I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun-Chapter 808: Washington D.C (24)

───Peeing!

"...Target neutralized. You're using better weapons than the US military, but didn't you learn not to expose your head when on guard duty? You guys are ridiculous."

"Thanks to you, it's comfortable. The surrounding turrets don't seem to be functioning properly either, but I didn't think it was true that they left everything behind within 24 hours, except for the essentials."

"The TOC friends said that the retreat was so quick that they didn't expect it... I didn't know they'd take us out so quickly. Whoever it is, it seems like there's a very decisive guy."

A few faint gunshots rang out through the darkness.

The Icarus operator /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ could see even dawn as if it were daytime, and the interface linked to the gear could highlight enemies that had to be killed.

And now, through that very function, Owens' team confirmed that the enemy guarding the fortress wall had fallen down like a dummy with his head blown off, and even the turrets were not working.

Owens, Chester, Morrison, Kissinger, and Marcus, a former Laurentina Squad member who had just joined the Dagger team, a total of five people.

They naturally anchored to the wall, put on the elevator, and pressed the button. Their bodies instantly soared into the sky, and soon all five of them had infiltrated the center of the Black Eagle base, which was Gallaudet University.

The conversation continued inside the empty base.

"...It seems that they all retreated. You guys are funny."

"That's not all. The supplies and facilities that should have been destroyed were all left behind. The internal wiring wasn't cut, and the turrets were simply powered down. Meanwhile, the ammunition cans were still connected."

"Look here. The gun cabinets are full of weapons. If the entire base is like this, it must be quite a mess."

"Of course. I wonder why those guys with this much supply power would vacate this place and Washington D.C. in such a hurry. I hope someone who can communicate is still alive."

Leaving behind faint expectations, they looked around the fortified university.

It was only after that that they noticed a large building with a unique appearance among the many buildings. It was hard to call it a building. It looked like a landing ship that had been converted into a base.

It was standing right there in the university stadium. The Dagger team felt they had to go there immediately.

The intermittent sound of gunfire and the red flare still burning in the sky.

The Dagger team had arrived at the location within five minutes of the flares exploding in the middle of Gallaudet University, so they secured a safe distance and activated the reconnaissance drone they had carried on their backs.

The Dagger team had landed near the base with only minimal data without even receiving a separate briefing, and even the TOC had no idea what was happening there.

In other words, if they entered the hot zone without any information, they could be attacked from all sides.

That couldn't happen.

"Launching the drone. Please keep a close watch."

"Don't worry. The drone scan results showed that there were no enemies anywhere except that landing ship, so at least there was no threat of being hit in the back of the head."

"...Does that make sense?"

"If we don't know the inside story, it wouldn't be strange if something happened. But, there might be something like a UGV flying around, so keep a close watch. Don't worry about that."

Kiiing!

A drone soared into the air, pushing hard, and slowly flew toward the Black Eagle base, which was shaped like a landing ship. The sight that the Dagger team saw was also based on that.

While the sensors and turrets installed around it were keeping a close watch in case of an unexpected situation, the Dagger team carefully moved the drone near the large ramp door that resembled a landing gate.

However,

───!

"...It was destroyed."

"How was it destroyed?"

"It looks like it was pierced by something and crashed immediately."

"It must have been hit by a bullet. What can we do? We don't have any spare drones, so we'll have to go there ourselves."

The drone was destroyed.

What was even more unfortunate was that the drone was destroyed before they could even properly check the inside of the base, and it didn't take long for the Dagger team to decide to use their bodies to do it.

The five of them carefully began to move after retrieving the sensors and turrets.

Owens attached a vibration sensor to the sticky bomb launcher and fired at the wall of the base, and with a small crack, the attached sensor amplified the noise coming from inside the base and transmitted it to the Dagger team.

How long had it been?

A vivid roar, as if it had just been plucked from hell, was heard all at once.

───Kagagagagak!

───Kuuung!

───Damn it, retreat! Retreat! Aaaah!

"...I wonder if it's okay to go in here."

"...Can't we just understand that there's been an internal conflict?"

