Lunchtime

"Querying information on the Monsterform Office and employee S1111 (Shen Yu)... Query complete. Records confirm that both the employee and the information are authentic."

"Authentic? That contradicts the results of my previous query," Angela said with a frown. As one of the world's most advanced AIs, she could not possibly have remembered incorrectly. That employee number had never existed in the company before.

"Please provide the archival date and detailed records for this employee."

"Sorry, your clearance is insufficient to access this classified information."

Insufficient clearance? Angela paused. Without memory synchronization, Manager X's clearance would not exceed hers.

Then this restriction was most likely a block imposed by those "fragments."

"Please confirm the current operational status of the 'script.'"

"The 'script' is operating normally. No anomalies detected."

Angela inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Since the "script" was operating normally, this mysterious employee and the manager's drastic change in temperament were most likely arrangements made by that person.

But this change had never occurred in any previous loop. Why had it appeared now? Had some condition been met?

Control Department

A group of clerks gathered together, talking in hushed voices.

"Hey, do you remember that bright light from One Sin's containment room this morning?"

"I do." A brown-haired clerk nodded and swallowed.

"I heard the worse someone's sins are, the brighter the light gets. Don't tell me..." He instinctively hugged his arms, his voice trembling a little.

"That doesn't add up. I just saw that Skull's containment unit only showed an output of 1 PE-BOX," a passing clerk said, pausing his writing to chime in.

The brown-haired clerk sucked in a breath and edged closer to the wall. "Could his sins be so terrible that even One Sin and Hundred Good Deeds couldn't swallow them?"

"Probably. Look, he's only level one, but after going into [Data Deleted]'s containment room, he came out like nothing had happened."

"You know, even the previous level-five employee was practically insane when he came out. And this guy's always carrying an Abnormality, too."

"Shh!" The brown-haired clerk hurriedly raised a finger to his lips. "What if he hears us?"

"What are you scared of?" The clerk who had been passing by twirled his pen and patted the other's shoulder. "They called him in for an examination. He probably won't be coming back."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course." The clerk turned toward the voice, and his pen clattered to the floor. Everyone else abruptly jumped back a step.

The newcomer wore formal robes formed from frost and snow, with an Ice Crystal Spear strapped to his back. Gloves covered in bloodshot eyes encased his hands, and he was carrying a Rag Doll.

"See? Here I am. So, what are you talking about? Let me join in," Shen Yu asked with a smile.

The brown-haired clerk swallowed and raised his head slightly, only to look straight into Little Knight's eyes, which reached into the Abyss. His heart jolted, and he stumbled back several steps, stammering:

"Um... well, I still have some documents to deliver, so I'll be going." With that, he bolted out of the Rest Room. The other clerks left under similar pretexts.

Shen Yu couldn't help feeling a little awkward. Uh, isn't this a bit much? All I did was come back alive from Data Deleted's containment room and complete an unprecedented Repression assignment. Do you really have to react like that?

"Yo, you're still alive."

Shen Yu had just sat down when he saw Wu Ke approaching with a wave. Wu Ke then sat beside him, clasping his hands and rubbing them together.

"Something wrong?" Shen Yu asked, noticing his tightly furrowed brow.

"Ahem." Wu Ke coughed softly a few times. After checking that no one was nearby, he lowered his voice and addressed Shen Yu:

"You're on pretty good terms with the higher-ups, right?"

"What makes you think that?"

"Come on. You pulled off Repression work on [Data Deleted]. If you didn't know someone upstairs, they'd have sliced you up or dug your brain out already."

"So, what did you do?" Shen Yu asked, looking at him with a chuckle.

"Just a tiny little thing." Wu Ke held two fingers a hair's breadth apart.

"What?"

"I pried the lock off the shelter, and now I can't put it back."

How did you even pry that thing off, you City Newbie prodigy? Shen Yu was instantly dumbfounded, then added:

"Uh... fine, I'll help you... ahem, I'll ask someone to sort it out for you."

"I knew I had you figured right." Wu Ke patted Shen Yu on the shoulder, glanced at the time, and said cheerfully:

"Since you only started today, you probably don't know your way around. I'll take you to the cafeteria in a bit."

