I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 252 – Unpredictable Future

“Is it snowing again?”

The morning at the penthouse of The Kent on Manhattan’s Upper East Side was slow and vivid.

Despite the prior explanation that the house was designed to maximize natural light, there was not a single ray of sunlight coming in. Sure enough, it was snowing outside. The weather information that automatically appeared before my eyes as soon as I woke up emphasized that this year’s winter was the heaviest snowfall in fifty years.

And today, there was one person who had to make a short trip to Brooklyn despite the weather.

“It’s perfect weather to take a rest…”

Of course, it was a self-deprecating remark. In other words, it meant I wouldn’t be resting today. Fortunately, I wasn’t susceptible to the cold.

I had a familiar morning routine. Although I was staying in a different place for a while, it was quite similar – heading to the cold kitchen where no one was awake yet. I opened the refrigerator and took out various ingredients.

The goal was to make a typical American breakfast that anyone would think of: eggs, sausages, bread, and bacon. Breakfast usually started this way unless something special happened.

It was a normal thing except for the fact that the quantity was a bit much.

But it wasn’t as if I ate all of it-

“A grim expression so early in the morning. Is there something you really dislike?”

“Well, there it is.”

A breakfast guest arrived as I was cooking.

This process had also become part of the routine. Recently, the morning routine included the natural arrival of Laurentina. Putting scrambled eggs into the bowl placed for the uninvited guest marked the start of the conversation.

“From what I hear, you’re getting offers from all directions to sign as a professional gamer. Are you not interested in that kind of thing?”

“I’ll be moving to Fort Bragg next year. While I do want to stay in New York a bit longer, people can’t change their nature.”

“Hmm.”

It was a reasonable statement.

Laurentina herself had been serving as the youngest member of the Gold Squadron for several years, and even after regaining her memory, she hadn’t shown any intention of quitting. As for me, I was practically robbed of my pride as a member of Delta Force.

She often joked about joining the Navy Special Forces, but as always, she probably wasn’t serious.

Probably.

“Looks like you’re going to handle some trifling matters today.”

“That, and it’s my first visit to the team… I should at least familiarize myself with the faces of the people I’ll be competing with this year. I might even recognize a few.”

“Maybe if they were former JTF members.”

“Well, that’s not the point. The tournament is starting soon, so it’s just an excuse.”

The sensor in the ceiling activated, venting the food smell outside.

With the clattering sounds, a brief meal continued and soon ended.

“I’ll handle the dishes, so have a good trip… Judging by the look of you, you’ll be going out in shorts and a T-shirt again, won’t you?”

“Minus 12 degrees is like summer.”

“Of course, it is.”

So, after a simple brush of my teeth, I intended to leave, but the nagging shark wouldn’t let me go so easily. Only after being slightly sprayed with sweet-scented perfume on various parts of my body was I allowed to step outside.

After taking the elevator down, I leaned into the driver’s seat of the car parked in the basement, and it started automatically, beginning to move.

Crossing the depths of the Upper East Side, over the Queensboro Bridge, and into Long Island City. The traffic in Manhattan was quite heavy, but it took no more than 20 to 30 minutes. It didn’t take long to arrive.

How much time passed, I didn’t know, but as soon as I opened the door and got out, the door closed automatically, and the car began to drive to the pre-entered underground parking location.

“It looks a bit different than I imagined.”

A roughly seven-story office building.

The large panel on the front of the building read “Orvital Gaming,” and the logo below it shone brightly. The first floor, visible through the glass wall, was finished in a classic brown, suggesting a cafeteria.

There was still plenty of time before the deadline, and the entry pass was already saved on my phone. As soon as I entered through the glass door and scanned the pass at the gate, eyes turned toward me.

“Welcome. How can I help you?”

“I’m Logan Blamis, a short-term contract player with Orvital Gaming. I’m here for the Final Championship OT, contract discussion, and a personal interview.”

“Please wait a moment.”

Standing still for a while, the smell of coffee wafted through the hallway. Only then could I comfortably take in the view of the building’s interior.

