Vladimir Nikolaevich Gorbachev.
This rather long name belonged to the main leader of the city of Chernobog within the Ursus Empire.
Sociologist, mineralogist, educator, and also a famous poet. His reputation was quite high within the Ursus Empire. Before the age of forty, he was a sympathizer for those with Oripathy, advocating multiple times for attention and recognition for Oripathy-infected individuals.
As one of the founders of a human rights organization, he once toured various countries giving speeches, demanding that nations pay attention to Oripathy and requesting that nations open up technology to jointly cure Oripathy. This plan was effective in its early stages; Columbia being able to accommodate the infected was partly due to his indelible contributions. But with the start of the Great War, the plan died prematurely.
However, he did not give up his efforts, still traveling with family and relatives among neighboring countries, giving street speeches, and demanding that countries worldwide pay attention to the issue of Oripathy.
But how should I put it, this world is just a very dark joke.
Under the attack of a crazed Oripathy patient, both his wife and daughter contracted Oripathy and passed away shortly after due to failed treatment. This Ursus middle-aged man, who had always been very amiable, thus disappeared from the public eye. When he reappeared, he was already the iron-fisted leader of Chernobog, Iron Fist Vladimir. He leaped into everyone's view in a manner that no one could have imagined, even dared not believe. And became a leader who utterly shocked all other city leaders.
He abolished Chernobog's originally decent facilities for the infected, segregating all infected individuals, sending them into concentration camps or mines for endless labor. All sympathizers of Oripathy-infected individuals were labeled as rebels. Racism, high-pressure rule, secret police shuttled everywhere.
And what was even more chilling was that, as if to retaliate against the infected group, he planned many devices related to detecting infected individuals.
All infection detection equipment in Chernobog was provided by the Unity Association he established, efficiently checking people's Originium concentration, rooting out many infected individuals hidden within the city, and sending them to the outskirts and mining areas to fend for themselves. Large-scale nepotism and arbitrary assertiveness caused his reputation to plummet.
But his outstanding industrial reforms and his vision and foresight as a technocrat turned Chernobog into one of the rare, well-developing industrial cities in the Ursus Empire. Overall data climbed steadily, which also silenced those who looked down on him. After all, no matter how much you argue, you can't beat the data. Thus, in Chernobog, racism and radical student groups ran rampant , venting their energy while looking down upon the infected.
Ursus itself was a traditional nation of racism, coupled with the natural fear of Oripathy, he himself had a batch of very solid protectors.
The determination of opponents was not so firm, while supporters were particularly fervent. Plus, his abilities were plain for all to see . Even knowing that some very inhumane things were happening in Chernobog, the whole world would turn a blind eye . Everyone knew not to provoke a madman.
Such a person, alone, capable, and only targeting a group already sentenced to death, who would idly seek trouble with him?
Moreover, the Ursus Guard and military were monitoring and deployed everywhere, street corners and alleys had Oripathy monitoring facilities he set up, and his most trusted, secretly promoted Caster units secretly eliminated those who opposed him. The entire Chernobog, except for a very few districts, was almost gathered under the banner of this great lord. Like a clenched fist, aimed at those unruly infected individuals. His nickname 'Iron Fist' was also well-deserved .
Unknown how many people had seen him publicly dispose of infected individuals, publicly declare infected individuals untrustworthy. He used various plans and data to prove that the minds and behaviors of the infected had mutated, that they would all be disposed of, just like disposing of those minerals. The infected had already died the moment they were infected; what remained was merely inertia.
Although it sounded horrifying and unreasonable, there was always a group of people cheering him on. What their psychology was exactly, remained unknown.
"Sounds just like the fallen hero ending in stories…"
Looking at the 'Beware of Crystals on Your Body' signs flashing past the roadside, the off-road vehicle, escorted by several large protective vehicles around it, drove towards the checkpoint.
Li Lin, as an important witness, sat in the police chief's car—despite saying Texas saw it first, but if Texas got in, no one would drive—continuously chatting about matters concerning Chernobog. As a newcomer, he was still very interested in a new city.
But this sturdy Forte man was clearly someone stirring up trouble , or rather, had long wanted to quit this job. The information given was all subtle or carried negative connotations. He held immense resentment towards the city's leader.
But this was understandable; the Ursus Empire was after all a dominant-race nation, and then a Forte got mixed in among a group of racists, it would be strange if his situation were any better. Now taking over the troublesome job of road police, it was natural for him to speak ill. Looking at this old brother's expression, perhaps getting reported and resigning was his actual intention.
"So these devices that are expected to arrive are…?"
"Belonging to the mine bosses, this isn't even a secret anymore. Because those Oripathy patients are dying too much, too quickly."
Lighting a cigarette, the Forte police chief shook his head with a depressed look and said:
"It's simply like being abducted by someone. Fifty people go down the mine, only forty return; the second time down, it becomes thirty. So they need to hire a machine to check the internal environment of the mine pit."
"Fifty go down, forty return? That's dying way too fast, isn't it?"
"Tell me about it. Before, as long as there wasn't a production accident, those who survived normally might only lose one or two after several trips down. Now it's great, infected are continuously sent down, eating people like a bottomless pit. Heard there are even rumors over there that Vladimir is conducting some kind of blood sacrifice ritual. Up till now, nearly one hundred thousand Oripathy patients have already been persecuted to death by him."
"Are there really a hundred thousand people? Isn't that too many? Even for Oripathy patients, this is centralized slaughter?"
"Who knows. Maybe less than a hundred thousand, maybe more. Those thrown into concentration camps and mine pits by him, are not seen alive, nor their corpses found dead . And Oripathy patients themselves carry some danger, very unstable. Apart from their families, who would care about these people? Besides, among those who get Oripathy, apart from accidents, who are the powerful and noble?"
The police chief mentioned the powerful and noble, instantly showing a disdainful expression, sneering once .
"And the only powerful and noble person in this city is him, Iron Fist Vladimir; the rest are just puppets. Whatever he says, goes. What's more, he has money. Tsk, damn big shots. That's a hundred thousand people."
"…Is that so?"
Feels like the background of the story isn't that simple.
Looking at the rapidly receding scenery outside, the gradually setting sun, Li Lin squinted at the huge building shimmering with light in the mountain pass ahead, feeling that this ruler's actions seemed a bit bizarre. There was a strange disharmony.