NoveLight ™
“It seems like the city is already giving off bad vibes.”
“There should be a helipad on the hospital roof, so let’s head there first.”
“Understood. Hold on tight, agents.”
───Bwooong!
An MD500 sliced through the cloudless sky over Houston. With a low latitude, the weather was surprisingly cool for winter, but it couldn’t hide the chaos erupting in the major city that many people would immediately recognize just by hearing its name.
Black smoke rising from fires contrasted sharply with the clear skies, and the noise resembling popping beans made the situation feel even more bizarre. The streets hundreds of meters below were a complete mess. The areas away from New York, which could be called the center, clearly showed a different appearance.
Despite that, the fortunate aspect was that Texas had been allocated a decent amount of Icarus forces. But who could have anticipated that numerous Mexican cartels would unite to invade the US following a ceasefire negotiation?
As always, the chat was a frenzy, but thanks to the memories flooding back, I paid no mind to it. As I flew past the rapidly passing scenery, I easily spotted Hermann Park, which looked like a small Central Park, along the shallow stream running through Houston.
Just to my left lay the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical complex in the world. A quick glance showed that the defenses and barricades were quite impressive. The area was surrounded by tall walls and concrete blocks, and heavy machine guns were stationed all around.
Amidst this, Laurentina chuckled and added,
“I really like operations where friend and foe are clearly defined.”
Dais and Harmony wore puzzled expressions since they didn’t know what that meant, but Team Dagger already understood.
Having a clear distinction between friend and foe meant that anyone could put a finger on the trigger and shoot anyone they wanted, and Laurentina… was someone who adhered to the professional ethics of a black ops agent more than anyone else. At least, it seemed that way in this world.
Naturally, Logan wore an incredulous expression. I casually glanced at the MCX Laurentina held. Her finger was already on the trigger. Normally, that would be insane, but in fact, there was no safer safety trigger than her finger…
The helicopter whirled and rapidly decreased speed as it landed safely on the red helipad.
As I carefully stepped onto the ground, Terence Mendoza, the Southern Branch Chief overseeing the fortification of the Medical Center, quickly approached through the dust stirred up by the rotating propellers.
Beside him stood a heavily tattooed man. A cross tattoo adorned his forehead, tear-drop tattoos under his eyes, and a tattoo barely visible on the line between his neck and chest—a cross etched across his chest. As I recalled the past, I recognized this person…
Of course, just as I thought that, Branch Chief Mendoza introduced him directly.
“Welcome to Houston! I’ll explain as we go down. Terence Mendoza, Chief of the Southern Icarus Branch. This is Javier Cortez, a former alpha-level infiltration agent from Los Zetas.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Pleasure. Los Zetas, huh? It must have been quite a headache to return to Icarus at this point.”
“Exactly.”
Despite how it might appear, it was a remarkably friendly greeting.
With no time to waste, we hurried down from the roof. Chief Mendoza waved his hand and transmitted the blueprints for the entire Texas Medical Center to us. There was no need to memorize them. Through the gear, we could pinpoint the locations that required support, and the routes to those locations would automatically appear.
Just in case, I activated a pulse. The area was bustling with people. It seemed there was no room left for doctors or patients; the hallways were packed with individuals. Fortunately, the water supply appeared to be intact.
As if he knew I had scanned the area, Chief Mendoza added,
“We are currently accommodating a significant number of living Houston citizens. When the virus swept through here, nearly a million people died, and the remaining 500,000 fled the city to take refuge throughout Texas. Most of those who couldn’t escape are either in buildings or factories, or they’re being housed here.”
“That’s immense. If we have food supplies, we could accomplish a lot.”
“The entire fortification of the Medical Center was made possible because of that. However, there are still mountains of problems, and the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas pose the greatest threats.”
Our gazes locked.
Before we knew it, we had arrived at the briefing room. It seemed to have been a large lecture hall in the past.
Agent Javier stood at the podium. So far, it was no different from before. He would explain the details as someone who had once acted as a deep-cover agent for the cartel. Being here triggered memories, so I didn’t feel the need to hear about the current situation…
The speech began.
“Unlike Middle Eastern cartels, the operating principles of South American cartels are simple. Money. However, as the Omega Virus swept across the US, new ideas began to surface within their deep foundations. They are attempting to build a power sphere far greater than before. In simple terms, it’s regional warlordism.”
“Armed criminals posing as warlords, what a nightmare.”
“It truly is.”
Of course, regional warlordism was not the end. They had already absorbed the local gangs residing in Corpus Christi and expanded their forces while committing all sorts of madness. For instance, they openly constructed drug manufacturing facilities in the heart of the metropolis and used citizens to work there.
Those who resisted and refused to surrender were hung upside down on bridges.
If there was any silver lining, it was the cessation of human trafficking. Though this was primarily due to humanity’s infrastructure being completely dismantled by the virus, shattering the very demand for such crimes.
“If the numbers reach about a battalion, the story changes.”
“What's the level of their armament?”
“Regular military-grade armament would be less than 5% of their forces, but that doesn’t mean we can confront them head-on. At least, they’re smart enough to fill vehicles with explosives and charge them toward concrete walls to achieve certain results.”
I nodded.
This was precisely the reason. They had stripped the sense of fear and terror from the minds of their members through the illicit cheat of drugs, and they had the determination to unleash insane acts in broad daylight that ordinary people would never do—simply put, their firepower was formidable.
