I Have a Modern Weapon Gacha System in the Zombie Apocalypse-Chapter 11: Heading to the Condo Unit

Adrian inspected the Toyota Fortuner again and sighed. "Looks like you are not going to be safe driving that vehicle. If we encounter a zombie horde along the way, you’d be vulnerable."

"You are right," the father concurred.

Adrian looked around the Skyway as he searched for another vehicle. Well, there are some that were abandoned, and there is a van. He pointed at it.

"A Hyundai Staria," he said. "I’m sure it’s automatic and based on the design, it’s top of the line. Do you know how to drive such a long vehicle?"

The father glanced at the van and then flickered his gaze back to Adrian. "I haven’t driven a van before but that should be easy, and better than nothing."

"Anyways, we have been speaking ever since and I don’t even know your name. I’m "Adrian," he finished, extending his hand briefly. "Adrian Reyes."

The father shook it fast. His palm was still damp. "Marco. Marco Villanueva."

He gestured to his wife. "This is Liza. And that’s my daughter, Mia."

Mia gave a small nod but didn’t speak. She kept close to her mother.

Adrian looked at the Hyundai Staria again. It sat two lanes over, angled slightly toward the inner barrier. No shattered glass. No visible blood on the doors. Dark tinted windows.

"Let’s hope that the driver abandoned it with the key inside."

"Only one way to find out," Adrian said before walking towards the van.

Marco trailed behind him and the moment they neared the van, Adrian peered through the windows to see if there were people inside. There was none. He opened the driver’s door and inside, it smelled like a brand new car, possibly bought weeks before the apocalypse.

And he saw the key in the middle of the center console.

It was sitting inside the cup holder.

Adrian let out a short breath. "Lucky."

He grabbed the key fob and pressed the unlock button.

The side mirrors folded out with a soft whir. The dashboard lit up.

"It works," Marco said under his breath.

"Move your family over," Adrian replied. "Quickly. We don’t stay exposed."

Marco turned and waved Liza and Mia forward. Liza carried the baby tight against her chest. Mia stayed close to her mother’s side, eyes scanning the empty stretch of Skyway like she expected something else to fall from above.

Adrian opened the sliding door and checked the interior first. Second row empty.

Third row empty.

"Clear," he said.

Liza climbed in first and settled into the second row. She buckled Mia beside her. The baby’s crying had softened into short, tired whimpers.

Marco stepped into the driver’s seat and adjusted it quickly.

Adrian circled once around the van, scanning the lanes.

A few infected were visible far down the highway, drawn by earlier gunfire. None were close yet.

"Wait, isn’t it better if we stick together in one vehicle instead of you taking the motorcycle?" Marco asked.

Adrian shook his head. "That won’t do. I’ll scout ahead and cover your blind spots. If something blocks the road, I can move faster on the bike."

Marco hesitated. "But if something like that bird comes back—"

"I’ll see it first," Adrian cut in. "Up front, I have better visibility. You focus on driving and protecting your family."

Liza leaned forward slightly from the second row. "Please be careful."

Adrian gave a short nod. "Just keep the doors locked. Don’t open them for anyone unless I say so."

He stepped back and jogged to his motorcycle.

The engine roared alive again.

Marco shifted the Staria into drive. The van rolled forward slowly at first, then picked up speed.

Adrian pulled ahead by fifteen meters and stayed slightly to the left lane, giving the van space to maneuver behind him.

The Skyway exit ramp toward Entertainment City loomed ahead.

Traffic was heavier near the descent.

Cars were jammed tighter. Some had collided during panic. A sedan’s rear was crushed. A pickup sat sideways with its hood popped open.

Adrian slowed as they descended the exit ramp.

He expected movement between the stalled cars.

None came.

The road below was choked with abandoned vehicles, but the infected were gone from this stretch. No figures stumbling between bumpers. No heads snapping toward engine noise.

He raised his left hand and motioned Marco forward.

The Staria rolled down carefully, its engine low and steady.

They reached the main road leading toward Bayshore Residential Resort 1.

The entrance gate stood half open, two cars still angled against it from an earlier crash.

Adrian coasted ahead first.

He stopped just before the gate and scanned the compound.

Empty driveway.

No movement near the guard post.

The security booth door was open, chair knocked over inside.

"Clear," he signaled.

Marco drove through the gap slowly.

Inside the compound, several cars were parked in random angles across the driveway. A motorcycle lay on its side near the lobby entrance. A stroller was tipped over near the walkway.

But there were no infected.

No groans.

No bodies dragging themselves across the pavement.

Adrian felt the tension in his shoulders ease a fraction.

"Head to the basement," he called out, pointing toward the ramp leading down.

Marco nodded and turned the wheel.

The Staria rolled down into the basement parking.

Adrian followed close behind.

The air grew cooler underground. Fluorescent lights flickered overhead. Some sections were dark, others dim.

Rows of parked cars filled most of the spaces.

Many of them looked untouched.

No shattered glass.

No blood streaks on the concrete.

Adrian slowed to a crawl.

Sound carried differently down here. Every engine echo bounced off pillars and low ceilings.

He killed his engine halfway down and listened.

Nothing.

He let Marco continue deeper into the parking area.

"Park near the elevator lobby," Adrian said.

Marco steered toward a section near a concrete column marked B2-17.

He parked the Staria facing outward.

The engine was off, and silence returned.

Adrian rolled his motorcycle beside a pillar and killed it as well.

He removed the shotgun from his back and walked toward the van.

Marco stepped out first.

"We’re here," he said quietly, like speaking too loud would wake something.

Liza opened the sliding door slowly. She stepped down carefully with the baby. Mia followed, eyes wide but steady.

Adrian scanned the parking floor one more time.

Empty.

"This building might have been evacuated early," he said. "Or whatever happened upstairs hasn’t reached here. I do hope you guys have the keys to your unit."

"We do!"

"Great."