39-52

EP. 52. Securing the Apartment (4) 

‘But how am I supposed to explain a barbed wire tunnel suddenly appearing on the roof…’ 

For a moment, I worried about how to explain to others if a barbed wire tunnel suddenly appeared on the rooftop overnight. 

But then, remembering my position as the “boss,” I realized there was no need to make excuses. 

‘If I just say I made it well, what can they do about it?’ 

So, in the next moment, 

I willingly invested 20 MP into “Build Safe Passage.” 

[Shelter] 

Entrance Reinforcement (Lv.0): Entrance strength increases by 0%. (Lv.1) – 25%, costs 10 MP. 

Electricity Supply (Lv.0): Supplies electricity to the base for a set time. (Lv.1) – 30 minutes, 10 MP needed. 

Water Supply (Lv.4): Supplies clean water to the base for 3 hours. (Lv.5) – 4 hours, 30 MP needed. 

Heating and Gas Supply (Lv.0): Supplies heating and gas to the base for a set time. (Lv.1) – 30 minutes, 10 MP needed. 

Fence Construction (Lv.0): Builds a fence at the ground level of the base. (Lv.1) – wooden fence (2m high), 100 MP needed. 

Barricade Construction (Lv.1): Builds a barricade at the desired location. Barbed wire fence (15 m²) (Lv.2) – barbed wire fence (25 m²), 40 MP needed. 

Safe Passage Construction (Lv.1): Builds a tunnel-type passage at the desired location for safe movement. Barbed wire tunnel (20m) (Lv.2) – barbed wire tunnel (30m), 40 MP needed. 

(1) Each function can be extracted for 10–30 MP and can be applied to other bases in the future. 

Then, on the map displayed on my phone, I selected the section where the barbed wire tunnel would be built. 

‘First, a tunnel connecting our line’s rooftop exit and the 1,2 line…’ 

…In the end, after upgrading “Safe Passage Construction” to Lv.2, I connected all three rooftop exits with barbed wire tunnels. 

It cost a total of 60 MP, but safety from those cocky, harmful crows was the priority. 

I couldn’t risk getting infected by a scratch from a sharp beak or claw. 

So, after building the barbed wire tunnels on the rooftop, I spent about an hour healing in the arms of Aunt and Catherine. 

I then texted Park Sanghyuk to come collect today’s water, and headed with Catherine to the barricade on the 8th floor. 

A little later. 

Park Sanghyuk appeared on the stairs connecting to the 9th floor, carrying empty water containers with his son Park Suhyeon. 

Both of their faces still looked gloomy, and I pointed to the door beyond the barbed wire fence. 

“This is today’s drinking water. Please leave your containers in front of it.” 

“Ah… yes.” 

Unlike yesterday, I now greeted them from behind the barbed wire fence. After a brief hesitation, the two collected their payment in water. 

Perhaps feeling their subordinate status more keenly during this process, an even darker shadow fell over their faces. 

But only for a moment. 

Soon, Park Sanghyuk masked his emotions, approached the fence, and quietly whispered, glancing at his son and Catherine. 

“Um… I’d like to go downstairs later. Could you open this door for me then?” 

“Of course. Just send me a text in advance.” 

“Thank you.” 

He was asking me to open the barricade so he could visit Yusookyung, who had become the apartment’s communal prostitute. 

More important than losing a comrade on the roof that morning was releasing the sexual tension built up during the zombie battle. 

As soon as I agreed to his request, 

Park Sanghyuk, perhaps recalling the sticky blowjob he got from Yusookyung yesterday, gave a faint smile and bowed his head. 

For someone who rarely shows emotion, to smile at the thought of a prostitute… 

‘This guy is seriously weak to women.’ 

Just as I confirmed that Park Sanghyuk’s weakness was “women”- 

Bzzz 

I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. 

Thinking it was an app notification, I quickly checked the screen. 

