Mixed Quarters

I had no idea whether I'd ever need to kill anyone, but I took the hidden perk first.

Once the word hidden was stuck on something, there was no such thing as leaving it alone.

Right then, Kim Minsu came bursting in, gasping for breath.

"Commander, sir! People—people are pouring in!"

"Ah! Looks like they're starting to arrive. I'll head right out."

Outside, a crowd was huddled awkwardly beside the entrance turret. Every face was grimy enough that whatever treatment they'd been getting over there clearly hadn't been kind.

"E-excuse me, this is Sector 8, right? Junhyeok told us to come here..."

"Yes, that's right. Come on in for now. You're hungry, aren't you?"

A few residents were turning breadfruit over the cookfire, and at the rich, toasty smell every head swung that way at once.

"We don't have a lot, but... can everyone share with these folks?"

"Haha... Commander, you can just give the order. Everyone, come on over this way."

One resident took the lead with a tray of fruit. The newcomers didn't follow right away. They only stole glances at one another.

"......We haven't done anything yet... Is it really all right for us to share that...?"

The woman at the front said it softly.

"We haven't even gathered anything. Nothing at all..."

"You can start tomorrow. Don't worry—just come and eat."

Only then did they shuffle toward the cookfire. A man accepted a fruit, bit in, and stopped. Then he tried to shove the rest into his pocket. One of our residents, still turning fruit beside him, caught that hand.

"Just eat it. There'll be more tomorrow, so you can eat again then. We won't exactly be swimming in them, but... better that than hoarding them until they go to waste. Those fruits spoil faster than you'd think."

"......Oh? Th-thank goodness."

The man went back to wolfing the breadfruit down where he stood.

"But... Commander. That bastard... do you know what happened to him? Are we really allowed to stay here...?"

"Yes. He's already dead, so there's nothing to worry about."

"Haaa... Best news I've heard since we got dumped in this insane place."

Junhyeok didn't come in until the sun was sliding down, and he was caked in dirt from head to toe. The moment Jiyeon saw him she ran and threw her arms around him. He patted her back a few times, then walked straight over to me and dropped to his knees.

"Commander, sir."

"Uh... Junhyeok? What are you doing. Get up."

"I don't even know how ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to thank you. Thank you, truly! I survived because of you... and I kept Jiyeon safe too."

He bowed his head low.

"From now on I'll do whatever you tell me. Just give the order."

"I get it, so stand up and talk first."

"No, sir! If you tell me to be a dog, I'll be a dog...!"

I gripped his shoulder hard.

"Junhyeok. You don't need to do that, so get up. I didn't help you because I wanted something out of it. This is a little much. It's uncomfortable."

He shut his mouth at once. He looked at my face once, then nodded.

"......Yes. Understood."

"Then I'll ask one thing right now. Go eat. You look half-starved."

"Yes, sir!"

Junhyeok went back to Jiyeon, and the two of them sat side by side in front of the cookfire. When a resident held out a breadfruit, he took it in both hands and kept bowing his head. I watched them and let out a short laugh.

Nice to look at, I'll give them that.

The man who'd been roasting fruit since earlier didn't get a moment's rest. Hand one over and someone else was already reaching from the side. People who'd eaten made room, and the newcomers crouched into the gaps they left. There were a lot of people now. I'd already thought the original crowd was big, and something like twenty more had piled on top of it.

I should start pushing our tech soon. We cleared two waves practically for free, so there ought to be a decent stockpile.

I walked to the warehouse. Inside, a man was leaning a pickaxe against the wall.

"Hello! Why are you still working ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠instead of going to eat?"

"Ah... haha... I was just going to tidy up a bit and then go. Have you eaten, Commander?"

"I should get to it soon myself. Nothing bothering you these days?"

"Come on, and you haven't even eaten. You've got to eat—we're all just trying to stay alive out here. Thanks to you, Commander, life is pretty decent. It keeps getting better by the day, too. Outside it's grim, people muttering that you never know when you'll die, talking about eating human flesh and all that, but we don't have any of that. It's really good."

"That's because all of you followed along so well. Let's go eat. I'm going to use some resources anyway, so you don't need to organize anything separately."

"Thank you! Um... Commander, I picked this up... would you like it?"

He held out a bar of chocolate. I broke it in half and offered him his share.

"Let's split it. Thanks, I'll enjoy this."

"Always grateful, Commander."

