As soon as the door opened, the empty space appeared. Below the second floor, the staggering zombies could be seen.

    This was the place Kim Mun-hyuk had prepared for banishment.

    Most people had gathered to witness the event called banishment but read as public execution. In a world devoid of entertainment, public executions were undoubtedly a provocative spectacle that appealed to people of all ages and genders.

    Kim Mun-hyuk’s remnants all looked dismal. They hadn’t even properly drunk water, let alone food, deeming it too precious.

    Among them, there were those who had been dominated by madness, and some voluntarily walked out.

    No matter how fierce an enemy soldier was, in the face of a dignified death, one had to be solemn. People quietly watched as they themselves took steps towards the empty space, facing death.

    Of course, Ian was holding a shotgun behind them, so there was no way to escape.

    Afterwards, it was a festival. Some watched the empty space as if resigned, while others begged for mercy with tears. Those who volunteered as executioners lifted the bodies of those cornered and threw them outside the door.

    Everyone jeered and cheered.

    The fallen comrades who had turned into zombies rushed towards their fresh flesh.

    Some looked away, but most found it exhilarating. Just deserts, karma. In a world where the survivor becomes the saint.

    Ian volunteered to hold the shotgun himself. A symbol of the leaders here, from Kim Mun-hyuk to Ian, as mentioned by Yoo Min-ho.

    In a way, it was a sense of responsibility. Realistically or in terms of public opinion, it was impossible to prevent their execution.

    Ignoring the public opinion and trying to save them required surveillance, food, and manpower. Without volunteers, they had to be forcibly mobilized in an oppressive atmosphere. Then, what would be different from a dictator?

    Ian made up his mind. Whether by building power or strength, he wouldn’t allow the current situation to happen again.

    He regretted not moving beforehand to suppress Kim Mun-hyuk’s group, not standing up more cleverly against their unfairness. Could he have prevented such a situation where both sides ended up losing their lives in the end? With a stronger resolve, he firmly gripped the shotgun.

    ***

    Ian seemed to have recovered well. Perhaps because he was originally the type to attract people, standing in the center with a shotgun already seemed natural.

    “Well, I’m not really into this kind of thing.”

    Jiyu furrowed her brows. Well, neither Jiyu nor Ian were likely to be so engrossed in public executions to enjoy them.

    “I’m not either. Did you call me to watch this together?”

    “W-Well, yeah. I haven’t seen your face much lately….”

    “Just because of that?”

    “Oh, no, I mean….”

    Blushing and unable to speak properly for some reason, Jiyu suddenly burst out in anger.

    “Even if Kim Yeorum is a criminal like them, she wouldn’t do anything strange to a girl, right!?”

    What? Is that the reason? It might be awkward to mention it since Jiyu is quite naive.

    “Oh, don’t worry. I’m only doing what’s necessary.”

    Yeah, this is just a test of my abilities. So, what’s necessary is correct. Sexual matters are very trivial, peripheral, and secondary! Issues.

    “Can I leave now that it’s over?”

    Just as I was about to turn away, Jiyu grabbed my sleeve and when I turned around, she was bowing deeply.

    “Aren’t you curious about how we’ve been living….?”

    “Huh…?”

    Surprised by her unexpected words, I was at a loss for words. There was no need to be curious since I already knew.

    Under Ian’s leadership, plans were being made to reinforce the outer walls to prevent mutations from entering, to temporarily utilize solar power for unstable power supply, to establish a plan for fuel supply, to create new regulations, and to make various plans to turn this place into a proper survival community.

    I thought it was all well-known information and that I would just do what I could do… But in the meantime, perhaps a sense of camaraderie had developed, or something was bothering me.

    “People avoid me.”

    “What? Why?”

    Once again, taken aback by unexpected words, Jiyu nudged her face closer.

    “Look here.”

    A pretty face with cat-like eyes. Long black ponytail. Blushing cheeks as if there was some resentment. Is there something wrong? Other than that, she’s just Jiyu.

    “Is there something wrong with me?”

    Jiyu, with her head down, raised her finger to cover her eyes.

    “There was a commotion. They said I might be a zombie.”

    “What!?”

    I hadn’t thought about an incident that didn’t exist. Well, red eyes are also a symbol of zombies. But still, at first glance, she just looked like a person, so I didn’t think it was a big deal, but from the perspective of others, they might have lost everything from family to home because of zombies. It wouldn’t be strange even if they were suspicious.

    “Ian did step in to clarify, but people still seem to avoid me.”

    Doesn’t she care about what others think?

    “Were you the type to care about that kind of thing?”

    Jiyu, with a puzzled look from pure curiosity, shook her head.

    “It’s not like that, but…”

    Then it’s fine, right?

    As I was smiling, Jiyu puffed up her cheeks, looking annoyed.

    … Why is she like this? Did she eat something wrong? Could being infected have an effect on her personality… Ah!

    I suddenly thought of testing something and grabbed Jiyu’s wrist.

    “Wait, let me…”

    “Ouch!”