When the chime announcing the break sounded, everyone except the employees assigned to remain on observation duty began leaving the Rest Room.

Just as Shen Yu and Wu Ke were about to get up and leave, a bald level-four employee stopped them.

"You're the new employee. You stay behind and cover the shift."

"Well, Vic," Wu Ke interjected:

"Shen Yu's new. There's a lot he's unfamiliar with. Why not let him take a later shift?"

"If he's unfamiliar with things, he needs more practice." Vic gave a soft snort, watching Shen Yu's expression out of the corner of his eye.

"All right, then. I'll stay and learn a bit more," Shen Yu said evenly.

Vic's tense body relaxed at that. Relief washed over him, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously lifted.

When I saw he could work on Data Deleted, I thought he'd be a ruthless bastard. Turns out he's a pushover.

But that makes sense. In this company, no matter how capable you are, breaking the rules just gets you disposed of.

The thought pleased Vic. Clasping his hands behind his back, he began instructing Shen Yu:

"Ahem. But just staying behind isn't enough. Clean the entire Rest Room first. No food until it's spotless. You hear me?"

With that, Vic walked out into the corridor, his hands still clasped behind his back.

"That guy's only a few levels higher than us, and he's already ordering us around. Whatever, I'll give you a hand," Wu Ke grumbled, turning toward the workroom.

"No need," Shen Yu called, stopping him as he leaned back against the sofa.

"No need?" Wu Ke stopped. After a moment's thought, he reminded Shen Yu:

"I know you've got some connections upstairs, but surely they can't intervene over something this minor?"

"They can." Shen Yu stroked Little Knight's head and chuckled.

After all, I'm the manager.

Just as Vic was about to head to the cafeteria, his employee wristwatch suddenly chimed. He raised it with a trembling hand and saw orders issued personally by the manager:

"1. Clean the entire company. No food until the task is complete. 2. Complete this task independently. Do not accept assistance from anyone else."

Vic shuddered upon reading the orders. With no time to think them over, he rushed into the Rest Room and immediately shouted:

"Everyone stop! Let me clean!"

Wu Ke looked utterly baffled. Shen Yu, meanwhile, pointed toward the workroom and smiled. "Since you want to clean, senior, we'll get going."

With that, he left the Rest Room with Little Knight.

"Hey, tell me," Wu Ke said once they entered the corridor, nudging Shen Yu and leaning closer. "Who's backing you?"

"The only one backing me is myself."

"Tch. Fine, keep your secrets." Wu Ke pulled away and stepped into the elevator ahead.

With a creak, the elevator doors opened, revealing the buffet cafeteria before them.

The Chinese food section had been deliberately styled like a night-market food stall, with red lanterns decorating the walls and lively Chinese-style music playing in the background.

At the stir-fry counter, a chef wielded a long-handled ladle, his spatula flying as he cooked crisp shrimp that melted in the mouth. Red chilies tumbled in the wok, giving off a tantalizing aroma.

Elsewhere, a chef transferred freshly cooked shumai into steamer baskets, their fillings rich and juicy. There were also adorably shaped pork soup dumplings and shrimp dumplings with translucent wrappers, all enough to make anyone's mouth water.

A chef ladled out steaming mushroom and pork-bone soup, accompanied by freshly cooked white rice, glossy eggs, sliced pork with shiitake mushrooms, and other toppings.

The Western food section featured black-and-white marble flooring, creating an elegant European atmosphere. Silver cutlery and eye-catching red wines were arranged throughout.

At the carving station, a chef turned exquisite steaks on a roasting tray, sending their aroma wafting through the air. There was golden roast chicken too, its skin crisp and its meat juicy. Each serving of steak or roast chicken could be seasoned with black pepper or marinated with herbs according to preference.

The cheese section displayed an assortment of cheeses, including fragrant Parmesan and richly flavored blue cheese, paired with refreshing grapes and appetizing olives.

Chunks of fragrant cheese floated in thick French onion soup, perfectly complementing the crisp Caesar salad. There was also richly textured pasta and a selection of pizzas in various flavors.

However, all of that was in the Senior Employee Area next door.

Meanwhile, Wu Ke's voice came from beside him.

"Why does this potato stew in plain water only have half a rotten cabbage leaf? Yesterday it had a whole one."