I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun-Chapter 790: Manhattan (2)

"Communication connection?"

"Most of the communication equipment has been damaged by a powerful electromagnetic attack! We’ll need to replace the entire system or rebuild the network!"

"...Nothing’s going right. Damn Slavic bastards."

Hudson Regional Hospital, Newark.

The New Jersey National Guard's 2nd Battalion, A Company of the 113th Infantry Regiment, stationed at Hudson Regional Hospital, was experiencing something akin to blindness in real-time. Despite being only about 9 kilometers away from Central Park HQ, their situation was dire.

It’s often joked that modern humans become helpless when communication is cut off, but the real problem was that this happened during a full-scale war.

Despite being stationed on home soil, the U.S. military was experiencing extreme manpower shortages, and with urban warfare becoming inevitable, it was essential to rely even more on electronic equipment to prevent casualties.

The city was a complex forest of buildings, with allied forces scattered across it. As a result, U.S. forces stationed in Newark, Jersey City, and Staten Island couldn’t even deploy their troops without detailed coordination from the Central Park TOC.

It wasn’t due to incompetence; it was simply because the vast forest of buildings made operations difficult.

Back at A Company, things were still grim. A disaster had occurred, and they were unable to get in touch with their deployed troops as per TOC’s orders.

"We can’t get a hold of Teterboro Airport. But considering that we can still hear gunfire from here..."

"Don’t worry about that. If the units at the airport need to, they can retreat. It’s about 8 kilometers away, but if they don’t miss the chance to withdraw, they should make it back here safely. What about the LNG plant?"

"According to engineers from the Williams Pipeline, there’s a slight malfunction with the pumps along the pipeline. Other than that, no major issues."

"If that facility gets occupied, this winter is going to be bleak. Let’s communicate with our forces stationed there using flags and light signals. The flashlights aren’t destroyed, right?"

"Understood."

"Also, cover the east side. There seems to be a skirmish there as well."

War has a way of filtering out the inept and leaving only those who can cope. Except for training or deployment, commanders who had never really led an operation before were especially affected. In a situation where their position could change to the front line in just a day, those who survived became heroes.

The performance of battalion and company commanders, who had to respond flexibly to the situation on the ground, had noticeably improved. The more time they spent in the field, the better their battlefield awareness became.

The A Company commander, who until a few years ago would never have imagined facing such a situation, was now coming up with ways to remain composed and overcome the worst-case scenario.

How long had it been?

A Company confirmed explosions rising up from Patterson Plank Road, about 2.6 km to the east.

"...Damn it. Can’t we see anything? Call for the fire support squad! Check if there are any operational illumination rounds left in the mortar kit!"

"Understood!"

The operational officer who had been abruptly called out rushed out of the command post. Fortunately, after a while, they confirmed that some of the supplies they had stored underground were still functional.

The commander began running too. He searched for one of the few working military tablets. It wasn’t like there was nothing left, but after a thorough search of the building, he managed to find a rugged laptop that could handle EMP shielding.

After registering the working illumination round, he activated the program. It didn’t take long before the 81mm mortar on the roof was loaded with shells.

With a boom, the illumination round flew into the air. And soon, parachutes deployed, and the round began to operate.

A Company was now only 5 seconds away from confirming the approaching enemy.

"Wait. I’ve seen that silhouette before..."

"That person... I saw them when the Central Park TOC was connected! They’re one of the TOC operations officers! The mutant officer!"

"Damn it, why is that person suddenly showing up there... Is that a chase!?"

"What should we do, Commander?"

"Don’t even ask! [N O V E L I G H T] They came directly from TOC! Call for artillery support! Cover them!"

The moment the roar of command echoed through the air, Hudson Regional Hospital became extremely busy.

Thanks to the illumination rounds, the enemy's location, distance, temperature, and wind had already been measured. The Fire Direction Center (FDC) had already quantified the necessary variables to target key intersections and routes.

While preparations for artillery fire continued on the roof, other soldiers, carrying what appeared to be impossibly heavy boxes, were climbing from the basement to the roof, sweating as they opened the boxes.

Meanwhile, the commander stared intently at the laptop. At least the good news was that the positions of the enemy, who appeared to be allied forces, were at least several hundred meters away.

After what felt like an eternity, the first shell was fired.

Boom!

Using known landmarks to calculate the distance, the enemy was about 2.6 km away.

It was practically an unmissable shot, and indeed, it didn’t miss. The PRX-set shell arced through the sky, traveling several kilometers, and soon the illumination round flashed near the target.

Again, the silence returned. Even through the poor-quality footage, it was easy to identify the silhouette of someone who resembled a wolf, carrying someone on their back and running enthusiastically.

Meanwhile, the allied forces chasing them from several hundred meters behind hesitated due to the sudden artillery support. It was a natural result.

"Damn it, I wish they’d run faster...!"

"A vehicle is standing by. Should we bring them in?"

"Don’t talk like that. Just get back quickly."

"Understood."

Though it was a strange rescue operation, it didn’t take long before an Humvee, which had been waiting in the basement, was deployed.

Since it was parked underground, the radio in the vehicle worked without issue. The Humvee, carrying a driver and a gunner, began heading into the residential area.

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Although abandoned vehicles littered the streets, the Humvee paid no attention and continued forward, pushing any obstacles out of its way.

After some time, after weaving through the complicated residential area, the Humvee stopped at Raydol Avenue and honked loudly.

Though the exact conversation was unclear, it was certain that plenty of curses were exchanged. Not long after, several U.S. soldiers dashed out of the house and climbed into the vehicle.

At that moment, the commander felt the tension in his body release.

