Arknights' Lock of Heaven

Therefore, it can only be set up outside of towns, so that as many infected people as possible can be treated here.

That's selfish, isn't it?

Human nature is just that despicable.

Although Eyjafjalla is also an Infected, in this country where Originium Arts are extremely advanced, her talent and abilities are enough to make some people overlook this fact.

Moreover, she was infected after she became a renowned scholar.

Therefore, she received almost no discrimination as other infected people.

Although she knew that discrimination against infected people had always existed, she lacked a real sense of these discriminations because she had not experienced them firsthand.

Looking at Eyjafjalla, who was sitting in the back seat with a puzzled expression, Xia Yu didn't know how to explain it to her.

Although she had already shown a maturity beyond her years, the wickedness of these people's hearts...

“Because it’s convenient,” Xia Yu slowly replied after organizing her thoughts for a moment. “Wolumond is a commercial town where many caravans gathered before the natural disaster.”

"After the natural disaster, these caravans were unable to leave immediately due to the existence of the Great Rift Valley, so they could only seek refuge in Wolumond."

"But as you know, Wolumonde has almost no security forces right now. How can we let all the caravans, which are of varying quality, into the city?"

"Furthermore, the food shortage is probably being concealed by the higher-ups to avoid chaos, so we can't let these chaotic caravans into the city."

"If they had discovered the food shortage in Wolumonde, a riot would have been inevitable. And it was precisely among these caravans, which had no protective measures, that the most people would have been infected. That's why Anto set up the medical station on the outskirts."

"Even if there is a riot, the infected people won't harm the doctors treating them, so Anto doesn't need to worry about safety."

“I see,” Eyjafjalla nodded. She felt that her senior hadn’t said something, but the smart girl naturally wouldn’t pry.

Yes, even those infected who lack food and clothing will not attack a doctor.

But self-proclaimed righteous idiots don't consider all that.

Heh, instigate a riot to attract the attention of the nobles, and in order to save Wolumond?

They even deliberately invoked the banner of the Reunion Movement in order to attract nobles to quell the rebellion.

Therefore, for the sake of the majority of Wolumond, Dr. Anto, who has been struggling to maintain a balance between ordinary people and the infected, must be killed, thus inciting conflict between the two sides...

Even the Mudrock Squad became pawns in their scheme, dragged out to be the leaders of the infected side.

As for Rhode Island, well, what can a pharmaceutical company do?

The mastermind behind all this was simply someone who, without hesitation, chose the side with more people in the trolley problem.

In his eyes, a kind doctor was merely a pawn whose death could be used to revitalize the entire chessboard.

As darkness fell, a dilapidated camp came into view.

Driving to the outskirts of the camp, we saw groups of infected people sitting around a campfire, enjoying their simple dinner.

People kept complaining about this treatment, but they were all loudly persuaded by Philin, who was active in the middle of the camp and dressed in Rhodes Island uniform.

"You're lucky if you have anything to eat! You Letanians are living too well. Why don't you go and see how the infected in the mines of Ursus survive?"

"These are extraordinary times! Remember! Extravagance and waste are absolutely not allowed!"

The lively Film crossed her arms in front of her chest and said loudly.

97. A clumsy agitator

“I didn’t say anything about extravagance or waste…” said Letania, who had just complained. “It’s just something like this…”

As he spoke, he stirred the thin porridge in his bowl and the dry bread in his hand. Although he didn't say it explicitly, the meaning was quite clear.

He would never have touched something like this before.

When I woke up this morning, I noticed that my face looked thinner.

When the natural disaster struck, it wasn't just Wolumond who suffered, but also the caravans that had gathered near this commercial town.

In this environment ravaged by Originium particles, these merchants had no choice but to seek refuge in the nearest town, Wolumond.

As a commercial town, Wolumond naturally wouldn't refuse their arrival, even though their food reserves were running low.

Rather, it's precisely because the food reserves are insufficient that these merchants, who have hired many guards, need to be brought into the city. Otherwise, if they were left to fend for themselves in the wild, they might gather together and try to rob Wolumond's meager rations.

If we join forces, then we're all in the same boat, and at least in the short term, there shouldn't be any more intense conflicts.

Moreover, Wollemund may well have intended to leverage the influence of these businessmen to seek assistance.

But they were going to be disappointed no matter what. If the nobles could not care about the lives of more than 10,000 people in Wolumond, how could they care about these small merchants?

