After summoning the JLTV, he went back to his house and prepared his gear. He bought a new set of SWAT armor, replenished ammunition and grenades, and after five minutes, he exited the house and locked the door.
Thomas climbed into the JLTV, its interior as intimidatingly advanced as its exterior. The control panel gleamed with displays, switches, and toggles, each labeled for tactical operations. The mounted M2 Browning .50 caliber machine gun on the turret above was a massive upgrade to his arsenal, but he needed to figure out how to operate it efficiently.
He slid into the driver's seat, adjusted the chair, and glanced at the turret controls on the dashboard. A touch-screen interface displayed the turret's live feed, complete with targeting reticles and rangefinders.
"Alright," Thomas muttered to himself, scrolling through the on-screen instructions. The system shop had conveniently uploaded a manual for the vehicle and its weapon systems.
M1278 Heavy Guns Carrier – Turret Operations:
Manual Mode: Operate directly from the turret hatch.
Remote Mode: Use dashboard controls for targeting and firing.
Auto-Assistance: AI-assisted targeting (requires activation and additional system resources).
Thomas smirked at the Auto-Assistance option but decided to test it out manually first. He climbed through the turret hatch.
He gripped the twin handles and swiveled the turret slowly, getting a feel for its weight and movement. The barrel moved effortlessly as he rotated it, the mechanism responding to even the slightest adjustment.
"Smooth," he muttered. He glanced at the ammo counter beside the gun—it was fully loaded with 200 .50 caliber rounds. Enough to shred through a horde.
Satisfied with the manual operation, Thomas climbed back down and returned to the driver's seat. He tapped the Remote Mode option on the dashboard, and the turret's live feed filled the display. The targeting reticle moved as he manipulated the joystick controls on the armrest, giving him precise aim without having to expose himself.
"This is going to come in handy," he muttered, switching briefly to Auto-Assistance mode. The system whirred to life, scanning the empty street ahead for potential threats. A notification popped up on the screen.
Auto-Assistance Activated: Scanning Area...
No Hostile Targets Detected
Thomas deactivated it for now. He didn't want to waste system resources unnecessarily.
Preparation for the Mall
Thomas leaned back in his seat, reviewing his plan. The city mall was only a few miles away, and being in a densely populated urban area, it was likely swarming with hundreds, if not thousands, of zombies. Actually, he doesn't have to go to the mall, he just needs to go to the city and farm blood coins and experience points.
With that, he changed his mind, his target was the city. He rolled out and headed towards the city.
As he turned a corner, a cluster of zombies stumbled into view. Their milky eyes locked onto the JLTV, their growls growing louder as they lunged toward the vehicle.
Thomas smirked. "Let's see what this baby can do."
He flipped the Auto-Assistance toggle on the dashboard, and the turret above whirred to life. The targeting reticle on the screen locked onto the nearest zombies, and a notification appeared:
Auto-Assistance Activated: Engaging Targets.
The mounted Browning M2 roared to life.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The heavy .50 caliber rounds tore through the zombies with brutal efficiency. Each shot sent chunks of rotting flesh and bone flying, reducing the horde to a bloody mess on the asphalt. The sound of the gunfire echoed through the empty streets, drowning out the groans of the undead.
Thomas watched the notifications pile up on his system interface, a sense of satisfaction washing over him. The JLTV's turret swept from side to side, picking off stragglers with pinpoint accuracy. The streets ahead were soon littered with the corpses of the undead.
"This is almost too easy," he muttered, gripping the wheel as he maneuvered the vehicle around the wreckage.
But he knew better than to let his guard down. The noise from the turret was bound to attract more zombies, and the last thing he wanted was to get surrounded without an escape route.
He glanced at the map on the dashboard, which displayed his immediate surroundings. Red dots began to populate the screen, indicating the growing number of zombies converging on his location.
"Here they come," Thomas said under his breath, his smirk fading into a determined grimace.
Within minutes, the streets were crawling with zombies. They came from alleyways, storefronts, and abandoned vehicles, their grotesque forms shambling and sprinting toward the JLTV. Thomas estimated at least a hundred of them, if not more.
He activated the Remote Mode, taking direct control of the turret. The targeting reticle on the screen allowed him to aim with precision, and he began firing in controlled bursts.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The turret mowed down the front line of the horde, the heavy rounds ripping through multiple zombies with each shot. Black ichor splattered across the pavement as bodies dropped one after another.
Despite the turret's relentless firepower, the horde kept coming. Thomas gritted his teeth as he realized the sheer scale of the undead pouring into the streets. He needed to keep moving to avoid being overwhelmed.
Shifting the JLTV into gear, he pressed down on the accelerator. The vehicle lurched forward, plowing through the zombies with its reinforced bumper. The sickening crunch of bones and flesh beneath the tires was almost drowned out by the roar of the engine.
"Come on," Thomas growled, weaving through the debris-strewn streets. The turret continued firing automatically, thinning the horde as he made his way deeper into the city.
At this point, he kind of regretted not activating the capsule. However—he knew at one point in time where that boost would be the most effective to use. For now, he'd settle on the triple boost the system just gave him.
In order for him to keep battling, he constantly reloaded the bullets of the M2 Browning using blood coins. And ever since he arrived at the city of Manila, he had killed over a hundred zombies to the point his level jumped from 5 to 7, then 7 to 9, and 9 to 10.
[You have reached level 10!]
[New feature unlocked! Summon troops!]