Surviving the Apocalypse with my Multiplier System - Chapter 143

Chapter 143: The Ranch 2
Julian drove the luxury RV down the long driveway, parking it a healthy distance away from the farmhouse.

Rayne noticed many of the people inside poke their heads out, checking out the shiny RV.

Fred even came out of the house with an awed expression. “Wow, looks like we’re in the presence of some big shots! Haha!” he laughed heartily.

Rayne and Julian got out of the RV and smiled, happy that no one looked jealous or overly envious.

“Ah, thank you. We just got lucky that we managed to secure this beauty early on,” replied Julian.

The next few minutes consisted of a small tour of the inside of the RV since Fred was dying to see it.

“Wow, you would never find something like this in these rural parts. I appreciate you opening my eyes to the existence of something this grand! Haha!” laughed Fred. This RV would be a conversation starter for many years to come.

A few hours later, it was finally time for dinner. Rayne was curious about how they fed so many people and walked inside the crowded house to take a look.

She noticed that everyone looked happy, and most of the people were discussing the birth of the new calf.

The smell from the kitchen was very pleasant, which was a big contrast to what she had seen before. These rural country people seemed more resilient to the disasters than the city people she’d mostly been around.

As the line continued to move forward, she finally spotted what they made for dinner. There was an enormous cast iron pot filled with potato soup. Next to it was a large platter of freshly made flatbreads.

When it was finally Rayne’s turn to get her portion, Rita happily handed her a large bowl of soup and a piece of flatbread.

“It’s not anything special, dear, but I threw in a few extra pieces of chicken for you,” she said in a low voice.

Rayne felt warm at the generosity they all displayed to newcomers like her and Julian. Being treated to free food in the current times was a very generous action. This made Rayne want to do something for this community.

She sat down at a small table with Julian and Fred, eating the delicious homemade meal while casually chatting with Fred.

They told him a little bit about their travels and the government base they were from. Fred seemed uninterested in moving down, as most of the people who lived here had deep roots, including him.

In return, Fred told them about the delicate relationship their small settlement had with the big gangs inside the city. He explained that they paid a tribute of eggs, chicken meat, and milk in return for being spared from looting and other sticky situations.

The gang they paid tribute to called themselves the Ice Tigers, and it was the major rival gang to the Blood Skulls. Fred explained that the Ice Tigers seemed to be the most humane of the gangs he’d dealt with before, and he was happy that their territory was the closest to their settlement.

After dinner, Rayne invited Molly over to their RV for tea and to talk more about the situation inside the city.

Molly entered wide-eyed, taking in all of the beautiful sights of the interior of the RV.

Rayne had the heaters running, which made the interior a comfortably warm temperature.

“Come on in and take a seat,” said Rayne, pointing to the white leather couch in the living space.

As Molly took a seat, Rayne finished pouring the boiling water into three mugs and placed them on the small table in front of the couch.

She brought over a box of various teas and a few pastries that she pretended to take out of the fridge.

Molly gasped at the sight of the delicate pastries. “Wow, I haven’t seen a pastry like this in so long!” she exclaimed.

Rayne smiled and sat down beside her. “Have as many as you like, just keep it between us.” Molly nodded and took a big bite.

Julian came over to join them and sat down in a chair opposite Molly.

“So, what can you tell us about the layout of the city and more about the Blood Skulls?” asked Rayne after a few minutes.

Molly put down the third pastry and quickly answered, “So, the city is taken over mainly by the two major gangs, the Blood Skulls and the Ice Tigers. There’s a third gang called Toxxic that’s smaller in size, but they’re just as messed up as the Blood Skulls.”

She took a sip of tea and continued, “The base of the Blood Skulls is the large pharmaceutical company that I think the chemist you’re looking for worked in,” she said with a frown.

Rayne sighed. “It seems that there’s no easy way around this. We’ll have to infiltrate their base, it seems.”

She had expected it to be complicated, but hearing that the gang made the entire pharmaceutical building part of their main base added even more difficulty to their mission.

“If you still plan on going in, I recommend entering the city from the east side, Ice Tiger territory. While they’re still a gang, they’re more humane and will most likely accept a deal of safe passage for a trade of some sort,” she said.

Molly continued to explain the various territories and particularly dangerous areas using landmarks and street names.

This gave Rayne and Julian a good insight into the inner workings of the city.

After Molly left, Rayne pulled out a map of City R and used a highlighter to circle the various territory areas that Molly described in great detail. This gave them a good visual map of the area and a better idea of how to enter.

Rayne circled the large pharmaceutical company on the west side of the city and dropped the highlighter on the table.

“I think going through the Ice Tiger territory, like Molly suggested, would be the best course of action. These dangerous central areas should also be a bit safer now due to the cold snap that just happened,” said Rayne.

“You’re right. Let’s go with that plan. Let’s leave tomorrow morning to avoid having to travel in the even colder temperatures at night,” said Julian.

They decided to call it a night and go to bed, but before they did, Rayne suggested placing a few hidden cameras around the RV.

While these people showed a lot of kindness, and Rayne truly felt they were decent people, she just wanted to ensure her own safety. These cameras would give her peace of mind when sleeping.