Rhodes Island does not exist.

No, rather than saying it hasn't been used for a long time, it's more accurate to say it's never been used in the first place.

Because it was Kal'tsit who proposed building the prison, and Kal'tsit built the prison to imprison Talulah.

After all, her thoughts always went further than the doctor's.

While the Doctor was still figuring out how to save the infected person in front of him, Kal'tsit had already fast-forwarded to the public trial of Talulah, which was incredibly swift.

Therefore, she is Kal'tsit.

In conclusion, if the above testimonies are true, then the trembling middle-aged Ursus man before them is the first resident of Rhodes Island prison.

"hiss--"

He was wearing a slightly torn and blood-stained wool coat, and he was curled up in the corner, trembling as if he had malaria.

He didn't have the slightest bit of the aura of a murderer.

If it weren't for the bloodstains splattered on his clothes, he might even give the impression that he was the victim.

"Eugene Sergeyevich Petrov".

The doctor called out his name; Ursus names are always difficult to pronounce and remember.

"Yes... it's me."

Petrov peeked out from under his clothes and looked anxiously at the man who was calling him by his full name.

“I am the current Supreme Commander of Rhodes Island, Doctor. I have come to see you because I heard that you just killed someone…”

The doctor's tone was unhurried, "...Do you admit it?"

“I confess.” Petrov, though trembling, remained honest in spirit. “I confess that I killed someone.”

The doctor suddenly realized that his current state might not be due to fear causing him to tremble.

After all, murder is, in most cases, an act based on impulse.

Especially when this behavior is actually the first time.

Most people experience uncontrollable physical changes when they commit murder for the first time due to the intense discomfort caused by the act.

For example, vomiting, convulsions, or trembling.

That's when the doctor realized that the man in front of him was probably not afraid, but had simply triggered the negative physical mechanisms resulting from impulsive behavior.

"So, what was the reason? What was your motive for killing?"

Although the doctor understood his motive for murder, he still intended to ask him for clarification as a precaution.

Why would an Ursus refugee kill a wounded Reunion prisoner? The answer is obvious.

Hatred.

Infected members of the Reunion Movement attacked Chernobog out of worldly hatred, killing ordinary people who had previously discriminated against and abused them.

And what would ordinary people do if they had the opportunity to meet face-to-face with infected members of the Reunion Movement?

The middle-aged man in front of us has already announced the results.

“Those Reunion Movement members…they burned down my house and took away my wife, children, and sister…Was what I did wrong? I just couldn’t control myself…I just couldn’t control myself…You can understand, right?! You can understand, right?! Someone has to pay for this crime, someone has to pay for it!”

The middle-aged man's body trembled as if sifting flour, and he accused the doctor in a voice that was almost drawn out and distorted.

Ah, yes.

This is a typical case where the victim becomes the perpetrator.

In the education the doctor received, those people said this to him.

“Anyone who commits a crime should be punished, but the one who carries out the punishment should not be the victim of the crime, because that would lead to an unjust outcome.”

“Once victims have the power to punish perpetrators, their intense emotions can influence their decisions, turning punishment into torture or something worse.”

"Therefore, only those who are not involved in the case can impartially determine how to make a judgment and how to conduct a trial."

This is what the doctor listened to, and this is what he did.

However, he still harbored doubts about these words.

If a case involves so many people that no one is unrelated to it... then who will judge them?

The doctor shook his head, turning his attention back to the man in front of him.

“Since you chose to kill him, his sins have ceased with you and have been atoned for with you. But what follows is… a new sin that will befall you.”

“I understand.” The man’s trembling subsided somewhat, and his voice became a little more normal. “When I did this, I was already prepared. So whatever awaits me afterward, whether it’s being expelled from here or being sentenced to death, I will accept it calmly.”

The man's face relaxed.

The doctor suddenly realized that his previous trembling was neither fear nor an impulsive mechanism, but joy.

He was overjoyed that his long-cherished wish had been fulfilled.

He had no more attachments in this life.

"Doctor, do you know?" As he gradually returned to normal, he even began to take the initiative to talk to the doctor. "Among the injured people around my bed, many have had the same experience as me, and some have even suffered more than me."

The doctor did not react or make a sound; he simply listened.

"So when I told them I was going to kill a Reunion group, they all offered me support and encouragement."

In other words... after he announced his plan, no one spoke up to stop him?

Ha, why would anyone stop me?

"Doctor, I am very grateful for the help Rhodes Island has provided, but please also listen to what I have to say."

The man stared at him.

“Generous love cannot eliminate the hatred between the two sides in a conflict.”

"Because no victim can tolerate the perpetrators adopting the same victim mentality and receiving the same comfort as them."

"You might think that they were just prisoners who surrendered, and that they may not have even participated in those atrocities."

"But believe me, Doctor, it's no use."

“As long as the symbols of the Integration Movement exist on them, they will follow the victims who have been traumatized by these symbols for the rest of their lives.”

-

Thank you segment.

Thank you for the monthly pass, Foghorn.

Chapter 21. Good morning, the last hero!

"According to the latest detections by the Cataclysmic Messenger, the Cataclysmic Clouds surrounding Chernobog show no signs of dissipating, and the massive sandstorm blocking the Rhodes Island shipping lanes remains in place."

"And we have reason to speculate on the scale of this natural disaster..."

