I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

"These are situations beyond expectations. The body cams aren't even picking them up...!"

"What do you mean? Are the enemies ghosts or something?"

"Wherever they step, our electronics are malfunctioning! If we don't have another way to deal with this, we can't respond!"

"Hmm…!"

1,500 kilometers northeast of Boston, Newfoundland Island, Saint John’s International Airport.

Inside the command center, where only the Allied high command and senior generals can enter, the large screen displayed… a rather undesirable scene.

The real-time chaos being displayed on the screen was overwhelming. However, what was even more frightening was that, despite this, the enemy still could not be seen clearly.

They were physically present and moving, but invisible, not even visible on the screen.

In order to gather data on the Icarus operators, soldiers who were mentally or ideologically "slightly impure" had been assigned, and while the result was expected, actually witnessing it firsthand was an entirely different matter.

The reasons weren't just that, though. Even if people were killed, if the data could be gathered properly, things would be different.

But that wasn’t the case.

"Are they really ghosts…?"

"The 71st Special Brigade Shark Team of the People's Liberation Army Special Forces is reporting in! They’re under attack by an unknown force!"

"…This, this wasn’t something we anticipated."

The moment it was said that it was unanticipated, it could already be considered a failure, but there was no one around to point that out or to realize it. No one had prepared any contingency plans.

If at least an evacuation plan had been properly set up or a contingency protocol for emergencies had been established, things might have turned out better, but by the time they were imagining those "what-ifs," everyone knew what that implied.

At that point, everything had already gone off course.

After all, the forces had been specially assembled for the purpose of being sacrificed. There was no rescue mission in place. The airborne forces were supposed to solve this on their own.

No backup, no response.

Only traditional analysis and countermeasures were being discussed.

"…As of now, it appears that the enemy special forces at least possess optical camouflage and jamming capabilities. We don’t know how it manifests, but…"

"Could they be attacking using BMD-4Ms?"

"Currently, half of the 10 armored vehicles we’ve deployed need towing, but I believe we can still achieve good results if we deploy the remaining vehicles properly."

"Considering the fact that we still have Colonel Borzouk’s head intact, we know that survival chances are higher when we gather around the armored vehicles. And since the enemy operator is human, they can’t beat the armored vehicles."

There was no disagreement with this statement.

It wasn't about being yes-men; it was the truth. Any special forces, no matter how heavily armed with explosives like grenades and guns, would have to think the same way. The command staff knew that it was only logical.

Even with special capabilities, human limits couldn't be overcome. Therefore, it wouldn’t be too difficult to capture the enemy operator with the help of armored vehicles.

With vehicles carrying heavy weapons such as a 100mm low-pressure gun, a 30mm cannon, and a 7.62mm machine gun, half of the 10 armored vehicles could still be used.

Though there had been some minor losses, it seemed like they would still accomplish their goal.

But how much time had passed?

---KRRSSHHH!

With a loud sound, a thermite charge was attached to the side of one of the armored vehicles, where three crew members were aboard. An enormous explosion ensued, and molten metal splattered everywhere.

The intense heat that engulfed the vehicle turned the crew members inside to ash, their horrifying screams tearing through the metal.

As the screen displayed the sight of charred corpses and the remains of soldiers, no one could speak another word.

"…"

The one thing the Allied forces knew for sure was this:

The enemy operator possessed combat equipment capable of neutralizing armored vehicles with the strength to withstand .50 caliber rounds.

The operation had once again gone awry. Judging from the size of the thermite charge used, it wasn’t particularly large. Yet the firepower to completely burn through the armor of the vehicle was something that hadn’t been anticipated.

They had poured resources into gathering enemy data, but the paradox was that the information they could retrieve was absurdly little for the lives they had lost.

How could an operative have this level of combat strength? The personnel in the command center couldn’t fathom the reason behind this.

"What, what is this?"

Perhaps it wasn’t impossible.

Russia, or perhaps China, had known for at least 20 years that a certain portion of the U.S. annual budget would vanish in some manner without Congress even passing it.

However, very few knew that this money was being funneled into the development of the Icarus Gear. Even those who did know were unable to share this information. Surprisingly, even Artemis had delivered only part of the catalog data.

This could not have been otherwise. It was extremely rare for short-term high-skilled units to overturn the results of localized battles and ultimately lead to victory on a large-scale battlefield—both historically and in the present.

Especially now.

"…What do we do now?"

"…"

No one could provide an answer.

However, after some time, the silence turned to coldness, and the generals who had completely shifted their thought processes decided to take a more macro approach rather than reacting to the worsening situation.

The operation would continue. Regardless of how many forces were lost, they would gather data on the Icarus Operators. For that, they could afford to talk about false reinforcements or retreat plans.

When Generals Ryu Chuan and Aleksei both nodded in agreement, the staff members got busy again.

