Building a Safe Zone with My Harem In The Post-Apocalyptic World-Chapter 99: Overwhelmed

Gideon stepped forward and looked past Aria at the queue. There were women and even children among them, which made him narrow his eyes slightly.

"I don’t think construction work is suitable for children and women," he said.

He was not deeply familiar with the field, but there was a reason it was still dominated by men.

"Ah, this isn’t just for construction," Aria replied as she stood up from her chair.

"Some are signing up for cooking, hunting, and other tasks. As for the children, they can help with lighter work like cleaning the tents."

She gestured to the booth. "I set this up to make registration easier based on what they want to do." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"I see. Make sure you explain the benefits I told you about," Gideon said.

Honestly, he had expected her to assign roles based purely on skill. Choice was a luxury for a group this small.

"I already told them," she said with a grin.

Then her attention shifted to William. "Who’s this? A friend of yours?"

Gideon shook his head slightly. "This is William Sinclair. He specializes in civil engineering and will manage the water and sanitation project, as well as the housing project. We need it done as soon as possible."

Aria’s eyes lit up. "Oh! I see. Nice to meet you, sir. I’m Aria, Gideon’s secretary."

She reached out and shook his hand enthusiastically. William returned the gesture with a small nod and a polite smile.

His attention, however, was already elsewhere. His gaze moved across the settlement, observing the ground, the layout, and possible excavation points. Occasionally, his eyes lingered on the tents, and a faint frown formed, though he said nothing about it.

When he finally spoke, his tone remained composed and professional.

"I look forward to working with you. For now, please send anyone interested in construction work to me as soon as possible, along with details of their skills and any heavy equipment certifications."

Aria blinked, then rubbed her chin. "I don’t think anyone here has certifications like that..."

"Some of them used to be farmers," Gideon added. "They should at least know how to operate basic machinery."

William shook his head. "Operating equipment and operating it safely are not the same. Each machine serves a specific function. Without proper training, the risk of accidents is too high."

"Then can you train them?" Gideon asked. "The construction team arriving tomorrow should have experienced operators too. I can also check with Jade."

"It’s possible, but it will take time," William replied.

"In the meantime, I recommend starting with manual labor if no one is experienced with heavy equipment. Once trained personnel are available, we can transition to machinery. We will also need a pump system, generators, and if possible, a dump truck and a concrete mixer."

As he spoke, he was already taking notes on his tablet.

Aria watched him with visible admiration, clearly impressed by how quickly he assessed everything.

Gideon exhaled quietly, then turned to the residents who had been watching them with confused expressions. He offered a small smile.

"Alright, everyone. We’ll start working tomorrow. You’ll all receive benefits based on your assigned roles."

"Ah, you don’t need to worry about that, boss," an old man spoke up. "Everything you’ve built is already for us. As long as we have food and water, we’re fine."

Gideon recognized him. He was James. The same man who had been trapped in that building with his wife, the one close to Daphne. He had once owned a large farmland and used advanced farming methods.

But now, seeing his age, Gideon doubted he could handle heavy labor.

"James is right," another voice added. "We don’t need to be paid for this."

The others murmured in agreement.

Gideon understood their perspective, but he saw things differently.

If they were paid, even in small amounts, it would allow a basic economy to form. He was already planning to build a shop where they could buy necessities. It was small for now, but it could grow.

"Everyone," Gideon said, his tone firm but calm, "work deserves to be rewarded. This isn’t charity. It’s payment for your effort, so please accept it."

***

Gideon let out a heavy sigh after finishing his discussion with William. It was not just the unfamiliar technical terms that drained him, but also the scale of everything they needed to build.

The budget itself was not the issue. He had materials from the gacha, enough to start constructing homes, but it was still not sufficient for everything.

The real problem was the sheer amount of work that needed to be done at once.

There were only five families among the residents. Three families had just two members, while the other two had three, including children.

That made twenty-three people live alone in total, not counting the ten patients still in the hospital at Climber Rift who would arrive in a few days.

William had suggested building compact apartment-style units, similar to those in Japan. Three to four floors, small but efficient, each unit just enough for a single person with a small space to breathe.

It was a practical solution that could house many people without wasting land. And as for families, Gideon planned to build them normal houses.

But even with that, Gideon still needed to pay the construction workers, maintain food and water supplies for months, purchase heavy equipment, and oversee training.

And then there was winter.

From what he had read in the newspaper, it would arrive in about a month, possibly sooner. He had no idea how harsh it would be in this world, and he needed someone reliable to explain it.

Which led him back to the same problem, the perfect person to explain it to him, not only in weather and necessity but also in the kind of aberrants that would appear was Delilah.

"Fuck..." he muttered, running a hand through his hair as he leaned deeper into the sofa, staring at the ceiling.

There was so much to do that he ended up doing nothing at all.

Then, the faint smell of coffee reached him, followed by the soft sound of a cup being placed on the table.

"Delilah?"