Building a Safe Zone with My Harem In The Post-Apocalyptic World-Chapter 75: Standard Procedure Operation

Then a grin slowly spread across Gideon’s face. "Also... you still owe Summer that crate of milk, don’t you?" he said, almost laughing. "I still can’t believe your sister is that dense."

Freya chuckled. "I know! She’s really not the brightest. I actually felt a little guilty about what we did yesterday. But now? Ugh, not anymore because of that stupid milk. So... Can I use my daily request for that?"

"You’re actually going to give it to her?" Gideon raised an eyebrow.

He knew both sisters well. Neither of them usually backed down from an argument like this. Giving Summer the milk would basically mean Freya admitted she had stolen from her.

"I can’t help it! She might be dumb, but she’s not dumb enough to eventually realize what that thick white liquid was..." Freya groaned.

"Oh, I see," Gideon teased. "You just don’t want to break her heart if she figures it out. You’re actually pretty soft-hearted."

"No! It’s not like that!" Freya protested immediately, her face turning red again. "She’s the most annoying big sister in the world!"

Gideon laughed and kept driving. The closer they got to the Deliric Desert, the darker the sand became. It slowly shifted from pale yellow to a sickly black, like the land itself had been poisoned by the Verdant Devourer’s nest.

Then the smell hit them. It was rotten, thick, and nauseating.

The stench was so strong that Gideon immediately opened the system store and bought two gas masks. A ski mask or cloth covering would never block something like this.

Soon they reached the small Freebound camp set up about five hundred meters away from the corpse. Gideon parked his truck beside the three-wheeled vehicles lined up there. Even from that distance, the enormous body of the Devourer was clearly visible.

"Are you sure you want to follow me?" Gideon asked. "You can stay here. That plug probably makes everything worse."

Freya’s face was partly hidden behind the mask, but her frown was obvious.

"Then take the plug out so I can move faster!"

Gideon stared at her for a moment before answering flatly. "Nope. Not happening."

She punched his arm lightly, which only made Gideon laugh.

They stepped out of the truck and were greeted immediately by Jade. She was already wearing a gas mask, though it looked old and worn. Her protective clothing was crude, resembling more of a raincoat than proper gear.

"Took you long enough, Lord Gideon," Jade said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Don’t call me that, Pathmadre," Gideon replied. "And is that outfit enough protection? I heard the longer that corpse stays exposed, the more toxins it releases."

"You’re not wrong," Jade said. She gestured toward the ground. "Look around you. Even the sand is dying."

She signaled for them to follow her into a large tent. Inside, rows of protective clothing hung along the sides. Several gas masks were piled inside a large container, and boots were scattered across the floor.

Freya immediately grabbed a set of gear. Gideon hesitated for a moment before walking closer to her.

"Are you sure this is safe?" he asked quietly. "Couldn’t it harm you?"

Freya shook her head. "My father writes all the safety procedures about taking Verdant Devourer’s scales and fangs," she said. "It should be fine."

"Alright," Gideon said. "I’ll trust you."

It wasn’t that Gideon doubted their survival methods. These people had survived the apocalypse long before he arrived.

Still, the lack of resources often forced people to call dangerous things "safe" simply because they had no better option.

Gideon was immune to monster toxins. Freya, Jade, and the rest of the Freebound were not. It was the one that worried him the most.

Though, Freebound men moved quickly, hauling the fangs and scales toward the open space beside the changing tent.

Two large trucks were parked nearby. The men hung the massive pieces of bone and scale on metal hooks, then sprayed them down with hoses connected to the trucks’ water tanks.

It changes his mind.

"Water from an aberrant?" Gideon asked.

Jade nodded while guiding them through the work area, keeping an eye on the operation.

"Yeah. Cleaning something this big takes a ridiculous amount of water, and water like that isn’t cheap." Her gaze sharpened when she looked at him. "That’s why I’m asking for thirty percent."

Gideon sighed. "As a leader, I have the right to be careful when dealing with people. You never know what the future will bring, and humans change faster than you expect." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Jade gave a short shrug. "As a more experienced leader, I know."

They continued walking until they reached another tent.

This one served as a resting area for the Freebound workers. The men greeted Gideon and Freya the moment they entered. A few of them even jokingly asked him for a pack of cigarettes, promising to repay him with their lives.

Before the joke could turn into an actual deal, Jade stepped forward and glared at them.

"Any man who sells his loyalty and dignity for a pack of cigarettes will have his protective gear stripped off and will spend the night inside the Devourer’s corpse."

A wicked smile appeared behind her mask.

"If you’re still alive the next morning, you’ll get one pack a day for the rest of your life... which will probably be cut in half because of the toxins." She casually patted Gideon’s shoulder. "Paid by him."

The entire tent fell silent. Everyone quickly shook their heads.

Everyone except Aaron, who clearly looked tempted to raise his hand until his friend immediately grabbed his arm and pulled it down.

"Anyway," Jade said, turning away, "let’s stop wasting time with these idiots. Come on, I’ll show you the corpse."

She left the tent and climbed onto a three-wheeled vehicle.

The distance was not very far, but moving quickly meant they could avoid staying near the corpse longer than necessary.

As they approached, the ground around the body had completely changed. The sand had turned deep black, its texture resembling wet charcoal. It looked sticky and foul, the kind of soil that poisoned anything touching it.

The corpse itself had darkened even further. Parts of the flesh had begun breaking down into thick, gooey strands that dripped slowly from bone to ground, staining the earth darker with every drop.

Gideon stood in front of the first S-rank aberrant he had ever killed.