Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

As soon as we arrived, we couldn't help but be amused at the faces the guards wore when they saw us. It was already rare to see a classic muscle car rolling down the streets even when the world hasn't ended, how much more could it be when the guy in charge of everything was also the one driving it?

I chuckled as I greeted them, "Yo."

"S-Sir?"

"Is Rico around?"

"Y-Yes, sir…"

"How about Marvin and his team?"

"T-They're still on a run b-but– *radio chatter* it seems that they just pulled up on the other entrance."

"Great! Please tell Rico we'll be using his outdoor range and please tell Marvin and his crew if they'd like to attend a long shooting class. I bet Max would be excited to flex for a bit."

"S-Sir?"

"Hmm?"

"W-We don't have an o-outdoor range…"

"Heh, you'll have one now! Well, officially… Congrats!"

The look of confusion in their faces was so fucking priceless but I just drove forward and caught up with Marvin and his team.

All of them also got confused about the words that came out of my mouth but they said that they'll follow us as soon as they gave their report to this place's CO. As I said, Max was the one most excited to come to our class and he first went to their armory to get restocked with ammo.

With that said, we went on ahead of them and drove straight for the expressway they were slowly reclaiming as the days gone.

We were easily let inside but we drove for a few minutes until we reached their furthest checkpoint. We can't just start shooting at steel targets when we were in between checkpoints because that would be a recipe for disaster. The last thing we would want was a stray bullet boring into an unaware guard's body.

But as soon as we arrived, we greeted the guards stationed there before I started to put 12-inch square targets with 50-yard spacing from the 100-yard mark up to the 1500-yard mark. I would've liked to put more targets until the 2000-yard mark but that was all we could bring right now. Besides, it was easy enough to replicate the steel targets we brought with scrap metal, and all they needed to do after machining the correct shape was painting over it.

-

*bzzt*

[Umm… Bro?]

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Yeah?"

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

[A few more came… I-Is that okay?]

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Why? Are they too many for the tables?"

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

[N-No… They brought their own…]

*bzzt*

-

*bzzt*

"Then that's fine… I'll drive back in a sec."

*bzzt*

-

When I arrived back at the checkpoint, an array of tables were present and a few people were excitedly looking at the targets I prepared for them. However, the words I said next were something even I would've been left in fear when I was still not with Kaley.

"I know some of you brought your own tables but this class is a little special. Find a partner and then pick your spot."

"WHAAAAT?!"

"I know it's fun to shoot at steel targets but we're doing things a little different."

A select few just cleaned up and walked back to where they came from while the rest scrambled to find their partner. Aside from Kaley and me, Olivia and Lois, and Ashley and Marvin, Max paired up with Angelina while Martin paired up with Marjorie. Their old team wouldn't just go pair with someone else but Brian and Carlo who were also present just watched from the side.

I would've let them join as well but their weapon of choice wasn't long-range rifles.

We had a total of nine pairs when it calmed down while the ones who failed to find their partner just stayed behind to watch. I was sure they were just waiting for our class to be over so that they could practice on their own.

Well, some of them actually wanted to pair up but the cartridges they're using were totally different from the ones that they were left to partner with. They could as easily swap guns for the moment but that would be more detrimental, and it would be more advisable to just watch.

Nevertheless, I was hoping for the others who were unwilling to have a partner to just pair with the ones that also didn't get their partner but all I could hope was for them to learn something substantial just from watching, or they'd actually join mid-way when they recognize the advantage of taking this class.

In any case, I started a short lecture before we went hands-on.

I discussed the things I talked about last time in my room with these people and as luck would have it, only a few had to reconfigure their scopes. It would've taken the majority of our time if all of them had to zero their rifles before we even start shooting but it was still something we had to do first before anything else.

Most of the time, the reason why most people miss was that their rifles weren't configured properly.

In which case, Kaley's rifle and my rifle were already zeroed the moment we got here, and we started a short demonstration to show what this class was all about.

Kaley and I sat on our chairs and set our sights on the target at 300 yards but to everyone's surprise, Kaley was the only one who pulled the trigger. I was just looking through my scope and telling her where to place her shot the whole time and I didn't fire a single shot even if she hit the target from 1500 yards.

It left everyone wearing confused faces and it didn't help when we just 'switched' roles. From their perspective, we just hit targets with our expensive rifles and it didn't look like it needed a partner to do.

"Is… Is that it?"

"That's it?"

"I don't understand…"

It was a bad move for Kaley and me to partner up since we would never miss shooting at stationary targets or giving directions to where to point our rifles so I waved Olivia over, much to her surprise.

Olivia almost shrunk down from the stares she got, "M-Me? W-W-Why?"

"Just trust me. Sit on this chair your sister was in and let's start by you shooting the targets from the 100-yard mark."

"O-Okay…"

It would be a little troublesome to partner up with someone using a different caliber rifle but it was needed to prove a point with my lesson. And as soon Olivia's face got filled with concentration, everyone just quieted down.

It didn't take long before she held her breath and pulled the trigger and the short ding of the steel target I put up resounded.

"Great job!"

"T-Thanks…"

"Go for the 300-yard target next–"

"I haven't s-shot that far…"

"Okay, the 200-yard one then. Hold a bit to the right…"

Like earlier, Olivia acquired her target before she held her breath and pulled the trigger, and she hit the target only a few inches away from the center. She never looked so happy hitting a target from 200 yards but everyone watching was still confused. I didn't say much because I was waiting for something else to happen but everything changed when I made her aim for the steel target at the 300-yard mark.

"No wind, just aim a tad higher than earlier…"

"O-Okay…"

Olivia was a little nervous shooting farther than her own record and as reality would dictate it, she missed a couple of inches higher. She was just about to look at me apologetically when I smirked and pulled the trigger the moment I saw her shot miss.

"Wha–"

It was only a fraction of a second between our shots and the short ding instantly followed.

I looked at her with a faint smile, "That's my fault, sorry. But do you get it now?"

Olivia never looked so confused, "What?"

"I just told you what to do and you missed, right? Instead of you correcting that shot, I'll be the one correcting it from the place we were holding it. If you didn't notice what we're doing, I'm telling you where to shoot but I'm also holding that position. If we do it like this, recalculations will be faster by a few seconds."

"Ohh~"

"This is just the start but the goal is for you and your partner to offer calculations and recalculations to hit your target in less than three shots in quick succession. Theoretically, both of you could recalculate and shoot as much as your mags could offer but only a single recalculation is needed most of the time. Jared and I would do this a few times when I was teaching him but do I make sense?"

Olivia let out a pensive look as she smiled, "U-Umm… I think I g-get your point now... I-It's like looking out for each other, right? C-Can we try again?"

I nodded, "Okay, we'll do it again but hold a bit to the left. Relax your shoulders too…"

"O-Okay!"

Olivia and I continued until we reached the 800-yard mark but her nervousness acted up again when she was now the one to dictate where I'd place my shot. I even borrowed Lois' M70 so it would be easier for her to give me directions to where to set my sights on but we started fumbling even if we were still on the 400-yard mark.

I could as easily shoot farther without her help but that wasn't the point of this class.

"Want me to switch with your boyfriend?"

"Wha– W-W-Well– He's my– He's– Y-Yes but– I-I-I-I-I DON'T SAY IT OUT LOUD!"