Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: New Rules at the Stronghold
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Lee Sang-woon stared at the bus floor, trembling in terror and shock.
Right next to him.
-Grr, uuuugh….
A male zombie drooling, looking ready to bite at any moment, fixed him with a chilling gaze.
‘H-how is a zombie…. obeying Lee Seo-ho’s words….’
More shocking than the zombie sitting right beside him was the fact that it was following Lee Seo-ho’s command not to bite no matter what.
That realization hit Lee Sang-woon the hardest.
And it plunged him into a massive pit of despair.
‘The soldiers are nothing compared to this….’
Only then did Lee Sang-woon truly understand.
What he had clung to as his lifeline was actually a venomous serpent disguised as a rope.
The soldiers were human, no matter how threatening.
Disarm them, and they were no different from civilian men.
Lee Sang-woon and the civilian group knew this deep down.
That’s why he had once tried to stage a coup with the male civilians.
‘But… like this….’
Lee Sang-woon squeezed his eyes shut, head bowed.
Lee Seo-ho was on a whole different level from the soldiers.
He didn’t just wield guns—he commanded hordes of zombies that had wiped out humanity.
The very zombies that posed the greatest threat to all survivors.
He couldn’t comprehend how it was possible.
But one thing was certain.
Once caught by Lee Seo-ho, there was no escape, no matter what he tried.
A single command from him, and everyone here would be zombie chow.
Screeech—
While Lee Sang-woon was lost in thought, the bus came to a stop and its doors slid open.
Lee Seo-ho, who had been in the driver’s seat, stood up and addressed the passengers.
“Alright, everyone off. This is your new home from now on.”
His words came with a friendly smile.
But no one budged from their seats.
Everyone stared at the floor, frozen in fear.
They all remembered what they had done to Lee Seo-ho.
The survivors who had joined after he vanished simply feared the man himself and couldn’t lift their heads.
Lee Seo-ho wasn’t pleased with their lack of response.
“Sigh, what’s this? Not getting off?”
He raised his hand with a sigh.
-Grrrrowl.
The zombies seated next to each person began growling menacingly.
“Eek!”
“I-I’m getting off! Right now!”
Only then did the civilians scramble from their seats and move.
Lee Seo-ho watched with a satisfied smile.
“…Where is this? …A parking lot?”
“We’re supposed to live here…?”
As the civilian group disembarked, a massive parking lot came into view.
Abandoned cars littered the space haphazardly.
And beyond that.
“Ugh, sob….”
“There’s tons here too….”
Hordes of zombies filled the perimeter of the parking lot.
All of them had retreated to the outer walls on Lee Seo-ho’s command, awaiting his next order.
“Don’t get too close. There’s so many, they might act unpredictably.”
No one responded to Lee Seo-ho’s parting words as he exited last.
They just shivered, avoiding his gaze.
No one was foolish enough to approach the zombie horde anyway.
‘So this is a department store.’
Professor Lee Sang-woon alone surveyed the surroundings and pieced together their location.
‘That explains all the food he had.’
Lee Seo-ho had used food to lure them in.
In this apocalyptic world, even if safe from zombies, that much food was impossibly hard to come by.
But if he controlled this department store, it made sense.
Food and force.
In Lee Sang-woon’s eyes, Lee Seo-ho, who dominated both, was the top predator in this world.
Lee Seo-ho strode confidently before the bowed group, exuding an almost warlord-like aura.
He scanned the area with a pleased smile before speaking.
“Alright then…. Let’s all strip first, shall we?”
Everyone who had been staring down snapped their heads up, faces etched in shock.
“H-here? It’s outside…?”
“But there are men here too….”
Murmurs of timid complaints leaked out.
“S-Seo-ho. Why make us strip…?”
Even Lee Sang-woon cautiously voiced his question.
Lee Seo-ho flashed a grin and replied kindly.
“Strip if I say strip. So chatty. Don’t like it? Don’t.”
His smiling eyes viewed them like livestock.
Everyone grasped the meaning in that gaze.
Don’t want to hear it? Then don’t.
Want to die? Go ahead.
Lee Sang-woon caught on first and began stripping hurriedly, followed by the men.
But the women, yet to fully grasp their situation, foolishly raised their voices together.
Strength in numbers gave them courage.
“S-surely not stripping completely—that’s too much!”
“Y-you’re right, Seo-ho! We know each other!”
“What if we catch a cold? It’s a parking lot! It’s cold!”
They still hadn’t realized their dire straits.
