Mutagen

Day 200 - 6:59 PM - Main Street, Northern Slums, Corregidor Military Settlement, Island of Corregidor, Province of Cavite

Without stepping out of the dark alley, Mark observed the scene in front of him.

As the location was just a branching path from the main street, it would not be surprising that it had a lot of people.

However, it was different from the main street where the people were returning from outside. The reason was, instead of adults, there were more children in this place.

Yes, children. Since the emotional fluctuations of children were weaker compared to adults, Mark would find it hard to count the number. Still, there would be around a hundred, probably more.

At first glance, one would think that it was where children, most likely orphans, were staying. But that was not the case here. Most of the children stood in line, while those who were not were sitting anywhere they could.

Those that sat down were voraciously consuming the thing on their hands.

It was servings of watered-down soup, using coconut shells as bowls and a chip of the coconut shell as spoons.

The food might not sound appetizing, but these children did not care. They were hungry and were very likely thankful for the food.

"So, this is what that guy wanted me to see."

Mark murmured as he stared at the small shack where the watered-down soup was being served.

The shack was built like a fast food stall, with a large window and a counter. It was clear that this structure was created for the purpose of serving food, and very likely, for these children.

And who were the ones behind it?

Looking at the armed people around the shack, it was not hard to know who.

The White Snake Gang.

Even the bulky man and some of the members of the gang Mark met earlier were present to guard the location.

Who would have thought that an armed group who labeled themselves a gang was doing such charity work?

No wonder now why a [Mutator] with a righteous subconscious was among the gang members.

Furthermore, by the looks of it, the gang was not only serving orphans. It did not matter whether they still had parents or not. As long as they were children, they were free to line up for a bowl. Mark could even see parents, who were clearly emaciated, waiting for their children. Of course, not to snatch their share, but let the children have their fill. There were also children who shared their food with their parents. But it seemed that the children were strictly required to eat half of their bowl before they could share and were strictly watched by the gang members.

Now that Mark saw this, he remembered the guide they had earlier. While the man lowered his voice when mentioning the gang, he did not show much fear about their existence.

It meant that this so-called White Snake Gang was not an armed group known for threatening the people in their territory. Still, they seemed strict to their rules, and no one was trying to take advantage of the children to get a meal for themselves.

Mark did not expect to see such a warming sight today, especially when everything was going downhill. In any case, Mark understood why that bulky man told him to come here instead of answering his question. No one would believe the answer even if they told the truth.

Well, Mark would have believed them, though.

While watching, Mark noticed someone. It was the guide this morning. It seemed that he was not alone and brought a child along. Mark saw the guide urging the child to line up before going to the side of the street and to wait.

The man that guided Mark's group stood at the side, watching the child he brought with a helpless smile. That was when someone stood beside him, making him glance at the person cautiously. And he was surprised.

"B-Boss!"

The guide exclaimed at the familiar man that he met this morning. He sure was respectful, considering that this man gave him a precious can of food just for the meager task of guiding them.

Mark stepped out of the alley and approached the man. There was no need to hide this time. There were a lot of people in the area. Walking in the open would not gather much attention at all. Furthermore, standing in a dark alley would be more suspicious if someone was to find him somehow.

Besides, when gathering information, there were times that it was better to ask people than just to observe the surroundings.

"Your child?"

Mark asked the guide as an opening remark. This way, the awkwardness of the guide would lessen due to Mark's sudden appearance here.

Unexpectedly, the guide shook his head with a bitter smile and pitiful eyes.

"That's my niece, Boss." The man replied. "My younger sister's child."

"I guess I don't have to ask where her parents are now," Mark said, knowing the man's emotions inside. He then switched the topic. "Have they been doing this all along?"

The man was confused at first. But when he saw Mark looking at the armed men, he understood the question.

"Not exactly." The man answered Mark's question. "The White Snake Gang only took over this area after the survivors from Bay City Settlement arrived. The previous gang in charge of this area was just the same as others. It's good that they disbanded after the earthquake since most of their members died."

"Are they from Bay City?"

Mark asked another question.

"I don't know if all of them came from Bay City." The man answered once more. "Many settlements converged here after the world changed and when that invisible barrier vanished. What only know is the leaders of the gang came from Bay City and had relations with General Perez."

This was not unexpected. For a gang to continue operating here, they must have some connection inside or with the military. In fact, if one was to see the situation objectively, the government allowed these gangs to exist in order to minimize their resource expenditure in managing the survivors in the slums.

Since the slums were handled by the gangs, there was no need to continuously send soldiers to control the masses. After all, if the people of the slums acted up and forced themselves into the fortress city, even the government would have a hard time subduing them.

But if the White Snake Gang was doing some charity work, it would not be surprising that they had General Perez behind them.

The question now was who were the leaders of the White Snake Gang.