To meet my younger sibling, I had obtained an entry ticket to the Final Championship without much thought, choosing Orvital Gaming, which interfered the least with players, as a temporary partner. So, it was my first time here.

As soon as I blatantly cast such a gaze, words followed.

“If you head straight in the direction you’re looking, there’s a café and cafeteria for customers and players. Since the OT hasn’t started yet, you might want to grab a drink.”

“I’m not a big fan of drinks. I’m fine.”

Although I might look like someone who would tour dessert cafés all day.

Glancing at the mirror to the side, I faced my own unfamiliar appearance. I saw myself with a gentle expression that hardly seemed like I would be joining The Unit in a few months.

Another glance. I made eye contact again with the staff sitting in the reception hall. They tried not to show it, but people’s eyes contained many nuances. Shaking pupils. Even after making eye contact when I first came in, their gaze swept me up and down again.

The confusion caused by the discrepancy between the image they had built in their mind and the reality.

“I understand. The OT location is the auditorium on the 7th floor. Contract and interview-related tasks can be handled in the office on the 5th floor.”

“Thank you.”

Two hours until the OT.

After boarding the elevator and pressing the button for the 5th floor, I waited for a moment. As the door opened, a lobby appeared where they could handle incoming personnel. Presenting my pass and waiting for a moment,

“Logan! It’s been a while!”

“It’s been at least a month. Have you been well?”

I met the MC again, who I had contacted to let Yoo Jin know we were alive – and subtly hint at her military background. Although the interview location and time were completely different from before, it wasn’t a big deal.

We moved to an interview room piled high with refreshments. Various conversations and preliminary explanations took place before getting into the main part.

“How have you been? You look like you’ve been enjoying yourself a lot lately.”

“I saw a familiar face after a long time. Since you conducted the interview before, you can probably guess who it was.”

“Ah, that person you mentioned! Congratulations on the reunion, I suppose.”

“That’s enough.”

And then the conversation continued.

“If you saw the list of questions in advance, you would know, but the domestic public is very interested in your movements… but your answer will be the same as before, right?”

“Of course. I hope many people understand that this appearance is quite an exceptional case, but I have no reason to explain to them, and they won’t understand me anyway.”

The first agenda item.

As Laurentina mentioned before leaving the penthouse, the question was whether I planned to continue playing as a professional gamer. As I answered her, my thoughts on this wouldn’t change in the future.

In other words, I had no plans for next year. This would be a shocking statement for those desperately hoping to renew their contracts today.

However, the MC in front of me didn’t fall into that category, and he nonchalantly spoke as if watching a fire from across a river.

“I figured as much. Then, let me ask a personal question to wrap up. I’ve heard you have a personal connection with Yoo Jin. What do you predict will happen if you face her in the Final Championship?”

A brief silence. It was undoubtedly a sensitive question, regardless of his intention. It subtly implied who would win or whether I would go easy on her if we met later.

After finishing my thoughts, I carefully opened my mouth.

“If I don’t fight with all my strength, that guy will break my spine, and if it’s the opposite, I’ll break Yoo Jin’s neck.”

A statement with no exaggeration.

The MC looked like he had been hit, then he smiled slightly and added,

“Ahaha, that’s quite intense. But since it’s my role to satisfy the viewers’ curiosity… I’ll try to smooth out Mr. Logan’s remarks as much as possible in the upcoming interview.”

Of course, it didn’t work out well.

It was six hours before Logan’s second remark, barely suppressed to a minimal level, spread across the internet.

And then-

“Damn, seriously. I’m going crazy.”

“Well, our Yoo Jin sure is popular.”

“Isn’t he the one who mentioned in the last interview that he knew you from the past?”

7 PM.

As the outside turned pitch black, and the dim lights filled with a chilly air, Peter Luger Steak House in Brooklyn was suddenly filled with lively laughter. It was because of an interview video that was suddenly shared in the Engram group chat.

At least today, I wanted to pass the time quietly and peacefully, but this guy, not even a day after we parted, dropped a big bombshell on me and then vanished.

I projected the video into the air and checked it again before the ordered food arrived. As expected, it was Logan’s interview video – not that I couldn’t understand. These were common topics in player interviews, often used or customary.

