"The communication with the Icarus operators, who were supposed to join us, was abruptly cut off. It's not confird, but it's suspected that they were attacked separately."
"It has been confird that it was sent directly by Adrian Solomon, the acting Secretary of Holand Security. An electronic signature and valid certification are present in the command system."
"Those guys... they don't seem to know the concept of 'watching their mouths.' This is troubleso... the return to Holand Security is now unlikely, but I can at least take satisfaction in filtering out such idiots."
"...What are your plans now, Minister Webb?"
"I will cancel the plan to bring in the existing operators. Instead, I'll focus on securing the Icarus Gear. I’ll give further instructions on that later, so standby."
"Understood."
"Sunrise in Key West. I didn't expect we'd stop here in the middle of everything."
"Well, we’ve been on the move for a few days now. The pilots will need a rest, and though we’re only 200km away from Miami... it'd be problematic if the new aircraft breaks down in the air."
"I suppose the pilots wouldn't like that... Oh, the sunrise is beautiful."
6:30 AM, September 30th, at Key West International Airport.
The airport, silent and desolate, with so sections of the runway cracked and half neglected, was located at the southernmost point of the United States. A transport aircraft executed a vertical landing.
As golden sunlight poured down from the dim sky, illuminating the entire Arican land, the aircraft’s ramp door opened and about five people leisurely walked out.
I glanced back. Three Log Agents were bound to the wall. Six pairs of handcuffs were used to restrain each arm, and the Icarus Gear that should have been on their left or right wrists was missing.
The Icarus Gear deactivation codes, which were received beforehand, had been entered, and the gear was removed. This completely reset the internal data of the gear. In other words, the function that enhanced the operators' physical abilities beyond human limits had also disappeared.
While I lacked the technology to recover the nanomachines circulating in their bodies, the disappearance of their supply source ant they would naturally lose strength and eventually return to a human-like state.
"Ugh, I'm so sleepy... How’s the condition of the aircraft, pilot?"
"Well, it’s not too bad. But that’s just from the outside; a separate scan is necessary. We’ve flown from Miami to Guantanamo, Camaguey, Havana, and now Key West in just a few days."
"About 1800km?"
"Yes. The issue is that the areas we’ve been flying over aren't ideal for the aircraft’s lifespan. The saltwater and humidity, plus the lack of proper landing zones. Could you shoot a pulse for us?"
"Only the areas with defects or fatigue will be marked and uploaded to the network. If so basic repairs are possible, it might be better to fix it here."
"I plan on doing that. It should be done within 8 hours, so agents, please feel free to do other tasks."
Of course, the other tasks were free ti.
But that didn’t an it was an utterly carefree playti. It was more like balancing personal preferences and tasks. And how they managed that would soon be demonstrated by the two of them.
When the two, both almost 190cm tall, placed their hands on my shoulder, which was about 170cm, it was... quite burdenso, but by now, I was pretty used to it, so I moved forward toward our destination with them.
The characteristic of Key West Airport was that it was located just a few hundred ters from the beach. We soon arrived at Smathers Beach.
It was a typical white sandy beach.
With the water not even cold, the waves lazily lapping against the shore, we took off our gear and boots that had been worn for so long.
With a crunching sound, the heavy military boots hit the ground. Due to the pressure from the mutants' feet, regular military boots were unusable, so underneath them were 3cm-thick compressed titanium plates to prevent the soles from tearing.
"These boots make my feet feel heavy."
"Well, what can you say? They’re great for CQB. They can crush steel doors with a single hit."
"…When you put it that way, it really does seem like we’ve gotten stronger in a ridiculously ignorant way. Anyway, I need a foot soak. The rookie and the shark can entertain themselves."
"Should I pour so water for you?"
"If you do, I might actually die."
...Indeed, this was a pair that ford the perfect combination.
At any rate, this was the leisure ti, but from now on, it was ti for work – which, in this case, ant reporting the operations to the headquarters and various locations.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
First up, we had to report to Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado. You might not know this, but to put it simply, it's where President Henry is stationed, the very headquarters. The fact that Alejandro Webb, forr Secretary of Holand Security, is still alive and conspiring was no ordinary matter.
Next, we needed to update the Dagger Team.
Laurentina snapped her fingers to get my attention, and with her other hand, she projected a hologram into the air. She was about to explain the format and structure for writing up the report.
With so adjustnts, the sentences were quickly completed, and Shark Lady, while enjoying the waves tickling her feet, continued to work on the report.
Around 30 minutes later, the highly classified report was sent to Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado.
