Garrison Complete: Signals Restored and Strangers at the Gates

Construction continued endlessly. We carved grooves into the logs, fitted them together, raised them on the pre-dug foundation, tidied up the exterior, made doors and windows, built stairs and rooms. And finally, it was all done.

Whether it was the power of the Status Window, the somewhat sloppy parts were filling in one by one.

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"Not entirely heartless, huh... Guess I should call this a blessing."

I let out a hollow chuckle as I watched the wooden building gradually become neat and tidy.

"Congratulations, Master!"

An Sua grabbed my hand tightly and looked up at me. I gently stroked her head.

Looking at the Status Window, I could see that the Garrison Area had been activated.

"Hmm..."

It wasn't treated like a Safe Zone the way the headquarters was. But it seemed that building facilities within my garrison area would grant bonuses or special effects, just like the apartment library had.

"Not like it's trying to kill me outright."

In a true apocalypse world with no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bonuses whatsoever, we'd have needed far more effort just to survive. I might have been scraping by day-to-day on zombie hunts instead of rescuing women or building a garrison.

Anyway, the garrison was built. Now there was room for further development.

"Let's see..."

I stepped inside just in case, but no modern facilities appeared. A bit disappointing, but it didn't matter. Considering this was a Level 1 garrison headquarters, there was always potential for upgrades.

"Hm."

Scrolling slowly through the Status Window, I realized the upgrade conditions were pretty stringent.

'Registered population 20... That should cover the newcomers, and if not, we can register the orphanage folks too. As for building those facilities... we'll figure it out somehow.'

Roa approached me.

"Um, Sunwoo-ssi?"

"Yeah?"

"If it's not too rude, may I ask when that communication tower will be built?"

"Uh... now?"

I pondered for a moment, then built the communication tower within the garrison area, a bit away from the headquarters.

"...If you could do it like this, why not just build our whole building that way?"

What unfolded before my eyes was a miracle. The ground leveled instantly, steel rebar sprouting up from nowhere. It moved on its own, forming a structure, and in under five minutes, a grand, towering spire rose up.

My hand-built structure suddenly looked ridiculous. Though I'd grown fond of it during construction.

"Whoa, is that the reward? Makes sense—they'd have to give something like that to break even after ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠we took down that grotesquely huge boss."

Seohee's words made it click. This communication tower had its own independent Safe Zone. In a world where safe zones were precious, adding one more was pure profit, never a loss.

Roa took my hand, bowing her head slightly.

"Sorry, but there's something I want to test."

"Hm?"

"Could I borrow your cellphone for a moment?"

"Of course."

Roa smiled faintly, took my phone, and started tapping away. She always seemed intellectual and knowledgeable, but she'd probably rarely used a smartphone.

And then she smiled.

She must have been at the library. There was a phone there too.

She downplayed it, but Roa had been a huge help. She didn't haul logs or do rough work, but she cleanly healed the minor cuts from twigs. Carving grooves for the logs to fit perfectly was delicate sculpting too. She was skilled at precisely slicing human flesh with a scalpel and just as adept with a carving knife on wood.

Come to think of it, "hanging up" was slang for folks who used phones daily. But the love transmitted over the line was unchanged.

Roa handed the phone back with a pleased expression.

"Thank you."

"No big deal."

Speaking of which, now that the network was up, I had someone I wanted to call too. I'd already saved the orphanage number. Anticipating Yeowon's voice, I dialed her.

After a short wait, it connected.

"...?"

Noisy sounds came through, but no Yeowon.

"Hello?"

The moment I spoke up, an explosion of racket blasted from the receiver.

The chaotic clamor of lively kids washed over me. I didn't mind. Kids' laughter was always music to my ears.

After a moment, Yeowon's panting voice came through.

Not a video call, but I could picture her massive breasts bouncing wildly from her voice.

I wasn't sure about more smartphones, but maybe there'd be supply points for high-tech gear like cars. Even without, linking my place, the orphanage, and our phones was hugely useful.

Yeah, I'd heard zombies would respawn on streets.

Her sniper rifle was a beast. I'd held it once and marveled at how she wielded something so big and heavy effortlessly. Ammo was specialized too, and with Katus ties cut, supplies were iffy—best to conserve.

I hung up. With all these women around me, and it hadn't even been days since seeing Yeowon, but I already missed her.

"Something up?"

Seohee called out.

"Zombies stirring nearby. Time to plan defenses."

The tasks were clear.

"Let's make a plan."

Meaningless against elites. Pointless in old Anseongu where zombies respawned anywhere. But now Anseongu was relatively safe. Other survivors said this was normal; our district had been a demon den with elites popping out often.

Defenses could work now. Wooden walls high enough would stop normal zombies.

Seohee smirked faintly.

"Need a warehouse too. Those log piles will soak in one rain. Better prep before then."

"Good call. We need that. Other ideas?"

Haena slyly raised her hand.

"Um, shouldn't we make a workshop too...?"

True—couldn't keep having everyone work on the bare ground forever. Frost, rain, snow...

"Alright then—let's start—"

Another call came in. I answered immediately.

"Yeowon-ssi?"

How soon after hanging up for an alert?

"...Hm."

I tilted my head, pondering how to greet our new guests.