Chapter 55
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Do you want to become slaves or all die?
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With plenty of time left on Nameless, I approached the barricade.
It looked like they'd built a pretty solid defensive wall, with no obvious gaps.
Seeing the large wardrobes, sofas, and beds piled up, I figured there were enough strong people to handle it.
I climbed up the two-meter-high barricade and peered inside.
"So, Mr. Park. Isn't it about time we faced facts? We don't have a choice anymore."
"No choice? Then why don't you go out there yourself, Mr. Kim! It's obvious it'd just be a dog’s death anyway. We should hold out until the rescue team comes!"
The inside of the barricade was fairly spacious.
Having enclosed an entire section, it was about the size of a basketball court.
And matching that size, it was bustling with people.
'Looks like nearly 50 people... But why have those two been arguing since earlier?'
"Who knows when the rescue team will even show up? Our food's already gone, and we haven't had water for two days. If we could just grab one of those carts scattered out there, we could hold out while we wait!"
"Tch. You saying we should risk our lives for that? If you're so eager to die, why not go out there right now and offer yourself to the zombies?"
"Mr. Park, you...!"
In the center of the barricade's interior.
I watched the two middle-aged men, now grabbing each other's collars and twisting their faces in anger.
Judging by their appearance and conversation, they hadn't eaten and had gone without water for two days, yet their voices carried loud enough for me to hear from my position.
They looked like men in their fifties, seasoned enough.
'Guess the food and water from the carts has all run out.'
Well, if the zombie outbreak hit while they were shopping, the abandoned carts scattered everywhere would be like treasure chests full of food.
This was a massive warehouse mart, after all, where people piled up water and snacks in carts to wander around.
But with this many people, seven carts or so inside the barricade wouldn't cut it.
'Good timing. They'll probably send people out soon to scavenge for supplies.'
In a situation already threatened by zombies, a shortage of water and food—the bare essentials for survival—would make people's minds unstable.
And if someone they sent out for supplies didn't come back?
It'd etch the terror of zombies into these people who'd grown complacent hiding in the barricade for at least a week.
"Hmm... What to do."
I sat on top of the barricade, pondering.
Wait a bit for some deaths to happen, then step in and take control.
Or intervene now, show the difference in power, and put them under me right away.
The former had the drawback of taking time, but if it went quietly, the latter was faster but risked fierce resistance.
A classic dilemma with no easy choice.
And I chose the latter.
In a world where every person is valuable, I couldn't just let useful labor go to waste by dying.
The moment I decided, a man who had been leaning against a pillar stood up.
'What the... height...'
His height nearly matched the barricade I was sitting on.
The man, easily over 190 cm, raised his voice and approached the collar-grabbing middle-aged men.
His muscular build suggested he worked out, and as he moved, I could see the eyes of everyone inside the barricade following him.
"Come on, gentlemen. Calm down a bit."
The man had inserted himself between the two middle-aged men grabbing each other's collars.
His size matched his strength; he easily pulled them apart.
The man smiled and said to them,
"You both haven't eaten anything. Wasting energy like this won't help, right? You might even collapse, so sit down and talk it out calmly first."
"Is that you, Junsang...? Tch. Forget it. I'm not in the mood to talk. Let this suicidal maniac do whatever he wants!"
"Mr. Park, aren't you being too rude with your words?"
"Eat shit, Mr. Kim!"
With that, the middle-aged man called Mr. Park stormed off to the side.
The man then calmed the still-frowning Mr. Kim and sorted out the situation.
This group's center seemed to be the man named Junsang.
'He seems nice. That's probably why this group has held together so far.'
With such a hulking guy openly playing the good guy, even after society collapsed, no one had gone rogue.
Proof was in the group members: plenty of young women, all looking unharmed.
Without him, this group would've probably devolved into conflict and violence, turning savage.
That man named Junsang.
He looked useful in many ways.
'Alright, time to stop thinking and make a move.'
I released Nameless and jumped down from the barricade.
With a light thud, I landed.
At that moment, everyone's eyes turned to me.
"Hey?"
"Kyaaah!!"
The woman right next to my landing spot screamed.
What a set of lungs.
My ears rang, and I winced a little.
'Not even pretty anyway. You'll be a cum dump later.'
As I decided her fate and stepped away from the fleeing woman, I met the gazes fixed on me.
Having gone over two weeks without baths, they all looked grimy.
The people were startled by my sudden appearance but eyed me warily.
Junsang especially clenched his fists, his gaze sharp.
He was just an ordinary guy, so had he sensed something about me?
"A, a person just came in!"
"Not a zombie, right?"
"No! Look! Not a drop of blood on him!"
"Rescue team maybe...?"
"Are we finally escaping this hell?!!"
"...?"
Voices erupted from all around.
They all shouted at once, so I couldn't catch everything, but it seemed hopeful chatter about whether I was a zombie or rescue.
Of course, I was neither.
Then Junsang pushed through the noisy crowd and approached me.
As he moved, the murmurs stopped, and everyone watched us quietly.
"Who are you?"
"Can't you tell? Just another survivor. Whew, the smell..."
As he approached, the stench hit me, and I pinched my nose.
He twitched his eyebrows at my reaction.
I stared back with a what about it? look, and he seemed stung, at a loss for words.
At the words "another survivor," the briefly excited mood sank again.
But the stares on me didn't fade.
They just shifted from how I'd gotten here.
I looked up at Junsang, who towered over me, and asked,
"You the leader here?"
His face soured at my casual tone right off the bat.
"...I'm just helping out the others. Nothing that grand."
"Yeah, you're the leader."
"Let's say that's true for now. So how'd you get over the barricade? It must be a zombie den out there."
"How? Busted through with brute force."
"That's exactly what I'm asking how you—"
To answer Junsang's literal question about how I'd arrived, I decided to show rather than tell.
Perfect target right there.
I cut him off and beckoned to an elderly man sitting on the floor. He looked old but had a feisty vibe.
"Hey, gramps. Yeah, you. Come here a sec?"
"Me? Kid, who taught you to talk to your elders like that...!"
Saying that, the grandfather in his sixties still approached as I asked.
Not just because of my request—he huffed indignantly at my arrogance and came quickly.
As soon as he was within arm's reach, he spat as he yelled,
"I'm here like you said. So what do you want, talking like that? Where'd you learn such manners?!"
"Grandpa, hold on...! Calm down and wait a bit!"
Junsang panicked and tried to soothe him, but I'd already confirmed the old man was in the perfect spot and acted first.
"Wait just a— You little shit—"
Slash—
"Huh?"
Thud.
I swung my longsword through the air to shake off the filthy blood from the blade, then stored it back in my inventory.
In an instant, the murmurs around us fell silent.
"G-Grandpa...?"
Junsang's low voice broke the hush.
Having watched the whole thing from closest range, he alternated his trembling eyes between me and the corpse, split horizontally with the upper half on the floor.
I grinned at him and said,
"You're the representative for everyone here, right? Answer: Do you want to become slaves, or should we all die? Oh, and if you don't choose, you're in for quite the show."
From now on, you are all my slaves.
Those words echoed throughout the entire safe zone.