"I was trying to take a break, and now this again?"

"After all that contact, this is what you say? Isn’t this a bit much?"

"After roaming around the mountain slopes for three days, then going to Disney World and that other world, running around all day long, can’t you just let me rest for a bit, you damn bastard?"

"You’re not tired at all, yet you’re acting like it’s the end of the world…"

Virginia, Norfolk, and Fort Liberty in Georgia.

Across roughly 300 kilometers, Lorenztina’s digital signal was firmly rejected in front of Logan. The words felt as sharp as a knife. However, as always, the shark did things his own way and half ignored the grumbling of the polar bear.

There was no other way. When you think about why a manifestor is a manifestor in the first place, it makes sense. If they put their mind to it, they could spend a whole week without sleeping, roaming around all day. And even if they did that, they could still emit far greater combat power than ordinary people.

Of course, during the sniper competition, they had done things a bit differently. Cities could hold tens of thousands, even millions of people, and countless cars could roam the streets. In short, it was a very people-friendly place.

However, the energy required to move in an area designed for people to roam, compared to the energy needed to move through remote mountainous regions, was a completely different story.

"Still, you’ve rested for a pretty long time. You didn’t just go off and lounge around with the little one, did you?"

"Dragging my aching body around from 7 AM to 11 PM for three straight days, you damn bastard. Now I’m finally starting to feel some relief."

"So you’re saying you’re back to full condition now. That’s all I needed to hear."

"Ha, that’s not exactly wrong, but…"

Logan was hit.

It was absurd, but not exactly wrong. Moreover, Logan had nothing to do, and after spending three full days in Georgia’s national forest, no higher-ups would dare bother him.

Lorenztina had known the condition of the polar bear long before she reached out, and Logan sighed and burst into laughter. Knowing too much about others could be quite the burden.

"So, what brings you here today? I’m guessing it’s because you’ve got nothing better to do again."

"Well, that’s about right. The little one’s about to head home soon… Olivia’s preparing for next year’s Spring/Summer line. She used to whine about wanting to join the army, but it seems like she’s doing what she wanted after all."

"Same old, same old. And now, it’s just you and me left in this rural place."

"Well, you knew that when you came here, right? Just deal with it."

Glancing aside.

Meanwhile, the video playing in front of Logan showed Eugene and the South Korean national team boarding a flight back to Korea. Just a little while ago, the youngest had been traveling around America, but now he was heading home after a long journey.

The next words.

"...Aren’t you supposed to come back to the U.S. in a few weeks?"

"Well, I guess she thought it would be better to rest, even if just for a little while, at home. To be honest, St. Petersburg or the U.S... especially Manhattan, isn’t the best place to really relax. If thirty people stay in a hotel there for weeks, it would probably cost tens of thousands of dollars."

"Yeah, that’s true."

In about three weeks, the five South Korean users selected through the Asia Qualifiers would be flying to northern New York non-stop on a private plane provided by Icarus International.

Northern New York.

Not Manhattan.

Manhattan was just too crowded to handle the overwhelming crowds. Furthermore, the final championship wouldn’t end until around December 30, and that time would coincide with Christmas Eve and Christmas, holidays so famous that no one in the world would be unaware of them.

Last year, Eugene had been responsible for managing the traffic near the area during the competition season, so there had been no issues. But this year, with Christmas, the final championship, and New Year’s Eve celebrations coinciding, it was inevitable that something terrible would happen.

Moreover, there was something else they had to be mindful of due to the nature of their profession.

"I think I can go, but what about you?"

"Well, it’s not like I can’t go. I think the higher-ups are starting to give up on me… which is funny when you think about it. Maybe I’ll just end up getting angry after seeing the chaos outside all day."

"Why not go for a combat deployment instead?"

"Are you joking about that? I don’t want to be roaming around dusty South Asia just to get a single leave."

Logan laughed at Lorenztina’s voice as she made a fuss.

