Han Chaei Returns to the Shopping District

I told the residents to head back to the shopping district.

"Fill your carts with as many supplies as you can."

"Can we take some for ourselves too?"

"Of course you should. But just so we're clear, none of that stuff belongs to you. It's all mine."

"Then... what about us?"

"You can gather your own supplies outside the safe zone I've built. If you don't like that, go volunteer for Group B and fight zombies instead."

They looked pretty unhappy, but that was it. Everyone grabbed a cart and headed into the shopping center buildings.

'Maybe I should do some shopping myself.'

I started with the lingerie shop. But there was nothing in the auntie's size.

'She said there wouldn't be anything that fit, and she was right.'

Next, I checked out the adult shop tucked away in the corner of the mall.

'Whoa, this would look perfect on Yeonhee.'

The adult shop had more than just underwear. There were swimsuits and cosplay outfits too. I picked out a few that looked promising, packed them neatly into shopping bags, and tossed them into my cart.

After grabbing all that, my conscience started to sting, so I stopped by a regular clothing store too.

'I should've brought her with me.'

Only after I was done shopping did I realize I should have brought the auntie along.

When I arrived at the central plaza of the apartment complex, the residents were already lined up neatly.

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

"I'll distribute ten percent of the supplies we brought back today, so come and get them."

Some people looked genuinely happy, but others scowled. For the ones making faces, I gave them daily necessities instead of food.

"Why aren't you giving me food?!"

"Because I don't feel like it. Next."

The guy clenched his fists, trembling with rage. I stored the remaining goods and preserved food inside the Storehouse Tower and dismissed it. I could summon it again anytime I needed to retrieve the items.

The Storehouse Tower's functions were much better than I'd expected.

'My inventory doesn't have that much space, so this is perfect.'

Right as the distribution was wrapping up, the guy who'd been scowling earlier came out fully armed. He and two other men left the apartment complex without a word.

It was a desirable outcome. The other residents would soon start venturing out to gather their own food. The real struggle for survival was about to begin.

"I've brought the thin mattresses and padding you requested."

"Good. Let's move out."

"Yes!"

They had come to help me capture Han Chaei. The road was blocked by abandoned vehicles, so it took quite a while, but it was worth it. The zombies near Han Chaei had already been cleaned up by the Longbow Tower.

"Hold the two mattresses and wait. When that zombie charges, cover her from both sides and pin her down. Be careful not to injure her body."

"Is that zombie special or something?"

"She's going to be."

Right on cue, Han Chaei reacted to the noise.

"I'll draw her aggro, so get ready."

"Yes!"

"Krrraaaagh!"

As soon as I stepped forward to pull her attention, Han Chaei charged. The men slammed the mattresses over her from both sides.

"Lay her down just like that."

While they held down the struggling Han Chaei, I slipped a blindfold over her eyes.

"Carefully put the gag in."

I handed a soft gag to the guy standing beside me. His face was full of tension. I didn't know why—he was wearing thick leather gloves, so there was no way she'd bite him.

I also put mittens on Han Chaei so she couldn't use her hands.

"Alright, let go of the mattresses."

Han Chaei shot up and immediately lunged toward the sound of my voice.

"Mmmph!"

"Up we go."

But she couldn't bite my neck or tear at my arms. I wrapped her up in a tight bear hug, suppressing her charge, then dressed her in thick padding.

'Her chest is bigger than I thought.'

I hadn't noticed before because I'd mostly seen photos of her in kendo gear. Even now, the loose-fitting clothes didn't show it much. But holding her like this made it impossible to miss.

'Her skin isn't cold.'

Her body temperature was lower than a living person's, but not ice-cold like a corpse.

'So she really isn't dead?'

I set the question aside for now.

"Now tie her arms against her upper body."

I stood her up straight and wrapped rope around her. Since she was wearing thick padding, tying her arms wouldn't cause any injuries.

While holding the thrashing Han Chaei, I even put padded pants on her.

"Done. Let's head back."

"Yes!"

I sat in the passenger seat and pulled Han Chaei onto my lap. I held her tightly to keep her from thrashing around. Once we got back to the shelter, I put her inside and removed the ropes. Leaving her tied up could cause damage.

"Good work, everyone. You guys can take some food too. I'll give you specially cooked portions."

"Thank you for your hard work!"

"Thank you!"

"Nice!"

"Honestly, Group B is such a sweet deal. Hehehe."

"Yeah, we barely even had to fight. Heh heh."

They lined up to receive their food. I gave Group B much larger portions than the other residents. The rest of the residents watched from above.

If I wanted them to volunteer for combat, I had to create clear discrimination. And it was working perfectly.

"Can I join Group B too?"

A tall guy who looked to be in his twenties volunteered. He seemed like someone who had worked out regularly.

"Sure. Next time we call for assembly, make sure you come running."

"Understood."

"Here, take this."

It was a chicken breast salad that the auntie had prepared.

"Thank you!"

The residents watched enviously from the apartment hallways. After the meal, Group A went back to burning zombie corpses. Yesterday we'd started too late and ran out of time. Even so, the Torch Tower had already reached Level 8.

'It's going to hit max level soon.'

While watching the auntie cook, the tower finally hit Level 10.

"What the hell is it going to become?"

When I pressed upgrade, two higher-tier tower options appeared.

"What is this?"

The Firebolt Tower was self-explanatory. But I had no idea what the Altar was supposed to be. It didn't even say it was a tower.

The ominous ring of the word "altar" gave me pause. But it also felt special. Special enough to make the Firebolt Tower look ordinary by comparison.

