< Territoriality (Part 2) >
After all, people needed to eat to survive. But for the Reavers to be collecting body parts, it meant that they had creepy inclinations. Leona could not understand why the Reavers would act so disgustingly by collecting certain body parts.
“In the past, one of the Wargrave general put some effort in to analyze the crazy actions of the Reavers.”
“What was it about?”
“He wanted to know what type of humans became Reavers, and why the Reavers were crazy. But the research failed in the end.”
“Why?”
Ramphil was telling them that the research effort to understand the Reavers failed. Leona was interested and continued to press him for answers.
“Proceeding with the research was disapproved.”
“What kind of answer is that?!”
“Wargrave does not use its chips and forces on unnecessary matters.”
Leona was left speechless and laughed as she was given a stupid answer.
“Wargrave’s policy is to not get bothered by the unknown. It is especially true if there’s no threat, or if there’s no benefit to it.
“To Wargrave, Reavers are… like flies.”
Wargrave would be able to massacre the Reavers even if they attacked in large numbers. There was no point in analyzing such a crazy group of humans. The Reavers might be terrifying to the people in the wilderness, but they were no threat for Wargrave.
Ramphil and Leona thought the Reavers’ inclination to collect body parts was some unexplainable madness, but Zin thought differently.
“I think you are mistaken here. Collecting body parts is a meaningful act for the Reavers.”
“Meaningful, you say?”
“It is especially meaningful for Reavers who have a Slaughterhouse as their base.”
“Why is that?”
Leona and Ramphil didn’t understand what Zin was explaining as Ramphil has not been in the wilderness for long, and Leona was too young.
“It is similar how dogs urinate to mark territory.”
“They are marking their territory?”
“Yes.”
Leona and Ramphil started nodding as they believed what Zin said.
“After killing people, Reavers leave the dead bodies partially damaged in order to display territoriality to other groups of Reavers. Reavers fight against each other, but they also do not like fighting against crazy people.”
It meant that the Reavers marked their territory by performing such actions.
They could be cutting off the left hand, head, or foot. It was unique among different groups.
“Well… they display their uniqueness in such ways. ‘The left hand group’, ‘head collecting group’, ‘shin collecting group’, and such. You get what I am saying, right?”
“Yes… that’s damn gross.”
“Gross indeed.”
When a certain group of Reavers became powerful, they would naturally be careful in dealing with the ‘left hand collecting group’, and would avoid them.
Reavers who had established a Slaughterhouse would display their power and gain infamy through such actions. For hunters, they had to identify the different Slaughter groups in order to be prepared to fight against them.
As Zin and the group were in the main continent, it was clear that they would encounter more Slaughterhouses.
“I didn’t know about that. So it was an act of territoriality, not an act of collecting body parts…”
“Wargrave wouldn’t have known about it because it really didn’t matter to them.”
Zin was able to figure out such facts by observing the corpses. Looking at Zin, Leona realized that living as a hunter was not to be taken lightly.
“But you know, that is not the most important thing right now,” Leona started to speak to Zin and Ramphil. “Mister, if you what you said is true, then aren’t we inside the territory of the Reavers?”
“Yeah. You are right,” Ramphil nodded.
“Is it okay for us to stand idle here?” Leona spoke as she looked at the empty C-ration packages and the camp site. They set up a campsite in the middle of Reaver territory. This was an invitation for trouble. But Zin talked as if he was not afraid at all.
“We have a brave and fearless Wargrave executor with us. We have no reason to be afraid of the Reavers.”
Ramphil felt strange to be hearing what was both a compliment and mockery. Zin was not too afraid because Ramphil was with him as a companion. He would not be fighting off the Reavers by himself.
To be exact, with the help of Ramphil, Zin would be able to engage in an efficient battle, and he would not have to avoid their enemies.
“Well, I hope they attack us. It seems like they are very active around here, and that would mean that they have ammunition.”
Zin smiled, and Leona became a bit spooked at his evil smile. The weapon that Ramphil used did not require any ammunition. It meant that Zin going to gain all the ammunition after asking Ramphil to fight against the Reavers. Ramphil did not say anything, but Leona murmured in disbelief, “Mister, at times, you can be a real jerk.”
“That’s the best compliment that I’ve ever heard. Thanks.” Being opportunistic was the best trait that a hunter could have. And therefore, Leona’s words were compliments to Zin.
“Phew…”
------
Zin was not the type of person who would listen to others.
