I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 235 – After That

[General] Should I click the “like” button for those who stayed up streaming until dawn, even though they need to wake up in the morning?

If you don’t regret it, give it a like, lol.

[All Comments][Sorted by New]

– I clicked the like button while crying, lolololololol.

– Isn’t it obvious? How can you resist watching this??????
ㄴ Seriously, lol.

– Bring the sewing machine!!!!!!

– Damn, since I started watching the stream, my wallet is empty, and I’ve gained 5kg, so I signed up for the gym.

ㄴ You too?

ㄴ I’ve spent 70 on late-night snacks this month alone, it’s so bad, lololololololol.

– This is the first time in my life I’ve been envious of the unemployed, seriously, damn.

ㄴ Serves the working people right, wwwwwwwww.

ㄴ You get it, right? The core of Tricky is the ‘unemployed.’

ㄴ I work to watch Yoo Jin’s stream comfortably, but if I can’t watch Yoo Jin’s stream because of work, what’s the point of earning money? lolololol.

ㄴ Damn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

– How do people who missed today’s broadcast find any joy in life?

ㄴ Seriously, lol.

ㄴ This is the true fan culture.

– Time flew by while I was on duty in the army, lololol.

ㄴ Does the army allow phones while on duty these days? It’s truly the end times.

ㄴ I’m the duty officer.

ㄴ Ah, lolololololol.

– 2 a.m.? It’s still manageable.

ㄴ The real bedtime is 10 a.m., seriously, lol.

ㄴ Someone’s night can be someone else’s day.

ㄴ Seriously, too many people lack the sense of appropriate sleep times.

– Today’s broadcast was really packed.

– Going to sleep comfortably now, lolololol.

– Can’t wait to rewatch the broadcast while having breakfast, so excited, lol.
ㄴ This is life, lol.

[General] Wow, Tricky’s broadcast replay hit 1 million views in a day, lololol.

Are you guys crazy????????

[All Comments][Sorted by New]

– A snake woman pushed through the new Incursion True Scenario with her former colleagues non-stop, how can you resist watching that? Are you insane?

ㄴ Well said, lolololol.

ㄴ Even channels like National Pride Yourspace need to learn from this level of keyword combination.

ㄴ How can you not join after seeing this, lol.

– I thought it couldn’t go higher, but it’s still climbing endlessly, wwwww.

ㄴ Seriously, lol.

ㄴ How long will this upward trend continue!!!!! Stop it!!!!!!!!

– The Harmony who boarded the Yoo Jin coin on the first day is unbelievable, lol.

ㄴ And now she’s skyrocketing with her, lol.

ㄴ The insane skill of the green tea fangirl who Yoo Jin used to hang out with….

ㄴ This level of return rate is like early Google, lol.

– If your skills are overwhelmingly good, that alone becomes an appealing factor… Noted….

– It’s world-class now….

– It grew too much in just three months, lolololol.

– Fact) Surprisingly, the Final Championship is still ahead.

ㄴ What if they get first place there too?

ㄴ Damn, lololololololol.

– We’re living through the history of the name Yoo Jin….

– Such records will never come out again in history, lol.

ㄴ Fact) It’s already pending entry in the Guinness World Records.

ㄴ Insane, lolololololol.

“…It’s getting a bit colder these days.”

“…That’s true, but isn’t it too warm to be out? It seems like you can barely move.”

“It’s cold….”

Brrrrr.

As November ended and December began, the temperature plummeted, greatly affecting people’s attire. Even those who cared about fashion were stuffed into thick padded jackets.

And today, December 1st, Anchorlight arrived at a quiet cafe in Seoul, reserved under the name of the Snakekeeper operational team, to discuss the progress so far. Seeing the huge bundle of clothes in front of him, he burst into laughter.

“Is that a person or just a bundle of clothes?” Even the cafe staff couldn’t hold back their laughter.

“Shall we talk over something to eat?”

“Just give me 1 liter of something sweet.”

“Haha, your tastes haven’t changed.”

Leaving the cafe employee to make a 1-liter chocolate latte, they sat in a secluded, soundproof corner.

When Yoo Jin took off her thick white padding that looked impenetrable, she revealed a white coat underneath. Beneath that, she wore a thick fleece turtleneck. She probably had a couple of t-shirts on beneath that as well.

Taking off her scarf and tail padding and placing them on the chair, Yoo Jin sighed with relief.

“Ah, it’s warm. It was really cold coming here.”

“A tail-specific padding, I’ve never seen such a thing.”

“It may look strange, but it’s very effective.”

As she spoke, the soundproof and camouflage functions activated.

Anchorlight glanced around and placed a laptop on the table.

“You look strange. Is something bothering you? It seems like it’s related to the Dark Zone.”

“That’s right. I don’t know what’s behind it, but they definitely know about my past. I’ve been quite busy for a few weeks because of it, even though I was already busy.”

“You’ve succeeded greatly. I never expected you’d rake in money through streaming instead of working for a PMC or a tactical company.”

“Sigh.”

A brief laugh.

But she quickly wiped the smile from her face.

“Unfortunately, my friends active back home haven’t made much progress either. The only somewhat interesting news is that the solution might be closely related to your ICARUS Gear.”

“…I thought so. I’ll be heading to the U.S. in a few weeks anyway, so I’ll just have to wait.”

“Time solves many things. Meeting you and the Dagger team was also because of that. Just stay calm and patient, okay?”

“That’s enough.”

Knock, knock.

