Airport

Under the pressure of this space, what we pursued was strength, speed, and influence. We casually slaughtered fellow Contractors, not to mention Plot Characters of flesh and blood. In return, we got a chance to survive and cold, impersonal weapons, equipment, and crystals! Our work was no different from that of killers, and we were becoming killing machines that never took a day off and showed no mercy!"

She turned to Slage. "The reason I liked Eugene was that his eyes were full of compassion and the light of humanity. Slage has become a seasoned, capable soldier, but he's no longer the young man I liked."

"Compassion and humanity?" Kirk didn't rush to argue. "For us, those really are luxuries."

Wang Han's tears fell. "Forgive me for losing control. But after killing for so long, sometimes you really do lose sight of who you are. We Contractors, controlled by space, have honed our strength through constant adventures and deaths, rising from Veterans to Reincarnators to Domain Experts, with Conquerors and Immortals still ahead. Our power keeps growing until we can even fight an army or a fleet. Yet I envy ordinary office workers and students more and more. They may have no power, but they're safe. They work or attend classes during the day, then open a bag of chips, watch a movie, or play a game at night. I used to have a life like that, but I thought it was boring and never cherished it. Now we struggle desperately—isn't that safe, peaceful life our ultimate goal? No matter how hard Slage and the others fight or how much hell they endure, one day they'll go home, back to their own estates, and live safely and comfortably again. But we can never go back!"

A strong arm immediately wrapped