I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun-Chapter 757: New York (3)

“...The situation is not going as smoothly as I'd hoped.”

“The enemy’s defenses are solid. We’ve also identified new enemy weaponry, along with what seems to be Icarus Operators. When they encountered the 162nd Guards Reconnaissance Battalion and the tank battalion, they completely wiped out that unit.”

“I’ve heard that the battalion was wiped out. That’s caused a huge hole in our front. I know the staff is doing their best to fill the gap.”

“Bringing in troops, equipment, and weapons from the mainland to supply the frontlines is costing too much. At this point, an offensive seems difficult.”

“You should speak plainly. Does it look like this offensive is to gain ground? Right now, it's just a minor skirmish. The losses so far are merely a prelude to gather detailed data.”

The battle reports from the northeastern forests of Pittsfield, where the Third World War ignited, were sent to the Allied forces stationed along the northeastern U.S. coastline and the headquarters set up in what was once Boston, now largely reduced to ashes.

Maps, boards, and numerous mechanical devices were spread out in the headquarters. Soldiers moved back and forth, carrying thick files and bundles of paper, while staff officers engaged in discussions and marked things on the boards.

The beam projector at the center of the headquarters displayed the most urgent issues at hand, and they were far from few.

Food, soldiers, equipment, and everything else were in short supply.

To be precise, despite the downward trend brought on by the Omega Virus crisis, the U.S. had lost remarkably little damage when compared to the overall situation, given the powerful U.S. military protecting the mainland. However, even so, losses had occurred, and many things were still severely lacking.

And that’s precisely why some level of offensive action was necessary.

“Even for those tying down the enemy's feet, an offensive is needed to understand the full extent of the U.S. forces. Why don’t you understand such a simple fact? Stop getting bogged down by trivialities.”

“...Understood.”

“While the U.S. is tied up elsewhere, fortifying the cities in the northeast and fully utilizing the railroad network is far more important. That’s why we’ve prioritized air defense. Does that make sense?”

“I understand.”

“Good. Now go. I’m busy.”

Lieutenant Colonel Ulrich waved off one of his staff with a tired expression and returned to his work.

As the highest commander at the headquarters in Boston, rather than the commander at St. John’s Airport on Newfoundland Island, there were simply too many things that needed to be done.

The first priority was to use the American railway system for logistics—but solving this required an absurd amount of resources.

However, he had to use whatever was available. The freight train line from Portland, Maine, to Boston and Providence had to be repaired and put to use as quickly as possible.

Of course, the U.S. knew about this and would be waiting for an opportunity to strike with air forces to cut off that line. To counter that, the Allied forces had brought in nearly all of their spare surface-to-air missiles from the homeland.

From the S-300 to the S-500 series, A-135 and 235, and Pantsir-S1... Of course, these were Russian long-range surface-to-air missiles, but Chinese-made HQ series and short-range missiles were also being deployed one by one.

The most ideal outcome would be that this alone would significantly suppress U.S. air power. However, Ulrich, a seasoned commander, knew better than to naively believe that.

‘...Strictly speaking, I’ve only secured the minimum safety measures...’

During the Ukrainian war, foolish senior commanders had either perished or lost their heads, and Ulrich was confident that he wouldn’t meet such a fate.

In other words, he wasn’t misjudging the situation or being overly optimistic. Moreover, under the current circumstances, underestimating the enemy was the fastest way to get closer to the truth.

He wasn’t unaware of this fact, and even though there was a long-range air defense system in place, he wouldn’t feel secure. He knew that what had been prepared could vanish in an instant.

“No matter how much I think about it, we’re still lacking in too many areas...”

Short-range Iskander ballistic missiles were being deployed, but honestly, the U.S. was likely to deploy ATACMS short-range ballistic missiles as well. Boston was already likely within range.

The reason they hadn’t launched a full-scale nuclear war yet was simple. They didn’t want to turn the northeastern U.S. into uninhabitable land—meaning, they didn’t want to fire nuclear missiles at their own country.

If the U.S. decided to fully engage, the Allied forces in the northeast would be like a candle in the wind—completely wiped out.

He repeated the conclusion he had reached several times.

“Once again, we must fortify and strengthen key positions, or at least force a ceasefire.”

They had to take what they could and retreat. Whether the war-hungry crazies back home would follow those orders was another story.

Boston, Providence, Worcester, Portsmouth, Portland, Concord, and all nearby major and smaller cities would need to be turned into something like Stalingrad to ensure the enemy believed the costs were too high to continue pushing. That was the only way to create a chance for victory.

They had already crushed the enemy’s major cities underfoot. If the field headquarters were destroyed, all soldiers and officers would be executed without trial, or find themselves in an equally miserable situation.

That’s why they had to treat the civilians left in the northeast as amicably as possible.

‘...I shouldn’t have teamed up with those crazy bastards calling themselves Artemis.’

Working with the civilians of the same country and turning them into soldiers by implanting machines into their gang leaders' heads wouldn’t sit well. It was almost certain they would be grouped together and judged harshly...

After thinking about this, Ulrich shook his head and pulled out one of the files. The large word Хантер (Hunter) written on the front of the file was striking.

