NoveLight ™
“I'm going crazy. When did the data come in?”
“It was sent 40 seconds ago from the operators deployed at Phoenix-Mesa Airport. The enemy forces have reportedly decreased to below 30%.”
“Have you confirmed the reconnaissance results?”
“Cross-checking showed no anomalies.”
“Damn it, wake up everyone who’s sleeping! What kind of magic did they use to slice off southern Phoenix so neatly and feed it to us? Prepare all available troops for deployment!”
10:38 PM.
West of Phoenix, Luke Air Force Base.
Just seconds after a massive data influx was sent to the command center via the network, the duty officer, while checking the situation on dozens of screens, opened his eyes wide and woke the commander, who had just fallen asleep.
The individual wearing stars on his epaulettes rushed over, not even having time to put on his boots, to check the details, but it was certainly worth running for. After about a second of blank expression, the commander calculated the pros and cons and seized this golden opportunity.
Within minutes, all brigade and battalion commanders, who had been resting nearby, rushed in.
Since this was a pre-established operation to reclaim southern Phoenix, there was no confusion about the explanation, and the operation plan would be used as is—however, the most critical and complex vacuum operation plan for Phoenix-Mesa Airport was thrown into the trash.
Even those who were initially confused gradually swallowed their saliva at the thought of reclaiming the entire city.
Thus, within just a few minutes, thousands of personnel began moving from Luke Air Force Base to their positions.
“This is a real situation! Skip the combat rations distribution! Prepare to finish everything tonight! Ammo and ballistic plates will be loaded onto the Striker armored vehicles and distributed! Understood?”
“Yes!”
“Tonight, I’m going to kick the asses of the bastards coming up from Mexico all the way to hell! Understood?”
“Yes! Understood!”
The division’s worth of troops, without even caring about bladder control or soundproofing, left Luke Air Force Base in less than ten minutes, moving along the pre-designated route.
Heading south along Arizona State Route 303, they turned left at Papago Freeway, entering the heart of the city.
Like blood flowing through veins, tanks and armored vehicles moved along the road. UAVs floated overhead, updating the battlefield situation in real time. The first wave of attack helicopters and bombers crossed the Salt River, demolishing several observation posts, and about 20 minutes later, the first steel wave set foot in southern Phoenix.
Phoenix was indeed vast, with the route length extending about 90 km. This is why they raced down the road at an incredible speed, rapidly offloading troops at the pre-designated positions.
The UAVs kept pace, and the IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) detected all unseen enemies in real time. Unprepared cartel or Chinese forces, lost in drug intoxication, were swept away without resistance, and those who tried to fight back were met with bullets and collapsed.
“The south is clear. The biggest obstacle is the southeast, but…”
“Ignore the small fry. After regrouping the troops, we’ll wipe out Mesa, Gilbert, and Chandler. It’s time to drain the stagnant water.”
“Understood. I’ll pass the orders.”
Not long after, along the 30 km Superstition Freeway stretching horizontally on the map, the steel wave surged forward.
As if water poured on bathroom tiles, U.S. troops spread out along the intersecting roads, facing enemies that were hardly worthy of the term “small fry,” and they collected their achievements as they went. The once red map of southern Phoenix began to turn blue.
There was resistance, but the disappearance of the command structure at this point had dealt a severe blow to the cartel-Chinese alliance.
And how long had it been?
“...It’s morning.”
The sun rose over the horizon, illuminating Phoenix.
The operation that began around 11 PM continued until around 7 AM, and most had long since swallowed the caffeine pills distributed at the start. However, the results were indeed remarkable. They had already reached the doorstep of Phoenix-Mesa Airport.
In other words, Phoenix was once again nestled in the eagle's embrace.
And how long had it been?
“This is Stalker 2-1, we’ve spotted an operator. But…”
“But?”
“…They’re sound asleep.”
At that remark, even the others couldn’t help but laugh.
It was the perfect beginning and end to the day.
Of course, they weren’t actually sleeping.
“When does this cutscene end?”
“Yeah, it’s surprisingly long…”
It was the moment the battle in Phoenix was wrapping up.
“Ah, San Diego. It’s been a long time since I’ve come here. Once upon a time…”
“Isn’t it better to stop there?”
“Well, does it really matter? They won’t tell you anything important anyway. Anyway, I used to run around Coronado happily. Do you see this?”
Inside the transport aircraft heading to San Diego.
Lorentina seemed completely absorbed in chatting with the viewers, showing off the seal trident symbol on her right hand. It was an emblem depicting an eagle gripping an anchor crossed with a trident in its right foot and a musket in its left. Its meaning was quite simple.
Navy SEAL. That was her origin—though she quickly moved on to DEVGRU.
About a million viewers were hearing this for the first time, but we had heard it countless times.
It was a random thought, but perhaps that chatterbox feeling was something I had created. When I joined the team in the early stages, everything felt otherworldly. Logan was initially a bit blunt—but later, I learned he was just shy about meeting people in his transformed state. However, the person who treated me the most kindly at the start was her.
Perhaps because of that reason, I eagerly absorbed all the special forces stories Shark shared. The stories were entertaining, and above all, Shark looked thrilled while sharing them, so I reacted enthusiastically… in the end, Shark evolved into a chatty shark.
