After arranging the first batch of work for the day, X finally had a bit of breathing room to investigate the accident that had occurred yesterday.
After a thorough search and cross-check, he eventually found the source of the problem.
"…So the so-called 'old bones murder incident' was just a false alarm?"
Leaning back in his office chair, X let out a long breath, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"The accessory obtained from repression work on Cracked Armor can significantly boost an employee's Justice-related attributes, but the trade-off is a reduction in their maximum health…"
"And any employee wearing this E.G.O accessory can no longer perform communication work. If they do, the accessory will directly decapitate them…"
"The Justice bonus is nice, but completely blocking communication is a bit too much…"
Cracked Armor had been contained on Day 16, and only a handful of employees had ever worked with it.
As a result, there were only three employees in the entire facility who possessed this accessory.
"Unlike E.G.O weapons and suits, E.G.O accessories can't be taken off at will… They can only be replaced by another accessory occupying the same slot."
Watching an employee perform insight work on One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds, X thought to himself.
"The data says this accessory occupies the head slot… In that case, it can be replaced with the Crown of Thorns from One Sin…"
"I've been focusing so much on the high-risk Abnormalities these past few days… Cracked Armor…? I think after getting its E.G.O weapon, I more or less ignored it…"
"Sigh… a needless scare. Even TETH-level Abnormalities need to be handled carefully…"
"I really need to keep the details of every Abnormality in my head from now on."
However, just as X was thinking about his next steps, Malkuth's voice suddenly came through the communicator:
"Justin is dead! But you, as the Manager, must still fulfill your duties!"
"…Who?"
Hearing the familiar name, X initially thought he had misheard.
"Malkuth—who did you say was lost?!"
"You heard correctly, Manager."
Malkuth's voice came again, tinged with regret.
"Our Control Department's elite, level-five employee Justin, has died in the containment unit of O-06-20."
"However, there's no need to worry. The sacrifice of a single employee is not important. Today's work can still proceed."
"We may mourn the loss of an elite employee, but you must continue your work, Manager."
"..."
Ignoring Malkuth's words, X rapidly began operating the control panel in front of him.
He refused to believe that one of his precious elites had simply died like that.
Justin was one of the very few level-five employees in the company—someone who could suppress a Crimson Noon single-handedly.
Even when facing the WAW-level Judgement Bird, she could communicate calmly without issue.
And yet—
When the surveillance feed finished switching, and the scene inside appeared on the screen, X 's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
—
The monitor now displayed the containment unit of O-06-20.
The grotesque, flesh-formed canine monstrosity was gone.
In its place were vast swathes of blood splattered across the walls and floor, as if a balloon filled with red paint had exploded violently inside the room.
The unattended E.G.O weapon "Magic Bullet" lay discarded nearby. The grip was gone, leaving only the long, slender barrel—
And at the end of that barrel were horrifying bite marks.
Then, standing at the very center of the blood-splatter's origin point, was a person.
It was Justin.
And yet, it wasn't.
"It" stood silently within the containment unit, precisely where O-06-20 should have been.
It was dressed in a neat suit and overcoat—clothing that employees only changed into after finishing their work.
Putting aside why it wasn't moving at all, no matter how composed an elite employee might be, they would never stand unprotected inside a containment unit like this.
That was why it could be said—
It was Justin, but it also wasn't.
Or rather, the skin it wore belonged to Justin.
"It killed my employee… and then just stayed there? No escape attempt?"
There was no emergency alarm blaring in his ears.
That was when X realized something even more unsettling.
"…Don't tell me it can still be managed like this?"
He stared at O-06-20, now wearing Justin's face, and muttered under his breath.
That face was indistinguishable from the original—down to the beauty mark at the corner of the eye.
And yet, X knew with absolute certainty—
This was not her.
This was not his employee.
Still, doing nothing accomplished nothing.
So he issued the next work order.
"Employee Audrey, please proceed to Training Department Containment Unit No. 3 to perform communication work on Abnormality O-06-20."
Since you've put on a new skin, then let me see how well you can imitate her.
That was X 's thought.
Crack—
A horrifying sound came through the monitor—like bones being forcibly twisted apart, or flesh being torn open.
And then—
"MANAGER!!!!!!!!!!"
A shriek of pure terror rang out, utterly miserable and heart-wrenching.
X 's entire body jolted as he snapped his head toward the screen.
"Wh—"
He realized that the scream had come from O-06-20.
More than that, as it screamed, it turned its head toward the camera.
The surveillance cameras inside containment units were concealed and shielded specifically to prevent Abnormalities from damaging them.
Even employees who knew their locations had trouble spotting them with the naked eye—let alone Abnormalities with no understanding of modern technology.
And yet O-06-20 found it with a simple turn of its head.
Perfectly. Precisely.
X even had the eerie feeling—
That O-06-20 was looking straight at him through the screen.
At the moment their gazes met across the cold monitor, it spoke.
The mouth that belonged to Justin twisted into an unnatural grin.
"I… love you…"
Its very first words—
Were a confession in English.
"I love you…"
A second time.
"I love you!"
A third.
Then a fourth, a fifth, a sixth…
The declaration grew louder and more frantic, as if it wanted to pour every ounce of its affection straight into X 's ears.
"I~ love~ you~"
By the final repetition, its "confession" carried a cloying, skin-crawling intimacy—
Like that of someone deeply, obsessively in love.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read 60 chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/BlackDevil808