I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun-Chapter 777: Christmas (5)

"The outside is so noisy. I’ve never seen so many kids out playing like this before."

"For those little ones, it’s probably their first time playing without a care in a long while. It’s nice to see."

"...When will we ever get to rest like that, I wonder."

"...Why are you giving me that look?"

"That’s just your imagination. You're mistaken."

"Look me in the eye and say that!"

Even on Christmas Day, I can still hear Lapland’s whiny voice from inside the lodging.

As usual, he’s such a dramatic person. Of course, telling me to look him in the eye was a pretty bad move on his part.

Olivia’s amber-colored eyes, almost yellow, immediately fixated on Lapland. Despite being a wolf, Lapland was, after all, a real predator who had experienced countless battles. In front of an owl, he naturally had to shrink.

As Lapland made a cute noise and collapsed onto the bed, the thick snow clouds covering the sky slowly began to clear, and beams of sunlight began to fall down.

It was around noon, and fortunately, nothing unusual had been observed outside. Even in such a situation, the people patrolling around Central Park HQ and the ones guarding the unfinished collapsed southern wall observation post... it was just unfortunate.

Of course, there was nothing to be done about that. When I was in the military, I’d often been on guard duty during holidays like Chuseok or New Year’s.

"Really, you want me to look you in the eye?"

"No, uh, I was wrong..."

"You can’t be tormenting me so soon when there are still twelve hours left until Christmas is over. Take it easy."

"Don’t even joke about pandas..."

"Then you’re not going to Washington D.C., right?"

"Ugh."

The Dagger team really hates it when the operations officers bring in work on their days off... I guess that’s not completely untrue.

It wasn’t exactly wrong. After Christmas ends, when the real end-of-year period starts, the Dagger team will have to head to the capital. In that sense, I guess teasing Lapland is perfectly legitimate.

Of course, as always, I’m too kind to say it out loud. After all, even if I didn’t do it, the others would enjoy teasing him.

"What do we need to do next... First, handle the Alpha team under Laurentina, check the status of the operation zone, and then meet with the Secretary of Defense?"

"Pretty much, but I hope there’s no need to send that guy directly."

"Don’t let your guard down. Speaking from experience dealing with strange cyborgs, the Secretary of Defense might shoot a plasma cannon out of his arm at any moment."

"...That’s pretty horrifying. Maybe we should take a Titan as a threat deterrent?"

"That might not be a bad idea."

"What are you guys talking about?"

Is this because of that efficiency obsession or whatever? Honestly, I’m losing my mind.

Sometimes I think that this extreme pursuit of efficiency, constantly preparing for the worst-case scenario, is what leads to this kind of outcome. I swear, I don’t want to end up like that.

I’ve often wondered how long I can stay the brake for the Dagger team. If I end up getting dragged into it, there’s nothing I can do.

Sadly, after seeing everything so far and knowing that Alejandro Webb’s influence even reached Artemis, I can’t even begin to imagine what might happen when we meet with higher-ups.

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Those people throw ethics and morality into the trash and only pursue results, turning people into something beyond human. Considering their high-ranking positions, they’ll likely be treated as collaborators, and I doubt they’ll implant anything into their brains like Jordan Amherst did.

But if those high-ranking officers, still mentally sound, start firing plasma cannons from their bodies while deflecting .50 caliber rounds... well, I guess it could be interesting, in a twisted way. Obviously, I’m being sarcastic.

"...Honestly, that’s just too much, don’t you think?"

"Too much? No way. Seal, play that weird video of the guy we ran into in the Bronx last time."

"Of course, there’s no popcorn. Anyway, Lapland, come here."

"Ugh, I’m sorry-!"

"...Well, considering past precedents, I can’t really say anything about it."

As he said.

Once a precedent has been set, it’s no longer something that can just be dismissed as insane. In fact, now that it’s happened, I’m actually worried that this might become the new normal.

While we’ve achieved miraculous victories so far, the enemies are also working hard to prevent that from happening. Take Black Eagle, or the short-range anti-air missile platforms that we’ve been losing one by one.

