My Sniper System in a Zombie Apocalypse World-Chapter 125: Steady Progress

Jaxon walked toward them slowly. His chest rose and fell as he wiped the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand.

He stopped a few steps away and stared at them.

"What exactly did you just drag me into?" he asked, his voice low but clearly frustrated. "You could’ve at least warned me before throwing me into that mess."

Annie and Lina exchanged a glance, then chuckled lightly.

"We knew you’d manage," Lina said lightly. "If you can survive outside the walls, a training maze shouldn’t be that hard."

Jaxon’s expression hardened slightly. "Someone died out there."

Lina blinked and tilted her head slightly. "That’s weird. The instructors said everyone made it out okay today. There are injuries sometimes, but deaths don’t happen that often, especially today that we need manpower."

"I saw him drop. The floor opened beneath him." Jaxon frowned, still remembering the moment.

His words slowly trailed off. Not far ahead, the same young man he had seen fall was standing near a group of trainees. His uniform was covered in dust, and he looked shaken, but very much alive. An instructor stood in front of him, scolding him along with several others who had their heads lowered in silence.

Jaxon’s brows slowly knit together.

"...He’s alive?" he muttered under his breath.

"See?" Annie said calmly. "Safety nets, emergency fields, and recovery teams are hidden all over the maze. It’s deadly, and someone could get seriously hurt, or worse, but you can still be saved."

Jaxon’s eyes scanned the area. ’They train young people like this? No wonder they’re so fast and agile.’ His thoughts flickered to what Thomas had said about the gear. Thomas said that gear was developed after the infection...

He looked at the two girls and decided to ask. "Say... those gears. Were they built before the infection spread?"

Lina shook her head. "No, they came out not long ago. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," Jaxon said, though a nagging thought lingered in his mind. Someone might have known the infection was coming. He didn’t have any proof, but he couldn’t shake the feeling.

Annie glanced at him, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "You look tired. Come back tomorrow, and we’ll go over this place again. Our squad leader already got approval. We’ll explore more, and I can show you some tricks. They’ll help you get stronger, a lot stronger."

Jaxon considered her words, then nodded slowly. ’A moving maze like this... those parkour skills... maybe I can develop something beyond the stealth I already have.’

Nearby, on an elevated platform, a female elite soldier with long blonde hair stood silently, arms crossed. Her sharp gaze followed Jaxon as he moved.

"Hm... so that’s the guy Annie’s interested in," she murmured under her breath, a flicker of curiosity in her eyes.

.....

The next morning, Jaxon returned to the maze. And the morning after that. Soon, it became routine.

He spent most of his days training with Annie and Lina. Every morning, he followed them into the moving maze, returning each evening drenched in sweat and sporting fresh bruises. At night, he would head to the medical sector to visit Sumiko and rest.

In the maze, Jaxon, Annie, and Lina raced each other like it was a real competition. The girls had long since removed their gears, while Jaxon relied solely on his raw physical ability and instincts. Most of the time, he ended up triggering traps or misjudging a jump. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Annie and Lina, on the other hand, moved like they had memorized the maze itself, agile, precise, and confident.

"That’s my third win in a row!" Lina cheered, doing a little victory dance that rubbed her win in Annie’s and Jaxon’s faces.

Annie snorted. "I won the first four rounds, just letting you have one." She shot a sharp look at Jaxon. "Unlike someone who hasn’t even won once. Getting beaten by two girls... really embarrassing."

Jaxon’s patience thinned. He had ignored their remarks at first, but after days of them rubbing it in, he finally shot back with a dry grin. "Maybe I’m just letting you two feel better about yourselves."

Annie and Lina giggled, clearly enjoying his frustration.

After a week of grueling runs, Jaxon paused and checked his status window.

(Tactical Mobility G-: Basic movement efficiency increased. Body coordination improved. Reaction speed slightly enhanced.)

A small smile curved his lips. His body felt lighter, more responsive. Movements that had once taken conscious effort now flowed instinctively. Every lesson from Annie and Lina was etched in his mind, and the maze’s challenges had honed his reflexes to match. Their guidance, combined with his own effort, was finally paying off.

’Not bad. Maybe I can push this even further... on my own.’

.....

That night, Jaxon went to the Medical Sector. It had begun to feel like a home of sorts, a place where he could rest instead of returning to the residential area assigned to him. He shared the space with Isabel and Sumiko, and sometimes Natasha and Cindy stayed there as well.

Sumiko looked healthier than before. Her malnourished frame had filled out, and she was sitting up on the bed. She could walk properly now, instead of lying down all the time.

"I’m here," Jaxon said softly, holding a small container. "I brought your favorite fried chicken."

Sumiko’s eyes flickered towards him, the anger in them less intense than before. She didn’t flinch away, and though her lips remained stubbornly sealed, she no longer ignored him entirely.

Jaxon didn’t mind. He smiled gently and then turned to Natasha. "How are the others doing? Have they decided what they’re going to do yet?"

Natasha nodded. "Thomas invited Elena to apply as an officer, and she seems to be considering it. Bong-gu and Haris decided to join as soldiers alongside her."

"Hae-in and Elaine want to join as soldiers too, but they don’t want the restrictions that come with the role. They’re thinking about logistics and support work instead," Natasha continued. "It would give them more freedom if they decide to switch positions later."