-----
-----
Just to be safe, Julian didn't turn off the music.
If that security guard zombie had bitten anyone else on the way here, they'd probably be drawn over by the noise too.
Besides, the villa complex was huge. No need to worry about the music attracting zombies from outside the neighborhood.
Before long, more than a dozen security guards and a few homeowners arrived in front of Villa No. 2, weapons in hand.
Figuring there probably weren't any more zombies around, Julian switched the music off.
"Kid, we really have to thank you this time!"
"You rushed over to warn us and even helped deal with several zombies."
"Oh right, I'm Shimado, the representative of the homeowners' committee here."
The old man had gray hair, but he looked sharp and energetic. He reached out his hand.
"Julian."
Julian shook it.
"You guys didn't see it earlier!"
"Brother Julian is amazing!"
"With just a few punches and kicks, he wiped out four zombies!"
The young guard Shiro said excitedly from the side.
"One person killed four zombies?!"
Everyone there was stunned.
They'd assumed Julian and Shiro had taken them down together.
Most of them, especially the guards, had fought zombies before. They knew how dangerous they were.
One-on-one, someone in decent shape could probably handle a zombie.
But one against four…
That wasn't something an ordinary person could do.
"No wonder he can casually deliver food in times like this…"
"Juliann's seriously impressive!"
"If I were that strong, I'd already be out scavenging for cigarettes."
"I've run out of smokes. Can't get used to other brands."
The guards and homeowners murmured among themselves.
"Alright, that's enough praise."
"I mainly came to trade supplies."
"Otherwise, your life or death really has nothing to do with me."
"Tomorrow I'll bring a truckload of food. If you want to trade, prepare your gold in advance."
"Besides food, if there's anything else you want, tell me beforehand. If I have it, I'll bring it along."
Julian spoke calmly.
"Alright!"
"Tonight all the homeowners will sort out what they need."
"We'll be counting on you, Julian."
Shimado nodded.
He was a sensible man. In times like this, survival was the only thing that mattered.
Being able to trade for food was already a blessing. There was no point haggling.
Just then, the lights on the first floor of Villa No. 2 turned on.
A moment later, the twin-tailed little girl pushed the door open and stepped outside.
She still held her crossbow.
"Did you bring the mouse?"
She asked Julian directly.
As she spoke, she walked up to the zombie on the ground, stepped right on its head, and yanked the bolt out of its skull.
Clean. Efficient.
Not at all like something a girl her age would normally do.
"A mouse…"
"I've only got an A4Tech one. That okay?"
Julian asked.
He'd left in a hurry earlier and had simply pulled the one he'd been using off his own computer.
Walking over to the Porsche, Julian grabbed the mouse and handed it to her.
"Fine."
"Here's a gold bar."
"If you find a Logitech one later, bring it to me."
The little girl tossed him a gold bar.
Trading a gold bar for an A4Tech mouse didn't seem to bother her at all.
"By the way, security guys, clean up this zombie for me."
"Anywhere it crawled, dig up the soil and grass too. I don't want my garden contaminated."
After saying that, the girl turned around and walked straight back into the villa.
Still cold and cautious.
"That little girl's got quite the personality."
Julian muttered.
"Oh, her?"
"She's Asuka, the daughter of the developer who built this villa complex."
"Her parents live in Villa No. 1, while she lives here in No. 2."
"But her parents are overseas. No idea what situation they're in now."
Shimado explained.
"Asuka?"
Julian paused.
The name sounded familiar. Like he'd heard it somewhere recently.
"She lives alone. Must be tough for her."
"You guards should strengthen patrols around here."
Shimado told the security team.
"Don't worry. We're a property management company with integrity!"
The guards nodded enthusiastically.
Staying here meant food, drinks, and even empty luxury villas to live in. Way safer than the outside world.
And the workload wasn't much heavier than before.
They were pretty satisfied.
Julian simply smiled without saying anything.
In a relatively safe environment like this, people's true nature took longer to show.
But give it some time. Let food run short, or danger increase…
Those guards might end up rebelling and replacing the homeowners entirely.
Things like that were happening everywhere in this apocalypse.
"Alright, I should get going."
"Leave me a contact number too."
Julian said.
Last time he'd forgotten to get their contact info and ended up driving here in the middle of the night.
Shimado gave him his phone number.
"I'll come by around ten tomorrow morning. Tell me your requests in advance."
With that, Julian drove his Porsche out of the villa district.
Inside the warehouse.
Mafuyu and Hana were huddled together, whispering about something.
"What do you think Master went out to do in the middle of the night?"
Mafuyu asked.
"Could it be… he's hiding a female zombie somewhere outside?"
Hana covered her mouth as she spoke.
"That… seems unlikely."
"We eat so much every day. I doubt he has extra food to feed someone else."
Mafuyu rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"So… are we still going ahead with tonight's gathering plan?"
Hana asked in a lowered voice.
"Of course we are!"
"Just in case."
"Don't worry. If we get caught, I'll take the blame!"
Mafuyu patted Hana on the shoulder.
"Alright…"
Hana nodded.
As a college student, she tended to listen to Teacher Mafuyu.
"Oh right, you're a senior this year, right?"
Mafuyu asked.
"Yeah. I'm studying nursing at N University."
"I wonder how my classmates are doing now…"
Hana sighed.
In times like this, just staying alive was already difficult.
"N University? I went to N University too!"
"Didn't you ever take my English class?"
Mafuyu suddenly perked up.
"I didn't even pass English Level 3…"
"I'm kind of a terrible student. I skipped class a lot to work part-time. Haha."
Hana scratched her head awkwardly.
"So that's why you don't like watching those European and American videos on Master's hard drive. You can't understand them."
Mafuyu said, suddenly enlightened.
Hana blinked.
I can't understand Japanese either…
Isn't it just because the Japanese ones look better?
Before long, the roar of an engine sounded outside the door.
Julian was back.
"Sigh… sports cars have their downsides too."
"The engine's way too loud."
Julian grumbled as he walked into the warehouse.
"Master, you're back!"
Two girls and a dog rushed toward him.
Next came feeding time…
"....."