Fight, Flight, or Freeze: The Healer's Story
Chapter 207: North, South, East, or West

Chapter 207: North, South, East, or West

I gradually dropped my hands from Fan Teng Fei’s face, enjoying the contact of his skin on mine. "I take it that wasn’t much help?" I said, a sarcastic smirk on my face.

I already knew the answer.

"Unfortunately, Hyper-marts are one of the biggest grocery store chains in the country," replied Chang Guo Zi with a shake of his head.

"And without anything else to go on, we can’t really know for sure," shrugged Duan Zhao Hui.

"What about the markings on the sign? You said that that was Black Mountain? Are you referring to the Syndicate?" asked Cheng Bo Jing, cocking his head to the side.

"Yeah, the East Coast is carved up between three syndicates, the White Tiger, the Black Mountain, and the Red Dragon. There are some rumors that the daughter of the Violent Serpent has taken over a base in City J called Elysian Fields, but that hasn’t really been confirmed," explained Chang Guo Zi.

"Are they all still under the control of the original families?" asked Cheng Bo Jing, like the idea that our country has been taken over by different mafia isn’t the most mind-blowing thing to happen yet. I was a bit worried that I had woken up in the middle of a mafia novel, but apparently, this was all just common knowledge.

"No. And they are nowhere near as powerful as they were before the apocalypse. The Liu’s initially ran the Red Dragon Syndicate down south, in and around City H, but they seemed to have disappeared overnight. There was a daughter who was supposed to take over from the leader of the Black Mountain Syndicate, but she, too, disappeared. I can’t even remember her name... Wu... something." Chang Guo Zi shrugged his shoulders like it wasn’t that big of a deal.

"I assume that the Black Dragons have taken over City B?" mused Si Dong, his head cocked to the side.

"There is no City B to take over. They are currently under zombie control, and as far as we know, there are no humans left in the city," responded Duang Zhao Hui.

Once again, I was shocked at how blasé these men were about the changes made in the last few years. City B was the second largest city in the country and accounted for more than a few million residents. To say that it had just been taken over...

I shook my head, not wanting to think about that loss of life. It was truly a tragedy for that to happen.

"Okay, then why did you say that the signs toward City B were marked as Black Mountain territory?" asked Ye Yao Zu.

"Because they are claiming the land and cities around City B," answered Duan Zhao Hui. "I think there is a territory map being made over the next few months. All of the teams are supposed to be given a copy of it so that we know whose territory we are entering."

"Smart," grunted Rip. "Do Reavers have a set territory?"

"No," sighed Chang Guo Zi. "It would have been helpful if they did. But so far, they have claimed the entire country as their own and are expanding outward, last I heard. Camp Hell was the only known Reaver-occupied territory, and we all avoided that like no tomorrow. The Syndicates pay a tithe to the Reavers, and they will stay out of their lands, but the Sanctuaries have refused to do it. It’s why a lot of people are choosing to move to a Syndicate base instead of a Sanctuary. They think it is safer."

"What type of tithe could the Reavers possibly want? I have no idea, but it is what it is," grunted Chang Guo Zi. "I keep my nose out of that shit."

"People and women," smiled Rip as he got comfortable on one of the chairs before pulling me back down onto his lap. The other men sorted themselves around until only Duan Zhao Hui was standing.

"Aren’t women people?" asked the man, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked at me quickly.

"People are food or entertainment... women are for another sort of entertainment," I shrugged. I had enough of a reality check to know exactly what a Reaver would do with each group presented to him.

Chang Guo Zi paled as he focused his attention on me. I shrugged, not knowing what else to say. I could spell it out for them, but I didn’t think they would want that.

"Those who lost the fights became food that night," added Rip, having no problems breaking it down. "Those who won lived for another day."

"I see," nodded Duan Zhao Hui slowly, but the expression on his face was one of shock. "And the Syndicates are giving a portion of their population to ensure their safety."

"I am going to assume that that is not part of any welcome package, but yes. That is exactly what they would be doing. Reavers aren’t interested in any sort of other supplies," I concluded, more than willing to set aside this conversation. "So, if we can’t go south, could we go north?"

"No," grunted Duan Zhao Hui. "We are the biggest city this far north, and none of the smaller ones will have the quality that Wu Bai Hee demands for her supplies."

"We can’t go north, we can’t go south. Is west an option?" I probably should know the answer to that question, but I spent most of my formative years studying medicine. I barely knew what Country K looked like on a map, let alone which cities would have the most desired glassware and sheets.

"Nope, the west doesn’t work either. Our only choice is south," grunted Chang Guo Zi, verbalizing the same conclusion we had all made in our heads.

"Then I am going with you," I said. My heart was pounding at that idea, and every last one of my brain cells was screaming at me to change my mind, but I refused to open my mouth again.

It turned out I didn’t need to.

"Absolutely not!" yelled Bai Long Qiang, spinning around to look at me. "We all know that we are walking into an ambush; there is no way you are coming with us."