X had likely never expected to find such an anomaly among the Corporation'sDeans. For a long heartbeat, she was paralyzed, unable to react.
Could an AI truly be this pathetic? She had always assumed that even if an AI's personality was flawed, they would at least maintain a shred of professional dignity toward their work.
"Hello, Dean Netzach. I am the new Manager, X. Hasn't Angela ever reprimanded you for this behavior? You look... quite unique."
X took a seat on the sofa, attempting to start a conversation with this AI whose demeanor was worlds apart from the other Deans.
"Haha, of course not... because... because my job is to be a failure~ Hiccup. Want a hit, Manager?"
Netzach cracked open an injector of Enkephalin and took a deep pull. This was the Corporation's signature clean energy, but it also doubled as a potent narcotic to drown out mental trauma, though excessive use led to nasty side effects.
"..."
As a Manager, X couldn't afford to poison her mind with stimulants. She waved her hand in refusal. Netzach didn't seem to care; she injected the entire dose herself, the needle sinking in with practiced ease.
"Well... is there anything else? Look, even if there is, let's table it for later. I'm... a bit busy right now."
The lazy woman on the sofa squinted her emerald eyes, basking in the chemical euphoria and paying zero attention to Manager X.
X couldn't grasp why a Corporation AI would use such substances, or even consume beverages. Angela clearly lacked a sense of taste, yet this Department Dean possessed these useless, human functions. She truly didn't know what the designers were thinking.
The air grew heavy. X hesitated. Should she warn Netzach about the Corporation's image, or help her hide the evidence before Angela saw? If they were caught, Netzach might walk away clean, but X would certainly be the one to suffer.
— Should she warn Netzach?
— Or condone Netzach?
[Simulation Start]
[Day 2 — The Delirious Addict]
[Today you chose to open the Safety Department, but you never expected the Safety Department Dean to be a junkie. You distrusted her and viewed her with total skepticism.]
[Your Dean arrived late and, right under your nose, injected a mental stimulant. She completely ignored you, a direct challenge to your authority as the Manager.]
[Finally, you snapped. You decided to stop her. You berated Safety Department Dean Netzach, tearing into her unprofessionalism and lecturing her on the glory of the Corporation and her value as a Dean.]
[The Safety Department Dean listened to every word, but she didn't flinch. She just stared at you. Those dark green eyes locked onto yours for a long time, a gaze that made you shiver.]
[Unease set in. You tried to flee the conference room, but the door wouldn't budge.]
[You turned around and realized the Safety Department Dean had vanished from the sofa. She was standing right behind you.]
[You tried to scream for help, but she gagged you. You saw her face—cold, terrifying, and masked with a flicker of pure rage. She was furious.]
[She slammed you onto the sofa, cursing you and the Corporation in the same breath. Then came the punishment. She decided you were too arrogant, too ignorant, and utterly unqualified to judge her.]
[Your mind collapsed...]
[Achievement Unlocked: You are still unqualified, truly unqualified!]
[Warning: Mental stimulants warp judgment. Do not become overexcited or indulge in 'human' drug effects. AI strength is far beyond that of any ordinary human.]
[Choose your reward:
1. Fortitude (+1)
2. Prudence (+1)
3. Temperance (+1)
4. Justice (+1)]
X fell into a grim silence. She chose Justice, then quietly allowed Safety Department Dean Netzach to fade back into her Enkephalin high.
It wasn't that she didn't want to fix this addict; it was that she simply couldn't. A Corporation Dean could snap her like a dry twig. If she provoked her further, the next "punishment" would be game over.
This was the first time X had faced a crisis that didn't involve her Secretary. The Safety Department was supposed to be the most secure zone in the building, but Netzach was anything but reassuring.
After a few minutes, Netzach seemed to notice X's pained expression. High on the stimulant, she took a serious tone, attempting to justify her slovenly state.
"You don't get it, do you? Manager... this place, the people in it... none of us want to be here. I mean, fundamentally, no one stays here by choice. Do you understand?"
X nodded, signaling she was listening. The woman with the neon green hair was totally intoxicated; arguing was useless. Her only choice was to play along and let Netzach vent her rot.
Even if it was the truth—that nobody wanted to stay in this hellhole—X couldn't say it out loud. Netzach was a Corporation AI, but X was just a human employee.
An AI could curse the Corporation and survive. If X did it, the "intelligent" machines might decide she was defective.
"Netzach, do you really hate your job that much?"
X asked. The Safety Department Dean had already kicked her boots up on the conference table. The empty Enkephalin syringes lay scattered, green residue staining the surface.
"Yes, I hate it. I want to resign. But I can't, can I? Spending my existence in this pit was never what I signed up for."
—No, you can't resign, but you're more than happy to take it out on me—
X cursed the woman internally. The green-haired Dean was trapped, so she vented her frustration by dragging X down into the dirt with her.
For Manager X, the woman slumped before her was just another volatile threat following Angela. If more people like this appeared, X doubted she could survive a single day in peace. This was her brutal Reality.
Even if it meant swallowing her pride and gritting her teeth, she couldn't afford to lash out. She knew she couldn't win this fight. If she had any real power, X would have already rolled up her sleeves and smacked the woman twice before grabbing her collar to demand answers.