And then—
[Alert: Urgent Video Call Request // Requester: Adrian B. Solomon, Acting Secretary of Holand Security.]
[Alert: Would you like to accept?]
"I expected sothing like this might happen, but it’s still exactly what I thought."
"If I were him, I would have rushed over the mont I saw the report’s contents."
We caught a big fish.
Laurentina didn't seem flustered or tense at all as she accepted the communication. Imdiately, a human face appeared in mid-air. There was no need to explain who it was.
We had no idea what he had been doing up until now, but we could clearly hear his breath—he had probably rushed over the mont he saw the report.
After a mont, he spoke again.
"You guys... every ti you go out, you bring back unexpected jackpots. At my age, my heart can't handle this kind of shock. Could you take it easy? Ha ha."
"I’d take it easy if I could. Anyway... it seems like you’ll be officially leaving your 'acting' role soon, Minister Solomon. Congratulations."
"That’s a poor joke. Anyway... let’s discuss this matter as quickly as possible. I’ll be sharing it with the staff, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Justice. As soon as I have the resources, I’ll be forming a dedicated investigation team."
"An investigation team, huh. Is that enough?"
"For now, it’ll have to do. If they co in voluntarily, maybe we can handle it differently. But Alejandro Webb is no simple man. He’s a shady character. If he’s killed before the investigation team gets involved, it’s just the way it is, isn’t it?"
"...I see."
I had half a mind to say sothing like 'Dead or Alive' in a more casual way, but this seed like sothing we were handing over to the Dagger Team.
Of course, I didn’t say it out loud. More importantly, who knows where that Alejandro Webb guy is hiding right now.
Anyway, Solomon, who had sent part of the Dagger Team to Florida, learned about our situation in Key West as soon as he found out where we were.
The conversation continued.
"I figured you’d be able to wrap it up without saying too much, but... is there any significant issue with the prisoners? I heard there were rumors they were planning to cut off their wrists."
"It wasn’t that severe. Of course, depending on the situation, it could have gone that way, but the combat itself was resolved without any issues... We’ve recovered the Icarus Gear and have them secured in the transport hold."
"Key West is quite far from Miami. Is there any problem?"
"They ntioned needing a power system check. The pilots judged that with the previous aircraft, we would have already exceeded the range, so we’re doing a quick repair. We should be back before 1600."
"Understood. I wish I could go in person, but it seems that won’t be possible."
A brief silence.
anwhile, I secretly opened the bag I was carrying on my back and began to snack. I wonder if the rustling noise was audible to the people next to .
The conversation continued.
"If I briefly ntion what happened while you were running around Cuba... the Dagger Team has already headed north to Albany. The details will be shared by the operations staff, but if I say they’ve gone to guard Albany, would that be understandable?"
"...The area with a concentration of munitions, you an?"
"Yes. It seems they’ve been selected as a major strike point by the Allied forces. Now that your mission is over, you can either return to Central Park or imdiately rejoin your original team. The decision is yours."
"I understand."
A brief silence.
Laurentina, scratching her head as though tired, added.
"Well, I’ll probably discuss this with the team first, but considering the fact that the people we captured were all linked to Artemis, it ans there’s still so background we need to uncover."
"And what about it?"
"We’ll extract as much data from them as we can. There may be good results."
At that, the acting Minister—no, the actual Minister nodded and added.
"Do as you see fit."
"Of course."
The communication was cut.
For a mont, we exchanged looks, and Laurentina spoke up.
"Once we wrap up the work here, let’s head north. Is that alright?"
"Sure. This endless marathon will continue, but we might as well rest while we can. I don’t think Owens or Olivia will be left behind in that place, so…"
"And when things get urgent, you’ll go right back, won’t you?"
"We don’t need to say it, you know that, Rookie."
As she said, the sun had risen sharply by 7 AM, and the sky was glowing brightly.
The sky over war-torn Arica was eerily peaceful.
“…I’ve found the Russian troops advancing on Route 31 near Pittsfield. After comparing the patch on their shoulders with the database, they have been confird as the 31st Guards Air Assault Brigade.”
"About ten T-72B3 tanks are moving along different roads, in what seems to be a platoon-sized movent."
"I wonder if these guys even know what an airborne unit is… the problem is that we currently don't have any airstrike capabilities available. It would be easier with ballistic missiles…”
"There's a high probability of interception by enemy surface-to-air missiles. It would be safer to wait until we’re within range of our own mortars or artillery drones."
"Understood. We’ll monitor and bait them in the anti. Eagle team, out."
