-----
-----
Early the next morning, Julian headed to the bridge to make his usual inspection.
Just leaving a few dozen zombies on the bridge clearly wasn't enough for defense.
At best, that would scare off the occasional lone survivor.
But if an organized group showed up, a few dozen zombies probably wouldn't stop them.
The defenses definitely needed to be strengthened.
Right now the situation was simple: once you crossed the bridge, walked through the garden, you could go straight into the hotel lobby.
There was absolutely nothing blocking the way.
After all, this was a vacation resort. It wasn't designed like a prison with heavy fortifications. The only "security" at the bridge entrance was a small barrier meant to stop cars.
That obviously wouldn't stop people. Or zombies.
Earlier that morning, Julian had even spotted a few wandering zombies that had somehow made their way near the villa area.
That definitely wouldn't do.
It seriously lowered the quality of life.
Imagine this: you're at home eating hotpot, singing a song, enjoying yourself… and suddenly a zombie sticks its face against the window.
Instant appetite killer.
Clearly, the place needed proper planning.
First thing: install a huge iron gate at the entrance.
That should stop ordinary zombies easily.
As for mutated zombies...
Unless he built a wall with hundreds of tons of steel, nothing was really going to stop them anyway.
So the key was the surveillance system.
With motion-detection alerts, he'd know immediately if anything showed up.
Mutated zombies?
Could they really be stronger than him? Or stronger than Mafuyu and Hana?
Besides, his strength was constantly improving now, like some kind of perpetual-motion upgrade loop.
After that, Julian walked a full circle around the island.
The entire perimeter was surrounded by cliffs, with barely any beaches.
Which meant the rest of the island was actually the safest area.
A few fixed surveillance cameras would be enough there.
Once the security issue was settled, the next problem was sustainability.
Right now, the food in the cold storage plus the canned goods could easily last Julian alone for more than ten years.
But living on only that wasn't healthy.
The nutrition would be unbalanced.
Especially now that Julian's body had become stronger, he could clearly feel that his nutritional intake wasn't quite enough anymore.
He needed fresh vegetables and fruit.
There were places on the island suitable for planting.
But Julian didn't want to destroy too much of the existing greenery.
After all, the better the scenery, the more comfortable it was to live here.
Once he captured the Donghu Villa area, he could turn that place into a plantation and grow fruits and vegetables specifically for the island.
For now, he just needed to find some seeds and fast-growing fruit seedlings.
"Hana, do you know where we could get seeds?" Julian asked.
He honestly had no clue about this sort of thing.
"Our N University has an agricultural department. They should have some there."
"I just don't know how the teachers and students are doing now…"
The moment Hana mentioned the school, her worry mode switched on.
Even though she was technically a zombie now, her basic emotions were still very much intact.
"N University, huh…"
Julian stroked his chin.
He wasn't really worried about whether the people there were dead or alive.
He was more concerned that if they had run out of food… they might have eaten the grain seeds meant for planting.
That kind of thing was definitely possible.
"Alright. Once the drone surveillance system here is fully set up, I'll make a trip to N University."
Julian quickly made his decision.
"Master, let me go with you!"
"I studied there, so I know the place well!"
Hana immediately volunteered.
Everyone already understood something without saying it out loud: whenever Julian went out, there was usually extra food involved.
"I'll go too!"
"I teach at N University. I know it well too."
Mafuyu quickly joined the competition.
"Alright, alright. Hana stays and guards the house. Mafuyu comes with me."
Julian made his decision almost instantly.
A university could easily have over ten thousand people, including students and staff.
Which meant there would definitely be a lot of zombies.
Taking Mafuyu made more sense. She was far more decisive when it came to killing zombies.
Hana still needed improvement in combat.
"Wuuu…"
The moment she heard that, Hana instantly switched into sad mode.
She really wanted to go too.
"Alright, alright," Julian said with a laugh.
"Hana, you've got a real talent for organizing and cleaning. While we're out, you can tidy up our base."
"I'll give you a reward."
Julian rubbed her head.
Only then did Hana smile again.
Whether she got to go or not was secondary.
The reward was what really mattered.
After spending a leisurely morning, Shiro finally sent a message.
He had finished programming the drone's hovering surveillance and automatic return system.
Julian drove a truck to pick him up.
After some on-site testing and adjustments, the island's aerial monitoring system was successfully set up.
At any given time, four drones would hover in the air, mainly monitoring the coastal road and the bridge.
As soon as a moving object appeared, the drones would immediately send a signal to the ground control unit.
Meanwhile, more than ten additional drones stayed on the ground charging or on standby.
Launching or retrieving drones required a bit of manual operation, but otherwise the system practically ran itself.
Very user-friendly.
"Nice, very nice."
Julian patted Shiro on the shoulder, clearly pleased.
The kid was pretty capable.
"Here, take these."
Julian pulled out several bunches of bananas.
He personally didn't like bananas, and they spoiled easily, so it was better to give them away.
"Thanks, bro…"
Shiro took the bananas, but he didn't look nearly as happy as before.
Something was clearly bothering him.
"What's wrong? Don't like bananas?"
"Want me to swap them for some cucumbers?"
Julian asked.
"That's not the issue…"
"Bro, yesterday after you gave me all that food… when I went back…"
"The other security guards started pushing me out."
"They took my stuff and even mocked me, asking if I traded my body for it…"
Shiro looked miserable.
Julian frowned.
So they were basically implying he was… screwing him?
That crossed the line.
Those security guards were seriously asking for a beating.
"Ah, there's another thing…"
"Right now, the guards only get some basic rations. The residents refuse to share any of their beer or drinks with us."
"And yesterday I overheard something…"
"The deputy captain and a few guards were talking…"
"They want to band together, kill the residents, and take over as the new owners."
Shiro sighed.
"They're planning a rebellion already?"
Julian blinked in surprise.
In his opinion, the guards rebelling was inevitable sooner or later.
In this kind of world, no one wanted to keep being someone else's employee forever.
But right now, food wasn't even scarce yet.
__
And they were planning a rebellion over some drinks and beer?
Looks like he had seriously overestimated human nature.
"What do you think about it?" Julian asked.
"If they invite you to join them, would you take part?"
"I definitely wouldn't join," Shiro said firmly.
"That kind of thing is just plain immoral."
"But have you thought about this…"
Julian said with a faint smile.
"If you refuse to join them… they might deal with you too."
Shiro froze.
Wait… that could happen?
That was terrifying…
"....."