39-62

EP. 62. Cleanup 

After the drone that had lured the zombies away from the main gate returned, the loot was lined up in front of me and the staff, who had hung a "Closed for the morning" banner. 

One burnt K-2 rifle. 

Two slightly scratched K-2 rifles. 

91 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition. 

Three hand axes. 

Two batons. 

Four crowbars. 

Four riot shields. 

13 corpses. 

There were also food supplies in the SUV trunk, but everything was burnt and nothing salvageable remained. 

After a while, Catherine and I, who played the biggest role in defending against the attack, were the first to choose from the loot. 

“We’ll just take two rifles and the ammunition.” 

When I said we would take only the best loot, the other staff nodded without objection. It was a moment when a very precious conscience shone in the apocalypse where all order was disintegrating. 

“We’ll just take two rifles and the ammunition.” 

Amid the loot from the battle at dawn laid out on the floor, Kim Minwoo expressed his intention to take two intact K-2 rifles and ammunition. 

‘Well, those two were the most active, so it’s natural… but it’s still a bit disappointing.’ 

At that moment, Catherine, who was standing behind Kim Minwoo, subtly put her hand on a pistol. Soon, people quickly wiped the disappointed look off their faces and nodded in agreement with her opinion. Unaware of this, Kim Minwoo’s face brightened as he confirmed the staff’s reaction. 

After Catherine and I took two rifles and ammunition, the survivors who participated in the defense battle, and the bereaved family of the deceased elderly man, distributed the loot. As all the usable items found new owners, a ‘possibility’ came to my mind as I looked at the remaining corpses. 

Except for the charred corpses, looking at the relatively intact eight corpses that had been thrown out during the vehicle collision, or more precisely, the clothes they were wearing, along with the existence of the ‘Shop-Secondhand Trade’ unlocked as a quest reward, I wondered if I could sell those. 

So I started thinking about a way to send people elsewhere for a while. Although we had quickly built barbed wire fences and bollards, we couldn’t reveal the existence of the ‘MILF Collector’ in front of everyone. 

So I decided to take advantage of everyone’s tired expressions. 

“Everyone, you all worked hard fighting the thieves. Catherine and I will guard the main gate for the next two hours, so take a short rest. And we’ll meet again here at 11:30 to prepare for the afternoon business.” 

As the tension from the battle gradually eased, people’s bodies, weighed down by overwhelming fatigue, sagged. When they heard my friendly proposal, their stiff faces brightened. Along with the grateful and respectful looks directed at me. 

It was a moment when I drove away unnecessary onlookers and established an image as a responsible boss to the staff. 

“This is killing two birds with one stone.” 

... 

“We’ll come to relieve you on time.” 

“See you later, Minwoo hyung.” 

After Park Sanghyuk and his son, who volunteered to guard after Catherine and me, left saying they’d come in two hours, I opened the shop window. 

Then I noticed a new ‘Secondhand Trade’ tab that hadn’t been there before. The ‘Secondhand Trade’ tab, which shone with a yellow light along the border to emphasize it was a new feature. 

I touched it with my finger, and a guide window explaining how to use the new feature appeared. 

[Starting the guide on ‘Secondhand Trade’ and how to use it.] 

[With this feature, you can exchange unnecessary items you own for MP, and sell all items except for trash and animal corpses that cannot be reused.] 

[The price of items for sale is determined by rarity and durability.] 

[To sell an item, you must be within 5 meters of the item and take a picture of it with your phone’s camera.] 

A simple guide explaining the range of items that can be sold and how to sell them. 

After quickly reading it, I pressed the ‘Close’ button. The camera automatically turned on, and a guide message appeared at the bottom of the screen. 

[Please place the item you want to sell inside the square for more than 2 seconds. Sellable items will be automatically classified.] 

Immediately after, I took a picture of the item on the far right among the corpses. After about 2 seconds, a window listing several items appeared. 

[Classification of sellable items is complete. Please check the items below and press ‘Yes’ to complete the transaction.] 

Gold tooth – 2MP 

Silver ring – 4MP 

Sneakers – 3MP 

Jeans – 3MP 

T-shirt – 2MP 

Windbreaker – 4MP 

Underwear – 1MP 

Would you like to sell the above items for 19MP? (Yes/No) 

‘19MP from one corpse? This is totally…’ 

Surprised by the unexpectedly high profit of 19MP for one corpse, after confirming that the MP I had increased on the shop window had increased, I quickly turned the phone to the other corpses. 

Including the burnt corpses, I took pictures of the remaining 12 corpses and quickly earned a total of 172MP. 

As the naked corpses with their teeth pulled out remained in front of me, my eyes caught sight of three blackened, burnt-out wrecked cars. 

[Classification of sellable items is complete. Please check the items below and press ‘Yes’ to complete the transaction.] 

SUV (scrap) – 15MP 

Two pickup trucks (scrap) – 32MP 

Would you like to sell the above items for 47MP? (Yes/No) 

In the early afternoon, just past noon, when most zombies’ vision was still impaired by the bright sunlight, Lee Suhan, wearing a hockey mask, frowned as he approached the exchange center. 

The pungent smell of gunpowder was bad enough, but there was something worse. 

It was the presence of 13 corpses lined up along the fence next to the main gate. 

Thirteen corpses with their wrists tied with ropes, displayed along the fence. Some were so badly burnt that it was hard to recognize their shapes. 

‘Damn… what the hell happened in one day…’ 

Lee Suhan, who was excited to make a good profit by selling all but one rifle and 60 rounds of ammunition, had a smile on his face that he didn’t know he was wearing. 

But the next day, the exchange center, which had been a peaceful place, had turned into a grim scene. The sight of the corpses made his excitement quickly turn to anxiety. 

The next moment, he saw the words written on the corpses: 

“I am a robber. I paid for my crime with death.” 

First, I used 10MP to repair the broken main gate and secure the safety of the exchange center. 

After switching shifts with Park Sanghyuk and his son, I went home and had a quick, intense session with the two MILFs. 

Then I collapsed into bed and slept for about three hours. 

Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep! 

I woke up to the alarm set for 11 a.m., and that’s when the “Vitality Recovery” skill really showed its value. 

Despite having stayed up all night and fought a stressful battle, after three hours of deep sleep, my body was almost fully recovered. I still felt a slight stiffness, but nothing that hindered my movements. 

With the extra MP from this defense battle, I considered upgrading “Vitality Recovery.” 

“Maintaining perfect condition is crucial for survival…” 

A little later, I decided to leave the details for the evening, and Catherine and I packed our gear and prepared to go down to the first floor. 

There were still corpses to deal with near the main gate and preparations for afternoon business. 

Arriving at the main gate two minutes early, at 11:28, I saw not only the staff who had fought in the defense, but also the ajummas who usually did odd jobs, all waiting for me. 

“Since everyone is here on time, let’s start with task assignments. Security staff, please resume your usual duties-keep watch and take a short break.” 

Then I had the ajummas tie the corpses’ wrists with rope. 

“Uugh…” 

Some of the ajummas gagged as they handled the burnt corpses, while I started attaching printed signs I’d brought from home to the intact corpses. 

“I am. A robber. I paid. For my crime. With death.”