"It seems like this is more than just internal strife. Something strange is happening. Everyone, prepare for battle. We may have to intervene soon."

Everyone smiled bitterly at those words, but even so, there was nothing they could do. That was the purpose for which the Dagger Team was created. Their mission was to crawl directly into Hell and turn the jaws of the Great Demon.

All of the Dagger Team members took a deep breath and began to move with determined expressions. As they got closer, it was inevitable that screams would burst out, buried in the gunfire.

However, the five of them remained calm even in such a situation. Even so, as they took each step forward and got closer to the center, their expressions could not help but harden.

How long had it been since the Dagger Team reached the crash site of the shattered drone, and soon they had even surpassed that, and set foot on the Black Eagle headquarters for the first time.

Shortly after that, they witnessed a bizarre and horrifying sight that was uniquely theirs since they had been active as the Dagger Team.

“...This is crazy.”

“What the hell...is happening.”

There were corpses lying around.

And they weren’t just any corpses. They were pierced, cut, or torn apart.

But if that were all there was, the term “Shi-san-hyeol-hae” might have been appropriate, but this time it wasn’t.

Shi-san-hyeol-hae, meaning to pile up corpses and create a sea of ​​blood. However, the Dagger team realized that the term “Shi-san-hyeol-hae” couldn’t be applied to the current situation at this point.

Not a single drop of blood flowed out of the corpse’s body. Of course, the mucus of the brain and internal organs still remained, but the blood that made up the largest portion of them was not present at all.

Only grayish-white lumps of corpses that had been torn apart were scattered here and there.

Surprisingly, there weren’t any people the Dagger team knew who could do something like this.

“...I guess we should have brought guys like Logan.”

"Did you think so too, Team Leader?"

"Well, since we've come this far... there's nothing we can do."

Owens sighed and shook his head. It was more like abdication than resignation.

And at that moment, the entire Dagger team noticed the overwhelming smell of blood approaching from far away - and it wasn't just the smell of blood. A mist of blood surrounded the air, and blood was crawling up the walls.

Among the blood that was crawling, the only human-shaped being slowly approached the Dagger team.

It was the image they remembered. Wraith, a female vampire with pure white skin and hair, and only red pupils, and the only mutant member of the Black Eagles.

However, her appearance was different from what they remembered. Her already red eyes had turned bright red all the way to the sclera, and unlike the expressionless face the Dagger team remembered, her mouth was filled with a mad smile, and wings of blood that waved like red electricity spread out from behind her back.

The five of them let out a hollow laugh at the sight.

"...I'm going to turn around."

Step.

Step.

Blood gushed from the gaps in the half-shattered armor of the slowly walking Wraith.

The Dagger Team set up all the reserves they had prepared with natural movements - turrets, drones, everything else - around them, and Owens pressed several buttons on the Icarus Gear.

The gun the Dagger Team brought today was not the XM7.

It was a prototype infantry railgun airlifted from DARPA.

"Due to an emergency request, the Dagger Team's energy level has been temporarily raised to Kappa. HQ reporting and approval procedures are temporarily ignored."

Kiiing!

And at that moment, all of the Dagger team, including Owens, felt an eerie sense of emptiness and a sense of omnipotence rising from their left or right arms.

If someone had escaped humanity due to something that could not be explained by the laws of physics, these people began to gradually escape humanity with only pure science and technology.

Owens joked, watching the railgun, which normally takes 30 seconds to charge, maintain 100% output in real time.

"Then, let's check if that guy remembers his name."

The engagement began.

───Kagagagagak!

"This is the first time I've encountered such an enemy in my life. I can't believe that a human-sized being can produce this much firepower on its own...!"

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

"Should I capture that thing alive, Owens? We could all get swept away here if we're not careful."

"Killing may soon become capturing. Don't worry about it and attack."

"...Yes!"

Reality was distorted.

It wasn't like the world was collapsing or anything. However, in some ways, something even more sinister was happening right before their eyes - for the first time since their creation, the Dagger Team felt like they were Fathers.

