When Shen Yu's consciousness entered the body in the office, the Manager's eyelids fluttered a few times before slowly opening. Still groggy, he looked up to find his assistant Angela watching him with a smile.
She leaned against the desk in a fitted black suit, with a bright red tie underneath and a pristine white lab coat over it, accentuating her tall, alluring figure. Her waist-length blue hair fell naturally around her.
But most striking were her hawklike golden eyes and the meaningful smile at the corners of her mouth.
Shen Yu felt a chill shoot up his spine and nearly blurted out, "Holy shit!" He instinctively recoiled, but quickly recovered, straightened in his seat, and put on a calm expression.
"Manager, did you sleep well?" Angela asked with a smile, her voice professional and composed.
"Ah... I slept pretty well." Shen Yu suppressed his wariness and answered with a smile.
"Did you have any pleasant dreams?" Angela pressed, her golden eyes fixed on Shen Yu as though she meant to see straight through him.
"No, just an ordinary dream." Shen Yu averted his gaze toward the screen. "Let's get started with work first."
Shen Yu brought up the TT2 Protocol and briefly reviewed the relevant information.
T Corporation's Singularity manipulated time, but its limited range and terrifying energy consumption, coupled with the former L Corporation's exorbitant energy prices, had initially restricted it to a handful of absurd applications.
For instance, freezing death-row prisoners at the moment of death, freezing terminally ill patients at their happiest moment, and shortening the time needed to cook a stew.
Later, the emergence of Lobotomy Corporation-the current L Corporation-had provided the world with enormous quantities of cheap, clean energy: brain coffee peptide.
With funding from its sponsor, Lobotomy Corporation, T Corporation had launched its flagship product, the TT2 Protocol, making large-scale time manipulation a reality.
Shen Yu also learned how time worked within this company.
First, because of TT2, the numbered days displayed in the game actually referred to time cycles. Overtime and various other factors made each cycle considerably longer than twenty-four hours.
Although employees were Lobotomy Corporation's most common expendable resource, their schedules still had to follow biological rhythms to ensure they could work normally.
During the nightly rest period, the company entered sleep mode, concentrating its main energy supply on the Abnormality Suppressors and assigning employees to night watch.
In short, Lobotomy Corporation still followed a twenty-four-hour daily schedule like other companies. The days displayed in the game were closer to short-term projects.
Unfortunately, the previous Day 20 cycle had already passed. After selecting the golden duo of Little Red Riding Hood and Big Bad Wolf, the previous Manager had overwritten the memory repository outright.
"Let's start the next day." Shen Yu interrupted Angela, clicked the icon, and entered the Day 21 cycle.
As the command went through, lights came on one after another in the Rest Rooms and corridors, illuminating the entire company as brightly as daylight.
Shen Yu then examined the employee assignment interface on the screen for a while before speaking to Angela.
"Angela, sorry for the trouble, but please call the head of the Security Department here. I have something to discuss with him."
"Understood." Angela walked over to the other side, then turned back a moment later and told Shen Yu:
"Done. However, given Netzach's temperament, you may have to wait a while, Manager."
"You wanted me?" Just as Shen Yu was familiarizing himself with Lobotomy Corporation's control panel, a male voice suddenly sounded in front of him.
"Yes." Shen Yu looked up at him.
He had waist-length green hair, though it now looked somewhat yellowed and coarse. His face had lost its former luster, retaining its handsome contours but appearing lifeless and utterly bloodless, like a porcelain doll's mask. (Image)
His body looked extremely frail. His finely tailored suit now hung loosely on him, exposing fingers and a neck like withered wood.
Yet his eyes were unusually bright, shining with something close to madness. His movements carried an agitation and excitement at odds with his appearance, along with a faint air of self-abandonment.
"Yes." Shen Yu nodded and turned to the side. "Angela, go to the Control Department and discuss today's detailed arrangements. I'd like to speak with Netzach alone."
"Understood." Angela nodded, turned, and left the office, closing the door behind her.
As the door shut, Netzach pulled over a chair and sat down, then dropped his head onto the desk with a smack and said wearily:
"Whatever you want to say, make it quick. My head's killing me, and I want to lie down for a bit."
"Netzach, Enkephalin abuse in your department is severe. And you just used some yourself, didn't you?" Shen Yu said, studying him.
"Hah, that's what you wanted to talk about?" Netzach pressed both hands against the desk and leaned back in his chair, looking at the Manager in front of him.
"I've already told you before. Every employee in the company receives a small dose of Enkephalin.
"A lot of people died yesterday, and plenty of them were friends of the survivors. Without that Enkephalin, you'd be receiving a batch of suicide reports today too."
Netzach gave a quiet laugh. "Honestly, my department has the lowest employee suicide rate."
Shen Yu pressed his brow, inwardly griping, I know that too, but could you at least consider those nightmare containment subjects in your department?
He let out a long breath and continued:
"But the Abnormalities in your department are too dangerous. Enkephalin use has to be controlled. Do you have any requests? I can try to meet them."
"Requests?" Netzach frowned.
"You can't even get us a beer vending machine. Why are you so hung up on this? Wouldn't you rather listen to people kiss your ass?"
"No, no." Shen Yu wagged a finger. "I can write up a request right now. Besides, I'm not asking you to cut it off entirely, just control the dosage. Or we could make a bet."
"What?"
"From now on, I'll guarantee that your Security Department won't record a single death, while you'll control the department's Enkephalin use. If I lose, I'll approve a large Enkephalin allowance for your department."
Netzach sat up straight and studied Shen Yu in bewilderment. "Did you get high today too?"
Shen Yu: "..."
"Fine." Netzach stood, holding his head. "The higher-ups are cracking down harder anyway. I'm heading back."
"One more thing. Remember to submit the Joint Exercise report to Central Headquarters today."
Shen Yu called the reminder after Netzach. Once he had left, Shen Yu hurriedly summoned Terry, who was sleeping in the Rest Room, and told him to leave before Angela returned.
Next, Shen Yu brought up the employee records and added a string of employee codes. After assigning the new employee to the Control Department, he equipped them with a set of HE-class E.G.O. armor. He also changed Terry's E.G.O. equipment while he was at it.
After using LOB Points to train babysitters for those nightmarish Abnormalities, he began the day's work.
He would have Terry perform some Instinct work on Spider Bud first and see whether its energy output had changed.
It'll be fine. My Prudence is level II. I just need to be careful not to look at Mother Spider or touch the webs.
Clad in the Lure Lantern E.G.O., Terry muttered to himself as he approached Spider Bud's Containment Unit.
Countless little spiders scuttled across the floor, occasionally stopping to look at him with red eyes.
Terry swallowed, took a chunk of unidentified meat from his waist, and tossed it to the spiders.
All the little spiders immediately swarmed over it and began devouring the meat.
At the sight, Terry couldn't help swallowing again. If they caught me...
The terrifying thought made him shudder. He instinctively took a few steps back and happened to step on a little spider.
Its strange cry sent panic through him. He lost his balance and fell to the floor, looking straight into Mother Spider's red eyes.
Watching Mother Spider descend toward the trembling Terry on the screen, X said in bewilderment:
"Wait, wasn't the Terry I just sent in at Prudence level II? Why is he panicking? Is this a bug?"
Whatever, save him first. Upon receiving the news from his Doppelganger's perspective, Shen Yu wasted no time and used Thrust to dash out of the Rest Room.
Before you continue