My Sniper System in a Zombie Apocalypse World-Chapter 27: Lessons After the Hunt

Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Lessons After the Hunt
Usually, his bullets turned zombie heads to red mist. Even the variants fell with a single shot.
But this one had not.
’If something like this exists, then that Alpha Zombie must be much tougher.’
A cold thought followed.
’Will bullets stop working one day if they keep evolving like this?’
That can’t be, right.
He shook the negative thought away and steadied himself, forcing his focus back onto the creature.
Click.
The next shot went clean through.
Its head exploded like a smashed watermelon, flesh and bone scattering as the body finally went limp. At the same time, the familiar notification appeared.
(20 EXP, 25 coins, and 0.20 agility obtained from the zombie)
Jaxon let out a slow breath.
’At least the rewards weren’t bad. Still, I don’t ever want to meet something like that again.’
As he lowered his rifle, another thought crossed his mind.
’I was saving coins for another sniper rifle. And other useful things too.’
He paused, then sighed.
’Oh well.’
(27 coins spent. Ammo Lv.0 → Lv.1)
Jaxon checked the bullets, but just like before, nothing about them looked different.
’Hope this is good enough. I still have plans for those coins.’
Thinking about the three M16s and two pistols they had gathered earlier, it would be a waste if they ended up unused.
’System Shop,’ Jaxon called in his mind as he searched for what he needed.
(100 coins spent. Suppressor x2 successfully purchased.)
(Coins remaining: 26)
Jaxon let out a quiet breath.
’Just barely enough. I’ll save the rest for emergency bullets.’
His thoughts kept moving. Rifle upgrades. Suppressors for the M16s. Bullets.
’Coins... I need a lot more coins.’
As he was still thinking about it, the door to his room opened quietly. Natasha stepped in, moving fast. Her face was tense as she spoke in a low voice.
"Jaxon, I heard a strange roar outside. It sounded loud. It has to be another variant. Mom and Cindy are hiding in my room. Come with us."
"You came at the right time," Jaxon said calmly, lifting his rifle slightly. "Don’t worry. I took it down just now."
Natasha blinked in surprise, then nodded. She sometimes forgot how capable her brother had become.
Jaxon then told her what happened earlier, from the sounds on the roof to the fight itself. He even pointed out the body lying down the street, where the creature had finally fallen.
Natasha’s brow furrowed, then relaxed, then furrowed again as she listened. An infected that survived a bullet to the head. Fast, crawling on all fours, able to jump long distances. Just hearing about it sent a chill through her.
A troubled look appeared on her face.
"Another strange mutant has shown up," she said quietly. "And there’s no information from the government. Are they blocking it on purpose? This is frustrating."
"Calm down, it’s possible no one else survived after running into it."
Natasha shook her head.
"That’s unlikely. The chances of us being the first ones to see it are low. Information is too important right now. Someone has to be hiding it."
"Then we won’t post about it either," Jaxon said. "Just keep watching the internet, maybe the information is delayed."
He did not know what the government was thinking, but staying careful felt like the right choice.
Natasha nodded, still bothered by the thought but unable to do anything about it.
Then her eyes shifted to the table, noticing something.
"What’s that?" she asked, pointing at a black lump of metal.
"Suppressors."
"You mean..." she exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.
"Yes," Jaxon said with a faint smile. "Tomorrow, we’ll start your gun lessons. So make sure you get some rest."
.....
Morning came quickly. In their backyard, enclosed by a high wall, Jaxon and his family stood together.
"The rifle might be too hard for you all to handle, so we’ll start with pistols," Jaxon said, looking at the three beautiful faces staring back at him.
Natasha’s eyes glimmered with hidden excitement, though her calm expression stayed in place, experience gave her confidence. Cindy’s eyes were wide with excitement, and Isabel looked nervous, her hands trembling slightly.
Noticing her worried expression, Jaxon smiled gently.
"If it’s too much for you, Mom, you don’t have to do it."
Isabel shook her head firmly.
"No, I’ll do it. I can’t just stand by while my children are learning to fight. I need to know too."
"Alright, just don’t overdo it."
He handed a pistol to Cindy and Isabel first, carefully showing how to hold it.
"First, your grip, keep it firm, but don’t strain your arms. Your finger stays off the trigger until I say."
He demonstrated the basics, positioning the pistol safely, then removed the bullets so it was completely safe to pull the trigger.
"Now, line up the sights with your target. Don’t rush. Take your time."
Even though this was Jaxon’s first time using the pistol for actual teaching, he had the knowledge and basics down. He corrected their stances gently, adjusting hands and arms, guiding them step by step.
Cindy grinned, pulling the trigger with a satisfying click. "Like this?"
"Exactly! Now, Mom, you give it a try," Jaxon said, turning to Isabel, who looked a bit hesitant.
Natasha focused intently, her experience showing. Isabel hesitated for a moment but then took a deep breath, mimicking Jaxon’s stance.
"Good. Just like that," Jaxon encouraged, smiling. "Keep practicing. We’ll move on to firing next, once you’re comfortable."
Half an hour later, Jaxon picked up a pistol and faced the small line of cans he had set up ten meters away.
"Now that you’re all familiar with it, it’s time to learn how to shoot targets," he said.
"Already? Shouldn’t we practice a bit more first? I don’t want to waste bullets," Natasha said, her brows slightly furrowed.
"You don’t need to worry about that. We have plenty," Jaxon said with a reassuring smile. He reloaded the gun and aimed carefully at the first can.
Clang. Bullseye.