'Is there really a reason to go this far?'
'The Dark Zone itself is proof of another world’s existence. It’s far too vivid to dismiss as just a dream. The President... well, the Majority Leader of the Democrats for now, along with the NSA Director, the Secretary of Defense, and nurous other officials... they all experienced the sa reality. That’s reason enough.'
'But.'
'Does that fall short? What about the capture of Gordon Amherst, who tried to recreate the original Oga virus?'
'What if Viper’s presence caused it all? What if the cause and effect were reversed, and her presence triggered these events?'
'…There’s rit to that. But one thing remains clear.'
A brief silence.
'You and I, along with many others, have already suffered too much under the Stars and Stripes, haven’t we?'
"Hmm."
October in the United States is as gentle as it gets.
Rising from his desk to shake off sleep, Lloyd A. Macmillan, Secretary of the Army, glanced out at the Potomac River. Between the trees, now adorned with autumn's brown leaves, he could see the river shimring under the still-rising sun. Fresh coffee in hand, the aroma of the beans filled his office as he prepared for the day.
His routine was rigorous: review docunts, attend etings, and handle nurous tasks, so of which the public should never know. This was the life of a man at the Pentagon, holding a key seat of power in the defense of the United States. And though he should’ve been eating lunch at this hour, today's schedule was different.
Rustle.
Contrary to the popular belief that high-ranking officials dine on steak three tis a day, Lloyd’s lunch was as human as anyone else’s—a simple burger. The warmth of the paper bag still lingered as he sat down and finished his al, disposing of the wrappings swiftly in the secure trash bin. As per Pentagon regulations, everything, even trash, would soon be incinerated.
After washing his hands and refreshing the air in his office, he sat back down, though his lunch break hadn’t officially ended yet.
Clack!
Without much fanfare, Lloyd pulled out a folder from a cabinet—one he had set aside with great care. The cover was plain but the contents within were anything but ordinary.
[dal of Honor - Unofficial Recipients]
[Warning: This list will be sent directly to the Departnt of Human Resources.]
Sent directly, bypassing congressional approval.
Even with little experience in authorizing the dal of Honor, Lloyd knew the weight of this docunt. The dal of Honor—the highest and most prestigious military decoration in the United States. For Lloyd, a devout Christian and patriot, the idea of this honor being handled unofficially felt like an unforgivable injustice.
But even so, he understood.
Thud, thud, thud.
'We're here, Secretary! Damn it, Yujin! We’re holding the line! Get the Secretary on the helicopter, we’re getting out of this hellhole!'
'I’ll return for reinforcents, just hang on till then!'
'Forget about , focus on getting him out alive!'
Closing his eyes, mories surged back—bullets tearing through the air, blood that wouldn’t stop, and the white dress shirt that had turned crimson. He had been on the verge of death that day, saved only by Task Force Dagger. Thanks to them, he had survived what seed to be his last monts.
Few had witnessed the fall and rise of places like New York, Washington, and California under Icarus' wing. These mories, along with the reality of the Dark Zone, weighed heavily on his mind.
"This feels like so sort of twisted joke."
Though these events seed like sothing from another world, they were too real to dismiss. The actual Oga virus had been contained along with Amherst, and when its danger had been fully assessed, it would be destroyed. Justice would be served.
Was Yujin’s appearance the cause of these events, or had her presence prevented an even greater catastrophe?
Either way, could her actions justify sidestepping the civilian oversight that normally governed such decisions? Was this really enough to bend the traditions of military decorum, the separation of powers, and the sanctity of the dal of Honor?
…Wait.
'Exceptions are avoided because setting a precedent ans the sa thing could happen again.'
When Roosevelt ran for a fourth term, many feared it would open the door for constitutional andnts. George Washington’s two-term limit, set in place after FDR, had been a safeguard against future abuses of power. But would such a precedent apply here? Would there ever be a scenario like this again?
No. If the world faced such a situation again, the United States would no longer be recognizable. This was official but unofficial—a paradoxical situation.
Bang!
[Verifying...]
[Signer: Roid Alois. Macmillan]
[Do you wish to send?]
He confird.
The arrow had left the bow.
'Well, now you’re an accomplice too.'
Lloyd listened to the faint echo of those words in his mind and seriously began to contemplate his future. Soon, the Deputy Secretary of Defense and even the Secretary himself would be facing the sa moral dilemma.
Damn Henry.
"...I might get dragged into a congressional hearing."
Still, he didn’t regret it.
Though Yujin was from another country, she had given everything for the safety of theirs. The least the United States could do was to honor her.
As the day rolled on…
"Wow, this is adorable. Can I take one of these?"
"Sure, take it."
