Chapter 116
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: April Vengeance, Corona Triumph (5)
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The massive ship's sway felt like a slowly rocking cradle.
Wind howling against the bridge.
Waves crashing against the hull.
With his eyes closed, it felt like the ocean was spread out beneath his back.
Lying in the darkened cabin, the boy ruminated on his failed request.
The negotiations hadn't gone well.
The captain of the USS Higgins had balked at the request that bypassed the chain of command.
Yet he couldn't ignore it either.
The Medal of Honor carried weight that transcended rank and affiliation.
While the FBI agent fretted, the destroyer captain relayed the communication up the chain.
The rank on the other end of the radio kept climbing.
Guilt over massacring civilians.
And curiosity about the youngest Medal of Honor recipient.
Especially the latter—if not for that, there wouldn't have been a chance to speak with the carrier strike group commander.
In a combat situation, the gap between a major general and a mere lieutenant was that vast.
No matter how renowned the boy officer was.
Commander Admiral Charles Kitchener spoke in a weary voice.
[ Lieutenant. I don't know what business you have there, but it's a tempting offer. Still, I have to refuse. These days, ships are routinely overloaded and over capacity. If the April Pacific has become a ghost ship, the enemy is likely on a scale no single rifleman can handle. ]
The ammunition Winter carried in his combat load was just over 200 rounds.
If he added extras and slung a bandolier, he might squeeze in up to a thousand somehow.
The admiral worried that the passenger liner might have turned into a den of variants.
[ Even if you kill one with every shot, how will you deal with the thousands left after? And search for any possible survivors among them? With just a combat knife? ]
" Yes. "
Winter's curt reply made the admiral chuckle.
[ Oh my. I remember your courage well. I thought some of what I saw on the broadcasts was staged, but apparently not. Still, I can't allow it. Courage that exceeds limits is mere recklessness. ]
" Then, could you not provide some troops? "
The carrier alone had over 5,000 personnel aboard.
Most were technical specialists far removed from direct combat, but they had all received basic combat training.
Troops could also be drawn from the various ships in the task force.
Winter's assessment was this.
‘A few hundred combatants should be enough to secure the deck without losses.’
The passenger ship's movement paths were limited.
The variants would bottleneck under concentrated firepower.
For the initial landing, he could count on helicopter gunship support.
Even ordinary variants had animal cunning—they wouldn't dare emerge onto the deck.
Of course, entering the ship itself was another matter.
A cluttered, complex environment full of obstacles.
Perfect conditions for casualties.
Winter guessed this was why the admiral hesitated.
So if the boy officer took on the most dangerous part, it might change his mind.
In fact, it was a bit different.
[ Lieutenant Han Gyeowol. The identification code assigned to the April Pacific by this flagship is Romeo 96. ]
The admiral explained that numbers were assigned in order of radar contact.
Which meant his flagship had already been tracking at least eighty-five other vessels.
[ There are forty-three ships sending distress signals. Even sorting real from fake is tough... Humanitarian aid and rescue ops have their limits. Prolonged cumulative casualties, and mental stress on the crew. Available forces are dangerously depleted. As commander, I have a duty to maintain the unit's combat effectiveness at a certain level. Do you understand? ]
" Yes. "
[ You're a good soldier. I hope you don't take my decision too hard. ]
It was a pleasure speaking with you.
Get some rest.
Admiral Kitchener cut the transmission unilaterally.
For a Navy rear admiral to speak that much to an Army lieutenant was ample courtesy.
Winter understood his fatigue.
‘Just the fact that the admiral responded at this hour...’
It was deep night.
Normally, the duty officer would handle things in the admiral's stead.
Meaning urgent matters requiring the top commander's attention were piling up even now.
A glimpse into the fleet's exhaustion.
They wouldn't lightly order the sinking of civilian vessels otherwise.
Winter let go of his lingering thoughts and accelerated time.
The world flowing on its own would shorten this meaningless night.
Until the observer personality's situational calculations finished, he wouldn't need to worry about audiences in another world.
‘Come to think of it, it was surprisingly quiet.’
People who sought enjoyment in others' hardships because their own lives were tough.
While the boy mulled over his failure, they had simply lain in the darkness.
Occasionally, orderly thoughts might have been textualized via 「Teletype」 and transmitted.
Ah, I see.
Even dark, quiet time was scarce in their daily lives.
Winter affirmed his own deduction.
Unhappy people in an unhappy world.
Their lives lay beyond Winter's limits.
Beep-
Time acceleration shattered.
Winter opened his eyes and checked his watch immediately.
Barely an hour had passed.
Why?
He'd thought nothing would happen until they reached San Francisco.
Beep, beep, beep.
The repeating electronic tone was from the lit cabin intercom.
