I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun-Chapter 792: Manhattan (4)

"I thought New Jersey was bad, but Long Island... this is the real deal. This mess is a whole new level."

"...Is it just me, or do you think we shouldn't go back?"

"There's not much we can do with just six people. We're not the Dagger team. Unless you bring that massive railgun or shoot down a helicopter, we're stuck."

"Ugh, I don’t think I could ever do that."

The war in New York was unfolding in a very complicated manner.

The longest front line ran from Albany to Fort Chester, which marked the boundary between New York and Connecticut, while the eastern front formed around Kennedy International Airport.

The southern front stretched from Staten Island to near Bridgewater, and the western front was near Newark. In short, New York was being hammered from all directions.

Of course, to be precise, the expression "hammered" wasn't entirely accurate.

At this point, all available National Guard units and U.S. military forces had gathered in New York, and the Allied forces scattered across the northeastern United States weren’t in a position to mount a meaningful offensive.

Even when Lapland's team was relentlessly pursued, the Allied forces could only muster up to a company-sized force, and battalion or regimental offensives were limited to the most strategic points, like airports.

At least, that was the case for the western and southern engagements.

In other words, places not mentioned had a different situation.

"...This area is... definitely a hotbed. I keep seeing aircraft flying around, but what the hell is going on?"

"It’s understandable. About two-thirds of Long Island and the area around New Haven are the Allies’ front yard. The support for troops and equipment is far easier here than in other areas."

"Well, you sure know a lot."

"I’m an operations officer, after all!"

Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport, and New Haven.

The Allies took advantage of the Black Eagle's strike in New Jersey to push along the coastline from New York to Connecticut, and New Haven eventually fell. The Icarus Northeast Branch quickly became a resistance.

This meant that with New Haven captured, it became much easier to land troops on Long Island, crossing Long Island Sound, the body of water between Long Island and Connecticut.

Moreover, Long Island had not just Kennedy International Airport, but four other airports, which meant the enemy could send substantial air support.

Of course, this was why Governors Island was launching dozens of surface-to-air missiles every day, and the Allies were losing air support at a terrifying pace.

As a result, Governors Island, having been turned into a missile base, became a critical target for the Allies, and Task Force Aricon successfully carried out the mission after being assigned the highest priority task.

No Allied forces ever set foot on Governors Island.

"I didn’t know about all this because we’ve been stuck around HQ, but it’s interesting. At first, you were just picking up spent shells and keeping them in your pockets..."

"W-What? Who told you that!?"

"Dagger team told me. You’d probably cause a scene if you knew, so they didn’t mention it."

"Do you really think I wouldn't cause a scene now!?"

"Alright, alright, calm down."

Of course, if someone else had seen it, it would have been a sight that could make someone spit sugar.

The Military Police members had their curiosities, but unfortunately, it wasn’t going well for two reasons. The first being that it wasn’t appropriate to openly inquire about someone’s personal life.

The second reason—

—BOOM!

"Damn...!"

"It’s a common occurrence. Don’t worry about it; just focus on the mission."

"A common occurrence!?!"

"That wasn’t a loss of our forces. The helicopter we shot down crashed nearby and exploded. There are no attack helicopters in the area around Long Island."

This was happening on the front lines, where real-time combat was taking place.

The Military Police members weren’t unaware of this.

The area was packed with Striker armored vehicles, four Stinger surface-to-air missiles, AGM-114 Hellfire anti-tank missiles, 30mm autocannons, and M-SHORAD self-propelled anti-aircraft guns equipped with surface-to-air lasers, among other forces.

And that wasn't all. Small squads operating man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) and autonomous anti-air mines were scattered around nearby low-rise buildings.

The Allies had even resorted to using EMPs, which had proven effective, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to gain the upper hand.

"Anyway, you’re tough. From what I’ve heard, you’ve had a rough time these past few days. I envy you, being a mutant."

"Th-That’s... just a joke."

"I’m not joking. I don’t know who first called you a mutant, but honestly, if you look at it, calling you blessed would be a better fit than calling you a mutant."

Lapland shifted her gaze, avoiding eye contact. She was thankful now, but she hadn’t wanted to become a mutant in the first place.