Lee Seo-ho looked at them pitifully.
‘Always been like this.’
Even before the zombie apocalypse, it was a common sight.
Men had grown up getting beaten.
They instinctively knew crossing someone meant getting hit.
That kept men toeing the invisible line.
Sure, cocky or dumb guys crossed it sometimes.
But generally, men bowed if outmatched.
Lest they get hit.
Women, however, rarely faced physical punishment due to social norms.
Unless from family, third parties—especially men—hitting them was taboo.
Men who hit women were trash.
That’s why women in fights spat the nastiest barbs.
Never having been hit for it.
‘But this isn’t that world anymore.’
They hadn’t learned even after the soldiers.
Soldiers still clung to old habits, going easier on women than men.
Less harsh labor, no beatings for defiance.
Lee Seo-ho, frustrated by such crap before and remembering being enslaved by them, smiled at their unified protest.
“Sure, go ahead. Don’t strip.”
Relief bloomed on the women’s faces at his words.
‘See? Gotta stand up for ourselves.’
They lifted their heads proudly, believing their protest worked.
The silent men, meanwhile, paled, knowing doom had arrived.
They clenched trembling fists, praying the fallout skipped them.
Lee Seo-ho pointed at one woman.
The loudest protester moments ago.
And the least attractive among them.
Useless to him.
For now, though, very useful.
He addressed a nearby zombie.
“Grab that bitch. Don’t kill her. Don’t let go.”
Two zombies silently seized her.
“Aaaah! Why, why are you doing this!!”
She shrieked like a pig at slaughter, thrashing and yelling at Lee Seo-ho.
He ignored her lightly.
“Drag her to the corner. Keep her away from other zombies. Might bite.”
With her screams echoing, the zombies hauled her off.
‘The rest are pretty decent.’
Ex-college girls, after all.
The department’s survivors meant the dorm girls averaged high looks.
Lee Seo-ho eyed the remaining women and muttered.
“Let’s see…. Next….”
The women, grasping the situation, panicked.
“S-sorry! I’ll strip! Right now!”
“Sob, p-please spare me…! Sorry! I won’t refuse anymore!”
They stripped without hesitation.
Earlier, they’d looked mortified at the order.
Now, they shed even underwear cleanly.
…Gulp.
Some men watching felt stirrings between their legs.
Lee Seo-ho snorted openly at the sight, like dogs in heat.
‘Now they’re clearly sorted.’
Historically, class was marked by clothes.
No one wore “noble” on their face; attire told noble, commoner, or slave.
Modern clothes blurred that.
Solution: strip them.
Result: Only Lee Seo-ho and Oh Na-yeon remained clothed in the lot.
Everyone else was naked.
(Note: Yoo Ha-yeon and Ryu Da-hee were left at the dorm to watch the soldiers.)
‘Lots to handle now.’
His slave count had exploded.
He had no plans to feed them to crystals yet.
He’d play slowly, then toss the useless ones in order.
“Welcome, everyone. To your new stronghold.”
The naked civilians—no, livestock—trembled, eyes downcast.
They’d just seen defiance meant instant zombie escort.
Among them, one woman in the corner clutched her breasts and crotch, face pale with despair.
‘W-what do I do, what do I do….’
Terror so extreme, no tears came; she just shook, head bowed.
Her terrified form belied a stunning figure.
Soft brown long hair framed skin smoothest among the livestock.
She was Chae Soo-ah.
The one who had clubbed Lee Seo-ho’s head, earning his deepest grudge.
She knew it well.
‘G-gotta do something.’
She didn’t want a painful death.
She had to survive.
Glancing up at Lee Seo-ho, she thought.
‘Yeah… just a change of master.’
Like with Kang Hae-seok before.
To live, cling to the strongest here.
Her beauty was her greatest weapon.
Lee Seo-ho had noticed her too.
‘Nice body, as expected.’
Surveying the naked livestock, his eyes lingered on cornered Chae Soo-ah.
Their gazes met.
He smiled faintly, nodding to her with his eyes.
Chae Soo-ah stared back steadily, face hardened, thoughts unreadable.
‘Face still pretty too.’
Even rigid with fear, she was beautiful.
That face had once drawn his feelings.
‘Not as pretty as Ha-yeon, though.’
Past affections were gone.
No rational fondness now.
Just male instinct stirring at her naked shame and fear.
Lee Seo-ho licked his lips at her exposed pale skin.
‘You can wait a bit.’
He still harbored grudge to repay.
Imagining their private moment, he grinned happily.