My Sniper System in a Zombie Apocalypse World-Chapter 123: Built Before the Fall

Jaxon quietly followed behind the two girls as they walked ahead of him. Neither Annie nor Lina spoke much, and the steady pace of their steps made it clear they already knew where they were going.

After a few minutes, a large military facility came into view.

As soon as they reached the entrance, an armed soldier stepped forward and raised a hand, stopping Jaxon.

"Identification."

Before Jaxon could say anything, Annie calmly pulled out her card and held it up. The guard checked it, then glanced at Jaxon. After a brief pause, he stepped aside.

"He’s with us," Annie said simply.

The guard nodded. "Understood. You may pass."

As they entered, Jaxon’s eyes moved around the area. Security was tight, armed soldiers stood at different checkpoints, and officers walked briskly through the halls with folders and tablets in hand. The atmosphere was tense, busy, and far from relaxed.

Fragments of conversations filled the air as they passed by.

"Survivor intake... granted temporary clearance."

"The provisional government is still evaluating Novaris City as a potential safe zone."

"Any confirmed cases of bite without infection?"

"I’m sorry. Evacuation isn’t possible right now..."

"Focus on tracing the origin first."

Some officers looked exhausted, rubbing their temples while staring at reports, as if the weight of constant failures was slowly wearing them down.

Jaxon observed everything quietly as he walked.

"Don’t mind them," Lina said, glancing back at him with a small shrug. "It’s always like this. Honestly, it used to be even worse."

They continued deeper into the facility until they reached a different section. The noise from the main hall faded the moment they stepped inside.

This area was quieter, and only a few personnel were stationed nearby, standing alert but silent.

Jaxon’s gaze quickly landed on a rough-looking man with black hair standing near a long table. Annie and Lina’s squad leader.

He was speaking with several officers, his posture straight despite the fatigue visible on his face. Papers and reports were spread across the table in front of him.

The moment he noticed the three of them enter, his gaze shifted and locked onto Jaxon.

"Give me a minute," he said bluntly, without breaking his composed tone. "I’ll get to you shortly."

Moments later, the officers straightened and gave a salute before stepping out of the room one by one. The door closed behind them, leaving only the four of them inside.

"We’re finally able to talk, Jaxon Hawk. I wanted to meet you earlier, but the schedule’s been... busy."

The squad leader’s voice was calm, but there was clear fatigue behind it. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Jaxon gave a small nod. "I understand."

The man studied him for a moment. Then he gestured toward a large touch panel embedded in the center of the table. "Come. Take a look at this."

He tapped the screen and a holographic map slowly lit up above the table.

Jaxon’s eyes narrowed slightly as the image stabilized. It showed their country, Norvane. Large sections of the map were marked in different colors. Red covered most of it, spreading across cities and regions. A few small clusters of green, yellow, and violet were scattered in between.

"What do the green areas represent?" Jaxon asked quietly.

"The remaining safe zones across the country," the squad leader replied without hesitation.

Jaxon frowned as he counted them in silence.

’One... three... five... Seven.’ That was it.

A country with a population of over a hundred million, reduced to only seven functioning safe zones.

The realization settled heavily in his chest.

"Do you know the current state of our country?" the squad leader asked.

Jaxon shook his head slightly. "Aside from the cities we passed through, not really."

The man nodded once.

"Then I’ll be direct. The country is on the verge of collapse," he said. "Outside those green zones, the survival rate is close to zero. Infrastructure is gone. Supply chains are broken. Communications are fragmented at best. Most regions are either overrun... or completely abandoned."

His finger moved across the red areas as he spoke.

"This red means confirmed infestation. Yellow marks unstable regions. Violet indicates unknown status. We’ve lost contact with those areas."

He paused and turned to face Jaxon fully.

"I don’t understand why you don’t seem interested in the idea of becoming a soldier when soldiers are the reasons places like this still exist."

Jaxon remained silent.

"Manpower is limited," the squad leader continued. "Capable fighters are even rarer. Especially those who can survive outside the walls."

"I’m not against helping," Jaxon said finally, his tone calm. "We just arrived here. I need time to think about your offer."

The squad leader’s expression shifted slightly, as if he had expected that reaction.

"Under my authority," he said, crossing his arms, "I’ll allow you to join our training for now. Consider it temporary, until you decide where you stand."

Jaxon met his gaze, weighing the offer silently.

"See for yourself what we can offer," the man added, then turned to the two girls. "Lina, Annie, take him to the training grounds."

"Yes, sir," they responded in unison, giving a sharp salute.

