Ark Undead

"Chernobyl, as a border city, has now received orders from the Ursus high command to arrest all infected individuals and place them in quarantine, aiming to eradicate all infected persons from Ursus. Entering Chernobyl now is not so easy. Especially..."

As she spoke, Frostnova glanced at the armor on the undead, making no attempt to hide her gaze.

This is telling the Undead that with your appearance, you're easily mistaken for an Infected by the soldiers.

Of course, this was also a test from Frostnova. If this guy really was an infected, then they would be much closer in conversation.

Since we are all cursed by this land, why can't we be considered kindred spirits?

But the Undead gave a clear answer.

"I am not infected."

As the Undead spoke, he broke the firewood in his hand into pieces and threw one piece into the campfire in front of him.

Upon hearing this, the noise of people eating and chatting around them decreased slightly.

The Undead pretended not to notice their reaction and continued.

“However, many people think I am infected. Even on my documents, the section recording my identity says I am infected.”

He easily broke off a piece of firewood, threw the two pieces into the campfire, and then took a large piece of wood.

Upon hearing this, the crowd lowered their voices again, intentionally reducing their volume as they listened to the Undead's words.

They don't understand.

After a moment of silence, Froststar also raised her own question.

"Why not appeal and prove that you are not infected?"

The first thing to understand is that once your identity is confirmed as infected, you will face significant inconvenience in everything you do in a normal city. This applies to every country.

Being an infected person inherently means you are a natural source of infection. Under this premise, all government facilities will impose significant restrictions on you because of your status.

Therefore, if there is a misjudgment, everyone's first reaction is...

I am not infected!

I need to go to the hospital to get a certificate!

I'm a normal person!

Look, this is the first barrier between the infected and ordinary people in Terra.

Discrimination and fear.

From the very beginning, they felt that their identity as infected was a curse. Even if it was a misjudgment, they still wanted to loudly proclaim to everyone that they had no connection to the infected. "I am a normal person."

Even now, the infected themselves have become accustomed to this attitude. By default, they place themselves on the same level as the curse and the oppressed, which inadvertently creates a secondary divide between the two groups.

Self-awareness.

But the Undead shook his head and casually broke the firewood in his hand, saying nonchalantly.

Is there a difference?

This one sentence caused everyone to lower their voices again, leaving only the clinking of spoons against bowls. They stared intently at the Undead, wanting to hear more from him.

"..."

Frostnova also fell silent, lost in thought. So, upon hearing the Undead's words, she immediately began to question herself.

Is there a difference between infected people and healthy people?

At this moment, Frostnova gave her answer.

She began to speak.

Yes, of course.

What's the difference?

The immortal retorted.

Froststar thought for a moment, then hugged her legs, curled up, and slowly began to speak.

"Those infected carry Oripathy, which can easily infect healthy people. They suffer from the disease and have very short lifespans. Their lives are incomplete; they can hardly experience a normal life."

Having said all that, Frostnova seemed to have found a reason for herself, and she looked at the Undead breaking firewood in front of the campfire.

Aren't these the differences?

"In my memory."

The Undead threw two pieces of firewood into the fire, he said.

"The same applies to terminally ill patients, especially those who are infected with infectious diseases."

"Yes, these are terminally ill patients."

Froststar couldn't help but interrupt.

"This is an incurable disease; no one can cure it..."

But before Frostnova could finish speaking, the Undead spoke up again.

"Then aren't they human beings?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the last sound disappeared, and in this snowy night, only the howling of the wind and snow remained.

Such remarks are not made by anyone who has ever lived on Terra.

Because that's the general social environment, people without Oripathy treat Oripathy patients as the dirtiest filth.

In everyone's mind, infected people are different from ordinary people.

But, in the eyes of the immortals, how similar are the experiences of today's infected people to their own past suffering?

In that so-called land of gods, the undead are used as tools of the supreme gods to maintain their rule, and are forced to sacrifice their lives to uphold the gods' rule, simply because they are cursed, wandering souls who cannot die.

He is the most qualified person to say this, simply because he has witnessed even greater persecution.

"I know, I can tell, you are all infected."

The Undead paused for a moment when he spoke.

"Your body temperature is very low, which is probably caused by Oripathy. The friend behind you, his right hand is completely necrotic. That's also because of Oripathy."

The Undead first pointed at Froststar, then at the burly man sitting behind her who was ladling a bowl of soup for her, and said nonchalantly.

"But what does this have to do with us sitting together?"

The Undead took a piece of firewood from the side.

"In this snowy night, we were fortunate to meet. You were willing to let me stay overnight, so you are my friends. We are all travelers walking in the wind and snow. We are no different."

As Froststar listened to what the Undead were saying, she reached for the soup bowl beside her, wanting to pick it up and take a sip.

However, he was burned by the not-quite-cooled bowl and subconsciously withdrew his right hand, which was as white as snow.

"Um..."

Now that the Undead had convinced her, Froststar simply released a stream of cold air with her right hand, circling the rim of the bowl to freeze the entire bowl before picking up the now-cold soup and taking a sip.

At that moment, everyone in the camp unconsciously looked away, no longer glancing at the Undead.

Even Frostnova was unable to speak for a moment.

It wasn't until someone got up and scooped a spoonful of soup from beside the fire that everyone seemed to wake from a dream.

They chatted amongst themselves, slurping soup and chewing bread and meat.

The camp has become a place where sound can be heard again.

They were too shocked to speak.

The Undead are right, they are all infected.

Froststar has a very low body temperature, which is a consequence of her Oripathy and Originium Arts.

The burly man sitting behind her also suffered from Oripathy; his entire right upper arm was swollen and covered with dense Originium crystals.

"You...are very different from other people."

After a long silence, Froststar finally managed to utter this sentence.

Now, she no longer wanted to try to get information out of this person; she was afraid she would fall into an even deeper silence.

“I have seen other people, some of whom have the same attitude.”

The Undead thought of Shining Light, and also of Heavenly Fire.

His two apprentices were both non-infected, and he did not discriminate against those who were infected.

Xia Guang clearly stated her attitude during the exchange: she believes that people are not different; the difference lies only in whether they possess noble character.

Tianhuo, because of his status as an Undead Infected, advised him not to become his apprentice, as it would easily worsen his condition.

There are still people on this continent who don't discriminate against those infected. Once they get to know someone, they're willing to help them and build a closer relationship.

But a pity.

"Unfortunately, people like you are still very rare. Moreover, the attitude of the national leadership is not something you can change."

Froststar sighed and continued to sip her soup.

"Then let's start with ourselves."

The immortal recalled his journey.

"If you want to change others, first change yourself."

Although he initially embarked on the path to break the curse, upon realizing the truth, he resolutely made his own choice: ending the rule of the gods and that distorted world.

"Well said."

Froststar nodded. The idea of ​​not dying suited their tastes perfectly and coincided with their goals.

They wanted to use themselves as a beacon to tell all the infected people in Terra that we must stand up and speak out for our rights and living space.

Only by changing your attitude towards yourself can you change how others treat you.

Unbeknownst to them, people's gazes toward the immortals softened, and they no longer kept glancing at the immortals with particularly wary eyes.

The Undead knew that their words had lowered their guard.

Froststar reached out and tidied her wind-blown hair behind her head before speaking.