Chapter 14 — The Kaunas Experiment: The First Hammer Blow to the Fissure
1. The Blood-Red Border, The Howl of Hunger
Overnight, the border had transformed into something resembling a vast, bleeding wound. Sharp barbed wire fences, now several layers deeper, soared higher like fortress walls. The ashen eyes of young soldiers, peering out from beneath their Kevlar helmets, were colder, more vacant than the Baltic winter wind. Deep-seated geopolitical tensions, long dormant beneath the surface, had erupted uncontrollably, ignited by a single, 'trivial' exchange of gunfire across the frontier.
All roads were severed. All hope, blockaded. The Kaunas border region in eastern Lithuania had become a colossal island, completely isolated from civilization. Hundreds of trucks laden with food, medicine, and essential supplies had become a grotesque scrapyard before the border checkpoints, their lifeless hulks a testament to the severed lifelines to the city. Shop shelves, already picked clean days ago as if by a pack of hyenas, stood starkly empty. Desperate refugees, their eyes hollow with despair, clutched their empty bellies, succumbing one by one to an indefinite wait. Fear, an invisible, lethal virus, spread with terrifying speed. And when the sun set and darkness descended, the only sound to brutally pierce the chilling silence of the ruined city was the starved wailing of children.
In Kai's Parisian secret hideout, the holographic screen relayed this vision of Kaunas transformed into a living hell, a 24-hour, unblinking feed of raw human suffering. Kai set down his now ice-cold coffee cup. In his mind's eye, the image of young Rael from Safran, who had perished before the callous indifference of the system, superimposed itself sharply onto the scenes of desolation.
"After the Red Horse passes, the Black Horse invariably follows, or so it is said."
His voice was low, yet the fury contained within it was like magma churning in the abyss. Even at this very moment, countless 'second Raels' were undoubtedly perishing in Kaunas.
Lilith's face, too, was a mask of grim resolve. The intelligence gathered by her AI, Cassandra, was dire.
Lilith: "ICRA (International Crisis Response Alliance), the European Union, and neighboring governments have yet to even issue an official statement. While bureaucrats waste precious time on paperwork and deflecting responsibility, Kaunas will become a second Safran. No, perhaps it already has." Her voice was composed, as always, but its edge trembled with a razor-sharpness. The helplessness and rage she had felt in Safran seemed to claw at her heart anew. Her finger stabbed at a specific coordinate on the holographic map, a vast, abandoned subterranean salt mine near Kaunas, dating back to the Cold War era.
Lilith: "The stockpiles we've secretly secured over the years, and the unofficial routes we've established – they might be the only hope for these people. Before ICRA, that avaricious minion of the 'Shadow Empire,' can taint this market with its bloodied hands, we must, in Rael's name, and in the names of all the souls lost without a whisper, sow the seeds of order and life in that land of despair, ourselves, first."
Kai was already at his 'Revelation Computation Unit,' transmitting encrypted commands. His eyes were no longer those of a mere 'Kingdom Builder' reading the market's flow. He was now a resolute warrior, ready to bring down the first hammer blow upon the colossal, wicked fortress wall of 'Babel.'
Operation Codename: 'Esther's Ark.'
A name imbued with their desperate will to save even the smallest life from the flood of despair.
2. Order from Chaos, The Miracle of the Third Market
Three days later, while ICRA officials were still mired in tedious debates in their comfortable Geneva conference rooms, something along the lines of a 'preliminary meeting to reach a final consensus on the formation of a working group' for Kaunas aid, Kai and Lilith were already in motion.
Piercing the pitch-black darkness, an unmarked stealth transport helicopter landed silently on a desolate plain near the Lithuanian border. Emerging from it were Kai and Lilith, and a dozen elite handpicked members of the 'Kingdom Builder Foundation' – a small, formidable team of ex-special forces, medical experts, and logistics specialists, urgently summoned through Lilith's network.
