Chapter 197: The Road to Escape
The others looked over as Na-rin stood beside a large military transport truck.
"Will this do?" she asked.
Thomas hurried over and inspected the vehicle. He opened the hood, checked the engine, then climbed into the driver’s seat and tested the controls. After a moment, a relieved smile appeared on his face. "It’s perfect. This should still run."
BAM! BAM! BAM! Before he could do anything else, the reinforced shutter shook violently, bending inward with every impact. Everyone turned toward the entrance, their expressions tightening as another powerful blow struck the metal.
BOOM! The shutter finally gave way, collapsing inward as a mass of infected poured through the opening.
"Ahhh!" Jannah and Hiromi screamed.
"Get back!" Elena shouted, raising her M16 despite her injured leg.
She barely had time to aim when a small object rolled through the broken entrance and stopped among the infected.
Seeing it, Elena’s eyes widened. "Get down!"
BOOOOM! The explosion tore through the front of the horde. Bodies were thrown across the workshop as limbs and dark blood scattered through the smoke.
For a brief moment, everything went silent. Then footsteps emerged from the smoke.
A figure slowly walked through the ruined entrance, a DMR hanging loosely in one hand.
"Jaxon!" Isabel shouted, relief immediately washing over her face.
"We have to go. Now." Jaxon’s voice snapped everyone out of their shock.
"Get in the vehicles!" Natasha shouted. "Move!"
The group immediately scattered toward the two vehicles.
Haris climbed into the Hilux with Elaine in the passenger seat. Sumiko, Isabel, and Na-rin squeezed into the back while Natasha and Bong-gu climbed into the open truck bed.
"I’ve got this one!" Thomas shouted as he climbed into the military transport truck with Elena beside him. Claire, Cindy, Jannah, Hiromi, and Hae-in quickly climbed into the rear compartment.
Jaxon turned toward Elaine. "Elaine, give me your weapons for a moment."
She didn’t hesitate and handed him the twin Uzis.
.....
(1022 Coins spent. Twin Uzi has reached MAX LEVEL. Exclusive Skill Unlocked.)
Exclusive Skill: Double Execution
Requirement: Twin Uzi Equipped
When both Uzis hit the same target at nearly the same time, the damage is greatly increased. Each kill permanently increases the user’s Agility by 0.01. Effect is infinite
.....
Natasha glanced at him. The moment their eyes met, Jaxon knew she had realized what he had just done. He simply gave her a small nod, silently reassuring her.
He handed the upgraded Uzis back to Elaine. The moment she took them back, she could immediately feel that something about the weapons had changed.
"What did you do?" Elaine asked, looking at the Uzis in confusion.
"I’ll tell you once things calm down."
Without waiting for another question, he jumped into the back of the Hilux and landed beside Bong-gu.
"Go!" He shouted as Haris turned the key.
VRRROOOM! The Hilux roared to life, its engine echoing through the underground workshop. A second later, Thomas started the military truck, its engine growling as the two vehicles prepared to move.
"Jaxon, where are we going?" Haris asked.
"The northern gate," Jaxon answered. "The evacuation forces will probably head there too. We need to get there before the infected completely take over the safe zone."
Haris tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "Got it."
The Hilux surged forward, followed closely by the military truck as both vehicles burst out of the workshop and back onto the streets.
They barely made it a few meters before Haris suddenly slammed on the brakes. "Jaxon, horde ahead!"
Dozens of infected poured into the street from both sides. Some climbed over abandoned vehicles while others sprinted straight down the middle of the road, their mouths wide open as they charged toward the two vehicles.
"Keep moving!" Jaxon shouted. "Don’t stop!"
Haris gritted his teeth and pressed harder on the accelerator. "You’re asking me to drive straight into them?!"
"There’s no way around them, and we can’t turn back now!" Jaxon immediately opened the Gun Store in his mind, quickly searching through the available weapons until he found exactly what he needed.
(1,600 coins spent. Combat Shotgun successfully purchased.)
A combat shotgun suddenly appeared in his hands. Before anyone could question where it came from, another notification appeared.
...
(1417 Coins spent. Combat Shotgun has reached MAX LEVEL. Exclusive Skill Unlocked.)
Exclusive Skill: Blast Wave
Requirement: Combat Shotgun Equipped
Every shot releases a powerful wave of air capable of blowing away enemies surrounding the target. Each kill permanently increases the user’s Vitality by 0.01. Effect is infinite.
.....
’Just what I need.’ He raised the shotgun and aimed at the approaching horde. The Hilux was only seconds away from crashing into the infected when he pulled the trigger.
BANG! The shotgun roared.
A violent blast of air erupted from the muzzle, slamming into the infected at the front and sending their bodies flying backward. At the same time, the wide spread of pellets tore through the horde behind them, ripping apart everything in their path.
Bodies and chunks of flesh scattered across the street, leaving a bloody path directly in front of the vehicles.
"What the hell?!" Haris shouted, his eyes widening as the road suddenly cleared.
The Hilux plowed straight through the fallen infected. The tires slipped as they rolled over the bodies, causing the entire vehicle to jerk violently.
"Hold on!" Haris yelled, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.
Jaxon barely reacted. He simply pumped the shotgun and fired again.
BANG! Another blast sent a group of infected flying, clearing even more space ahead.
The road quickly turned into a bloody mess, but more infected continued pouring in from the surrounding streets.
"Left!" Jaxon shouted. Haris immediately jerked the steering wheel. The Hilux narrowly avoided a mass of infected rushing across the road, some of them slamming against the side of the vehicle as they passed.
Jaxon turned and fired again.
BANG! The blast wave tore through the approaching infected, knocking several off their feet and opening just enough space for the Hilux to push through.
Bong-gu, beside him, stared at the shotgun in his hands with his mouth hanging open.
"Jaxon..." He pointed at the weapon. "Where the hell did you get that?!"
"I’ll explain later."
"Later?! You just pulled a fucking awesome shotgun out of nowhere!"
The others couldn’t help staring at him as well. They had already witnessed Jaxon’s strange ability to produce items seemingly out of thin air, so it wasn’t entirely unexpected. Still, watching him casually pull out a powerful weapon in the middle of a horde was another matter.
Thomas, driving the military truck behind them, had an especially complicated expression. Through the windshield, he watched Jaxon fire another devastating blast through the rear of the horde.
’What the hell is this guy?’