Building a Safe Zone with My Harem In The Post-Apocalyptic World-Chapter 46: Fragile But Not Helpless

Gideon didn’t move when Aaron raised the gun toward Henry. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the real threat first. Henry’s men were already in motion, faster than panic should allow, bricks raised high.

CRASH.

The impact landed on both of them at the same time. Aaron staggered immediately, but Gideon didn’t even feel the force.

His DEF absorbed it like nothing. Still, he let his body fall, dropping heavily to the ground deliberately and forcing his muscles limp. He lay there, eyes barely closed, listening.

Screams filled the hallway.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, COWARD?! LET THEM GO!"

Daphne’s voice was raw, furious.

Beside him, Aaron groaned, "Fuck..." He tried to push himself up, but another blow came down hard on his head.

Henry stepped forward laughing, his voice loud and ugly.

"You think you can defeat me? Worthless trash!"

He kicked Aaron repeatedly, boots thudding into ribs and stomach while Gideon remained motionless. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

He could feel his blood heating, anger coiling tight inside his chest, but he forced himself to stay still.

’Damn this bastard! I will make sure you’ll be eaten alive in agony by that monster!’ he promised silently.

"Tie them down!" Henry barked. "We’ll throw them to the Devourer!"

The ones who opposed him tried to fight back and even protected Aaron, helping him stand up but the fist hit them harshly. Henry’s men didn’t hesitate at all.

They moved with discipline, binding wrists efficiently, dragging people across the floor without wasted motion.

Most of the ones tied were middle-aged, elderly, or children. A few younger members who had refused Henry’s idea were forced down as well.

It was too fast and professional.

They weren’t desperate civilians acting on instinct. They responded like trained subordinates following a commander’s signal.

When it was over, about ten of them remained bound together, including Aaron and Gideon.

The rest stood behind Henry with hollow expressions, as if they had already accepted the hierarchy he forced upon them.

They were shoved into an empty room.

Inside, terror exploded.

"Please, don’t let us die here!"

"Take my son with you!" a mother cried as she crawled forward despite her tied hands. "I’ll go! I’ll be bait! Just let him live!"

She clung desperately to Henry’s leg, but he responded with a snarl and a violent kick.

"Stop touching me, you pathetic woman. Your son would only slow us down."

His eyes were cold, almost enlightened by his own cruelty. "You should thank me. I’m freeing you from this miserable world. In the end, we’re all the same. Food for aberrants."

The door shut again, and their footsteps faded.

For a few seconds, there was nothing but crying.

Then Gideon opened his eyes.

Across the room, Daphne was holding a little girl tightly, whispering to calm her. When she noticed him awake, shock flickered across her face before relief followed.

He kept his voice low. "Those men. Are they really part of your group? Their coordination is too precise."

She swallowed, trembling. "They didn’t arrive together. But... Now that I think about it, they joined around the same period."

"Figures."

He shifted slightly, testing the ropes without drawing attention.

"Can you calm them down?" he asked quietly. "I need silence for a moment."

Daphne wiped her tears. "You have a plan, don’t you? You said you could get us out."

"I can," Gideon replied steadily. "But I need them quiet first."

She nodded and moved through the room, whispering urgently to everyone. Telling them to breathe. To stay still. To trust him just a little longer..

Maybe it was because they were too desperate, exhausted, and close to death that they decided to believe in him. One by one, the sobs quieted until the room sank into fragile silence.

Gideon moved carefully and pressed his ear against the door.

Outside, Henry’s voice no longer carried the madness from earlier. It was calm now, controlled, and almost reassuring.

"We’ll make them walk into the middle of the nest. Once the Devourer locks onto them, we move to the right as fast as we can."

A hesitant voice answered, "Are you sure this will work? What if it eats them before we escape?"

"Of course it will work," Henry replied smoothly. "The Devourer likes to play with its prey. It doesn’t just swallow everything immediately. Trust me. I’ll get us out of this."

Gideon crawled back to his spot and subtly gestured to Daphne. They couldn’t stay too quiet. Total silence would raise suspicion. Soon enough, soft whimpers and low crying resumed, enough to sound believable.

But Gideon’s mind was elsewhere.

’In the end, we all become food for aberrants.’

Henry’s words echoed in his head.

It reminded him of the cult he had been accused of belonging to. The ones who believed being devoured by aberrants revealed the truth of the world.

’It’s possible...’

If Henry had some deeper motive, Gideon would uncover it later. For now, survival came first.

"All of you," Gideon said quietly, keeping his voice low but firm, "when they bring us out, just follow my lead. Act desperate. Act like you don’t want to die."

Confusion spread across the room. They looked at one another, clearly unconvinced.

"This plan only works if everyone cooperates," he continued. "Right now, I’m your only way out."

This was a test from Gideon, if they could believe in him with this absurd order, it wouldn’t be a problem for them to believe in him in any situation in the future.

Aaron leaned against the wall, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. "That’s too vague. We should fight them, take their weapons, and throw them to the Devourer instead."

"You want to become like them?" Gideon asked calmly.

Aaron spat the blood onto the floor. "Are you still talking about morals in a life-or-death situation? Morals won’t save you. They’ll only drag you to hell faster."

A faint smile lifted Gideon’s lips. "Then don’t follow me. Fight them yourself. Or maybe some of you want to help him?"

He looked around.

Eight heads lowered at once.

They were starving, dehydrated, and injured. Some couldn’t even stand straight. Fighting trained men wasn’t an option.

"No?" Gideon turned back to Aaron. "Then you’re on your own."

Silence settled again, heavier this time.

"I’ll help," Daphne suddenly said, her voice trembling but resolute.

She bit her lip and lifted her bound hands slightly. From her palm, small green sprouts pushed through her skin, curling outward with fragile life.

"But you need to tell me the plan so I can support you."

Gasps filled the room. Even the ones who had been restraining her earlier—out of care—stared in shock.

"You’re..."

"I’m a Child of Eden," she said quietly. "Use me however you need. As long as I can save everyone here... and my grandpa."