Chapter 120
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Shop Profits and Generator Deals
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In a zombie apocalypse, an ability that lets you avoid drawing zombies' attention would be incredibly useful—you could tell just by thinking about it for a second.
Having someone right in front of me claiming to possess such a skill made me want it too...
But if it were possible to steal skills by killing Awakeners who had them, I'd have accumulated a bunch by now. I'd never seen any such function.
After all, I'd killed plenty of people with bizarre skills up to this point.
So there was no need to leap out from the shadows and kill her just because I was tempted by her skill.
Still, having someone with a skill like this around would certainly be convenient.
It might not be essential for me personally, but it could be valuable for the others working under me.
I had no idea what criteria it operated on, but the fact that it kept sound from leaking out seemed like a boon for smoother operations.
The catch was, if I wanted to use it myself, I'd have to bring the woman who had the skill along. Dragging her in just for one skill didn't sit right with me, so I was torn.
If I said I was taking the woman, the man would insist on coming too. And given that they were surviving in this zombie apocalypse with nearly twenty kids, it was obvious they'd start begging to bring all those children along as well.
So for now, I'd just note the location.
I'll come back later if the opportunity arises, I thought as I slipped back outside.
I resumed my earlier patrol. Circling the same areas around the shop control points over and over, I'd take out any mutant zombies I spotted, killing time until closing.
Once the shops vanished, Sohee, Ha Dongseok, and his men prepared to return to base. I headed back in sync with them.
Once we were all back at base, we debriefed on the day's events.
"Everyone worked hard all day. Let's see how much we collected in entry fees."
The teams handed over the coins they'd earned from entrance fees today.
The differences in coin counts per shop were likely due to varying numbers of visitors. With fees at 100 coins each, that averaged out to roughly mid-to-late twenties per shop.
Some shops might not have had anything left to sell from previous days, so fewer people bothered. Plus, word might have spread about the missing generators and purifiers, keeping some away entirely.
Still, this was pretty solid.
Totaling it up...23,500 coins in just one day?
Even with light traffic, we'd raked in this much from entry fees alone. I couldn't even imagine how much we'd make on a reset day with full shop control.
At least double, no question.
And next time, jacking up the entry fee from 100 coins would bring in way more.
"Alright, you all busted your asses today, so it'd feel wrong not to give something back. Here's 300 coins each as a bonus. Sohee and Ha Dongseok handled shops solo, so they'll get double."
The moment I announced the 300 coins, cheers erupted from everyone.
Judging by their expressions and the vibe, they'd figured I'd hoard every last coin without sharing a dime.
I mean, sure, I could hog it all solo, but these guys didn't seem to get me at all.
The people under me need to grow stronger with coins too—that way, they bring in even more. Sharing a fair cut keeps them motivated.
Especially Ha Dongseok's crew. Their skills weren't even properly upgraded yet; guns had given them the edge so far, but against something bulletproof later? They'd drop like flies.
Better to build them up now and avoid that mess.
Plus, even divvied up among everyone, it was only 4,800 coins total.
Peanuts compared to the 23,500 we'd made today.
"Any contacts today about the generators and purifiers I bought up?"
Hands shot up here and there.
Apparently, folks manning the shop controls had passed along specific times and spots from people desperate to buy generators and purifiers.
"Hmm... eleven places total interested. Any more?"
I'd bought twelve sets total, leaving one spare, but no additional takers.
"Fine, can't be helped. Pass me those locations and times from the interested parties, then everyone head out and rest."
That meant hitting eleven spots for deals tomorrow.
Today was busy, but tomorrow would be insane.
At least the meeting times didn't overlap—a small mercy.
Distances between spots? I could sprint across rooftops to close them. But simultaneous meets? Impossible—I can't be in two places at once.
I could send Sohee or Ha Dongseok, but no way every buyer shows up with pure intentions.
Some would absolutely try robbing us by force instead of paying.
I trusted their skills, but to cover all bases, I'd handle it personally.
The next morning, I rushed through prep for the trades.
"You're out doing deals today? It makes you sound like a real boss, oppa! Like you're meeting other companies for business!"
Yejin, who'd heard about yesterday, gazed at me with sparkling curiosity, chattering away at my side.
"Boss? Once my crew levels up enough to farm coins and demonic energy on their own, I'll just lounge at home doing nothing."
"Then I'll take care of you!"
Her face lit up imagining that future as she hugged me tight.
"Do whatever. I'm heading out."
"Okay, see you later~"
With Yejin's send-off, I bolted outside for the first trade, leaping at full speed.
The meetup spot was pretty far from base, so hopping buildings at max velocity barely got me there on time.
Over a dozen people were already waiting at the rendezvous—not including me.
Some gripped guns, others knives or clubs. Their intentions were so obvious it was laughable.
If they thought I looked like an easy mark, they'd jump straight to force. Couldn't they at least hide the armed guys and surround me for a proper ambush threat?
Not that surprising, I guess.
Electricity and clean water cut off after today—no time for subtlety when you're desperate for generators and purifiers ASAP.
Since I had zero fear of that nonsense, I approached casually. The apparent leader stood and stormed over, face twisted in rage at the sight of me.
"You the bastard who swept up all the generators and purifiers?"
"Yeah."
"You little shit... Wait, where's the gear? Weren't we trading today?"
He gawked at my empty hands, scanning around suspiciously.
"Don't worry about it. I brought 'em."
"What? Brought what—you're empty-handed! You hiding them nearby or something?"
"Well... not wrong."
Stashed in my Subspace, so yeah, 'nearby' in a sense. Invisible to them, though.
"Ugh, whatever. So, how much?"
Generators and purifiers cost 500 coins each at the shop. As the guy reselling a monopoly? Time to mark 'em up.
"5,000 coins."
"Yeah, 5... What? Say that again?"
"5,000 coins, asshole. Deaf?"
Of course I'd tenfold it. What, you thought otherwise?