I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

"...So, the high-ranking officials. What the hell happened yesterday? Suddenly declaring martial law...?"

"Anti-government refugees in Central Park used ground-to-air missiles to attack U.S. military drones, so this morning, an emergency deployment was made to eliminate the threat. For more detailed information, it’s in this printed document."

"Hah... Hahhh..."

The morning after the bewildering events of the early hours, in front of the Labor Office at Central Park HQ.

A number of civilians, who would normally not gather, had come out under the pretext of looking for work, wanting to understand what happened last night. As expected, the Central Park staff handed them out papers.

A brief silence, followed by sighs. Naturally, when the anti-government refugees shouted slogans, they were unable to hear anything due to the precautions taken by Central Park.

Because of this, the civilians who received the papers shook their heads in disbelief, letting out a heavy sigh. There were simply too many factual details for them to dismiss it as a lie.

Some, with a bitter expression, looked up at the sky as if they had expected this outcome.

When the anti-government refugees had fallen away, the pro-American Islamists and Chinese refugees who stayed behind were revealed to be the ones involved.

"…So, this is what happened. I thought it was a reckless move, bordering on madness, but... nothing has really changed, yet so much has."

"Isn’t that a good thing, though?"

"True, but that doesn’t make it any easier to immediately accept logically."

"…"

As if nothing had happened, the world kept moving, but in that short time, so much had happened.

When had they started preparing for this? Such thoughts passed through the minds of pro-American refugees who knew the full story better than most. But what could they do? It was too late.

And there were even more things they were curious about. For example, how did they manage to finish everything so quickly and so efficiently? A terrifying curiosity.

Was it Central Park HQ’s determination and strength? It was a question that anyone unfamiliar with the Dagger Team would naturally have, but the answer could be inferred to a certain degree.

And that was exactly what HQ had intended.

Soon, the President's address broadcasted on the radio, further solidifying the situation.

"Dear fellow citizens, I, Henry Michael Brayton, your current President of the United States, am appalled by the recent events in Manhattan..."

The familiar opening line of the address.

The fact that the President was still alive was enough to make everyone forget about the martial law declared just the previous dawn. He even mentioned the anti-government refugees directly.

Without any edits or alterations, he mentioned exactly what had happened, from start to finish, discussing the operation’s goals and execution reasons. Even the cynics couldn’t argue with the details, and the tone was cold and emotionless.