The makeshift refugee camp on the outskirts of Kaunas, when they arrived, was a scene of pandemonium that surpassed any human endurance. A single tent sheltered dozens of moaning figures, intertwined in misery. Hunger, disease, and the predatory shadow of plunder and violence roamed the camp like ghouls.
Yet, a mere few hours after their arrival, a miraculous change began to sweep across the land of despair.
Following Lilith's directives, her 'shadow collaborators' worked through the night, transporting an immense quantity of food, medicine, and essential supplies from a nearby highland secret subterranean warehouse (disguised as a Cold War-era nuclear bunker). These life-saving goods began to be distributed, with utmost fairness and speed, to those most in desperate need.
Kai personally commanded the security team, composed of ex-special forces, establishing order at the distribution points and ruthlessly suppressing any looters. Simultaneously, using a covertly linked satellite communication network, he broadcasted real-time footage of the dire situation in Kaunas, along with anonymous whistle-blower data exposing ICRA's incompetence and dereliction of duty, to major global media outlets and human rights organizations. International public opinion began to seethe, and a flustered ICRA was forced into a desperate scramble of excuses and deflections.
Lilith, her face smudged with dust, yet her eyes shining with a fierce light, gestured towards the scene where chaos was slowly yielding to order, and spoke to Kai, her voice filled with conviction.
Lilith: "Behold, Kai. This is the very 'Third Market' we've created. A vacuum where the hand of government cannot reach, yet a point where the desperate human demand for survival explodes. Here, we, the 'Kingdom Builder Foundation,' dictate the price, the supply, and the priority of distribution. This is beyond mere profit-seeking; this is our first act of resistance against the despair their rapacious system has manufactured, the beginning of a new hope. And what they fear most is precisely this: the uncontrollable spread of hope!"
Kai nodded silently. His eyes mirrored Lilith's profound agreement. His role now was to ensure this spark of resistance was not extinguished, but fanned into a raging fire. Their arrival was swifter than any official relief agency, their response unshackled by even a second of bureaucratic procedure or political calculation. Precisely 72 hours later, the name 'Kingdom Builder Foundation' was being etched into the hearts of the despair-ridden Kaunas border town residents not just as a relief organization, but as a symbol of miraculous intervention against an unjust world, perhaps even as the name of a new savior.
3. The Kaunas Model: Data is Life
Several more days passed. The dawn air in the Lithuanian border town no longer sank under the weight of despair. The sound of tractor engines clearing the rubble of ruined shops echoed like a song of hope. The bright laughter of children spilled from the tents converted into makeshift distribution centers and field hospitals. And enveloping it all was the gentle aroma of freshly baked bread and warm soup. It was a symphony of life, rising from the ashes and dust.
Kai: "This way! Move this way, please! The blue-labeled boxes are for the refrigerated section! They're vaccines! They must be delivered to the children first!"
Following Kai's directions, the now somewhat organized multinational relief team volunteers moved briskly. He was inside an old bus, converted into a temporary command post, checking the logistics status board and medical data analysis graphs with Lilith. Over the past few weeks, this place, once a land overshadowed by death and despair, had transformed into a strategic hub of life connecting three border regions, a small but powerful fortress against Babel's rapacious system.
A few days later, at the newly established temporary municipal office of Kaunas City, a visibly revitalized local delegation sat across a neatly arranged table from Kai and Lilith. The head of the delegation, Mayor Andreas, spoke, his voice filled with cautious gratitude.
Andreas: "…If not for the Kingdom Builder Foundation's unconditional support, our Kaunas might have been wiped off the map. How can we ever repay this kindness… But, if I may be frank, one question lingers. Why is the Foundation helping us to this extent, with seemingly no conditions attached? We currently have nothing to offer in return."
Kai shook his head. His eyes were cool and analytical, yet a warmth emanated from them, deeper and more profound than before.
Kai: "There is no such thing as unconditional support in this world, Mr. Mayor. It is merely that the form of recompense differs from what we commonly perceive as 'money'."
