“Ah, no, that’s….”

 

The Dark Zone was essentially a virtual reality FPS game.

 

In today’s world, where the term FPS was used almost as a proper noun, there were quite a few people who just vaguely thought of it as a shooting game,

 

but FPS fundamentally meant a first-person shooter.

 

And this meant that Harmony’s streaming cam was also transmitting what she was seeing.

 

Although as the game service continued, and the platform developed, viewers could now choose various perspectives to watch from,

 

the fundamental part remained unchanged.

 

So, what this meant was­

 

­??????????

 

­Did? you? drop? the? mag??????????

 

­Can you hear the sound of Darkrits grinding their teeth over here? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

 

­Nuna, please, do nothing and just do as the adjustments say, please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

­She’s a real natural-born troll ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

 

­Gyaaak, Nuna, my blood pressure is really going to kill me…………….

 

It meant that all 7,000 viewers had seen Harmony accidentally drop the magazine on the ground.

 

And naturally, the sound of grinding teeth immediately appeared in the chat.

 

However.

 

The anticipated, cheerful cacophony of destruction from the collision of the magazine with the concrete floor did not occur.

 

Instead, something subtly filled the bottom of the streaming screen.

 

­????

 

­What’s that???

 

­Isn’t that a tail?

 

­She caught the magazine…!

 

­Wait, you could use tails in this game???

 

Despite the darkness of the night sky, faintly discernible mottled patterns could be seen.

 

With the sound of something swiftly brushing the ground, the magazine she dropped was caught by something.

 

No, it wasn’t something.

 

It was the tail of a snake, which she had thought was just an additional avatar part.

 

“…This, this….”

 

A scream rose to her throat, but her reason, tempered by the recent mistake, barely managed to hold it back.

 

Fear of snakes was a basic instinct for most humans.

 

Considering the context of something as thick as her calf suddenly rushing near her leg, she deserved praise this time.

 

But,

 

“……….”

 

Click.

 

With the activation of the lens’s enemy identification function, Harmony automatically closed her mouth upon meeting Yoo Jin’s sharp eyes, which showed a slight hint of white.

 

As the magazine was reinserted into the slot, she realized that deliberate silence could be much scarier.

 

However, regardless of that,

 

­Unidentified sound detected.

 

­Everyone, take cover and wait. The lead team will investigate the source. Shoot anything that moves.

 

The device automatically eavesdropping on the surrounding income data translated the conversation and delivered it to her ears.

 

Russian.

 

Taking advantage of the chaos in the United States, elite landing soldiers of the Russian Navy had set foot on the mainland through the North American coast.

 

Two people hiding behind appropriate cover aimed their guns at the sound of numerous footsteps.

 

And then­

 

───Rustle.

 

Three enemies emerged from the dense foliage at the park entrance.

 

Tactical rigs worn over thick bulletproof vests. Balaclavas covering their faces entirely and Russian 1PN63 binocular night vision goggles.

 

With AK-12s strapped to their backs and VSSs in their hands for close combat, they searched the surroundings while maintaining a certain distance from each other.

 

Yoo Jin took a short breath, held it, and aimed at the enemy.

 

The target was the legs.

 

The goal was to draw out the main force that had not yet accurately identified their location.

 

“Don’t do anything until I give the order. As soon as I shoot, duck your head.”

 

“…Okay!”

 

Immediately, two bullets whizzed through the air with an ear-deafening noise.

 

Blood spurted violently from the knees, penetrating the soft fabric.

 

A heavy scream mixed with pain echoed through downtown New York.

 

“………!”

Ratatatatat!

 

One enemy fell to the ground as if collapsing. The two reconnaissance members next to him responded almost instantly with counterfire in all directions.

 

The deafening noise shattered trees, paving stones, and benches, spreading chaos everywhere.

 

At that moment, Harmony, who ducked deeply to avoid bullets flying overhead, realized why Yoo Jin had told her to keep her head down.

 

Meanwhile, amidst the relatively quiet VSS gunfire, heavy firing sounds mixed. Almost simultaneously, a series of horrific screams followed.

 

The remaining two had also fallen, their knees and shins shattered.

 

“…You’re not killing them…?”

 

The desperate wailing, hard to believe was from a game. Watching this, Harmony whispered quietly through the intercom, but Yoo Jin waited calmly.

 

Counting while watching the surroundings. The count never exceeded ten.

 

As the number in her mind decreased one by one, the three with completely destroyed legs were struggling to crawl back where they came from.

