In the square in front of Chernobog's core city, a large number of people wearing Reunion Movement uniforms had gathered. However, despite all being part of the Reunion Movement, their positions indicated that the movement had now split into several factions.
"Why should we be the ones to leave? Why not you? Where is the leader? I want to see the leader!"
In front of the largest faction besides Patriot and FrostNova's group, a young man of Ursus descent stood before his team, loudly confronting FrostNova.
Due to Talulah's earlier words, the members of the Reunion Movement, though still wearing their white uniforms, had removed their masks. Some seemed reluctant to do so, but given the circumstances, they had no choice but to comply. Those who refused to remove their masks would be suspected of being spies for the Ursus Imperial Army.
After eliminating the official army lurking within Chernobog and expelling the Internal Guards, FrostNova began gathering the Reunion members currently in the core city. She then announced their next steps: to establish a city where the infected could live normal lives, provided they adhered to the new rules. Only those willing to follow these rules would be allowed to stay.
This naturally caused discontent among many, especially the infected mercenaries and bounty hunters who had joined the Reunion Movement for personal gain. They had no intention of fighting for the future of the infected, even if they themselves were infected.
For the majority of the infected, survival was their primary concern. Few truly supported Talulah's ideals. The rapid growth of the Reunion Movement was largely due to the desperate circumstances of the infected.
However, that was before. After Talulah was possessed by the immortal black snake, Koschei, the Reunion Movement's actions drastically deviated from Talulah's original plans. Although FrostNova, the Assassin, Faust, and others remained as leaders and high-ranking members, they could only command a limited number of people.
FrostNova, the Assassin, and others were far inferior to Koschei in terms of cunning and strategy. Even Patriot was no match for Koschei.
Under Koschei's manipulation, the Reunion Movement was in disarray. In the original timeline, with the deaths of FrostNova and Patriot, and Talulah's capture, the Reunion Movement led by her could be considered finished.
However, the flame ignited by Talulah did not die out. The emergence of the Reunion Movement led by Nine was proof of this. While Rhodes Island's ideals were commendable, the world still needed the Reunion Movement.
"I called you here not to negotiate, but to inform you."
Facing the young man's provocation, FrostNova's expression remained unchanged. Her cold gaze fixed on him. Having grown up in the Ursus infected mines, she was fundamentally different from Talulah. To her, there was no distinction between infected and non-infected when it came to enemies.
Talulah's biggest issue was her excessive leniency towards the infected, believing their actions were out of necessity. Alina's death was a result of this mindset. Otherwise, those infected individuals, according to the rules set by Patriot and others, should have been executed.
Throughout the Reunion Movement's journey, there had been numerous instances of the infected betraying Talulah. They had once seized a mobile city, albeit a dilapidated one, but it was still a mobile city. However, another group of infected who had joined Talulah's faction took over the city and decided to settle there, abandoning the cause.
They even betrayed Talulah, reporting her group's whereabouts to the garrison in an attempt to divert trouble. Patriot had intended to eliminate these traitors but was stopped by Talulah.
This, however, couldn't be blamed entirely on Talulah, given Koschei's influence on her education. This was also why Talulah did not appear at this gathering of the Reunion Movement.
Despite being possessed by Koschei and betrayed by the infected multiple times, Talulah remained a fighter for the infected. Had she been present, she would have given those with ulterior motives among the infected another chance, making it difficult to purify the Reunion Movement.
If things went badly, Talulah might even cede the core city again, as she had done before. Whether the infected could hold the core city was not a concern for them; they didn't think that far ahead.
Like the previous group of infected who betrayed Talulah, they were quickly annihilated by the Ursus regular army. For the infected, if they had no fixed location, like Patriot and FrostNova's guerrilla forces, the Ursus regular army would have no target to attack.
But with a fixed location, they became easy targets. Ironically, the infected who betrayed Talulah and tried to divert trouble were themselves betrayed by their own people for a paltry sum.
Bribing the infected was simple—just a little money was enough.
In Daniel Davis's view, the Reunion Movement needed a major overhaul, as in the original timeline. However, due to his presence, many things had changed.
In the original timeline, after Talulah was taken by Rhodes Island, Chernobog became a ruin, and the Reunion members scattered.
Some became bounty hunters and started growing hops. Others joined the wildlands and the Hammer Guild. Some continued to fight for the infected and found Nine, and so on.
But now, the situation was different. FrostNova's demand for the core city and her intention to expel other infected naturally caused discontent. Many infected believed FrostNova wanted to monopolize the wealth of the core city.
Although many nobles and wealthy individuals had left Chernobog, they couldn't take all their assets with them, especially in the core city, which retained most of its wealth. These people had planned to loot the city, but unfortunately, the Shieldguards maintained order in the core city.
Additionally, Koschei, who didn't want the core city to descend into chaos before it collided with Lungmen, did not support such actions, further frustrating these individuals.
"You." FrostNova's blunt words infuriated the Ursus man, but upon seeing the towering figure of Patriot behind her, a flash of fear crossed his eyes. He swallowed his words and instead said, "I want to see the leader. We're all infected. Why are you treating us like this?"
Unable to confront FrostNova and Patriot directly, he tried to rally the others in the square.
"Don't include me. I'm ready to leave."
Before the Ursus man's followers could respond, a Cautus at the front of another group suddenly spoke up. Without waiting for a reaction, he turned and prepared to leave.
"Brother."
The Cautus's sudden action left his followers bewildered, unsure of what to do.