Regardless, as this was the busiest and most dangerous battlefield, the work for Lapland’s team had naturally increased.

Moreover, Kennedy International Airport was enormous, and splitting up into smaller groups to fix broken hardware and reconnect with TOC meant time flew by quickly.

And the U.S. forces on Long Island were scattered like grains of sand on a map. Lapland’s team had to choose the units that needed their communication network repaired first, then go to each of them, following the same procedures.

Even with that, a whole day slipped by without much thought.

However, from Lapland’s perspective, this wasn’t really a major issue.

If they came out to work, they had to do the work. And more importantly, the work at the airport was far more advantageous than anything they had done before.

—BOOM!

"Ugh, that was a close one. At least it didn’t land near us..."

"Just that alone is something to be grateful for."

Compared to the days when enemies could appear out of nowhere, things were much better now.

There was no need to dwell on the past. If she wanted to, Lapland could instantly recall the events from a few days ago. And when she heard explosions from outside, her body instinctively flinched. It was a reflex from her past.

Furthermore, while there had been no concept of a rear in the west or south, where enemies could pop up from anywhere, in Brooklyn—an actual rear—she could at least move around in vehicles.

It was a massive improvement.

And there was another reason.

Now that Aricon had completed their work, Lapland’s team was no longer responsible for anything.

"HQ just sent word. Task Force Aricon is heading to Westchester County Airport. Seems like it’s related to what we’ve been doing..."

"Are we really talking about the experts now?"

"I’m going to be one of those experts... eventually. Anyway, Aricon’s heading there because there’s a military drone expert stationed there."

"Looks like those guys are always called for everything."

"..."

Everyone in the room knew what that meant.

What they were doing—rebuilding the network—was supposed to be the job of a signal battalion, but no one cared about that now.

In a world where the apocalypse had come and the population had drastically decreased, the concept of division of labor was useless.

"It’s been a hell of a struggle, but we’re almost done."

"The harder the work, the closer you are to the end. Of course, it wasn’t easy in the middle..."

"Is that from experience?"

"Something like that."

The Humvee pushed forward on the rough road with determination, and the sunlight above was a stark contrast to the grimness of war.

The end was near.

From the beginning, TOC never intended to work Lapland’s team to the bone like this. Of course, if they’d heard that, they might’ve complained about not being sent in the first place, but someone had to do the job.

Lapland’s team had finished their task, and from there, it was up to TOC to restore the network and resume reconnaissance.

"...You don’t think TOC is going to say one thing and do another when we return, do you?"

"To you? If I worked at TOC, I would’ve had the guy who suggested sending you out here dealt with so you could have some time to rest."

"Uh, I’m not sure what to say to that."

"Don’t worry. I’ll back you up if it comes to that."

Captain Farkworth’s words were sincere.

Of course, they didn’t know this, but TOC also didn’t plan to work Lapland any harder. There were no more tasks left for them, and even if there were, no one knew what would happen if they kept pushing.

Bullets may be light compared to missiles, but anyone who’s been through a missile-laden battlefield wouldn’t be one to casually make someone work harder.

"Anyway, let’s finish this off. It would be great if we could return to HQ by tonight."

"If we do, I’ll check if we can use the first floor of the Alpha-class mutant quarters. After all, the Dagger team still has a long way to go..."

"Yeah, I hope Mitchell and the rest of the squad can use it too."

"It shouldn’t be a problem."

"Great. I’m looking forward to it."

The Humvee rumbled forward, and Lapland’s team did their best to finish things off.

The chaos in the northeastern United States was slowly being contained.

"Wow, this bed is amazing. Looks like it was taken from a nearby hotel."

"That’s not surprising. Anyway, hurry up. Besides the highly classified areas, this place is the best we’ve got. Showers, laundry... there's even an abundance of electricity."

"Can I say it doesn’t seem like that right now?"

"That’s because we have to charge the batteries using Icarus gear."

April 13, 11 PM, Central Park HQ Alpha-class mutant quarters, first floor.

It had been nearly three months since the Dagger team had left, and the mutant quarters were eerily quiet. The lights on the first floor, unused due to lack of personnel, were now on.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

The spacious room had two double-sized beds, left abandoned. Dust had accumulated on the blankets, and the pillows and blankets bore the name of the hotel they came from.

