This time I chose Paladin.

Chapter 209 Alertness
Nie Weiyang practically jumped up.

"What are you doing?!" He hurriedly reached out to help He Kang up. "Get up!"

He Kang insisted on completing the solemn kneeling in gratitude before standing up with the help of Nie Weiyang. This commander, who had just narrowly escaped death, still had the pallor of someone who had just died, but his eyes had regained their usual composure.

"A life-saving grace cannot be thanked with just a thank you." He Kang's voice was a little hoarse, but very clear. "Without you, I wouldn't have survived."

Nie Weiyang frowned, about to say something polite like "It's what I should do," but He Kang preemptively took out a box from his pocket and shoved it into his hand without saying a word.

"Take it." He Kang's tone left no room for refusal. "It's not a top-tier item, but it should suit you. The attributes are 'Sturdy' and 'Accurate,' and it comes with a short-to-medium range energy blast skill. The cooldown is a bit long, but it might be useful in crucial moments."

Nie Weiyang opened the box, inside was a pair of matte black metal wire woven gloves, cool to the touch, with a faint glow of flowing energy.

He glanced at the attributes and found them to be indeed useful.

Therefore, he paused for a moment, then accepted the gloves without hesitation.

"Thanks," he said.

When you do a good deed, you don't have to actively seek a reward, but if the other party gives it to you sincerely, you should never refuse it outright.

Otherwise, it would not only offend the other party, but also block the way for later people to express their gratitude, which would be like putting everyone who wants to do good deeds in the fire.

Seeing that he accepted it, He Kang's tense expression relaxed slightly, and he even smiled very faintly, but it was gone in an instant.

“You deserve it. I don’t even think this is enough, but I really don’t have anything good…” He paused, then added, “Xunshan is basically cleared out, and the main force will continue to advance and clean up. You… get some rest.”

After He Kang finished speaking, he nodded and turned to walk out of the tent.

His steps still carried the crispness of a soldier, but just as he reached out to lift the curtain, his movement abruptly paused.

"You..." He Kang's voice was even hoarser than before. He paused, as if making up his mind, "...did you...hear something just now?"

Nie Wei met his gaze, neither admitting nor denying, but simply looking at him quietly. This silence itself was an answer.

—Throughout the day, he kept hearing He Kang talking about his son, He Yu. It sounded like the boy was studying at Lianhe No. 1 High School, had done very well on the college entrance exam, was about to study geology, and was currently studying aerodynamics in Gushi, wanting to research aircraft suitable for the new world…

He Kang took a deep breath, as if he had unloaded some kind of burden, or as if he had finally found an outlet to briefly confide in.

He raised his hand to rub his face, and when he put it down, his expression showed a hint of weariness, yet also a unique glimmer of light that a father has when talking about his child.

“That kid… used to study at Lianhe No. 1 High School.” He Kang’s voice was not loud, as if he were stating a fact that was both distant and clear. “He was smart enough, did well on the college entrance exam, and his admission notice was almost here. He was going to be admitted to the geology department.”

He gave a brief laugh, not a laugh at all, but more like a mockery of the fickleness of fate: "The world has changed, everything is gone. Fortunately, Gu Shi hasn't been idle either, following a few old experts, tinkering with those... um, aerodynamics, mechanical design? They say they want to create something that can fly in this sky."

As he spoke, his gaze wasn't entirely focused on Nie Weiyang; it was more like he was talking to himself, sorting through the turbulent thoughts swirling within him. Finally, his gaze returned to Nie Weiyang's face, his eyes heavy and sincere.

“I was just thinking…” he said slowly, enunciating each word clearly, “If he can have half of your composure and sense of responsibility in the future, and be as calm as you in the face of adversity, then I will have nothing to worry about.”

This is not just a polite compliment, but a father's deepest expectation and highest recognition.

After saying this, He Kang seemed to have finally let go of some burden. He straightened his back a little more, nodded to Nie Weiyang again, and this time without any hesitation, turned around and deftly lifted the curtain to walk out.

The tent fell silent, leaving only Nie Weiyang inside.

He sat in silence, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the cold surface of the Netherworld Crystal - Star-shaped Stone.

He didn't like being a role model for others in raising their children; the path was too heavy and bloody. But he did receive that heavy expectation. The old city, aerodynamics, new aircraft… these fragmented pieces of information might one day in the future become connected in unexpected ways.

Humans have only been here for less than a year, and there's still no reliable industrial base—the mines are still in the extraction stage…

Now that he has rested, he is ready to move on.

Nie Weiyang looked down at the gloves in his hands and put them on. The cool touch against his skin caused a slight resonance between a tiny energy field and his mental power.

He clenched his fist, feeling the change in power brought about by the new equipment, then sat down again, took out the [Netherworld Crystal - Star Stone Type] that shimmered with a bluish-purple light, frowned slightly, and fell into deep thought.

"Intelligent entity..."

This word clearly refers to the 'soul'.

The original [Large Aura Core Type 1] of the Golden Heavenly Lord, which was the 'Mass-Produced Adaptive Civilization Extinction System Core', treated biological tissue as a material. And it followed the 'Version 5930 of the [Interstellar Civilization Code of Ethics]'.

The Star Stone Netherworld Crystal in his hand now directly regards the souls of intelligent beings as a resource, and it follows the 4105th edition of the [Interstellar Civilization Moral Code].

Clearly, at least in these nearly two thousand revisions, this so-called code of ethics has made no progress, and may even be constantly regressing...

Nie Weiyang felt heavier than ever before.

—Some things in the starry sky, or even some public voice holders in the nearby starry sky, do not regard life still on the surface of a planet as something that should be preserved and protected.

Technological development does not equate to moral development, a fact that has been proven countless times on Earth. And now, Earthlings have become the weaker party under this set of rules.

The stone reads, "Please contact via ■■■■■■■■■■" while the core of the Spirit Tower in the Chaos Sanctuary reads, "If you have any doubts, please contact via ■■■■■■■■■■■."

What exactly do these 'eight boxes' refer to here?
This thing even looks like some kind of after-sales customer service contact information...

After nearly 2000 updates to the code of ethics, do these things still have the same customer service? Or is it actually a... unified business behavior manager?
"Business……"

Nie Weiyang's expression grew increasingly solemn. He put the crystal back into his backpack, glanced at the sunlight streaming into the tent, pondered for a moment, then suddenly stood up, walked out of the tent, and waved to his two teammates.

Yi Jian and Han Jiangxue were having dinner with Wei Lan and others when they saw him and quickly ran over: "What's wrong? What happened?"

“Have you had any contact with ‘criminal traffickers’ or people connected to them?” Nie Weiyang asked.

The two immediately replied, "We've had contact with each other."

"And you guys?" Nie Weiyang then looked at Wei Lan, who had followed him.

Wei Lan seemed thoughtful: "If you're talking about a group of New World capitalists... I've had contact with them."

Nie Weiyang's gaze swept over everyone around him. They pondered for a moment before answering, "We've had contact." "Indeed, we've had contact." "They can cooperate and trade with anyone, of course we've had contact." "Occasional contact." "We've had contact once..."

After the final questioning, Nie Weiyang felt a chill in his heart.

Including the 'Moon Lord' he killed back then—

Of the 150 people here, a full 80 had been in contact with people associated with criminal traffickers, which is more than 50%!

Keep in mind that the total number of criminal traffickers in the New World is only a mere five hundred!

(End of this chapter)