"Aw, why do you say it like that? You make it sound like a burden."
anwhile, 11,146 kiloters away, sowhere in Korea…
Yujin found herself staring at a box filled with chibi dolls—SD figures that looked eerily like her, reminiscent of Nendoroids. She couldn’t help but feel sowhat overwheld by the sheer amount of rchandise.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Yujin! This is the right place, right?"
"The door’s open. Co in."
Click!
A soft creak revealed a familiar bob-cut silhouette as Dice, or Seoye-rin, entered the room. Having crossed the Han River in response to Yujin’s invitation, she stepped inside without hesitation.
There was no awkwardness. Both Yujin’s and Dice’s avatars were almost identical to their real-life appearances. The familiarity between them made the transition to face-to-face etings easy.
"Wow, your place is really nice. But it’s so… minimalist. Totally your style."
"This is actually quite decorated already."
"Really?"
"With boxes."
Sigh.
Dice’s eyes widened as she took in the sight. The walls were lined with an overwhelming number of packages, making it look like a delivery app’s VIP mber residence. The fact that these were all sponsorships or partnerships stunned her even more.
Then Yujin handed her a file.
"You gave sothing before, so I’m returning the favor."
"…Is this today’s scrim analysis?"
"Of course."
Dice’s face showed disbelief at how such a hefty docunt could be contained in re gabytes. With an uneasy expression, she accepted the PDF file.
There was no escaping it. The keyword “scrims” had pulled her back to reality. Week four had begun, and the scrims ran Monday to Friday, with tournants on the weekends. Today was Monday, so they had four days left until the finals.
Yujin broke the silence.
"Today’s scrim results weren’t too bad. The opponent didn’t put up much of a fight."
"Well, no offense, but Taiwan tends to be like that. They're more of a filler team. Next year’s qualifiers might shake things up."
The data Yujin sent confird this. According to the projections, the bottom two teams from this year would compete with lower-tier Asian leagues for qualifying spots. In theory, countries like China and Taiwan would have to fight for their spots next year.
But Korea, consistently finishing in the top three, had nothing to worry about.
"Tomorrow’s our turn," Dice said.
"Yep. The day after that is China, then Japan, and finally Russia on Friday. Russia has the advantage again this year—probably because of their vast ti zones. They had the sa edge last year."
"Mm-hmm."
This was about when the first team scrims were scheduled. Russia’s frequent ntion had to do with their ti zones, which gave them an advantage. With such a wide range of ti zones, their team scrims were scheduled close to the actual competition date, giving them more ti to prepare without revealing their strategies early.
Even without being deeply involved in the tournant dynamics, Yujin could see the advantage.
"It feels weird that I’m here at your place when we have a scrim tomorrow."
"Even if you work hard for a day or two, it won’t change much. Muscle mory doesn’t form in a few hours; otherwise, anyone could dominate the battlefield."
In the end, what you built up over ti was what really mattered.
There wasn’t much more to say.
From here on out, they spent their ti preparing for the stream.
Bzzzzz!
"Ah, that’s so bright! What is this?"
"It’s motion capture equipnt. It overlays an avatar in real-ti when we stream, so we can keep our identities hidden."
"Oh, that’s why you used it during the unboxing. But I’m not great at talking, and I’ve never appeared on a personal stream. Are you sure this is okay?"
"Just talk like we always do. I’ve only been streaming for two months."
...Why does that make sense?
Two months into streaming and already wildly popular. Yujin’s success had flown past the point of reason.
Surveying the scene, Dice noticed a pile of large trash bags for all the unboxing garbage. But sothing was missing—there weren’t any scissors or box cutters in sight.
Turning to Yujin, she was t with a shock.
"Co to think of it, we don’t have anything to cut the tape. I’ll go get… AAAAAH, why are you holding that!?"
"What do you an? This is perfect for cutting tape."
"That thing looks like it could cut more than just tape!"
Shwing.
In Yujin’s hand was none other than a tactical axe.
It had been amusing to watch in her videos, but seeing the axe in person was a different story. The sheer presence of the weapon in Yujin’s hand made Dice shudder. The aura she emitted was no joke—a predator before its prey.
Instinctively, Dice stepped back, unable to contain her fear. The realization that soone had probably been hit by that axe sent a chill down her spine.
Yet Yujin continued, unfazed.
"Oh, I almost forgot to offer you one. Would you like to take an axe ho?"
"Who’s going to carry that thing ho!?"
"Now that you ntion it, that is a bit impractical."
Dice was starting to lose it.
As Yujin casually swung the axe, Dice wondered if coming here had been a mistake.
So ti later...
"Stop poking with that axe! It’s scaring !"
"It’s not the axe; it’s my tail."
"Oh, that’s fine, then."
Yoooohhaaa
Yuhhaaaaaa??????????
What are you doing, starting like this???
OMG, a special guest! Who is it!?
Wait, is that Dice???
The second unboxing stream had begun.
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