I Have a Modern Weapon Gacha System in the Zombie Apocalypse-Chapter 22: Encounter in the Air Again

While in the air, Adrian’s system notification popped up, he had over 99+ notifications from killing zombies and rescuing survivors. He wondered how many points he had gotten from this operation alone.

He’ll check it once they are back in the condo.

However.

"Sir, we have a radar reading. Multiple bogeys."

Adrian looked up immediately.

"How many?"

"Five contacts," the pilot answered. "Bearing zero-nine-zero. Range one point two kilometers. Altitude slightly above us. Speed fluctuating—two hundred knots and closing fast."

Adrian already knew what that meant.

Ryan shifted in his seat and leaned toward the open side door. Wind rushed through the cabin, whipping at loose hair and clothing. Civilians ducked instinctively.

"Contact visual," the right-side gunner called out. "Three o’clock high."

Adrian leaned and saw them.

Five shapes against the morning sky.

Wings wide. Beating hard.

Each one the size of a small car.

Patchy feathers. Exposed dark skin. Jagged silhouettes.

"Same type?" Ryan asked.

Adrian narrowed his eyes. "Yes. Same species."

The first mutated bird banked sharply and began a shallow dive toward the trailing helicopter.

"Range eight hundred meters and closing," the pilot said.

Inside the cabin, there was no room to maneuver heavy weapons. Bodies were packed tight. Knees against knees. Children pressed into their parents’ sides.

No Javelin this time.

"Door gunners, engage on my mark," Adrian said.

"Copy."

The miniguns began to spin up, the rising mechanical whine cutting through the rotor noise.

The lead bird folded its wings slightly and dove.

"Mark!"

The M134 roared.

Streams of tracers arced outward into the sky. The air between the helicopters and the incoming creatures filled with streaks of red light.

The first bird took multiple hits along its torso. Feathers and dark fluid burst outward midair. It wobbled but kept coming.

"Adjust left!" the gunner shouted.

The second helicopter’s gunner opened fire as well, creating a crossfire zone between the two aircraft.

One of the birds veered off and climbed higher, trying to flank.

"High left, high left!" Noah shouted, pointing.

Ryan braced himself against the cabin wall and fired controlled bursts from his HK416 out the open door. His rounds were smaller, but they forced one of the creatures to bank away from the line of civilians inside.

The first bird reached within two hundred meters.

The gunner kept the stream steady.

Finally, the creature’s wing tore under sustained fire. It lost lift abruptly and spiraled downward, crashing toward the city below.

"One down!" the gunner called.

But the other four were now splitting.

Two climbed higher.

Two dove directly toward the second helicopter—the one Adrian was in.

"Brace!" the pilot shouted.

The helicopter banked hard right. Civilians screamed as the aircraft tilted sharply.

The closest bird snapped its wings and lunged.

The left-side gunner cut loose at near point-blank range. The stream of rounds shredded the creature’s chest. It slammed into the rotor wash, lost control, and tumbled away.

"Two down!"

Another bird streaked past, claws extended. It missed the tail rotor by meters.

"Rear contact!" Mason yelled.

Jake leaned out and fired short bursts into its back as it passed. The rounds punched through its wing joint. It faltered mid-flight and dropped rapidly.

"Three!"

The last two regrouped above them.

"Range four hundred meters," the co-pilot said.

"They’re coordinating," Ryan muttered.

Adrian kept his eyes locked upward.

"Stay tight formation," he ordered. "Force them into the gun arcs."

Both helicopters tightened their spacing, overlapping fields of fire.

The two remaining birds dove together.

This time, both gunners opened up simultaneously.

The sky filled with tracers.

One bird took hits across its head and neck and disintegrated mid-dive, body folding in on itself before falling away.

The last one pushed through the fire longer than the others.

It reached within a hundred meters before the rounds tore through its left wing completely. The limb detached under sustained fire.

The creature spun violently and vanished below.

Silence returned except for rotor noise.

"Bogeys down," the pilot confirmed. "All five neutralized."

The system confirmed the kill through notifications.

Inside the cabin, civilians sat frozen, eyes wide, breathing uneven.

Adrian lowered his rifle slowly.

"Sir, are we heading back to that building?" the pilot asked over the headset.

Adrian looked at the packed cabin. Civilians were pressed shoulder to shoulder along the floor. Some were shaking. One child had both hands over his ears. Chandrika held onto the seat frame, glasses slightly crooked, eyes still wide from the firefight.

He shifted his gaze to the other helicopter flying in formation beside them.

"Yes," Adrian said. "We’re heading back."

Ryan turned his head slightly. "Back to the condo?"

"Yes. It’s the closest secured location we have. We drop them there first."

The pilot acknowledged. "Copy. Adjusting heading."

The helicopter banked slightly, nose turning toward the direction of the MOA Complex. The second Black Hawk mirrored the movement.

Adrian keyed his mic. "Second bird, confirm status."

"Second bird copies," came the reply. "No casualties. Civilians stable. Minor panic, but contained."

"Good. Maintain formation."

Inside the cabin, one of the older men spoke up hesitantly.

"Where... where are you taking us?"

Adrian looked at him.

"Well, to a building."