Atrocities

At this moment, in a temporary camp within Pucheng, Tens of thousands of civilians were crowded together, many of them injured or infected with the plague.

When the zombie army invaded, there was no time to deal with the plague --- it was a matter of survival first.

Although the zombie army in Pucheng had been wiped out, the threat caused by corpse poison could not be eliminated in a short time.

Among these threats, the plague was the biggest hidden danger. Amidst the chaos, it had spread rapidly.

What started as a few hundred infected had now grown to several thousand.

And this was already a controlled outcome, thanks to Margaret’s preventative efforts. Without the aid of medicine, the situation would’ve been far worse.

Even so, Pucheng was still in the best condition compared to the others.

The other three cities were already in complete turmoil --- even without the threat of corpse poison, things would not calm down anytime soon.

When Dustin returned to the temporary camp, stepping through golden light, he found Margaret kneeling in a tent, feeding medicine to a four- or five-year-old child.

The child had already been infected with the plague, suffering from a persistent high fever, and the situation was not looking good. But there were countless others like this child, and even the best physicians couldn’t treat them all.

All they could do was use herbal medicine to stabilize symptoms, and treat them one by one.

“You’re back?”

After feeding the child, Margaret gently laid him down and led Dustin out of the tent. “Did you find the remnants of the White Bone Sect?”

“All eliminated. Even their main stronghold has been destroyed. In the short term, the White Bone Sect shouldn’t be causing any more trouble,” Dustin said.

“You’ve done well. Destroying their base has given the people of the cities a chance to breathe,” Margaret forced a smile.

“How’s the plague situation?” Dustin asked.

“Although it has spread quite a bit, thanks to your prescription, the situation in Pucheng is still under control,” Margaret replied.

Compared to the disaster and panic caused by the red mist and the zombie army, the plague was actually the lesser issue now.

“That’s good,” Dustin nodded.

Though exhausted, he had at least saved countless lives --- a merit that couldn't be ignored.

“Boss!”

At that moment, Su Lan rushed over, her expression urgent. “We just received a report from Liyang City --- Li Juntang has burned down the entire slum, claiming to purify evil spirits. Everyone infected with the plague died in the fire!”

“What? How could this happen?!” Margaret’s expression changed drastically.

To burn all those infected with the plague alive --- what an atrocity!

“According to the report, the plague in Liyang has mutated. Li Juntang couldn’t cure it, so he resorted to burning them all,” Su Lan said.

“How many people died?” Margaret frowned.

“Tens of thousands,” Su Lan said hoarsely.

Margaret staggered, grabbing the wooden post of the tent to barely remain standing, her knuckles turning white from the force of her grip. “How dare he?! Those are citizens of the Dragonmarsh! How could he kill them so casually? Treating human life like dirt? He’s a prince of the kingdom --- how could he be so cruel? It’s unforgivable!”

“It wasn’t just Li Juntang. Li Guanglong is just as brutal,” Su Lan continued. “He claimed the mutated plague was due to evil possession. He not only burned down the quarantine zones, but also buried alive every civilian who had contact with the infected --- saying it was to prevent the spread of the plague.”

“Beasts! They’re both beasts!” Margaret roared, her eyes bloodshot.

They had already overcome so many crises. If everyone had worked together, they could’ve survived this disaster.

But at the critical moment, Li Juntang and Li Guanglong chose the cruelest path just to save themselves trouble. In their eyes, human lives meant nothing. They had ruthlessly slaughtered countless innocent civilians in the name of efficiency.

Such crimes were truly outrageous and abominable!

“How about Li Wenxing?” Dustin suddenly asked.

Li Juntang was selfish, and Li Guanglong was cruel. Their actions stemmed from their very nature.

Li Wenxing might be a hypocrite, but at least he shouldn’t be as ruthless.

“Things aren’t much better in Wugang City under Li Wenxing,” Su Lan reported. “Though he didn’t resort to mass killings, he confined large numbers of civilians together --- both infected and healthy. After locking them up, he didn’t provide any medicine or relief. It’s as if he just wants them to die on their own.”

“He’s no better!” Margaret’s face darkened.

Compared to Li Juntang and Li Guanglong, Li Wenxing may not have committed direct slaughter, but he still stood by and did nothing.

For ordinary people, that might be understandable. But he was the eldest prince of the Dragonmarsh, a role model among the court, and responsible for protecting the people of Wugang City.

And yet, after the plague mutated, he simply abandoned his duties and became a hands-off ruler.

He was no better than the others.

She couldn’t imagine what kind of chaos Dragonmarsh would fall into if ruled by any of these princes.

At that moment, she finally realized how wise Dustin’s earlier words were.

Not one of the three princes could be relied upon.

Rather than handing over power to these gluttonous fools and letting them bring disaster to the people, it would be better to hold that power firmly in her own hands.

And without even realizing it…
A seed had been planted in her heart. - Ton

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