And Christmas doesn’t mean everything is peaceful. Over this Christmas Eve and Day, the enemy launched around five short-range ballistic missiles. Of course, they were all intercepted by laser defense systems before reaching New York.

Those vile Slavic bastards are still causing trouble. And they’re getting smarter about it too.

"Lapland."

"...Yes?"

"We might end up going to that dangerous place, so our young wolf here should... understand the Dagger team’s struggles and give us support, don’t you think?"

"If there’s anything I can do..."

"I’m joking, I’m joking. Sometimes I wonder if you used to be a man."

Well, that might be true.

I’ve been receiving quite a lot of attention, but seeing how they’re talking about Lapland, I guess he must have something going on. Still, I might not be jealous... maybe.

Anyway, with that, the base, including HQ, was showing signs of lively movement for the first time in a while. It felt almost peaceful compared to what it had been like.

Before the last base was attacked, we had only rested for a day and had to patrol Manhattan for about two weeks without a break... I just hope this isn’t another flag. Please, let this situation be the exception, not the rule.

Just as it was time for lunch, the smell of grilled meat filled Central Park HQ.

Olivia was busy tormenting the young wolf, while Laurentina glanced at me as I stared outside and gave a small smile.

"It’s bringing back memories, don’t you think, Eugene?"

"...It hasn’t even been a year, but a lot has happened in that time. Really."

"Sadly, we’ll probably spend even more time like this in the future. Maybe, by the time we get back, some of our comrades who were with us not long ago will be gone..."

"..."

"Now that I think about it, the biggest worry I have every time I see you, Junior, isn’t that you won’t do your part, but that you’ll experience the death of a comrade, or something equally as tragic, and lose hope."

...Maybe that’s true.

We’ve certainly been winning easily, though it hasn’t been without its struggles. And yet, no one from the Dagger team has died while we’ve been roaming the battlefield for nearly a year.

While I was thinking that, Laurentina continued.

"...Well, so far, you’ve only been in situations where you could’ve been the one to die, but instead, you ended up in those dangerous situations yourself."

"Ah, that’s..."

"You know that getting shot in the liver usually means you can’t survive, right, Junior? And yet, you keep worrying about others."

"That’s not my fault... ugh."

"Always be careful, I’m serious."

I got my cheek pinched again. I really don’t get why so many people like this white rice cake so much.

As I was thinking that, the pressure left my finger, and Laurentina added, laughing.

"It’s been a while since [N O V E L I G H T] you changed your tone, but now that you’ve changed, I think it was the right decision. When you used to speak more formally, it was only to Olivia."

"Well... that’s because of Olivia’s special psychological therapy."

"Was that really beneficial? You’ve got a sly side, Junior."

"I’m not like that-!"

I can never let my guard down.

Thankfully, my desperate defense seemed to have worked, as Laurentina patted my head, chuckling.

"You can take a break until today, but if nothing happens... start preparing again tomorrow. It looks like a specialist gunsmith is going to be assigned soon, so we’ll be handling more types of firearms from now on."

"...Yes."

"Alright, go rest now. There’s still plenty of Christmas left."

Is there really still plenty of Christmas left?

I had that thought, but I decided not to worry about it.

At least, for today.

The Phoenix has entered the Chesapeake Bay. It’s expected to cross the Potomac River and arrive at Tidel Basin within a week. Supplies unloading is in progress.

Black Eagle, 2,500 initial mobilized troops. Fully armored killing machines. Since they’ve been modified to continue fighting without feeling pain, there should be no issue with the operation.

Upon arrival, fortification will begin. The capital, and America, are ours. We will use every man we can, and later, we’ll take them apart all at once. So, everyone, tighten your belts.

Meanwhile, in Chesapeake Bay, about 130 kilometers south of Washington D.C., several massive hovercraft were on the move.

"Ugh, working on Christmas Eve..."

"Only four hours, and stop complaining while you’re going back later, you brat. You’re going back soon anyway. And don’t you feel sorry for me, being stuck here all day?"

Central Park TOC, 4 PM, Christmas Day.

