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"Master! They're all flight attendant majors—they're really good at service!"
"Our base is huge. I can't handle all the cleaning by myself!"
"And the drone needs to be checked every hour. It's such a hassle!"
"Plus there are so many plants on the island that need upkeep…"
"I really need some people to help share the workload!"
Hana slipped straight into persuasion mode.
"I know gardening! Pruning and stuff—I'm really good at that!"
"I'm good at sweeping!"
"I can sew!"
"I can cook!"
"I can do a standing split!"…Okay, that last one was a bit random.
The girls from the flight attendant class eagerly listed their skills, all hoping for a chance to survive.
Julian paused.
What Hana said… actually made some sense.
His little follower had been working nonstop. He couldn't help feeling a bit bad.
Hana's time should be spent taking care of him, not wasting it on all the island's chores.
Thirteen girls…
Girls probably didn't eat much, right?
With his fully stocked warehouse, plus whatever they could grow, feeding them shouldn't be a problem.
And if each of them drank a bit of his blood, that would basically give him a pretty solid combat team.
The island's defenses would improve a lot too.
Then he could finally go out on missions with Mafuyu and Hana at the same time without worrying.
Of course, if any of them tried anything funny, that was absolutely unacceptable.
He'd have to make that clear to Hana.
Alright then… he'd reluctantly take them in for now.
"Fine."
"If they don't follow the island's rules, I'll kick them out anytime."
Julian spoke calmly.
"Thank you, Master!"
"Master, you're the best!"
Hana happily threw herself at him.
Hehe. Now she'd have way more time to stick close to him.
The flight attendant girls all let out a sigh of relief when he agreed.
At that moment, other survivors from the small theater started crowding over.
"I'm a cafeteria lady! I can cook!"
"I'm great with a wok—I can control portions perfectly!"
"I'm the student council president. Need someone to manage people?"
"I'm from the rollerblading club—I'm good at slide tackles!"
…
They all wanted to join Julian's base too.
"Get lost."
Julian's voice turned cold.
He was only taking in the flight attendant class because of Hana.
As for the rest? Not his problem.
"Hey, what's wrong with you? No manners at all!"
"Don't you have any compassion?"
"I'm old already and you still won't take me in? Did a dog eat your conscience?!"
"Someone like you even deserves to be called human?"
The crowd instantly turned hostile, pointing at him and cursing.
"Hana, deal with them."
"The rest of you, come with me."
Julian frowned, then turned and walked straight out of the theater.
Chizuru quickly led the flight attendant girls after him.
Hana swept her gaze over the crowd.
Every single one of them looked like they thought being taken in was their right.
The moment they were refused, their faces twisted into something ugly.
People like this didn't deserve even a shred of sympathy.
"Y-you… what are you trying to do?"
"Don't mess around! Try touching me!"
"If you lay a finger on me, I'll drop right here!"
They were still wary of Hana's strength.
She let out a cold snort, then turned and followed Julian.
People like this didn't need her to deal with them personally.
At the entrance of the small theater, dozens of zombies flooded in.
They completely ignored Julian and the flight attendant trainees, veering around them as they charged straight into the auditorium.
Screams erupted inside, one after another…
The girls from the flight attendant class were terrified.
If no one had been protecting them, they'd probably end up just like the people inside.
As for why the zombies had ignored them, none of them knew, and none of them wanted to.
Before long, Julian led the group to the truck.
There was no way everyone could fit in the front, so the girls had no choice but to climb into the back.
The moment they got in, someone spotted small tomatoes peeking out from a snakeskin sack.
"Grrr…"
Their stomachs started growling one by one.
They hadn't eaten for over a day.
They were starving.
Chizuru glanced at Julian.
She knew there was plenty of food in his backpack…
"Alright, alright," Julian said.
"Go ahead and eat. Just remember to put in more work tonight."
He pulled out cucumbers, chocolate, beef jerky, chips…
All snacks he'd originally brought along for himself.
The girls' eyes lit up.
So much food—it felt like a dream.
They didn't bother keeping up appearances anymore and just dug in.
As for "working tonight"? No problem at all.
In a world like this, just staying alive was already a blessing.
What kind of work… didn't matter.
Hana was about to shut the truck's rear door when a loud crash suddenly echoed from not too far away.
It sounded like a building collapsing, sending a huge cloud of dust into the air.
Then came more screams.
"What's going on…?" Hana froze for a second.
"Doesn't matter. Close the door and let's move," Julian said as he jumped into the driver's seat.
"It's a bit dark back there, just deal with it!"
Hana shut the door and quickly climbed into the passenger seat.
Julian had already started the engine. The moment she sat down, he slammed on the gas and sped off.
They hadn't gone far before they saw a group of people ahead, just like them, running toward the school gate.
Behind them, in the drifting dust, something seemed to be charging forward.
The ground trembled with each step, a clear warning of danger.
"Damn it, whatever that thing is, don't bring it my way!" Julian cursed.
He floored the accelerator, even knocking a fleeing male student out of the way.
Whatever kind of mutated zombie it was, he wasn't afraid.
But the seeds and saplings in the truck couldn't be damaged.
Before long, he saw what was chasing those students…
A massive zombie burst out of the dust cloud.
Its lower body was only slightly thicker than a normal person's, but its upper body was monstrously built.
Its muscles looked like they might burst at any moment.
Its arms were thicker than Julian's waist.
Every step it took made the ground shake.
It was like a walking tank.
"Help! Stay away from me!"
One of the fleeing boys, probably too scared to run properly, got caught.
The giant zombie grabbed him in one hand.
Squeezed.
His organs burst out instantly…
The horrific scene pushed the others into even louder screams.
The tank-like zombie smashed a car blocking its path with one elbow and kept charging forward.
Julian's truck quickly became its most obvious target.
"Shit, it's coming for us…"
"The road ahead is rough, I can't pick up speed."
"At this rate, it'll catch us…"
"Hana, you take the wheel!"
"I'll deal with it."
Julian made a quick decision. It was the only way to protect the saplings… and the girls.
"Drive? But I don't know how…" Hana panicked.
"I do! I can drive!"
Chizuru popped her head out from the compartment in the back.
Another chance to prove her worth.
With Hana's help, Chizuru awkwardly squeezed through and took the seat beside Julian.
"I'm handing it over to you," Julian said.
"No need to go fast. Just get out of the area."
After giving his instructions, he grabbed the Hammer of Destruction and jumped off the truck.
The tank zombie was less than thirty meters away.
"....."