In the Crystal Mountain Camp near the Shale Wildlife Reserve in eastern Massachusetts, the five-mber Eagle team was operating optical camouflage and moving between the mountains, deploying drones to detect nearby sounds and enemy positions, continuing to report.
At such a high altitude that the human eye could not see clearly, the small drones—comparatively tiny when compared to regular aircraft—hovered in the air, identifying the enemy’s movent paths and troop compositions.
They used every thod available to gather valid data, including the shoulder patches, the tanks' shapes, the number of enemy soldiers, and cross-referencing with the identified commanders' appearances. All the data was sent to HQ.
At this point, they seed like a typical team.
However, the Dagger Team was not part of any "typical" group.
"…Of course, I said we’ll bait them, but HQ doesn’t expect us to stop there. After a bit of work, the enemy will be shredded before they even reach Albany. What do you think?"
"Is that even a question? Based on the intercepts, I’ve confird that the 162nd Guards Reconnaissance Battalion and the 743rd Guards Signal Battalion are accompanying the tank battalion for support."
"And us?"
"The 172nd Infantry Regint, 10th Mountain Division, will be arriving, but it will take at least 6 to 8 hours for them to deploy. So, we’re supposed to hold off the enemy’s entire front with just four of us. And it’s going to take a very long ti."
"Sounds doable. We’ve got so special equipnt for this."
At that mont, Olivia looked over her shoulder at the long tal object strapped to her back.
It was the Titan, a large sniper railgun, capable of penetrating even tanks if set to full output—sothing she had used very effectively back in Syracuse. The weapon was securely fastened on her back.
Of course, the only thing that could handle tanks wasn't limited to that alone. Today, the five mbers of Eagle Team, except for Carn, were all ready to show what it ant to use enemy weaponry when necessary.
Spreading a hologram, Olivia examined the data they had gathered to figure out where to strike first among the three enemy tank platoons.
It wasn’t just about scattering the tanks across the road. Tanks were always supported by infantry, and according to prior intelligence, the tanks were moving alongside reconnaissance and communication battalions.
This ant that the point of engagent would likely be deep in the mountains, not on the main road.
For this reason, Olivia and the Eagle team were certain that, no matter how weird things got, they wouldn’t die here. But their mission wasn’t survival.
It was to stop the enemy.
"The Titan we’re carrying isn’t much use unless it’s targeting tanks. So we’ll need to use it appropriately. I’ll take the shot and return. Will you be able to make it back, Team Leader?"
"If it’s during the day, taking the shot and getting back would have a higher survival rate, but at night, I could do it alone."
"Well, now that I think about it, that’s true. Let be your owl, then."
"If you don’t mind switching genders, I can propose it to Icarus HQ."
"Is this how you always joke around?"
"Just an ordinary day."
Olivia chuckled but then pulled sothing out from the rifle’s stock and connected it to the Icarus Gear.
The percentage imdiately began climbing, and Carn, watching beside her, spoke up.
"Have you seen sothing like this before?"
"…I don’t think so."
"It’s a weapon that can penetrate tanks depending on the type of ammunition used. I’ve heard they’re trying to use specially designed rounds these days… Anyway, it’s a railgun with incredible firepower."
"Railguns... have they been developed to this level?"
"Only Icarus operators can use this compact version."
Click!
Olivia nodded in satisfaction as she connected the power supply to the weapon and then navigated through the Icarus Gear to open the command tab.
Sure enough, the updated order, to delay the approaching enemy near Albany for as long as possible, appeared before the eyes of the Eagle Team mbers. Of course, everyone present had already predicted this.
But there was only one thing they needed to verify.
While Olivia skimd through so urgent news, she muttered.
“…Looks like the ones sent to Florida also picked sothing big up. Alejandro Webb is alive."
"What?"
"Alejandro Webb… Who’s that? Wait, what did you just say?"
"Anyone who has ti should look it up later when there’s ti. The details… we’ll hear it from them when they get up here."
Click.
Olivia lifted the Titan, twisted its hinge, loaded a tungsten round cartridge into the chamber, and sealed the firing chanism. It was a sniper rifle design that didn’t follow a typical chamber structure, making it possible to do this.
In an instant, all sounds disappeared—but it was an illusion. The sounds of birds, water, and insects faded as the low rumble of tank tracks and the roar of engines mixed lazily into the background.
They all sensed it.
Olivia stood up.
"We’ll leave the rest to each of you to decide... As of now, we break the Russian airborne forces’ legs. We’ll make it out alive, no casualties."
Swish!
At that mont, Olivia disappeared from the spot.
It was the beginning of the Great War.
Reviews
All reviews (0)