That night, Zin stayed up the night on vigil while Ramphil and Leona slept. If the Reavers were to appear, Zin was planning to wake up Ramphil, and provide sniper support while Ramphil fought against them.
Zin held his M700 next to him, and watched the night above Harbin.
The Reavers did not appear at all that night. Zin was not too tired, as he was used to staying up through the night. But he wasn’t too happy.
“These Reavers are disappointing...”
The Reavers did not hunt every day, and it was possible that they hid when they heard the sound of the armored vehicles.
On the flip side, it was very dangerous for Reavers to have their base near a Wargrave fortress.
Leona was satisfied to have delicious food at every meal, but she was getting worried.
“I won’t be able to eat other food when we’re out of C-rations.”
Leona realized that she was getting used to the taste of processed foods, and she became nervous after thinking about the time when she would be out of C-rations.
She had gotten used to the taste of C-rations, and was getting nervous about eating ghoul meat some day in the future.
“You are one lucky kid.”
“Pfft. Can’t I even worry about it?” Leona grumbled after Zin spoke to her. The team quickly ate breakfast, cleaned up the camp site, and got into the armored vehicle. The vehicle was so heavy that it risked falling into a sinkhole. Fortunately, there were roads were well maintained, as the Wargrave fortress was nearby.
“Why did the Reavers create a Slaughterhouse near the fortress?” Leona asked. Wargrave was capable of wiping out the Reavers easily, and moving in close to the fortress was risky.
“They trust the Wargrave.”
“Trust them?”
“Usually Wargrave do not care about outsiders as long as they don’t approach the fortress.”
Wargrave was neither an enemy nor ally. It was a neighbor that wasn’t a threat. The area near the fortress was relatively safe. This fact didn’t matter much for the Reavers, but it mattered for civilians.
Civilians thought that it would be safer near the fortress, and they gathered around the area. And the Reavers hunted those civilians near the fortress.
Wargrave did not care about things happening outside the fortress, but the existence of a fortress had a large influence on its surroundings. The Reavers picked off civilians utilizing the presence of the Wargrave.
Leona was somewhat bitter thinking that Wargrave was partially responsible for this phenomenon.
In the meantime, the armored vehicle continued to travel down the road. The road was in good condition, and the vehicle moved quickly through the city.
“Hmm…”
—Vrrrrrr…—
About an hour later, Ramphil slowed down the vehicle as he spotted something ahead.
“Do we have a problem?”
“I see iron wire ahead.”
Zin quickly moved to the front seat, and looked outside. Although rusted, there were iron wires on the road. Ramphil spoke with a hardened face.
“If we move forward, the track will be entangled by wires and will break.”
It appeared to be regular wire, but if the iron wire got tangled up in the tracks of the AV, it would cause damage to them. Someone had set up the wires on a well maintained road. It was clear that someone set them up to interfere with Zin’s company.
And shortly after, someone yelled from behind.
—Set them up! —
—Clack clack clack! —
A group of people appeared from the streets behind them, and laid multiple layers of iron wire down on the street. After setting the wires up, they ran into the streets. They were obviously planning to trap the vehicle.
“Well, we fell into a perfect trap.”
Zin took out his Saiga from the void storage, and loaded it with shells. There were ruins around the area, and there was no weapon more effective than a shotgun in an urban warfare.
Leona also realized that something was going on, and she loaded ammunition in her crude rifle. Although Zin didn’t fully trust her shooting skills, he didn’t stop her.
“Can we go through the buildings or go around them?”
“To get to the HCMP fortress, we need to cross the bridge ahead. There is no other way around. This vehicle is an amphibious vehicle, but with the door ripped apart, if won’t be able to cross the waters.”
The wires were set up right in front of the bridge, and there was no way around them. It was possible to walk up to the wires and remove them, but it was clear that the attackers were ready to ambush them.
The enemy decided to attack the team at this trap location instead of attacking during the night. As a result, Zin and his company were stuck in the middle of a street in the ruins.
The enemy started to move in. Ramphil spotted a Reaver running out into the street and throwing a Molotov cocktail towards the armored vehicle. Ramphil quickly closed the hatch, and hid himself inside the vehicle.
—Smash! Crack, Crackle! —
“I think they are determined to kill us first.”
The enemies had no intentions of talking to the team.
—Yo! Cowards! What are you doing hiding inside! —
—Smash! Crackle, Pop! —
A couple of Molotov cocktails hit the vehicle, and heating up the armor of the vehicle.
