When I Opened My Eyes, I Was in the Middle of the Battlefield

Lareple was a game with a very high degree of freedom until the ending. The main story changes according to the user’s play style, and the death and survival of the supporting characters also change.

But even after playing dozens of times, not a single thing has changed.

Nuclear war ending.

This didn’t change anyway.

As if the outcome of nuclear war was decided from the beginning.

I got it.

This is because the game predicted nuclear war from the name.

Last Red Flag, literally the last red flag.

The implied meaning was the fall of the communist bloc represented by Russia, China, and North Korea. So, it was quite natural for nuclear missiles to appear.

Maybe that’s why the main story changed in many directions, but in the end it tended to flow towards nuclear war.

Although it was a bit disappointing, I still enjoyed the ending.

The white flashes, black mushroom clouds, shockwaves sweeping everywhere, and the devastated city in the cinematic video were very detailed and splendid.

But it was also good when playing games.

‘Nimi.’

Now I have to go through the ending of the nuclear war myself.

An obvious reality with no reason to confuse whether it is a dream, reality, or hallucination, or to pinch one’s cheeks to confirm.

At the same time, I realized one more thing.

‘There is no such thing as an item.’

The wound on his shoulder was not something that could be healed by pressing a keyboard shortcut.

I did it anyway, but it was like that.

“The wound is deeper and bigger than I thought. I’m going to go to the office in a state of pressure. It looks like I need to get 20 stitches.”

Those were the words the medical personnel who had just arrived tended to my wounds.

I guessed it would be like that.

I was expecting something different since it was in the game, but in the end it was real.

In addition, my thoughts went one step further.

‘It must be the same as dying.’

It’s an unknown territory that I couldn’t even experience, but that’s what my intuition told me.

‘If I die here, it’s the end, the end.’

Just as a wound on the shoulder cannot be cured with a hotkey, death will not be able to be restarted as in the game.

There seemed to be no resurrection or restart.

I didn’t know about it, so I checked this and that to see if it was possible.

He shouted out words like file save and file save as a test, and pronounced words that weren’t in Lareple out loud.

“Status window, stat window, status… interface… … .”

As expected, nothing came out.

In other words, there was only the character I created and the three characteristics I applied.

“Hey, sir.”

* * *

Everything went well until the attack.

The mission is also to protect corporate executives who came to the plant business often, aka VIP security.

Accordingly, a total of 6 mercenaries equipped with single arms were moving in two Humvees.

Nothing much happened until about 3 or 4 minutes after leaving the scene.

And it wasn’t meant to be.

It was because the construction site they had left was still close, the roads were straight and straight, and even private houses were built sparsely far away, so there was no danger of being sniped.

As the mercenaries put their minds to rest, a radio came.

– One CHARLIE, two Charlies here. Five pickup trucks approaching from the front. Should I continue, please reply.

It was the radio from the humvee ahead.

Jake asked reflexively.

“This is a Charlie, a pickup truck converted to steel? What about weapons?”

I was asking because there are quite a lot of armed vehicles that have been converted from civilian trucks.

From heavy weapons such as the M2 Browning heavy machine gun mounted on a Humvee to Russian rocket launchers mounted on an attack helicopter.

This was a serious threat to turn the car right away as soon as it was visually recognized.

However, the answer that came back was fortunate.

– No, there is nothing wrong on the surface.

“Any flags or signs?”

It was a question of attaching a gitbat to indicate affiliation or painting, but the answer was the same this time.

– Appears to be absent, but difficult to identify clearly due to the distance.

This is also fortunate, but the fact that there are as many as five trucks was not very pleasant. Because such a coincidence is very rare.

Eventually Jake gave the order.

“Two Charlies, this is one Charlie. Get off the road immediately, take a big detour to the right.”

-Charlie two, good reception.

With that, the Humvee in front of them veered off the road, and the Humvee that Jake was riding jolted behind them.

The unpaved dirt floor hit my butt and back.

It would be better if there was a fork or side road, but the road was only one line in operation.

At that time, Jake’s eyes, who were staring out the window, gained strength.

Pickup trucks were following.

Jake frantically pressed the transmit button on his radio.

“Both Charlie, turn around and get back to the scene! If you get hit, fire back immediately.”

-Charlie two, good reception.

Boaaang-!

The Humvee’s engine roared loudly, and at the same time the cars hurried onto the road.

It was best to avoid it.

A situation that became clear to follow.

I couldn’t force myself to go to the city I was originally going to go to.

It was right to go back to the construction site and get support from the mercenaries guarding the site.

Moreover, the pick-up truck followed right behind us.

“I’ll get the machine gun.”

Just as Jake was about to get up to open the hatch in the ceiling, the radio rang.

-RPG!

The moment Jake tried to stand up, Luke at the steering wheel, and even Kang-tae in the passenger seat widened their eyes.

aaang-!