These merchants' connections don't yet reach the towering pedestals of the great nobles.

Of course, although Wolumond has gathered these caravans together, the infected remain an unavoidable problem.

Ironically, the highest number of infected individuals were found among caravans in the wilderness when these natural disasters occurred.

The businessman in front of him was one of them. Wolumond gave him two choices: either live in the Twelve-Tone Street of the Infected or come and work as an assistant to Dr. Anto.

The businessman chose the latter; at least in this situation, an infected doctor was more important to him.

Although he had made preparations well in advance, the lack of supplies at the medical station still caused him considerable resentment.

With a dozen or so tall and imposing guards surrounding him around the fire, standing out from the rest of the group, it was clear they had been dissatisfied with their treatment for a long time.

“Thomas, I know everything you’re saying,” Anto said, frowning as he walked up to him. “But what time is it now?”

"That great rift valley still blocks our vital route to the civilized world. These are difficult times, and we should..."

"You know, that's not what I meant!" The businessman named Thomas stood up and said excitedly to the crowd, "I know these are tough times, but it would be strange if only we were the ones suffering."

"Those who stay in the town eat and drink to their hearts' content, while we can only eat and sleep in the wilderness. It's not fair no matter how you look at it, is it?"

"Why? Just because we're infected?"

He wasn't speaking to Anto, but to the infected people around him.

"Thomas! You..."

Anto's tail bristled; she knew she couldn't let Thomas incite her any further.

"Dr. Anto, you're a victim too, aren't you?" Thomas interrupted her accusations rudely. "There are infected communities in the city, but they still drove you out of the city, leaving you with no choice but to come to this wilderness!"

"Dr. Anto, you are so kind-hearted, yet those people still made this choice!"

"Dr. Anto, you're also one of those ostracized by them, so why are you taking their side?"

Thomas, his face contorted with grief and indignation, stood in the center of the camp, gesticulating wildly as he delivered his speech.

"What he said makes some sense..."

"Indeed, people in the city can eat bread every day..."

"We were all the same before, is it all because of an infection...?"

"Ugh……"

“Doctor, we all know you’re a good person,” Thomas said, reaching out his hand to Anto. “But good people shouldn’t be treated like this. We infected people are just patients, and we shouldn’t be oppressed by those people.”

“I’m not trying to incite anything. You can distrust me, but if you’re a doctor, and you lead us to make demands of the people in the city…”

"Don't worry, they won't dare to use violence. My guards are no pushovers either, not to mention there are so many infected comrades among us!"

His hand froze in mid-air, waiting for Anto's reply.

“Indeed, if it were Dr. Anto…”

"Yes, Dr. Anto will definitely..."

Thomas looked at the crowd whose emotions he had gradually stirred up, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes.

The vast majority of people here are newly infected individuals who emerged during the Great Rift Valley incident; those infected who existed before mostly reside in the Twelve Sounds Street of Wolumond.

For these people, in just over a month, they went from heaven to hell and became infected.

They don't yet have much of a sense of their identity, and haven't yet separated themselves from the respectable middle class of the past.

That's why they're so childishly demanding better treatment.

They haven't gotten used to the change in identity yet.

Thomas's purpose in instigating them was simple: he didn't want to do anything big, he just wanted to get better treatment for himself.

Compared to the ordinary citizens around him, he had seen more of the world and knew how powerful the infected were in Letania, a place where compulsory education was widespread.

After all, becoming an infected person allows one to unleash Originium Arts without relying on a staff, and for the Letanians, this makes them even stronger after infection.

After all, even if they could only power one refrigerator before the infection, they had at least learned some Originium Arts.

They are much better off than infected people in other countries who have to figure things out little by little on their own.

He wanted to rely on these people to gain some say in the current Wolumonde, at least to make his food less bad.

If he can truly unite these infected individuals, he would undoubtedly be a force to be reckoned with in Wolumond, where no military police exist. To appease them, the city hall will certainly consider their demands.

What Thomas wants is simple, at least for now.

To achieve this, he even considered bringing Dr. Anto, who had a very high reputation among the infected, onto his side.

The statement "You are clearly a victim too" is enough if Anto is truly dissatisfied with the city hall as he thinks.

Outside the camp, Kevin clenched his fists upon hearing this. As one of the best of the younger generation in Wolumond, he naturally knew the predicament the town was in.