He opened the door and stepped out into the cool air outside. He instantly spotted a mutant standing in the middle of the roof, facing him. Jake froze. The mutant’s sinister stare bore into him, causing his hands to tighten their grip on his combat shotgun. However, the mutant remained still, not making any aggressive moves, just watching him intently from its position on the roof.

Jake tore his gaze away from the creature momentarily to scan his surroundings for any additional threats on the roof. Finding none, he refocused his attention on the ex-human standing motionless at the center, their eyes locked in a tense standoff. It definitely was the elite mutant he had to defeat. He withdrew his left hand from the semi-auto shotgun and reached into his inner jacket pocket, all the while keeping a vigilant eye on the mutant before him. His fingers wrapped around his PDA, and he started to extract the device from his pocket. Mentally prepared for any sudden attack by the mutant, he was ready to drop the PDA in an instant and shift his full attention to the impending threat.

However, the ex-human remained motionless as he aimed the camera at the mutant and scanned it. He learned that the mutant was called a whipper and it was an elite enemy, which meant that it was somewhat stronger than ordinary ex-humans. Jake carefully returned the device to his inner jacket pocket before turning his full attention back to the motionless mutant, sizing up his formidable opponent once more. The mutant stood tall and robust, its appearance similar to that of a shambler with organic growth covering much of its bulky frame. Its large mouth was filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth nearly the size of fingers. While its right hand sported sharp claws like a standard ex-human, its left arm was absent, replaced by a dangling tentacle that nearly touched the ground.

Jake tightened his grip on the shotgun. He was aware that the organic growth enveloping the mutant’s body acted as a protective layer. This layer possessed the astonishing ability to regenerate quickly, allowing the mutant to heal and restore damaged tissue at remarkable speed. Having faced shamblers with similar protective growth several times before, he knew the organic layer could be destroyed. To halt the regeneration process, he had to maintain a rapid and continuous barrage of gunfire, leaving no opportunity for the protective layer to heal. However, the most efficient method to eliminate a shambler, and likely the whipper as well, was by targeting and destroying its brain. While the elite ex-human’s head also exhibited some organic growth, it was not as thick as the layer enveloping its body.

With determination set in his mind, he began to approach the elite mutant, keeping the shotgun trained at its head. The ex-human watched him move, remaining in the same spot. Another step closer, and the monster let out a deafening roar, causing Jake to pause, his shotgun still directed at the mutant’s menacing face. His original intention was to move closer for a clean shot, but when the monster sprang into action, he swiftly shifted gears. Just as the mutant burst into a run toward him, he hastily adjusted his aim and squeezed the trigger. The load of buckshot partly missed its target, turning half of the monster’s face into a bloody mess. Unfazed, the creature kept running toward him. Jake watched in dismay as his plan crumbled before his eyes. His hope of eliminating the elite mutant with a single headshot had just vanished.

Keeping his left hand on the shotgun, Jake cast a Push spell without any physical gestures. Over the past thirty minutes, he had cast the spell several times, discovering that a mere mental command was all it took to unleash the magic. The surge of magical energy crashed into the approaching monster, causing it to stumble. Despite momentarily slowing it down, the spell failed to have a significant impact. Before Jake could follow up with another shot, the creature retaliated, striking out at him with its long tentacle.

Jake instinctively ducked as the tentacle swished through the air above him with a sharp whooshing sound. The massive monster let out a frustrated roar as it charged toward him. With the mutant dangerously near, Jake swiftly darted to the side to get out of its path and gain some distance between them. The whipper attempted to seize him with its sharp-clawed right hand, but he narrowly evaded its grasp. As the creature’s momentum carried it forward, Jake took aim and fired at its back, blowing a chunk of flesh out of its body. He had inflicted some damage, but the organic growth on the monster swiftly regenerated its injured flesh at incredible speed.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Jake knew that he could use the Push spell a few more times, so he cast it again. The surge of energy struck the creature’s back, causing it to lose balance and drop to its knees. Seizing the moment, Jake swiftly adjusted his aim and fired a shot at the exposed back of the mutant’s skull. Half its head exploded, sending bits of shattered skull bone and brain matter flying everywhere. Surprisingly, the elite mutant was still alive and kicking, showing the will to continue the fight. Rising to its feet, it swiftly turned around to confront Jake.

For the next few minutes, Jake engaged in a fierce battle with the whipper. Despite his best efforts to target the creature’s head, landing headshots was hard due to the mutant’s constant movement. When he hit its body, he hardly inflicted any damage because the organic growth absorbed the impact of the pellets like a sponge and swiftly healed the damaged flesh. The whipper relentlessly attacked him with its tentacle, but he managed to evade the strikes with quick reflexes. In one instance, the whipper landed a hit, knocking him down. Rising to his feet, Jake countered by casting the Push spell on the monster, slowing it down enough for him to escape.

Finally, he was able to deliver one more shot to the creature’s head, causing what was left of it to blow apart in a shower of gore. The whipper’s headless body collapsed to the ground with a tremendous thud. His PDA beeped with an incoming notification, indicating that the final objective of his mission had just been achieved. He slung the shotgun over one shoulder and took out the device. He was offered three different weapons to choose from as a reward: a heavy-caliber pistol, a powerful shotgun, and an assault rifle. All of them were of rare rarity, surpassing both common and uncommon weapons in quality. After selecting the assault rifle, he was prompted to designate a location on the map for the airdrop containing his reward. He accessed the map, tapping on the roof of the building he occupied. In response, a message appeared on the screen, confirming that the airdrop would reach him in a matter of minutes.

Putting his PDA away, Jake approached the rooftop’s edge and peered down. The deserted street ten stories below appeared devoid of mutants or survivors. Recalling a previous incident where another survivor attempted to intercept his supply drop, Jake felt more secure this time. Even if there were survivors in the vicinity, it would take them a while to locate the landing spot and reach the roof of the tall building. Jake knew that this time, he had ample time to retrieve his prize weapon and prepare an ambush in case anyone appeared.

A few minutes later, a rumble reverberated through the sky, catching his attention. Glancing upward, he spotted a sleek, futuristic aircraft nearing his position. As the craft soared over the high-rise building, the rear hatch swung open, releasing a parcel that descended gracefully with a parachute. Jake observed the airdrop’s gentle descent until it settled on the rooftop beside the whipper’s lifeless body. In contrast to the previous day’s supply drop, the box was noticeably smaller, likely containing only one weapon and no additional items. Following the same routine as before, he entered the confirmation code he’d just received on his PDA into the panel on the side of the box. The code was accepted, and the lid of the box swung open, revealing his prize assault rifle lying inside.

Jake scanned it with his PDA. The rare weapon was level 10, and its impressive stats far exceeded his expectations. With excitement coursing through him, he carefully tucked his PDA back into his inner jacket pocket before retrieving the weapon from the box. He couldn’t wait to test it out on some mutants. Plucking out the magazine, he found it filled with a good amount of rounds. After seating the mag back, he checked the bolt and confirmed another round was ready in the chamber.

Jake returned his attention to the box, where he noticed a few spare magazines inside. Picking them up, he secured the mags in the pouches on his belt. Gripping the assault rifle firmly, he headed back to the stairs and started descending to street level.