support just minutes before had shattered the enemy lines setting foot in the airport. Moreover, the breathing defense forces were launching a counterattack.

The feeling was like watching a well-made action movie, regardless of accuracy. What was certain was that it was quite entertaining for them to watch.

“Whoever taught them, they fight well. Right, sir?”

“Quiet.”

“Yes, of course.”

Clatter.

Since it was breakfast time, everyone stuffed the food they wanted into their mouths and watched the stream diligently. The time difference of about thirteen hours sometimes caused discomfort, but watching a broadcast at dinner time in Korea while having breakfast was a kind of advantage.

After finishing their meals, they cleaned up, did the dishes, and returned the plates. However, since the broadcast was still ongoing, those off duty today added comments while watching the stream.

“If I remember correctly, that base was destroyed because of the Granite. It should be the same here, right?”

“Judging by the extensive and huge impact marks, it seems to be the same here. But I don’t think that’s the only reason. For instance, like the control tower which only caught fire.”

“If a missile weighing several tons hit at supersonic speed, the control tower would have been obliterated. Back then, Kennedy Air Force Base also served as a refugee shelter nearby, similar to the Central Park HQ terrorist attack. It seems a terrorist who sneaked in caused quite a rampage.”

Continuous discussions, speculations, and reviews followed. By reflecting on the past, they obtained new results. It was a prerequisite for special forces and a driving force that made them strong.

Someone once said that special forces weren’t looking for those who were strong in both mind and body, but rather for literate people who could shoot well, and everyone gathered here was at least worthy of being called that and more.

Meanwhile, the base, which had nearly been cleared, was undoubtedly a narrow escape, but the result was crystal clear. Although the base lost many tactical and strategic assets, it didn’t receive an annihilation judgment. Even if it did, it would receive almost all available support.

As the cutscene started, time accelerated.

-[ISO: I’m glad to see you’re still intact. I’d love to make a toast, but now’s not the time. Instead, I can deliver some news equivalent to that.]

-[ISO: We’ve rooted out all the enemies hidden in Central Park HQ and obtained various information through interrogation. To put it briefly, the bombers are terrorists, as you might have guessed. They received substantial support from the Russian military.]

-[ISO: These damn bastards have been picking out friendly people among the mobs, criminals, and illegal immigrants and training them as bombers. I hope that makes sense.]

“Unlike there, it seems that Russia has collapsed once, so their statements are quite unrestrained. But they’re still cheap bastards.”

“Over there, they smashed every head until the last man. Here, at least there are no guys talking about the glory of the former Soviet Union.”

While one person after another was talking about various things, the cutscene continued.

-[ISO: Fortunately, according to the results from checking the undamaged infantry armored vehicles, Russia has established command near Camp Niantic in Connecticut and Camp Edwards in Massachusetts. According to the GPS tracking of the armored vehicle’s route, that’s what it said. It’s not certain, so don’t take it as absolute truth.]

-[ISO: Therefore, I’m issuing new orders as of now. The area hasn’t completely fallen into the hands of the Russian army. The underground network is still intact, and some ICARUS Operators are still active. Once we have enough capacity, we can cut off the enemy’s stronghold.]

-[ISO: Prepare to depart for the northeastern US. The area is under the jurisdiction of Mackenzie, the northeastern ICARUS branch manager, and fortunately, he’s still alive. I’d like you to go there and check the local situation directly.]

-[ISO: Rest until the base is repaired, and the stealth helicopters are refueled and can take off again. Good job.]

At the same time, the words ‘Episode 1 – End’ floated in the air.

As the screen brightened and waves of warm light spread across the base, the message that Kennedy Air Force Base was open as the new HQ filled the streaming screen. Numerous side quests appeared, asking to solve the mess spread across Long Island.

With the image of two guided by base personnel taking a suitable rest, the first broadcast concluded.

Only after the screen was filled with the message that they would return in 10 minutes did the gathered individuals begin to speak one by one.

“Thanks to that donation system, the rookie is raking in money. By the time she comes to America, she’ll probably have more money than all our combined salaries. Right, Logan?”

“…Why are you looking at me? You’re not suggesting I start streaming, are you? Just because my face and body got a bit better doesn’t mean I’ve sold my pride. Want to see a polar bear tear a person apart?”

“Pfft.”

“You’re laughing? You damned seal, Lorentina! Come here!”

Here we go again.

But fortunately, the situation was quickly resolved thanks to Morgan’s ridiculous threat to record the recent bickering and send it directly to Yoo Jin as a donation.

“Come on, let’s all watch quietly. We’re not grandfathers seeing our nephews for the first time in decades.”

Only then did everyone hum and close their mouths.

Whether they were DEVGRU or Delta, these guys were essentially living for the fun of watching the rookie these days. Truly, they were as selfish as one could get.

Today, America was peaceful.

“Welcome to Connecticut, where there are more trees, mountains, and fields than people. I don’t know if you heard in advance, but let me introduce myself first. I’m Samantha Mackenzie, the northeast branch manager of ICARUS. Was your journey peaceful?”

“It was rather boring coming up the river. With the darkness falling around, I couldn’t see anything.”

“Haha, there’s not much to see around here.”

Exchanging a joke each, they entered the briefing room.

Although the facilities in Central Park weren’t that great, this place was significantly poorer. It was unavoidable, given the enemy pushing down from Boston – that was Harmony’s thought.

