I Have a Modern Weapon Gacha System in the Zombie Apocalypse-Chapter 23: Returning to Condo

The two helicopters arrived at the Bayshore Residential Resort 1 building.

But two helicopters couldn’t fit on the roof, so the first Black Hawk began lowering toward the helipad while the second remained circling above the building.

Rotor wash blasted across the rooftop.

Loose dust and small debris scattered across the concrete surface as the aircraft descended.

"Landing now," the pilot said.

The helicopter settled onto the roof with a heavy thump.

The moment the skids touched the ground, Ryan slid the door open.

He jumped out first.

Rifle raised.

Mason followed immediately behind him.

Jake and Noah came out next.

They spread across the rooftop quickly, weapons up, checking the perimeter.

"Roof clear," Ryan said after a few seconds, scanning the stairwell entrance and nearby edges of the building.

Adrian stepped down from the helicopter.

Above them, the second Black Hawk hovered in place, rotors thundering loudly as it held position over the building.

"Second bird, hold hover," Adrian said into the radio.

"Copy. Holding," the pilot replied.

Ryan looked up toward the aircraft.

"Send them down."

Inside the hovering helicopter, the door gunner pushed the rope ladder out.

The ladder dropped toward the rooftop, swaying slightly in the wind from the rotors.

Ryan grabbed the ladder once it reached the ground and held it steady.

"Alright!" he shouted upward. "One at a time!"

A man appeared at the door of the helicopter above them.

He hesitated for a second before gripping the ladder.

"Come on!" Ryan shouted.

The man began climbing down carefully.

Step by step.

The ladder swung slightly with the motion of the helicopter overhead.

When he reached the bottom, Ryan grabbed his arm and pulled him onto the rooftop.

"Move over there," Ryan said, pointing toward the stairwell structure.

Mason guided him away from the landing area.

"Next!"

Another survivor started down.

Then another.

One by one the civilians descended from the ladder. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Some moved slowly, gripping the rope tightly.

Others came down faster once they realized the distance wasn’t as far as it looked from above.

Adrian stood near the group, counting them as they arrived.

"Keep moving toward the door," he told them.

"Don’t stay near the edge."

Chandrika appeared at the helicopter door next.

Her glasses reflected the sunlight briefly as she looked down.

Ryan looked up.

"Just take it slow."

She grabbed the ladder and began climbing down.

Her shoes slipped slightly on one of the steps but she corrected herself and continued downward.

When she reached the bottom, Ryan steadied her.

"You’re good."

Her three friends followed behind her.

Each one climbed down carefully.

Above them, the Black Hawk adjusted slightly to maintain position.

"Ten more!" the gunner shouted down.

Adrian kept counting.

The survivors continued descending.

An older man needed help near the bottom, and Ryan grabbed his arm to guide him safely onto the rooftop.

Children were lowered slowly by the crew above before being handed to the soldiers below.

The process continued until the last civilian climbed down the ladder.

Ryan looked up.

"That’s everyone!"

The ladder was pulled back into the helicopter.

The hovering Black Hawk slowly climbed higher above the building.

Adrian counted the group one more time.

"29, all accounted for."

"Uhm sir..." One of the middle-aged men approached Adrian. "Why are we here on the rooftop of a building? Shouldn’t we be in an evacuation center?"

The other adult survivors joined in and asked that question too, wanting clarifications.

Adrian sighed. He expected this to happen since he didn’t make himself clear during the rescue.

The civilians were staring at him now.

Waiting.

Some looked hopeful.

Others looked confused.

Adrian glanced at Ryan briefly before turning back to them.

"Alright," he said. "Let’s clear something up."

The group quieted.

"We are not the military."

The words spread through the crowd quickly.

Several people exchanged looks.

"What?" the middle-aged man said.

"We’re not part of the army, navy, air force, or anything like that," Adrian continued. "We’re survivors. Just like you."

One of the women frowned.

"But the helicopters... the guns..."

"They were acquired," Adrian replied calmly. "And we use them to stay alive."

The truth settled slowly over the group.

Chandrika pushed her glasses up slightly as she watched him.

"So... there’s no evacuation center?" one of the girls asked.

Adrian shook his head.

"Not that we know of."

A few people lowered their heads.

One man muttered under his breath.

Adrian didn’t let the silence drag too long.

"This building," he said, pointing toward the stairwell structure, "is our current base."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"But it isn’t fully secured yet."

That got their attention.

"What do you mean?" someone asked.

"There are still infected inside the lower floors," Adrian said plainly. "Th rest of the building hasn’t been swept yet."

A nervous murmur passed through the survivors.

"So we’re not safe here?" the middle-aged man asked.

"You’re safe on this rooftop for now," Adrian said.

He pointed toward the door leading to the stairwell.

"Our team is working on clearing the building floor by floor."

Ryan nodded slightly beside him.

"But until the lower levels are secured, you cannot move around the building," Adrian continued. "Not alone. Not without one of us."

One of the mothers held her child closer.

"So what do we do?" she asked.

"You stay here," Adrian answered.

"Is there some food or water?"

Adrian shook his head. "There’s none, we don’t have supplies for food and water."

A man in his thirties stepped forward from the group.

"You’re saying there’s no food here?"

The man looked around the rooftop as if expecting crates or storage boxes to suddenly appear.

"But... you brought us here," he said.

Another woman spoke up from behind him.

"There were supplies in Okada," she said. "We had food there. Bottled water too."

Several people in the group nodded.

"It was safer there."

"At least we had food."

Someone else spoke louder.

"Why didn’t you just leave us there if this place has nothing?"

"What the fuck..." Adrian cursed inwardly. Why are they being ungrateful suddenly? Just because he doesn’t have water and food for them?

If not for the system, he won’t take them all, at least if he knew if they are going to be that ungrateful.

"That’s all for now," Adrian simply said.