"Hah! They're doing this sh*t again. What is the point of wasting food on these worthless twerps."

A rather loud voice was heard while Mark and the man were talking.

The voice was filled with ridicule and sure was heard by many people nearby. Those that heard the voice looked at who spoke, only to avert their gazes with fearful expressions.

Mark did the same as the others and glanced at the loud bastard. What he saw was a group of armed men. Since they were not wearing any covers on their faces, their mocking expressions were open for everyone to see. Nonetheless, none of those who heard wanted to reprimand that group.

"They are members of the gang from the west slums, The Powder Gang." The man spoke to Mark, knowing that he had no idea who those bastards were. "They were a gang of drug addicts. If you come across them outside, it's better to run. They are notorious for extortion. They won't even hesitate to kill if they were offended."

"People still live in their territory?"

Mark asked.

"Not as many as here, but there are. Most of them were those with addictions to drugs." The man replied. "No one knows who is backing them, but it seems that they were being supplied with illegal drugs from their backer."

Mark nodded in understanding. With illegal drugs as bait, those with addiction would definitely be at their disposal. And looking at the current situation, the members of that gang sure were *ssholes.

"Drac, this is not the place for you addicts to voice your opinions." Another voice was heard. It was the bulky man that Mark spoke to earlier. "Go back to your waste of a drug den."

The bulky man stepped forward, followed by some of the members of the White Snake Gang. However, the group of the man called Drac did not seem to be afraid.

"What are you talking about, Husto? We are a democratic country." Drac sneered. "We are free to voice our opinions. And my opinion is you... and your group... are a bunch of idiots."

Surely, there was friction happening at this moment. It was clear that the guy called Drac was provoking a fight.

Because of the heated situation, the children lining up began to back away. Even the bystanders and those just passing by started to retreat.

If a fight between the two groups suddenly happened here, it was the civilians who would suffer the most.

Of course, the members of the White Snake Gang did not want that to happen. Although they were standing with a brave front, they were not doing anything to start the fight.

Instead, the group led by the bulky man named Husto stared at Drac's group without words.

"What's with those stares?" Drac smiled. "If you don't like what I said, come at us!"

At the side, Mark also retreated, following the man he was talking to. The man also pulled his niece away and hid somewhere safer.

"What's with the long staredown?" Mark voiced out nonchalantly. "And that Drac guy, if he wanted to fight, why not attack first? Is he stupid?"

"B-Boss! Lower your voice!" The man beside Mark fearfully warned him while hugging his niece. "There's a tacit rule between the gangs to not get involved in fights inside the settlement. If they did, the people backing them and the military will get involved. In that case, the side that attacked first might get punished."

"Not the one that provoked the fight?"

Mark asked.

"Apparently, no." The man replied. "They said that verbal provocations don't really cause harm. That is why all they could do was provoke but not attack first."

It was a stupid rule. That was what Mark had in mind after hearing that. Furthermore, the members of the Powder Gang were provoking the members of the White Snake Gang inside their territory. Yet, they could not do anything.

"Hmmm?"

But all of a sudden, Mark felt a familiar fluctuation. It was not only one, but two at that.

The provocation was still ongoing. There were even soldiers in the area now. However, the soldiers did not seem to be taking action to stop the two groups but were just watching at the side as if they were watching a movie shoot. By the looks of it, it seemed that they knew that no fight would start and were just watching for the show.

Still, as soldiers, watching idly at the side in this situation sure was a bastardly action.

"What is going on here?"

A woman's voice was heard.

Finally, the fluctuations Mark felt arrived. And to Mark's surprise...

"Boss!"

Husto and his group retracted their stares at Draco's group and greeted the woman that arrived.

"Tsk." Draco clicked his tongue. "Let's go."

Without even saying anything to the people that arrived, Draco's group left the place. Of course, they did not leave without giving the woman a sticky look.

Still, with the group of bastards leaving, the situation began to return to normal.

"I'm leaving," Mark said to the man standing beside him. "By the way, what's your name?"

"It's Liam, Boss."

The man introduced himself.

"Then, here's something for answering my questions."

Mark tossed something to Liam, making him catch it frantically.

Liam almost missed catching it as the item was heavy and had to bend his body down to the ground. Then, Liam saw that it was actually a large can of tuna, making him nervous. He just answered a few questions anyone here could answer. He did not deserve such a luxury.

"B-Boss! I can't accept th-! Boss?"

Liam was confused. The man in front of him was already gone.

"Lillin, where's the man with uncle just now?"

Liam asked his nine-year-old niece. But to his confusion...

"I don't know."

Lillin replied, hiding a few candies with her closed fists.

Leaving the uncle and niece, Mark appeared in the sky once more. Now, he had a proper direction to take with his investigation as he watched the people below.

And his next stop would be...

The base of operations of the White Snake Gang.