Bonus chapter cuz why not.
* Most of you seem to like this fanfiction, so here's a treat for you.
*Thanks for reading.
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[ pov ]: Felix
By midday, I was back near the rocky ledge where I first saw those two scouts yesterday. I waited behind a rotting stump, mini-crossbow in hand, a bolt already loaded, Karambit sheathed at my lower back.
Nothing. Not yet.
I waited another 40 minutes before I heard something. I was ready to get up and try another spot, thankfully my patience was rewarded.
Leaves crunching.
One voice, male, low. A grunt. " Argh, we already checked this area. There were no tracks, what makes you think anyone or the fucker that caused the fire would be here? ".
Another, female. Younger. " That's exactly why we're here, double checking will be the last thing they will think we'll do, and like that, we'll catch them with their pants down. And it's also David's orders to check three times. "
The first male said. " Haaa, sure." Not completely listening and going on ahead by himself.
' Huh, we've got a smart one here. ' I thought, gotta to be careful in case she pulls something unpredictable.
Three of them this time.
The last one is the same as yesterday, the fat one.
All armed. All walking slower than yesterday's scouts. Rookies. I could tell that by the way they're holding their guns.
Good.
I tracked their movements from a distance. Never getting closer than 50 meters. Let them move first. Learn their pace. Listen to their pattern. Catch them when they're not looking.
I moved to higher ground, laying flat on a moss-covered ridge. They passed right below me. I marked their direction. Southeast. So, the scouts were doing grid sweeps. This will bring both advantages and disadvantages for them.
Advantages: it's an organized and structured approach, efficient for large or dense areas like this forrest and makes it easier to do a thorough coverage of the area.
Disadvantages: it's time-consuming, especially in large areas, physically demanding, particularly in rugged terrain. Risk of missing small details or hidden areas. Potential for overlapping searches and inefficiency. Requires precise mapping and preparation. Etc...
And I can go on and on about the disadvantages. Like the lack of communication. Now it makes more sense why in the day and a half I've been here i only saw one infected. They're drawing their attention.
I don't want to jinx myself this early but, they have no possibility of actually finding me whatsoever, more like ever. It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack out here.
Sure they have the numbers. But the longer they look for me the more infected they bring to their asses. While they are occupied with fighting I'll be snatching them up like mushrooms ( pun intended )
One at a time.
I slid back from the ridge and circled wide again. My plan wasn't to strike now. Not yet. I didn't know their full numbers or what tools they had.
But I knew enough.
Tomorrow, I'd act.
Today, I prepare.
***
I made it back to the cabin by late afternoon. No signs of tailing. No unusual sounds. The sky was starting to dim with early orange light. Beautiful even in this kind of world.
Inside, I opened the shop again.
[Grand Shop]
SP: 1005
Daily Purchase Slots: 30 types / 5 units per type
I searched for what I needed.
Binoculars – basic 10x, 30 SP.
Glowstick set – low light, no battery required, 5 SP.
Extra canteen – 10 SP.
Rope bundle – 15 SP.
Fingerless gloves – durable grip, 16 SP.
Total spent: 66 SP and adding the 55 SP of this morning.
Remaining: 884 SP.
I didn't touch the fancy stuff. No drone cameras or surveillance tech. Not yet. Not until I had better cover, or a location worth defending. And a ton of SP of course.
The binoculars were the real prize.
I could scout from distance now, without exposing myself too much. It also let me confirm faces, weapons, movements. Better planning.
I placed the new items into my pack, rearranging it for balance. Every second in a fight counts. I don't want to be fumbling through gear when it matters.
Then I turned back to the notebook. I'm starting to actually like notting down stuff.
New entry.
Enemy Squad #2 Sighted
→ 3 Members
→ Southeast Grid Sweep
→ Route observed
→ Weak link: Coughing Male
→ Estimate: Rookies or Low-tier scouts
→ Action: Intercept in 24 hrs
→ Goal: Eliminate, recover gear, mislead search party
My handwriting's already neater than before. I don't know why, but most males have the most horrid looking handwriting you would ever see anywhere. Mine wasn't any much beautiful either.
Funny.
The mind adapts fast when death's on the line.
***
Night fell fast.
I stayed by the window, watching. No fire. No lights. Just moon glow and the sound of wind through trees.
Though there were a couple of shots in different directions far away from my location. Like I expected, the infected are on to them already.
Tomorrow would be my first real strike. I wasn't doing it because I wanted revenge.
I was doing it because this was war now. They made it that way. I gave them a warning shot with the fire. They ignored it.
Now they'll bleed for it.
***
Morning came with fog. Thick. Low. The perfect cover for my first operation. Nature was smiling at me.
It muffled movement and killed visibility beyond twenty meters. For anyone else, this would be a problem. For me? An opportunity worth a million bucks. Not that money is worth anything here though.
I prepped fast.
Wore the gloves. Tightened the straps on the backpack. Sheathed the Karambit in a place I could draw it with minimal motion. Holstered the Glock for emergencies. Hanged the mini crossbow with a strap on my backpack.
Today was knife work.
I ran one last systems check in my head.
Body: Weak, but rested. Hydrated. Minor soreness.