 

Watching this, Yoo Jin added,

 

“…Get ready to throw a grenade.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Grenade!”

 

Bang!

 

At that moment, a few enemy smoke grenades exploded, spreading smoke everywhere.

 

It didn’t take long for the three injured members to disappear into the smoke.

 

Amidst the many noises, the sound of branches and bushes breaking followed,

 

and Harmony realized it was a sign that the main force was approaching.

 

With a distinct sound, the pin was pulled. Harmony threw it with all her might towards the smoke, which was an obvious target.

 

Almost simultaneously, Yoo Jin followed the same procedure.

 

But with a slight difference,

 

“…How did you do that!?”

 

With the tail wrapped around the grenade, pulling the pin with the end of the tail, and throwing it into the air with a whip-like rebound while still aiming.

 

But when it accurately landed in the enemy’s area, Harmony realized it wasn’t just for show.

 

The silence was brief, and they both heard the enemy shouting something urgently at the last moment.

 

Two successive flashes and explosions engulfed everything around.

 

───!!

 

The spreading smoke scattered instantly with the shockwave.

 

Although visibility wasn’t fully restored, the two kept their guns aimed in that direction, preparing for any possible situation.

 

It didn’t take long for the smoke to clear completely.

 

The scene of carnage was revealed.

 

“…Six?”

 

“Wow, amazing…!”

 

­Wow, crazy ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

 

­Bus driver Nunaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

 

­This is… tactics? This is… tactics? This is… tactics? This is… tactics? This is… tactics?

 

­A master of psychological warfare ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

 

­I told you to party, not to bring a special forces soldier ㅋㅋㅋ

 

The chat was going wild.

 

Just a duo temporarily formed to reach the HQ.

 

However, the content of this seemingly ordinary party

 

was like one side dragging Harmony by the hair, forcibly carrying her, an extreme hard carry.

 

Moreover, it wasn’t just about good shooting skills; she knew how to use available resources to tackle specific situations very effectively.

 

Unintentional showmanship.

 

But amidst that, Yoo Jin remained calm and sharp.

 

So much so that the excited Harmony found it puzzling.

 

“…Is something wrong?”

 

“Six is too few. Let’s wait a bit longer.”

 

“Oh, come on. After killing so many, there couldn’t possibly be more around….”

 

Their gazes met simultaneously.

 

Facing the fierce blue eyes, Harmony had no choice but to lower her head.

 

“…Maybe there are. Hehe.”

 

“….”

 

­Strong against the weak ON

 

­This Nuna isn’t just strong against the weak, she’s just weakweakweakweak ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

 

­Wow, those eyes are crazy ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

 

­Haha, if you don’t know, just do as you’re told ㅋㅋ

 

­Catching six and thinking there’s still more sounds a bit cowardly

 

Rustle.

 

Yoo Jin carefully released her posture and scanned the surroundings, quietly picking up a piece of broken paving stone.

 

A moment of silence.

 

But it didn’t take long for her to estimate the distance and throw it hard across the intersection into the bushes.

 

With the sound of branches shaking, the stone disappeared into the bushes inside the park.

 

Then,

 

───Rustle.

 

“…Looks like there are about two or three left….”

 

“Huh? Really? How do you know?”

 

“….”

 

How to explain this?

 

The fact that a Russian squad has nine members, excluding BMPs? The intuition built from accumulated experience? The rough guess from the rustling sound?

 

But Yoo Jin never forgot that practical verification took precedence over lengthy explanations.

 

She searched for a route to approach the suspected enemy ambush area and scanned the cover in between, then spoke softly.

 

“We need to check directly.”

 

“Should I come too?”

 

“…Follow me while watching the rear.”

 

Though unreliable, Yoo Jin was not one to reject an ally.

 

This time, with thorough soundproofing, the two cautiously emerged from the sidewalk beside the bushes. Moving quickly with suppressed noise, using scattered cars as cover.

 

How much time had passed, they reached near the park entrance where the reconnaissance team had appeared.

 

Sticking close to the bushes, they whispered in very low voices.

 

“What should we do now?”

 

“…I’ll draw their attention near the entrance, and if they shoot, identify their location. It’s better if you throw a grenade or two at the identified spot.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Fortunately, at this point, Harmony could follow simple orders.

 

She rummaged through her pouch, taking out a grenade like before, while Yoo Jin took a short breath and dashed past the entrance.

 

───Ratatatatat!