'Should I try it? It's too early to use fire in combat anyway.'

Zombies didn't react to burns. It would only become useful after the next wave.

I pressed the locked button.

'It's satisfied? No way...'

I hurried up to the rooftop and opened the Storehouse Tower. Inside, I picked up the Essence of Negativity.

The Essence of Negativity began to glow in response to the message.

I immediately unlocked it and upgraded the Torch Tower into an Altar.

'So the Essence of Negativity was a black magic item. Does that mean black magic has been added to the system too?'

Maybe someone with black magic skills had appeared.

'But why was the Essence of Negativity just lying there?'

I'd been too tired at the time to think much of it, but now that I reconsidered, it was strange. There was no way something like that would just be lying around randomly.

The only unusual thing that had happened back then was massacring a huge number of zombies.

'Was killing the zombies the trigger?'

I recalled the item's description again.

Maybe curses and zombies were connected somehow.

'What if the reason people turned into zombies wasn't a virus, but a curse?'

If that was the case, then using the cure didn't vaccinate people—it dispelled the curse.

I felt like some hidden truth was slowly unraveling.

'For now, let's check out the Altar.'

I headed to the plaza where they were busy burning zombie corpses. A crowd of residents had gathered to watch the Altar.

Its appearance was surprisingly ordinary—a rectangular block five meters wide, ten meters long, and one meter tall. Firewood had been stacked on top of it.

The moment I got close, I instinctively understood how to use it.

"Group A, assemble!"

"Assemble!"

"Assembly! Everyone gather up!"

Group A left the zombie corpses and gathered in front of the Altar.

"From now on, place all zombie corpses on top of this Altar. They'll burn on their own."

"Yes!"

The members of Group A seemed pleased. Controlling the fire had been a hassle.

The residents worked in pairs, throwing zombie corpses onto the Altar. Flames immediately caught on the firewood and began consuming the bodies. From each corner, pillars of black smoke rose in perfect, uniform columns.

'Is black magic activating or something?'

There was no way normal burning would produce smoke like this. But nothing else seemed to change.

"Keep burning the corpses."

"Understood."

"Yes!"

As I watched the blazing Altar, I began planning for tomorrow.

When I opened the front door, there was no smell of food coming from inside the house.

'Did something happen to the auntie?!'

I rushed inside.

"Y-you're back?"

"Whoa?!"

The auntie peeked her head out. She was wearing bunny girl ears on her head.

"I know it doesn't suit me, but Suhyuk, you told me I had to wear it..."

She fidgeted nervously as she stepped forward. A bunny girl with an unrealistically perfect body appeared before me.

"This is so embarrassing. Say something, anything."

I had never seen anyone wear a bunny girl outfit this well, not even on the internet.

"I really can't hold back anymore..."

Maybe my sincerity got through to her, because her face flushed bright red.

"Pervert..."

Going to the adult shop had been the right call. This bunny girl costume had been displayed prominently in the center of the store like it was their signature piece. It wasn't some cheap knockoff that only copied the shape. The material and design were both luxurious.

The included accessories were high-end too. The attention to quality made me suspect it might have been the owner's personal hobby.

My eyes were first drawn to her breathtaking legs. She wore brown stockings from a luxury brand with a dense fishnet pattern.

'Luxury brands really are worth the price.'

The stockings completely captured my gaze. I wanted to touch them like crazy. The auntie twisted her body shyly, which only emphasized her legs even more.

I openly traced my eyes over her dangerously exposed Y-zone and her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠slim waist and flared hips.

"What are you doing? Staring so openly is embarrassing..."

"Heh heh heh. What's there to be embarrassed about at this point?"

"Even so, embarrassment is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠embarrassment!"

Despite her words, she was smiling like she was enjoying it. Her bright red cheeks looked both cute and incredibly sexy.

Even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠when she tried to stop me, I couldn't stop admiring her. The luxurious bunny girl costume acted like a corset, pushing up her ample breasts. Every time she squirmed, her cleavage jiggled as if it might spill out.

"Auntie, put on the high heels too."

"Hehe, alright."

She sat on a chair and slipped on the high heels. Even that motion was sensual.

"Let's have a drink."

Looking at her in that bunny girl outfit made my throat dry.

"How about wine?"

"Sounds good."

Maybe the mood had gotten to her too.

"I'll bring some snacks."

She brought over fruits, cheese, and other appetizers. I tilted the wine glass she handed me. I poured wine into her glass as well.

"Say 'ah.'"

She picked up a piece of cheese and fed it to me. I brought my lips to hers like a kiss and shared it with her.

Maybe it was the different atmosphere, but my heart burned hotter than ever.

As we drank wine, our eyes met. I could tell she wanted it too.

When she deliberately crossed her legs, my hand moved on its own. I stroked her stocking-covered thigh. The soft texture and dizzying lines were too much. I slipped my hand between her legs and licked her.

"Oh my! You can't lick there. It tickles, hehe."

I sucked on the inside of her thigh, then pulled aside the fabric covering her mound.

"Huh?"

The area around her pussy had a hole in the stockings. It wasn't torn—it was part of the original design.

"Auntie, were you really looking forward to this? You're not even wearing panties?"

"Hehe, that's right. I was waiting for you. You were looking forward to it too, right, Suhyuk?"

"Of course! I can't hold back anymore. Let's go to the bed."

I lifted her up in a princess carry. Thanks to my stats, I could lift her effortlessly.

"Kyaa!"

I gently laid her on the bed and kissed her.