And then—

Screech!

"What are those guys?"

"I’m not sure. But they look like our allied aircraft."

"Wish they could help us out, damn it..."

Like clockwork, two aircraft flying overhead dropped cluster bombs onto the spot that the mortar team had just heavily bombarded. It was now the aircraft from the 12th Carrier Strike Group arriving.

Two large bombs broke apart into hundreds of smaller munitions in midair, and as the cluster bombs landed, the area where the allied forces were located was annihilated. The Humvee turned around and began heading back the way it came.

Back toward Hudson Regional Hospital.

The commander sighed, muttering to himself.

"...I don’t know what’s going on, but I think it would have been better if they had just come by helicopter."

"Maybe HQ didn’t have the resources?"

"Yeah, probably. With fires breaking out everywhere... Still, that doesn’t sit right with me."

The sound of artillery fire ceased, and once again, silence enveloped Newark. By the time the Humvee returned to the hospital's underground parking lot, the commander sighed deeply, inhaling the air mixed with the smell of gunpowder.

It was just three minutes ago that A Company learned about the dire situation unfolding at Central Park HQ.

A short time later, A Company began mobilizing from Hudson Regional Hospital.

Although Lapland, exhausted in just a few short minutes, was still only an apprentice, she had become quite skilled in her role as an operations officer.

Furthermore, she had begun to handle the Icarus gear with increasing proficiency and knew exactly what kind of information Central Park TOC needed and how to get the network back online.

As a result, she quickly shed the awkwardness she had displayed earlier and restored most of A Company’s network in a flash.

But it didn’t stop there.

Lapland quickly proposed a plan to distribute separate communication devices to the scattered A Company squads in the north. This suggestion was easily accepted, and within less than 10 minutes of her arrival, every unit under A Company had returned to its pre-EMP state from just hours before.

However...

"...I just want to rest a bit."

"If it were that easy, we wouldn’t be here like this."

"...A squad from A Company at Teterboro Airport successfully repelled the assault with CAS requests, and the EMP effects are starting to settle. Recon and contact will resume soon."

"You’ve really been working hard. So, does that mean you can rest now?"

"I know I shouldn’t rest, but my legs are giving out..."

Of course, Captain Parquson wasn’t saying this out of sincerity.

As the ancient Greek poet Pindar said, war seems sweet to those who have never experienced it, but it’s terrifying to those who have. And the two of them were clearly in the latter group.

No one is unafraid when bullets are aimed at them or their loved ones. Only a few can endure war, and even fewer can turn it into a stepping stone for growth.

On the other hand, the vast majority of people are left with scars, both physically and mentally, after going through war.

Lapland’s shaking legs were a part of that.

"...It’ll take time to move elsewhere anyway. A Company needs to provide vehicles, and the recon drone’s data collection needs to be completed before the movement route is confirmed... Let’s wait a bit, then."

"Thank you..."

"Thank you for what? You still need more time

to recover from the gunshot wound, and I also need to talk to the A Company commander."

Captain Parquson tried to brush off the awkwardness, but Lapland, just like when she had been riding the Humvee through Harlem, sat next to him.

Their hands overlapped. Her fingers, already thin and delicate like a bird's, grasped his hand. The tips were cold. The tension in her body hadn’t fully dissipated, causing her blood vessels to constrict.

No words were needed. They exchanged silent comfort, and from that, they found solace.

"..."

Meanwhile, in the stillness of the room, Lapland’s mind slowly began to work.

It was a bit of a random thought at this point, but suddenly, her mind wandered back to Christmas Eve, the day she couldn’t provide an answer—the day she had let slip by.

She hadn’t been able to be honest with herself, afraid that confronting her own feelings and memories might shatter her.

But now, through this experience, she was gradually realizing the reason for it.

‘...Maybe.’

It wasn’t the gender that mattered. When thinking of them as humans, she found the answer.

She didn’t need to explain it complicatedly. Simply put, it was this: If she asked herself whether it was strange to fall for the same man after becoming a woman, the answer wouldn’t be clear.

But if she thought about it a bit more simply, using a more common expression...

In the end, it wasn’t about being a woman loving a man. It was about trusting someone enough to rely on them, to say, "I trust you."

That was the kind of person she had realized she could trust.

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And she knew now that she could trust Captain Parquson. From the moment they first met and began talking, to navigating life-threatening situations together. It could be said to be the effect of what’s known as "the shaky bridge" phenomenon, but not every shaky bridge leads to separation.

It could be called simple camaraderie, but she had learned much. Her experience with the Icarus gear had also led her to study human psychology, and she knew well that camaraderie and love were nearly separated by a mere piece of paper.

But she felt that it wasn’t the right time to say it now.

She had just begun to feel this way, and it might have been the one time in her life she would gather the courage to say something.

So she kept quiet, but she couldn’t fully hide her expression.

"...Your face seems to have brightened up all of a sudden."

"...Well, I think I had a good thought."

"Spending time with the Dagger Team, that 'good thought' doesn’t sound like the usual meaning..."

"I think I understand what you mean about them..."

For Dagger Team, when someone says they had a 'good thought,' it usually meant a strategy to crush the enemy.

But it didn’t really matter now.

Lapland added with a small smile:

"Don’t die, Captain."

"Of course, that’s obvious."

Until now, Lapland had been crushed under the weight of responsibility. But now, she had found a reason to bear that pressure.

It only took a small trigger to turn her obsessive thought of "no one can get hurt" into a pledge to keep everyone safe.

Through their intertwined hands, they shared warmth.

Though it hadn’t been long since they arrived, it was time for them to leave.