Russia

"Your work attitude is really proactive. Okay, there are two tasks assigned from above this time: one is to investigate the truth about Rust Disease, and the other is to help the Black Earth Gang defeat the Thousand-Ren Society."

Si Ming really wanted to complain about the name "Black Earth Gang." Was it because they were afraid people wouldn't know they were a faction of the Mohist School, or because they thought the name wasn't rustic enough, so they deliberately added the word "rustic"? However, complaining about the name wasn't very meaningful right now; gathering information was more important.

Yu Shuying had no intention of complaining about the name and asked, "What is Rust Disease?"

"It's a strange disease that has recently appeared in the Russia capital. Patients develop rust-like spots on their skin that spread to other parts of the body. In the early stages, amputation can be used as a treatment, but in the later stages, death is inevitable."

Lin Qingtong thought for a moment, then corrected, "Using 'death' to describe it might not be accurate. Rust Disease gradually become metallic, their bodies become very hard, but they have difficulty moving and gradually lose body temperature. The rusted areas become extremely dull in terms of touch, and they won't feel anything even if they are burned or cut. When the rust spreads to the brain, their thinking speed becomes extremely slow, equivalent to one-twentieth of that of an ordinary person, and they lose human emotions. In the end, their fate is probably only slightly better than that of a person in a vegetative state."

"What kind of 'black disease' is this? Does it turn humans from carbon-based organisms into metallic organisms?"

Si Ming had never heard of such a strange disease in his previous life; even diseases in this world have become "high-tech."

Yu Shuying focused on the key point. "There's no treatment?"

Lin Qingtong: "This disease appeared four months ago. At first, we thought it was just an isolated case, so no one took it seriously. But it spread very quickly. In just two months, the number of infected people reached 20,000. Now it has spread beyond the capital, and there have been reports of people being infected in the surrounding areas."

Russia is not Su State. Its government's organizational capacity is weak; don't expect those incompetent officials to come up with any solutions. Furthermore, Russia's medical research standards are far below the international average. Although there are organized personnel working overtime on research, by the time they develop a treatment, it's estimated that a third of the population will be infected.

Is there no way to resist?

"Currently, it is only known that rust spots are transmitted through skin contact, and those with higher cultivation levels have a lower chance of being infected."

Chapter 219 Russia

Russia, meaning tilted.

"Russian" refers to someone who has taken a crooked path.

Russia, a country that has gone astray.

Choosing "Russia" as the name of the country requires immense courage, to say the least. While others try to choose an auspicious name for their country, Russia's unconventional approach can be seen as either magnanimous and enlightened, or perhaps self-destructive.

Even if the word "Ru" is used for a hundred times, it is not a good sign. For example, it also means "short time". This is not as good as being tilted. At least there is still a way to go. If it is interpreted as "short time", it will become a short-lived ghost.

However, it must be acknowledged that this character is very much in line with the national conditions; the founders of the Russia were the Liu School, the Xiang Family, and the Eclectic School.

Needless to say, the Liu School's reputation is utterly ruined, and they have willingly fallen into depravity with no intention of making a comeback.

The Xiang Family used to be involved in the sex trade, and their status was even lower than that of the Liu School. Now, with the development of technology and the rise of the film and television industry, many people have started to pursue the path of idols and stars under the banner of reforming themselves, and the results have been quite good. Their status has gradually improved, and they have now surpassed the Liu School.

The Eclectic School consisted of respectable individuals whose ancestors were prominent figures. Among the various schools of thought, they could barely be ranked in the second tier. They were known for their broad knowledge of various schools of thought, characterized by "combining Confucianism and Mohism, and integrating the Legalist and the School of Names." They were said to be well-versed in all schools of thought, which sounded impressive. However, in reality, it meant that they lacked professional skills, knew a little about everything, but were not proficient in anything.

However, from the perspective of the country, it is very necessary to have people who know a little about everything. At least they are better than people who know nothing. Russia can do without the Liu School and the Xiang Family, but it cannot do without the Eclectic School. It is no exaggeration to say that the Eclectic School has independently supported the country.

However, in the eyes of truly ambitious people, this kind of approach by Eclectic School is clearly a heretical path. They cannot put forward their own ideas, but only know how to pick the good things from others and piece them together. It would be quite apt to describe them as "Russian".

Leaving aside those small countries and Barbarian Race, Russia ranks in the third tier among the many countries in the Sea Continent. It borders Rui State and Nation of Valor, and faces the Su State across the sea.

Every country has its own system. Some countries are dominated by capital, so they are ruled by businessmen. Some countries are dominated by power, so they are ruled by bureaucrats. Russia is dominated by gangs, so it is ruled by mafia.

It may sound unbelievable at first, but it's not surprising. In a sense, gangs are not much different from political parties. There are Republicans, Democrats, and Liberals on Earth, so it's reasonable for Republican gangs, Democratic gangs, and Liberal gangs to appear here. As for the part involving organized crime, it's naturally because there is superhuman force in this world.