He gave me a quick bow and left. I looked the place over. Wood was stacked neat and tight along one side, and ore was heaped in a pile along the other. A tier-2 Barracks upgrade and a tier-1 Field upgrade both looked well within reach. We'd freeloaded the early game, and the snowball was finally starting to roll.

Barracks tier 2 should unlock crossbows. With those, could we scrape through a stage-three wave somehow?

I opened the build list and raised the tech on the Field and the Barracks.

Should be done by morning.

I left the warehouse and headed for the cookfire. The same man was still roasting fruit. I took one and went into the command room, perched on the edge of the bed, and tore into it while I ran the numbers in my head. Once the crossbows came in, the gathering teams got them first. During a wave, line them up in front of the turret, fire by ranks, kneel, let the rank behind fire, three lines...

Creeeak—

The door opened, and Seoah came in.

"Oppa... there are some pretty ones among the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠new people... You're Seoah's, right?"

"Huh? No... I mean, I wasn't really thinking about that..."

Click—

Seoah locked the command room door, then shucked her clothes off in one motion. What came into view was a lush, sensual body. I had no idea why, but she was worked up enough that her slick was already running down those pale thighs.

"Why... are you this turned on?"

Instead of answering, Seoah climbed onto my lap. Warmth and stickiness pressed in, and blood rushed straight to my cock. She pulled my glasses off, set them by the head of the bed, and stared at my face for a long moment.

"You look way tastier with the glasses off, oppa."

"I can't see."

"You don't need to."

Seoah put her lips to my neck. Her damp hair spilled cold across my collarbone. I caught her by the waist and laid her back on the bed. She undid my shirt buttons one by one and pulled my neck down. When I pressed the head of my cock firmly against her clit, she sucked in a breath—hah.

"Ahn... I think I'm gonna come already, oppa..."

"You came dozens of times last time too... You a quick shot?"

"It's 'cause your cock is too big... Hurry up and put it in."

"You're supposed to say, 'Please fuck me, Master.'"

"Please stuff Seoah's slutty pussy full, Master... and cum loads inside..."

I pushed the head into her sticky, soaked pussy.

Squelch!

"Ahhht...! The head... the head's too big...!"

Seoah twisted under me and squirted in a long stream.

Thud!

Right then a loud noise carried over from the dorms. The distance from here to there was nothing small, and it still came through clear as day. A second later someone started yelling.

"Ah, for fuck's sake, shut up already! How many times is this!"

"Then where are we supposed to do it! There are zombies if we go outside!"

"You think the people here without partners can stand listening to this? Fuck, this is really too much."

Seoah and I froze exactly like that.

"Goddamn it! If you're gonna fuck, go outside and do it during the day! Let us sleep, for once!"

"Oh, fuck off! We finally get to do it without worrying for once, so just cut us some slack for tonight!"

The problem, as far as I could tell, was the mixed quarters. Was there any way around it? I turned it over for a moment. There wasn't. I'd already spent every resource I had, and honestly I hadn't even thought of this as that big a problem, so my head refused to turn over properly. The blood was pooled somewhere else, too.

"Oppa... can't you keep fucking me...? Seoah's still waiting..."

"Ah? Right. Sorry, Seoah."

I kissed her again and drove my cock in to the hilt.

"Ahhht...! I'm... I'm gonna come again...!"

The moment I opened my eyes, a notification window was there to greet me. I'd overdone it a little yesterday, and getting my body upright wasn't easy. I slowly pulled my arm out from under Seoah's head, picked my shirt up off the floor, and headed for the Barracks.

Just as I thought.

I put ten of them on the production list with the resources I'd held back yesterday. A few clacks later, crossbows were sitting on the workbench one after another. Convenient system, truly. I picked one up. It was heavier than I'd expected. The stock was rough wood, and the limbs looked like ore hammered flat. I stepped outside the Barracks and pulled the trigger at empty air.

Fweee—

It looked like it flew a good two hundred meters. The performance was more than decent.

Now I just pick squad leaders and hand each of them one.

Jung Yuna had a few complaints. It was certainly a better life than the one at Kang Jinsu's base, where she'd been fucked whenever the mood struck and made to suck cock at all hours. She still barely slept. Sex noises kept her awake all evening, and she was fairly sure the man sleeping in the bunk above had let a hand drift down and felt up her breast. After that, closing her eyes did nothing.

"Yuna, want to head to work together?"