But instead of a “MILF Collector” notification, there was a text from an unknown number: 

[010-XXXX-XXXX: I’d also like to visit downstairs later. Could you open the door for me too?] 

As soon as I read the message, I looked up. 

There was Park Suhyeon, who had never once smiled at me, now giving me an awkward grin. 

‘Like father, like son…’ 

… 

The next morning, after both Park Sanghyuk and his son had visited Yusookyung, 

Aunt had freshly laundered my jumpsuit and gear, and Catherine and I headed to the 20th floor as usual. 

Thanks to a steamy session first thing in the morning, we arrived with plenty of time to spare. 

Park Sanghyuk and his son greeted us with much brighter faces than when we parted yesterday. 

I barely resisted the urge to ask, “Did you enjoy it?” 

Shouldering my crossbow, I started briefing today’s plan. 

“First, we’ll enter the 1,2 line again-” 

“Um… what about the crows? If we go out on the roof and they attack again…” 

Kim Chansu cautiously interrupted, asking how we’d deal with the crows that attacked us yesterday. 

Instead of answering right away, I led the group up the stairs to the rooftop exit. 

Opening the firmly closed rooftop door, I pointed beyond it. 

Clunk, creeeak 

As sunlight streamed through the metal door, a barbed wire tunnel 2.4 meters high and 1.5 meters wide came into view. 

“Uh…” 

Catherine and the others froze, eyes wide at the sight of the sturdy “safe passage” I’d built for 60 MP. 

Next, 

To confirm what they were seeing, Park Suhyeon and Kim Chansu reached out and touched the barbed wire. 

Still looking shocked, Park Sanghyuk approached me. 

“Minwoo… what is that? How did something like that appear overnight?” 

“Catherine and I built the barbed wire tunnel last night.” 

“Huh? How is that… possible?” 

He looked at me in disbelief at the claim that two people built a 20-meter tunnel overnight. 

I figured I’d react the same if I were him, so I called Catherine with a straight face. 

“It’s true… Catherine, right? We built that last night, didn’t we?” 

“Uh… yes, that’s right. The two of us built it yesterday.” 

“Oh, I see…” 

When our eyes met, I hoped Catherine would play along. Her pupils went a bit unfocused, then returned to normal, and she answered sincerely that we’d built the tunnel. 

It was the reaction I wanted, but… 

What was with Catherine’s eyes going glassy for a moment? 

After concluding that something about the “MILF Collector” was affecting Catherine in ways I didn’t understand, 

I had Park Sanghyuk, still a bit unsettled, take the lead. 

So, with the two men carrying thicker wooden shields at the front, our group reached the middle of the tunnel just as the crows arrived. 

Caw! Caw! 

This time, skipping the circling and waiting, the black crows flew straight at us. 

As they closed the distance in a blink, their grotesque forms became clear. 

But as they recognized the barbed wire, they flapped their wings and slowed down. 

Landing gently on the tunnel ceiling, the zombie crows jabbed their beaks through the wire. 

Caw! Whish, whish! 

Their blood-soaked, dark red beaks stabbed menacingly, but none of them reached us. 

Then, 

As I raised my crossbow to punish those arrogant birds, 

Screech! Caw! Caw! Flap... 

Startled, they flapped away from the tunnel. 

‘Wait, did the zombies just react to being threatened?’ 

Human-type zombies don’t care if you point a knife at them, but these birds-less intelligent than humans, and even zombified-fled when I aimed a crossbow at them. 

It made me think there are differences in “zombification” by species, but for now, I quickly led the group through the tunnel. 

We soon passed through the half-broken metal door and entered the 1,2 line again. 

There, the corpses of the 70+ zombies we killed yesterday filled the stairs. 

The stench of rot made me instinctively wrinkle my nose. 

[Milf Collector Hidden Tip] 

When a creature is zombified: 

The smaller its brain, the less degeneration occurs. 

Conversely, the larger the brain, the more ferocious it becomes.