Now, only a few paths lay before him, from beginning to end.
One: leave Lobotomy Corporation and become an ordinary civilian. Although it would not be safe in the City after the infamous "traitor" Angela stole the Light Seed and triggered White Night and Black Day, at least there would be a slim chance of survival.
Two: stop the "Light Tree" project. As long as Lobotomy Corporation still existed, the Branch—at the very least—would not be "buried" by the Head.
However, Arthur knew all too well that the second option was nearly equivalent to declaring himself an enemy of both Ayin and Angela.
Ayin needed the Light Tree to fulfill Carmen's wish.
Angela needed the Light Tree's energy to transform herself into a human.
At this point in time, neither the human nor the AI was likely to yield.
Therefore, comparatively speaking, the easiest plan had always been to leave Lobotomy Corporation.
He was now a Level 3 employee. Translated to the outside world, as long as he possessed slightly better E.G.O equipment and found a decent agency, becoming a Grade 9 Fixer in the City would not be difficult.
But being "dismissed" from Lobotomy Corporation was never easy.
For some unknown reason, none of the 26 Wings of the World in this reality had developed convenient and efficient memory-erasure technology. They generally relied on only one reliable method to ensure employees kept corporate secrets:
Direct elimination.
Especially Malkuth, the Control Department Minister of Lobotomy Corporation Headquarters. Her method of "targeted treatment" for employees who wished to resign was… memorable, to say the least.
In the original game's plot, Lobotomy Corporation existed for a total of ten years. The current point in time was already its ninth year.
Arthur did not know how much energy the "Light Tree" project had accumulated, but he knew one thing for certain—
He did not have much time left.
The reason soon revealed itself.
"Oh~ Hello there! Are you the Training Department employee in charge of the W-0001 Branch?"
A brown-haired girl wearing a black suit and an orange tie appeared on the screen before Arthur, greeting him enthusiastically.
"Nice to meet you for the first time! My name is Hod, and I'm your Minister. Let's get along well, okay?"
Hearing the Minister introduce herself yet again, Arthur instantly realized—
This was already the final stage of Ayin's plan.
Due to the influence of the script written by Ayin, time within Lobotomy Corporation Headquarters had looped once more.
W-0001 Branch
The first truly newly established Branch within W Nest.
The Branch was divided into only four upper-level departments, housing three Z-class Abnormalities, five T-class Abnormalities, and one H-class Anomaly.
Perhaps to protect its Singularity—or for other reasons—the Branch currently had extremely limited personnel and E.G.O equipment. Even basic personnel management required direct interfacing with Lobotomy Corporation Headquarters.
Of course, like all other Branches, W-0001 still had a Supervisor.
Artemis Lentz.
Arthur's blue eyes shifted slightly to the left, landing on Supervisor Lentz, who was engaged in a one-sided discussion with Minister Hod. He then glanced toward the elusive Supervisor who rarely showed himself at all.
In Arthur's opinion, Supervisor Lentz—wearing square-rimmed glasses and a light gray suit—looked less like a manager and more like a businessman.
And that was no illusion.
After all, W Corp was one of Lobotomy Corporation's major clients for energy exports. No matter how noble Ayin's original intentions were, operating a Wing of the World inevitably came down to the most mundane topic of all—
Money.
And making money was nothing to be ashamed of.
Perhaps out of self-awareness, Supervisor Lentz rarely appeared at the Branch in person, leaving most matters entirely to the employees.
Arthur's gaze continued drifting leftward until it landed upon that familiar light-blue figure—
The greatest AI in the City's history.
Angela.
Her eyes were closed, her pale body resembling freshly fallen snow. Some might call her delicate, but the moment she opened her eyes and revealed those golden pupils, any such impression would shatter completely.
She stood silently behind the Ministers like an impossibly loyal attendant. As the only individual the Ministers could fully trust, she was never absent from such meetings.
Is this her real body… or just another AI clone?
Arthur had attended three such meetings already, and the question always lingered. Like the Branch Supervisor, Angela rarely spoke.
"Arthur? Arthur? Are you listening?"
A soft series of calls finally pulled him back to reality.
Hod frowned slightly. "Arthur, even if I have a good temper, being ignored repeatedly will still make me angry, you know!"
She raised a finger, smiling as she issued the warning.
"Sorry," Arthur replied calmly, nodding.
"Alright, then let's continue." Hod cleared her throat.
"Ahem… If a Level 1 alert occurs within the Branch, you must report it to me immediately. I will then notify security personnel to respond—"
So, because the timeline had reset, she had to read the Training Department employee handbook again.
Damn it.
This felt like standing under the blazing sun during military training while listening to a principal's endless speech.
