NoveLight ™
“What’s the situation?”
“Two 1kt explosions occurred about 1.5 km southwest of the Lewis-McCode Joint Base three minutes ago. The explosions originated underground, so the aftershock isn’t severe, but we’ll need to monitor the situation closely.”
“Looks like the western US is becoming a complete mess. I wonder if we’ll be able to recover during the remainder of my term.”
In the highest-ranking conference room at Central Park HQ, the hand of the chief of staff trembled slightly. Of course, others were no different. The President of the United States was sitting in the meeting room—though that doesn’t mean Henry wasn’t trembling—self-deprecating jokes dissipated into the air, but no one could laugh. This was reality. Unlike the relatively ‘moderate’ recovery in the eastern US, this was a genuine all-out war. Although troops hadn’t been deployed yet, a full-scale nuclear war had long since begun. The ballistic missiles, which had been kept dormant in their silos, were now being unleashed in the western US. If the world eventually regains stability, history books would refer to this period as the era of the Third World War.
“Given that there was no prior report, it doesn’t seem like it was planned. Did those troublemakers cause an incident again?”
“No, the Dagger Team has sent communications stating they are not involved at all.”
“Once again, efforts to prevent a stone-and-stick fight in WW4 are going to waste. Nowadays, I even dream of mushroom clouds.”
The lips of the generals nearby quivered. The President’s grim joke made it hard to maintain their expressions. ‘Troublemakers’ was indeed an apt nickname for the Dagger Team—though in reality, they were closer to an uncontrollable meteor. When they fell on the enemy, they didn’t just decimate allied forces; they completely altered the course of the battlefield.
Amidst this, the chief of staff continued, “However, from a strategic standpoint, this explosion can be said to have opened a path to the Lewis-McCode Joint Base and Seattle. Could you please take a look at the map?”
Images floated up into the air. A massive fortress with a diameter of over 2 km. The result of years of neglect in the western US had resulted in the complete fortification of Seattle—cut off from the south, east, and northeast. Nearly all routes leading to Seattle were firmly blocked. The red barrier surrounding the city evoked memories of the Maginot Line. Yet just moments ago, the fortress controlling the south had been entirely dismantled by atomic power. Although the epicenter was too contaminated with radiation to maneuver through, this was a relatively minor drawback. Over 10% of enemy forces had vanished in an instant.
“Is this also the work of that ‘shadow’?”
“It seems so…”
“I know they’re a friendly force, but it’s quite troublesome since they’re uncontrollable.”
What could be said? It seemed quite similar to the operational style of the Dagger Team. However, if this had occurred not in a controllable area but through the methods used by the shadow, the story would change. This time, they had only targeted the enemy fortress through sophisticated firepower and explosion control, but next time—assuming there is a next time—there was no telling what kind of difficult situation might arise.
A brief silence ensued.
“Let’s hear from the experts now. What’s the current situation? And what should we do moving forward?”
“Major Powell, the commander of the Western Joint Command… he’s been promoted to general. General Powell is dismantling air defenses one by one with the help of the Dagger Team. For now, we believe there’s nothing else that needs to be pursued apart from strengthening the west.”
A headache throbbed. They knew they had to act, but even so, it was already apparent how much resource consumption would rise later on. The amount of ballistic missiles had already fallen to about half of what it once was, and due to insufficient infrastructure recovery, production couldn’t keep pace with consumption. Thankfully, Icarus had shattered Artemis Technology, allowing for a somewhat smooth UAV production process, which was indeed a blessing.
Thoughts whirled in their heads.
“First of all, from now on, you all need to ponder a few things.”
“We are listening.”
“Your military insights and knowledge are always a great help, but… as we face America’s recovery now, we need to think about how to defeat the enemy as economically as possible.”
Puzzle pieces clicked into place. They had to gain a detailed understanding of the ‘acceptable range of destruction in the western US’ through meetings with numerous federal agency heads. They needed to know how cheaply they could bury enemy coalition forces off the western coast in order to more accurately estimate post-war recovery costs. Even if they managed to wipe out the Russian-Chinese coalition, if that process flattened cities, estimating the reconstruction costs would be impossible. There was also the possibility that the carefully held-together America could shatter into pieces.