A look of bewilderment flickered across Andreas's face. Kai continued in a low voice.
Kai: "Perhaps, is there still a functioning hospital facility in the town? One equipped with at least minimal pharmaceutical refrigeration and basic data recording systems?"
Andreas: "What? Ah, yes. It's small, but the municipal hospital miraculously escaped major damage. Power supply was also partially restored a while ago, thanks to the Foundation's help."
Kai: "Then that will suffice."
Kai presented a single document.
Kai: "The food, medicine, and essential supplies we will continue to provide should be distributed to the residents through that municipal hospital, in the most fair and transparent manner possible. In return, for a minimum of one year, your city administration will be responsible for the maintenance of the advanced water purification system and satellite communication network we've installed in Kaunas, as well as the necessary technical training for its operation. All essential core components and software updates will be provided free of charge by our Foundation."
Lilith smiled gently, turning her tablet screen to show them. A complex data flow chart was displayed, with the Kaunas region at its center, branching out to neighboring countries, alongside real-time graphs of various disease incidence rates and predicted pharmaceutical needs.
Lilith: "And this agreement stipulates one more very important condition, Mr. Mayor. All anonymized medical statistical records collected at that municipal hospital – for example, the incidence and spread patterns of specific infectious diseases, age-specific nutritional status changes, types of pharmaceuticals in high demand seasonally, and their required quantities, all very specific and real-time data – are to be shared regularly, and exclusively, with our AI system, 'Cassandra.' This data is not mere hospital records, Mr. Mayor. This is 'the data of life,' which we have reclaimed from the clutches of the 'Shadow Empire,' data that can save millions of lives in other disaster-stricken regions worldwide. We will utilize this precious data to improve disease outbreak pattern prediction models for other disaster zones and to build the most efficient and transparent relief systems. And Kaunas City, based on its contribution to this data provision, will automatically be granted top priority in all future international relief supply allocations, and furthermore, will be able to generate its own revenue through the operation of this 'data hub'."
The mayor's eyes, initially wide with disbelief, now held a mixture of overwhelming gratitude and a dawning, fragile hope. He asked, his voice trembling.
Andreas: "Are… are you saying… that our Kaunas can be more than just a helpless, impoverished victim city receiving aid… that we can become a 'Data-driven Humanitarian Hub' contributing to saving lives in other regions around the world, a small but significant 'link of hope' against that colossal evil system…?"
Kai: "Precisely, Mr. Mayor."
Kai nodded, his voice now imbued with a conviction that transcended mere certainty, carrying an almost sacred sense of mission.
Kai: "Unilateral aid or charity is merely pouring water into a bottomless pit. However, the transparent circulation of mutual data and resources, along with technology transfer for self-reliance, creates a truly virtuous ecosystem that can heal itself, grow, and help its neighbors. This city, Kaunas, has already become the first, and most magnificent, proof of a new hope that we humans can build ourselves, not the rapacious system of 'Babel'."
4. UN's Acclaim, and 'Ammunition' for the Next War
Around the time the historic agreement with the Kaunas municipality was being finalized, Martynas Jonaitis, a UN Special Investigator for Disaster Response dispatched from Geneva, arrived amidst a cloud of dust. He had only been privy to the miraculous changes in Kaunas through satellite reports and fragmented communications over the past few weeks. Witnessing the transformation firsthand, he was utterly astounded. The refugee camp, once filled with despair and the shadow of death, was now an orderly relief camp. The clear sounds of children reading aloud echoed from makeshift tent schools. Most astonishingly, the food and medicine distribution system and the advanced water purification and satellite communication network, all established by the 'Kingdom Builder Foundation' in a matter of weeks, were operating with near-perfect efficiency, almost entirely autonomously, managed by local resident volunteers.
Martynas approached Kai and Lilith, whose faces were still smudged with dust, and offered a handshake filled with sincere respect.