As for me, I was preoccupied with the memories of the past, which were tickling my mind in various ways. This bizarre game still had something unknown to me. But, judging by the percentage increase in the progress of the ICARUS Gear checked during the break in the first part, I was definitely following along well.

Anyway, she added with a relieved tone.

“Anyway, it’s fortunate to have support from the headquarters. I don’t know how much you were briefed beforehand, but as you can see, the situation here is quite dire. The first thing those damn Slavic blockheads tore down was the infrastructure.”

Just as I remembered, she seemed to have a lot of pent-up frustration as she tapped the whiteboard projected through the beam projector.

Of course, her rant disguised as a briefing only increased, spreading from the infrastructure to the network hub destruction, interference jamming installation, and other sabotage causing various damages. The impact naturally extended not only to them but also to the citizens who needed protection…

That was roughly the story. In short, there were mountains of things that needed to be done – it wasn’t necessary to fully understand it. The necessity of solving it was there, but such situations were happening simultaneously across the United States.

Knowing that, Agent Mackenzie added, organizing her emotions.

“The urgent matters have already been sent through the ICARUS Gear. But the upper echelons… that is, the Central Park side made a rather strange request, and upon reviewing it, it was found to be valuable enough to resolve as soon as possible.”

Clack.

The screen changed, and a familiar face appeared on the whiteboard.

One of Artemis’ members, the face seen at the end of the defense operation at Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station with Harmony last time.

A guy who talks well but doesn’t accomplish much. Yeah, I thought so. I wondered why he hadn’t appeared.

And as expected, the chat was also cheering in various meanings after glancing at it.

-Oh, that guy LOL

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

-They connect it like this? It’s like a snake sliding over the fence LOL

-He can’t die like this LOL

-Given his accumulated karma, he can’t die nicely LOL

“Artemis’ Crow. The vulgar PMC team leader who roamed between the US and Russia, but this time he received a strong karma return. The audio file I’m about to play was secured during the recent reconnaissance and network penetration operation.”

Click.

Along with that came the sound of screaming. The subsequent conversation was quite muffled, but even Harmony could probably guess what was going on – I already knew the whole story.

Simply put, Crow, who had been sticking with Russia, got caught while preparing to backstab again as the situation in the US mainland gradually stabilized. It was indeed a fitting end for him, but unfortunately, he hadn’t met his end yet.

Instead, soon enough, the borscht poured into his nose would guide him across the Rubicon River.

However, his personal safety or well-being was not of great importance to them; the point was to capture that renegade bat and extract various data he accessed while clinging to Russia.

“The signal was secured about 50km away from here in New London. It’s a city, and there are still operators active there, so you won’t be deployed to an isolated place without support.”

“Is it a rescue mission, or securing the signal?”

“The former. The infiltration route is through the midstream of the river leading to New London. Thanks to the considerable efforts of the operators here, the bat’s location is becoming more precise every hour.”

After a small sigh, she added.

“Personally, I also want to go on the mission, but unfortunately, I recently finished surgery and can’t walk without the support of the ICARUS Gear. It feels terrible to get hit once in the abdomen and once in the leg. But at least I survived.”

“Oh my. I wish you a speedy recovery. Any other special notes?”

“Nothing special. You’ve reviewed the operation outline, so I’ll brief you on the detailed operation now. The target will be designated with the call sign ‘Bat’. And…”

From there on, it was quite a predictable story.

The operation zone was one of the places where a significant portion of the enemy forces were concentrated, so the escape route was also the infiltration route – the river. In simple terms, after coming ashore from the river, rescuing the bat, and then going back up the river. Of course, not only us but also the VIP propulsion unit was prepared.

The execution time was a few hours later. Since it was in-game, it was possible to deploy immediately after understanding the operation contents to some extent, but at this point, I roughly understood why these missions were called Incursions.

Of course, Harmony did too.

“…I had a rough idea at the start, but this isn’t a place for just two people. The scale of the operation is bigger than what we’ve done so far.”

“Right. I’m not sure if players can participate midway…”

And at that moment, I had to regret uttering such words. The barrage of typing messages that followed, pouring in with firepower beyond comparison to before, was like a metal storm.

Currently, there were 120,000 total viewers watching the broadcast, so even if each of them typed once, it would be 120,000 per second, and the reality was similar.

Although I had slow chat enabled, the sheer number of people itself was overwhelming. If I hadn’t blocked donations, I might have spent several hours reading messages during the upcoming IRL.

Just when I was asking Harmony about donation-related matters through a secret chat, just in case,

───Clink!

“…?”

Despite having blocked it, the sound of money being sent echoed in my ears. Checking the settings before seeing who sent it, there wasn’t much difference in the donation settings.

In short, even if donations were blocked, those on my friends’ list could send them. It was more suitable for content usage that way.

Then it must be Dice. If she had something to say, she would have sent a personal message, so the probability was higher that she came because she was bored. Thinking so, I closed the settings window and turned my gaze aside.

Of course, my expectation that it was Dice was spectacularly off the mark.

-(Auto-translated) Is viewer participation possible? I’m quite confident in deep cover operations including water infiltration XD

“…Sigh, really.”

If that guy is doing this, the whole Dagger team must be watching.

Ignoring the curious viewers wondering how the donation was made and Harmony asking in a secret chat if it was an acquaintance, I could only laugh dryly.

Anyway, my surroundings were always like this.