 

A beat later, a machine gun unleashed a storm of bullets towards the entrance.

 

Startled by the noise and firepower, Harmony muttered in disbelief.

 

“Geez, telling me to stick my head out and pinpoint their location… Are you crazy…!”

 

But even so, she had no choice but

 

to comply.

 

While Yoo Jin, hiding in the bushes on the opposite side of the entrance, continued suppressive fire to guide the enemy’s shots, Harmony peeked out slightly.

 

The muzzle flashes continued from the bushes along the park path, roughly ten meters away.

 

Taking a deep breath after quickly ducking back, she pulled the pin again.

 

It left her hand.

 

But,

 

“I threw it wrong!”

 

“Enter as soon as it explodes!”

 

Though much was drowned out by the gunfire echoing through the city, the message was clear.

 

Counting in her head.

 

One.

 

Two.

 

And three.

 

───!

 

As the explosion and shrapnel erupted, Harmony gritted her teeth and dashed inside like a bullet leaving the barrel.

 

But Yoo Jin had already entered before her.

 

“Get down!”

 

Shooting while tossing a grenade with her tail, an insane act.

 

Watching this insane act done effortlessly, Harmony flopped face-first to the ground.

 

Although she couldn’t see the subsequent events, the additional explosion and gunfire that swept through the park gave her a good idea.

 

After some time,

 

───Tap tap.

 

“Get up.”

 

“…Huh?”

 

With a silly noise, she struggled to her feet.

 

The surroundings were a mess.

 

Shattered trees and upturned ground from grenade shrapnel and bullets, and broken concrete formed a chaotic landscape.

 

Feeling a dull ache in her bangs despite no reason for pain from lying on the ground, she shook her head.

 

A dumbfounded voice matching her disheveled appearance struggled out.

 

“…What happened?”

 

“Situation resolved. I’ll handle the watch, so rearm yourself. Check for any lost items or explosives, and make sure your firearms are functioning properly, no malfunctions….”

 

“Oh, okay.”

 

It seemed a natural hierarchy had been established.

 

Harmony entrusted herself to the system, and her body naturally began maintenance.

 

Removing the bullets from the chamber, separating the magazine, checking the chamber, and repeating the process in reverse.

 

She checked for any misaligned sights through aiming, and counted the remaining magazines and grenades.

 

After a brief silence,

 

“Everything’s fine.”

 

“Confirmed.”

 

“Can we move now?”

 

Perking up her mint-colored ears, she asked innocently.

 

Then,

 

“No, there’s still some work to do.”

 

“Oh, okay….”

 

“It’s good to keep replenishing grenades if you have the resources. Please watch the surroundings.”

 

“Okay. Anything else you need me to do? I think I can do well.”

 

Hehe.

 

After just a few skirmishes, she had moved from rising confidence to unfounded assurance and even a baseless smile.

 

Watching her with a strange look, Yoo Jin added as if remembering something.

 

“…There is something.”

 

“What is it?”

 

With a rather refreshing smile, she added,

 

“Get down.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Get down.”

 

“Ah, no. Why suddenly? What did I do wrong….”

 

Of course, it didn’t take long for her to realize that the smile wasn’t a good sign but a symbol of bad news.

 

The clicking sound of the magazine hitting the ground again was a bonus.

 

“…I guess I did something wrong, hehehe.”

 

“If you make a loud noise again, be prepared for real this time.”

 

“Sorry, I’m really sorry. But didn’t I contribute quite a bit this time? If you consider that, really, really, really, ahhhhh…!”

 

Whack.

 

Yoo Jin kicked her in the shin with a loving step,

 

and the kindly request with a touch of physical force made Harmony assume a voluntary push-up position.

 

Of course, there was a low scream mixed with a desperate attempt to suppress her voice, but so what.

 

Anyway, the night was deepening.

 

­[…Due to unknown jamming and significantly low UAV deployment estimates, it’s expected that the area cannot be confirmed.］

 

­[Confirmed. How long until heavily armed strike teams arrive in the area?］

 

­[Confirmed to be at least two hours. It’s deemed impossible to maintain internal security until then. Recommend evacuation or concealment of remaining allied forces.］

 

­[Commencing evacuation and safehouse lockdown. Can we designate Lower Manhattan below Central Park as a non-controlled area?］­

 

[Permission granted.］

 

­[Will issue a warning under HQ command. Confirmed?］

 

­[Advance warning received. Confirmed.］

 

* * *