Surviving the Apocalypse with my Multiplier System - Chapter 103

Chapter 103: Attempted Robbery
Rayne’s expression turned serious as she met Julian’s eyes. “Then we need to be more careful. We also need to try and gather information on Damien, along with finding leads on a chemist.”

“Yes. I don’t want to jump to conclusions just yet, but I believe that Damien is connected to the strange symptoms of the dead men we saw in the city. I’m thinking those thugs were either Damien’s men or somehow related,” said Julian.

“Wow, to think we might have already been in contact with Damien’s men…” said Rayne, realizing that the situation may have been different than an encounter with just some local thugs.

“Mmm, yeah. Just keep it in mind when you interact with people you’re not familiar with in the future,” he said calmly. His only wish was for her to be safe; everything else he could handle.

The two of them continued to chat for a while longer, moving on to other topics. “Let’s check out the job board tomorrow. Maybe there will be a lead to find a chemist from one of the scouting missions?” suggested Julian.

“Yes! That’s a great idea. I also wanted to ‘sell’ a few items to the newly opened market tomorrow,” replied Rayne.

Late that night.

Rico huddled around with his ‘brothers’ in the living room of their housing unit. “Okay, tonight we’re going to try and gather more information. Randy, you and Tee are going to climb through this back window and see if you can see anything from their windows. The rest of us are going to see if we can pick the lock on the front door.”

“You got it, bro!” the guys replied.

“Remember, stay quiet and don’t get caught. Even if you can’t find anything, don’t test your luck and just come back,” instructed Randy. The last thing he wanted was to get discovered before the plan even had a chance to be executed.

Everyone nodded their heads, indicating that they understood. Randy and Tee stealthily walked over to the window and opened it before climbing out. They placed a small wooden plank on the windowsill, connecting their two windows together.

Randy deftly jumped out onto the plank while Tee held it to provide additional support. Carefully, Randy walked across the plank over to the window of the neighboring unit.

As Randy approached the first window, he noticed that there were a set of blinds and curtains blocking the view completely. Frowning, he made his way over to the second window.

This time, he was able to catch a few tiny glimpses of the dark interior through the slightly opened blinds. After taking a few more peeks, he quickly made his way back inside.

“Tee! You won’t believe it! They have a couch and a table inside!” Randy quietly exclaimed.

“What? A couch! They really are big shots! Can you imagine what kind of other things they might have inside if they already have a couch?!” Tee chimed in. His mind was filled with the promise of meat and delicious cooking.

On the front side of the building, Rico and his group were busy trying their luck at lockpicking the front door.

“Why is it taking you so long? Didn’t you pick the lock to our unit many times when Tee forgot the keys?” asked Rico, slightly impatient.

The man with the scar across his face frowned. “Yeah, our lock was a very standard design and is very straightforward. For some reason, this lock is very different, and I don’t understand it.”

Rico looked at the door carefully. “Well, the door and the doorknob look identical to ours and the other units in this building.” He couldn’t understand why the lock here would be so different from everyone else’s.

He felt a headache coming on. “Alright, let’s go back. I don’t want to get caught.”

The group packed up and went back inside to reconvene with Randy and Tee.

“You guys have any luck?” asked Randy.

“Nah, there’s something strange about the door lock. We couldn’t figure it out. How about you guys? Find anything interesting?” asked Rico.

Randy sat down on the tattered blanket. “They have blinds and curtains installed, so I wasn’t able to see too much. However–”

“Tell him about the couch!” interrupted Tee excitedly.

Rico lifted his eyebrow. “Couch?”

“Yeah, bro, I was able to peek into their living room and saw that they had a couch and a table!” Randy explained.

“They must have so many nice items… like meat!” said Tee while drooling at the thought of eating a juicy steak.

Rico was fairly surprised by this discovery. “Yeah, I agree. If they have the ability to obtain a couch, they must have many other useful items. I’m even more determined to break inside now,” he said.

The rest of the men nodded, following the same logic. “Just tell us what to do, we’ll do it!” they all exclaimed excitedly.

“We will wait and see if they decide to go anywhere in the next few days. An opportunity might present itself,” said Rico.

The next morning, Rayne woke up early, excited to visit the newly opened market where she could sell a number of items.

When Julian woke up, he found Rayne organizing boxes of supplies in the living room. She was so focused on her task that she didn’t realize he had walked into the room.

After watching her for a while, he finally cleared his throat. “What are you so focused on so early in the morning?”

Rayne jumped, startled at his sudden question. “Oh, morning! Sorry, I didn’t notice you were there. I’m deciding which supplies are best to sell to the base… I want to contribute as much as I can, but I don’t want to seem suspicious,” she said thoughtfully.

Julian walked over and looked at the various cans and dried food lying around. There was also a small pile of blankets and hygiene supplies.

“Hmm, well, let’s start with what people would need the most right now. I would say food and water would be a top priority. The rest of these items are pretty good choices too, but we can wait to deliver them periodically, especially after we come back from ‘scavenging runs,'” said Julian.

“Good idea, then I will just focus on food and water today. Thank you for the suggestion,” she said and began to fill a medium-sized box with various canned items, dry goods, and dry biscuits.