Winter picked it up, puzzled.
Captain Kaserus's voice came through.
[ Ah, Lieutenant. Could you come up right away? It's about the April Pacific. ]
It wasn't over yet.
Winter grabbed his pistol from under the pillow and his rifle from under the blanket, then dashed to the bridge in full combat gear.
" What's going on? "
" Ah, no need to run... Here, take a look. Incoming from the Carl Vinson—they're looking for you, Lieutenant. "
The USS Carl Vinson was Admiral Kitchener's flagship.
Before taking the receiver, Winter checked the electronic chart.
The symbol for the April Pacific was still moving.
It should have been sunk by now.
" Yes. Lieutenant Han Gyeowol speaking. "
[ Hm, Lieutenant. ]
It was the admiral again.
His voice carried even heavier fatigue than before.
A sense of mental strain.
[ I don't even know where to start... ]
After a long pause, the admiral explained why the April Pacific was still afloat.
[ The pilot refused orders. Looks like he did a close flyby. Said there are survivors. A real headache... At this point, it's hard to launch another strike either. ]
Low-altitude flight close enough to spot passengers?
Could a jet do that?
Accounting for speed, it would just be a momentary pass.
Winter, tilting his head, recalled the U.S. had attack aircraft capable of hover flight.
The type that tilted engines vertically for stationary takeoff and landing.
It made sense that launching another striker was difficult.
The admiral had mentioned crew mental stress earlier.
Even with gag orders, word would spread.
Killing civilians by mistake left psychological scars.
Knowing and doing it would be worse.
[ So, is your resolve from earlier still firm? ]
" Of course. "
[ Quick answer as always. Even without troop support? ]
" Yes. "
Winter kept giving immediate replies to the admiral's probing questions.
Finally, the admiral relented.
[ Alright. Dispatching combat troops is tough, but I'll keep a helo up continuously. At least you'll be safe on the deck. Do your best to rescue the survivors. ]
" Understood. "
[ The bird you'll take is coming from the Higgins. ETA... hm, yeah. About 30 minutes. If you need anything besides troops—like ammo or weapon types—let me know. ]
Agent Gibson quietly informed him from the side.
This ship carried not just food, but supplies for the San Francisco op.
Winter nodded, then reported to the admiral that everything was fine.
[ I see. Not sure if this is the right call... Anyway, we'll be watching. Good luck. ]
The second conversation with the admiral ended.
Winter waited for the helicopter on deck.
The wind had grown rougher.
Weather anomalies were nothing new to Winter.
The world of his lifetime had suffered deeper agonies than the era this world's setting was based on.
His armament was the same.
Just increased ammo carry.
He filled his backpack with magazines and explosives too.
While waiting, the fully armed investigator stood beside him.
" I'll go with you. "
" Not my place to say, but it's extremely dangerous. "
Despite Winter's dissuasion, the investigator stood rigid, eyes fixed ahead.
Her single ponytail whipped wildly in the gusts.
She was armed with a heavy shotgun.
The one Yura had used at the San Ardo oil field occupation.
Fully automatic capable.
Her firm declaration.
" My skills are no match for yours, Lieutenant, but I'm a veteran of irregular warfare too. Fights with Mexican cartels were mostly in urban areas, indoors, underground tunnels, forest hideouts. I've had counter-terror training as well. Combat's been rare since my reassignment, but assisting you should be no problem. "
" And your current unit? "
" Mass Destruction Weapons Control Division. "
" Ah. "
Definitely the sort of asset for a place like San Francisco.
Filipino sentries patrolling the deck watched from afar.
Whispering among themselves.
Looks of incomprehension.
Agent Gibson sighed.
" They say support from Ramon Al Caraz is difficult. I don't want to blame them, but it's disappointing. "
Of course.
Why would foreign-allied soldiers posted to this distant sea take on the risk?
When even the U.S. military hesitated.
Winter asked something else.
" The shotgun okay? "
" I considered it. Sharing ammo with you might be better. "
Choosing weapons with the same ammo allowed sharing when one ran low.
Tactical utility.
But she said she'd already weighed it.
" Decided familiar weapons were best. Weapon combo matters too. Overseas, variants different from North American ones show up sometimes. Might need stronger close-range firepower than rifles. "
New variants by region...
A fact absent from the worldview so far.
" Examples of other variants? "
At Winter's question, the investigator furrowed her brow.
" Much of this intel is classified... From what I know, antibiotic-resistant strain from China, and mustard gas-producing variant. That's why they hold back on biochemicals. Consideration for survivor groups in cities too, but... "
Usually, when firing biochemical rounds, they razed the area completely.
As Winter pondered the new intel, a heavy engine roar mixed into the wind.
A helicopter descended onto the floodlit deck in the darkness.