Building a Safe Zone with My Harem In The Post-Apocalyptic World-Chapter 102: The Wounded Arrive

Gideon went over the details of the construction workers’ housing, explaining what they would need during their stay in his territory and what kind of conditions he expected them to work under.

After everything was agreed on, he handed Grant the materials for the temporary housing and asked him to prepare another section specifically for the wounded who were still recovering.

They had already been discharged from the hospital in Climber Rift and were expected to arrive soon, so there wasn’t much time to waste.

Grant accepted the task without much complaint, quickly splitting his men into two groups before moving to organize them.

One group began handling temporary housing, while the other prepared to start the water and sanitation construction, with William following closely behind, already stepping into his role and observing every detail with quiet focus.

At the same time, Gideon moved to welcome the incoming group while Jade decided to take care of Kanna and continue her work there since she had lots of documents to do.

With the help of Freebound, the wounded were transported safely using a vehicle. There were only eight of them.

Originally, there had been fifteen but the rest didn’t make it.

Gideon watched as they stepped down one by one, his expression tightening for a brief moment before he forced himself to stay composed.

Among them, there was one person he had specifically wanted to meet, the wife of the Traveler Faction Chief, Nelly.

A gentle-looking woman in her sixties stood in front of him. Even in her weakened state, there was a quiet softness in her presence that hadn’t faded.

"You must be Nelly," Gideon said after greeting the others, his tone more restrained than usual. "I’m sorry for your husband."

"It’s alright... I’m the one who should be thanking you."

Her voice trembled slightly, whether from exhaustion or grief, it was hard to tell.

Gideon knew he could help them recover much faster with his potion, but he chose not to. Not yet. A potion that could heal wounds instantly didn’t exist in this world, and revealing it too early would only draw unnecessary attention.

He needed everything he ’summoned’ to feel natural, as if it already belonged here, otherwise people would start asking questions he wasn’t ready to answer.

"Mr. Beckett, if you want to discuss anything about the traveler group, it would be better to speak with me instead."

The voice came from a young man who stepped forward, placing himself just slightly ahead of Nelly without being overly aggressive.

He had black hair, green eyes, the same shade as hers, and features sharp enough to make the resemblance obvious. Around the same age as Gideon. This had to be Eugene.

Gideon had already been informed about them by Aria. The Traveler Chief had been a respected figure, and his family carried that reputation with them.

Getting close to them would be beneficial, but Gideon’s interest was more practical than that. If Nelly had been with the group the longest, then she would know everyone well, and that kind of information would be useful later, after they had time to rest.

"I understand," Gideon said calmly. "I only wanted to offer my condolences to Mrs. Ford and the others."

He gave a small, polite smile before continuing, his tone steady but sincere. "I’m sorry I couldn’t save everyone, but I hope this place will be enough for you to stay."

"The temporary housing will be ready by the end of the day. It won’t be as comfortable as a Climber Rift, but at least you’ll be able to rest properly and recover."

The atmosphere softened almost immediately.

"Oh no, this is already more than enough," one of them said. "We’re just grateful you’re letting us stay."

"Yes, a friend even sent me a letter saying the landlord here is kind. I’m glad we came," another added with a tired smile.

"We’ve been traveling for so long without a place to call home... it feels strange, but I’m glad we finally have one."

Their voices carried a quiet warmth that didn’t match the bandages still wrapped around their bodies. Even in their condition, they were thankful.

And somehow, that feeling reached Gideon as well.

Not everyone shared that warmth, Eugene clearly didn’t.

He looked displeased, his expression tightening at the others’ words. Gideon could understand why. To someone like him, it almost sounded as if they were relieved the chief was gone, even though that wasn’t what they meant.

Before the tension could spiral further, Johan spoke up.

"You all should remember why we’re even here, and the lives that were lost along the way," he said, his tone firm but tired.

"Show some respect to the one who protected us all this time." He paused, then added, "No offense to you, Gideon."

"I understand," Gideon replied calmly. "I’m not that petty."

He gave a small nod. "Come on, I’ll show you your temporary place."

They followed behind him, though the mood didn’t improve, but Gideon didn’t dwell on it. He had bigger things to deal with.

The tent he prepared for them was larger and looked cleaner than the others, mainly for hygiene reasons.

Inside, there were simple medical cots, the kind usually used in emergency tents, set up for the wounded. The rest of the residents didn’t have that luxury.

There were two tents, each capable of holding ten people, so the space was more than sufficient. Considering many of them still had open wounds, this was the bare minimum to prevent infection.

Even then, giving them better conditions than the others felt slightly unfair, though fortunately, his residents didn’t seem to mind.

"The cot is too thin for my mom. She has back problems."

"Eugene!" Nelly snapped immediately. "This is more than enough for me. Don’t mind him, Mr. Beckett."

Gideon gave a small smile. "You can just call me Boss or Leader. That’s what most people here use. Chief is fine too."

his gaze shifted toward Eugene, he could see the irritation in the boy’s eyes deepen, because that title was for his father not long before, but now Gideon replace it easily.

It was an insult to him.

They were around the same age, but the difference in maturity was obvious.

"Yes... we understand, Chief," Nelly said with a tired sigh. "I’m sorry. My son is being... difficult. We should be grateful you even took us in."

Her eyes sharpened as she turned to him. "Apologize to Chief Beckett."

"No," Eugene said flatly. He pointed toward the main house. "That place is yours, right? If you’re really as capable as Daphne says, shouldn’t we be getting the same kind of place?"

His tone carried a clear challenge.

Nelly’s face flushed red, caught between anger and embarrassment. Before she could speak, Gideon answered.

"Do you see what everyone here is doing?" he said, his voice steady but edged. "People carrying materials, wearing PPE, working nonstop. Or did you miss that excavator over there?"

He gestured toward the construction site. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Then he crossed his arms. "Houses don’t just appear out of nowhere, Eugene. They’re built." His gaze sharpened slightly. "I heard you worked alongside your father. So how do you not understand something that basic?"

A few people nearby let out quiet snorts, unable to hold back their laughter. Daphne, especially, looked amused after hearing her name dragged into it.

"Oh, Eugene," she said as she stepped forward, her tone almost mocking, "life isn’t some fairy tale you grew up with."

She pointed her thumb toward Gideon. "And Gideon here is our hero. Don’t you know he took down a Verdant Devourer with just one sword? He even tore it apart with his bare hands."

That was clearly exaggerated, but it worked.

Eugene fell silent, his face turning red, unable to come up with a response.

Nelly quickly bowed her head. "I’m really sorry, Chief."

Gideon just smiled at her, then glanced back at Eugene with a faint, almost cocky smirk.

The boy looked like he wanted to argue more. But in the end, he didn’t.