Seeing this, Shen Yu immediately made X rush forward, take the communicator from Hod, and speak:
"Calm down first. Are you really going to break the rules? You know you'll never find that faraway place without my help."
The other end of the line quieted a little, followed by Little Red Riding Hood's hoarse voice:
"Then when are you going to tell me so I can butcher that thing?"
"Tomorrow. I promise."
After X said that, the pounding on the door finally stopped, and silence returned.
X hung up, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and looked at Hod beside him.
She wore a crisp black women's suit with a brown tie, with an "H" representing the Training Team on her left arm. A stray tuft stuck up from her waist-length brown hair. (Image)
Her delicate face looked rather young. Her downcast blue eyes were like a little animal's, flustered and forlorn.
"Manager, I'm so sorry." Hod looked at the floor, nervously twisting the hem of her jacket in both hands.
"Angela was right. My project can't help those employees at all. I can't truly resolve their psychological problems. I... I only did it to satisfy myself..."
"It's all right. At least you tried. Even if it's hypocrisy, as long as you can save or comfort anyone, it still means something."
Shen Yu made X pat her head and discovered that it didn't feel mechanical. He couldn't help marveling at the Cognitive Filter's remarkable effects.
Then the manager withdrew his hand and asked Hod:
"How did the treatment go earlier?"
But Hod didn't answer immediately. She seemed a little dazed, as though someone had always comforted her this way long ago.
She soon snapped out of it, however, and hurriedly said:
"Sorry, I got distracted. Here's the Audio File from earlier." Hod hurried over to the communicator and pulled up the previous Audio File:
Hod: "Hello, Little Red. I'm Hod, head of the Training Team. The manager said your mental state has been very unstable lately and you've shown some violent tendencies. I'd like to talk to you as a friend. Is that all right?"
?: "Oh." (A disdainful voice)
Hod: "First, we need to find the root of these violent tendencies. Why do you feel violent toward that being?"
?: "Why? Do I need a reason to kill that bastard? Isn't that common sense? I was only fifteen when sharpening my axe in the garden every day became a habit instead of picking little flowers."
Hod: "I'm sorry. It sounds like your childhood was far from ideal. Perhaps we could start with some ways to relieve stress. Let's try clearing our minds and relaxing through meditation."
?: "..."
Hod: "How do you feel now?"
?: "It worked wonders. I successfully came up with hundreds of new ways to kill." (Excited words)
Hod: "Uh, no, no. We could try a gentler approach."
?: "Gentler? You mean slowly slicing open the prey's throat and gouging out its heart bit by bit? Prolonging its death?"
Hod: "Well... let's try something else. Please put yourself in someone else's shoes and try to understand their thoughts."
?: "You mean think from the prey's perspective and fully understand its fear. Only then can I torture it slowly and carefully. Make the fear last even longer!
"I'm sorry. You're truly a genius hunter. Please forgive my earlier rudeness. Wonderful. I'm beginning to understand everything. Thank you for your guidance. I'll go put it into practice right now."
Bang! (Violent pounding on the door)
After listening to the entire recording, X pulled over a chair, sat down, and covered his face with both hands, sinking into silence.
Seeing this, Hod instinctively lowered her head and fiddled with her fingers. After thinking for a moment, she said softly:
"Manager, you've assigned work far too frequently today. The Qliphoth Meltdown Meter is already approaching level six. This will put a heavy burden on the employees."
"Sorry. I'll make sure to avoid that next time." Shen Yu made X give her an apologetic smile.
Right, this isn't a game anymore. It's reality. The employees don't have unlimited stamina like they do in the game. You can't just hit them a few times with a White damage weapon after a mental breakdown and have them bounce right back.
While Shen Yu was thinking, Hod suddenly received a notification. After listening for a moment, she turned to report to the manager:
"Manager, the head of the Intelligence Department says the head of the Control Department is emotionally unstable. I'll excuse myself."