A shock hit them.

The RPG-7’s warhead hit the tire under the driver’s seat.

Quaggagak!

One tire shattered and it spun, scraping the asphalt, coming to a halt with a grinding sound.

By the time the movement in the car stopped, Jake came to his senses first.

“What the f*ck… zone! Are you okay?!”

“Ugh… Yes, it’s a bit dizzy… it’s okay.”

Jake, who had grasped the safety of the VIP seated next to him, then shouted forward.

“Luke! lee! What’s the status?!”

But there was no answer coming back.

Luke’s steel plate on the driver’s seat was torn and shrapnel was lodged in his abdomen, and Kang-tae lost consciousness due to a blow to the head.

“Damn it, John! Get off and stick to the wheel!”

Jake lowered the intact VIP, dragged out the seriously injured Luke, and finally pulled the fainting Kang-tae out to the floor.

Then, after making a U-turn, he shouted as he pushed the VIP into the deputy team leader’s humvee.

“Go first! Call for support again!”

At the same time, I heard the sound of an AK-47 firing, and saw an insurgent disintegrating as I hurriedly ran.

It was hit by Kangtae.

Two shots to the chest and one to the face.

It was a Mozambique drill.

It was a marksmanship in which he first hit the torso with two shots, followed by the head, but Kang-tae hit it with an assault rifle while sitting at an angle.

The performance after that was even greater.

The M2 Browning heavy machine gun mounted on the roof of the Humvee quickly and accurately destroyed two pickup trucks, and the HK416 rifle stopped the rest of the pickup trucks leaving the scene.

To be precise, the driver of the pickup truck was shot and the vehicle’s wheels exploded.

A truly awesome shot.

In addition, the appearance of descending the humvee after the engagement was as calm as when going up, so it was very calm. Jake couldn’t help but praise Kang-tae.

“You did well, rookie. I especially like that kang. I didn’t have much practical experience.”

It was time to get into the large SUV that came next.

Jake looked at Kang-tae, who sat side by side in the back seat, for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Lee, you don’t look good.”

It was because Kang-tae’s face looked dark.

There are often cases where you feel anxiety or nervousness after the excitement from battle has cooled, but it was a different type of gloom.

Annoyance or discouragement.

Finally, Kang-tae let out a long, deep sigh as he closed his eyes.

“Haaa… no.”

“Isn’t that impeding the performance of the mission?”

“… Could it be?”

Kangtae replied slowly.

It was a reply that came half a beat late, as if thinking about something. Emotions are as calm as they were still at war.

A shallow wrinkle formed between Jake’s eyebrows as he watched Kang-tae.

‘Is it because of Luke’s death… … ?’

If I had to look for it, there was no other reason. After all, the VIP survived, and none of the insurgents escaped.

Instead of consolation, Jake offered a concise answer.

“Take a psychological counseling service.”

“ah… that, yes I will think about that too.”

After that, Jake didn’t add anything else.

It was enough to take care of Kangtae.

As a team leader, a former soldier, and a man, he endured silently, but even for Jake, Luke’s death was heartbreaking.

It wasn’t just a top-down relationship between PMCs. Even though they didn’t serve together, it was a senior-success relationship through the 75th Ranger Regiment and Special Forces.

Jake’s heart couldn’t help but be more heartbreaking than Kang-tae’s.

‘Damn Luke… … .’

While Jake was suffering so much.

The Humvee, which quickly entered the construction site, stopped in front of the container complex.

It was the field office of G&G Corp (Goodman & Gordon Corporation), a PMC company that Jake and Kang-tae belong to, and was in charge of missions such as guarding executives and field guards in the plant business.

Although it was a familiar sight that he often saw in the early stages of Raleple, Kang-tae got off the Humvee with a firm expression without much appreciation.

And I went straight to the infirmary and got 18 stitches.

It was around the time when, with a piece of gauze attached, I glanced at the tingling shoulder every time I walked.

Kang Tae stopped.

It was because of the person coming out of the headquarters container.

To be precise, the assistant team leader, Scott Evans, walking next to team leader Jake.

Among the two Humvees, he was a member of the team who rode in the Humvee ahead of him, and he was the one who succeeded in evacuating the VIP in a hurry.

But the most important thing was different.

Scott’s true identity.

‘betrayer.’

It was a character whose betrayal he had committed would slowly be revealed over the next few episodes.

That’s when my thoughts diverged in a different direction.

‘If you take care of that bastard first… … ?’

Even though I can’t be certain that the ending will change, it seems possible that it will change.

Today’s attack was also because of Scott, and later it was because another team member died or was injured. As much as that, the threat of nuclear war was to come quickly and close.

If we deal with Scott first, we won’t be able to prevent nuclear war, but we will be able to slow it down.

If done well, it should be possible to kill the related villains.

Kang-tae’s face finally softened.

“… Let’s start with the traitor bastard first.”