Just as she said, the two of them were top-tier special operators on the U.S. military’s list. They actually preferred to avoid appearing on broadcasts. It was a bit strange that they had already participated in so many broadcasts with the youngest.

Unlike Logan, Lorenztina had participated in the competition as a relatively less demanding senior controller, and because of that difference, she hadn’t taken leave when the final championship took place, while the polar bear, who had a bit more flexibility, had taken her leave.

And then the next words.

"You know, I’d almost want to ask you to look after my place on the other side."

"That guy? Once he finds out the whole truth, he’ll try to kill you. He’s obsessed with the little one—probably twenty times more than you are."

"That’s true. Anyway… have you heard anything from Owens?"

"He’s done once, you know. To be honest, last year was the odd situation."

No real conclusion came from the conversation, and Logan chuckled before launching into a self-composed song, singing about the shark being in Virginia and not being able to see the youngest.

After a while, a thud and the sound of a mattress being bounced could be heard. Lorenztina had also laid down on the bed. A brief silence followed, before Lorenztina exhaled deeply.

The next words.

"By the way, have you thought about what you’re going to do with 'that'?"

"Maybe I’ll just stash it somewhere in a corner of the room, or... I don’t know. Honestly, I still don’t know what to do with it. If anything, I’ll ask the youngest to return it for me after a month."

"If I can’t make it in December, you’d better take care of mine too."

"Make a decision quickly. It’s much faster to fly to northern New York from Fort Liberty."

At the same time, both of them sighed and, with a glance, noticed the small cube resting on the table in front of them.

A black box engraved with the U.S. president's seal. It looked more like a flawless and smooth cube than a simple box, but Logan and Lorenztina knew exactly what it was.

Not long ago, after switching locations with the polar bear, shark, and owl in New York, they had suddenly received a request from the president. This box was part of the Icarus Gear they had received after an unexpected meeting.

"I never thought I’d actually receive it, even though I thought it would be nice if I did…"

"Yeah, I didn’t think it would really happen either. If it gets lost during shipping, it’d be a disaster. So, it’s probably best if you take mine and return it for me. Olivia can go around freely, so she’ll probably tell the youngest."

"Yeah… okay. I’ll let you know the exact date after I finalize my leave."

"You’re the only one I can rely on."

"Don’t talk nonsense."

Lorenztina set her phone down and looked at the time.

The time was displayed in large digits. Below it, it was almost mid-November. In a few days, December would arrive.

Henry had become president in this world as well, and the youngest, who had fallen into this world, gathered the scattered fragments of relationships and slowly unraveled the hidden secrets of the world, revealing them right before their eyes. Meanwhile, the youngest had become so famous that there was no one in the world who didn’t know his name.

Of course, that wasn’t the end of it. The mystery of the Indian Point nuclear power plant had long been fully uncovered, as had the U.S. western recovery operation, and even beyond the Unidentified Zone to Savannah.

When had they come this far? Logan chuckled as he thought about it.

"Anyway, if you can come, come. The more people, the better."

"Of course."

There were many things to manage and many tasks to complete.

But one thing was certain—it had been an enjoyable time.

November was passing by.

"Statesboro, huh? In my lifetime, I never thought I’d come to a place like this."

"Are there even any small towns in the U.S. that aren’t unheard of? It’s better to have some name we can explain."

"Stop with the small talk."

Georgia, USA, Statesboro.

A small town about 77 kilometers northwest of Savannah, and an adjacent suburb about 8 kilometers away.

On the vast plains, which once seemed deserted, stood buildings that were never seen before, along with an emergency landing pad and airfield.

A dozen or so people set foot there.

A military base that looked like part of Central Park had been moved here.

Aside from the lack of people, the assembly and interior setup of the buildings had long been completed. It was a neatly arranged command center, just waiting for the task force to arrive.

The base had long been completed, and by now, the new munitions storage had probably been stocked with various supplies. It was indeed a forward base as intended.

Owens looked at his wristwatch and spoke.

