Apocalypse Landlord: My Tenants Are All Beautiful Heroines.-Chapter 10: Survivor’s Camp

"Keep walking... just a few more steps..." James mumbled, trying to keep his paranoia in control. "Why did you have to make me do this?"

The sun was dipping below the horizon. Its red streaks complemented the ruined city in its own twisted beauty. If not for the loitering monsters, one could have ignored the broken building and cars around.

"I can do this. I can do this. I can do this."

James kept repeating those words as a mantra. He didn’t understand why Aiden was being so pushy about James visiting a survivor camp.

As if to answer his question, a quest appeared before him.

+++

• Mission type: Establishing Connections

• Objective: Head to the survivor camp and barter goods for weapons there.

• Bonus objective: Spread the word about the apartments and their safe nature.

• Progress: 0 goods traded. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

• Reward: Supervised visitation rights for Lily.

• Upon failure: Demotion to drifter.

• Failure condition(s):

> Rejecting the mission.

> Failing objective.

• Time Limit: 36 hours.

Note: The more goods are traded, the more supervised visits will be allowed.

+++

The reward made James push further ahead. He should have hated Aiden for putting him in such a precarious position, but he couldn’t help but praise him.

"His methods might be odd, but he’s the only one who hasn’t given up on me. I cannot disappoint him or Alisha anymore."

If not for his missions, he would have never stepped out of the apartment. His image before Lily and Alisha would have dropped to rock bottom.

But despite all his courage, just one thought about the camp’s residents shattered it all.

"Only psychos live there!"

James hadn’t been to any camps before, but the group he worked with previously had. The stories they told him didn’t paint a good picture of such places.

Back when the apocalypse broke out, the emergency services had established shelters to try and save as many people as they could.

It goes without saying, most such shelters collapsed within days. The few that remained standing were now called camps. Each camp was controlled by a single evolver or a group of them.

Why were these ’evolvers’ in power you ask?

For two reasons.

First, they were strong, and no one wanted to oppose them.

Second, if it hadn’t been for them, the camp would have ended up just like the hundreds of other shelters. They were the reason the camps stood, so naturally, they were the ones in control.

Lost in his thoughts, James didn’t realize he had already reached the survivor’s camp.

From a distance, he could see a bunch of people wielding all sorts of weapons. They were the guards stationed at the check post. Then there were others like him, wanting to enter the camp.

While there were no charges for entering the camp, anyone who wanted so, had to get their things checked. Probably they wanted to see and steal if the people had anything useful with them.

James’s hands subconsciously tightened around the bag straps.

How will they react when they see the bag full of water and food?

***

A couple of hours ago...

Aiden’s hand slipped to Alisha’s waist, but instead of pulling her close, he turned his head away from her.

"I’m sorry," he said, nervously looking at his feet, "but are you sure about this?"

"About us?" Alisha asked, finding his reactions way too amusing.

"James is still here, and well, even if Lily is adopted, you two still have a child to think—"

"Is that all?" Alisha chuckled. "I thought you... didn’t like me."

Oh, so you’re playing this game too? Perhaps you’re not as saintly as I expected.

Aiden wanted to laugh. He was playing innocent to test Alisha’s feelings towards James or any other man she would come across in the future, but didn’t expect her to flip the script on him.

"How can I not?" Aiden asked, looking baffled. "You’re everything a man could desire. Whether it be your figure or your... caring nature."

[Tenant: Alisha Irwin’s desire rose to 5%]

"Then why did you push me away?"

Alisha took a step towards him, wrapping her hands around his neck. Thinking she wanted another kiss, Aiden leaned in, only for her to press a finger against his lips.

"Answer me first, silly boy," she said.

"James isn’t doing well mentally. I didn’t want to do anything that could trigger him. He isn’t bad at heart, but he could do anything in his manic state, and I don’t want to endanger—"

Before he could say anything else, Alisha jumped at him. Aiden grabbed her thighs, lifting her effortlessly.

[Tenant: Alisha Irwin’s desire rose to 6%]

Strength is a turn on for you, huh? Good.

Her lips once again met his, but this time they didn’t stop there. Aiden felt his mouth being pried open as Alisha’s tongue entangled with his own.

Alisha’s violent urge to become one was evident with that one kiss. It seemed she had been starved for too long, and thanks to that, the flood of her desire was now getting unleashed on Aiden.

Aiden junior naturally reacted to her. A moment later, a muffled moan escaped Alisha’s lips as something hard pressed against her stomach.

However, just as things were getting heated, Aiden dropped her and ran outside before anything could happen.

"Were you embarrassed? How cute," Alisha whispered, licking her lips. "You can run, but where will you hide?"

[Tenant: Alisha Irwin’s desire rose to 8%]

Back outside, Aiden smiled at the notification.

"My guess was correct. That cougar wants to hunt an innocent rabbit, not an experienced bull."

Playing timid was a bit annoying, but if it helped him win her faster, then there was no harm in doing it. Besides, he ran away because there was something else he wanted to ask James about first.

"Why was the dilapidated building so crowded when my building barely had any people?"

A minute later, Aiden had his answer.

"That’s a survivor’s camp," James replied, sitting across from Aiden.

Aiden nodded, resting his chin on his hand. Another settlement being so close to his wasn’t permissible. The only place any human should live was under his authority.

Don’t get carried away. For now, two are enough.

Aiden wanted to upgrade his class first. Besides, instead of consuming the camp as a whole, he could think of it as an outpost to keep drifters.

"Hm, so you’re saying they would have plenty of supplies?" he asked.

"So I have heard," James replied.

"Good. Good," Aiden smirked. "I know you wanted to rest, but I have a job for you."