It was obvious where they had come from.

"...These guys really think they’re being considerate, sneaking off without saying anything and heading to the Military Police quarters."

"..."

"Well, now that this has happened, I guess it wouldn’t be so bad to get a personal tour of the facilities from you. Do I really need to know anything else?"

"Well, you’ll be staying here from now on."

"And the second floor is for the Dagger team, right?"

"Yeah. Originally, I was supposed to stay there too, but there's no space for you, Captain."

"Hmm?"

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

"There's a gun cabinet right next to the bed."

That’s when he nodded.

The gun cabinet couldn’t be helped. Especially for special forces, their weapons were treasured more than anything. The firearms used by SOF members were intricately crafted jewels, designed only for them.

According to Lapland, there were as many beds and gun cabinets on the second floor as there were people, and the Dagger team had weapons they couldn’t take to Washington D.C. stored there.

It was better to leave it alone.

"I get it. Guess I’ll stay here until I recover."

"Living here long-term... would be difficult."

"Yeah, I can’t rest here forever."

As expected.

They were on «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» a 3-day combat leave, but anything beyond that was difficult. Captain Farkworth still had duties to fulfill with the Military Police. If they stayed in the same quarters, it would make more sense for Lapland to move to the Military Police side.

Looking around, he sat down on the bed that seemed to be the most comfortable. Unfortunately, he hadn’t washed yet, so he couldn’t lay down flat just yet.

Lapland added, noticing this.

"Well, I don’t have much stuff up there either, and if I just bring my toiletries and towels down, I’m fine sleeping here... Why do you look like that?"

"I didn’t bring toiletries."

"...There should be disposable items in the shower room. All the amenities were taken from nearby hotels, so the ones here might actually be better than the ones in your quarters..."

"Hey, I’m not saying the ones I use are bad..."

He stopped himself mid-sentence.

After all, he was a proud American soldier, and like any soldier, the skincare products they used were average at best. They weren’t any better than the amenities in a five-star hotel.

He subtly avoided Lapland’s gaze, and she smiled slightly before adding:

"Anyway, I’m in charge of cleaning the quarters. If you want to get your toiletries and towels, we can take care of everything. You should shower and get some rest, right?"

"Fine, fine. You sound like my mom. The ones sensitive to smells will have a hard time."

"I never said it was because of the smell!"

"Alright, alright, I get it."

He chuckled, and Lapland, though not truly angry, continued to grumble.

But even so, at that moment, silence fell. Captain Farkworth instinctively sensed something. He didn’t know exactly what, but he knew it wasn’t the right time to speak.

As he kept quiet, the words he’d said earlier flashed through his mind.

The Dagger team had sneakily returned to the Military Police quarters, without saying a word, and he had naturally shifted the conversation to avoid touching sensitive topics.

But still...

‘...I thought this day might come someday.’

Now that it had arrived, neither of them could avoid the situation.

It was strangely coincidental. Both of them were 27 years old. One had gained maturity beyond his years after surviving many battlefields, but as a whole, the position of captain wasn’t very high.

They didn’t even need to elaborate. They were both still in their twenties—still filled with youthful vigor.

Even so, the things they had experienced so far had been enough to suppress the least essential of human needs: sexual desire.

Considering everything they’d gone through just hours ago, this ‘subtle’ situation wouldn’t stir up anything in Captain Farkworth unless something even more shocking occurred.

In other words, the situation now rested entirely in Lapland’s hands, and... she knew that as well.

"..."

"..."

It was a strange atmosphere, so hard to speak in.

Lapland’s face was red enough to be seen in the darkness, but rather than pushing her for an answer, Captain Farkworth used the extraordinary patience that had helped him survive the battlefield.

How long had it been?

Finally, her mouth opened.

"...There’s something I need to tell you."

"..."

"The shower here... doesn't have a gender distinction. So..."

At that moment, Captain Farkworth looked Lapland in the eyes.

As the long silence came to an end, he spoke.

"...Would you like to shower together?"

At that moment, Lapland burned her past and was reborn anew.