"20 minutes left."

"Data collection on the causality measurement system will end in 3 minutes. It should finish soon."

"Alright. It seems there’s nothing more to do now."

A red dot appeared on the holographic screen of the command center.

The team knew well from the last Operation Burning Donkey, and despite the bombings during the extraction, Savannah was still not fully secured. It was almost that level, but not quite.

Savannah, one of the cities where most of the U.S.'s materials gathered. Additionally, it was home to companies producing private planes like Gulfstream, meaning rare metals were stacked high.

Because of this, the task force that arrived at the forward base had to confirm if the control AI that had prevented Marv from leaving was still active. If it was, they would need to eliminate it both digitally and in reality.

Despite all this, the atmosphere at the base was light.

The reason was simple.

"15 minutes until Shadow arrives."

"Data collection’s done. The causality measurement system was activated 2 minutes ago, and even when the shadow appears, they won’t be able to detect us. Once the separate timeline is fully established, we won’t be able to see what happens on their side either."

"That part shouldn’t be a problem. If that’s the case, we’re all set. Once the new remote controllers arrive, we can consider the operation to have begun."

"Well, the UAV operators are probably still working hard. It might be better to wait for about 12 hours before coming back."

"Got anything to do?"

As she said, the base was only a few days old.

Since they still didn’t know exactly what was happening across in Savannah, resupply efforts were difficult, and so the forward base was built with only the essential components needed for operations.

Just as Logan was about to speak, Lorenztina subtly nudged him in the side to stop him. She had already figured out what he was going to say.

"Don’t try to bring anything from Central Park into a place like this. If you do, it’ll fall apart in a few dunk shots. Don’t even think about it."

"...I’m losing my mind here. Fine, fine."

"By the way, if those shadows can’t recognize us and we can’t see what’s happening on their side, how do they plan to help with Savannah’s recovery?"

"Hmm."

At the same time, a slight beeping sound could be heard, and the voice became somewhat less confident.

"Well, apparently the mission the shadows are assigned to requires setting a common waypoint. For example, if they’re assigned to annihilate enemies in a specific area, no matter what the shadows do, they’ll have to complete the mission at that waypoint."

"Basically, a forced mission."

Serkins nodded, and the team left the command center and headed to a large lobby in the next building.

It looked like a planetarium. The holograms stretched out from the ceiling like branches, and the massive screen in the center displayed a map of Savannah with enemy distribution.

The giant 20-meter-diameter space was a circular room, and at the far end, they turned left to find what they were looking for.

Turquoise, blue, and purple eyes.

Their gaze curved so naturally that it didn’t even seem mechanical. The corners of their mouths lifted, and their cheekbones rose.

The words they spoke were predetermined.

"Finally here!"

"We’ve been here for 37 minutes already. It’s taking way too long."

"...Setting up a forward base just 80 kilometers away from where I escaped? This is a hell of a déjà vu."

The three mecha troublemakers arrived, and the team, laughing in disbelief, naturally sat down next to them.

Unlike usual, they weren’t wearing military gear or holding firearms, but were dressed in civilian clothes. Sitting down in the chairs, they were already prepared to meet people.

Though this place wasn’t really meant for people to be here, the base was equipped and ready for the essential operations, with just a handful of people present.

How long had it been?

Shh!

"Are you open for business?"

"Unfortunately not, not yet."

"Well, it’s about time we start."

A single shadow walked toward the lobby, leaving a faint trail of black smoke behind. However, the thick, fluttering snake-like tail behind him was a clear indicator of who it was.

At the same time, more shadows appeared from all directions. From one to two, then to four, and in an instant, the number swelled to hundreds and then thousands. In a matter of moments, dozens of shadows appeared in the planetarium lobby, and the CCTV outside showed thousands of shadows forming.

As Lorenztina chuckled at the sight, she spoke.

"Alright. Are you ready to work?"

Eugene grinned.

New Incursion, Operation Wasted Silver.

Starting.