Weapons: Knife sharpened. Mini-crossbow in reach. Glock loaded. Revolver as backup.
Tools: Binoculars, glow-sticks, rope, basic first aid.
I moved out before sunrise. My boots crunched over frost-hardened leaves. I took the long path around to the southeast sweep area. The one I watched yesterday.
Same plan, new angle.
They didn't expect me to strike. That's the mistake they'll pay deary for.
***
It took an hour to get into position.
I didn't rush. Didn't make a sound.
I lay flat near a rise in the ground where the slope dipped down into an old, broken hiking trail. Same place but up ahead where there was a funnel. Any patrol trying to search this part of the forest would follow that trail down without thinking.
And right on cue, they showed up.
Three again. Same group as yesterday.
The coughing guy was trailing behind. No mask. Machete on hip, rifle slung across his shoulder. Weakest link observable.
The female had better posture. Sweeping left to right with her eyes. She was the real threat. Second priority, first if she noticed me.
Third guy walked center. A little too confident. Led with his chest. Probably thought he was in control. Classic middle-man energy. Eligible for mistakes most of the times. High probability of blundering in difficult situations.
I didn't know how but my mind analyzed them like computer components, weaknesses apparent to my eyes.
They moved casual. Not lazy, but not paranoid either. David's still underestimating me. Good, better to be underestimated than overestimated.
I watched them for a full five minutes. Measured their steps. Timed their spacing. Memorized their rhythm.
Then I moved.
Down the slope, but not directly at them. I circled to intercept their path. Picked a dense patch of trees with decent cover. This was where the coughing guy would pass through in about twenty seconds.
I counted it out in my head. Every second. And exactly on time my opportunity showed itself.
When he reached the small dip in the dirt trail, I stepped forward from the side, grabbed the back of his collar, yanked him down, and drove the Karambit into his neck. It took some effort to do that but I managed.
One second.
He didn't scream.
I held him tight until the shaking stopped. Pulled him behind the tree. Rolled him onto his side. The fucker was heavy. So they got used to him falling behind.
His rifle was loud. Left it. Took the machete instead and moved again.
The lead guy had gone further up, still assuming his squad was right behind him. The girl paused. Looked back. She sensed something but unfortunately too late.
I sprinted forward just as she opened her mouth to call out.
My hand wrapped around her throat. Knife under the jaw. Sharp twist. She collapsed without resistance. Choking on her own blood slowly. I ended it with a thrust to the side of the head.
Two down.
Lead guy finally noticed. He turned and saw me, but didn't scream. He froze. Just like I predicted.
I didn't. there was a 10 meter distance between us. Too far for me to Sprint and attack him. With lightning reflexes I reached for my mini-crossbow fired a precise shot with pure instinct.
When he finally tried to move his hands slightly to raise the rifle. A bolt pierced his right eye. He froze for the second and last time of his life and dropped down like a doll with its strings cut.
I stood still, breathing slightly heavy. But still steady.
Three bodies.
One shot fired.
Minimal noise.
I dragged them off the trail, one by one. Left them spaced out. Made it look like an animal attack. Torn necks. Blood splatter smeared, not puddled. Third guy might give it away so I tore his eye out just for good measure. And to retrieve my bolt too.
Then I took the machete from the second guy. Standard build. Nothing special. Still usable.Didn't touch the rifles though,too noisy, and too much weight. It'll sell the act that they were mauled by wild animals cuz who in their right mind would leave functioning guns out here like that.
I found a pack on the girl, basic supplies. One canteen. A compass. Notebook with some scouting notes and a hand-drawn map.
That was useful. Their notes showed patrol grids.
I easily memorized it. Left the notebook behind. Let them find it, It would throw off the trail. ( *A/N: yes his memory is this good now, he already had a good memory retention back in his past life, now with the template system and the first template, it became better. )
I walked back to the trail ahead and took a different path home. Doubled back. Cleaned the blade in the stream before re-sheathing.
This was one of many operations that'll come.
***
Back at the cabin, I reinforced the door with scavenged wood. Moved the couch against it. Used the nails I found in the old cabinet to secure the window boards.
Then I sat.
Opened the Shop. Didn't buy anything. Anything worth buying is pricey. And I'm not practically so liquid right now. (*A/N: it's a term for saying "I don't have much money right now", for those who couldn't understand it.)
I looked at the notification instead.
[ Ding ] [ Cling ]
[ (T) You have eliminated a human ×3 earning +9 Shadow Marks ]
[ (SS) You have eliminated a human ×3 earning +54 Shop Points ]
Total Shadow Marks: 24
Total SP: 938
I was close. Well, not really.
Jack Reacher's Template required 150 SM. Still a long way to go. But that was fine. Arthur bishops template's already gave me so much, can't imagine what one more will do to me, so I'll take my time to accumulate to this one first.
But if they keep sending scouts. It wouldn't be long before I had the points.
I wasn't going to run forever. But I wasn't going to stand still either.
This was a war of ghosts now. And I was the one walking in the dark. As cringy as it sounds, it's the current truth.
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Word count: 2014 words.
Thank you for reading.
To be continued.