I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 247 – Worldline Synchronization

“Sergeant Sirkins!”

“Haha, the future billionaire is here—ack, cough, a body charge, really, young lady…!”

Rat-a-tat-tat—bang.

As soon as I stepped out of DARPA’s corridor into the cold winter wind, another figure from my past appeared.

A tall man with brown hair, dressed in a suit, was waiting for me outside.

Edwin Sirkins. He was one of the ten members of Task Force Dagger and currently served as the chief secretary under the Secretary of Defense. Our first meeting was quite intense, more like a body tackle than a greeting.

Underneath his suit, I felt a thin, peculiar texture. No wonder he didn’t seem cold; he must have been wearing a multifunctional bulletproof vest under his suit.

Anyway,

“As expected of a chief secretary, you always dress securely.”

“…Phew, and you inflicted physical damage beyond my bulletproof vest with just a simple body charge. My stomach is still churning.”

“Haha, it was just a light reunion greeting. How have you been?”

“A secretary’s job is always the same. Tedious and exhausting.”

He, who was about a head taller than me, raised his hand and patted my head.

Even though his old habit of patting my head until my hair nearly fell out because I was the youngest in the team hadn’t changed, I decided to let it slide since it had been a while since we last met.

The outside wind was cold, but I now activated the temperature control function of the ICARUS Gear without much hesitation.

Thanks to numerous encounters in America, my previously hidden PTSD had been alleviated, so I could now comfortably endure the winter.

Of course, he added another comment, as if he had seen me somewhere.

“When I watched your personal channel, you seemed to hate even a bit of cold. Have you turned on the temperature control function?”

“Well, there’s no big worry in turning it on now… Wait, you watched my broadcast!?”

“The fact that our youngest thought I wouldn’t watch is more impressive. By the way, Chester spent the most money on your broadcast. It seems he was bored while hospitalized.”

“Ugh.”

He didn’t miss the chance to add that all members of the Dagger team had watched my broadcast at least dozens of times, driving me crazy.

I felt like I was about to lose my mind. Does that mean they saw me giggling over weird weapons in a game I used to play?

That’s why I shouldn’t have broadcasted. Even the smallest embarrassing moments spread worldwide, making it hard to meet acquaintances comfortably.

Anyway, I was quite hungry since I hadn’t had lunch yet.

And the person in front of me was one of the most perceptive people I’d ever met.

“How about grabbing some lunch? You don’t seem to have any other schedule.”

“There was talk of stopping by the Pentagon, but it seems to have vanished somehow. Everyone must be busy during this hectic period.”

“Right. With the Iowa caucuses in just two months, everyone needs to prepare for the coming storm.”

“What about you, Sirkins?”

“I’m just holding the position for now, but as an executive at the think tank, I won’t have to worry about making a living once the corporation starts running in earnest after you invest the capital. Even if not, I can always return home.”

Screech.

A black car appeared from somewhere and carefully stopped on the road in front of DARPA. It looked like an unusual vehicle at first glance.

The tint was so dark that the interior was completely invisible.

Sirkins naturally walked toward the car and opened the door.

At first, I thought it was an ordinary sedan, but seeing the thickness of the door, I could tell it was a heavily modified vehicle.

I was about to ask if it was his car, but he spoke first.

“It’s one of the unofficial government vehicles. Don’t worry about eavesdropping, just get in. There’s a reservation at a place I’ve arranged for. I even had a tail storage hole drilled in the back seat for a day like this.”

“Goodness.”

Nevertheless, I comfortably got into the car.

As soon as I got in, warm air greeted me.

The tail hole in the back seat, designed to fit my tail comfortably, was indeed convenient.

The door closed automatically, and the steering wheel rotated automatically as the car carefully drove through the roads of Washington, D.C.

Just like the bus I took to get to Incheon Airport, unmanned driving seemed quite common in this era.

I rolled my eyes, not because I had nothing to do but to secretly access the vehicle’s network through the ICARUS Gear. It was a simple curiosity to find out the vehicle’s destination, just in case.

“Washington D.C., Conrad Hotel. I was debating whether to stay for the night or return to New York.”

“So, you hacked into the car in the meantime. This vehicle is reinforced with the latest defense protocol… Anyway, as you can see, the destination is Conrad Hotel.”

Why suddenly a hotel, I thought, but he continued his explanation.

“There aren’t many restaurants around here for various reasons, but this area is home to numerous government offices and America’s central institutions. Therefore, places that entertain foreign dignitaries are naturally the nearby high-end hotels, and the so-called renowned chefs often come to these hotels to serve meals for the dignitaries.”

“So, there are more famous chefs working at such hotels for short periods than in nearby suitable restaurants. And we are heading to a hotel where those chefs are staying.”

“You’re quick to understand, which is convenient.”

He patted my shoulder and opened his mouth.

“These days, you often hang out with Shark, Polar Bear, and the senior officer?”

“It’s quite a commotion.”

“I bet. If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have submitted my discharge application….”

“You’re missing the oddest things.”

“Some people are naturally suited for the military. What can you do for money?”

He laughed briefly.

