I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 37 ­ Betrayal

* * *

There were countless games in the world, and although it wasn’t necessary to categorize them this way, these games could be divided into those where sniping was easy and those where it wasn’t.

If it was a single-player game, there was no need for discussion. However, if it was an online game, and even more so if it was a game played by many people, then sniping could be discussed in earnest.

But to take it a step further, simply sniping and ruining a streamer’s match were two completely different issues.

For example, famous AOS games made sniping quite difficult. Just getting lucky enough to be assigned to the streamer’s opposing team or the same team was a challenge in itself.

However, if by some chance they succeeded, they could easily ruin a match using all kinds of methods.

So, to the main point.

What about Dark Zone and Survival Mode?

“Barcode, have you eaten all the food? You don’t need anything else, right?”

“Ah, I think I might need a big bag…”

The answer, contrary to everyone’s expectations, was controlled by quite a few complex variables.

For example, if Harmony had been playing solo, the sniper could catch the newbie wandering alone and give her a good teabagging. That alone would be a success by sniper standards.

However, if they wanted to give her an even dirtier feeling—like backstabbing her just before escape—the difficulty naturally increased.

Streamers had their viewers behind them, and if public opinion shattered due to unlikable behavior, they could be forcibly removed from the party and become a pincushion before betraying. Countless reports would follow.

Therefore, at this point, he had to reluctantly pretend to be a good newbie.

‘…Damn, I feel like I touched something seriously wrong…’

Naturally, snipers didn’t care much about what streamers like Harmony had been doing before. At least, he was that type.

He came across the name Yoo Jin by chance, spread all over the internet. So he only knew Harmony as a streamer who frequently broadcasted crappy games.

But that wasn’t the case.

“So, we’ve covered almost all the internal structures, right?”

“Since we’ve been wandering around for over an hour and a half and captured about sixteen points, that should be enough.”

“I thought it would be harder, but once you get used to it, it’s pretty fun. It was really daunting at first.”

“You adapt quickly.”

“Hehe, another compliment.”

Was it the nerves and perseverance honed from crappy games?

Even if he tried to dismiss Yoo Jin’s information as just the usual stuff, how was Harmony keeping up with this crazy person’s pace without any trouble?

Given the basic two hours for escape, plus additional time from painkillers and antibiotics, it was just under three hours.

The number of engagements they experienced during that time was in the dozens.

Even he didn’t know how many people he had killed, so what about these two?

It felt ominous.

“Here, take this bag.”

“Oh, thank you.”

However, even while he was deep in thought, these two didn’t wait and continued down their own path.

He hurriedly took the bag and stuffed the items he hadn’t managed to pack into it. There were plenty of items anyway, as numerous enemies had turned into resources.

Since he stuffed many items into the bag at once, it made a rattling sound inside.

After roughly packing, the two, who had finished preparing, asked.

“Then let’s escape now. Is everyone ready?”

“Yes, I’m all set. What about you, Barcode?”

“Um… yes. I’m ready. Let’s go. I’ll go outside and wait.”

Click.

He went out of the building first.

Inside the shelter, the voices of the two echoed.

“Huh? What, are you going to use fewer seeker mines this time?”

“Yes, there’s a place to use them.”

“…Well, I’ll trust you, Yoo Jin. I’m sure it’ll work out somehow.”

With that seemingly meaningful remark, the two also went outside.

Leaving behind a place they would never return to.

Three people with different appearances were crossing the snow-covered contaminated zone.

Unlike the field, in Survival Mode, where monsters didn’t respawn continuously, and because they had wandered around until just before escape, cleaning up all the nearby enemies, the surroundings were completely silent.

Only the sound of the wind passing by their ears represented the belated last gasp of the dead city.

The collapse of the city inevitably led to the reclassification of public utilities. Since there were no more people to use them, because the site was appropriate, or for other reasons….

And the helicopter landing point these three were heading towards was also once a public parking lot built to accommodate numerous vehicles.