They would need to evaluate the value of Seattle’s infrastructure and calculate the recovery costs if it were destroyed. Though it would take a toll, there was no helping it. ‘If the shadow hadn’t existed, perhaps America would have already been broken.’ Having thought roughly that, Henry opened his mouth again.
“Send only the supplies that have already departed and monitor the situation in Seattle to decide on any additional support.”
“I will convey that to General Powell.”
Henry nodded in response instead of answering and moved on to the next agenda item—this one also as crucial as the situation in Seattle. Communication with the Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, along with the First and Third Fleets stationed there, had been reestablished. Following the successful collapse of the large jamming base of allied forces in Hawaii by the mobile strike force, the enormous radio barrier covering the Pacific had been neutralized, allowing for mutual communication once again.
Information sharing that had been impossible for quite some time began, and the situation across the Pacific, which had been a mere question mark, began to emerge little by little.
“North Korea has been completely flattened, and the entirety of East Asia is aflame… thanks to the destruction of the Xingsha Dam, China has suffered a fatal blow.”
“The situation suggests that China has almost no chance of recovery.”
Only then did the generals in the conference room begin to grasp to some extent why Henry had emphasized that they needed to defeat the enemy as ‘economically’ as possible. With both Asian nations’ spines completely broken, they had to use that gap to normalize America’s internal situation as much as possible to avoid significant issues later on when it came time to collect tributes from the invading forces. Even if they sank their ships, they could directly invade and affix confiscation notices everywhere.
In the midst of this, a not-so-funny joke followed.
“Should we double the size of the engineering corps going forward?”
“That’s a painful joke.”
It was truly as he said. The engineering corps would be more powerful than anything during post-war recovery. Meanwhile, there was discussion about whether to bring back some of the fleet’s power to America, but it was dropped due to the immense responsibilities each had. This was the moment that would determine America’s stance after the war.
“No, are there enemies in every building here!?”
“Did you think recovering America would be that easy?”
Meanwhile, in Seattle, at the Lewis-McCode Joint Base, all-out war had begun. Warehouses, health facilities, government offices, gyms, military facilities, and airports. The headquarters of the 20th Infantry Regiment’s 5th Battalion, the 1-14 Recon Battalion, and the 23rd Brigade Engineer Battalion… thousands of shadows advanced with unmanned tanks at the southern edge of the Gray Military Airport, which accounted for a significant portion of American military power in Seattle.
Each squad’s targets popped up sequentially through the UI, along with the tanks providing support. In the meantime, enemy shelling and bombings rained down from the sky without end. Although they had only just stepped into the vast battlefield spanning 65 square kilometers, the combat in Seattle was already spiraling into chaos.
“Stop! The moment this place is breached, the path to the city will be wide open!”
“Request additional shelling for the Ulyana-3 area! We’re outgunned! The fortifications are being destroyed one by one!”
Even though they knew invincibles had been deployed, the defensive lines the allied forces had set up in Seattle were still far too solid, and the upper echelons continued to operate on the happy thought that ‘if we just maintain a defensive posture while dealing significant blows to the US military, perhaps they will settle for peace?’
As a result, the fierce battles on the ground were depleting the soldiers and their own artillery reserves—but unfortunately, the nearby military bases, including the Lewis-McCode Joint Base, were literally a paradise of resources, reminiscent of the might of the United States. Thus, the last stand of the souls who could not retreat began.
“The south is an absolute mess.”
“It’s time to carry out a flanking maneuver.”
It’s always more painful and lethal to hit an opponent in the back while they’re focused elsewhere than to simply hit them head-on. Compared to the all-out war or large-scale engagements occurring in the south, the four-member Task Force Eugene team was like a mere ant, but considering that all the members were extremely skilled in sabotage and explosions, the enemy was about to have a monumental headache.
The first place the four members encountered, moving east on the less-traveled Highway 5, was the Northwest Joint Correctional Facility at Fort Lewis, a military prison—and from that moment, they began to execute a relatively cute ‘prank’ compared to what was happening in the south. Of course, this time included live streaming.
“It looks a lot easier here, probably because it resembles the prison we used as a base in Sacramento… Ah, this time, I really won’t be naming it after a resting place.”
