-[Notification: Sending recorded message to ICARUS emergency channel.]

-[Notification: Estimated to have been sent 30 minutes ago.]

-[Notification: Playing message….]

.

.

.

-[<Data Corrupted>: The base is under attack. The enemy has breached the southern perimeter. Immediate support is needed. I repeat, we need nearby allied personnel to assist immediately.]

-[<Data Corrupted>: We can't hold the defensive line! Initiating lockdown procedures at the headquarters!]

-[<Data Corrupted>: We’ve lost 70% of our defense personnel! There's nothing more we can do! Please, send reinforcements, argh!]

"Thirty minutes ago? The timing really couldn’t be worse."

I just nodded slightly instead of adding any words. Anything I said here would probably sound odd. Harmony, too, seemed to know there was no need for a reply, only exhaling quietly.

Unfortunately, this sort of thing was all too common.

Especially after the EMP swept through the capital, breaking down communications between agents, leading to situations where reinforcements arrived too late to prevent enemy infiltrations, defections among former operators, and even special forces being taken down one by one.

Of course, just because it was common didn’t make it any less tragic.

Though there was no concrete evidence, there was a growing sense of tension around us. Even without evidence, it was a predictable scenario.

A short skirmish, lasting about 30 seconds, had caused a snowball effect.

Although it wasn’t enough to shake the entire heart of America, it was sufficient to awaken significant parts of the city, shrouded in darkness. The explosion, spreading light and sound through the frozen city, became a catalyst for further chaos.

Like moths drawn to a bright light on a summer night, unwelcome entities were silently drawn to the scene.

"...It feels like the whole city is about to swallow us up."

"You’re quite expressive. Next time, try using that creativity to think of something more hopeful."

"I’ll try."

The target came into view.

As we approached the Homeland Security - ICARUS headquarters, a mission prompt appeared. The surroundings also began to change. Unlike the scattered trash and wrecked cars that had been littered around, we started to see barricades and concrete blocks.

On the blocks were various bullet marks, and despite the darkness, the numerous corpses strewn about were impossible to miss.

Gradually, the area began to take on the appearance of a fortified zone.

-[Notification: ICARUS Operator Authorization confirmed. Transferring control of surrounding facilities… Controllable defense matrix below 30%.]

-[Notification: Multiple enemies detected ahead.]

It was clear from the intensity of the battle that they had tried their best to hold off the enemy.

Although the defensive line was at least two layers thick, there were numerous gaps large enough for people to pass through. Scattered around were bodies, some poorly armed and others appearing to be Russian soldiers, lying in disarray.

The barbed wire that encircled the area was more crumpled and twisted than intact. One person lay dead in front of the wire, still clutching wire cutters.

Sounds of movement echoed from inside the makeshift fortress.

The crunch of stones underfoot, the clicking of guns, and Russian voices. At least a dozen enemies were outside. But when I accessed the surrounding CCTV through the transferred control, the situation was even worse.

There were dozens of them. About forty had already entered the building. The number of those on guard outside was smaller, but still significant.

I don’t know why the difficulty is like this, but we’ve come this far, so turning back isn’t an option.

I looked at Harmony and asked, "Let’s take them out one by one quickly."

"Isn’t that too close? Even with suppressors, shooting might give us away."

"There’s a way."

After exchanging a few hand signals, I took the adhesive explosive from Harmony and adjusted the cartridge in several steps.

Removing the shaped charge designed to penetrate thick armor, I left only the specially designed cylinder and the ignition material inside. What I ended up with was a kind of close-range flamethrower. Not something that spews continuous flames, but one that emits an intense, brief burst of heat.

It was essentially a flame shotgun.

"Get close, press it against their neck or a gap in their armor, and pull the trigger. It’ll be cleaner than using a knife."

"...What is this?"

"You’ll find out in a few minutes."

-Haha, doing something weird again, lololololol.

-Um, what are you doing, teacher???????

-(Insert MacGyver theme song)

-Of course, lolololol.

-Can’t you ever play the game normally? lol

The look of disbelief was all I got in response.

But, people grow through real experiences.

I launched the drone and added, "What are you waiting for? Move."

Move, move.

────Buzz.

"They’re up to something weird again."

"What? Are you watching Yujin’s stream too?"

The silent drone flew up into the sky, disappearing into the darkness. It was a small reconnaissance drone, unarmed, but capable of sending high-definition footage at 60 frames per second, making it a deadly tool for monitoring enemy movements in real-time.

The screens split into four, each showing different views from Yujin and Harmony’s perspectives. Enemies were scattered all around, but Harmony, under Yujin’s guidance, moved without hesitation.

One of the best strategies they could employ was, naturally, to eliminate the enemy patrols outside.

Real-time instructions came through.

-Patrol team ahead. Get ready.

Three red triangles appeared in front of them, moving closer in real-time. Yujin, without any hesitation, loaded a tranquilizer round into the silenced pistol and aimed at the approaching enemies.

The kind of silence that only appears in movies.

There was only a small, clicking sound. Three enemies dropped with faint crackles and dull thuds. While Yujin snapped the neck of one in the darkness, Harmony hesitantly placed the device on the back of another’s neck and pulled the trigger.

A strange high-pitched sound. A small, barely noticeable flash of white light bloomed—technically, the majority of the heat instantly carbonized the neck area.

The spinal cord, trachea, vertebrae, and carotid artery, all vital points, were incinerated in an instant, and the enemy, who had collapsed to the ground, twitched briefly before completely succumbing.