Now, the apprentice operations officer, Lapland, who could be called the idol of Central Park, and the senior operations officer, Kane Whitebrim, one of the chiefs of operations, were staring at the screen inside the TOC.

The screen displayed two separate images of New York. One was from early December, and the other from December 25th. The difference was that the red dots scattered across the left image were completely gone in the Manhattan photo on the right.

No one had expected that the Icarus Operators were the ultimate mixers, but once given orders, they always produced the best results.

And as a result, peace had temporarily returned to Manhattan.

"...No matter how much I think about it, this still doesn’t make sense."

"Has there ever been a time when those guys did only things that made sense?"

"Well, I can’t really argue with that... but the problem is that I’m the one eating, sleeping, and traveling with people who do that kind of thing, you know?"

"Congratulations."

"What exactly am I supposed to congratulate for!?"

Of course, from the senior operations officer’s perspective, this was just some fun entertainment to watch.

As Lapland grumbled, he clicked the mouse, and the screen quickly shifted from New York to Washington D.C. Along the way, it passed Philadelphia and Baltimore.

Unlike New York, where the threat level was rising back to red, Philadelphia and Baltimore currently had a black threat level. That didn’t mean it was completely destroyed, but it was closer to a judgment of "waiting."

The reason was simple. It wasn’t a city where people were walking around to assess the situation. Once a city that everyone knew by name, its current state was nothing short of disastrous.

However, today’s destination wasn’t that place.

"Washington D.C... If New York was the center of the economy, this place was once the center of international politics and diplomacy. Now, it’s a complete mess, a total chaos."

"...And these white remnants?"

"That’s where the U.S. Capitol once stood. Below there, hundreds of politicians are probably buried. Of course, their arms, legs, and heads are all mixed separately."

"What you’ve described is worse than any explanation I’ve ever heard..."

"Sometimes, reality is the cruelest thing, even worse than any euphemism."

Columbia District, or Washington D.C.

But now, it was a neighborhood full of gangs, defected former U.S. soldiers, and hostile carriers, and just like Manhattan’s Central Park, the most iconic building, the White House, was being used as an operational base.

I wonder if one day, a president will sit in that white building again. That rebellious thought briefly crossed Lapland’s mind before he quickly pushed it aside.

"...By the way, is there no Icarus Operator over there?"

"Not that there’s none, but the situation isn’t great. It’s actually more complicated because it’s a place where government agencies are all gathered. That’s how it turned into this mess."

"Do we really have to go there ourselves?"

"It’s already decided, but you probably weren’t wondering about that. The higher-ups are expecting something to happen in the capital. When something terrible happens, they need someone who can escape safely."

"Ah. Have you told the Dagger team?"

"Not directly. But can anyone really not know that with how sharp they are?"

That was definitely a reasonable statement.

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She nodded, then checked her watch. Her shift was almost over. Starting tomorrow or the day after, the TOC would be back to normal, but at least for now, almost everyone was resting.

"Don’t you need to rest, Senior Operations Officer?"

"I’m fine. And... there’s nowhere to go. No one is waiting for me."

"...I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that."

"It’s okay. In this shitty world... it’s not that uncommon."

How much pain had they endured to be able to say that?

Lapland lowered his head, and the senior officer, with an expression as if looking far away, added quietly.

"Go on, now. If you feel like it later, bring a cake or something."

"...Alright, see you later."

"Yeah. With you around, it’s a little less lonely. Have a good Christmas."

Lapland nodded and left the TOC, his heart heavy with bitterness.

He had been deceived by everything he’d seen so far, thinking it was all hope, but the world was still... cold and merciless to those living through painful lives.

"...Can we go back to how things were?"

The words mumbled into the air scattered like breath.

The end of Christmas was approaching.

"That chief of operations is spending it alone? Then I'll call him later."

"...Is that how it's going to be?"

"Happiness is doubled when shared."

Of course, there was no reason to refuse.

It was still a long way to go until everyone had a warm Christmas, but it wasn't that difficult to make it a warm Christmas for everyone as much as possible.

It was a week before Team Dagger left Manhattan.

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