And he had heard it three times already.
Five minutes later, Arthur decided he could not endure it anymore.
"Excuse me, Minister Hod," he interrupted politely. "You've already reviewed my personnel file, correct?"
Hod blinked in surprise. "O–Of course…"
"Then the pleasantries should be over."
Arthur inserted a prepared USB drive into the terminal.
"This contains all recorded data regarding energy collection, incidents, and casualties in the W-0001 Branch Training Department over the past month. Please review it at your convenience."
Hod stared at the rapidly scrolling information, momentarily speechless.
"Eh… then my speech…"
"With all due respect, Minister, most of what you're saying is meaningless to us in practice. If you truly wish to help, we need tangible assistance."
When Hod's processor finished loading the data, she fell completely silent.
Arthur was right.
Everything that needed to be explained was already laid out before her.
The roles of host and guest reversed.
Among the four Ministers, only Hod now seemed like the subordinate—quietly reviewing Arthur's reports and occasionally asking him to clarify details she did not understand.
"Um… Arthur."
Hod pointed nervously at one particular incident report.
"What… what happened here?"
"That occurred fifty-five days ago," Arthur replied evenly. "The Control Department's T-class Anomaly O-04-84, Terrestrial Anglerfish, breached containment. Six employees were killed. It's an old case."
After a few seconds, Hod pointed at another file.
"And this one?"
Arthur continued explaining each incident calmly, one after another.
Gradually, Hod's voice grew quieter.
Finally, Arthur reached the last report.
"This incident occurred three days ago. It is the most recent."
"The Information Department's T-class Anomaly T-06-27, 1.76 MHz, breached containment. Twelve individuals—including four employees—lost their sanity and murdered one another. Eleven fatalities in total."
He paused.
"A large portion of the current recruitment is intended to replenish the Information Department's personnel."
Then he added casually, "Oh, Minister, the Information Department lost additional staff earlier today. You should receive a recruitment and training request soon. Please approve it when it arrives."
Silence.
Hod's eyes were visibly red when she finally spoke.
"This isn't right… In just two months, the Branch has suffered sixty-three deaths."
She raised her head sharply.
"We must immediately strengthen employee safety protocols regarding Abnormalities!"
"All departments—the Safety, Control, Information, and Training Departments—must revise their employee handbooks! We need proactive contingency plans for containment breaches!"
She spoke rapidly, transforming grief into determination.
Arthur could tell—
A new project had already taken shape in her mind.
Before he could interrupt, a familiar blue figure appeared silently behind him.
"Minister Hod," Angela asked gently, "what are you discussing with your new employee?"
Hod startled, then brightened instantly.
"Angela! I just came up with a new project!"
"One that will save many lives!"
Angela's brows furrowed briefly—clearly surprised that Hod had arrived at such a conclusion this early in the cycle—but she quickly composed herself.
"That is wonderful," Angela replied warmly. "I believe the Training Department employees will also appreciate your efforts."
Receiving approval, Hod nodded enthusiastically.
After addressing Hod, Angela turned her attention to Arthur.
"Allow me to introduce myself," she said, smiling.
"My name is Angela—the most advanced AI in this world. Simply put, I serve as the Manager's personal secretary."
Arthur froze.
Why now?
This never happened before.
But he forced a calm smile.
"Hello. My name is—"
"Arthur," Angela interrupted gently. "Level 3 employee, Training Department."
She flawlessly recited his entire record.
"In ninety-six days of service, you have participated in eight Anomaly suppressions, completed seventy-six work assignments, and collected eight hundred and thirty-six energy points."
"Even at Headquarters, such performance would qualify you as an elite."
Elite?
Most Headquarters employees don't survive fifty days.
Arthur swallowed his complaints.
"Thank you… Leader."
Angela's tone softened.
"It is not easy to survive this long. Is there anything you require? I could recommend the allocation of additional E.G.O equipment to your Branch."
Arthur was stunned.
Since when was Angela this benevolent?
After a brief pause, he finally said—
"Actually… there is."
When the meeting concluded, all holographic projections vanished. Personnel dispersed quietly.
Arthur remained seated, stunned.
This was… a good thing.
Probably.
Lobotomy Corporation Headquarters
Training Department – Central Control Room
"I'll submit the project tomorrow!" Hod said happily. "Thank you for approving it!"
"I never denied it," Angela replied. "I merely withheld approval."
She turned to leave.
"Employees are valuable assets. They deserve protection."
Following her, Hod hesitated.
"But I want to help them as much as I can."
Angela stopped and turned her head.
"Then I sincerely hope…"
"That your project truly saves everyone."
This time, that perfect smile carried a deeper meaning.