Zin quickly asked, “How strong is the armor?”
“It can withstand cheap chipbusters,” Ramphil replied.
“Good. Then you wait here,” Zin told Leona.
“Okay,” Leona nodded as Zin gave out orders.
“Ramphil, you go out and distract the enemy. What’s your armor defense against bullets?”
“I can withstand 7.62mm bullets as long as they don’t hit my vital spots.” His body was fortified by Megaframe to withstand gunfire.
“Good, you head out first. As soon as our enemies are distracted, I will head out, too. While you attack the enemies approaching the vehicle, I will secure a high ground and snipe. Are you ready?”
“Any time.”
“Go!”
—Whoosh! —
As soon as Zin shouted, Ramphil jumped out of the vehicle. When he got out of the vehicle, he encountered ten Reavers who were pointing their guns at the vehicle, and four Reavers who were holding custom made grenades filled with chip dust.
Some were on top of the building, some on the street corner, and some on the open street.
The shooters from the roof started firing at Ramphil as if they were expecting him.
“Shoot!”
—Ratatatatat! —
However, Ramphil was not a weakling who was going to get shot so easily. He ran at great speed, and didn’t get shot at all.
He moved quickly and erratically.
“It’s a cyborg!”
“Aim correctly! Shoot his eyes!”
The Reavers were armed with crappy home-made rifles, and were reloading their guns. In the heat of the moment, Ramphil pulled out his laser pistol. There were many system messages popping in front of Ramphil’s eyes.
[L-20, Rifle Mode]
—Clank, Click—
The laser pistol expanded, and it transformed into a rifle. L-20 was the only weapon that Ramphil brought with him when he left the Seoul fortress.
It was a very expensive weapon, not produced in large quantities. But it was always given out to soldiers who were carrying out special missions. The Seoul fortress Warlord gave out their only L-20 to Ramphil.
An L-20 was not exclusively given only to executors, but all executors used an L-20. The rifle that Ramphil was holding onto was the symbol of an executor.
An L-20 was an ultimate weapon that could be changed into a pistol, saber, rifle, and even a sniper rifle.
—Flash! —
As soon as Ramphil aimed and fired the L-20, a blue laser beam pierced through the head of a Reaver.
< Territoriality (Part 2) >
After all, people needed to eat to survive. But for the Reavers to be collecting body parts, it meant that they had creepy inclinations. Leona could not understand why the Reavers would act so disgustingly by collecting certain body parts.
“In the past, one of the Wargrave general put some effort in to analyze the crazy actions of the Reavers.”
“What was it about?”
“He wanted to know what type of humans became Reavers, and why the Reavers were crazy. But the research failed in the end.”
“Why?”
Ramphil was telling them that the research effort to understand the Reavers failed. Leona was interested and continued to press him for answers.
“Proceeding with the research was disapproved.”
“What kind of answer is that?!”
“Wargrave does not use its chips and forces on unnecessary matters.”
Leona was left speechless and laughed as she was given a stupid answer.
“Wargrave’s policy is to not get bothered by the unknown. It is especially true if there’s no threat, or if there’s no benefit to it.
“To Wargrave, Reavers are… like flies.”
Wargrave would be able to massacre the Reavers even if they attacked in large numbers. There was no point in analyzing such a crazy group of humans. The Reavers might be terrifying to the people in the wilderness, but they were no threat for Wargrave.
Ramphil and Leona thought the Reavers’ inclination to collect body parts was some unexplainable madness, but Zin thought differently.
“I think you are mistaken here. Collecting body parts is a meaningful act for the Reavers.”
“Meaningful, you say?”
“It is especially meaningful for Reavers who have a Slaughterhouse as their base.”
“Why is that?”
Leona and Ramphil didn’t understand what Zin was explaining as Ramphil has not been in the wilderness for long, and Leona was too young.
“It is similar how dogs urinate to mark territory.”
“They are marking their territory?”
“Yes.”
Leona and Ramphil started nodding as they believed what Zin said.
“After killing people, Reavers leave the dead bodies partially damaged in order to display territoriality to other groups of Reavers. Reavers fight against each other, but they also do not like fighting against crazy people.”
It meant that the Reavers marked their territory by performing such actions.
They could be cutting off the left hand, head, or foot. It was unique among different groups.
“Well… they display their uniqueness in such ways. ‘The left hand group’, ‘head collecting group’, ‘shin collecting group’, and such. You get what I am saying, right?”
