When Shen Yu regained consciousness, he found an unfamiliar ceiling traced with blue patterns above him, while the Little Knight stood obediently at his side.
"Was that just a dream?" Shen Yu sat up, clutching his head. Suddenly, he heard something clatter to the floor.
He picked it up and found that it was the pale Godtuner. Hornet's combat techniques were also etched clearly in his mind.
Shen Yu put away the Godtuner, lifted the Little Knight beside him, and exclaimed excitedly:
"My cheats are finally here!"
The Little Knight tilted his head slightly at that, seemingly unfamiliar with the word "cheats."
First, I'll go get some silk thread from Hornet. Shen Yu set the Little Knight down and said:
"Come on, hit me."
The Little Knight nodded and swung the Dream Nail into Shen Yu's other knee.
Shen Yu turned into light again, while the Godtuner floated silently in the air. At the same time, a message suddenly appeared in his mind.
Self-attunement rate increased: 50% → 80%
Shen Yu suddenly realized that he could now not only move freely, but also form various kinds of matter, such as recreating his original arms.
After some experimentation, Shen Yu looked down at his restored body and said in astonishment, "So I can do this too."
Too bad turning back into light still requires the Little Knight's Dream Nail. I'll probably be able to switch freely once my self-attunement rate reaches 100%.
With that thought, Shen Yu turned back into light, touched the Godtuner's orb again, and instantly slipped inside.
The Little Knight took down the Godtuner with his two round little hands, toddled over to the office chair, and sat down. Before long, he was dozing off.
Suddenly, a ball of light shot out of the Godtuner in the Little Knight's arms, landing on the floor and turning into Shen Yu.
"Fuck. That idiot Godseeker won't let me in unless I bring a new E.G.O." Shen Yu stood up, brushed off the dust, and grumbled.
Then Shen Yu sat down in front of the screen to see whether he could have another employee bring some E.G.O. over.
While he was looking, he suddenly spotted an Abnormality: [Spider Nest].
Wait, Hornet uses spider silk inherited from her mother, Hera. This thing's a spider too.
Hitting E.G.O. with the Dream Nail restores it, so if I hit an Abnormality, could I enter some kind of "world inside a book," like in the Library?
Even if I can't, I can always take a new E.G.O. into Godhome and find Hornet afterward. Godhome's available anytime, but downtime like this at the company is rare.
Shen Yu quickly memorized the company's layout and planned his next steps.
Angela was still outside. Getting out was a problem in itself.
Even if I manage to sneak out, she won't stand outside the door forever. She'll discover it sooner or later. If only I could pluck out a hair and turn it into a double.
Wait, that might actually work!
Shen Yu took off his E.G.O., had the Little Knight turn him into light, and began trying to split himself. After several agonizing minutes, he finally separated a smaller ball of light on his left.
The two balls of light writhed, taking the shapes of two different people. Shen Yu's original body recalled Terry's appearance and began molding his face.
Once Shen Yu finished molding his face, he put on his E.G.O. and looked at his double.
Tsk, this feels weird. They look like two people, but one consciousness controls them both.
To tell us apart, I'll keep calling the double in the office X. Shen Yu picked up the Little Knight and walked toward the office door.
Shen Yu set the Little Knight down beside the door and had him climb the wall with the Mantis Claw, while he opened the door and reported to the Manager's assistant.
When Angela's attention was diverted, the Little Knight darted out of the Manager's office.
After Shen Yu finished reporting to Angela, he went to the restroom and, facing the mirror, reshaped his face into the one he had possessed back on Earth.
"Yeah, my own face is still easier on the eyes." Shen Yu admired the clean-cut face in the mirror, picked up the Little Knight, who had been fiddling with a faucet beside him, and headed into the company.
Since this body had no Cognitive Filter applied to it, he could also see what Lobotomy Corporation truly looked like.
A janitor was washing bloodstains off a wall. Red liquid trickled down, leaving pink streaks on the orange-yellow floor tiles.
A cart full of corpses creaked into the deep darkness, followed by the sound of an elevator starting up. Shen Yu knew those were "snacks" for certain Abnormalities.
The cleaning staff around him paid no attention to the Little Knight in Shen Yu's arms. There were so many strange things in this company that a moving rag doll hardly counted as anything unusual.
"Hey, mister, how long have you worked here?" A level IV employee wearing a Frost and Snow Dress, with an Ice Crystal Spear on his back, yawned as he asked a cleaner collecting corpses. (Image)
"About two years." The middle-aged man chuckled and placed a corpse in the cart.
(Note: Nameless Fetus's story mentioned a coworker who had worked at the company for five years.)
"Um, Mr. Harvey." The middle-aged man looked at the other man's name badge, rubbing the cart as he asked, "Do you know how to leave the company?"
"Are you crazy?" Harvey looked at him in surprise. "You've worked here that long, and you still don't know the rules?"
"I do, but... I haven't seen my child in two years. In a place like the Backstreets..." The middle-aged man's lips quivered as he spoke timidly.
"Sorry." Harvey gave a bitter smile. "I don't know how to get out alive either."
"Well, sorry for the trouble." The middle-aged man forced a smile, lowered his head, and weakly pushed his cart away, disappearing into the dim light.
The Backstreets, huh. Harvey sighed and shook his head. Isn't that where my family lives too?
The Backstreets were full of "Rats" and "Scavengers." One careless moment could leave you reduced to "parts" and minced meat.
Still, he would soon become a level V employee. If he held on a little longer, he could bring his family into L Nest.
Harvey chuckled, remembering the little one who had not yet learned to talk. They must have grown by now...
