One and the Same

The majority of the population of Number Fourteen Facility was organized by Oute using the residential building model he was familiar with.

"Hurrah!"

After Oute withdrew control, the soldiers spontaneously organized the refugees of Chernobog. By the time Oute arrived, these Ursus people had already started their own overtime show in the square, just as they pleased.

Amidst the smells of strong liquor and tobacco, the Ursus people of the Ursus tribe, surprisingly, began wrestling shirtless in the freezing cold of the North.

"PRTS..." Oute sighed helplessly.

The Specter's terminal vibrated and responded, "The Medical Department has been notified; the bonus will still be implemented according to Plan Three?"

"Number Three."

"Finish."

Wendigo arrived silently and said, "It is only natural for you to act in the name of the Pegasus."

"Mr. Patriot!?" The little rabbit exclaimed in surprise, "We were looking for you!"

The nun's face remained expressionless. Using the Abyssal Hunters's body, Oute had already sensed Patriot's arrival.

"Such a massive body, yet it can be so agile!" Oute immediately flattered his father-in-law.

"But none of it is as easy as the sunflower!" Patriot said. "I allowed Yeliya (Note 1) to stay here, but I didn't allow you to toy with her feelings!"

Subjectively speaking, Oute did not have this idea.

But objectively speaking, he did indeed do it.

"Bohdrokasthim, we have more pressing matters to attend to."

"Snort..."

Patriot scoffed and said, "We'll leave after the celebration."

How many people are there?

"There are still more than a thousand soldiers."

"The others?"

"They would rather stay."

Oute nodded. "I understand. They can stay, but they must identify themselves."

"Do they really need to 'declare' it themselves, strategist?"

Because Oute was unwilling to make any promises to FrostNova, Bohdrokasthim's tone carried a hint of sarcasm.

Indeed, after more than half a month of operation, the identities of these former members of the Reunion Movement were almost all locked in by the Minister of the Human Resources Department.

"Those who proactively identify themselves gain trust. Within the Rhodes Island system, they will receive normal promotion opportunities."

"And if they don't proactively disclose their identity, the Human Resources Department will record it," the nun said coldly. "In this situation, those who intentionally conceal themselves may have their reasons. But I will consider it all as: they had blood on their hands while wearing masks."

Patriot nodded, tacitly agreeing with Oute's statement.

"Any ideas about the destination?"

Patriot responded, "The Reunion Movement will return to the Icefield, to the place where the Infected have no other choice."

Regarding the rebuttal he received a few days ago when he first saw the Sarkaz learning ballistics in the Interstice (Note ②), Bohdrokasthim continued, "The Infected in the Ice Plains have already suffered enough oppression, and trading lives has become a profitable business, but it's not the same in the cities."

It seems that, under the new theory, Patriot is planning to take some steps backward. Rather, he has never actually agreed with Talulah's approach, only with those who have agreed with Talulah.

Were you listening at that time too?

"Think back."

The nun closed her eyes, Oute retrieved the scene from his memory.

"I see, the Reunion Movement was involved back then."

"Hmph." Patriot's shoulders twitched twice, and some snowflakes fell.

Old man, your laugh is really awful.

"Since you want to return to the North, why not give me the infected people you rescued along the way?"

Chapter 276 Mutual Demise

"...I would prefer you to focus your attention on Yeliya." Patriot seemed to interpret this as Oute's attempt to curry favor.

Although he had long been able to grasp some of the Ursus people's pulse, Patriot's political abilities remained limited.

Oute explained, "This has nothing to do with FrostNova. Rhodes Island benefits from this."

"Regarding 'blood price,' you heard it from the Reunion Movement, and you may have missed a very important part."

The nun said, "'Blood reward' not only represents the money and men that the rulers acquire through violence, but also the reward that the ruled reclaim through violence—their lives."

"Between two rulers, when survival itself begins to be measured in price, those who will vote with their feet are not only the infected."

Patriot frowned. "Difficult to understand."

Regardless of how Ursus tries to control public opinion, since not all Reunion Movement have come to Number Fourteen Facility, the narrative of "Infected taking over a Mobile City" will inevitably continue to escalate.

In the original timeline of this story, the infected in various countries selectively turn a blind eye and deaf ear, focusing only on the fact that "the infected have their own cities."

