Dice:
“Marked all large buildings along the southern stretch of the Harbor Freeway. Pulse scan shows no civilians. Fifteen fortified buildings detected, with brigade-sized enemy units. I don’t get how they still have this many left.”

Yujin:
“Guess they thought they couldn’t afford to lose it. Let’s move.”

Darkness cloaked Los Angeles.

This was yet another nighttime operation, so many now that it felt as though day and night had swapped roles in-game. Fortunately, even amid such thoughts, they didn’t need to worry about getting spotted. The city, devoid of infrastructure and power, felt heavy and lifeless. Tall buildings blocked the moonlight, casting thick shadows that made even acclimated eyes struggle to see.

Automated turrets, machine guns, and grenade launchers dotted nearly every two or three blocks. For ordinary special forces, this would’ve been near-suicidal to attempt, but they weren’t ordinary.

Yujin:
“Just mark the coordinates. Once the airstrikes hit, everything will be swept clean.”

Even moving within five meters of the guards went unnoticed. After crossing West 11th Street and cutting eastward, they soon approached the Los Angeles River. Despite the grand name, it was hardly a river anymore—just a trickle of water along a cement floor.

Their next target was northward along the river.

Harmony:
“Looks like we’ve found our ride.”

Parked ahead was a GAZ Tigr—Russia’s answer to the Humvee. A handful of enemy soldiers were smoking nearby, oblivious to their surroundings.

Dice grinned, pulling out two foam grenades and tossing them toward the group. With a muffled pop, the enemies became one trapped mass.

Enemy:
“Gah, what is— I can’t breathe!”

Approaching, Yujin ignited a piece of polyurethane foam with a thermite torch and showed it to them.

Yujin:
“You have two choices: burn here or hand over your vehicle.”

The answer was obvious. While Harmony and Dice reset the vehicle’s systems, Yujin hardened the foam around their mouths to ensure they wouldn’t shout. Any thought of resistance vanished when she twisted an AK-101 barrel with her bare hands.

Harmony took the driver’s seat, despite Dice’s reluctance.

Dice:
“Harmony driving makes me nervous.”

Harmony:
“Well, unless you’re volunteering…”

Dice:
“Four years of unused license here…”

Once everyone was inside, they smashed the headlights and started the engine. The unshielded noise was part of the plan—they wanted attention.

As Dice launched a drone to scout, Yujin tested the mounted machine gun. She hoped she wouldn’t need it, though that was unlikely.

Dice:
“400 meters ahead, a patrol of four. Marking their position. What’s the plan?”

Yujin:
“I’ll shoot. Don’t slow down. If I miss or fail to hit, run them over.”

With thermal vision activated, Yujin pinpointed the patrol and opened fire with the 20mm chaingun. In seconds, the patrol was shredded, including a heavy-armored soldier who barely held out longer than the rest.

Harmony looked like she’d enjoyed the thrill of driving, but Yujin tapped her head with her tail as a reminder not to get too absorbed. There was a reason they were making so much noise.

Dice:
“Looks like the noise is drawing attention. Enemies are gathering around key landmarks with anti-tank missiles and tire traps.”

Yujin:
“Let’s stir things up more. Concentrating their defenses on key areas should thin them out elsewhere.”

It would be impossible for the enemy to guard every corner of a sprawling metropolis like Los Angeles with only 100,000 troops. Somewhere, a weak spot would open up—and that’s where they’d strike. Dice continued mapping enemy positions, and they soon pulled up near a cluster of defenses.

They veered off the river, crossing tangled streets and taking indirect routes. Even without resistance, the drive took half an hour. But it was worth it.

Yujin:
“There it is.”

Northwest, a hill stood about 1.6 kilometers away, topped with a large communications tower surrounded by fortified buildings. The mass of soldiers nearby was notable.

Harmony:
“A lot of bodies, but not necessarily fighters.”

Yujin:
“Let’s start by bugging that tower.”

[Alert: Transcripts compiling collected intel.]

Lurking in a patch of bushes just 100 meters from the tower, the team began piecing together intercepted transmissions. Two ballistic missiles had struck L.A. while they were away, and thanks to the bug, they had a record of the communications surrounding the strikes. It became apparent that the patrols still hadn’t noticed the infiltration.

Dice:
“You know, five patrols passed that hole in the fence Yujin made, and they still haven’t noticed.”

Harmony:
“They’re just waiting for an evacuation order, most likely. They didn’t even seem concerned, considering how often I saw them smoking.”

Setting up the bug was simple: cut a section of fence, activate optical camouflage, sneak in, climb the ladder, and set it in place. They reactivated the recorder and logged out for a while to wait out the six hours in-game. Upon returning:

Yujin:
“Got a good read on their system.”

Harmony:
“What’s the process?”

Yujin:
“Once coordinates and engagement data reach HQ, a panel of five officers confirms the strike, and the data is forwarded to the San Jose missile base.”

Since they couldn’t accurately gauge engagements via UAVs due to the allied anti-air defenses, the enemy relied on spotter reports from commanders.

Harmony:
“So, what’s the plan?”

Yujin:
“We’ll capture as much data on troop distribution in L.A. as we can, both for allies and to know where to avoid during strikes.”

Harmony and Dice, puzzled at first, soon nodded.

Dice:
“Guess we’ll need a sturdy vehicle ready.”

Yujin:
“Great call.”

The plan was clear. They reprogrammed the jammer, preventing outgoing transmissions and disabling the tower’s distress calls. Through the same cut in the fence, they entered the base.

Yujin:
“Free use of weapons. Clear everything.”

Harmony:
“You got it, boss.”

Guards, even those casually smoking with their body armor off, fell without a sound. A click of a finger, and they were down, each enemy leaving their final breath on L.A.’s cold ground. By the time they reached the gates, only a few defenders remained. Each gate was shut and blasted to lock everyone in.

After a brief firefight, the west and south gates were silent. Yujin advanced through the open first floor, knocking out panicked soldiers with precision. One soldier’s keycard allowed them to access the facility’s layout.

After dispatching the remaining guards on the fourth floor with a few well-placed grenades, Yujin confronted the few high-ranking officials left, pulling them toward the control panels. The five needed to activate a missile strike were easily subdued.

Yujin accessed the database, extracting all relevant data for allied forces. Then, sitting the officers in front of the missile launch panel, she coordinated four separate strikes, timed three hours apart. Sixteen ballistic missiles, including several 1 to 10-kiloton nuclear warheads, targeted precise locations: the Ritz-Carlton Residence and their current base among them.

[Alert: Strike request sent. Estimated impact in 10 minutes.]

Yujin:
“We’re done. If we’re still here in ten minutes, we’ll be vaporized. Hope you found a good vehicle?”

Harmony:
“All ready and waiting!”

Clearing the smoke-filled base, they descended to find Dice waving them over from the command car. The vehicle sped through the north gate and headed northeast toward Pasadena, putting 15 kilometers between them and the blast site.

A Flash of Light

A column of light struck the ground, flooding the early morning Los Angeles with blinding intensity. As a massive crater formed, Harmony gazed in awe.

Harmony:
“Well, with this much devastation, Operation Sunrise must be close to completion.”

Yujin:
“Just about.”

Most of the city lay in ruins, much of it by their own hands. But perhaps, in time, this world’s America would recover. They could only hope the destruction wasn’t excessive.

Comments:
-“She nuked L.A. herself. Unbelievable.”
-“Are you insane? Insane, insane, insane!”
-“This is literally a nightmare!”
-“Teacher, have you lost your mind???”