I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun-Chapter 779: Washington D.C (1)

"...Ah, it hurts."

"Seems like you’re quite interested in other people’s love lives, especially when they’re still hot. But, there’s no need to stir up trouble and make a scene, right?"

"Yes."

"Then let’s get going. I heard the DARPA folks made something interesting."

On the evening of 2031, with only a few hours remaining until the New Year, in the ultra-secret area of Central Park HQ.

Including myself, there were now more than a dozen Icarus Operators moving through an area guarded by darkness and thick double-layered walls. Even in the darkness, the pressure sensors embedded in the walls emitted faint beeping sounds. It was truly an impressive sight.

I heard that this had been reinforced due to the last Artemis Cyborg infiltration. It seemed that reinforced concrete and barbed wire were deemed sufficient, but that clearly wasn’t enough, as was exposed to everyone.

Anyway, there was a reason why I was stepping foot here after such a long time and why I had suddenly mentioned the Artemis Cyborg.

It was because DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in Washington D.C., had finally made a cyborg-killing weapon after analyzing the remains of the Artemis Cyborg. And now, it could be integrated with the Icarus Gear and used effectively.

"I heard it’s a close-combat weapon... While it would be suitable for sustained use, I wish it was a gun instead."

"To neutralize the cyborgs we’ve killed with just guns, you'd need a railgun capable of semi-automatic fire with the power of a Titan."

"A weapon that a mutated person wearing the gear would stand and fire? It’s like trying to fire a 20mm anti-material sniper rifle while standing. My shoulder would probably fly off first."

"That’s why we didn’t make it."

Beep!

As we passed, the red light on the wall turned green. The researcher sent to guide the Dagger team only needed to swipe a keycard against the wall, but the operators didn’t need that.

Old memories began to resurface. Although I hadn't visited this place often, on the rare occasions when something major happened, I ended up here, so I couldn't forget it.

I immediately recalled that I had once worn the Icarus Gear here.

However, the purpose of today wasn’t where I had worked hard before.

The destination for the Dagger team was a laboratory that looked like a smaller version of the mock training ground we had seen earlier. Inside, several people were waiting.

But that wasn’t the most eye-catching thing.

The first thing that caught my attention was the close-combat weapons set up on the table.

"...These really are close-combat weapons."

"When I just heard the description, I thought it would be a big weapon for a one-hit kill, but it’s surprisingly not. I didn’t expect that America could make such high-tech weapons fit into the size of existing small melee weapons."

"That’s half correct, but the principle is a bit different. This is a method of implementing the high-heat field used by the Artemis Cyborgs, so it doesn’t need to have as many functions built in, which is why it’s small. It’s like how both 1+3 and 2+2 give the same result of 4."

"I get what you mean."

The gray sword in Laurentina’s hand hummed as she spoke.

"It’s made from a unique alloy that isn’t registered in the Icarus Gear. It seems like it was developed recently. Judging by the explanation, I’d say it’s highly heat-resistant... How do I use it?"

"It’s simple. You can connect the dagger you just picked up to the Icarus Gear and check the interface."

"Hmm... The number 8 appeared."

"That means there are 8 nanomachine cartridges available. The cartridges are continuously recharged via the Icarus Gear."

"Is it a type where you activate the cartridges to use it?"

"Precisely..."

Swish.

A researcher, wearing double heat-resistant gloves and a heat-resistant suit covering the upper body, grabbed the dagger from Laurentina’s hand and passed it through the Icarus Gear like drawing a sword from its sheath.

In that instant, a blinding blue light filled the room.

—Crunch!

"...Wow."

"After activating the nanomachine cartridges, the blade passes through the Icarus Gear’s microwave output system, making the nanomachines ignite to ultra-high temperatures. The electromagnetic coupling cutting is just a bonus."

"Hold on, researcher. The heat-resistant gloves are melting. What’s going on here..."

"That’s because it’s operating at maximum output. We can reduce the output depending on how much of the nanomachines in the cartridge are used."

Swish!

With a horrifying sound, the heat-resistant gloves caught fire. Despite that, the researcher returned them to Laurentina’s hand. Fortunately, the Icarus Gear’s shield output was enough to block that much.

How much time passed? As the electromagnetic field formed over the blade, the radiant heat began to dissipate. However, the amount of shield being used to block it was starting to become quite concerning.

Laurentina, quietly watching that, first confirmed that no one was around. Then, she swung the blade a few times in the air, repeatedly throwing it and catching it, before swinging it once more.

At that moment, the electromagnetic field that had enveloped the 30cm blade vanished.

"When you cut off the nanomachine supply, the field naturally disappears. But the reason for using cartridges instead of stock... it seems like it was set as a sort of deadline."