The two of them saluted sharply. Jaxon gave a small nod back at the squad leader and fell in step behind them, following without a word.

.....

They walked deeper into the safe zone, passing through areas Jaxon was unfamiliar with. The streets became quieter, fewer civilians around, with narrow, restricted pathways and reinforced security doors at every turn. The further they went, the heavier the sense of order and control.

Eventually, they reached the far right edge of the safe zone.

And then... the space opened before him.

Jaxon slowed his steps. What lay ahead was far beyond anything he had imagined. It wasn’t a training ground, it was more like a fortress.

The area stretched wider than any sector he’d seen inside the safe zone. Towering reinforced walls rose high, enclosing an enormous compound. Steel gates lined the perimeter, and watch platforms dotted the walls, equipped with mounted sensors that scanned the entire complex.

"...What is this place?" Jaxon whispered.

Annie’s eyes traced the structure before answering. "This was built long before the chaos. A military training complex. They trained special soldiers here from a young age... soldiers like us."

Jaxon’s brow furrowed. ’What does that mean? This place existed before the infection?’

Lina stepped forward, speaking briefly to the guards stationed at the gate. After a quick check, the guards nodded and allowed them through.

As they waited, Annie and Lina began equipping their combat gear once more, straps tightening.

Jaxon’s gaze lingered on the equipment. "What about me?"

"These are valuable," Lina said evenly. "No spare gear is given unless you’re part of a special unit."

Before he could respond, the massive gate rumbled, steel grinding as it slowly slid open.

The moment they stepped inside, Jaxon’s eyes sharpened.

This wasn’t just a training field. Towering rock formations, shaped like massive rectangles, rose vertically all over the area. Long paths weaved between them, splitting into corridors, open zones, and narrow passages, forming a labyrinthine maze that seemed to stretch endlessly.

"Keep up with us," Lina called suddenly, already sprinting ahead.

"What? Wait!" Jaxon exclaimed, shaking his head, but he had no choice but to follow.

As he ran, he took in the complex. The sky was open above, but the arrangement of towers, narrow corridors, and open platforms made it feel like a giant labyrinth.

They came to a sudden stop at a massive rock blocking their path.

"Dead end," Jaxon muttered.

"Nope," Annie and Lina said in unison, grinning. In a flash, their dual cable launchers shot into the wall, pulling them effortlessly upward.

"Come on, Jaxon! Follow us!" Lina called.

Jaxon clicked his tongue and eyed the rock wall. Its surface was rough, dotted with small holes and grips, clearly made for climbing.

"...So that’s how it is," he muttered, grabbing the surface with his bare hands. Step by step, he began scaling the wall.

When he reached the top, he paused. From this vantage point, the training complex revealed itself in full: a sprawling maze of rocks, towers of varying heights, and intricate pathways stretching as far as he could see. He was standing nearly fifteen meters above the ground, dwarfed by some of the taller formations.

"What’s the use of those towers?" Jaxon asked, pointing at the long rock pillars that soared far higher than the others.

"It’s like this," Lina said, firing her gear launcher into one of the tallest towers. In an instant, she shot upward, pulled smoothly along the cable.

Annie glanced at Jaxon, a teasing spark in her eyes. "What are you waiting for? Follow along."

Jaxon blinked at her. "You’re kidding, right? I don’t even have that gear!"

"Figure it out," Annie said with a grin before launching herself into the air.

Jaxon looked down at the ground, calculating. Then, taking a deep breath, he ran forward and leapt from the edge of the rock, landing nimbly on another formation. Balancing carefully, he began moving across the top, hopping and shifting with precision.

Suddenly, a massive boulder, suspended by chains, swung from the side.

"Shit!" he shouted, narrowly rolling out of the way as it crashed behind him.

"Hey! What was that?" Jaxon yelled, looking up. Annie and Lina were perched above, watching with barely contained amusement.

"You can’t just move blindly," Annie called down. "Watch for the traps!"

Before Jaxon could respond, the ground beneath him trembled, sending vibrations through the entire structure.

"What now?" he muttered, bracing himself.

"Oh," Annie said casually, as if it were nothing. "Looks like the cycle started."

Jaxon’s eyes widened in shock. Below, the maze was coming alive. Massive stone walls shifted, corridors changed direction, and entire sections of the maze locked into new positions with grinding, mechanical sounds. Even the rock beneath his feet began to lower slightly, forcing him to adjust his balance.

’A moving maze...’ he thought, heart pounding. ’This is insane.’