My Sniper System in a Zombie Apocalypse World-Chapter 91: Silent Advance

"You guys ready?" Jaxon asked quietly.

Bong-gu, Claire, and Hae-in nodded, their movements stiff. It was their first time stepping outside after a full week underground.

Elaine gave them a reassuring smile. "We’ll make it. Just stick to the plan."

With a final nod, Jaxon pushed the door open and stepped out first.

The others followed closely behind.

Elena had switched weapons, twin Uzis resting in her hands. She left her bow behind since her arrows were almost gone. Elaine, Claire, and Hae-in carried compact 9 mm submachine guns. Bong-gu held a bullpup submachine gun, while Na-rin kept the pistol Jaxon had given her.

The twins, Jannah and Hiromi stayed close together, each holding a subcompact pistol. They were not confident with it yet, but they kept it ready, just in case.

Every weapon was fitted with a suppressor Jaxon had bought earlier. He wanted to get optics too, but all his coins had gone into keeping their shots quiet.

They moved carefully in lines. Jaxon, Natasha, and Elena led the way, eyes scanning ahead. Bong-gu, Burgors, and Haris stayed at the back, watching for anything that followed.

As they stepped farther out, the city came into view again. The buildings stood empty and broken, worse than before. Walls were cracked, windows shattered, and dark stains marked the streets. It looked like the infected had torn through the area without restraint.

The streets were silent. But Jaxon knew they were nearby. Maybe hiding, waiting, or perhaps watching them move through the ruins.

With slow, careful steps, they moved through the streets, using every piece of cover they could find. Broken cars, collapsed walls, and shadowed alleys became their shields.

At the front, Elena slowed when they turned onto another road. Her eyes narrowed, hundreds of infected stood ahead, frozen in place, lining the street like statues.

A quiet wave of fear ran through the group.

Jaxon lifted his hand and slowly lowered it, signaling calm. Natasha repeated the motion behind him, her eyes sharp. They guided the others to move back and take a longer route, one slow step at a time.

They slipped past the street, leaving the silent crowd behind them. Thankfully, none of the infected reacted.

A few minutes later, Na-rin’s whisper broke the silence. "Movement ahead. Infected approaching." She lowered her binoculars slightly, her voice tight.

Cindy checked the same direction with her own binoculars. "About two hundred meters out," she confirmed quietly.

No orders were needed. The group scattered with practiced speed, pressing themselves behind wrecked cars, broken walls, and dark doorways. They waited in silence, their senses on high alert.

Jaxon had already taken aim.

The suppressed shot was silent. A soft thud followed as the bullet pierced flesh, and the infected collapsed without a sound.

Na-rin and Cindy scanned the area again.

"Target down," Cindy whispered. "No other movement. Area looks clear."

No one relaxed. They waited a few seconds longer before moving again, returning to their formation.

Step by step, they advanced.

Every encounter followed the same pattern. Spot, hide, kill, move.

Everyone knew their role. They had practiced this plan over and over. And it was working.

Soon, they reached a covered pedestrian bridge. By their estimate, they had already crossed about one third of the distance to the train station.

They cautiously approached the edge of the bridge, peering down at the roads below. A chilling sight greeted them: a sea of broken cars, and thousands upon thousands of infected, standing motionless, packed tightly together.

A wave of terror washed over them. Bong-gu froze in his tracks, his throat tightened as he swallowed hard.

A hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back from the brink of panic. He turned to see Burgors, his expression grim, silently urging him to keep moving.

Bong gu forced his legs to obey. Then Burgors froze, his eyes widening.

Without warning, he yanked Bong gu back, propelling him towards the relative safety of the group.

"What is it?" Bong gu whispered, panic slipping into his voice. The movement caught everyone’s attention.

Burgors raised a hand and pointed at the side rail. From below the bridge, a bloody claw reached up and wrapped around the metal.

"Shit," Bong gu breathed.

"To your positions," Elena and Natasha whispered at the same time. They stepped forward calmly, weapons already raised.

The claw tightened. Slowly, something pulled itself up. A mutated infected crawled into view, moving on all fours. Its limbs bent at sharp angles as it climbed. A creature they had dubbed a "crawler."

Before it could fully haul itself up, suppressed shots rang out. Bullets struck its body, but the creature twisted and leapt from the railing, dropping to cover on the bridge. Blood sprayed across the metal as several bullets tore into its body, but it did not fall.

From the opposite end of the bridge, another crawler appeared, its grotesque form climbing swiftly from below.

"I’ll handle this one," Jaxon hissed. "You take care of the other. Be careful of its speed."

He glanced back at Sumiko on his back, her small hands clinging to his shoulders, and his expression softened. "Close your eyes, Sumiko. Don’t watch."

The crawler in front of him lunged. And Jaxon moved at the same time, stepping to the side just as its claws sliced through the air where he had been.

’Hmm? Why does it feel like it’s moving slower than before?’ Jaxon thought, his mind racing. He could now perceive the creature’s movements with a precision he hadn’t possessed before.

The crawler sprang again. Jaxon reacted instinctively, shifting his DMR in mid-air with lightning speed. He aimed the weapon at the back of the creature’s head, his rifle so close that the muzzle almost touched its rotten head.

Bang. Its skull burst apart as black blood and shards of bone sprayed outward, but Jaxon had already stepped back, avoiding the splatter as the body collapsed at his feet.

"That... that was amazing, brother," Sumiko whispered against his neck.

Jaxon smiled faintly. He had not expected it to end that easily, the notifications ringing quietly in his mind.

(70 EXP, 100 coins, and 0.70 Speed obtained from the infected)

(DMR Damage +1, Agility +0.01)