Instead of crucifixes, holy water, and silver stakes, grenades, railguns, and flame turrets pounded the Wraith with incredible momentum, but the firepower that the Wraith poured down wasn't much different from the attack of five Dagger Team members.

The irony of one person taking on five.

But that was reality.

A bloody smell that made your nose tingle hung throughout the hangar.

The Wraith was simultaneously attacking and defending through the medium of blood. Hundreds of sharp needles flew at incredible speeds, while giant javelin-shaped blood clots surged forward, ignoring the laws of physics.

Only the Dagger team, who were far removed from humans in both body and mind, could handle the attack. They intercepted the flying spears, evaded the needles, and even in the midst of that, they poured out grenades and burned away the blood with flames.

However, if you look at the shield of the gear dropping below 20% every time they blocked the small attacks, it wasn't like the Dagger team had the upper hand.

"Observing the 13th offensive junction. The flame turret's plasma attack is confirmed to be the most effective in reducing the absolute amount of blood."

"When I engaged Olivia and Logan, I was able to at least communicate, but now... damn it, something big is coming. Get ready!"

"You're late! Mobile cover activated!"

Drrrrrrrr!

Tens of thousands of needles that could even penetrate thin iron plates flew in like a storm. The only good thing was that the amount of blood droplets that made up each thorn was small, so they evaporated as soon as they touched the Icarus Operator's shield or mobile cover.

Owens' team instinctively figured out how to deal with it through their numerous combat experiences. They never panicked or panicked when faced with a vampire that should normally be sleeping in a book.

Even though they didn't know how the ability manifested, they realized that the amount of blood was the basis of Wraith's attack and defense, and that reducing the amount of blood was the best way to win.

'... It seems that the guys who died before they came knew that much.'

Owens saw the corpse of a Black Eagle soldier lying dead just two meters away.

The arm was torn off, and most of the blood had been sucked out, so it was white. It looked like some crazy artist had created a sculpture that maliciously imitated a human and then left it alone.

But the object held in the torn arm, and the grenade pouch on the body a few meters away—a white phosphorus grenade—suggested that the dead Black Eagle had been struggling of its own accord.

It was impossible to tell who had died, but Owens was going to put it to good use.

Three seconds after the pins of the three white phosphorus grenades were pulled out one after another, he threw the grenade.

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Several islands of bright white flame, blooming as they ate the air, swayed precariously over the sea of ​​blood.

"Ugh, ugh ... "Don't get too close, keep your distance and retreat or advance. Report any unusual information you've found so far."

"Considering the accumulated damage, she should have died several times already, but considering that she didn't, her blood must be a medium for her regenerative abilities as well."

"Damn, she's acting all sorts of crazy. If I had known this would happen, I should have watched Twilight or something before coming here."

"It was funny as a joke, Team Leader."

Even that grumbling was understandable.

Considering that Race possessed a variety of abilities that were difficult to compare to Logan or Laurentina, as well as other mutants we'd encountered so far, she was definitely a uniquely dangerous being.

Fortunately, the opponent was still unconscious, and the Dagger team carefully observed the scene.

The surroundings were already a mess. The drones, the corpses, the stairs, and most of the other weapons were torn to pieces. The result of the Dagger team using all the terrain around them to block the Wraith's attacks.

They understood why the bodies were lying on the ground, shattered and torn apart. If they hadn't used the terrain as a shield, the Dagger team would have met a similar result.

While Wraith groaned from the aftereffects of his ability, the Dagger team loaded the launcher with vapor napalm canisters.

The order continued.

"Burning all the blood. Let's see if they still come to their senses."

"Napalm launch."

Thump, thump, thump!

A short, crisp noise and a purple vapor spread across the air and the ground, and Owens snapped his fingers.

A strong, bloody smell burst out along with the flames.

"...We've identified an additional Icarus operator. That's adding insult to injury."

"Don't worry about it. It's a chance to take them all... How's the facility self-destruct procedure going?"

"The Race Commander blew up the entire lower hangar, so we have to clear the way, so it's expected to be slower than expected."

"There's no change. Keep going."

Meanwhile, in the meantime.

About half of the Black Eagles were still alive.