“Yes… that’s damn gross.”
“Gross indeed.”
When a certain group of Reavers became powerful, they would naturally be careful in dealing with the ‘left hand collecting group’, and would avoid them.
Reavers who had established a Slaughterhouse would display their power and gain infamy through such actions. For hunters, they had to identify the different Slaughter groups in order to be prepared to fight against them.
As Zin and the group were in the main continent, it was clear that they would encounter more Slaughterhouses.
“I didn’t know about that. So it was an act of territoriality, not an act of collecting body parts…”
“Wargrave wouldn’t have known about it because it really didn’t matter to them.”
Zin was able to figure out such facts by observing the corpses. Looking at Zin, Leona realized that living as a hunter was not to be taken lightly.
“But you know, that is not the most important thing right now,” Leona started to speak to Zin and Ramphil. “Mister, if you what you said is true, then aren’t we inside the territory of the Reavers?”
“Yeah. You are right,” Ramphil nodded.
“Is it okay for us to stand idle here?” Leona spoke as she looked at the empty C-ration packages and the camp site. They set up a campsite in the middle of Reaver territory. This was an invitation for trouble. But Zin talked as if he was not afraid at all.
“We have a brave and fearless Wargrave executor with us. We have no reason to be afraid of the Reavers.”
Ramphil felt strange to be hearing what was both a compliment and mockery. Zin was not too afraid because Ramphil was with him as a companion. He would not be fighting off the Reavers by himself.
To be exact, with the help of Ramphil, Zin would be able to engage in an efficient battle, and he would not have to avoid their enemies.
“Well, I hope they attack us. It seems like they are very active around here, and that would mean that they have ammunition.”
Zin smiled, and Leona became a bit spooked at his evil smile. The weapon that Ramphil used did not require any ammunition. It meant that Zin going to gain all the ammunition after asking Ramphil to fight against the Reavers. Ramphil did not say anything, but Leona murmured in disbelief, “Mister, at times, you can be a real jerk.”
“That’s the best compliment that I’ve ever heard. Thanks.” Being opportunistic was the best trait that a hunter could have. And therefore, Leona’s words were compliments to Zin.
“Phew…”
------
Zin was not the type of person who would listen to others.
That night, Zin stayed up the night on vigil while Ramphil and Leona slept. If the Reavers were to appear, Zin was planning to wake up Ramphil, and provide sniper support while Ramphil fought against them.
Zin held his M700 next to him, and watched the night above Harbin.
The Reavers did not appear at all that night. Zin was not too tired, as he was used to staying up through the night. But he wasn’t too happy.
“These Reavers are disappointing...”
The Reavers did not hunt every day, and it was possible that they hid when they heard the sound of the armored vehicles.
On the flip side, it was very dangerous for Reavers to have their base near a Wargrave fortress.
Leona was satisfied to have delicious food at every meal, but she was getting worried.
“I won’t be able to eat other food when we’re out of C-rations.”
Leona realized that she was getting used to the taste of processed foods, and she became nervous after thinking about the time when she would be out of C-rations.
She had gotten used to the taste of C-rations, and was getting nervous about eating ghoul meat some day in the future.
“You are one lucky kid.”
“Pfft. Can’t I even worry about it?” Leona grumbled after Zin spoke to her. The team quickly ate breakfast, cleaned up the camp site, and got into the armored vehicle. The vehicle was so heavy that it risked falling into a sinkhole. Fortunately, there were roads were well maintained, as the Wargrave fortress was nearby.
“Why did the Reavers create a Slaughterhouse near the fortress?” Leona asked. Wargrave was capable of wiping out the Reavers easily, and moving in close to the fortress was risky.
“They trust the Wargrave.”
“Trust them?”
“Usually Wargrave do not care about outsiders as long as they don’t approach the fortress.”
Wargrave was neither an enemy nor ally. It was a neighbor that wasn’t a threat. The area near the fortress was relatively safe. This fact didn’t matter much for the Reavers, but it mattered for civilians.
Civilians thought that it would be safer near the fortress, and they gathered around the area. And the Reavers hunted those civilians near the fortress.
Wargrave did not care about things happening outside the fortress, but the existence of a fortress had a large influence on its surroundings. The Reavers picked off civilians utilizing the presence of the Wargrave.
Leona was somewhat bitter thinking that Wargrave was partially responsible for this phenomenon.
In the meantime, the armored vehicle continued to travel down the road. The road was in good condition, and the vehicle moved quickly through the city.