At that moment, a hand tapped on the soundproof window. Seeing a huge chocolate bottle the size of a person’s arm, topped with whipped cream, Yoo Jin smirked. She comfortably took it and stirred it with a straw.

A short remark followed.

“That stuff will make you sick.”

“I always check my health status with the gear.”

“Of course you do.”

Click.

Without waiting for a response, he opened the tightly closed lid of the bulletproof laptop. The screen was already on. The contents were easy to identify and filled with English, but there was no one there who couldn’t understand it.

Yoo Jin’s military career was nearing its end. Nearly 90 operation approval files were listed in PDF format, all with direct signatures from the top. Even more than half were approved personally by the Secretary of Defense.

After a few seconds, the window closed. Instead, it was replaced by the current status of cyber operations.

“I’ve scattered information leakage warnings through various routes. It should be much better than a month ago. Are there still any issues?”

“Thanks to that, the contact frequency has significantly decreased. I’m not sure if it was necessary to hint through the official spokesperson of the Department of Defense….”

“There are some political reasons. It’s an appropriate tool to weed out those who aren’t helpful to the nation. It minimizes backlash since it’s a consequence of their actions. Thanks to that, the Iron Lady’s expression has softened considerably these days.”

A small bitter smile lingered on her lips.

In the end, how a knife was used mattered, and political influence grew stronger the higher you went. Politics was essentially about trampling others’ opinions to enforce your own, and it was no different now.

A timely hand with the right cards. It was a knife handed through Yoo Jin, and Janet swung it around the Department of Defense – although they didn’t discuss it that far. In the end, it was a significant advantage for Yoo Jin as well.

But enough of the gloomy talk. Anchorlight, with a playful expression, looked at her and added.

“We should call a military band before you arrive at Kennedy Airport.”

“Please, you don’t want my signature to become an embarrassment, do you?”

“Haha, just kidding.”

They exchanged a few words.

Time in reality moved quickly, and the chocolate bottle in front of Yoo Jin was already empty. Yet the conversation didn’t end.

The topic had shifted to the matters in the U.S.

“Places to visit include the Pentagon, NSA, DARPA… Am I the new U.S. president instead of the Korean representative?”

“That means Dagger has been to many places. They aren’t called ‘Dagger’ for nothing. The Dagger team is the sharpest knife ICARUS can wield. They’re not some idiots handling Black Ops secretly from other intelligence agencies.”

“Aha.”

A brief laugh.

But he continued speaking without pause.

“It won’t be long. It won’t affect your tournament participation. But you’ll spend a day or two away from your companions.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Probably Serkins or Kissinger will welcome you. Since they were in the same Dagger team, it would be a reunion… It seems like they’ll come from all directions. Handle it on your own.”

“Haha, are you mad about not going home?”

“Damn, the next team to take over is scheduled for next year.”

Anchorlight tore at his hair while Yoo Jin laughed.

After a good comedy show, they summarized briefly. From the identity of the Dark Zone to mentions about Yoo Jin herself and matters in the U.S. They barely scratched the surface of all issues

, but it was enough for now.

Things never went as planned anyway.

“The first place to visit is DARPA. The researchers are trying to recreate past glory with the blueprints in the gear. It’ll be quite an interesting sight.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“I’ll contact you separately if there are any additional details. Do you have some time? Let’s eat nearby. I haven’t had lunch.”

“Sounds good. Do you have enough money?”

“I have plenty of activity funds left. Do you want something specific?”

“Hmm, let me see-.”

With the bell ringing, the two disappeared outside.

And that day, Anchorlight received a receipt with a 3 million won bill for the meat.

───Rat-a-tat-tat!!!

-[Alert: Skill modification underway // Incineration Turret modification complete.]

-[Alert: Reclassifying the confidentiality level of the experiment recording.]

“Someone mentioned the Geneva Convention at this point back in the day.”

“What kind of fuel did you use to get this level of firepower? This is the first time I’ve seen such a combination of combustible compounds.”

“Stop, stop! The pig is getting charred! Turn it off!”

As the lab filled with the scent of roasting protein was quickly ventilated with a single button press, DARPA engineers conversed while handling the well-cooked pig carcass.

Of course, their reactions were all of disbelief.

“Did future DARPA use demons from hell as fuel? This level of firepower efficiency is the first I’ve seen.”

“It’s not just that. The internal alloy steel, external carbon nanotube and optical camouflage coating, transformation mechanism, ground support efficiency, bullet storage method… The applied technology is all one step ahead of the existing paradigm. It captures both user convenience and durability.”

“I wondered how a sniper turret could achieve such efficiency; it turns out it was due to the internal rifling structure and special ammunition compatibility. If we have the production facilities, we can start making them right now.”

They were part of an institution that selected the best talents worldwide.

There was almost nothing they didn’t know, and they had seen plenty of top-grade equipment made without considering cost-effectiveness.

What surprised them were the blueprints stored in Yoo Jin’s gear and the equipment made from them.

The balance of applied technology, production, and practicality was rare.

It could only operate under a network with control like ICARUS Network, but reverse-engineering the technology applied to the equipment alone could lead to massive advancements.

This was beyond imagination.

That was the thought on everyone’s mind.

“…For now, let’s submit a simple top-secret report.”

The chief researcher, whose face was half-frozen, added that.

And that’s what happened.

It was the day when the Secretary of Defense, who had been sleeping a few kilometers away, rushed to DARPA in the early hours of the morning.