Silk Road TL

 "Rookie, I don’t think you’ve actually done this kind of mission before, have you?" "...No. Everything I’ve done so far has been... well, the kind where you just smash everything, you know?" "We specialize in this kind of thing. Strictly speaking, this is a bit of a different approach... but when it comes to causing chaos through rear infiltration, it’s pretty much the same." At the end of September, with the sky clear and the air crisp, somewhere in the northeastern U.S. There were no people around, and the light pollution was zero. The Milky Way glittered in the night sky, an overwhelming sight that couldn’t be described by anything other than ‘beautiful.’ It was a view beyond words. However, below that, in some desolate outskirts of the city where only stillness and darkness reigned, the Dagger team was busy at work. They were typing furiously on their keyboards, manipulating something on the floating screen in the living room. Next to them, I watched ...

 "…Ah, ah. Currently, we have arrived in the small town of Gofstown, located about 11 km west of Manchester. I'll be entering the city while following the river." Oh my. Did we really just cover 100 km in a little over two days? "We’ve been running day and night. The mission should be fine, so don’t worry too much. How far behind is the team trailing us?" The team, led by Owens, is about 30 km behind. "That’s not much of a problem. I plan to lay the route here, but if we’re late, it might close again, so there’s nothing we can do about that." Click. The familiar clank of metal and the heavy feel. Carrying only a sniper rifle with an emphasis on precision, I climbed to the roof of a high school in Gofstown—a town I had never even heard of—and ascended the 50-meter-high spire. The ladder creaked with every step, making it feel unnervingly unsafe, but I ignored it. Reaching the top, I saw two bodies with their heads blown off. If it weren’t for the Icarus...

 “…The situation is not going as smoothly as I'd hoped.” “The enemy’s defenses are solid. We’ve also identified new enemy weaponry, along with what seems to be Icarus Operators. When they encountered the 162nd Guards Reconnaissance Battalion and the tank battalion, they completely wiped out that unit.” “I’ve heard that the battalion was wiped out. That’s caused a huge hole in our front. I know the staff is doing their best to fill the gap.” “Bringing in troops, equipment, and weapons from the mainland to supply the frontlines is costing too much. At this point, an offensive seems difficult.” “You should speak plainly. Does it look like this offensive is to gain ground? Right now, it's just a minor skirmish. The losses so far are merely a prelude to gather detailed data.” The battle reports from the northeastern forests of Pittsfield, where the Third World War ignited, were sent to the Allied forces stationed along the northeastern U.S. coastline and the headquarters set up in w...

 "Shit, those assholes up top are probably sleeping comfortably in the big cities right now, enjoying themselves and eating, while we're dragged into a foreign country to deal with this mess..." "Goddamn it, watch your mouth. It's not just us here... don't you know the military police have been patrolling the base? Is the communication system really down?" "Do you think I'd be talking like this if I didn’t know that? Hey, hey, the deputy squad leader is coming. Keep quiet." Late September, Massachusetts, Shale Wildlife Refuge, Rainy Weather. While Florida, hundreds of kilometers to the south, was enjoying clear skies without a cloud in sight, heavy rain clouds had gathered above Massachusetts since dawn, and the sky, weighed down by the thick clouds, began pouring down rain. Below, Russian airborne troops—specifically the 162nd Guards Reconnaissance Battalion—entered near the Shale Wildlife Refuge. Their route was as horrendous as their rep...

  "The communication with the Icarus operators, who were supposed to join us, was abruptly cut off. It's not confirmed, but it's suspected that they were attacked separately." "It has been confirmed that it was sent directly by Adrian Solomon, the acting Secretary of Homeland Security. An electronic signature and valid certification are present in the command system." "Those guys... they don't seem to know the concept of 'watching their mouths.' This is troublesome... the return to Homeland Security is now unlikely, but I can at least take satisfaction in filtering out such idiots." "...What are your plans now, Minister Webb?" "I will cancel the plan to bring in the existing operators. Instead, I'll focus on securing the Icarus Gear. I’ll give further instructions on that later, so standby." "Understood." "Sunrise in Key West. I didn't expect we'd stop here in the middle of everything....

 "Signal detected nearby. The extraction team is coming. Finally, we can leave this hot and humid place." "...I don't know if this is the right choice. If it weren’t for the gear, we’d be sending false positions every so often. It might’ve been better to just stay in Miami and gather information there." "If that idiot Alejandro hadn’t ordered us to join in person, it would’ve been easier. The chickenhawks always think the same. They’re always insistent that they need loyal forces and a solid base. It’s such a cute idea they always hold onto." Through the thick darkness, various sounds mixed. The hum of insects, the rustling of wind, the sounds of wild animals roaming, and so on... but there were no human sounds among them. Cuba, with a population of just over 10 million, had seen its population drastically reduced to less than half due to the virus, and now, the already sparse population had thinned even more, making the place even more desolate. In an...