Building a Safe Zone with My Harem In The Post-Apocalyptic World

A week had passed since they found the controller, and plenty had happened during those seven days.

The prototype ammunition for the Grave Flowers had already been completed and was ready for testing.

The antiparasitic medicine had also proven successful against infected individuals with mild symptoms.

Some had already been cleared of the parasite and were instructed to remain at home, leaving only when absolutely necessary.

Gideon had also reached Level 41.

More importantly, Cinders of Dusk had finally reached its next stage of development.

The system had upgraded several of its functions, making his life considerably easier. He could now rent tools, machinery, and other equipment instead of purchasing everything outright.

His Paylatter status had officially reached Gold, granting him five free purchases each month, with the privilege resetting every month.

He could also repay his debt in installments instead of being forced to settle the entire amount at once.

Even better, the Safe Zone section of the Infinite Store now offered a twenty-five percent discount whenever he hired personnel.

Gideon considered that one of the best rewards so far.

Then came the biggest change.

The Safe Zone had leveled up.

Every existing construction across the Safe Zone received a fifteen percent improvement, while two completely new areas became available: the Industrial Area and the Commercial Area.

For the Industrial Area, the system provided two buildings.

The first was an Industrial Foundry, capable of producing steel and other metal components, along with pipes, weapons, ammunition, and various materials required for construction.

The second was a Fabrication Plant, which could produce glass, cement additives, fertilizer, explosives, propellants, and countless other industrial products depending on the available resources and workers.

For now, Jade had already sent several members of the Artificer Guild to operate the facilities.

Their first priority was producing the specialized ammunition needed for the Grave Flowers, though they could also manufacture steel and pipes for William’s construction projects.

It was still far from enough to make Cinders of Dusk self-sufficient, but Gideon could finally see the beginning of it.

They wouldn’t have to depend entirely on the Infinite Store forever.

As long as they had enough workers, raw materials, and time, the Safe Zone could slowly begin producing what it needed by itself.

William would oversee most of the industrial development while Gideon was away. He had already proven himself capable of handling large-scale construction, and Gideon had more important problems to deal with.

Climber Rift, for example.

The Commercial Area was considerably less exciting.

The system provided a Warehouse and Logistics Depot, along with another building that Gideon decided to turn into the central market and trade exchange, essentially serving the same purpose as the Merchant Guild’s tower.

Piggy would manage the area with help from Summer and Freya, or in this case, two of his women to make sure Piggy didn’t mess up or scheme to betray them.

There wasn’t much for them to do yet, but that was precisely the point.

Gideon had already placed several necessary goods purchased from the system into the warehouse, giving the settlement enough stock to begin its first proper economic exchange.

It was still small. Very small.

But for the first time, Cinders of Dusk was beginning to look less like a settlement desperately trying to survive the apocalypse and more like an actual territory.

And Gideon intended to make it grow.

"Our team checked the eastern side of Cinders of Dusk, including the houses clinging to the canyon walls near the gate as instructed, but we didn’t find anything."

Kilian reported. He and several of his men had spent the past few days searching for either the hive mind or whoever had brought it into the settlement.

"No traces, no unusual activity. Nothing."

"There isn’t any trail?" Patrick asked. "Tissue, corpses, anything?"

The professor was convinced that whoever had become the hive mind’s host could no longer possess an entirely normal human body.

Something capable of storing vast amounts of information and sharing it through a collective consciousness shouldn’t need to remain entirely human.

At the very least, Patrick expected some kind of physical mutation, perhaps even a grotesque creature capable of housing such an abnormal system.

"What about the western group?" Gideon asked. "Or the rest of the areas you’ve searched?"

They were gathered inside the central command tent, surrounding a large table covered by a detailed map of Climber Rift.

Red marks had already been placed across the map, covering every location the teams had searched without finding anything.

Aaron, the leader responsible for the western section who usually relaxed now looked tense as he shook his head.

"Nothing there either. But we’ve noticed something else. The infected have become increasingly active since last week. I’ve personally seen several of them trying to attack our men and even patrols passing nearby. They’re getting bolder."

Patrick adjusted his glasses and crossed his arms.

"Is that increase limited to the west?"

The hunting group leaders exchanged glances before reporting their findings.

Kilian, who had been covering the east, had encountered only one attack. After checking the nearby patrol reports, they had recorded two incidents in total.

The northern and southern sections had seen three attacks combined.

The western section had suffered five.

Gideon frowned.

"That’s a significant difference."

"The west is also the oldest part of Climber Rift," Jade suddenly said.

She had been standing beside the table, both hands resting against its edge while her eyes remained fixed on the map.

"It was where the original chief established the settlement. We call that area the Old Pit. It used to be a deep mine. I don’t remember what they were mining there, but the first residents built their homes around it and used the tunnels to hide from aberrants."

The tent fell silent.

Gideon looked at the western section of the map again.

A mine. A deep underground structure beneath the oldest part of the settlement.

A place where something could hide without being discovered.

"That might be it," Gideon said.

Everyone’s attention shifted toward him.

"The mine could be deep enough to conceal the hive mind. If it has been there since the beginning, we’ve been searching everywhere except the place directly beneath our feet."

Jade nodded slowly.

"I agree. The problem is that the entrance is hidden behind the older buildings and the support pillars holding the structures against the canyon. It’s extremely narrow. Only one person can enter at a time."

She hesitated. "But once you’re inside, the mine becomes much larger."

Kilian immediately understood the problem.

"Do we need to evacuate those buildings?"

Jade straightened. "No."

Her answer came so quickly that several people looked at her.

"The information inside that network moves too quickly. If we start evacuating hundreds of people without a clear reason, whatever is hiding down there will know something is wrong."

She turned toward Aaron. "You’ll lead the team into the mine."

Then her gaze shifted to Kilian. "You stay outside. Thirty minutes after Aaron’s team enters, I want you to begin evacuating as many people as you can before the structure collapses if it even collapses..."

Kilian stared at her. "Thirty minutes? Jade, we won’t be able to save everyone if a fight breaks out. People will die."

"We don’t have a choice." Her voice remained cold, but Gideon could see the tension in her hands.

"I don’t know whether that mine has another exit. But the hive mind does. If it realizes we’re evacuating the area and escapes through another route, we’ll lose our only chance to find it."

Kilian opened his mouth again, but Jade continued before he could argue.

"We’re approaching the second month of winter, Kilian. Once the Eternal Snow arrives, the Grave Flower won’t just be an unresponsive threat. It could become our grave if we don’t move fast enough."

She looked around the table, meeting each person’s eyes.

"So if anyone has a better plan, speak now."

Nobody answered. Jade’s expression hardened.

"Then we’re doing this my way. I won’t pull anyone out of the operation just because things get ugly. I need every man we have, and we need to protect this settlement while the search team is underground. Are we clear?"

"Clear!"

The answer came from the entire group almost simultaneously.

Even Kilian eventually sighed and nodded, though he immediately rubbed his temple afterward.

Gideon couldn’t blame him.

If the fight breaks and if it turns ugly as they were permitted to use explosives, there was barely enough time to save a western wing settlement or even worse.

And if Jade was right about what was hiding beneath the Old Pit, they might not even get that long.

"I will go with you." Gideon said, his hand on Kilian’s shoulder, "I will also lend some of my men to evacuating. Don’t worry, I won’t let you guys ruin it."

His words were enough to make everyone in the room relaxed, even Jade sighed in relief. That was the support he could give for the faction that helped him when he was nothing.

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