I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun-Chapter 760: New York (6)

"...Is everyone okay?"

"We believe there are no casualties, thanks to the missile hitting a high-rise area densely populated with buildings, but the situation is far from resolved."

"Alert the entire northeastern air defense network. A missile was fired at our forces. There’s no guarantee the second missile won’t follow."

"We can't contact the rocket brigade stationed in Manchester!"

"Did it come from Albany?"

"We are currently verifying!"

Late at night, in northeastern Boston.

Except for a few on duty, everyone else was asleep when suddenly, a deafening explosion, sirens, and screams filled the air. A missile weighing around 4 tons, traveling at speeds similar to bullets, collided with a building, starting the chaos.

Over a thousand soldiers, including high-ranking officers and staff who were still in dreamland, were abruptly woken by the air raid warning, and they scrambled half-dressed toward the shelter.

When they reached the temporary shelter, an Iskander missile came tearing through the air, intercepted halfway by the S-500 system, but still crashing into the side of a high-rise building.

That was the moment the high-explosive warhead detonated.

The deafening explosion didn’t tear through the ears, but the shockwave from the Iskander’s high-explosive warhead spread like a heavy, blunt impact throughout the body, scattering hundreds of thousands of pieces of debris from the buildings in all directions.

Soldiers, having retreated to the shelter, were still on alert in case a second or third attack followed, but several minutes passed without any additional missiles.

Once it was clear there were no further threats, the senior commanders emerged from the shelter and quickly returned to their command posts.

"...What’s the latest intel?"

"We’re in contact with the air defense brigade. It will take a few more minutes to get proper data, but..."

"These bastards wouldn’t even notice if a missile fell on the command center, would they? Get me the details now! Before I go down there myself and turn everything upside down!"

"Understood!"

Having shouted that, Colonel Ulrich slumped into his chair.

As his adrenaline began to subside, a headache and fatigue overwhelmed him, but he managed to collect his thoughts, trying to sort out what he didn’t know and what he needed to know.

Picking up his pen, he wrote down the events on the paper in front of him. A missile hit Boston. That was the concise summary.

By phrasing his confusion in a single sentence, he easily understood the next questions that needed to be asked.

Who fired it? What missile was it? How should they respond?

Declaring combat readiness was the obvious first step, but strictly speaking, there was no guarantee it would prevent another attack. Only the densely packed surface-to-air missiles could intercept incoming ballistic missiles.

How much time had passed? He finally got the data he had been hoping for... but it only added to Ulrich’s headache.

"Are you telling me the missile came from Manchester?"

"We’ve lost contact with the 26th Rocket Brigade, stationed in the northeastern part of the Vega Line. We urgently launched reconnaissance drones, but the missile from Albany was intercepted, so we still don’t know what happened..."

"Understood. I need some time to think. Leave now. I’ll delegate the countermeasures to the staff."

"Understood."

Saluting, the soldier quickly left, and Ulrich, confirming he was alone, clasped his head in his hands.

The 26th Rocket Brigade, one of the key units of the second defensive line, was heavily fortified, with numerous platforms capable of launching Iskander surface-to-surface ballistic missiles.

The likelihood of their defection was low. Even if they had, launching the missile required about 20 seconds for silo deployment, and if unauthorized, the ground station would have intercepted it.

So, that was out of the question.

Could it be that the first line of defense, the Bimpel Line, had already collapsed and the enemy had pushed all the way into the heart of Manchester? No, that wasn’t possible either. They would have reported it by now.

He quickly dismissed the possibility of defection and ruled out the collapse of the northern Bimpel Line. So, a small-scale infiltration...

"...This fucking mess."

At that moment, Colonel Ulrich felt as if a lightning bolt had struck his mind.

There was no concrete information, only intuition. He had based his judgment on a gut feeling. But his instincts left no room for doubt.

Icarus Operators.

They had navigated countless hellish scenarios, both politically and militarily. He, too, had made his way to control the field command through sheer experience, and now, with the sharpened instincts of a seasoned officer, he realized that only one entity could have carried out such an act.

‘...How?’

No. That wasn’t it.