And that chatterbox was currently having a lively time chatting with the viewers.
<Polonaise, who came without anyone knowing, donated 150,000 won!>
“Wow, someone donated $120. Unfortunately, there are no streaming plans. The stories I occasionally share are non-commercial, so remember them well when I tell them.”
Of course, we had heard it drilled into our ears.
In fact, it wasn’t just Lorentina being loud; many in the team had their share of boasting about how much they had suffered.
Anyway, to summarize what Shark had told me, frankly, there was no yawning during Navy SEAL entrance tests. The BUD/S training was the same. Particularly, Lorentina, who could hold her breath underwater for at least 30 minutes, even took naps during combat swimming.
The most challenging part was Hell Week, but even that was manageable for her because she ate several times more than others, so she wasn’t too tired and felt good about it.
Naturally, while others were struggling, she trained normally, so she stood out the most. When others were half-asleep, she would push from behind and pull from the front, making it easy for her to graduate at the top of her class. In any case, manifestors definitely seemed like a heavenly soldier type as long as they were well-fed.
Regardless, outside the transport aircraft.
Normally, the travel time would have been skipped entirely, but this time, there was a reason why only ⅔ was skipped. The transport aircraft, having reached near San Diego, made a turn, changing direction to land near Miramar Military Airport instead of San Diego International Airport.
At the same time, the next words followed.
“...Oh my. Operators, take a look outside.”
Simultaneously, everyone looked outside.
Dais and Harmony frowned, while all members of the Dagger Team, including me, gazed out with stern expressions.
The viewers, who had been chattering wildly, also looked out through our gazes, showing various reactions, including question marks.
A place that was once San Diego.
And the lower left side of San Diego International Airport.
This place had literally turned into a massive open area mixed with seawater.
The fact that no one but the Dagger Team knew—after the Omega virus incident three years later, San Diego had been struck by two nuclear attacks, leaving the city in a state of literal near-death.
The reason such a situation arose was simple: the Russian-Chinese naval alliance clashed head-on with the U.S. Third Fleet in the Pacific.
Of course, the U.S. Navy's naval power was overwhelming, and the Seventh Fleet, stationed in Yokosuka, Japan, lent its strength, resulting in the Russian and Chinese major naval forces sinking into the Pacific. However, the Third Fleet lost half its strength and took two ballistic missiles that had been unable to be intercepted, hitting San Diego directly.
If I had to pick the place with the strongest naval power in this world at the time of the game, it would probably be Yokosuka, Japan. That’s where the half-strength of the Third Fleet and the Seventh Fleet, which still had considerable strength, were located.
“What a mess it is, really…”
As the aircraft landed at Miramar Military Airport, I briefly recapped the last battle to be fought in San Diego.
To provide some background, just a few dozen kilometers below San Diego is the Mexican city of Tijuana. This place was also swarming with enemies—specifically, the alliance of Tijuana and the Jalisco New Generation cartel, as well as the Chinese military using a beached aircraft carrier as a base.
The objective was to infiltrate this area, crush the cartel, rummage through the aircraft carrier to confirm the exact locations of the remaining Chinese naval carrier task force in the Cortez Sea, and finish them all off with missile guidance. That was the end of Operation Chariot.
Fortunately, the situation at Miramar military base was not too serious. Apart from seeing various equipment for decontamination in the area, there seemed to be no particularly problematic issues.
Anyway, the commander in charge of defending San Diego was someone with quite a few stars on his head and epaulettes. I suppose that’s only natural for a military city.
Regardless, he spoke directly.
“There are indeed plenty of ways to intercept the enemies. Above us is a heaven of ballistic missiles in Nevada, and there’s a Columbia-class SSBN in Florida, and if necessary, launches can also be made from Yokosuka. The only problem is that we don’t know where the enemies are.”
“Isn’t it our mission to find that out?”
“I’m glad to see you quick on the uptake. I’ll pass on all the Tijuana reconnaissance data collected so far. Give me the coordinates of the enemy concentration areas in the city swarming with bugs. I’ll give you plenty of time, so just make sure to come back alive.”
“Is that clear?”
At the same time, the briefing room was automatically entered.
As soon as they heard the words “missile strike,” Harmony seemed to have an idea and spoke up.
“Then, this mission won’t involve blowing everything up, will it? Should we call it a true infiltration mission?”
“You’ve hit the nail on the head.”
Of course, if she said that much, I thought Dais would understand it appropriately.
There was no need to worry.
She had already packed her bags and completed her pre-departure preparations.
“So, we’ll be leaving tonight, right?”
“You’ve raised some excellent friends, Yujin.”
Upon hearing that, Owens gave Yujin a few pats on the back.
I’m not sure when these folks became like this; I just taught them a variety of things I knew.
It was a day just before finishing Operation Chariot.
───Pick!
“...Ah, good shot. And… phew. I’ve eliminated two perimeter guards. You can enter now.”
“Great. Seeing that you’re good at sniping, I guess you’ll be able to graduate soon.”
“Hehe.”
Harmony and Dais.
With the night vision function activated, they were excellently fulfilling the role of snipers, hidden in the pitch-black darkness, pulling the trigger.
They had already exceeded the realm of ordinary people.
It was an everyday occurrence.
Thanks for the chappy!