Instead of vehicles, the rooftop now had a huge H mark, floodlights, satellite antennas, guide lights, and containers labeled “U.S Army.” The last gasp of the dying city etched its traces.

In that sense, the operators using such things could be considered scavengers.

A small conversation ensued.

“Is this your first time playing Survival Mode?”

“Yes.”

“Both of you?”

When the last remaining person nodded, he was dumbfounded.

It was cognitive dissonance to hear such words from people who would sweep away anything in their path.

‘…Damn, I can’t just kill them now… I shouldn’t snipe in this mode next time.’

Whether they knew his thoughts or not, the two were searching the surroundings as if they were more familiar than him.

One had excellent proficiency, but compared to that, Harmony’s movements were clumsy. However, Yoo Jin corrected each of those things step by step, leading the way.

It was actually better this way. With them not paying attention, it was easier to carry out other plans behind their backs.

A signal flare kit in the multipurpose pouch.

The one he had secretly prepared before Harmony and Yoo Jin noticed sent a heavy sensation through his thigh from his pocket.

All that was left was to time it right and to talk enough to scatter their positions a bit. He didn’t think he could capture Yoo Jin anyway.

All he wanted was to give Harmony and her viewers a dirty feeling. The twisted pleasure from that expectation was what had kept him moving all this time.

­[Alert: Pulse scan detected. No enemies around.］

A sparkling halo burst out, sweeping the building and grazing the tiniest crevices before dissolving into the air.

In the lower right corner, the icon turned gray as Harmony used her pulse skill, indicating it was on cooldown and couldn’t be used.

And just below that, a red word.

Party Leave.

It wasn’t time to activate this button yet.

───Whiiiing!

After climbing several slopes, they finally reached the rooftop.

It wasn’t a very high place. Around them were abandoned equipment, U.S military containers, and anti-vehicle barricades, making it a somewhat awkward place for a helicopter to land.

As they stood next to an unused Humvee, the complicated structure of the public parking lot rooftop came into view.

The rooftop had two levels. They could climb to the upper level with the helipad via gentle slopes on both sides, and there were balconies around where they could go up and survey the surroundings.

The helipad was attached to the roof of a lower building, which also had a fairly complex structure.

Shaking her head slightly, Harmony added.

“Wow. This place is like a maze, it’s a total mess. Are New York buildings usually this complicated on the rooftops?”

“There are often such cases. Unlike Seoul, there are mixed old buildings.”

“Now that you mention it, that makes sense.”

­[Alert: Guide lights and floodlights for helicopter guidance are inactive.］

­[Suggestion: Install and reactivate relay fuses.］

­[Fuse box marked.］

As they climbed the gentle slope, stepping on the snow that had started to freeze, only the crunching sound echoed cautiously through the air.

A large H was drawn on the rooftop floor, indicating it was a landing site. The strong building wind wrapping around the building and the rough asphalt marks seen through the piled snow suggested that landing here wouldn’t be easy.

Nearby, a giant fuse box the size of a sturdy man’s torso glowed bright yellow amidst the piled equipment, revealing its presence.

Unfortunately, the relay was located in the opposite direction, on the side of a building attached to the rooftop of the public parking lot. This meant someone had to carry the giant box.

Everyone fell into thought for a moment, and it was Yoo Jin who spoke.

“I’ll go. I can handle most things on my own, so don’t worry about me and keep watch from a high place to see if any enemies follow.”

“Okay.”

“Then Harmony, please come with me and go up that balcony to watch the rooftop passage.”

But for some reason, she didn’t look too pleased with that suggestion.

“I think it would be better for me to go up that balcony direction where I can see the rooftop passage. Barcode, you can support Yoo Jin from the tower right next to the helipad.”

“Do I really need to support him? He does fine on his own.”

“If enemies come and he drops the relay and dies, we might have to move that big box in the middle of the enemies. Or do you want to switch?”

“No….”

‘This damn woman….’

His plan was cracking.

