Generously Stocking the Warehouse - 2
"A-Are you out of your mind?"
Seohee jumped in shock, staring at me.
"It's fine, it's fine. No big problem."
My vision was pretty damn good. Specifically, the moment I decided to focus on something far away, I could see pretty much any distance clearly. And there it was.
Whoa, fuck. Those tits are...
The woman's breasts, aimed at me from the rooftop, were swaying side to side. I knew it was rude to ogle and judge someone else's chest like that, but even accounting for that, I couldn't think about her without fixating on those massive tits.
But her chest wasn't why I'd stopped responding.
"Sorry! I didn't know this place had an owner!"
I shouted at the top of my lungs, loud enough to reach the woman on the rooftop. Then I stealthily gauged her reaction.
"..."
Terror filled her eyes. Her finger on the trigger trembled with tension. It wasn't anger. It was wariness. She hadn't seen me as someone she had to kill—just hoping I'd leave the area.
"Could we meet for a moment?"
Our eyes met. She probably didn't realize I was staring straight into her pupils, but at least the intent would get across—
"Hm?"
She mouthed something back at me.
Come. Over. Here.
"Ooh..."
She might be an even better sniper than I'd thought—my eyesight was way sharper than I realized. The distance between the rooftop and this little supermarket was considerable. Without a scope, it wasn't a distance you could easily make out details. But she'd noticed I was watching her, clear enough to read her lips.
"She's calling me over."
"You can see that?"
"Yeah."
I nodded and headed toward the building.
"So, what's that place?"
"Orphanage. They're not doing anything bad, no reason for conflict. It's literally just an orphanage."
"Why's there an orphanage here? That many kids being born?"
It didn't make sense by my common knowledge. Weren't orphanages where irresponsible young couples who indulged in pleasure without protection dumped their kids because they couldn't abort or raise them?
"There aren't any around here normally... but sometimes when you're wandering, you find these clone generators. People make kids there."
"What? Why?"
"Depends on the situation. Maybe they need long-term labor, or perhaps they just want the supplies that come as a bonus with cloning."
I'd been taking it lightly, but this place had some serious circumstances.
"We're here."
I pressed the intercom. A familiar bell rang out, and a soft woman's voice came from the speaker beside it.
"Come in."
Inside was a small yard and playground.
"This place isn't a safe zone?"
"Your apartment's the weird one, Master. This is how it usually is."
Footprints dotted the yard—probably from kids playing recently.
"Sorry for shooting first."
She was still on the rooftop, gun trained on us. Her voice came through the speaker. "I thought it was dangerous if looters were scouting around."
"Ah, you weren't aiming to hit. That can happen."
"Thanks. If you're not here to fight... then you've only got one reason to visit."
She sighed deeply.
"Tell me the name of the person dropping off the child, and the child's name. And if possible, say a final goodbye. It'll mean a lot to the kid."
"Huh?"
Flustered, I waved my hands frantically.
"N-No, that's not it..."
"I don't see a kid. Did you hide them somewhere?"
"We're not here to drop off a child!"
I waved even harder in panic.
"...This is an orphanage. We can't give you anything—not kids, not food."
"Of course. We just wanted to chat with our neighbors."
"Neighbors?"
"Yeah. We moved in nearby not long ago."
She tilted her head.
"I didn't think anyone else was living in this dangerous area. Well... nice to meet you. Welcome."
We exchanged awkward greetings. The physical distance was still there, but we could tell we were both sizing each other up.
"It's rare to see a man taking the lead like this. If it's not rude, could I ask which organization you're with?"
"Organization? We don't really have a name. Not many people either—just five or so?"
She tilted her head again.
"Then why are you out here—"
"Various reasons, but right now, it's to wipe out all the zombies in Anseongu. Picking up supplies and meeting people along the way."
No need to hide it, no reason to. I stated my goal boldly.
"...You're an interesting one."
Every time she tilted her head, those huge breasts swayed side to side, stealing my gaze.
"If possible, I'd like to trade. Is that okay?"
"Pardon?"
"We have over thirty kids here, but food's short. We can't go out to scavenge."
"Thirty..."
The situation seemed worse than I'd thought. Even with our base right next to a big mart, could we stably feed thirty? And they were doing it off one little supermarket—probably just one cup ramen a day, and still hungry.
Honestly, we could share supplies if we had to...
We still had plenty at base. But transport was the issue. Even filling suitcases to the brim and hauling them over, it'd take multiple trips. Commuting and guarding the loads would be a hassle. Not impossible, but sustaining deliveries? Tough. Plus, our stock wasn't infinite. Enough for our five, sure—but thirty kids? Risky.
"Bring supplies, and I'll repay with information."
"Information?"
"If you're serious about clearing all zombies from Anseongu, you'll need it."
"...?"
"Info on the dungeon inside Anseongu, and the conditions to trigger the boss monster."
The woman on the rooftop dropped knowledge I couldn't have guessed.
"If you need it, come back anytime."
"...Got it. What should I call you?"
No need to spread that we didn't have the info yet. I'd discuss with my group first.
"Call me Director. That's what everyone here calls me."
She smiled warmly. I nodded, then took Sua and Seohee back to base.
/////
"Boss monster? Dungeon? What the hell?"
Seohee let out a hollow laugh.
"Yeah, that. To clear all monsters from an area, you have to deal with that too."
"Really?"
"It cuts monster respawn rates big time, and beating it drags out all the hidden ones."
Yeah, combing every building for lurking zombies was insane grind. I wasn't scared of them one-on-one, but it was tedious in a different way from dungeon sweeps.
"Why didn't you tell us?"
Sua shook her head.
"We knew, but no way to do anything about it."
"Huh?"
"Just running around searching on foot like now is enough. Odds of finding it are near zero, though..."
"There's another way?"
"Need a Citizen with the Scholar class. Someone who studies local lore and uncovers info."
I sighed. Seemed like no doctor meant no healing, no scholar meant no info access.
"That director woman got that class?"
"Probably not. But she's lived here long—heard plenty. Not perfect, but better than nothing."
"Hmm..."
Direction shifted a bit, but the task was set. Secure supplies stably? Clear zombies. Clear zombies? Find hidden dungeon, learn boss monster summon conditions. Get that info? Stockpile and transport more supplies.
Full circle, but no choice. Even without the info angle, helping a good person running an orphanage in this world? Absolutely.
But one issue remained.
"I've been thinking— what we need right now isn't supplies. Or even a supply point. Those matter, but—"
"Huh?"
"We need a vehicle."
Even finding a supply point lucky, without stable transport to the orphanage? Useless. Somehow, we had to find wheels.