Rotten God Kingdom

"After 38 years of disaster, Linjiang City was renamed Sick City."

When Sick City was renamed, the world wasn't so bad yet, and the rules of Sick City weren't so strict.

At first, residents simply became sick more frequently, and the effects of medications weakened; even common antibiotics couldn't cure the mildest cold.

Later, the types of diseases in the sick city became more and more diverse. In the 10th year of the Cataclysm, a flu epidemic swept through the city, killing many residents. This plague even affected several refugee settlements outside the city.

After that cold, the residents of the sick city discovered that as long as they contracted one disease, their immunity to other diseases would increase. For a period of time after contracting the disease, some residents would gain special abilities that could be described as superpowers, including but not limited to fire control and mental plague.

Okay, that's pretty much all you wanted to know. It hasn't been that long since the cataclysm, and Blighttown isn't particularly outstanding among the many cities. Most of the time, it's been quietly maintaining its pre-cataclysmic lifestyle, occasionally absorbing Wastes.

Is there anything else you'd like to know, my Mr. Jiang?

In the only library in the sick city, Jiang Wang sat in front of a young woman.

This library is a product of the pre-disaster era, and it has many interesting books. The woman in front of Jiang Wang is the librarian.

The curator's appearance was different from that of other people in the sick city. It wasn't that she was particularly beautiful, but rather that she looked perfectly normal.

There were no festering sores on his face, and no needle marks or scars on his two exposed arms. His complexion was rosy and healthy.

Even Jiang Wang's face was pale, typical of someone with late-stage lung disease.

Therefore, although the curator's appearance was ordinary, she appeared beautiful in comparison to those around her.

According to the curator's own description, she suffers from some kind of brain disease. She has no other special abilities, but her memory is enhanced beyond that of ordinary people. She can hardly forget anything she has seen.

She can even recall how many grains of rice she ate ten days ago, and this extraordinary memory has secured her position as the library director.

"You mean the superpowers of the people of Sick City only appeared after that flu pandemic?" Jiang Wang felt he had discovered a blind spot.

According to Jiang Wang's understanding, other cities also have special phenomena such as superpowers, but their special abilities are manifested after the disaster or even before it occurs. It is rare for a special situation like that of Sick City to occur so late.

If the increased probability of illness among the people of the Sick City after the catastrophe is considered abnormal, then the Sick City itself is not special.

"If I remember correctly, it started around that time. Before that, no one was promoting their specialness, but after that cold, many people showed their extraordinary abilities."

I remember back then, many people were frantically coming into contact with germs in order to gain special abilities, and many died. It was only because the Cleanup Bureau explicitly prohibited unauthorized contact with the disease that the situation was brought under control.

Unless there are special circumstances, it is necessary to report if you want to get infected in the sick city. Even if you are infected passively, you need to go to the cleanup bureau for a risk assessment.

If a person has too many types of illnesses, or if the illnesses conflict with each other, or if they already show signs of conceiving a disease demon, the Cleansing Bureau will take preventative measures and "deal with" them in advance before danger arrives.

Jiang Wang pondered for a moment before asking, "So, who established the rules for Sick City after the cataclysm? For example, most jobs require employees to be free of specific diseases, and recruiting Wildlings also requires them to selectively accept diseases."

Of all the cities Jiang Wang visited, only the Sick City had established a complete set of rules, integrating the unique circumstances of the post-disaster era into daily life.

Other cities also exhibit varying degrees of distortion in many places. The difference between them and the "sick city" is that they are basically passive, or even actively resisting.

For example, a city located near a lake.

The city's inhabitants grew scales and gills and had an almost obsessive fascination with underwater life. However, the city's rulers feared that the inhabitants would actually degenerate into fish after entering the water, so they ordered that no inhabitants be allowed to approach the lake.

Every day, residents would cross the cordon line to access the water. The administrators would execute those who violated the regulations, and their bodies would be hung next to the cordon line as a warning.

The actions of the sick city seem to be actively moving closer to disaster.

Jiang Wang found it difficult to judge which approach was better or worse. He simply felt in his heart that, if possible, he would prefer to live like a human being.

"Initially, it seemed to be some official. Before the catastrophe, the Sick City had a complete administrative structure. Later, this structure was merged with the Cleanup Bureau, so the person who issued the order was from the Cleanup Bureau." The curator was quite familiar with the Cleanup Bureau, and he was also familiar with several of its leaders.

Cleanup Bureau...

In the sick city, it seems that nothing can escape the cleanup bureau.

"Who is the director of the Cleanup Bureau? Logically speaking, there should be one director, or is the Cleanup Bureau a parliamentary system with several different people in power speaking?" Jiang Wang asked the last question.

A rare look of confusion flashed in the curator's eyes.

"The Cleanup Bureau seems to have a director. My friends who work at the Cleanup Bureau are all certain that there is a director, but I really don't remember the director. The director hasn't changed since the disaster started."

"Have you listened to the city radio? The one who gave the New Year's greeting on the radio was the bureau chief."

You only hear sounds, but never see anyone?

Jiang Wang had several guesses in his mind.

Either the director doesn't exist at all, and the Cleanup Bureau is actually controlled by several powerful figures, with the director being a fictitious spokesperson.

Either the bureau chief has a very serious illness, so serious that he is unable to appear in public.

Jiang Wang instinctively felt that the second guess was more reasonable, after all, this was the City of Sickness.

Jiang Wang had no way of knowing why the director had specifically enacted laws to align with the disaster response rules.

"Thank you for your help, Curator. These are all my questions for now. We can talk again when we have time." Jiang Wang placed the small gifts he had brought on the table and got up to leave.

"It's alright, you don't need to bring gifts next time you come. I'd like you to share more stories about the outside world with me. After all, I've never left Sick City since I was born. The outside world is crazy and wonderful. You might not believe it, but I want to write a book about the customs and landscapes of various cities after the catastrophe."

The curator stood up to see him off.

Jiang Wang sighed inwardly.

In terms of madness, Sick City isn't far behind.

In a world where everything is distorted, what appears normal on the surface often reveals true madness once the facade is peeled back.

……

The cleanup bureau was still the same as always. Upon seeing Jiang Wang, the receptionist asked in surprise, "Mr. Jiang, are you going on another mission today? Would you like to rest?"

"I'm here to find someone."

The receptionist, who rarely heard such a request from the cleanup department, stammered, "Who are you looking for?"

"No need, he's here."

A middle-aged man named Ye Xun walked out of the Cleanup Bureau. He was Jiang Wang's superior in the Cleanup Bureau. Ye Xun reviewed the Cleanup Bureau's tasks and sent them to the cleaners' mobile phones via text message, allowing the cleaners to choose whether to accept them.

Therefore, Jiang Wang rarely sees his captain on ordinary days.

"I have bad news for you. The girl who had a similar medical condition to your sister has escaped."

Jiang Wang was somewhat disappointed, but he didn't care too much.

It's just a rare disease, nothing special in this disease-ridden city. Maybe before long, this disease will be everywhere.

Jiang Xin's health condition hadn't deteriorated to the point of no return, and Jiang Wang felt he could still wait.

Ye Xun narrowed his eyes and continued, "The good news is that we've received a mission to bring the girl back."

"Bring them back? Why?" Jiang Wang didn't understand.

"Don't you know? Residents are strictly prohibited from leaving the Sick City at will, and that girl has such a rare disease. If she wanders into the wilderness, who knows what kind of trouble she will cause."