Originally, while Yoo Jin was carrying the relay far away, he planned to leave the party and shoot Harmony in the back of the head and then run away. But now, what kind of nonsense was this?

What made it even more frustrating was that Harmony’s words weren’t unreasonable.

In the end, this party revolved around Yoo Jin, and if she encountered a situation she couldn’t handle, they would all be wiped out.

Moreover, moving positions

as he wanted, activating the relay, and calling the helicopter was impossible. Pretending to be a newbie and now acting knowledgeable?

It was truly a predicament.

But then, he noticed the balcony Harmony was about to climb.

‘If I remember correctly, there was a rappel line installed there, allowing for a sneaky approach…’

As soon as he recalled that, everything became clear.

The flare gun in his pocket seemed to glimmer.

With a sudden change of expression, he urged Harmony with a bright face.

“Alright. Then go ahead and wait there.”

“Okay, okay.”

With a rustling sound, Yoo Jin began moving with the heavy relay, somehow carrying an LMG in the other hand.

Harmony, with her small body, struggled to climb the ledge that reached up to her neck. The sight made him laugh. Everything was starting to fall into place like puzzle pieces.

As Yoo Jin moved far enough away, he also moved cautiously.

But the difference was, his direction was not the control tower where he could assist Yoo Jin but the center of the helipad.

───Click.

He took out the flare gun and loaded the signal flare.

As he cocked it, an interaction signal appeared before his eyes. He had endured everything up to this point for this moment to ruin everything.

With a tingling pleasure from doing what shouldn’t be done, from his toes to his spine to his head, he raised his arm.

The party leave button was pressed, and a five-second countdown began.

“Huh? What, Barcode? What are you doing?”

“What do you think I’m doing?”

And he pulled the trigger.

───Bang!

“Try to figure it out with that dumb head of yours.”

­[Warning: A team member has left the party.］

A small red sun rose into the sky.

As the three members displayed in the UI were reduced to two, the team member standing in the middle of the helipad hurriedly ran in the opposite direction.

A blinding bright light floated up, illuminating the dark Manhattan, and the voice of an ignorant helicopter pilot filled the intercom.

And at that moment, Yoo Jin, inserting the fuse into the relay, also witnessed the scene.

A chilling electronic sound echoed through the cold wind.

­[.Warning: Heavily armed enemies nearby. . .”.］

­[.Warning: Jamming detected.］

Almost all the letters on the UI were broken.

Three smoke grenades popped up into the air at some distance, followed by the unique effect of electromagnetic pulses, distorting the space.

Through it, three enemies emerged.

Hunters.

With their bodies covered in Icarus Gear, which only operators could wear, thick bulletproof vests, and overall black tactical gear.

The mysterious enemies, with their faces entirely covered by black bulletproof masks, didn’t take long to seize the entire helipad.

At that moment, the relay activated, lighting up the entire rooftop.

Ignoring Harmony’s urgent voice through the crackling intercom, Yoo Jin muttered softly through the breath pouring out like a waterfall.

“Damn, the trigger isn’t working.”

He had anticipated the appearance of the mysterious enemies—Hunters—who had been following them and showed up the moment they called for the helicopter.

But he hadn’t expected them to emit an EMP upon arrival.

He had predicted a team member’s betrayal, but the electromagnetic pulse had made it impossible to take proper action when the evidence emerged.

Even though Harmony also had one just in case….

He added through the temporarily clear intercom.

“Ah, can you hear me?”

“Oh, yes! Yoo Jin, where are you! I can’t believe he actually betrayed us!”

“This is common here. Anyway, the situation isn’t good. My trigger isn’t working. Do you have the trigger properly?”

“Yes! Should I press it now?”

“That one is a close-proximity detector, so it won’t work now. Press it when the user gets close. I’ll take care of the enemies.”

Rustle.

From his memory, they had a tendency to eliminate the most dangerous enemies first while applying overall pressure. The metallic friction sound coming from nearby was proof of that.

The most troublesome enemies she remembered had reached her doorstep, pushing through the past.

The battle began.