The ‘how’ didn’t matter. The focus had shifted. The important part was that the Icarus Operators had used methods that neither regular soldiers nor even Ulrich himself could have imagined to accomplish their goal.

The last sighting of Icarus Operators had been about a week ago, near the small town of Pittsfield, close to Albany. A full 160 kilometers away from Manchester.

They had either made it across that distance in a week, or more likely, had the means to remotely conduct such operations.

The realization struck him, and his headache intensified.

"...So, what the hell do we do?"

He knew the enemy’s identity.

But if he didn’t know how to respond, what was the point? It all came back to square one. The enemy was likely moving freely inside their defenses.

But one thing was certain... If the Icarus Operators had done this as a prelude to a major offensive, then this was far from over.

The fact that they only launched one missile at Boston, instead of bombing the city with all of them, was telling. This wasn’t a knockout punch—it was just a jab.

That meant...

"The Americans don’t seem ready for a full-scale attack on the defense lines yet."

Only then did Ulrich realize what he needed to do. With his headache starting to ease, he stood up and left the room.

As his staff approached, briefing him on the accumulated intelligence and the orders he had given to his troops, everything felt like a revelation.

Regardless of the details, he had to solidify the defense lines.

When he saw the images captured by the UAV, which had approached Manchester at low altitude, just before being exposed to the enemy's anti-air missiles, all he could do was sigh.

"This... What the hell?"

"Did the entire headquarters just... turn to ash?"

"Considering the location of Ground Zero and the explosion’s shape... it seems one missile from the platform hit Boston, and the other... hit here."

Just one day.

In just one day, the largest military base in the northern Vega Line had turned into ruins. The headquarters had been completely destroyed. Given the explosion’s power, it was likely that all the missiles in the storage facility had detonated as well.

But Ulrich stayed silent as he stared at the screen. Since the highest-ranking officer hadn’t said anything, a heavy silence filled the room.

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

How much time had passed? Finally, Ulrich opened his mouth.

"Withdraw the forces from the Bimpel Line gradually and regroup them in the Vega Line within a month. If we continue to widen the front, we’ll only be vulnerable to enemy infiltration."

"Wasn’t Albany designated as the first target by the Newfoundland Command?"

"The idiots sitting back in Albany have no idea what’s happening with the field command. I’ll take the responsibility. Attacking Albany will only waste resources and personnel, and it won’t be useful at all."

"..."

"The Icarus Operators could be hiding somewhere in the Vega Line. There’s no point in taking any more risks."

A brief silence.

He glared and added.

"So. What are you waiting for?"

"I’ll relay the orders immediately."

"Send the mobile strike force, investigation teams, and recovery personnel to Manchester, and get in touch with the missile brigade in the central region to prepare the Iskander missiles. We’ll make sure to turn the Icarus Operators into ash today."

"Understood. I’ll prepare immediately."

Of course, even with those orders, Ulrich wasn’t sure if they could catch the infiltrators.

The night was still dark.

"...I guess it's not that hard since I've slept a lot here."

"Yeah. By now, the Slavs are probably burning with anger trying to find us. Guess we’ll have to keep moving in the dead of night."

"They’ll be furious when they find out we've already pulled out."

Meanwhile, in a nameless forest about 40 km west of Manchester.

The entire Dagger team, having launched ballistic missiles at both Manchester and Boston, was now on their way back to Albany, where the Northern Defense Army headquarters was located.

Even the ending felt very "Dagger team" in its essence.

"So, you're telling me you launched a missile straight at the Slavs’ faces?"

"Well, not exactly their face, more like a bit beside it, but yeah, that's roughly the idea. It was a strategic move to prevent the enemy's advance and classify the Iskander tactical ballistic missile as the maximum threat to neutralize."

"I can't say I'm impressed anymore. This is downright bizarre. You throw out a target and then end up finishing it in a way that completely defies expectations."

"Dragging it out would've just caused more losses, and honestly... food supplies have also become a problem."

Albany, New York, exactly 209 km north of New York City, and ironically the state capital of New York.

