PROFIT

The City of Horizon, an incredible place dominated by megacorporate conglomerates. Environmental care? Responsible production? Concern for future generations? Haha, no, none of that is on the agenda—it doesn't bring profit.

Why bother with environmental care when you can destroy the local marine fauna by dumping chemical waste from production directly into the sea without repercussions?

Why not take advantage of firing around 300 low-ranking workers and turn the sector where these poor souls worked into a fish breeding facility? Now we don't have to compete with natural marine fauna production—PROFIT!

Why worry about responsible production by installing expensive filters that reduce pollutant emissions? No, let's do the opposite; increase production to flood the market with more products for sale.

Let's even produce backpacks with individual air filters—what a brilliant idea! That way, we can expand the production chain, pollute the air, and force people to buy our individual oxygen filters—PROFIT!

Future generation? Not here in the City of Horizon. We hardly even have any official maternity wards. Well, unofficially, there might be a dozen or so "clandestine" maternity facilities set up by the megacorporations for testing purposes, but nobody needs to know that. Let's just call them "investments" by a few shareholders and label them—PROFIT.

And that's not even considering the fact that direct contact with certain products and raw materials causes a kind of chemical castration, drastically reducing the birth rate in the City of Horizon.

One of the many nicknames for the City of Horizon is the "Immigrant Devourer." Due to aggressive advertising, some dumb people... No, let's correct this; less intelligent people (much better) are drawn by promises of work, career growth, and eternal dreams of success.

Among those who come to the City of Horizon and end up as low-ranking workers, never rising above their initial positions (which are, by the way, quite short-lived), is James Thompson.

James arrived in the City of Horizon at the tender age of 17. He burned through all the economic reserves his parents left him as an inheritance, just to survive in the city.

But things are expensive here, and poor James thought he could get by for a few years without desperately seeking employment.

Only after being evicted from his rented apartment did James finally understand the dynamics of the City of Horizon. The high salaries promised in advertisements were real—after becoming a low-ranking worker, he earned nearly seven times what his late father made in a month.

The catch? Even earning seven times more than his father, the cost of living in the city was ten times higher than in his hometown. It was a way for the City of Horizon to attract fresh blood—an illusion of stability followed by exorbitant living expenses.

Once inside the city, people rarely had enough money to pay the "Abandonment Fee," a mandatory contribution for those who wanted to leave. It was a kind of fine for occupying a position and space that another loyal worker could have filled until their (short, very short) days ended.

Despite it all, James faced every setback with courage, refusing to give up! Or were they traps hidden in contractual clauses? Anyways...

James Thompson, who was running to catch up with Larry, found himself thwarted by the corrective exercise he had endured. You know, all that thing about writing and repeating that fucked up mantra.

Because of it He missed the same public transportation that Larry had taken and had his final plan of the day ruined.

A tinge of sadness and resignation settled over James. When things went awry, he did what he always did: adapt instantly and move forward. His heart had weathered too many storms, and no new despair or failure could halt his determination, after all, there's barely anything left to be ripped off.

Boarding the crowded public bus, James sought the relative safety of his home. As the bus ride through the city streets, trapped in traffic, James maintained an unwavering gaze—an expression of iron resolve. 'I can't allow myself to fail tomorrow, I need to find a way to keep my eyes on Larry, no matter what!' he thought, plotting a way to get near Larry over the next day.

Unfortunately, James failed to realize that his expression fell far short of determination, courage, and integrity. Instead, his tired face, disheveled appearance, and fixed, almost predatory stare made him appear like a degenerate, carefully selecting his next victim among the unsuspecting female passengers.