Chapter 165: The Hyenas That Invaded Paradise
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 165: The Hyenas That Invaded Paradise
The man and the Hunting Squad had departed, but Paradise remained as busy as ever.
Customers flooded the place all day long, and even when it was time to close, there were still people begging, asking if they couldn't be let in just this once.
When the guards were around, things were somewhat under control, but now that they were completely gone, managing the crowd with only Level 3s was no easy task.
The only Residents left were Kim Ji-hee, Lee Yu-ri, and Jeon Ye-sol. But with only women trying to maintain order, no one listened to them.
On top of that, their combat power wasn't particularly high, making it even more difficult.
In particular, they had so much to do, yet wasting time on rowdy customers was incredibly emotionally draining.
Thus, after hearing complaints from the Cafeteria, the Hospital, and the food store—which had all operated for an extra hour past closing on the first day—Kim Ji-hee clutched her head in frustration.
"Ugh. It's so hard without Oppa."
Of course, the man had never actually intervened in these kinds of situations himself.
Whenever she mentioned any inconvenience to Oh Yoon-seop, he would deploy the Hunting Squad or handle the problem himself.
But without even that, nothing was working.
She knew the solution.
But putting it into practice wasn't easy.
"Still, they aren't attacking us... To shoot them dead just for throwing a tantrum... Am I still a long way from catching up to Oppa?"
She knew it in her head.
She had been by the man's side for over a month now, witnessing his journey almost from the very beginning, and she believed her own way of thinking had become colored by his.
Even when he casually decapitated people who stole meat off the ground—while most others turned their heads, felt a chill of fear, or grew uncomfortable—Kim Ji-hee hadn't felt anything strange at all.
She had expected it, and she believed it was the right thing to do.
And she didn't just accept it as merely his personality or method; she truly understood it.
In a Zombie Apocalypse, the man's thoughts and actions were correct.
Only then would she and the people around him remain safe, and only then would unnecessary noise be eliminated.
Even though she knew this, now that Kim Ji-hee was the one sitting in the seat of authority, taking action wasn't so simple.
Was it because, deep down, she still subconsciously valued human life?
Vowing to be firm tomorrow, she fell asleep as if passing out.
The spacious bed felt exceptionally large tonight.
Usually, she would fall fast asleep while being held in the man's arms, her breasts being fondled.
Had she already been completely tamed by that?
Even the vulgar remarks he occasionally threw at her out of nowhere had started to turn her on.
"Hing..."
That was why she resolved herself even further.
She had to find her own usefulness so that the man wouldn't abandon her.
Just as he had until now, the man would likely have many occasions to leave in the future.
Up until now, she hadn't really had much to do during his absences.
But the days of simply drifting in and out of the warehouse in an empty studio apartment building to organize supplies were over.
Paradise was no longer a faction consisting of just her and the man; it was now a faction of over fifty people.
If she didn't play her part properly as the de facto second-in-command of Paradise, she wouldn't even pull her own weight, let alone be anything but a burden to him.
Steeling her resolve, the next day arrived.
The man and the Hunting Squad had still not returned, but she could hear news of them on the Gallery. As expected...
Seeing his relentless progress gave Kim Ji-hee courage.
Of course, it wasn't like she was going to run out right away and beat the shit out of anyone she didn't like, but sure enough, things were noisy from the moment she started her shift.
People waiting since dawn.
People demanding they open the doors quickly.
At the crack of dawn, a message asking for help arrived from the Cafeteria.
Lee Mi-sook and Oh Se-i needed to cook, but a crowd of people was blocking the front, demanding to be let in early.
Kim Ji-hee headed out to the Cafeteria.
Even though the sun hadn't even risen yet, about a dozen people were loitering in front of the Cafeteria, blocking the entrance.
"Ji-hee-ssi."
"You can't do this here. Please don't block the entrance."
"Please. We've been waiting since last night. We're so hungry. We have Memberships and we have Coins. We feel like we're literally going to starve to death, so can't you just let us in? If you just make ours quickly, we'll eat and leave right away."
"..."
No matter how much she steeled her resolve, this was why it was so difficult.
There were simply too many desperate people in the world.
It would actually be easier if they were just shameless, deceitful troublemakers.
She would be so disgusted and angry that she could naturally do things she normally couldn't.
But when they pleaded so pitifully, even a cold-blooded person would hesitate to act.
To make matters worse, the crowd consisted of women, children, and the elderly.
Of course, she knew.
Kim Ji-hee had seen this kind of situation quite often.
Whether with the man or on her own, she had experienced firsthand how, in this apocalyptic world, this particular demographic was the easiest and most convenient tool for begging.
"If you block the entrance one more time, you will receive a warning."
"Why is such a pretty young lady being like this? Come on, woman to woman, don't be like this. Okay?"
"This is a warning."
Kim Ji-hee had been granted authority by the man.
When she designated and targeted them, an actual warning message was sent to the waiting people.
At that, the woman who had been arguing flared up.
"Excuse me? We didn't even do anything, we just asked to be let in a little early, and that warrants a warning? Is this how you run a business while taking our Coins? Huh? And besides! I'm the one who asked to be let in, so why are you giving everyone else a warning too? Cancel it right now!"
"..."
Only then could Kim Ji-hee fully understand the man's mindset.