"Let's go. Leave this place." Before the Cautus could speak, the leader of a Sarkaz group also turned to leave.
The Sarkaz within the Reunion Movement were a complex mix. W's group was just one part; many were small mercenary groups or freelance mercenaries, like Mudrock, who was also a Sarkaz with a following.
In an instant, a large crowd began to leave, leaving only the Ursus man and his followers. Realizing he was outnumbered, the man glared at FrostNova before leading his group away.
Without the support of others, he had no desire to test FrostNova's ice, Patriot's spear, or the Shieldguards' shields.
"You did this." W watched the departing crowd and then glanced at Daniel Davis. She knew these people wouldn't leave so easily, even if they feared Patriot's strength.
"There's no time to waste on these guys. We have a lot to do here."
Knowing the situation, Daniel Davis had no intention of letting FrostNova negotiate with them about staying or leaving. Those willing to stay had already agreed when FrostNova spoke. The intentions of the others no longer mattered.
If it weren't for the risk of an internal conflict among the infected and other reasons, Daniel Davis would have considered eliminating them outright. Through the use of the Feather of Truth, he had learned of their actions in Chernobog, and most of them deserved death.
"By the way, since you're free now, have someone keep an eye on them. If they leave peacefully, let them be. But if they try to return, deal with them."
As Daniel Davis prepared to leave, he remembered Alina and instructed W accordingly.
"Got it." W smiled and waved at Daniel Davis before leaving, presumably to gather her subordinates.
"So this is the Sarcophagus, a household therapeutic repair device from the previous civilization. Even if it's labeled as household, it's unlikely to be something an ordinary family could afford."
After parting with W, Daniel Davis headed to the lower levels of the core city. It was then that he understood why this place was called the Sarcophagus.
"Designing a household physiological repair device to look like a coffin—what kind of aesthetic is that?"
He had seen therapeutic devices before, usually in the form of incubation pods for easy observation and treatment. But a coffin-shaped one was a first.
"Is this your goal?" As Daniel Davis curiously examined the Sarcophagus, Kal'tsit suddenly appeared at the entrance. Surprisingly, the Doctor wasn't with her.
"Not exactly a goal, just curiosity. You must have studied this extensively back then. Any findings? And what powers it—Originium or something else?"
Daniel Davis didn't hide his interest in the Sarcophagus from Kal'tsit.
"Unknown. Back then, the most we could do was harness its energy to power the mobile city."
Chernobog was powered by the Sarcophagus, which allowed it to develop rapidly. Frankly, if not for the Reunion Movement incident and the Ursus upper echelons being more open, Chernobog might have become the Lungmen of Ursus.
The scientists who studied the Sarcophagus back then didn't uncover much. Upon discovering its immense energy, they grew anxious. If this had happened in Yan, research might have continued.
But in Ursus, a nation focused on expansion, such a powerful energy source would undoubtedly be used for war. Chernobog might have been turned into a fortress mobile city.
The emergence of mobile cities drastically changed warfare on Terra, with high-speed land battleships becoming the primary force, especially with their powerful main cannons.
It's said that Laterano possesses a land battleship capable of destroying a mobile city in one shot. Laterano's long-standing supremacy isn't just due to faith but also its strength.
Laterano's prosperous mobile cities naturally attracted envy. Victoria, Leithania, and even Siracusa had attempted to challenge Laterano, only to have their hands cut off.
The nations on Terra today have all endured numerous wars. It's said that Laterano was involved in the fall of Kazdel.
However, with Kazdel's fall being so long ago and historical records scarce, the truth is lost. What is known is that Laterano and the Sarkaz are ancient enemies, much like Ursus and Kazimierz, with conflicts still arising between them.
Sarkaz mercenaries attack Laterano's caravans, and Laterano retaliates against Sarkaz mercenaries.
"I should bring Tesla and Einstein here to study the Sarcophagus. They might uncover its secrets." While Daniel Davis could study the Sarcophagus himself, considering his time constraints, he decided to leave the research to them.
Of course, bringing them here wasn't just for the Sarcophagus. He also wanted their input on mobile cities, like whether it was possible to create a floating mobile city using anti-gravity technology. Perhaps Rhodes Island could be retrofitted into an aerial battleship.
"How's the situation in the city?" Of course, this wasn't the time to discuss such matters with Kal'tsit. If anything, he should talk to Amiya. Daniel Davis then inquired about Rhodes Island's situation in Chernobog.
"Not good. There are too many patients, and Rhodes Island's medical operators are severely understaffed." Kal'tsit briefly explained the current state of the core city.
"For a pharmaceutical company, medical operators are the least numerous." Comparing the number of Guard and Sniper operators to Medical operators, the difference was stark.
"Also, there's a severe shortage of medicine, not just for Oripathy but for other conditions as well." Kal'tsit continued.
Despite the catastrophe, the core city still had a significant number of uninfected civilians.
"I see. I'll contact Lungmen to see if we can secure some resources."
If it were other resources, like food, Daniel Davis could provide plenty to alleviate the core city's plight. But medicine was a different story. While he had some with him, it wasn't enough, and most of it was alchemical ingredients.
Given his current abilities, he didn't need medicinal drugs, which was why he hadn't anticipated such a situation in this world.
"Please hurry. Also, what are your plans next? Ursus won't ignore this place." Chernobog was, after all, an Ursus mobile city. Even in ruins, Ursus would reclaim it.
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