"Exactly. If you exceed the amount of one cartridge, the weapon is likely to either explode or melt."

"The structure is rational and easy to understand. Although, it’s a bit concerning that some of the danger is passed on to the user..."

"I should explain that part too. Would you take a look at this?"

At that, the researcher threw off their heat-resistant gloves and clothing and rummaged through the discarded materials. From inside, they pulled out something blackened and about the size of a few dozen centimeters.

Upon closer inspection, it was... an arm.

"This is the arm of the cyborg Valerie, who attempted to infiltrate Central Park HQ and capture Dr. Dexter. The cause of destruction was two 40mm grenades, but this arm is a different story."

"Hmm."

"This is the arm that was melted and burned by the blade's intense heat. In other words... Artemis couldn’t resolve the damage caused by the high heat either."

"Is improvement being attempted?"

"It is, but since it was designed specifically for Icarus Operators, it’s not expected to be commercialized, and there’s little hope for further improvements."

Nodding.

That couldn’t be helped, I suppose. And above all... maybe it’s just me, but there’s something that tugs at my heartstrings when it’s a weapon that boasts overwhelming power, even at the cost of the user’s safety.

You know, things like prototype weapons that shouldn’t exist, or whatever. Maybe it’s just that feeling, but... I’m kind of intrigued.

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

I, too, picked up a weapon. Like Shark said, the method of use wasn’t that difficult. I grabbed a tactical tomahawk, and at that moment, the number 8 also appeared on the interface.

Unlike the earlier instruction to pass it through to its position, after activating the cartridge, I placed the tomahawk above the clock, and immediately, an electromagnetic field enveloped the weapon.

What should I call this...

"...It feels like lighting a match."

"Even if it doesn’t catch fire all the way, considering it will eventually ignite, it’s pretty similar."

"If you’re used to the weapon, it’s okay to attack a cyborg-inspired mannequin."

Just as she said, there were several robot mannequins around, and the Dagger team each picked one and started swinging their bluish weapons, spacing themselves out.

Since the color was quite bright, a blue trail was left in the air, but as that trail crossed the mannequins, their skin and bones—much stronger and tougher than human ones—were sliced away at an alarming speed. It was like cutting butter with a heated knife.

Strictly speaking, it was more rigid than that, but it didn’t matter.

With just one stab, it went through incredibly smoothly.

—Zzzzz!

"Cutting is a bit difficult, but stabbing isn’t a problem at all. Once it’s lodged in the enemy’s body, the electromagnetic field will disappear, and the inside will be cooked."

"You’ve made something pretty terrifying. Is there no risk of malfunction?"

"If exposed to continuous fires or coated in napalm, there’s a chance the nanomachines will activate, but it won’t explode from external shock."

"Basically, it’s the same as bullets or grenade explosions. Let’s keep that in mind."

Zzzk!

Not long after, the Dagger team stopped the nanomachine supply and each picked up their favorite small close-combat weapon. This would be our new weapon.

The unfortunate part was that its use would likely be highly restricted. This way... having surpassed human limitations, it would be very useful for killing asymmetric powers, but perhaps not something I’d want to encounter personally.

Of course, if I’m being honest... I’d rather not face that at all.

Anyway, once everyone made their selection, and as the sword cooled down completely, we placed it back into the blade holster.

The current time was 9 PM, and with only about 3 hours remaining until the end of 2030 and the beginning of the New Year.

"If this weapon helps us survive, I’ll buy you a drink later."

"Haha, if I can boast about 'the operator surviving thanks to the weapon I developed,' I’d be happy enough with that."

Foll𝑜w current novℯls on ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm.

"That’s a really fun joke. If I make it back from the capital, I’ll fill you in on everything in detail. That way, you can boast even more."

"I’ll take that favor."

We all laughed, but sadly, none of us could genuinely laugh. In just a few hours, on the first day of 2031, we’d be heading toward a city where we didn’t know what would happen.

Logan, who had been looking at the extra close-combat weapons, spoke.

"It’s been a while since we’ve been in Central Park. It’s time to go."

Just as he said.

It was time to prepare.

The preparations to head into the unknown had begun.

"Hmm. Alpha team has moved to the Pentagon, and Janet, the Secretary of Defense, is working at the temporary Pentagon office in the White House... It’s a complete mess with well-armed gangs, defected paramilitary groups, and armed biohazard groups. Total chaos."

"So, basically... should we say it’s the Manhattan incident that was never resolved? Thinking about it already gives me a headache. Why is there such a difference?"

"...Isn’t it because we killed about 7,000 people in the Bronx?"