Russia's political system is Eclectic School of Eclectic School, which emphasizes inclusiveness and tolerance, accepting all comers. As a result, Russia has been thoroughly infiltrated by intelligence agents from various countries. The Black Earth Gang is a branch of the Mohist School, and it ranks among the top four gangs in Russia.

It is truly unimaginable that a group composed of foreign powers could rank among the top four among the many powers in its own country. It seems that only when a country is on the verge of collapse would such a situation occur, but Russia is still doing well and shows no signs of destruction.

This is not surprising. Japan South Korea both have US troops stationed there, which is like having a father sitting on their heads and being threatened with a gun to their heads, but they still live well and their national income ranks among the top ten in the world.

Si Ming and his group first took a train, and then a plane, and arrived in Lülan, the capital of Russia.

As soon as he got off the plane, Si Ming felt extremely uncomfortable, like a fish swimming in a clear river suddenly jumping into a stinking ditch. He looked up and saw that the sky was dark Mengmeng, as if his head was covered by a black stocking, making it hard to breathe.

"What the hell is this, smog?"

Si Ming wanted to complain that he had somehow ended up in the capital, but after looking at the architectural styles and public facilities around him, he felt that London was more like the foggy city.

Lin Qingtong said, "There's nothing we can do. With the Russia government's limited enforcement capabilities, it can't manage environmental issues. Those gangs have many heavily polluting factories under their control in order to make money. Moreover, other countries, in order to protect their own environment, are unwilling to build heavily polluting factories on their own turf, so they open these factories on Russia territory, contributing a lot of tax revenue to Russia."

If it were a political party, they certainly wouldn't dare to act so recklessly, but if it were a gang, there would be no bottom line. After all, the money the factory earns is private, but the polluted environment is shared by everyone. Sacrificing common interests to satisfy private interests is incredibly satisfying. Besides, even if you don't pollute, someone else will, and you'll be at a disadvantage if you pollute less.

When Si Ming lived in Su State, he didn't feel anything special. He thought that beautiful mountains and clear waters were normal, and that the sky should naturally be blue. But now he realized that he was living in a world of blessings without knowing how good they were.

"Here, each of you will receive a copy of the 'Lung-Clearing Art.' This is essential for living in Russia. It's not difficult to cultivate; you can master it in three days. For your health, try not to go out until you've successfully cultivated it." Lin Qingtong handed each of the three a copy of the manual.

Yu Shuying frowned and said, "The Spiritual Qi here is also very turbid. It needs to be filtered again when absorbing it. No wonder there are so few Nascent Spirit Transformation stage experts in Russia. Using the same Cultivation Method and the same amount of time, cultivation in Su State is three times faster than here, at least in terms of Internal Cultivation."

Lin Qingtong said, "Think about it the other way around. If you adapt to the difficulty of cultivation here, wouldn't you cultivate even faster when you return to your homeland?"

Si Ming casually flipped through the "Lung-Clearing Art," which was a simple breathing purification method, only about ten pages long. After reading it once, he learned it and said, "Let's hurry up and finish the mission and go back. Staying here is really uncomfortable."

Si Ming absorbs solar energy, so the turbid Spiritual Qi has nothing to do with him. However, the heavy smog blocks the sunlight and weakens the light intensity, which will also reduce efficiency.

Lin Qingtong said, "This mission won't be quick. Leaving aside the investigation into the truth behind the Rust Disease, if we manage to develop a cure, it would effectively end the mission. However, the Thousand Ren Society is Military School force, ranking third in terms of gang power, even above our Black Earth Gang. Defeating them won't be easy. Don't treat the Grandmaster Trial like a mission for the Mohist Knight Guard, thinking you can complete it quickly. The purpose of the trial is to hone your skills. Generally, you'll stay in a country for anywhere from three months to three to five years, which is possible. After all, leaving behind a nationally significant achievement isn't something you can do just by killing someone."

Seeing that Si Ming was still confused, Lin Qingtong had no choice but to explain, "Choosing you as Grandmaster Candidate is not because we value you as you are now, but because we value your future, or rather, your potential. Even if your current abilities and personalities are not suitable for becoming Grandmaster, it doesn't matter. After the trials, you will definitely change."

Si Ming asked, "May I ask, how many years did it take for past Grandmaster to pass the trials?"

"The shortest was twelve years, the longest was fifty-six years, and the longest was when this person became Grandmaster after the age of one hundred."

Si Ming was speechless. Suddenly, he felt that treating the Grandmaster as a dream was an incredibly wise decision, since dreams are inherently very distant.

He suddenly understood why Yu Shuying, with her terrible temper, could still gain the approval of her elders. Her current aloofness and unsociability did not mean that she would remain so in the future. Ten years was enough to change a person's character.

Back in high school, he was an active member of his class, organizing and participating in all sorts of school activities. Aside from not having a girlfriend, he was a 100% fulfilled person.

But once he entered university, he became a shut-in who rarely left the house. He even found attending class meetings annoying, a complete change from his high school self. The only thing that remained the same was that he didn't have a girlfriend.