She had previously felt a bit frustrated with herself, wondering why she hesitated to put his actions and beliefs into practice despite understanding them. But now that she had actually wielded that power, she thought she knew why.
It was because, while she grasped his behavior and mentality, she didn't possess the same level of power he did.
Since she had never swung the sword herself, she had hesitated despite knowing exactly how to swing it.
But now that she had used it, she understood perfectly.
Her hesitation vanished.
In fact, she even realized the very reason why the man resolved matters this way.
Wasting time arguing with a hundred words would only result in her own loss.
Time and emotion.
There were no resources more precious to waste in a Zombie Apocalypse.
"If you don't move, it's a second warning."
"Listen here, you little brat. I've been holding back, but..."
The woman shoved Kim Ji-hee's shoulder.
Since the middle-aged woman was about 1.5 times her size, she reflexively thought she would be pushed back.
But she wasn't.
"Huh?"
Kim Ji-hee didn't budge.
She couldn't be pushed.
Her base stats had already risen to some extent from carrying and moving goods every day, and on top of that, the Resident effect had boosted all of her stats by 5.
There was no way she would be overpowered by some middle-aged woman who was large only because of fat.
Confidence surged within her.
Instead of retaliating physically, Kim Ji-hee crushed her with authority.
"This is your second warning."
At that moment, the Memberships of all the waiting people were revoked.
The funny thing was, not all of them were even Membership members.
Only four or five of them, including the middle-aged woman, actually were.
The rest were just trying to squeeze in somehow.
Since there was no way that would have worked anyway, it might actually have been a blessing in disguise that they were warned and had their Memberships revoked here.
If they had tried to pass through the automatic door without a Membership, the Defense Turrets would have automatically done their job.
"Leave."
Kim Ji-hee shoved the flustered woman's shoulder.
The woman was pushed back and fell over as easily as a sheet of paper.
"Y-You pushed me?"
Perhaps dazed by her own shock, she froze for a moment before shouting.
Kim Ji-hee glared at her expressionlessly.
Instead of speaking, she drew her pistol.
"Gasp!"
"M-Mom!"
The entrance cleared easily.
"Please go inside."
"Thank you, Ji-hee-ssi."
The beggars fled in terror.
Should she have killed them all? She decided they hadn't done anything to warrant that.
She was satisfied with what she felt was a reasonable decision.
She would handle things like this from now on.
She thought things wouldn't be as difficult as yesterday.
But that was an illusion.
Because she hadn't handled things properly yesterday, even worse bastards showed up today.
Before lunch had even passed, about twenty people had already had their Memberships revoked.
And then, an incident occurred in the afternoon.
Six people who were eating in the Cafeteria suddenly grabbed Oh Se-i, who was serving, and staged a hostage situation.
"Pack up all the food right fucking now! Or this bitch dies!"
"..."
"Kyaaa!"
"Everyone get the fuck out, you bastards! Unless you want to die!"
Along with Oh Se-i, two other members who had been eating were also seized, held at knifepoint, and threatened.
Fortunately, the kitchen where Lee Mi-sook was had its own separate automatic door, so they couldn't get inside; the situation was contained entirely within the dining area of the Cafeteria.
Lee Mi-sook contacted her, and Kim Ji-hee, who had been at the Hospital, rushed downstairs.
Her face contorted in disgust.
Why on earth were they doing this?
She knew rumors about Paradise had already spread far and wide.
Even so, she figured it was because another rumor was circulating as well: that you could cause a bit of trouble when the Hunting Squad was away.
Kim Ji-hee let out a sigh.
This couldn't go on.
She also felt a surge of irritation.
She was no longer the idol trainee she used to be, the girl who managed her image and had quite a following on SNS.
She was the Cum Dumpster of the Owner of Paradise, the one who managed the Paradise warehouse and had to temporarily fill his shoes whenever the man was away.
"Hurry up, you fucking bitch! Bring the food if you want to save these bastards! And when you hand it over, expose your tits. I need to feel them up before I go."
Kim Ji-hee responded to his command.
"Defense Turrets, on."
Those who only looked from the outside thought the Defense Turrets were just stationary guns fixed in place.
But Kim Ji-hee, having heard various explanations from the man on how to use them, knew better.
She had also seen why he said there was no need to exert oneself in Paradise as long as the Defense Turrets were active.
Before anyone knew it, the Defense Turrets that had been outside the Cafeteria building entered and aimed at the targets from all directions.
Moreover, this was visible only to Kim Ji-hee's eyes.
Surprisingly, the man had mentioned upgrading the Defense Turrets after the Zombie Rush ended.
He said they now had a stealth function.
He had called it stealth, but it was probably just some form of camouflage. Still, seeing how the hostiles didn't notice them at all, the performance was clearly top-notch.
"What are you doing, you cunt? Are you scared of us ahjussis? Terrified, right? Or maybe you want to give us a quick lay? If you do, we'll just leave. Heheh."
"What the fuck are you talking about, dumbass? We need to grab the food."
"Tsk."
Those were their final words.
Bang!
A single, synchronized gunshot rang out.
Simultaneously, all six men collapsed, holes blown straight through their heads.
"Gasp!"
Until the man returned, there were no further disturbances in Paradise.
Instead of disturbances, only the body count had slightly increased.
And in direct proportion to the number of corpses, employee satisfaction soared.