Martynas: "Beyond 'miraculous'… I can find no other word to describe this, you two. Never before, anywhere in the world, have I witnessed a community stabilize so self-sufficiently in such a short time, especially with almost no official external support, and even build a system capable of helping neighboring regions. This 'Data-driven Resource Circulation and Crisis Prediction Model' in particular is… nothing short of revolutionary. I will immediately report this 'Kaunas Model' to UN Headquarters as a special case, and strongly request that this region be designated a 'Global Disaster Recovery Pilot Zone' and a 'Top Priority Recovery Feasibility Area,' ensuring that all UN emergency relief budgets and resources are linked here first. Your methods… they could very well become the new global standard for disaster relief."
After the UN Special Investigator departed, Kai and Lilith were once again alone in the temporary office. They stood in silence for a moment, gazing out the window. The tenacious vitality of people rising again from the ruins. And the small miracle they had created with their own hands. In their hearts, the image of young Rael, who had perished in Safran, and the burning fury against the cold, unfeeling system that had 'written him off' as a loss, still blazed with an unquenchable fire.
Lilith's eyes, which had momentarily misted over, soon regained their steely, resolute glint as she turned to Kai.
Lilith: "The success here in Kaunas… perhaps it can be a small solace we offer to Rael, and to the countless other nameless souls. But… this is far from enough. This is truly, only just the beginning."
Kai nodded silently. His gaze was fixed on the same point as hers, far beyond the recovering town. Kai and Lilith were, after all, destined partners, fated to wield 'capitalism of conscience' and 'the data of life' as weapons to bring down 'the capitalism of fear' and the 'Shadow Empire' that manipulated all these tragedies from behind the scenes, playing God.
Lilith activated her secure tablet, projecting a vast holographic screen onto the wall. It displayed a complex network diagram branching out in all directions from Kaunas at its center, along with real-time data streams of the massive financial flows they had generated through this 'Kaunas Experiment.'
Lilith: "The Kaunas Model has successfully taken root, Kai. Look at the data streams."
At her gesture, specific nodes magnified, and real-time information visualized into figures and graphs.
Lilith : "This is no mere logistics hub. This, as we designed, is evolving into a 'living organism' that generates its own information, creates value, and stockpiles a driving force for the next stage. The flow of goods to adjacent regions has already entered a stabilization phase, and value equivalent to 150% of our initial resource input has begun to circulate within this network."
She pointed to one side of the screen. Pharmaceutical company logos appeared briefly alongside records of anonymized data package transactions, then vanished.
Lilith: "Just moments ago, a long-term licensing agreement was signed with a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company for anonymized Kaunas regional disease incidence pattern data. Besides this, several other global healthcare and IT corporations are lining up. With this, we've not only recouped our initial investment but also secured a significant surplus of funds."
She looked at Kai, a meaningful smile playing on her lips. That smile held both the joy of victory and a grim determination for the greater war yet to come.
Lilith: "This, Kingdom Builder, is the first, and most powerful, 'ammunition' that will allow us to continue our long 'war' against that arrogant 'Babel Empire.' For one region's survival and self-reliance to become the nourishment for another region's hope, and for the value created in that process to become 'A hammer' to save more lives and break the system of evil – that is the core of the great virtuous cycle we will create."
Kai confirmed the staggering sum of their 'war chest' displayed on the holographic screen and gave a short nod. His eyes were as cold as ever, but the resolve within them burned hotter than a furnace.
Kai: "'A hammer,' you say... That should certainly jolt our enemies awake, wouldn't it? In any case, "These 'bullets' will determine the number of innocent lives we can save on the next battlefield..."
Outside, the darkness was still thick, and the enemy they had to fight was unimaginably vast and cunning. But now, in both their eyes, a fire unlike any before – a scorching, confident flame capable of changing the world – burned in unison. Their first experiment had succeeded. Now, it was time to spread that flame across the entire world.