In the morning the women went out to the fields together. The breadfruit trees were hanging heavier than yesterday. Yuna swallowed a yawn while she picked, and the woman catching fruit beside her snorted at the sight.

"God, everyone's got stamina, huh?"

"......Yeah. Tell me about it."

"Still, it's better than living with that bastard Kang Jinsu, right? I mean, it'd be nicer if the men's and women's dorms were separate, but..."

"Should I try saying something...? It feels a little shameless, but..."

"Come on... he'll take care of it, won't he? He seemed like a good person."

Yuna sighed and glanced toward the command room. Right then the door opened, and a woman with purple hair stepped out.

Hmm... the commander's girlfriend? I think I'm prettier, though...

Yuna let her hair tie down.

"Unni, I'm gonna run to the bathroom."

"Okay. Go ahead."

And with that she undid one button of her shirt and headed for the command room.

I was turning over who to make squad leader. Pick just anyone and a power structure would form, and then things could get complicated in all sorts of ways.

Knock, knock.

Someone rapped on the door.

"Yes, come in."

A moment later an unfamiliar woman opened the door and stepped inside. Healthy-looking bronze skin, thighs and a frame that looked solid, and a body even more voluptuous than Seoah's.

That's the classic delinquent-girl look, isn't it...?

I swallowed.

"Hello, Commander. I'm Jung Yuna."

"Ah, yes. Hello. What brings you..."

Yuna came up to the desk and bent at the waist. A button of her shirt was undone, so the swell of her breasts came right into view. Full, large breasts, with a mole set on them besides.

Ah... I could just unload all over those...

I swallowed again and turned my head.

"Um... would it be all right if I slept here too?"

"......Sorry? Wh-why?"

"Haa... well... it's..."

Yuna let out a deep sigh, turned, and perched on the corner of the desk. Her ass came to rest right beside my elbow, and a soft, yielding feeling came through.

"I couldn't sleep at all. All night there was noise from people going at it, and fighting, so... Of course this place is better than where I was before..."

She ducked her head and lowered her voice.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"And I think the man in the bunk above reached down in his sleep and... touched me here."

Yuna put her chest on display for me, making sure I got the point.

"Y-Yuna. The thing is, I already have someone staying here with me."

"Yes. I saw her earlier. I... think I could treat you even better, though... Have you two been together long?"

"It's not like that. If you start this in here too, things are going to get... complicated."

Yuna pushed her lips out in a pout. I looked around the room. One bed, one desk. The floor was wide.

"How about this instead. For the time being, if the women want, you can all sleep in here together."

"......All of us?"

"I don't have the resources to put up another dorm right now. Just until I build one."

Yuna stared straight at me, the look of someone checking whether I actually meant it.

"And, Yuna."

"Yes?"

"If you keep this up and Seoah catches you, it really might become a problem."

She was quiet for a moment, then got down off the desk.

"......Okay. I'll tell the other women."

Yuna did her shirt button back up and left.

Wow... live long enough and you even get propositioned by a delinquent girl. You really do have to stick around to see everything.

I took two crossbows and went outside. Junhyeok was sharpening an axe blade beside the entrance turret.

"Junhyeok."

"Yes, sir!"

"Take this, and starting today you're a squad leader. I'll assign you five people, so just keep the base safe."

"Wh...! M-may I really do something like that...?"

"Of course. Not many people have run for their lives the way you have."

The moment I finished, Junhyeok set the axe down with a look of pure gratitude and received the crossbow in both hands. Then he straightened his back right where he stood.

"I'll guard it with my life, sir! Thank you for trusting me!"

"You don't have to stake your life on it. Just work hard."

I gave Junhyeok a nod and went to Minsu, holding out a crossbow. Sure enough, Minsu took it with the same moved expression.

"Thank you, Commander, sir! I'm glad I can be of help!"

"We're still alive thanks to everything you've put in so far. Bear with it a little longer."

"Thank you, sir!!"

I pressed one into the hands of each of the other squad leaders as well. Every man who received a crossbow stared off at the distant hills with a look of deep emotion and wiped at his nose.

Told you. Men need a proper duty put in their hands...

The moment lunch was over, Minsu took two scout squads and went into the forest.

When evening came I sprawled on the bed in the command room and opened the gallery. Seoah, apparently tireless, was sucking my cock again today.

It's nice that everyone's happy, but I'm not sure showing off on the gallery like this actually does us any good. Hmm...

I flicked the screen upward with a finger.

Hmm... so they really were con men.