"Okay, that's enough. Thank you, and please thank the other messengers of natural disasters for me as well."

The doctor waved his hand, interrupting the call coming from the observation station.

“Uh, Doctor? But I haven’t finished speaking.” Provence’s voice was full of confusion.

"It's alright, the result is the same as last time, right? Then there's no need to continue, I understand." The doctor smiled. "If there's nothing else, let's leave it at that. Our energy supply isn't unlimited, so we should consume as little as possible, otherwise we'll regret it if an emergency occurs."

“Ah, I understand, Doctor. It’s that proverb, isn’t it—he who laughs off losing five dollars will sooner or later cry over five dollars,” Provence said.

"Hmm... that's about it. Anyway, remember to say thank you for me."

"Okay, Doctor. See you next time, Doctor."

"Beep."

A buzzing sound flashed by.

Communications were cut off.

Another day passed.

In the morning, the Doctor made rounds in the wards, then visited Frostnova and Patriot in the intensive care unit. In the afternoon, he dealt with the thorny murder case, and in the evening, he still had matters concerning natural disasters and the allocation of Rhodes Island's daily resources to attend to.

Only now can the doctor finally catch his breath.

The dining hall on the Rhodes Island ship had long since closed, and he hadn't even had dinner yet.

Although the medical operator Hibiscus has been quietly caring for the Doctor and even brought him homemade healthy bento boxes... to be honest, the Doctor probably needs junk food more than healthy food right now.

Health foods can nourish the body, while junk food can heal the soul.

Doctoral students today are in a state of spiritual deprivation.

Then, as if guessing what the professor was thinking, a knock sounded on the door.

"Yah ho."

Then the door opened, and Jianlei quietly walked into the doctor's office carrying a black bag.

"Instructor Jianlei?" The doctor was somewhat surprised that Jianlei would visit so late, but his gaze immediately fell on the gap exposed by the black bag in Jianlei's hand.

It's full of snacks.

"Oh dear." Jian Lei slammed the black package onto the doctor's desk, looking embarrassed. "I heard from the cafeteria staff that you haven't eaten all day. I was worried that you might be starving yourself because you're too busy, so I used my underground network to get you something."

Speaking of which, the Doctor had indeed heard that Jenny seemed to have some kind of snack network or something on Rhodes Island. However, since the transactions were all snacks, and he wasn't Dobermann, he simply turned a blind eye.

And that tolerance from back then has now been repaid to him.

"Come on, come on, it's on me today, Doctor, please eat whatever you like." Jianlei generously moved closer to the Doctor, opened the black bag she had brought, and took out one good item after another, while not forgetting to give a disdainful glance at Furong's healthy bento box next to her.

"You'd better not eat this kind of thing. If you keep eating this kind of thing, you'll become mentally unstable." Jianlei put the lid on Furong's bento box and placed it where the doctor couldn't reach it. "I'm really afraid that you'll end up doing something like getting up at four in the morning and making instant noodles with boiling water in your mouth."

"What is that? It's terrifying." The doctor frowned deeply.

“It’s a joke I saw in a Columbia magazine before,” Genley shrugged. “It’s about what happens when people go crazy.”

"But I don't think someone would be mentally unstable and put boiling water in their mouth to make instant noodles... The oral mucosa would be burned." The doctor looked worried.

"Hey, I already told you it's a joke, don't take it seriously, Doctor," Jianlei sighed.

She somewhat regretted telling the joke to the PhD student.

After all, this boss of Rhodes Island is great in every way, except he has no sense of humor.

“But I have actually thought about this question: what happens when a person goes insane?” But the Doctor didn’t seem to have moved on from the topic of the Thunder, and instead began to extend it, “After all, think about it, Rhodes Island has never treated mental patients, let alone has a psychiatric department.”

"Those mental illnesses are mostly complications caused by mineralogy disorders with lesions in the brain, so they are essentially still mineralogy disorders. So I was thinking..."

"That's enough, Doctor." Seeing that the Doctor had no intention of stopping, Jian Lei directly stopped him and quickly grabbed a bag of dried earthworms and placed it in front of the Doctor. "I don't understand any of this stuff you're telling me. Can we talk about something more practical first?"

"...That's fine."

The doctor was taken aback at first, then smiled.

The time that followed passed quickly amidst Jianlei's silly jokes and the snacks she brought.

Although the jokes by Jianlei were truly boring, and the taste and texture of the snacks didn't provide much stimulation for the Doctor, for some reason, the Doctor felt that this period of time was the most comfortable time he had experienced recently.

Maybe I'm just too tired and need to rest.

However, the current situation does not allow it.

With this murder case happening today, Rhodes Island will probably only become more exhausting for him in the future.

But at least for today.

"Ha—" The doctor tilted his head back, raised his hands high, and let out a huge yawn.

At least for today, the doctor should take a rest.

After seeing Jenny off, the Doctor locked the door and took off his symbolic coat. He then wrapped himself in a blanket, lay flat on the bed, and gazed up at the steel sky.

"I really hope I can see the same scenery when I wake up tomorrow morning."

Filled with longing for survival and life, he closed his eyes.

This marks the true end of a day on Rhodes Island.

-

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle—"

When the doctor woke up, he was greeted by a familiar scene.

Despite the strange noises coming from who-knows-where, buzzing like mosquitoes and flies, the visual imagery was ultimately normal.