I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun-Chapter 807: Washington D.C (23)

"Is it 30 hours until the retreat? If we can finish handling the Eclipse gas smoothly, it seems we should be able to get out of the base without major issues."

"Don't worry about that. While you're away from the base, HQ has sent out several instructions. You just need to check everything and figure out what to do next."

"...Is there anything important?"

"It’s probably better to check it for yourself rather than having me explain."

The sky had darkened, and the persistent, roasting-like noise was still audible.

To the northeast of Washington D.C., where it had been an area once occupied by the military faction "Son of Eagle" and thousands of soldiers, but now, the Black Eagle Kestrel was stationed at Gallowdette University.

Inside the base's operations command room, which had been subject to a strict blackout, there were only a few individuals, and Race and Crow continued their conversation.

"As you said last time, the moment the Eclipse gas is dispersed over the capital, there will be many people trying to hold you accountable. While we can't say if it was intentional, the higher-ups seem to have taken care of that concern."

"...Yeah, it seems so."

Race's gaze was fixed on the screen.

On the screen, numerous English sentences were written. The content was simple. It was an order: "Dispose of some of the Eclipse gas." She let out a laugh, her expression one of disbelief.

She still remembered the recent order from the higher-ups: "Drop the Eclipse gas and cruise missiles all over the U.S. military." However, unfortunately, that was never carried out.

The reason was simple. Shortly after the order was given, Race had suggested retreat, and not long after, that suggestion was accepted.

The speed of Black Eagle's retreat was directly proportional to the U.S. military's advance, and areas that were under Black Eagle's control until yesterday were quickly taken over by the U.S. military the next day.

Additionally, due to the nature of toxic gas, the Eclipse gas could remain effective in a vast area for a long time. If it was deployed incorrectly in the rapidly changing combat zones, it would have resulted in a catastrophic disaster.

Although there were many other reasons, those were not important. Commanders knew very well that the remaining large quantities of tactical weapons were a result of Snowball’s outcome.

Back to the present.

She recalled the training she received about Eclipse gas.

"...Is the gas chamber still operational?"

"Most likely, the internal mixers are still running. As you know, it's a rather sensitive device."

As she had thought.

The characteristics of Eclipse gas came to her mind.

To summarize briefly, it was a toxic gas and biological weapon that killed all enemy soldiers within its effective range who had not been vaccinated with a specific vaccine.

Naturally, the specific vaccine was something the Black Eagle soldiers received at regular intervals.

This was, of course, a very sensitive weapon with a complicated mechanism, and if it wasn't stirred continuously at a certain rate, or if the temperature or environment changed abruptly, it had to be discarded.

Currently, there were approximately 150kg of canisters in storage, which was more than enough to wipe out every living being in the capital, sending them all to the Styx River. The remaining half was with Talismans.

This meant that Black Eagle had an excessive amount of chemical weapons, and if they were not disposed of, there was a high possibility that these biochemical weapons would end up in U.S. military hands.

New novel chapt𝒆rs are published on ƒгeewebnovёl.com.

For the higher-ups, it was a natural precaution to dispose of them, just in case.

"Of course, the higher-ups didn’t order them to be disposed of all at once..."

When a rat is cornered, it bites a cat; the leaders knew that even with the remaining 500 soldiers, it was crucial to arm them with at least a dagger so they could defend the base for as long as possible.

However, Race had no intention of leaving even a single bit of Eclipse gas behind.

"I guess I’ll have to check for myself. Are you coming along?"

"I’ll leave it to you."

That was the end of their conversation.

She knew what she needed to take with her and immediately headed to the armory, grabbing a large number of explosives before heading to the Eclipse canister storage area located on the lowest deck.

Since Eclipse gas was maintained by a delicate mixture of highly sensitive substances, the area near the storage should have been full of personnel constantly monitoring what was happening inside. However, it wasn’t the case right now. She found herself alone, observing the storage area that continued its operations without interruption.

—BEEP!