As Patriot leads the remnants of the Reunion Movement northward, more and more infected people will head to Chernobog for various reasons.

Tsar Fyodor himself was a reformist, and there is a considerable probability that he would simply use this as a starting point to begin his reforms against the infected.

The Ursus authorities either outwardly complied but inwardly resisted, or they doubled down on the compliance.

In any case, a considerable number of non-infected individuals will also blindly project their aspirations for a better life onto Chernobog through this rare migration window in Ursus, rushing towards the city like madmen.

If Chernobog's development stagnates, then this voluntary migration won't last long. But... Oute does intend to develop Chernobog.

In this way, even if Oute retrieves the Sarcophagus, this geographically advantageous border city will still rise again and become a highly sought-after stronghold in Ursus.

He also planned to use the name "Rostov" to make Chernobog a loyal "royalist".

"And while you're at it, please pay a visit to Sami for me."

"Sami?" Patriot frowned. "The Cyclops won't be back."

"Not last time, and certainly not this time."

It seems that Wendigo's prejudice against Oute is quite deeply ingrained.

"No, do you remember Han Tan? Simona, the daughter of Han Tan."

"My surgery, her eyes."

The nun nodded. "We have some collaborations with Rhine Lab in Columbia, and we happen to need someone adapted to the Infy Icefield environment to participate."

Due to some natural factors, a blizzard is raging Infy Icefield. Magellan, Rhine Lab employee who is about to be "labor dispatched" to Rhodes Island, is unknowingly trapped in the research station. In addition, the accessories dropped by the Collapsed Demon Imperial Guards have also piqued Oute's interest in Sami.

"After the matter was settled, I had her stay in Chapate to temporarily take over the establishment of the office in the Sami region."

"Sending the infected across the entire Ursus Empire to Chernobog is rather impractical. If necessary, we should take them to Chapate."

Chapate, full Chapate -Gavri, is a tourist city in southern Sami, jointly operated by some Sami tribes and Columbia —frankly, this makes Oute's scalp tingle.

"... clear."

The Patriot nodded.

Just as Patriot was about to leave, Oute, sticking to his persona, pressed on, "But what about the Cyclops you mentioned earlier?"

The Cyclops is a beneficiary of the Originium Girl Avatar Module Pack... and is one of the Ten Sarkaz Royal Courts.

But after a certain Cyclops king, known as the "Prophet," who was skilled in prophecy, the Cyclops race, having seen a terrifying future, rushed north to the front line between "existence" and "non-existence."

These Cyclops were divided into two groups: one group kept watch in the Winterfang Mountains, while the other group headed north, "Searching for the wounds of the earth."

In the numerous and chaotic myths of the Sami, one can vaguely discern the shadow of the Cyclops. They are the "Diyetan (prophet) women" destined to arrive in the Sami and teach the Sami their written language, in those stories of various forms.

"Alex, aren't we going to Lungmen to take a look?"

Watching the conversation between Oute's messenger and the Patriot, the Crownslayer idly poked at the Skullshatterer.

"I've already seen her on the program in Lungmen."

"Is that enough?"

That's enough.

Misha's performance was a dance by agents from Lungmen and Chernobog. Aside from their youth and beauty, their overall technical skill was... mediocre.

Considering the practice time, it's not bad.

"Miss Jiu, shall we go to the night market together later?" Misha invited warmly.

It turns out that this former leader of the "New Reunion Movement" has returned to the Lungmen office.

But before Jiu could speak, the soldiers suddenly heard a familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar fire alarm.

As Oute's "militia," they did undergo a short period of firefighting training. Their basic skills were far inferior to those of professional firefighters, but they were certainly better than ordinary people.

In addition, thanks to the presence of liquefied gas backpacks, they actually have a unique skill in firefighting.

"Major fire in Lungmen Lower City! We need to temporarily requisition personnel!"

"Lungmen Phase II! Quartermaster! Grab your backpacks! Board the vehicle!"

The weary voice of the Earthspirit came through the radio.

"It seems the night market is going to be canceled." Jiu stood up.

"Yes." A resolute expression also appeared on Misha's face.

Along the way, the soldiers exchanged information with each other.

"What exactly happened?"

"The fire occurred in a tenement building; I've been there. It was incredibly complicated, with layers upon layers of beds and rooms."

"Wouldn't a lot of people die?"

"I'm afraid so."