—— What should I do? ——
—— How can I escape this place? ——
X barely managed to prop herself against the wall, stabilizing her shaky form and standing up bit by bit.
The metallic wall was freezing, the lighting dim. A slight upward glance revealed countless cameras carefully scanning every inch.
The Corporation's surveillance seemed to cover every corner. Did they even exist in the restrooms?
The Manager was supposed to watch the monitors, so for X, who had abandoned the Observation Room and her post... who was left in the Surveillance Room watching her now?
The cameras wouldn't stop operating just because the Manager clocked out, nor would they stop monitoring X simply because she held the title.
There was nowhere to hide. Every move was observed.
The discomfort in her body was undeniable. X knew she needed to change her clothes soon—both her inner and outer garments were soiled.
Dirty clothes must be washed; it was common sense.
Walking down this silent corridor, the faint scent of blood mixed with the cold, industrial air was oppressive, leaving her feeling lonely and hollow.
When the silver-black metallic walls finally gave way to different paint tones, they were as prominent as fireflies in the night.
The Control Department's primary color scheme was light brown—neither dazzling nor dim. These neutral tones were designed to make one feel comfortable, helping them unconsciously relax.
X had seen the Control Department on her screen, but walking through it in person was a different matter entirely.
She was a Manager; she didn't have to navigate the corridors where Abnormalities could break through at any moment like a regular employee. Instead, she took the safety passages reserved for Lobotomy Corporation's upper management.
In the hallways, a few clerks in black suits were scattered about, mopping floors or moving equipment. They were visibly surprised to see Manager X. Yet, bound by Corporate discipline, they didn't dare approach or bother her.
The employees had never seen X's face, but they knew she was the Manager by her attire. She wore a white lab coat draped over black inner clothing.
Corporation employees never wore white; they had unified uniforms. Even the Deans wore black. White was prominent. White was special. And when white was stained, the filth was exceptionally obvious.
White clothes were always the first to get dirty.
There was no need to knock on the office door and wait anxiously like an underling. X pushed directly into the Control Department Dean's office.
"Miss Malkuth, could I stay here for a while? Just for a bit."
X breathed a sigh of relief seeing that only Dean Malkuth was inside. She was terrified of facing the Secretary right now. Compared to Angela, X felt much less constrained around the Control Department Dean.
"Eh, Manager, you arrived faster than I expected! Wait, I'll tidy up right away! You know... the Control Department is very busy, so it's a tiny bit messy."
Stacks of documents were scattered haphazardly across the desk. Malkuth clearly hadn't finished processing them; some reports were even tossed onto the sofa, creating a sense of total disarray.
The flustered Dean scrambled to pick up the documents from the floor, clearing a spot for Manager X to sit.
"Phew. Angela told me you were under some psychological pressure. Why don't you tell me about it? It's normal to feel out of place on your first day."
"By the way, Manager, your mission today was completed perfectly! I knew you could do it!"
Sitting opposite her, Malkuth seemed to be trying her best to praise the Manager. Honestly, X didn't feel that today's simple work deserved any acclaim.
It was like a beginner tutorial in a game, where an NPC tells you that no one has ever managed to use the directional keys, and then marvels at your genius when you move the character. It was bizarre.
It was perfunctory... but she didn't hate it.
Malkuth's efforts helped X relax slightly. Just looking at the Dean's smile made her feel better, but then she remembered: this was also a Corporate AI. Pouring her heart out would likely be useless.
Could she actually tell Malkuth the truth? Absolutely not.
X couldn't mention the strange System pestering her. She had seen too many "realistic" horrors, and in that simulated game, the AI Secretary had done terrible things.
Those horrors even made her feel... strange. It was absurd and pathological.
Unease and anxiety were her only true feelings. There was no joy in being the Manager, and no pride in joining one of the Wings of the World.
This was a alien environment. Every crevice carried a thick, grotesque shadow.
Just as the employee who begged to resign had said, this Corporation was insane. Not a single corner was normal. Even the friendly Malkuth only cared about the Corporation.
Malkuth respected her only because X was the Manager, her superior.
But that was the limit. Who gave the Manager her authority? If she showed even a hint of wanting to quit, these AIs would likely look for a replacement.
[Fortitude], [Prudence], [Temperance], [Justice]—could these stats really help her? X was skeptical, but the fact that she could think clearly right now was probably because of them.
In the simulator, she was fragile, liable to collapse. But now she remained calm, mostly because she had seen those tragic endings and didn't want to be the next "disposed" Manager X.
"Malkuth, if I were like that employee and said I wanted to resign, would I be disposed of? I wouldn't want to point a gun at my own head and go BANG."
X spoke calmly, then casually picked up a report tucked under a sofa cushion. Inside were several employees who had "Applied for Resignation," marked over with large red crosses.
"Eh...? Why say that so suddenly? I see, are you still thinking about what happened this morning...?"
Malkuth looked hesitant, trying to determine if X was serious. Even after realizing she was in earnest, Malkuth offered an encouraging smile for comfort.
A Manager was a different breed from an employee. Today was X's first day on the job; it was only natural not to fit into the environment. Malkuth could understand this sense of unease, a feeling akin to "the fox mourning the death of the rabbit."