There was no one to stop the entry of dangerous goods into the storage. The beeping sensors went off loudly, but soon with a pop, the machine stopped working completely. Race had smashed it into pieces.

As she moved down the sealed corridor, the mechanical noises grew louder.

The Eclipse canisters needed mixing every 12 hours, and this process was managed separately by an automated conveyor belt connected to a mixer.

This was why Eclipse gas couldn’t be used all at once, and at least 10% had to be kept back. Those memories crossed Race’s mind as she moved.

"...Strange memories are coming back."

She checked the lot number of the canister after pressing a few buttons and then pressed the "dispose" button. She watched as several transport drones popped out from the walls, moving the canisters to the disposal area. She then took a grenade-sized canister and placed it into her multipurpose pouch.

She would get good results if she handed it over to the Pentagon.

"The gas vent is normal, and the incinerator in that vent is functioning well..."

Muttering to herself, Race began to place explosives around the mixer, storage area, and anywhere else canisters were clustered. Since they wanted the disposal, she was simply doing them a favor. This was the best opportunity she would get.

She had no idea when to trigger the detonation, but she was sure she would find out later. Her instinct told her that, though she couldn’t be certain.

She turned off all the leak detection sensors and leisurely walked back outside, heading back to the operations command room.

Crow was busy giving out orders, and Race quickly realized that the orders involved retreating fortifications and air defense systems, with those who were too late starting the self-destruct procedures.

Race had a feeling the departure was near, and when she made eye contact with Crow, he opened his mouth.

"You're here. I guess we can leave now."

"I thought both of us had to withdraw at the same time. You didn't mean we had to come together?"

"Well, more or less."

There was a brief silence.

Race opened her mouth to say something, but then stopped. Crow had no idea what she intended to say, but he had a good guess.

Strictly speaking, Crow was not part of Black Eagle but worked for Artemis as a technical director. While he didn’t have a chip implanted in his brain like Black Eagle operators, he wasn’t much different in practice.

As long as Artemis kept cooperating with Black Eagle, he couldn’t leave this position unless the implants on his body were forcibly removed.

Unlike Race.

That's why he had to leave.

"I hope I don’t meet the enemy in such a shitty way. If that happens... Well, I guess I’ll just have to have the implants removed?"

"...Can you not make it sound so harsh? Be a little more honest."

"Shut up."

In this brutal world where lives were as fragile as candles, meeting again was likely the hardest thing of all, and even more so if they were to meet as allies.

So, the two of them distanced themselves, with a bittersweet feeling lingering.

After some time, Race stood on the upper deck, watching a helicopter disappear on the horizon, silhouetted by the rising sun.

The helicopter, which had seemed like it might take off, only rose a few dozen meters before skimming the fortification walls in an extreme low-altitude flight to avoid interception.

After briefly stopping at a mid-point rallying point tens of kilometers to the east, the helicopter would move toward Annapolis if all was well.

...And inside that helicopter was Crow, or more precisely, only Crow.

"Finally, alone."

Now alone, Race took a step and entered the operations command room again.

In the span of a few hours, the retreat countdown moved from 30 hours to 24, 12, and then only a few hours remained. She hadn’t rested at all and had been taking care of several tasks that Crow had been handling.

She went up to the upper deck every few hours, checking her surroundings, and soon realized that soldiers had started filling every post and watchtower, with no gaps in sight at the base, now left with only 500 personnel.

If she had been thoughtless, she might have thought it was for the final defense. But Race was far from thoughtless.

In her eyes, something else reflected.

"...It looks like someone is determined to stop anyone from leaving, no matter what happens."

As she observed, more and more soldiers started to pay attention to her position, but Race knew exactly what was going on — no major preparations were necessary.

What she needed were the remaining few dozen blood bags left in the abandoned medical office, and after bursting them all, she grasped them in her hand. Moments later, Race held a small glowing orb of bright red.

The soldiers were waiting for her outside, six of them, all pointing ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) their guns at her.

"It's time to head out, Race. We'll safely transport you to the rallying point. The helicopter is ready, so please head to the deck."

