Surviving the Apocalypse with my Multiplier System - Chapter 149

Chapter 149: A Proper Payment
A few moments later, they heard some sounds coming from the laboratory and decided to deal with the immediate situation first.

Rayne pulled out another set of clothes and put them on, keeping Julian’s coat as cover so the scientists wouldn’t ask where the clothing came from.

Julian held her for a moment longer. “You did wonderfully, Rayne. You’re incredibly brave.”

Rayne looked at him with a smile. She was happy that he understood her actions and wasn’t angry or upset with what she’d done earlier.

“Let’s get out of here so we can take care of that wound on your head,” she said softly.

They walked back into the room where the scientists were quietly waiting in the corner.

Julian motioned to them. “Come on, let’s get out of here. Stay behind us, and call out if you see anyone along the way.”

The three scientists quickly agreed and followed them back into the stairwell.

Rayne and Julian made their way down to where the others were waiting on the floor below.

“Daddy! You’re back!” cried out the young girl. She ran up to the older scientist and hugged him, tears in her eyes.

The father knelt down and hugged her. “I’m back, princess. We can finally leave this place.” His wife and son had been killed in the initial earthquakes, leaving his daughter his only living relative.

They did their best to lay low but eventually got captured when they went out to look for food and had been here ever since.

The rest of the people stood up and waited for the signal that they could leave.

“Listen up. Most of the gang members here have been dealt with, but there may still be some stationed outside. We also don’t know how the other gangs in the area will respond, but the plan is to leave the city through Ice Tiger territory,” announced Julian.

Everyone quietly listened, eager to take any risk to make it out of there safely. They felt that Rayne and Julian were very capable, having taken on this entire gang by themselves.

As they began to file out of the building, Rayne turned to Julian.

“I’ll be right back. There’s something I need to grab upstairs,” she said, and ran back up to the fifth floor.

Julian waited a few minutes for her to return but didn’t see her holding anything and assumed that she’d just found something she wanted to store in her system.

“Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go,” she smiled.

The group made their way down to the ground floor, where Rayne and Julian told them to wait until they took care of the gang members still patrolling the area outside.

Thankfully, they already had a good idea of where everyone was positioned, making it much easier to clear them out.

A few minutes later, they returned to the hiding spot on the ground floor of the pharmaceutical building.

“Okay, we’re going to try and make it to Ice Tiger territory as quickly as possible. Please stay close,” said Rayne before walking out into the freezing outdoors.

They moved quickly, going from building to building, making their way back to the east side of the city.

When they finally reached the spot where the escort from the Ice Tiger gang had told them to meet up, they quickly found themselves surrounded.

“Hands up! You’re trespassing on our territory!” yelled a familiar voice. It was the same man who had met Rayne and Julian on the bridge when they first entered.

The frightened refugees quickly raised their hands, some even falling to their knees.

Rayne and Julian took a step forward so the man could recognize them.

“Oh, it’s you guys. I’m pretty sure the deal you made only included passage for the two of you,” he said with a stern expression.

Before Rayne had a chance to reply, she noticed a new group of people walk over.

“Boss!” the man said respectfully.

The leader of the Ice Tigers walked over, crossing her arms. “Well, well, what do we have here? Looks like there’s a party going on.”

Rayne looked up at her. “We—”

“Let me guess. You want me to agree to let everyone through,” she said, cutting Rayne off.

“Yes,” replied Rayne.

The young woman looked Rayne in the eye, seeing that she wasn’t joking, and burst out laughing.

“Haha! No way! You’re being serious!” she laughed. “Okay, okay. What will you offer me this time? And let me be clear, I want a generous offer.”

Rayne quietly pulled her backpack off her back and unzipped it. She pulled out something bloody and tossed it on the ground in front of the leader, waiting for her reaction.

When the leader looked down, she was momentarily confused until she recognized what she was looking at.

“What!? How did you…?!”, she exclaimed in shock.

Kneeling, she examined it further. “You guys really are something. You really killed the leader of the Blood Skulls!”

The item Rayne threw was the head of the leader she had “harvested” before they left.

“I hope this is enough of a payment for all of us. The Blood Skulls have been completely wiped out,” said Rayne.

The Ice Tiger leader waved her hand, signaling two members to go verify if what Rayne said was true.

“I just sent two of my runners out. If what you said is true, then I will let you all leave through our territory,” she said.

Rayne frowned and crossed her arms. “We have women and children here. Could we at least stand by the fire?”

There was a clearing up ahead with a few barrel fires where the people stationed outside could warm themselves.

The leader looked at the group of people, noticing their pitiful appearance.

“Fine, I’ll allow it,” she said. Killing the leader of her enemy faction was already enough payment for something this small.

The group quickly gathered around the small fires, warming their hands. They only had to wait a short while when the two people who had been sent out returned.

“Leader! It’s true. We walked right in, and everyone was dead! We even quickly walked through the building!” one of the men reported.

The leader almost couldn’t believe it.

“You two must be very capable to have single-handedly wiped out one of the top gangs in this city. You have my thanks. They’ve been getting more and more difficult to deal with recently,” she said with a grateful expression.

With the Blood Skulls gone, the Ice Tigers no longer had to worry about maintaining their status as the number one gang in the city.