The contents were simple. It was about creating new soldiers to kill Icarus Operators. However, the consensus was that it wouldn’t be easy.

This was despite the fact that there were collaborators within the U.S. who provided substantial intelligence.

Naturally, after opening the file, there was no surprise.

“...The problem is, in the end, the energy source.”

All results pointed to one thing—the energy source problem.

If the battle lasted longer than expected, at least an hour’s worth of energy would be required. The U.S. had spent around 20 years and an enormous cost developing this, so Russia and China would have to go through a similar process.

As a result, the scientists had concluded that securing Icarus Gear was quicker than developing it.

‘...At least the Black Eagle PMC operating elsewhere seems to have arrived at a similar conclusion. I’ll have to request information sharing from them later.’

Suppressing his increasing fatigue, Ulrich rubbed his temples, but even a brief moment of peace was denied by the world.

An urgent call came through.

BEEP!

“What’s going on?”

“There’s a skirmish on the northern Vympel Line.”

“Go confirm immediately.”

The sound of boots echoed again, and those needed in the command room gathered.

At this point, the Allied defense was roughly divided into three layers.

The first was the Vympel Line, which extended north from New Haven, where the U.S. Navy had once traded two strategic nuclear submarines for swords, cutting through Springfield and extending straight north.

The second was the Vega Line, a vertical line about 50 km west of Boston, centered around Worcester and Concord. This was the practical final defense. There was no third line—if the second fell, Boston, where the command center was located, would be directly in range.

Information flowed in rapidly.

While many of the body cams used for intelligence collection were either malfunctioning or were distributed only to a few soldiers, one small blessing was that the enemy wasn’t entirely invisible this time.

“The 104th Guards Assault Regiment has entered full-scale combat. Though they’re struggling, it doesn’t seem like the enemy is completely invisible, as reported by the 162nd Guards Recon Battalion.”

“That’s... quite a relief. So, who are they engaged with?”

“We are still gathering information on the enemy. The staff suspects it’s a force under the U.S. Mountain Division.”

“The U.S. is starting to deploy regular forces. No surprise there.”

The Icarus Operators were few in number.

The problem was, with even such a small number, they could easily wipe out Allied forces in localized or larger engagements. If they were unlucky, they might show up at the current location as well...

“If that’s the case, give the order to the units stationed on the Vympel Line to launch an offensive. We’ll confirm the U.S. force placement and identify the Icarus Operators' positions. Prepare Iskander tactical missiles just in case.”

“...Understood. I’ll prepare the fragmentation warheads for local use.”

“Because the enemy’s electronic warfare capabilities are getting stronger the further we go toward the Vympel Line, don’t use them unless necessary. Contact the space forces and get cooperation to use Glonass.”

“Understood.”

As Ulrich watched dozens of his subordinates move to take action, he exhaled softly.

It was the fall, and he could feel that a large-scale war was not far off.

“...Governor’s Island detected a Glonass satellite. It will pass over U.S. airspace in 12 minutes.”

“The Typhon air defense system stationed in Albany has entered interception mode. The SM-6 ballistic missile defense system is on standby.”

“Good. This time, let’s see if those guys actually fire ballistic missiles.”

Preparations continued, one after another.

Who the victor would be remained to be seen.

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

“Ah, Vermont. My homeland, the home of my soul. Even though half of my life is in the sea, at the center, there’s always the dense forest and the vast Lake Champlain...”

“Missiles are flying around Vermont right now. You okay with that?”

“That’s why I’m doing this, Logan. If I don’t escape into this kind of fantasy... Ugh, damn it. I never thought my homeland would be the first to be swept up in the flames of war.”

“Isn’t Vermont stereotypically boring and reserved? I don’t get how Calvin Coolidge and a crazy shark both came from here.”

“Are we on an infiltration mission right now?”

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

8 AM, somewhere in the southern part of Vermont, dense with forests, cloudy skies, and occasionally ballistic missiles.

Strange as it may sound, it was true. If you looked up at the sky now, you could see explosions every now and then. Not just one, but several. It felt like watching lightning strike.

About 20 km south, before the unknown forest where enemy missiles began to fall, a U.S. missile shot through thick clouds—a SM-3 ballistic missile defense missile.

If one wasn’t enough, then two or three missiles. The U.S. was desperately working to produce and stockpile anti-ballistic missile systems, and the results were saving the lives of the 10th Mountain Division.

In that regard, it was understandable why Laurentina felt that way.

If you accepted everything at face value without understanding it, your mental resilience would weaken quickly. It was a sad fact, but some things had to be ignored as if you didn’t see them at all.

And, you didn’t need to be too sad about it. Even if someone died, we were planning to avenge them.

“Those guys are openly firing missiles, so we’ll need to let them know they can’t do that.”

“This feels like a traditional rear penetration operation. Let’s just hope we don’t end up like a bunch of meat in ketchup.”

The enemy would likely end up as the “meat” in that metaphor, but I decided to act like I didn’t know anything.

It was probably a good idea to pray for their souls in advance.

60 hours before the Dagger Team’s assault on the small city of Manchester, located 100 km east.