The building's 46th Floor was somewhat dim. Though its decor resembled the 44th Floor's, the air smelled damp and moldy. Overhead fluorescent tubes flickered now and then, illuminating the green vines tangled everywhere and casting mottled shadows across the ceiling.
The Mutant Sunflower receptionist "sitting" at the computer rested its arm-like leaves on the keyboard, typing at incredible speed with an unending clatter. Its huge flower head tilted slightly forward, its barbed mouth half-open, as though it were utterly absorbed in its "work."
But one glance at the characters racing across the screen told Su Bai that this was no meaningful document. At best, it was randomly cobbled-together gibberish.
He turned to survey his surroundings, looking past the sunflower receptionist toward the translucent glass wall enclosing the office area.
Rows of desks stood in neat lines. The chairs were occupied not by people but by an assortment of Mutant Plants in all manner of poses. Some were vines straining to twist themselves into vaguely human shapes, while others were single enormous flowers like the receptionist. A few were even more outrageous: plants wound around human skeletons, manipulating their withered bony fingers to hammer wildly at keyboards.
Rather than loving their jobs, these "employees" seemed shackled to their work by some unseen force.
Standing there, Su Bai felt a momentary sense of absurdity. It suddenly struck him that even a brainless Blood Ghost entering this Nightmare Spiral Building would have to obediently settle into a workstation and diligently "work."
"At least they're just... plants." Taking in their surroundings, Wen Ya sighed in relief. "When I went to the 24th Floor before, it was full of terrifying-looking Vicious Ghosts and Malevolent Ghosts."
"Don't underestimate Mutant Plants. They can often be more terrifying than humanoid Strange Creatures," Su Bai quietly warned his companion.