The conversation continued.

"The 71st Special Brigade Thunderstrike team will withdraw. They’re too valuable to lose, and if they return alive, they will provide critical information."

"We’ve got tens of thousands of Russian airborne forces deployed in Boston, isn’t it a waste to discard them?"

"The transport planes are turning back. Logan International Airport is 8 kilometers to the east of the operation area. We’ll make that our extraction zone."

"Are you sure about landing in a place with no guiding lights? Isn’t that too reckless?"

"Landing is the pilot’s responsibility."

This meant that if they couldn’t land, the extraction would be difficult.

Aleksei had a firm resolve, and his composure was unshaken. He had already made up his mind.

Ryu Chuan nodded with a grim expression, and the staff members hurriedly began making calls again, while on the screen, only similar scenes continued to appear.

It looked like a fragmented space, as if the darkness had completely covered Boston.

—RRRAAAK!

"Demons are here! Help…!"

---THUD, THUD, THUD!

Soldiers, terrified, started shooting at the empty air.

But nothing hit. Yet, whenever a shot did land, a white energy field shimmered in the air. The moment the bullet made contact, the enemy would vanish instantly.

They were invisible, yet even when shot, they didn’t seem to take damage. With strength and agility that far surpassed human limits.

The situation was contradictory. They had shown so little, yet they made it clear that more preparation was needed. Perhaps every time they appeared, they would need to prepare ballistic missiles.

But...

‘...Realistically, that's impossible.’

Once a missile is fired, there’s no turning back.

And if the missile base was discovered, that would create a problem of its own. The enemy had invaded America, and if their missile base was attacked, it would result in irreversible losses.

At least, until the remaining aircraft carrier could arrive, they would have to continue bearing the threat.

And that could only be expected to happen by next year.

"I’ve heard it said that to catch a demon, you must become a demon yourself."

"…"

"Given that we're the invading force, the Allies are now on an unstable foundation that can shake at any time. We should be thinking about self-sustainability rather than waiting for support from our homeland."

"What do you mean?"

"At a distance like this, we need soldiers who can withstand the enemy’s onslaught. Just like them."

Before Ryu Chuan could voice his frustration, the words were stuck in his throat. He had recently committed a similar act himself.

He closed his mouth and waited patiently as Aleksei added:

"Thanks to Artemis’ modification data, we have a foundation in place. We’ll need many resources and facilities, but we’ll have to proceed if necessary. We’ve got the evidence for the start of the Hunter project."

"Hunter project?"

"Like I said, to catch a demon, we must create one. If I were to borrow the Americans’ terminology, we should call it 'Hunter'."

Click.

He pulled out a device from his pocket and pressed it. It was smooth and without hesitation, as if it had been prepared long ago.

The conversation continued.

"It’s better to take more risks to capture the Icarus Operators than to continue as we are."

There was no answer.

No one knew what kind of result this would bring.

"…They’re detecting something! It’s almost 150km from Boston!!"

"The enemy launched two new ballistic missiles that aren’t even visible on the S-500 radar! We’ll try to intercept them, but we might not make it in time!"

On the other side, about 150 kilometers north of Boston in Portland, Maine.

The soldiers operating the S-500 missile interception systems were startled and immediately began responding.

The night in Boston was far from over.

"Dangso Dagger Team, we've currently blocked the Anderson Memorial Bridge and are continuing to engage the enemies coming over the bridge! It seems we can't stay here any longer! Where are you now!?"

- Photon 2-1 and 2-2, one shotgun missile, and one airspace suppression ballistic missile are en route to Boston. The first missile will detonate, releasing a large amount of chaff and EMP.

"So when will we get there, damn it!"

- We're scheduled to land at Murray Field, about 2km from the area in 5 minutes. Get out of the area immediately. Boston is going to be a sea of ​​fire.

"What the hell, are you kidding me, 2km in 5 minutes!?"

- We're going to wait until everyone gets on board, so don't worry.

"Fuck... Everyone get on the elevator! As of now, we're abandoning our designated location and heading to Murray Field! Set a waypoint!"

Jjing!

As if it was pre-determined, the entire Dagger team, except for the minimum number of mutants needed for suppressive fire and enemy killing, installed the ropes installed on the wall in advance and descended.

The pilot and Lapland, who did not have separate ascenders, went down together on the ascender under the guidance of Olivia and Eugene, and Logan and Laurentina, who installed all the spare turrets on the rooftop, followed them.

The endless explosions reverberating from the rooftop, the Hornet sniper drones operating in autonomous-kill mode and firing .50 caliber rounds at the darkened sky until they ran out of ammunition.

And what was even more fortunate was that the lower part of Boston was a paradise of trash and abandoned cars, in other words, a place for cover.

───Toodoodoodo!

"Ha, you're already here! Pulse first!"