A rather peculiar expression spread across Harmony’s face.

-Well done.

-...What the heck is this?

Hah.

A hollow laugh escaped her, followed by a flood of messages in the chat, with dozens to hundreds of new posts every second.

-Oh shit lolololololol.

-Did you just create a new melee weapon? There’s no end to this!

-I know there’s a modification function, but this is something else lolololol.

-Who the hell are you, really???????

-Why is Harmony so good at hitting targets? lololol.

Meanwhile, the reload was in progress.

Several pathways led to what was once the headquarters base. Broken concrete blocks, relatively intact barricades, and piles of trash and debris—now with the added feature of Russian corpses.

Soon, the two of them split up after a brief agreement. Harmony would draw attention while Yujin used some method to deal with the enemies in the front yard.

"...What is going on inside that person’s head?"

"That’s why everyone gets crushed when they meet them."

"Exactly."

Every small-unit combat tactic seemed to come as naturally to Yujin as breathing.

It wasn’t just about basic maneuvers and cover; every aspect of the surrounding terrain and environment was accounted for, with real-time tactics being devised on the fly.

It was difficult to explain, but actually doing it was almost impossible. Frankly, it was closer to hoping that a puzzle would solve itself if you shook the box hard enough.

Of course, the reason Yujin was so well-known was that she could pull off such feats.

By now, there was a considerable distance between Yujin and Harmony. The former had infiltrated deep into the base, while Harmony was cautiously moving along the outer perimeter of the defensive line.

Harmony headed towards a lookout post, most of its walls crumbled. From there, both the road outside and the friendly base could be seen at a glance. She carefully climbed over the collapsed wall and surveyed the surroundings.

A twisted mass of polygons had been flung outside. But the machine gun mounted on the turret was still trained on the front. Although the tower had been hit by a rocket, it wasn’t a direct hit.

It had enough power to kill the operators but not enough to destroy the machine gun, a fact made evident by the scene.

-Found it. Uh… M2A1 heavy machine gun. Fifty-caliber. Now what?

-It’s turret-mounted. With some adjustments, you can silently turn the barrel toward the enemy. I’ll share the control with you, give it a try.

-…Okay, done.

Creeeeeeak.

Originally, the wall behind it should have been blocked by concrete blocks, but because the supporting pillars had been hit, the back wall had collapsed. In short, Harmony was hiding near the lookout post, with her view open in all directions.

The machine gun slowly and silently turned, aiming at the unaware enemies.

-Secure your exit route. Once you activate it, the sensors will automatically target the enemy.

-How do you know all this?

-There’s information on it in the ICARUS data category 3, under the list of controllable facilities and machines related to standard unmanned turrets.

-…Ah, right.

A low voice.

Harmony was momentarily dumbfounded by how Yujin rattled off this obscure information as if it were common knowledge, but she had gotten used to it by now. This wasn’t the time for questions; it was time to follow orders.

At least, that’s what Harmony thought.

The moment the turret began to operate, the infrared laser emitted a green light forward.

As soon as it aimed at a person, Harmony pressed the fire button and started running along the pre-planned escape route.

In the middle of winter, in some desolate part of nowhere, a sudden fireworks display began.

────Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

The fifty-caliber casings and chain-link fragments poured out from the bottom of the gun.

The loud, metallic clatter of metal hitting the concrete was hard to ignore, but unfortunately, the fifty-caliber rounds, traveling faster than the speed of sound, shattered their targets before the sound of the gunfire could reach them.

Thousands of orange-glowing polygon fragments scattered into the air. Seven Russian soldiers, unable to react in time, were reduced to unrecognizable remains.

-рассеянность! рассеянность!

-контакт с противником!

But there were far more enemies outside than just those.

Harmony quickly moved away. Just seconds later, a hail of lead rained down on the turret. It would have been insane to stay there and get turned into Swiss cheese.

Exhaling slightly, Harmony looked at the drone screen Yujin had shared. The lookout post offered a strategic vantage point with a wide field of view. If necessary, she could reclaim that position once the attack subsided.

But Yujin had a more refined plan in mind.

-[Notification: Unmanned vehicle control successfully hijacked.]

-What did you do this time!?

-While the enemy was taking cover, I fired a hacking tool at their UGV.

Artemis, who had sold technology and various vehicles to foreign enemies, was a perfect match for these Russian forces, but not today.

A smile played on Yujin’s lips.

The chain gun and grenade launcher on the hijacked moving turret began to operate with strange noises.

────Tat-tat-tat!

-Aaaaaah!

A bitter irony.

If they left cover to avoid the hijacked turret, they were shredded by the still-functioning machine gun.

But staying put meant being targeted by the UGV. This split their fire between the turret and the moving vehicle, weakening their overall force. There was no reason to let this opportunity pass.

Less than a minute after the full-scale engagement began, the nearly thirty enemies outside were torn apart by the combined internal and external attacks.

The last one to flee was silenced by a .338 round, and only then did the situation finally calm.

Silence flooded the ruins like a tsunami.

-Oh.

-Oh shit lololololololololol.

-This place is insane! This place is insane! This place is insane! This place is insane! This place is insane!

-This is beyond imagination, seriously lolololol.

-Once again, you’ve beaten the enemies senseless, teacher. Truly, there’s no end to this.

<[User HaeguiDahaegui has donated 1,000 won.]>

-We were foolish to even try to predict what would happen lolololol.

"...Wow, what the heck was that?"

No one responded to the muttered question.