The Innocence Algorithm

In the Federal Republic of Veridiana, after the landmark Carter v. Westland ruling legalized preventive detention for those with a “criminal propensity index,” a shadow organization emerges to execute potential wrongdoers before they can act. Elias Morgen, a quiet history teacher, discovers his name on a leaked purge list, triggering a descent into a world where the morning newspaper, a neighbor’s glance, or a forgotten childhood tantrum can mark one for death. This is a Yan Lianke-style nightmare of absurd realism, where the ultimate horror is not blood, but the systematic annihilation of everyday safety.