“…Let’s believe that.”
But as always, there’s nothing easier than using force to suppress nonsense or prevent careless thoughts—when Eugene started firing the MK47, everyone except Logan turned into a straw doll. They cut through the defenses with movements as sharp as a scalpel, gradually tightening their grip like a vice. Normally, swift movements and prayers were prerequisites, but today, with the enemy coalition fully engaged in combat, attention was focused on the urgent situation in the south.
In other words, the relatively minor commotion in the west could be ignored as a ‘request omission’ amid the urgent circumstances, or even if they were considered, the likelihood of the allied forces responsible for that area providing sufficient support had decreased. The result was catastrophic.
“Why can’t we get any support when the base was breached in less than ten minutes, you incompetent idiots!”
“Oh dear. That’s unfortunate. Now you may lower your weapon and raise your hands above your head. I will allow the removal of optical equipment.”
“…Damn it, so many have surrendered. Got it.”
The enemy forces trailing behind Task Force Eugene had long since discarded their bulletproof vests and were staring glumly at each other while holding onto various valuable equipment like EOTech or ACOG that they had scavenged from US facilities. A drone floating behind scanned the faces of the surrendered enemy, and a UGV that followed with a mechanical whir took over the handover. In less than a few hours, a unmanned truck would arrive to transport them to the Portland forward base of the US military outside the combat zone. However, this was just the beginning.
“We have reports of continuous engagements and support requests coming in from the western front! A four-member strike team!”
“Four? Our allies in the south are fighting against thousands of those damned invincibles, and you can’t even handle four? This is maddening, just let them deal with it!”
A misunderstanding from above, combat power that did not correlate 1:1 with numbers, and the UAV reconnaissance that commenced as the southern air defense was lost beneath the flames of nuclear explosions. The situation in the west, forgotten as tens of thousands of gears clashed and ground each other down, would be different if an immense fireball were to approach in the 30 minutes no one paid attention to.
“Seventh Infantry Division HQ building breached, engagement occurring at the Pendleton Avenue intersection! They are approaching the HQ!”
“What the hell are those fools in the west doing! This is a damned mess!”
“There may not actually be four of them! If we don’t retreat, the command post is likely to be surrounded!”
“Damn it…”
The disaster caused by repeated disregard. No one there wanted to accept the fact, but with the enemy now digging in beneath their chins, they had to make a decision.
“...Contact the Lider-class. Inform them that we need cruise missile bombardment support. Also, mention the need for potential nuclear warhead usage.”
“Understood.”
“If we can’t break the front line right here, we may have to give up the whole path to Seattle later on! We must extinguish this before it turns into a bigger fire! Prepare to withdraw the command post and calculate the expected aftershocks to prepare target coordinates!”
Clank! As they inserted the key card hanging around their neck into the panel, a red warning filled the screen. Under the command of the field commander, they were requesting the use of nuclear weapons from above. In an instant, they moved in an orderly fashion to shred documents, and while their allies were pulling hard drives and data storage out, calculations continued.
Based on the holographic map spread out in the air, the computer began calculating rapidly, deriving suitable bombing points based on collected data. Contact with the Lider-class also ended simultaneously, and a voice synthesizer stated in a mechanical tone that the bombardment would commence in 30 seconds.
Simultaneously, missiles appeared above the map. Approaching Seattle at nearly 3 km per second, they were about 90 km away and would impact within 30 seconds. Asking whether this would be okay was already too late; the war had advanced far beyond that. Sirens wailed, and everyone in the underground flattened themselves against the floor. However—
───! Crack. With a strange sound, the two missiles that had only five seconds until impact literally vanished into thin air with an X mark.
Five seconds passed, then ten seconds, and still no sound of the impact. This indicated not a map error, but rather that the missiles had self-destructed in mid-air. The commander, flabbergasted, hurriedly attempted to re-establish contact with the Lider-class, but the voice that came next was not the mechanical tone but a chillingly smooth and soft voice that seemed to pierce the heart.
“I’m afraid not. From now on, this ship will fall under US military control.”
Task Force Dagger. This was the moment when the destroyer fell into the clutches of the infamous monstrosity that had smashed the massive radar at the Lewis-McCode Joint Base.