"Such things happen often. You shouldn't let them trouble you. The workload we handle every day is massive, and wasting your thoughts on these trivial matters would be a total loss."
"You are the Manager. You are not like them. Didn't you do great this morning? You completed all the tasks I requested. You have the capability, and I know I can count on you."
"But facing this situation now is actually quite timely. Normally, I or Angela would handle these... situations. Come on, cheer up, Manager! If you're feeling down, just pour your heart out. Don't stay silent; saying it out loud will make you feel better."
Malkuth tried to liven up the room. No one could truly resent a lively, cute, and energetic Dean, even if behind that gentleness lay a cold indifference toward the employees.
An employee was an employee, and a Manager was a Manager: different positions, different classes. At the very least, Malkuth's concern for X was genuine, and X couldn't exactly point fingers at the Corporation's ruthless rules.
She was part of the upper management now, the one sitting behind the screen issuing orders.
X stayed silent for a few seconds, eventually deciding not to speak more of her own affairs. The source of her anxiety wasn't the death of a single employee, but the results of the choices shown by the simulator.
If she were ignorant of everything, she probably wouldn't be so panicked. It was because she knew information she wasn't supposed to know that she felt anxious and uneasy. Yet, she couldn't escape, couldn't act like an ostrich and bury her head. For her, not knowing would be the truly terrifying thing.
What would happen to the employees who were dragged away? That fate was something Manager X could now conceptualize.
Likely, resigned employees were used to feed those monsters locked in the containment units, squeezing out every last bit of value. Simply killing them would be a waste of resources.
"Malkuth, how do you think today went?"
X looked at the sunny Dean sitting opposite her. As the Manager, she needed to understand the Department Deans and enter a similar state as quickly as possible.
"How did today go? Everything was great! Excellent! We successfully completed today's emergency training program without any casualties. Everyone did super well! Of course, this is far from enough. With an outstanding Manager like you, I believe we will do even better!"
Every word Malkuth said was heartwarming. At the very least, X felt healed. When a Dean's every sentence was a compliment, it truly brought a sense of happiness.
Clearly... she was just a rookie Manager who had just started...
It would be wonderful if she could see Malkuth's smile every day, X thought as she leaned back on the sofa. This was likely the only place that could make her feel a bit better. To have a caring, gentle Dean, without a cold and terrifying AI Secretary.
—— I really want to stay here longer ——
Even if it meant sleeping right here in Dean Malkuth's office, X would be willing.
But as fate would have it, just as X wanted to get closer to Malkuth and rest her eyes on the soft, comfortable sofa for a while, she heard the one voice she least wanted to hear.
[Manager, are you feeling any better? You seem to be doing well, but Malkuth is very busy. Can't you see her predicament? It would be best not to disturb her work any further.]
The self-proclaimed loyal and trustworthy Secretary AI walked up to Manager X, heartlessly stripping X of her right to remain there.
X stood up from the sofa helplessly. Drowsiness was starting to set in; she was exhausted.
"It's no problem, Angela. The Manager probably just wanted to rest with me for a bit. It won't actually affect my work."
Malkuth tried to convince her to stay, but the intelligent AI was her true superior.
[Malkuth, did you forget the meeting scheduled for this afternoon? The new design you submitted to me has yet to be finalized.]
"Eh? What? That too! Oh no, I forgot!! Angela, I'll go prepare right away."
Malkuth frantically flipped through the notebook she carried, then hurriedly rifled through the messy pile of documents on her desk. She seemed to be looking for something, but due to her lack of organization, it was chaotic.
With a single sentence, the intelligent AI sent the Control Department Dean into a frantic rush, and X no longer had any reason to stay.
No matter how unwilling, X had to follow the Secretary and leave obediently, rather than disturbing the Dean.
[Manager, do you like Malkuth very much? To think you'd want to spend the night in her office after only the first day of meeting?]
On the way, the blue-haired Secretary suddenly turned her head to look at X and asked that question. The moment the question was posed, X felt her scalp tingle: something was very wrong. Ordinarily, she might have tried to guess the right answer, but the Lobotomy Corporation logo remained black and white, unlit.
—— How should I answer this? ——
X didn't understand the intricacies of a woman's mind; her EQ wasn't that high. However, driven by a strong survival instinct, she felt that choosing the Control Department Dean Malkuth right now was absolutely out of the question.
In X's eyes, the intelligent AI was terrifying, even more so than the monsters in the containment units.
"No, it's just that as a Manager, caring for my Dean is only right, isn't it? Dean Malkuth is a very good person. But Angela is the AI I trust and rely on the most, right?"
"Angela, I'm hungry. Could you prepare dinner for me?"
As if to add credibility to her words, X rubbed her stomach, indicating she was piteously starving.
This act of showing weakness seemingly satisfied some desire within the intelligent AI. At the very least, her mood appeared to improve significantly. She likely enjoyed the feeling of being relied upon by the Manager.
[Of course. I will prepare a healthy and sumptuous dinner for you, using food to reward you for today's hard work.]
Hearing those words, X secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, she had managed to bluff her way through and escape another predicament.
As for the Secretary kneading her lower abdomen... she'd just pretend it never happened. After all, it was just a stomach rub. It didn't matter.