You want to resign? I want to resign too! Where am I supposed to vent my rage? Let any other Manager who wants this hellish job take it!
But she couldn't. So X sat politely on the sofa, sipping water and listening to Safety Department Dean Netzach use her as a human trash can, dumping out a foul stream of Complaints and raw Negative Emotions.
"Even though you don't know me yet, I understand you, Manager. If you ask me, working here without an exit is nauseating. I never wanted the blood of others on my hands..."
"Whoever put me in this seat made a massive Mistake."
As she spoke, Netzach's dark green eyes locked onto X. Facing that emerald stare, X quickly looked away, avoiding the Contact.
For some reason, that gaze felt heavy with Resentment, making her skin crawl. X didn't know how she could have provoked Safety Department Dean Netzach; after all, this was their very first meeting.
"I'm helpless, X. Do you even get it? Even as we speak, someone is dying... No one will remember them. No one will even remember they died in this pit."
"Look at me, Manager, don't turn away... I am the Safety Department Dean, yet nowhere in here is safe. That is what truly frightens me."
X was forced to watch as the pale Safety Department Dean plunged another syringe of Enkephalins into her arm. The green liquid vanished in seconds.
X found it hard to tell if Dean Netzach's mind was still functioning under that Dosage, or if she had completely snapped, merely spewing feverish nonsense.
— If only Angela were here —
Angela had Authority. Only she could make a defiant Department Dean fall in line. X realized she was merely a ghost borrowing Angela's prestige. Without her, the Deans wouldn't show a shred of Obedience.
If Angela were here, the green-haired Dean wouldn't dare to get high so openly.
X actually found herself missing the Secretary. At least Angela maintained a surface-level Courtesy and acted with professional Respect. Usually, she only teased X out of a sense of Mischief; she didn't try to strip away her Composure or call her a fool.
"I will prove what I'm capable of, Netzach. Just give me a chance. I can feel your Prejudice... but I am your Manager. I will be responsible for you and every other Corporation employee."
"If you don't want to answer for their deaths, let me carry that burden. Angela will punish me, not Safety Department Dean Netzach. Every casualty will be the result of my failures."
X wiped the Enkephalins residue from the table and tossed the empty syringe into the bin. She shouldn't encourage this addiction, but... if you weren't pushed to the absolute edge, who would willingly drown themselves in such absurd chemicals?
"Ah... that doesn't sound like you at all, Manager. Honestly, nowhere here is safe. Like you said, maybe we'll just be tortured to death by our own consciences."
"I won't let that happen. I'll do everything to save them... because employees are assets to the Corporation. Losing an asset is regrettable, but it doesn't have to be painful."
X drank the canned tea. The tangerine peel Oolong tasted like tree bark—no different from how the Corporation viewed its people. To the Corporation, an employee was just a component. They looked important, but they were ultimately disposable.
"Hey, did Angela coach you on that line? Never mind... Manager, just don't tell Angela about the Enkephalins. Someone like you wouldn't do that, right?"
"Of course not. But Netzach, Angela probably already knows..."
X glanced at the surveillance cameras. Every single corner of the room was covered.
The Corporation's eyes were everywhere; were they even in the restrooms?
The Manager was supposed to be the one watching. So, since X had left the Observation Room... who was monitoring them now?
The cameras didn't stop just because the Manager clocked out. They didn't stop watching X just because of her title.
Nowhere to hide. Every movement scrutinized.
The discomfort was physical. X felt she needed to change her clothes—everything, inside and out. They felt soiled.
Dirty clothes must be washed; that was just common sense.
Walking down the silent corridor, the faint metallic tang of blood mixed with the cold industrial air created a sense of Oppression and Loneliness.
So, when the silver-black walls finally gave way to a different color, it stood out like a flame in the dark.
The Control Department's theme was light brown—not too bright, but not dim. A neutral tone that made you relax instinctively.
On her screen, X had watched the Control Department, but standing there in person was a different story.
She was the Manager; she didn't have to crawl through corridors that could be crushed by Abnormalities like a common worker. She took the Safe Passage reserved for Lobotomy Corporation's upper management.
In the hallway, a few Staff in black suits were busy cleaning the floors or moving equipment. They looked surprised to see Manager X, but discipline kept them from approaching her.
The workers had never seen her face, but they knew her attire. Only a Manager wore those clothes. It was like how Researchers wore white coats over their black gear.
Ordinary employees never wore white. They had uniforms. The Deans had their own black gear... White was conspicuous. White was special. And when white got stained, the mess was impossible to hide.
White clothes get dirty so easily.
Without needing to knock nervously like a subordinate, X pushed open the door to the Control Department Dean's office.
"Miss Malkuth, could I wait here for a moment? Just for a little while."
X let out a sigh of relief, seeing only Malkuth inside. She was genuinely afraid of running into the Secretary right now. Compared to Angela, she felt much less strained around the Control Department Dean.
"Eh, Manager, you're earlier than I thought! Wait, let me clean this up! You know... the Control Department is so busy, so much work! It's a bit of a mess."
Stacks of Documents were scattered across the desk. Malkuth clearly hadn't finished them; she had just shoved them aside. Some Reports were even tossed onto the sofa, cluttering the space until the entire office looked like total chaos.