I Have a Modern Weapon Gacha System in the Zombie Apocalypse-Chapter 43: Clearing the Supermarket

They disembarked from the MRAP and immediately fanned out to form a defensive line as the FMTV rolled in behind them and came to a stop near the loading bay, its engine idling as the driver kept it angled for a quick exit.

Ryan didn’t wait.

"Perimeter, now. Two teams left and right. Gunners stay hot."

The additional troops moved immediately, spreading out across the parking lot. Two took positions behind an overturned sedan near the entrance, rifles up, scanning the broken glass doors. Another pair moved along the right flank, checking the gaps between vehicles and the edge of the building.

The MRAP gunners above them tracked slow arcs across the area, barrels shifting with controlled movements, ready to fire the moment anything broke into a sprint.

Adrian stepped forward a few paces from the vehicle, MP5 raised, eyes moving across the lot. Most of the bodies were down, but not all of them were still. One near the entrance twitched, dragging itself across the ground with a broken leg.

A single shot cracked.

The movement stopped.

"Area still active," Mason said, scanning the left side.

"No surprise," Ryan replied. "Keep it tight."

Jake moved up beside the shattered entrance, keeping his shoulder close to the wall as he angled his weapon inside. The interior was dark compared to the outside light, rows of shelves barely visible through the debris.

"I’ve got movement inside," he said quietly.

Noah stepped in behind him, adjusting his angle to cover deeper into the store. "Same here. Not a lot, but they’re there."

Adrian glanced back once toward the FMTV. "Driver, stay in the seat. Engine stays on."

"Copy," the driver answered.

Cole shifted position, checking the rear approach toward the road they came from. "Back’s clear for now. No follow-on movement."

Ethan stepped up to the front, taking point without a word. He raised his MP5 and leaned slightly forward, checking angles through the broken frame of the entrance.

Ryan moved behind him, close enough to control the stack.

"Standard entry. We clear fast and we don’t get separated," he said. "Left-right sweep, then push center."

"Copy," Jake and Noah answered at the same time.

Adrian stepped in with them, just off to the side of Ryan, keeping a clear line of sight past the first aisle.

"On you," Ryan said.

Ethan moved.

He stepped through the broken entrance, boots crunching over glass as he cleared the first angle to the left. Jake peeled right immediately after, weapon up, sweeping the first row of shelves.

Noah followed, covering deeper into the store.

The air inside was stale.

Dust hung in the light coming through the broken façade. Shelves were knocked over, products scattered across the floor. Some aisles were completely blocked.

A shape moved.

Fast.

Ethan fired first.

A short burst.

The infected dropped before it could close the distance.

"Contact front," he said.

"Keep pushing," Ryan replied.

They moved deeper, step by step, clearing each section cleanly like they were having a field day.

Behind them, Mason and Cole entered next, securing the rear of the formation, while the rest of the troops began staging near the entrance, ready to follow once the first section was cleared.

Adrian moved his sightline past the first aisle and into the main floor.

"Less movement than expected," he said.

They advanced in pairs, one covering while the other stepped forward.

A figure stumbled out from behind a toppled rack.

Jake fired a controlled burst.

It dropped.

"Right clear," he said.

"Left clear," Ethan added from across the aisle.

Noah engaged another near the checkout counters, two shots to the chest, one to the head.

"Front clear."

Mason stepped over a body and checked behind the cashier area. "No movement here."

Cole swept the rear shelves near the storage door. "Back section clear."

Adrian moved toward the center, scanning across the entire floor. His eyes tracked movement patterns, corners, blind spots. Nothing organized. No clustering.

"First floor is almost done," he said.

Ryan nodded. "Finish the sweep."

They split briefly, each man taking a section. Within minutes, the last of the zombies were eliminated.

Ethan stepped back toward the entrance and gave a short nod. "Ground floor clear."

Ryan keyed his radio.

"Lead to perimeter. First floor secured. Hold positions."

"Copy," one of the outside troops responded.

Adrian turned toward the stairwell at the far side of the store. The door was still intact, slightly ajar.

"Second and third floors," he said.

Ryan followed his gaze.

"Yeah."

Adrian raised his voice slightly, enough for the staging troops near the entrance to hear.

"Second team, you’re up. Clear floors above. Two elements—split between second and third."

The additional troops moved immediately.

Two squads broke off, one heading for the stairwell, the other moving toward an alternate access point near the back.

"Clear it the same way we did," Adrian continued.

"Copy," one of the squad leaders replied.

Adrian knew confidently that they could take on the remaining zombies inside the building. Now they have to secure their food supply, which is in this supermarket. And based on the lot area of this commercial building, there are a lot of them. From frozen foods that were still inside their chest freezers, still running perfectly as the electricity hasn’t died down yet, to produce that were sealed in a plastic, vegetables and fruits in the chillers, sacks of rices, canned foods, shelves packed with instant goods, bottled water stacked near the back, and even cooking supplies still untouched in sealed boxes.

"This is a lot," Ryan said, glancing at Adrian. "No way we clear all of this in one trip. Our trucks won’t be enough. Even if we pack the FMTV full, we’re leaving most of this behind."

"We go back and forth," he said.

Ryan exhaled lightly. "Multiple runs."

"Yes. And it’s fine since we cleared the zombies in this area. Though we have to watch out for mutated zombies, seeing they are still not here, there’s nothing to be concerned about," Adrian said.

"This store should buy us six months, and there are multiple supermarkets in this region. If we get all of them, surviving would be like a walk in the park," Ryan commented.

"That’s true, the only challenge is clearing them," Adrian chuckled.

Twenty minutes later, Adrian’s comms went active again.

"Sir, the second floor and third floor are now clear."

Adrian responded. "Great work, now let’s start looting."