“Hmm…”
—Vrrrrrr…—
About an hour later, Ramphil slowed down the vehicle as he spotted something ahead.
“Do we have a problem?”
“I see iron wire ahead.”
Zin quickly moved to the front seat, and looked outside. Although rusted, there were iron wires on the road. Ramphil spoke with a hardened face.
“If we move forward, the track will be entangled by wires and will break.”
It appeared to be regular wire, but if the iron wire got tangled up in the tracks of the AV, it would cause damage to them. Someone had set up the wires on a well maintained road. It was clear that someone set them up to interfere with Zin’s company.
And shortly after, someone yelled from behind.
—Set them up! —
—Clack clack clack! —
A group of people appeared from the streets behind them, and laid multiple layers of iron wire down on the street. After setting the wires up, they ran into the streets. They were obviously planning to trap the vehicle.
“Well, we fell into a perfect trap.”
Zin took out his Saiga from the void storage, and loaded it with shells. There were ruins around the area, and there was no weapon more effective than a shotgun in an urban warfare.
Leona also realized that something was going on, and she loaded ammunition in her crude rifle. Although Zin didn’t fully trust her shooting skills, he didn’t stop her.
“Can we go through the buildings or go around them?”
“To get to the HCMP fortress, we need to cross the bridge ahead. There is no other way around. This vehicle is an amphibious vehicle, but with the door ripped apart, if won’t be able to cross the waters.”
The wires were set up right in front of the bridge, and there was no way around them. It was possible to walk up to the wires and remove them, but it was clear that the attackers were ready to ambush them.
The enemy decided to attack the team at this trap location instead of attacking during the night. As a result, Zin and his company were stuck in the middle of a street in the ruins.
The enemy started to move in. Ramphil spotted a Reaver running out into the street and throwing a Molotov cocktail towards the armored vehicle. Ramphil quickly closed the hatch, and hid himself inside the vehicle.
—Smash! Crack, Crackle! —
“I think they are determined to kill us first.”
The enemies had no intentions of talking to the team.
—Yo! Cowards! What are you doing hiding inside! —
—Smash! Crackle, Pop! —
A couple of Molotov cocktails hit the vehicle, and heating up the armor of the vehicle.
Zin quickly asked, “How strong is the armor?”
“It can withstand cheap chipbusters,” Ramphil replied.
“Good. Then you wait here,” Zin told Leona.
“Okay,” Leona nodded as Zin gave out orders.
“Ramphil, you go out and distract the enemy. What’s your armor defense against bullets?”
“I can withstand 7.62mm bullets as long as they don’t hit my vital spots.” His body was fortified by Megaframe to withstand gunfire.
“Good, you head out first. As soon as our enemies are distracted, I will head out, too. While you attack the enemies approaching the vehicle, I will secure a high ground and snipe. Are you ready?”
“Any time.”
“Go!”
—Whoosh! —
As soon as Zin shouted, Ramphil jumped out of the vehicle. When he got out of the vehicle, he encountered ten Reavers who were pointing their guns at the vehicle, and four Reavers who were holding custom made grenades filled with chip dust.
Some were on top of the building, some on the street corner, and some on the open street.
The shooters from the roof started firing at Ramphil as if they were expecting him.
“Shoot!”
—Ratatatatat! —
However, Ramphil was not a weakling who was going to get shot so easily. He ran at great speed, and didn’t get shot at all.
He moved quickly and erratically.
“It’s a cyborg!”
“Aim correctly! Shoot his eyes!”
The Reavers were armed with crappy home-made rifles, and were reloading their guns. In the heat of the moment, Ramphil pulled out his laser pistol. There were many system messages popping in front of Ramphil’s eyes.
[L-20, Rifle Mode]
—Clank, Click—
The laser pistol expanded, and it transformed into a rifle. L-20 was the only weapon that Ramphil brought with him when he left the Seoul fortress.
It was a very expensive weapon, not produced in large quantities. But it was always given out to soldiers who were carrying out special missions. The Seoul fortress Warlord gave out their only L-20 to Ramphil.
An L-20 was not exclusively given only to executors, but all executors used an L-20. The rifle that Ramphil was holding onto was the symbol of an executor.
An L-20 was an ultimate weapon that could be changed into a pistol, saber, rifle, and even a sniper rifle.
—Flash! —
As soon as Ramphil aimed and fired the L-20, a blue laser beam pierced through the head of a Reaver.
