"Not sure whether to call this insane or just plain fiery…"

Ballistic missiles fell upon Los Angeles.

What could only be described as a localized nuclear war was taking place over one of the world’s major cities, where all civilians had long been eradicated by the virus, removing any limits on the force that could be unleashed.

Even the fortified structures, reinforced with concrete layers, in San Jose were vaporized under the atomic force of the Strategic Missile Corps’ bombardment. Those not directly hit succumbed slowly to radiation, their numbers gradually diminishing.

"San Diego, Los Angeles… Next is San Francisco, Sacramento, and San Jose, huh? California’s going to be shattered."

"The youngest couldn’t resist the big guns and finally went through with it."

It was indeed a bit late to react this way. The reasoning was simple: even in Operation Chariot, several nuclear missiles had been dropped over Mexico, followed by two ICBMs in San Diego’s key areas, and during the LA bombings, dozens of laser hydrogen bombs had also rained down. The threshold for nuclear weapon deployment was gradually lowering.

However, even with nuclear weapons ruled out, pounding a city like LA dozens of times with conventional weapons alone wouldn’t be effective—a timeless truth of urban warfare since the Battle of Stalingrad.

Even with ten infantry divisions’ worth of Shadows deployed to LA, losses continued to mount with each clash against solid resistance, justifying the use of nuclear bombs.

An immortal army could still suffer this degree of loss, and imagining the casualties if irreplaceable American forces were thrown in was out of the question.

"When this war is over, the Chemical and Biological Warfare Corps will hold the most sway."

"With that much budget and manpower, decontaminating radiation might actually be feasible."

Regardless, the ballistic missile strikes deployed at precisely the right moment had broken the enemy's backbone of resistance in Los Angeles. The result was inevitable. The complete recapture of LA was imminent.

The relentless two-day bombardment either vaporized all remaining infrastructure enabling resistance or reduced it to a similar state. The allied forces were crippled, forced to either surrender individually or attempt a desperate retreat to San Jose. Given the terrifying prospect of another round of fiery hell raining down on them, surrender was the clear choice.

Thus, two days later…

• [Notification: San Bernardino, Riverside, Glendale, Pasadena, and Santa Clarita have been recaptured.]

• [Notification: Operation Sunrise has been terminated.]

 

The operation concluded after sixteen days.

The moment the massive 3,400-square-mile city recapture operation was completed.

And then—

"Excellent work. Now San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento… Portland and Seattle. There’s not much left until the complete reclamation of the United States.

Considering that the remaining enemy forces are concentrated in those five cities, we can safely say that the end of America’s reclamation will mark the end of this entire ordeal."

Lorentina—who hadn’t logged into the game recently—said this after receiving an update on the current situation.

She was right.

Thinking back, over 300,000 enemies had been cut down in San Diego and Los Angeles alone.

Estimating the combined forces of China, Russia, and the Cartel to be around 1.5 million, even a low estimate would mean that roughly one out of every four or five soldiers had been killed. It wouldn’t be inaccurate to say they were nearly wiped out.

If San Francisco, San Jose, and Sacramento could be subdued quickly, reclaiming Canada and Alaska afterward would be easy. And advancing into mainland Russia and China would be met with almost no resistance.

Whether that was feasible or not was another question.

As we continued the video call, Lorentina lay back, casually glancing over the map of the U.S.

"Whether it’s this world or that world, the next mission won’t be far off. Perhaps preparations are underway as we speak. They might be gathering reconnaissance data…"

"Pardon?"

"It’s a logical conclusion. Try to work it out yourself."

Silence followed.

Though she could have explained, she chose not to, prompting me to close my mouth and mentally piece together the puzzle.

The key was figuring out why Lorentina phrased it that way. The next mission would be to reclaim San Francisco, San Jose, and Sacramento.

In the other world—where I’d spent four years and eight months—it was almost certain they wouldn’t deploy American forces directly this time, given the nature of urban warfare.

But that didn’t mean the next operation would be delayed. In Operation Sunrise, the American forces had suffered no losses since the Shadows handled all the dirty work.

In other words, if Lorentina’s words were true, it was possible they’d conduct a smaller-scale operation, even if not a full-scale assault. And if that’s the case…

Wait a moment.

Could it be…

A sudden realization struck me.

Like pieces resetting themselves, my thoughts aligned seamlessly, not as words but as fragmented images. As each puzzle piece found its place, I began to grasp the role those ballistic missiles fired by both sides could play.

Task Force Arikon, Laser, Violet—neutralized.

Task Force Dagger—now ready for redeployment.

The Shadows and nuclear missiles…

All of these pointed unmistakably to one clear conclusion.

"…It’s either already started or will begin soon, likely mirroring Operation Bluefield."

"Correct. 50 Shark Points for you."

When will I ever spend these Shark Points?

I must’ve accumulated around 70,000 points from our time together, but she’d never explained what they were, though she kept tracking them. It seemed she was recording them somewhere…

Either way, I knew what I had to do next. If my suspicions were correct, Harmony and Dice wouldn’t be able to participate. Perhaps there wouldn’t even be an operation to reclaim the nearby cities around San Francisco based on the upcoming results.