"Olivia, join the fight! Eugene and I will go first with the pilot and Lapland!"

"Yes. You'll realize that you shouldn't use cars as cover."

Click, eeeeeeing!

Olivia, who didn't care about the bullets that flew in and bounced off from about a hundred meters behind her, searched through her pouch, and a light orange-glowing seeker mine instantly crossed the uneven asphalt.

How long had it been since then? A loud noise and a scream erupted from far away at the same time. The moment the flash slowly rose into the air for half a beat, a burned and crushed corpse was censored once by the cognitive filter.

It wasn't just one person, but many. It was because a single mine split into multiple stages and spread in all directions. The moment the mine exploded under a half-destroyed vehicle, the car folded in half and exploded.

The road was naturally blocked by the explosion, but it didn't end there.

"There! There's someone moving over there- bang!"

"Popov-!"

"Bullets are flying from the darkness! Damn it!"

The moment the pulse burst out at the start of the engagement and covered the entire road, the enemy's movements were clearly visible. It was a golden silhouette that would not disappear until life ceased.

Olivia aimed at it. The moment she, a master marksman like no other in this world, raised her gun and brought the enemy into the crosshairs, a single head was completely vaporized with a thud.

In the meantime, two pilots and one operations officer were moving to Murray Baseball Field, and hundreds of airborne troops were being slaughtered one-sidedly by less than ten troops.

And although the Dagger Team did not know, the airborne troops were not in a good situation either.

- I, I can't go in! Do you know who's over there!? The entire battalion was swept away because of those guys... !

- Are you going to disobey? Move! Move! If you disobey the order, you will be executed immediately!

-Ugh, ugh, ugh-!

The front line, which was literally being torn apart, was showing the peak of military disorganization.

Boston, which was less flashy than New York, but was the wealthiest and most splendid city of all, and had the best infrastructure for students. The soldiers wanted to deny their fate of being torn apart as soon as they landed there, and there was only one result.

In any case, it was a good thing for the Dagger team.@@novelbin@@

In a situation where there was a quasi-mutiny on the front line, they were already running at a speed that transcended humans and were heading to a place that was only a hundred or so meters away from the baseball field.

And how much time had passed?

A single ballistic missile that had flown in from far away exploded over Boston.

───Keeeeeeeeing!

"Set the station on the transport plane! If this breaks down, we're all going to die here!"

"Ugh, what the hell is going on…!"

"Lapland! Get inside! Don't look up at the sky!"

The EMP first destroyed all of Boston, and a large amount of chaff slowly fluttered in the air.

At that moment, another missile flew in from the north, staggering and twisting in an odd direction, then crashing into the ground with a dull explosion.

A pulse-like sound was heard, and the Dagger team lowered their guns as if they didn't even need to identify their friends and added to the mutants who arrived late.

"It's late to say this, but... this is an unexpected journey."

"What can we do? Let's get on quickly. If we stay any longer, the youngest wolf will probably have a nervous breakdown."

"...Oh, no. It's not that bad."

"Then that's fortunate."

───Toodoodoodoodo!

However, the situation was not good at all, and gunfire continued to be heard from far away.

Olivia knew the location of the enemies with her highly developed eyesight, Eugene with his vibrations, Laurentina and Logan with their sixth sense, and Lapland with the constant smell of gunpowder and human scents wafting from the surroundings.

As the Dagger team boarded Photon 2-1 and 2-2, a huge noise was heard from the other side.

And-

"What the hell, here we go!"

"Cover your ears, miniguns are firing!"

"Damn it, rocket launchers! Shoot! Shoot!"

Baaaaaaaaaah!

With a deafening roar, the .50 caliber miniguns pulverized buildings and trees.

, the engine sound so powerful that it pushed the ground and lifted the multi-ton body straight up from the ground.

The precise fire of the Dagger Team, which had already surpassed human perception, intercepted the unguided rockets and 40mm grenades that began to fly in from all directions, and the blackened baseball field floor was torn apart and scattered.

The moment the tiltjet engine tilted and the aircraft rose up, accelerating to hundreds of kilometers per hour in an instant, the sound of bullets colliding and crushing could be heard from various parts of the transport aircraft.

And how long had it been since then, when hundreds of enemy airborne troops gathered nearby and looked at the scene with blank expressions.

"...Wait a minute. What the-"

Thud!

Another missile that had come a beat later separated into dozens of submunitions, and at that moment, falling from west to east of Boston,

There was light.

It was a light that swallowed everything.

"...As expected, I thought so. This ending feels like something I've seen somewhere."

"If every dispatch ends like this, there won't be any cities left intact after the war. I'm going crazy..."

"...Is this right?"

"Let's think of good things as good things, huh..."

Meanwhile, Team Dagger barely escaped the blast radius.

Beyond Brooklyn and the Bronx, they destroyed a city again today.

That was the current situation.