If I had to categorize it, it was a kind of psychological warfare. For instance, such interviews could shake the opponent’s mind before a match with a rival… but this guy had no reason to have such thoughts about me.

He just mentioned it because he wanted to.

“Why are you just laughing? You all should take it seriously. This guy has the crazy skill to beat all the enemies he encounters before coming to meet me.”

“Sigh…”

They really spoke as if it had nothing to do with them.

Of course, through the scrim results before leaving for the U.S., I already knew that they could perform quite well in the Final Championship’s TOP 20, which is considered to be the true level of a skilled player.

But aside from that, there are always a few unstoppable natural disasters among them. Even excluding Logan, the ten below him were not to be underestimated.

…Well, anyway. I was the only one in trouble for now.

And then-

“Steaks are served. Be careful, the plates are very hot.”

“Wow, this is crazy…!”

“Yoo Jin, should we say ‘let’s eat well’ now?”

“Ink, I’m going to leave you in Brooklyn today, so make sure to get back safely. You can probably walk back in about an hour.”

“Gasp, I didn’t say anything.”

Of course, it was a joke.

Even though we came here just a few days ago, the rich meat aroma and the sizzling smell of the steak that seemed to directly invade my nasal passages were still hard to resist.

Anyway, that’s secondary. I eat well no matter what is given, but I wonder how they will handle it.

“Is the food to everyone’s taste?”

“We’ve all been roaming around Koreatown for a few days. Eating only buffet-style food for about five days made me feel nauseous…”

“Fortunately, we’re the only ones using the shared kitchen. I thought I’d eat only delicious food and return to Korea, but at this rate, I’ll become a skilled cook and go back. And Korean ingredients are quite expensive too.”

A brief chuckle.

But as soon as everyone put a piece of meat into their mouths, their eyes widened in amazement. It was worth dragging them here together. I too began my meal, and fortunately, this place didn’t lose its charm even after a recent visit.

Anyway, there were a few announcements to make during the meal.

“Starting next week, it will be difficult to live like this, so be prepared. We need to frequent Madison Square Garden to check if there’s anything to learn from the Final Championship duo and squad matches.”

“Of course. The main focus is on skill usage, right?”

“Yes. The matches start at 7 PM on Monday, so the analysis will probably start on Tuesday.”

Naturally, team matches are significantly different from solo matches. Specifically, the former can be decided in an instant by factors such as leadership and the squad leader’s on-the-spot judgment, while the latter relies entirely on individual skill and judgment.

Nevertheless, there’s still a lot to learn – not about what decisions to make in certain situations, but about the usage of skills.

“Learn the basic situations and skills usage. I’ll teach you the more advanced and tricky applications.”

“Wow, that’s really cool.”

“And all of this schedule includes Harmony as well.”

“What!?”

Suddenly, the focus shifted to Harmony. A mix of exclamation and question marks turned into astonishment directed at me.

But I had no intention of letting such a valuable resource as Harmony go unused in this Final Championship. The more people there were in small scrims and practice matches, the better. Besides, if Harmony didn’t do anything, there wasn’t much else for her to do on this trip.

Moreover, if the Dark Zone partner streamer’s skills improved, it was a good thing. Not a bad thing at all – plus, with me, Dice, Ink, Michael, Gambit, and Min Ah, that made a total of six. It meant we could create three pairs for 3:3 or 1:1 practice matches.

In any case, the official reason was that, and it could be canceled at any time depending on the situation.

“Surely you didn’t think you’d come to New York and do nothing, right?”

“…Well, I kind of expected it.”

“It’s more fun to be together than to stay at the accommodation or wander around separately.”

Saying that and patting her back gently with my tail, she quickly changed her expression to one of delight.

There wasn’t much more to say.

I just gave a simple encouragement to reassure them.

“Since we’ve come all the way to the U.S., let’s do our best. I assure you, there won’t be anything to disappoint you.”

Fortunately, they nodded at that and showed determined expressions.

The night deepened.

An unpredictable future was just beginning to unfold.