I Have a Modern Weapon Gacha System in the Zombie Apocalypse-Chapter 64: A Struggle to Fight

Ryan proceeded to the stairwell, leading inside the building. Behind him, the Hunter chased, its limbs striking the rooftop in rapid succession as it closed the gap.

"Falcon One, fire at it!" Ryan shouted as he reached the door and shoved it open.

"Negative, negative," Falcon One replied immediately. "You’re inside the structure. No line of fire."

"Just fucking fire your missile! I would be dead if you are waiting for the right opportunity. Danger close confirmed!"

For a second, the channel went silent.

Inside the command center, Adrian stared at the feed—Ryan’s POV shaking as he moved down the stairwell, the Hunter closing behind him with every step.

The operator looked at him.

"Sir... that’s inside the building. Blast will collapse the structure."

Adrian didn’t answer right away.

He watched the distance shrink.

Ryan hit the next landing.

The Hunter was already there.

"Sir—" the operator started.

"Falcon One," Adrian cut in, voice hard, "you are cleared hot. Danger close. Engage the moment you get a track. We accept the risk."

"...Copy, Command," Falcon One replied, quieter now. "I’ll take the shot."

Ryan heard it.

"Command?" he asked.

"You’re cleared," Adrian said. "Missile is inbound to the building you were on."

He broke from the stairwell into the second-floor corridor, sprinting straight down the hall. Doors blurred past him, the end window coming into view.

Behind him, the Hunter burst through the stairwell entrance.

Ryan sprinted down the hallway, boots striking hard against the floor, the broken window at the far end getting closer with every step.

"Falcon One, status?" he said.

"Missile away," the pilot replied. "Time to impact, five seconds."

Ryan didn’t look back.

The Hunter closed the gap.

Ryan could hear it now behind him—claws striking tile, walls scraping as its body clipped the corridor edges, every step gaining on him.

"Four seconds," Falcon One said.

Ryan pushed harder.

The window was right there.

Three strides.

Two.

The Hunter lunged.

Ryan felt the air shift behind him as it reached.

"Three seconds."

He didn’t slow.

He drove straight through the window.

Glass exploded outward as his body cleared the frame, his momentum carrying him into open air.

The missile punched into the upper floor behind him.

The detonation ripped through the building, a tight but violent blast that collapsed inward before bursting outward through the windows.

The shockwave caught Ryan mid-air.

It hit him from behind.

It accelerated his fall, throwing him forward faster than gravity alone, then he fell on top of the roof of an abandoned sedan.

The metal gave out instantly.

The entire top of the car crumpled inward under the force, the impact folding it down as his body slammed through it.

Ryan rolled off the dented roof and hit the ground beside the vehicle, his body skidding across the pavement before coming to a stop.

For a second, he didn’t move.

Dust and debris rained down around him.

Behind him, the building groaned.

Sections of the upper floor collapsed, concrete and steel tearing loose as the structure gave way from the blast.

Ryan forced himself up onto one knee, breathing hard, ears ringing from the explosion.

He turned.

The car behind him was crushed where he landed, the roof completely caved in from the impact.

The building above was partially gone.

"Command..." Ryan said roughly. "impact confirmed..."

"It’s still alive Ryan!" Adrian informed but before Ryan could react with that information, he suddenly found himself grabbed by the hunter from behind. He turned his head and saw the creature’s body with only one arm.

It thrashed him to the ground.

Ryan hit hard, the impact driving the air out of his lungs as his back slammed against the pavement. The Hunter pinned him instantly, its remaining arm locking across his torso, forcing him flat.

Up close, the thing felt heavier than it looked.

Ryan’s rifle was trapped between them, useless.

"Ryan, break contact!" Adrian shouted over comms.

Ryan didn’t answer.

He couldn’t.

The Hunter shifted its weight, pressing down harder as it leaned over him. Its upper frame lowered, angling toward his chest.

Then its head began to open.

The plates split apart.

Segments peeled back in layers, folding outward in a radial pattern, like something blooming open. Inside were sharp teeth, rows of them.

"Ryan, move!" Adrian shouted.

Ryan’s arm strained against the pressure pinning him down.

His fingers found the handle.

Knife.

He ripped it free.

The Hunter lowered further.

The opening widened.

Ryan drove the blade up.

Straight into it.

The knife hit resistance.

Then pushed through.

The creature jerked violently, its entire frame seizing as the blade sank deep into the exposed cavity. The plates snapped halfway shut, clamping around his hand, trying to trap it.

Ryan twisted.

Forced the blade deeper.

The Hunter let out a distorted sound, its grip tightening as it drove him harder into the pavement.

His vision blurred for a second.

He didn’t stop.

He ripped the knife free.

Then stabbed again and again, and again.

Ryan shoved with everything he had, breaking the pressure across his chest as he rolled to the side.

The creature lifted off his body from the ground and threw him into the side of a parked vehicle, the impact denting the door before he dropped hard onto the pavement.

He didn’t stay down.

A groan forced its way out as he rolled onto his side, one arm clutching his ribs while the other reached for his radio.

"Command..." he rasped.

In front of him, the Hunter recovered.

It staggered for a second, the plates along its head opening and closing erratically from the damage Ryan had inflicted. But it didn’t stop.

It stepped forward.

Ryan forced himself up onto one knee, breathing heavy, vision shaking slightly as he tried to steady it.

Distance.

There was distance now.

Enough.

He grabbed his radio.

"Falcon One," he said, voice rough but clear enough, "take the shot. I’m clear. Engage now!"

Inside the command center, Adrian didn’t hesitate.

"Falcon One, cleared hot. Target exposed. Danger close but acceptable. Take it."

"Copy," the pilot replied.

Above, the F-35 rolled into position again, its targeting system locking onto the damaged Hunter below. The heat signature flared from the exposed core as the plates continued to malfunction.

"Lock confirmed."

"Rifle."

Ryan saw it.

A streak cutting down from the sky.

The Hunter didn’t react.

It kept advancing.

Ryan pushed himself sideways, dragging his body across the pavement, forcing more distance between him and the target.

The missile closed fast.

The Hunter took one more step and impact.

The explosion hit center mass.

This time, there was no partial effect.

The blast tore through the creature’s already damaged core, the detonation ripping it apart from the inside out. Fragments of its body were thrown outward as the pressure wave expanded across the street.

Ryan hit the ground again, covering his head as debris scattered around him.

"Target is destroyed," Adrian informed.