I Have a Modern Weapon Gacha System in the Zombie Apocalypse-Chapter 41: Showing Off

Ten minutes later, at the command center, the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, callsign Warthog 0-1, was lining up for the runway.

The twin engines spooled higher, the low whine building into a steady roar as heat shimmered behind the aircraft. The pilot held it on centerline, hands steady on the controls.

"Basa Tower, this is Warthog Zero-One, holding short, ready for departure," the pilot said over comms.

A brief pause.

"Warthog Zero-One, Basa Tower. Runway is clear. Winds steady. You are cleared for takeoff."

"Copy, cleared for takeoff," the pilot replied.

He pushed the throttle forward.

The engines responded immediately.

The A-10 surged down the runway, gaining speed as the concrete blurred beneath it. The nose stayed low for a moment, then lifted as the pilot eased back.

The wheels left the ground.

Gear up.

The aircraft climbed, banking slightly as it cleared the airspace above the base.

Inside the command center, the main screen shifted to the live feed.

The camera mounted under the A-10 showed the ground pulling away, the base shrinking into a grid of structures and vehicles.

Adrian stood in front of the screen, arms relaxed at his sides, eyes fixed on the feed.

Ryan stood beside him, tablet in hand.

"Distance to target, two minutes," Ryan said.

The feed stabilized as the aircraft leveled out.

Ahead, the city came into view.

Empty roads.

Abandoned vehicles.

Pockets of movement scattered across blocks.

The pilot’s voice came through the speakers.

"Warthog Zero-One approaching target area."

The camera zoomed slightly.

The outline of the supermarket appeared.

"Warthog Zero-One, this is Command," Adrian spoke to the radio. "I want you to lure out as many zombies as you can before you make your run."

"Copy that, Command," the pilot replied. "Setting up for noise pass."

The A-10 dropped lower.

The camera angle shifted as the aircraft descended toward the block. Buildings rose on both sides, the supermarket now clearly visible—wide front, broken glass panels, vehicles scattered across the parking lot.

Heat signatures clustered near the entrance.

More inside.

"Starting pass," the pilot said.

The aircraft roared over the street.

The sound hit first.

A deep, tearing noise that rolled through the block and bounced off concrete.

On the feed, the clusters reacted.

Heads snapped up.

Bodies turned.

Movement spiked.

Zombies began pouring out from the building, pushing through the broken entrance, spilling into the parking lot.

More emerged from side alleys.

From behind vehicles.

From inside nearby structures.

Ryan leaned slightly forward. "They’re responding."

Adrian didn’t take his eyes off the screen.

"Keep it going."

"Copy."

The A-10 pulled up, banked, then came back around for another low pass.

This time even lower.

The roar cut through the street again.

The reaction was immediate.

The scattered pockets started converging.

Lines of movement forming toward the center.

"Good effect," the pilot reported. "They’re grouping."

Adrian spoke again.

"Once they’re fully committed, you make your run."

"Copy, standing by."

The camera tracked the growing mass below.

The parking lot filled fast as more bodies pushed in from every direction. The mass tightened, pressing toward the center where the noise had drawn them. From above, it looked like a moving patch of heat, shifting and compressing against itself.

The pilot adjusted his heading and climbed slightly to set up his attack run.

"In hot," he said. "North to south. Gun run."

Inside the cockpit, his right hand moved to the weapons controls. The GAU-8/A Avenger spun up, the distinctive whine building as the seven-barrel cannon reached firing speed.

The targeting pipper settled over the densest cluster.

"Guns... guns..."

The trigger depressed.

The cannon answered.

A deep, ripping sound filled the feed as a stream of 30mm rounds tore down toward the parking lot. The rounds impacted in a tight line, walking across the mass. Asphalt shattered. Concrete chipped and broke apart. The first ranks of infected were torn open instantly, bodies snapping apart under the force as the stream continued forward.

The line didn’t stop.

It cut through vehicles, punching clean through doors and hoods, flipping debris into the air. The rounds chewed through the cluster, leaving a clear path of destruction behind it.

"Good hits," the pilot said, pulling up slightly before banking for another pass.

Below, the effect was immediate.

The front of the swarm had been erased. What remained kept moving, pushing over the fallen, compressing again.

"Re-engaging," the pilot said.

He rolled the aircraft and lined up a second pass, adjusting slightly to the left where another cluster had formed near the building entrance.

"Guns... guns..."

Another burst.

The GAU-8 roared again, this time cutting across the edge of the structure. The rounds tore through the glass façade, punching into the interior. Shelving collapsed inside as the stream ripped through anything in its path.

Zombies at the entrance were shredded where they stood.

Those inside were hit before they could even react.

The pilot broke off and climbed.

"Switching ordnance," he said.

A tone sounded inside the cockpit as he selected rockets.

"Rockets, ripple fire."

The A-10 dipped again, nose angling toward the parking lot.

"Rifle."

Hydra 70 rockets streaked down in quick succession, leaving trails of smoke behind them. They impacted across the remaining clusters, detonating in sharp bursts that threw bodies and debris outward.

Shockwaves rolled across the ground.

Vehicles rocked.

Loose debris lifted and scattered.

When the smoke cleared, the movement had slowed.

What remained was fragmented.

Disorganized.

Adrian watched the feed without speaking.

Ryan exhaled slowly beside him.

"Area’s getting cleared."

The pilot circled once more, scanning.

"Minimal movement," he reported. "Target area heavily degraded."

Adrian stepped closer to the screen.

"Good. Hold overhead."

"Copy. Warthog Zero-One on station."

Adrian watched the feed and saw that the zombies are getting less and less, with hundreds already obliterated. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"I think we can take them out," Ryan said confidently.

"No mutated variants detected," Adrian added. "I think we can take it from here."

"It’s your call sir, should we prepare for scavenging now?"

"Yeah do it, let’s go."