"...Well. Let’s move on to another topic."

At 7:10 AM on January 1, 2031, only 60 km left until Washington D.C., over Baltimore’s skies. Logan was trying to steer the conversation away from the main topic, and he was doing so quite rudely.

Outside, the sky was dim and dark, and a cold draft was seeping in from the Photon 1’s transport window, making the interior rather chilly, which meant I had been awake for a while now.

In fact, I wasn’t that tired. I had gone to sleep around 9:30 PM yesterday and woke up at 5:30 AM. A regular person would feel energetic after 8 hours of sleep, but with mutants like us, it’s even more pronounced.

Returning to the topic Logan had tried to avoid.

The Dagger team had spent a short but intense period of about one to two weeks working with Cleaners, HQ, and Redstone Arsenal to literally clear out the gangs that had been occupying the Bronx.

It might sound a bit harsh, but the truth was, the Dagger team’s actions were in line with the logic that if you demolish the whole beehive, no bees would be left to sting. Of course, we hadn’t committed genocide against any national, ethnic, or religious groups, so it was legally justifiable large-scale extermination.

The Dagger team had successfully burned the beehive, and because of that, the Bronx remained peaceful.

‘...Although the fact that no one is moving in there is a bit of a problem...'

Every few steps, I could see a skeletal remains still clinging to rotten flesh, and opening doors revealed more dirty corpses. No one would want to live in a neighborhood like that.

The mafia group that had maintained control over the Bronx, the Genovese family, had been crushed by the Dagger team’s sheer madness, and now they no longer dealt in drugs, smuggling, gambling, or counterfeiting money.

Now, they worked in Central Park doing the odd jobs or something like that.

Anyway, there was a reason I brought this up.

"If we clear everything out cleanly, it shouldn’t cause any issues. But doing so will be ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) a lot of work... Do you think our friends at Redstone Arsenal will earn the honor of launching shotgun missiles into their own capital?"

"Let’s first see if there’s room for negotiation. We don’t know what kind of result we’ll get, but..."

"Who knows? HQ had us shipped to D.C with the simple excuse that we needed to assess the situation of the Secretary of Defense, and just from that, we could tell HQ’s stance."

"That’s true."

To sum it up, the issue was about 'What will the Dagger team do when they get to Washington D.C.?'

As Olivia said, HQ sent us there with a simple mission to assess the situation and potentially help Washington, D.C. But that in itself revealed what HQ was truly asking for.

Clear it all out.

It truly fit with the Green Beret motto: 'Kill them all, and leave judgment to God.'

Before long, Photon 1’s speed began to slow.

The sun started rising over the horizon, casting its rays over the cloudless sky of Washington, D.C. The first thing that came into view was the charred remains of the Capitol, surrounded by hundreds of abandoned vehicles.

From the Capitol, a 1 km stretch of park had debris scattered around, with parts of the destroyed Capitol scattered across the area, and the Washington Monument was severed at the waist.

It didn’t take long before I spoke up, looking at the sight.

"At least we still have the Statue of Liberty intact, but this place is completely wrecked."

"What if our friends waiting below refuse to let us go until they’ve repaired this?"

"Stop talking nonsense, you idiot."

I silently agreed with Logan as the craft began its deceleration, quickly descending toward the Pentagon’s hastily constructed landing pad.

With a thud, the craft finally came to a halt. As it did, I saw Laurentina’s excited face.

Maybe the recent joke was just a way to hide her joy from the reunion.

And why was she so happy?

I would find out soon enough.

—Creeek!

"It really took you long to come back, team leader."

"...Seeing you with crutches is quite painful, Marcus."

"You’ve become a lot more polite. I’ll preemptively answer your question: Susan has just started rehab in a wheelchair and is working as a support operator. Please don’t make it harder for her."

"...It’s a miracle she’s alive. Do you need me to carry you?"

"It’s embarrassing as hell, but it was damn hard walking here. Just a little, please."

Olivia led the Eagle team, and if Owens, the team leader, came with the EX squadron from Philadelphia, then Laurentina’s Alpha team, which had been mentioned in passing but never joined us in Manhattan for some reason.

In the end, Laurentina had finally solved her personal struggle that she had kept hidden all this time.

Without any hesitation, Laurentina carried Marcus on her back.

I naturally picked up the crutches that had fallen to the ground, and the Dagger team began walking toward the Pentagon.

In that brief moment, Marcus added:

"Do you know about the situation here?"

"Most of it."

"Well then, welcome to Mayhem."

The briefing was short and to the point, but that was enough to understand how things were going here.

It was my first visit to Manhattan, and now, my first visit to the U.S. capital.