Memories of the past flashed through my mind, and I added.

“That reminds me, why did you always tell me I wasn’t cut out for the military every time we made eye contact? You always said you’d tell me after the mission, but you never did.”

“Haha, that’s right. Well….”

He then cautiously opened his mouth.

“You’re not seriously asking because you don’t know, are you?”

“…I wanted to hear it directly from the squad leader.”

“Of course.”

He pressed a button.

The view changed as if we were floating in the air.

Every visible part turned into a hologram, projecting the outside scenery. I could see the bustling heart of America, the frozen Potomac River, and the intact Roosevelt Island.

As he glanced around, he spoke softly.

“A city that smells of corpses and gunpowder can’t be good for anyone’s sanity.”

“….”

“In that sense, I’ve never seen you look better than now.”

Of course.

I couldn’t hide my burst of laughter.

I added to him.

“Anyway, your comments are still as burdensome as ever, Edwin Butterkinds Squad Leader. I can smell something cheesy. Can I get off and take a taxi later?”

“Damn it, that nickname again! Is my way of speaking that strange?”

“Who knows? Maybe you should ask someone else?”

“The person involved should tell me, the person involved!”

Haha.

It seemed I wouldn’t be bored during my stay in Washington, D.C.

“…So, that’s what happened.”

“Seriously, that idiot….”

The sound of continuous laughter echoed.

As expected of the capital, the night view of Washington, D.C., was as spectacular as that of the great city of New York—suddenly, I’m bringing this up because the key members of the Dagger team, who were now getting accustomed to it, had driven all the way to Washington and found me here.

Of course, the reason was quite simple.

“I took a three-week leave, and our youngest keeps running around all over the place? That’s not right!”

“Ah, it hurts. It hurts. And stop biting me, Laurentina. Do you know how sharp your teeth are?”

“Oh, stop whining.”

“You stripped a front-line cable with those teeth once.”

“Pffft-!”

Logan spat out his drink. Then I realized it was a story only Laurentina and I knew. I might have said something I shouldn’t have. Our eyes met, and Logan looked like he had struck gold.

“Wow, as expected of DEVGRU, doing underwater operations and all. I didn’t expect someone here to bite through underwater cables.”

“Yoo Jin-!”

“Oh, why bother our innocent youngest.”

Smooch.

Suddenly, a heavy, amazing, and indescribably soft and squishy sensation on my neck. At this point, I couldn’t pretend not to know what it was. Logan had saved me from getting bitten badly by Laurentina.

Meanwhile, our senior officer, who had long since adjusted to such scenes, was chatting with the bartender, who seemed somewhat puzzled. He was quite skilled at ignoring things when necessary.

Anyway, the topic shifted.

“Anyway, our youngest is going to be the richest among us. Can’t we each get a retirement bonus like that?”

“Don’t worry. The Dagger team will still get percentages.”

“That’s good to hear. So, how big do you think it will get?”

“Well, let’s see.”

After a moment’s thought, Icarus Gear provided a simple calculation.

“If we operate steadily, it might grow as big as Apple?”

“Goodness.”

“Yoo Jin, about earlier, I’m sorry for biting….”

“Haha, you don’t have to apologize.”

We chatted for about five minutes, and the topic shifted back to Sirkins.

“The guy who set up this meeting is missing.”

“He got leave, so he visited his hometown. He

left right after lunch, so I didn’t know… If he knew about this, he’d probably regret not staying for a day.”

“That’s his personality, alright.”

He made a few hand gestures. The soundproofing function activated. The bartender noticed the signal and cautiously left, making our table off-limits to anyone.

It wasn’t to discuss anything grandiose. It was to reminisce about the past, though even those memories couldn’t be allowed to leak outside.

It started with a trivial story.

“If we had stayed there, what would we be doing now?”

“Since it’s been about five years since the Omega Virus incident, I guess the country would have been somewhat restructured in another three years.”

“Three more years in that hellhole, huh. That sounds pretty horrifying.”

“It was never not horrifying. With our youngest gone, it would have likely been even worse than we anticipated.”

“Well, I’m here now, aren’t I?”

“You have no idea how fortunate that is.”

Really?

Since Laurentina started the topic, I began thinking too. It was indeed a curious story. If I had stayed there, what would have happened? Would I have continued struggling to normalize that country?

Then, a sudden thought crossed my mind.

‘…The other world has significantly influenced the people here through worldline synchronization….’

Is that all?

With all the meaningful messages from Icarus, the questions about Icarus’s abbreviation, and the ‘second’ worldline synchronization estimate after the Incursion Mission.

If the worldlines were fully synchronized, would this be the only place affected? Conversely—could the other world be influenced by factors from here?

If so, how?

“Yoo Jin, is something wrong?”

“No. It’s nothing….”

I finished my thought.

The vague agenda of visiting Icarus seemed to be getting clearer.

“I’ll go to the headquarters tomorrow and ask about everything I’m curious about.”

“Yes. Find out what tricks they used to sell our past. I’ll even forgive you for bending my back.”

“Goodness.”

Night was falling.

There wasn’t much time left to face the truth.