AM 11:53, Lobotomy Corporation Control Department corridor elevator.
Just as Angela said, the mission directive had been issued at 10 o'clock.
It didn't explicitly state how many days they would be out—only that Artemis Lentz would be sent to further discuss cooperation with W Company.
It was unclear whether this involved minor conflicts over energy sales or something else entirely.
Arthur wasn't privy to such matters. Now, he was just sitting on a bench by the elevator entrance, doing a final check of the bottles and cans in his backpack.
…7 grenades, 5 weak healing potions, 2 iron skin potions, 2 invisibility potions, 2 gravity potions…
Even though Angela said this mission could be treated as a business trip or vacation,
In this dreadful City, whether useful or not, he decided to bring a bit of everything.
If an unavoidable conflict occurred, it wouldn't hurt to apply some buffs before battle.
"Senior? What's in your backpack?"
Hmm… He wasn't the only one assigned as a guard.
Hearing the movement beside him, Arthur slowly raised his head.
There were two others—Komini and Yulia.
Komini was one he had specifically requested.
Not only because he needed a guide who was relatively familiar with the Nest,
But also because, if he left her here, he was afraid this child would find a guide on her own, go down to Terra, and die there.
He didn't want to be mining one day and suddenly dig up a tombstone that read 'Komini invented gravity'.
"Arthur, you also received a mission from Supervisor Lentz?"
The other elite from the Control Department was different from the child beside him. Yulia merely carried Frost Splinter, not caring what was in his backpack, and simply asked.
"Do you know what exactly this trip is for?"
"Not sure," Arthur replied, zipping up his backpack and standing up. "Just business, I guess. W Company's operations especially require large amounts of energy, so it's not impossible for them to expand their energy imports from L Company."
"..."
When she heard the name W Company, Yulia's expression clearly soured. Her mission brief hadn't said she would be working for W Company.
Arthur noticed her unusual reaction. "You don't like W Company?"
"More or less. Although I used to live in W Nest…"
As she spoke, Yulia suddenly frowned, as if recalling something unpleasant, and waved her hand, clearly wanting to end the topic.
Arthur was perceptive enough not to press further.
Just a few minutes later, as the minute hand of the watch precisely reached 12:00, the elevator doors beside them opened on time.
"Hello, everyone."
Supervisor Lentz—wearing square-rimmed glasses and a light gray suit—stood in the elevator, smiling gently.
This time, he at least wore a white lab coat, seemingly wanting to appear more like a Lobotomy Corporation Supervisor.
"It seems you employees are here to protect my safety, correct?"
"Yes, Supervisor Lentz."
Arthur nodded, his expression unchanged.
The other two silently walked into the elevator that led to the surface.
After all, the entire W-0001 Branch neither held strong positive nor negative feelings toward this hands-off Supervisor.
Supervisor Lentz smiled, showing no displeasure, and simply pushed up his square-rimmed glasses with a finger.
"Heh heh… Then I'll leave it to you all…"
The elevator was as smooth as ever, and it was as quiet as ever inside.
Only this time, it was going to the surface.
Watching the floor numbers on the display grow larger and larger, Arthur's heartbeat gradually quickened.
From the first day he arrived at Lobotomy Corporation, he had never seen true sunlight again.
... −1 → 1.
This was the final floor change.
With a ding.
Cold air surged in the moment the elevator doors opened.
Clean. Neat. Simple.
This was the lobby of Lobotomy Corporation's W-0001 Branch.
Whether they wanted to admit it or not, these employees who worked underground couldn't help but feel joy when they realized they were returning to the surface once again.
"Follow me…"
Supervisor Lentz was the first to step out of the elevator. Compared to his employees, this high-ranking Supervisor was far more familiar with the outside world.
He led Arthur and the others through the lobby, and everyone who saw him greeted him.
It was only when they reached the main door that Arthur suddenly stopped.
The company's main door was made of some unknown material, but from here, the scene outside was still clearly visible.
The weather in W Nest was excellent.
Directly opposite the Lobotomy Corporation branch entrance, not far away, was a large street bathed in sunlight, with bustling crowds moving along it.
The residents of the Nest seemed very happy—at least on the surface.
Parents shopped with their children.
Employees from unknown companies hurried to work with briefcases in hand.
Students discussed upcoming exams with their friends.
Is this… W Nest?
If one only saw this scene, no one would believe this was a chaotic and insane world.
This peaceful everyday scene stood in stark contrast to Lobotomy Corporation's dark, sunless working environment.
Making Arthur feel an overwhelming sense of—
Unreality.
…
It's too unreal.
Everyone in this world lives in hell… so how can they look so happy…
"Senior?"
Komini noticed Arthur's daze and was about to call out to him.
"Leave him be. He's just been underground too long…"
Yulia was much calmer. Although she had also been down there for a long time, as someone who had grown up in W Nest, she wasn't particularly shocked.
She stopped Komini's attempt, and Supervisor Lentz—being understanding—didn't urge him on.
"Let him rest in this shock for a while," the Supervisor said softly. "He won't find this feeling again later…"
Yes.
Arthur had been underground for too long.
One hundred days.
Two thousand four hundred hours.
Far too much for a normal person from Earth.
It wasn't until a full minute later that Arthur finally sighed.
Eyes half-closed, he understood what felt so wrong.
It was this unreality that made him realize—
Within this Nest, people wore countless expressions.
Yet beneath them all, one thing remained unchanged.
That bone-deep weariness.