"How funny. Is pointing a gun at the escort now a trend?"

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

Race's sarcastic comment hung in the air as the confrontation unfolded. She was ready to face whatever came next.

"Just like you wanted to be left alone, we were hoping for the same, Race. The Minister asked me to send his regards... he said it would be enough if only the head and body remained intact."

"That's a horrible thing to say."

And at that moment, Race smiled.

It was a bitter smile, full of mixed emotions.

"Then I’ll personally deliver my regards."

"What-"

Crack!

When Race clenched her left hand, with an ominous sound, one soldier’s head exploded completely. It was a horrific appearance, as though it had collapsed from the inside out.

However, the other five soldiers didn’t even get the chance to witness it. The last thing they saw before their deaths was the eerie image of blood wings unfolding behind her.

Of course, by the time the other soldiers witnessed it, Race was the only living soul left in the medical office.

Amidst the dried corpses, Race murmured, clutching her head.

"In the end, I ended up killing them all with my own hands, that damn Web bastard..."

She hadn’t wanted to kill them, but the world never allowed things to go the way she wished.

Less than a few minutes remained before 494 soldiers would charge at her, seeking her life.

"...What’s this?"

"They’re reporting. A flare went off at Gallowdette University... We don’t know what it is, but immediate support is requested."

A few minutes later, Owens’ team was dispatched toward Gallowdette University.

"Send out the heavy armor troops! Don't engage head-on!"

"Throw the white phosphorus grenades! Deploy the incinerators in the area!"

"Retreat! We’re short on firepower! We need Eclipse gas... Aaaah!"

Boom!

The explosives set earlier detonated with a single electrical signal, creating a massive fireball and shockwave that spread in all directions, shaking the Kestrel ship. Hundreds of soldiers had no idea that the explosion had come from the storage where the Eclipse gas was kept. Of course, even if they had known, there was nothing they could do.

With the explosion, the canisters were torn apart, and the solvents inside began to react with the air, triggering the chemical reactions that had been designed by countless scientists after extensive research.

What Race hadn't anticipated was how much damage the explosion would inflict on the hull, as the C4 blocks immediately ripped through the storage.

Red gas filled the entire area, and instantly, the incinerators attached to the chimneys began to release flames. The gas, exposed to the fire, began to neutralize immediately.

But as previously mentioned, the gas that had leaked from the storage was separate from that.

-[Warning: Eclipse gas leakage. Bulkhead operation. Evacuation orders are now in effect. Soldiers not vaccinated must wear full-body protective suits and connect their oxygen tanks to their gas masks within 30 seconds.]

Boom!

The bulkheads began to lower. However, all those present had already been vaccinated, and the battle continued.

In a way, the outcome was not as Race had hoped, but it didn't matter. At that point, the Kestrel only had one remaining Eclipse gas canister, which she kept separately.

Normally, they would have evacuated by now, but that was no longer possible. Race knew this all too well. Hundreds of soldiers were charging toward her to kill her.

If that was the case, she would simply respond in kind.

—Clang! Clang!

"Shit, what the hell... the bulkhead is breaking through!"

"What the hell is going on...!"

Since the day she was born, and after her body had transformed into its current state, and after she realized she could manipulate blood for the first time, she had never before handled such an enormous amount of blood.

The total blood a human body holds is around 5 liters. Every time Race faced Black Eagle soldiers, it was like refueling herself, and that’s exactly what happened.

After each battle, a deep sense of exhilaration would consume her body, and a confidence that she could do anything filled her.

The alloy bulkhead began to shed sparks, and it was as if a water jet was cutting through it. The bulkhead was being sliced apart in real-time.

As the door weakened, bullets, shells, and explosives continued to fly, but all of them were blocked by the shield revolving around Race’s body.

The door opened.

The Reaper stepped out.

Dozens of blood spears were hanging from her back.

"Try to avoid it, if you can."

At that moment, a lance shot through the air.

There was an explosion, screams, and soon, silence filled the lower deck.