The Control Department? Shen Yu suddenly thought of the Amber Trial he had encountered earlier. Could today be when the prerequisites for Core Suppression are met?
"I'll come with you."
When the manager followed Hod into the office, two people were already standing inside.
In the middle stood the department head, Malkuth, as rendered by the Cognitive Filter: a black suit, a red bow tie and matching hair clip, an "M" armband, and short, shoulder-length hair.
The man on the right wore a crisp suit and purple tie, with neatly kept short purple hair and an Intelligence Department armband bearing the letter "Y" on his right arm.
Strangely, though, he also wore a turtleneck sweater beneath his white shirt and black gloves on both hands. Every inch of skin except his face was tightly covered. (Image)
Once the manager and Hod arrived, he nodded in acknowledgment, then turned to Malkuth:
"Malkuth, I'll be frank. Your department's employees alone can't successfully suppress a Trial.
"Trust me. I'm the head of the Intelligence Department. I've seen far too many employees suffer mental breakdowns from suppressing large numbers of Abnormalities."
"But Yesod, we also have to consider containment breaches. What you're doing will undoubtedly affect our response to meltdowns." Malkuth stopped writing and answered casually.
"Malkuth..." Hod reminded her, "Angela said that a single employee who goes insane could get more than a dozen colleagues killed..."
"But I'm the head of the Control Department." Malkuth gave a soft laugh and turned to Hod beside her. "I might make mistakes in other areas, but here, I'm more qualified than anyone.
"Of course I know how to handle employees on the verge of going insane. I've even drawn up specific Action Guidelines for it. If you need them, I'd be happy to give you a copy too."
At this point, Malkuth suddenly grew excited. She stepped forward and offered Hod the notebook in her hand.
"N-no, that's not necessary." After a quick glance, Hod instinctively took a step back and looked at her worriedly.
"Those Action Guidelines are far too... for the employees..."
"The Control Department doesn't need weak employees," Malkuth immediately interrupted, though the smile remained on her lips.
"Weakness means elimination. My employees must be outstanding."
"Malkuth," Shen Yu made X say, "I think there are serious problems with your policies. Take Ron from the Security Department earlier, for example..."
"Manager, that's because the Security Department doesn't have proper policies. I'll prove it to you. Through the guidelines, I got the employees to exceed your quota."
Malkuth flipped through her memo book and continued:
"What's more, the new employee, Shen Yu, broke the rules. He actually brought an important sample into a Containment Room. I suggest handing him over to me to deal with, then assigning someone else to investigate that little monster."
Shen Yu was struck speechless. Why does everyone want to get rid of me?
Just as he was about to make X argue back, he suddenly heard loud digging noises. Something seemed to be writhing in the shadows of the corner.
"Fuck, why am I so unlucky?" Vic tossed a Scavenger's corpse into the cart, then took down his mop and wiped the blood from the purple wall.
Just then, he spotted a level-two employee wearing brown E.G.O. with purple armor. Curious, he asked:
"Quincy, what are you doing hanging around the Intelligence Department at noon?"
Quincy, who was wearing the Delicious Soda E.G.O., turned and pointed at the Containment Room ahead.
"Do you know what's inside?"
"A soda machine. Why?"
"No, no, no. This isn't a soda machine. It's our hope of escape." Quincy wagged his finger and slowly explained:
"I've looked into it. As long as you drink the soda produced by a bad work result, you can trigger this Abnormality's special mechanism. It'll teleport the employee who drank the soda onto a Sailing Ship."
"Wait, going in now will trigger a meltdown." Vic hurried to stop him, reaching for the crossbow-shaped E.G.O. weapon on his back with his right hand.
"Like I give a damn about you lot! I've had enough of that damn tin can's Action Guidelines! Goodbye, you fucking company!"
Quincy flipped him the universally recognized finger, then darted into the Containment Room, dodging a crossbow bolt that shot toward him.
Then a shrill alarm sounded:
"Warning. Qliphoth energy meltdown. Trial activated. Maximum threat level: WAW."
Before you continue