Instead, it might just be an open tour of the heavily perforated city.

"I have training soon, so I’ll catch the details later. Finish this up well."

"Of course."

After concluding the conversation with Lorentina, I adjusted the Icarus Gear map to check the pre-set location of Team Dagger.

Conveniently, they were in the briefing room.

I sent a quick text.

• [Eugene: If you’re headed to San Francisco, count me in.]

 

I added that I wouldn’t be going personally with a gun but as a Shadow.

Finally, it was time to inform those who brought me here of the situation and discuss how to proceed.

And—

"…My goodness."

"The youngest has returned. Ready to catch the scent of the battlefield?"

Task Force Dagger.

With Eugene back as a Shadow, the team was once again complete.

"Good to see you back. I’ll overlook the trouble you gave me for handling a gun post-duty since you made it back in one piece. So, where are we headed this time?"

"San Francisco and San Jose. I plan to go as quietly as possible, so please keep that in mind."

"Understood."

The gunsmith brought out an M14 EBR, fine-tuning the friction points to minimize operating noise while equipping it with an impressively maintained Helix suppressor. He mounted an LPVO on the rail, ensuring versatility for varying engagement distances.

The stock type, length, and scope zeroing—perfectly tailored to me—were automatically adjusted based on my old operator data.

As the firearm adjusted automatically, the gunsmith went to retrieve something from a locked case. Ammo.

But not just any ammo.

"Hardened polymer rounds, miniature thermite rounds, remote detonation rounds… Specially crafted rounds for extreme scenarios. You may have seen some of these before. Need anything?"

"Miniature thermite, please, along with a dedicated pouch. How many are available?"

"Two magazines’ worth, so make sure you don’t waste them on mere infantry."

"Understood."

Meanwhile, other Dagger members busied themselves gathering equipment: tools for constructing temporary shelters, communicators and antennas—necessary precautions given our team of just ten heading into a heavily fortified area. Luckily, we didn’t need to carry much combat rations today, as I was in a state where I didn’t need food.

Preparing the gear took around 30 minutes, and soon we were boarding the stealth transport. Located in New York, we’d be crossing the U.S.

The familiar interior of the transport greeted me as I exchanged greetings with the Dagger Team under New York’s chilly breeze.

"Our youngest returns as a Shadow. Let’s hope you don’t die this time."

"Don’t worry; I can come back as a Shadow even if I die."

"Can you, though?"

As our cargo was secured, the lower ramp closed. It would be a six-hour flight, with cushions for our small team of ten.

As the transport taxied down the runway, the briefing began in the inertia-controlled compartment.

"Our youngest hasn’t heard the full plan, so I’ll start over. Listen closely."

"Understood."

"We’re heading to California. Ignore the operation name and code; it’s Type 3, a recon and marking mission. But there are significant jammers in San Francisco, San Jose, and Sacramento. You understand?"

"Disable them or neutralize as needed."

"Seems you haven’t forgotten the basics."

Everyone nodded.

As the transport took off, the briefing continued, with the plan somewhat flexible to the commander’s discretion and the operational zone conditions.

The configuration was simple: groups of two, possibly three or four, moving freely to destroy or disable jammers. We could also attack command centers to learn enemy distribution… It all depended on personal judgment.

Key points included the extraction zone, alternate extraction points, and the evacuation time. Everything else, like safe houses, was secondary.

Passing over familiar airspace names like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska…

Even at several kilometers above, no lights could be seen outside, a dead land below. The six hours passed quickly.

• [Notification: Entering California airspace. Maximum stealth active… Optical camouflage operational.]

• [Notification: Flying at half cruising speed.]

 

"Just as the conversation got interesting…"

"So, where’s the cigar I ordered, my dear youngest?"

"Give it three days; it’ll be here soon."

"Looking forward to a Montecristo after this. Can’t wait."

"Starting with your usual nonsense…"

I felt no anxiety before the operation, not because I couldn’t die. Even if I couldn’t die, they could, though I’d do everything to prevent it.

I hugged each of them before the operation.

"Let’s all make it back alive."

"Not something the youngest should say."

They were right, though I didn’t plan on dying this time. I hoped only for good things.

And finally, the time arrived.

"Opening the lower ramp now. Good luck out there."

"Got it. Stay safe."

After securing the equipment to my body, I adjusted the altitude sensor to 400 meters, inhaling the rushing oxygen.

"The wind’s calm, so there shouldn’t be any drift. Confirm your altitude sensors."

"Confirmed."

"Oxygen normal, parachutes checked, all units ready!"

───Whirring sound───

The lower ramp opened, and the darkness enveloped us.

With three barrels of gear on rails, the drop preparation was complete. We were set to land near Henry W. Coe State Park, approximately 20 kilometers from San Jose. The thrill hit as we prepared for the jump.

Even Lorentina’s playful face turned serious. With the swirling air currents rushing in, we braced and took our steps forward.

"Drop, drop, drop!"

The equipment rolled forward, and ten figures plunged into the darkness.

Operation Needle—the start of a new mission had begun.