    Jiyu pulled her wrist away as if she had been electrocuted.

    “Oh, sorry.”

    I must have gotten a little too comfortable with her lately. Even though I thought it was a mistake, I couldn’t help feeling a little upset.

    Is she really pulling her hand away like that?

    “Ahem, it’s, it’s okay. I’ll follow you.”

    Fortunately, Jiyu didn’t say anything about her exaggerated reaction, but her condition seemed strange today.

    As we moved, I asked Jiyu again.

    “Are you really okay? Do you feel anything strange in your body?”

    “No, I’m really fine.”

    “If you feel even a little strange, you have to tell me.”

    Jiyu nodded silently without saying a word.

    I continued to ask about various things, but Jiyu seemed distracted and kept asking me to repeat myself.

    It’s really worrying. It feels like she’s not saying something. I should test something quickly and ask her more questions.

    As I nervously looked around, there didn’t seem to be anyone moving around, although I didn’t restrict people’s movements like before. Everyone seemed to be gathered for the expulsion ceremony, so there didn’t seem to be anyone walking around.

    Jiyu was fidgeting, unable to control herself. Her face was turning red as if it was about to explode. Indeed, there must be some side effects… Just as I was about to quickly finish the test and ask her, she spoke first in a voice that didn’t fit the situation.

    “H-How can we be here in a place like this?”

    “What? Why here?”

    Jiyu pointed her finger silently. There was a CCTV camera.

    “Oh, it’s okay. It’s almost square, so only our shoulders will be visible. It’s dark, so they probably won’t know what we’re doing.”

    “Even so…”

    What’s the problem? Jiyu, who was fidgeting with her fingers, suddenly closed her eyes as if she had made up her mind.

    “Yes, if that’s what you want. Fine. Let’s get started.”

    ?

    There was no need to close her eyes.

    Jiyu’s rough breath felt hot and heavy. Somewhere, a warm scent made her dizzy. Her closed eyes. The damp eyelashes trembled slightly. Even her cheeks, which were slightly flushed, seemed to have a hint of fever. Without realizing it, my hand reached out to my chest at her vulnerable appearance.

    Startled, I grabbed my wrist with my other hand.

    Damn, why is she doing this? What’s she doing to a girl who obviously doesn’t look well… Even just holding her wrist made me shiver, let alone touching her chest…

    If we had crossed a line even once, it was an unavoidable situation at that time. Just holding her wrist made me shiver, but touching her chest…

    If we crossed a line for no reason, we might have to start from scratch after barely getting along.

    And when we go underground, there is a convenient restroom waiting for us, or rather, an experiment to smoothly solve future problems.

    I slapped my cheek once and regained my composure.

    “Hey, can you punch me in the face?”

    “What?”

    Jiyu’s eyes widened as if she had received a big shock. She frowned slightly.

    “W-Well, I didn’t think you were into that kind of thing… But if you want me to…”

    “Huh? What are you talking about? I’m not into that. I just mean literally punch me. Hard enough to hurt a lot.”

    “What? No. Why would I want to hurt you…”

    Hmm, maybe I should be more commanding. I interrupted Jiyu and tried to be more forceful.

    “Jiyu. It’s an order. Punch me.”

    Immediately, Jiyu’s body began to move. As her clenched fist fell back, her posture lowered.

    “Wait! This isn’t me moving. What is this!”

    The next moment, a fist at a speed that was hard to follow flew towards my face. I reflexively closed my eyes tightly.

    I took a deep breath at the pressure on my face. As expected, there was no impact. When I opened my eyes, I saw a small, white fist, and behind it was Jiyu frozen as if her soul had left her body.

    I moved slightly to the side, and Jiyu’s fist missed its target.

    “What was that just now!”

    A shocked Jiyu regained her senses.

    I should probably explain it to the person involved.

    I briefly explained and elaborated on how I came to understand this ability to Jiyu.

    “Don’t worry. I won’t force you to do anything you don’t like.”

    Even though she was a trusted colleague, I wanted to gain her cooperation for future events rather than forcing something on her like a master-servant relationship.

    “I’m not worried about that at all… But more importantly…”

    The tense atmosphere that had been present just moments ago disappeared, and for some reason, a chill ran down my spine.

    “Are you saying you did it with Kim Yeoreum?”

    “Huh? Yes. Anyway, it was a matter of life and death, and I needed to understand my ability to prepare for future events. As I said, the purpose was purely for the sake of future experiments, not to fulfill my own desires…”

    -Slap!

    My head whipped around. I belatedly felt a warmth on my cheek. It was only then that I realized I had been slapped.

    Jiyu, who looked more shocked than me, stared wide-eyed. Her lips twitched for a moment as if she wanted to say something, but then she closed them.

    “Ugh. I’m sorry.”

    With that, she left without saying anything else.

    “Wait, just a moment!”

    The echoing sound of Jiyu’s footsteps fading away in the corridor was the only thing that echoed in the hallway, leaving me feeling awkward.

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