Of course, there had to be something to counter that.
“Is there any air power available to support the operation?”
“There is the 147th Fighter Wing stationed at Ellington Joint Reserve Base to the southeast of Houston. They should be able to provide continuous air support via MQ-20 Avengers. The problem is that there may not be enough operational operators available to provide frequent support.”
“How specific is that?”
“If operating at maximum efficiency, they could launch sorties once every 12 hours.”
As expected. There was nothing particularly different from before.
The virus had sent all maintenance personnel, weapon management staff, and operators alike to the great beyond, and those who survived were likely struggling just to keep the massive base running.
I heard that they had dispatched hundreds of personnel from here, but it would take considerable time to rebuild everything anew. In any case, coming back to the matter, it was good to have air support.
Since the enemies weren’t regular forces, if we assumed they were lightly armored, we could likely solve things with cluster bombs. Although if someone brought a tank, it would be a bit tricky, but honestly, it was just a bit of a hassle. Nothing more.
And soon the viewers began to stir.
“What should I tell the fighter wing?”
I remained silent. By the time I was considering this, the Dagger team members had likely already devised more specific and planned strategies than I had.
Owens was already checking the enemy’s locations and movement routes through reconnaissance, and he soon spoke.
“We need to establish additional defensive lines at these two points. If we get too close to this point, the fortifications could be caught in an explosion.”
“Haha, I see what you mean. So should I request that the MQ-20 Avengers be equipped with four CBU-110s?”
He nodded.
The moment the estimated arrival time and enemy locations were shared on everyone’s UI, he conveyed it to everyone.
“Let’s see how effective the DDP-52, which we’ve brought to Houston, can be.”
The enemies will soon learn just how bad drones can be.
Darkness descended over the city.
The first word to vanish as the Omega Virus erupted was “nightlife.” With the power supply cut off, the night reclaimed its infamous status, and even if a generator was running, that area would become a target for all living beings.
Every window that could emit light was securely boarded up. The generators continued running to power medical equipment, but that was all. Houston at 7 PM was as dark as pitch. Everyone swallowed their breaths, preparing for any unforeseen situations.
Numerous guards continued to scout the main thoroughfares using night vision goggles. After all, batteries were abundant.
With the unique sounds and light pollution generated by a massive city gone, visibility increased to several dozen kilometers, and sounds became clearer as well—this was further amplified by sound equipment.
“...They’re coming.”
A scout group on the hospital roof, equipped with night-vision binoculars, added in a low voice. The sounds of approaching footsteps from several kilometers away echoed in the night.
And the sheer number of them was alarming. Rumor had it that those who had been causing havoc in Houston were a group sent in advance for intelligence gathering and rear rebellion, so this must have been close to their main force. Seeing they dispatched this many despite Corpus Christi being a nearby major city, it must have been an unpleasant situation below.
The UAV we had deployed for reconnaissance began scanning.
And today, something particularly special awaited us.
“Ha. A transport ship has come deep into Houston carrying a monster. Goodness.”
“Don’t connect the lines carelessly. If you’re not careful, it could lead to a blackout for the entire hospital.”
“Power supply starting now.”
With that, the DDP-52, connected to four power lines the size of a human fist, began to boot up with a low hum.
After power was supplied enough to illuminate the panels, preparations began to awaken the hundreds of drones that had been quietly sleeping inside. These were literal power-hungry hippos. If they hadn’t been charged somewhat beforehand, they would have barely managed to boot up when the enemies got too close.
In any case, whether or not that was second in line, the sight before us was quite something.
As the platform spread on both sides, raising a massive column into the air drew gasps from everyone present.
Naturally, Dais and Harmony were busy fiddling with the panels, inspecting various things.
“Charging power is over 80%. It can be deployed to a battalion-level battlefield.”
“75% of the drone armament is set for smart mine deployment, while the rest is for general operational strike drones, right?”
“Yes. As soon as charging exceeds 90%, deploy the drones to the designated coordinates.”
Of course, the scene of the drones being deployed was a spectacle in itself.
200 drones simultaneously took off into the air. The positions of the drones were displayed at 60 frames per second. It would take about 6 minutes to complete the expected deployment.
Now, all that was left was to check our weapons. And there was one more thing I needed to emphasize to my teammates.
“From now on, it would be better for your sanity to turn off the kill count feature.”
Since I had a moment to relax, I scanned the chat.
I heard that the initial engagements in Houston, while said to involve thousands, only had hundreds in actuality, and when I inquired about the reason, they quickly realized that the losses were too great when the enemies crashed into the fortifications, and they fled to San Antonio instead.
In other words, the real chaos would begin from the battles there.
Regardless, there was no reason for us to let them live.
“Smart mines activated. Let’s wipe them all out.”
There was no response.
Of course,
───Kugung!
“Lately, it seems like fireworks are happening on the ground.”
Laurentina’s chuckle represented everyone’s sentiments.
The smart mines that had been waiting on the ground exploded, flipping the vehicles and, at the same time, the sounds of the strike drones tearing through the air rang out as the cartel members charging toward us from the vehicles were thrown into chaos.
Naturally, there were not just one person in the vehicles. In other words, a single explosion sent several of them hurtling toward the River Styx.
Shaking my head, I added,
“Perhaps I should have drawn them in a bit more before attacking. If we stop here, it could be a bit troublesome.”
There was no mercy.
The cartel eradication operation had begun.
thanks for the chaps