Though they returned in a rather disheveled state compared to their initial departure, the Dagger team, including the ever-stunning mutants, was seated in a temporary high-security holding cell.

Why were they in a high-security holding cell after completing their mission? It was simply because their presence and location had become that significant. Sometimes, even allies had to hide critical information.

"Anyway, you've done well. It took some effort to find the place that matched the request, but it wasn’t impossible. Are you satisfied with this?"

"With this, I don’t think anyone will notice. This works fine."

"Great. You've worked hard, so I won’t keep you for long. But before you go, let me briefly explain the situation you may not be aware of... It feels odd, doing the work I did as a division chief, but now wearing two stars."

"If that’s the case, feel free to just send over the data. You’re not in the best condition."

"I can’t just do that. There are sensitive matters, some things I must tell you directly."

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A brief silence.

The hologram lit up, and the Northern Defense Army commander leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs slightly. It was as if he were halfway lying down, explaining things in a relaxed manner.

But no one in the Dagger team commented on it. The cast on his leg was clear evidence.

By not standing up, he almost seemed to retain more of his authority as a general, but no one dared comment on it.

"Let’s get straight to the point. Your attack was very effective. To the extent that it influenced the scale of this engagement. I’m sure you can understand what I mean by now."

"...I have a rough idea of what that feels like. If I had known, I would have treated this like the final mission and launched missiles everywhere."

"You nailed the core of it. That’s basically the idea. Fortunately, the command staff didn’t expect the tide to turn in such a way, so it wasn’t a major problem."

"What’s the situation looking like now?"

"The Slavs got hit pretty hard. Because of that, they seem to be pulling back their front lines and focusing on fortifying each city."

"Ah, I see."

That was indeed troublesome on several levels.

But the commander’s expression wasn’t particularly bad.

The Dagger team patiently waited, and he soon provided an explanation.

"The enemy will try to consolidate their strength. But this is the US mainland, and ultimately, we have the upper hand. Whatever they do, within a year or two, we’ll have them shoved into the Atlantic."

"That seems very possible."

"However, that doesn’t mean the enemy alliance is just going to sit around in Boston. The staff predicts that, especially with Alejandro Webb trying something... it won’t end well."

"They’ll try something different, won’t they?"

"There's a variety of ways they could approach it. Like Artemis using gangs, China and Russia will likely try to waste valuable regular forces in some manner. Our army should understand what I mean by that?"

"..."

In short, guerrilla training and behind-the-lines sabotage.

The commander pulled up a world map, focusing on Central Asia. Certain regions, tightly tied to China and Russia, were entirely marked in red.

He continued.

"They know that even if they ally, winning won’t be easy, so they’re setting fires across the world."

"Those guys wearing turbans and the Latin and African forces won’t be too far off from landing on US soil. A few regions marked in blue... are they allies?"

"Allies are allies. The 6th fleet's medium-range ballistic missiles and the UK’s missiles can certainly keep them in check, and if we can call those guys allies, then they are."

"Ah."

"These three countries are using nearly everything short of strategic nuclear weapons in combat, and now they’re backing down. We can’t be sure how much influence Russia and China will have, but at the very least, they won’t just stay out of it."

The Dagger team nodded in unison.

Just as the room was about to fall into complete silence, the commander spoke again.

"Anyway, the aftermath of the missile strike was pretty massive. Specifically, it made you temporarily unemployed. For now, there’s no need to keep moving beyond enemy lines."

"Understood."

"You’ll be moving to different places soon. Carrying this with you."

With that, he handed over a bundle of papers.

Owens accepted it, and saw the word written on the paper.

The commander smiled kindly.

"There's no guarantee that the enemy won’t start copying what you did. Good luck."

"...I’ll do my best."

"It’s nice to see you catching on quickly. Get some rest before starting. If Director Solomon gives you another assignment, let me know. The supplies will be provided on our end."

"Thank you."

"No need. You’ve done well."

The hologram disappeared, and as the sound of military boots faded away, Lorentina yawned and covered her mouth.

"Well then, shall we go find a snack? Let’s find somewhere to drop off our gear."

As always, they remained the same.

Another career moment added to their legacy.