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“There’s a nearby maintenance station for exosuits, it’s meant for the security staff of the park.” One of the security staff was quick to suggest a solution for their cleanliness problem. “There is ammunition kept there as well, we can stock up at the same time.”

“Alright, let’s head there first.” Ouyang Huiren nodded his approval. “Anyone else have something to add? If not, we’re off.”

He waited a couple more seconds, and upon seeing no one say a word, he led the way towards the station. “Let’s go!”

“Goddess, do you still require an exosuit, I know where you can find one,” Yamabe Takuma eagerly quipped in an obvious attempt at garnering my approval. “I know of an exosuit which had some issues, but I’m sure it can be fixed up easily. I can bring it back later. Goddess, how about you use mine first?”

“It’s fine, I don’t need such a thing.” I waved him off. “Finish your mission and come back quickly.”

“Yes, we’ll do our best to finish the work fast.” Yamabe entered one of the storerooms of the cafe, exiting mere moments later in a dark green security exosuit. He swiftly caught up to the soldiers and the group left the vicinity together.

With Yamabe escorting them, those soldiers should be fine. I guess I’m on survivor duty then.

I was more worried about those unpredictable ghosts launching a sneak attack on us, that was why I exchanged a bunch of those Inferno Talismans and stuck them all over the cafe. Once we were done with the cafe, I could just as easily peel off the talismans that haven’t activated – convenient.

So… I wonder what kind of powers I got this time from my bloodline strengthening… Still… 100,000 points… why do I get this feeling that I’m getting scammed…

The two hours of break time passed by in an instant, especially when everyone had a job to do.

The food had just come off the stove when Ouyang Huiren and the others returned with five carts in tow, each stacked with trunks. Unlike when they first left the cafe, their exosuits were now spick and span. Clearly, they had taken the time to clean up at the maintenance station.

“Not bad, very efficient.” I praised them. “What’s inside those trunks?”

“Food, medicine, some sundries.” Yamabe was quick to answer as he walked out of the group, finger pointing at each of the trunks as he listed their contents. “There’s also some female necessities in them.” He winked at me at that point… That proud look on his face… he’s lucky I haven’t punched him yet! And why does it feel like this misunderstanding between me and him is only getting worse by the second… I mean I haven’t actually told him I’m a guy, but there’s a good reason for that…

Not long after, Yamabe led me away to a quiet corner and shoved an unknown object into my hands. Having done all that, he blushed and ran off…

Whether it was the flowery wrapping or its decidedly soft contents, I could already tell what this gift was meant for without even looking…

Darn it! How many times do I have to tell him that I’m not here to look for a partner!

Our meal went smoothly for the most part, with everyone huddling together around nearby tables. By the time we were done eating and had fully rested, it was almost night.

I stood up, eyed the fidgeting female survivors, then looked at the 27 or so soldiers, some male and some female.

The room quietened down in an instant. Everyone knew I was about to make an announcement from the moment I stood up.

“Ahem…” I cleared my throat once, then in a firm voice, said, “I intend to set up a safe zone in the city for all the survivors of Southern Plains to gather in. I know this might sound like a distant goal for us now, but if we do not take that first step, we will not reach it. As the saying goes, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I intend to take this first step, and I hope that everyone present will join me in this endeavour!”

“Goddess, I will support you for life!” Yamabe was the first to stand up and make his decision known. His eyes burned with a fiery passion as he thrust his hand up to volunteer. “The Goddess’s goals are my goals. For the Goddess, I will do anything!”

I turned to look at the smitten boy’s face.

Please stop… especially that goddess bit… it’s really embarrassing…

Someone kill me… Actually, I want to kill someone right now…

With the very audible approval of Yamabe leading the way, Ouyang Huiren was quick to follow, swearing to protect the citizens of this city to his dying breath.

The female survivors were mostly silent, but there wasn’t really much for them to do in the first place, outside of staying alive.

In fact, their safety was a concern of mine as well. Frankly speaking, their comely appearance did them no favours in a lawless environment like this zombie apocalypse.

As for the men… I don’t want no dirty males in my harem, thank you very much.

That was just a joke, of course… just a joke… It’s not like I would accept just any old pretty girl into my harem. After all, while others only needed money to open up a harem, I needed points. Points!

Now that our little meeting was over, it was time to leave this underground playground. I had the women positioned in the middle of our combatants and prepared to leave.

Our destination was the hot springs inn; the environment there was quite conducive for my needs. By my estimates, that inn could house hundreds of survivors at the same time. Water wouldn’t be an issue there, and more importantly, Bitong and the girls were waiting for me there.

Until I found a better place, the inn was a fine temporary base.

If there had to be one defect with that inn, it would be that giant skeleton… that was a headache of its own…

However, now that that hoodlum was dealt with, and its Soul Flame snuffed out, there was no chance of it ever resurrecting.

As for that giant supermarket… there were a ton of supplies there, but the environment was cramped and labyrinthian. It was filled with zombies, requiring quite a fair bit of clean up before the building as a whole was usable. Definitely not my first choice.

Finally, our group of forty or so left the cafe, with me leading the way, closely followed by Yamabe.

The women were all seated atop the trunks, which were in turn carried by those carts from before. Before the world went to heck, these carts were often used to ferry staff around as well, so having them ride the carts was a safe choice.

For the most part, our initial journey upwards was uneventful, given that Yamabe had already put the majority of the zombies to sleep. Barring the odd scream or two from the more timid girls, there was nothing worth reporting.

Yet the moment we got close to the slumbering zombie mountain, Yamabe suddenly broke his silence. “Goddess, there’s actually something I’ve been meaning to ask you…”

Shameless Self-promotion

Announcement: I’ve re-opened my Patreon in case anyone wants to sponsor more chapters. Every end of the month, those chapters in early access will be released for free for all to read. If you sponsored a chapter, you will gain permanent early access to these chapters. Essentially, everyone gets more chapters to read, but those who donated get to read earlier. More chapters will then be translated at the start of the month. Explanation on the Patreon itself.

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