Suddenly, the elevator beside him creaked, interrupting Harvey's thoughts and making him turn toward it.
The elevator doors opened, and a fellow carrying a "rag doll" stepped out.
Shen Yu studied the employee before him. His name badge read "Harvey," and he was wearing the HE-level E.G.O.: Frost Shard.
"Wait, what are you holding?" Harvey drew the spear from his back, watching the cute little fellow in the other man's arms, which looked like a rag doll.
"Oh, this is an Abnormality extracted just today. Its rating is probably ZAYIN. The Manager asked me to gather some preliminary information. I'm doing Attachment work right now."
Shen Yu made it up on the spot. No one in this world had ever seen a void creature, anyway, so he could spin whatever story he liked.
No matter how carefully they hid, the Little Knight would eventually be caught on surveillance. Rather than struggle to explain then, he might as well invent an identity as a ZAYIN-level Abnormality now.
"Attachment work?"
"Yeah. Touch him if you don't believe me."
Harvey held his spear steady with his right hand and reached out with his left to squeeze the Little Knight's little hand. It felt as soft as cotton. The Little Knight also squeezed Harvey's finger with his small, round hand.
Looks like he really is ZAYIN-level. Pretty cute, too. No, I can't let that fool me. Don't forget that musclebound dog!
Harvey withdrew his hand and warned Shen Yu:
"I've never seen you before, so I'm guessing you're a new hire. As a veteran employee, I should give you a few warnings.
"First, never let your guard down. Abnormalities are extremely dangerous. You have to stay completely alert even around ZAYIN-level ones, especially when the rating hasn't been confirmed yet. Otherwise, you won't even know what killed you."
"Understood." Shen Yu nodded and set the Little Knight down.
The moment the Little Knight touched the floor, a nearby Containment Unit caught his attention, and he went over to examine it closely from below.
"Could you give me a quick rundown of what to watch out for here? Especially anything that isn't in the rulebook. Sorry for the trouble." Shen Yu glanced at the Little Knight, confirmed that everything was fine, and turned back to Harvey.
"There's plenty." Harvey leaned against the wall and sighed.
"First, never believe anything your superiors say about 'promotions,' 'bonuses,' or things like that. If you can turn it down, do it. Don't ask why. Just listen if you don't want to become a little snack.
"And another thing..." Harvey glanced at the surveillance camera, pulled Shen Yu closer, and whispered, "Here at the company, 'rodents' actually means..."
Clang! A sudden noise rang out from the distant tunnel, cutting Harvey off.
The two exchanged a look and immediately ran toward the sound.
After the Little Knight finished examining the Containment Room, he turned around to find Shen Yu nowhere in sight. He tilted his big head and toddled over to the second Containment Unit.
When Shen Yu and Harvey arrived, the cart had been knocked over, spilling flesh and blood across the floor. A humanoid creature was bent over the corpses, cutting them into smaller chunks.
The humanoid wore iron-black metal armor and carried a bright red gas canister on its back. The strip-shaped goggles of its gas mask glowed blood-red. (Image)
Collector of the Night Alley-Scavenger. However, the one before them was not the monster from the Backstreets, but a byproduct of Abnormality extraction modeled after it.
It really is different from the game. Abnormalities that weren't cleared out yesterday stick around. No wonder employees have to stand watch at night.
To be safe, Shen Yu immediately called the Little Knight through their link, then drew the Rusty Revolver at his waist and looked at the middle-aged man nearby.
The middle-aged man lay off to one side. His right arm had been severed, the cut a rotten dark purple. A gash split his abdomen, with a length of intestine spilling out, and hot breath still wheezed from his mouth.
The Scavenger slowly stood and turned toward the two newcomers. Its two blood-red hooks struck together, scattering sparks.
"I'll keep it busy. You provide support." Harvey immediately activated his wristwatch, reported the situation, and gave Shen Yu his orders.
Then he gripped his spear in both hands and drove it forward.
But the Scavenger hopped sideways to dodge the thrust, sweeping its left hook toward Harvey's throat.
With a bang, a dust-like bullet bored into the Scavenger's head and burst inside, leaving a void that would be difficult to heal. The Scavenger faltered for an instant.
Harvey seized that moment to dodge the attack and thrust his spear into its heart.
As the Ice Crystal Spear pierced its body, the frost coating it instantly burrowed inside, then spread, freezing its blood and mind.
Though the Scavenger immediately retaliated, its movements had noticeably slowed, allowing Harvey to dodge easily.
Shen Yu fired several more shots into its head, leaving more voids inside. Suddenly, he spotted another pair of blood-red eyes lighting up in the shadows behind it.
"Watch out!" Shen Yu fired several shots in that direction. A dark figure abruptly sprang out, tracing two bloody arcs toward Harvey.
At the warning, Harvey hastily raised his spear in front of himself, but the blow still knocked his weapon away.
Although the Scavenger's left hook had been blocked, its right hook pierced Harvey's right arm joint. With a forceful twist, it destroyed his right arm.
Harvey groaned in pain, kicked the Scavenger away, and staggered back several steps, shouting at Shen Yu:
"What are you still doing here? Run!"
While he shouted, the other Scavenger had already begun winding up an attack.
Harvey closed his eyes with a bitter smile. It seemed he would never hear the little one call him big brother.
Shen Yu shot the charging Scavenger in the head. In the instant it faltered, he scooped up the Ice Crystal Spear from the floor and predicted the trajectory of its leap.
The moment the Scavenger lunged, Shen Yu gripped the spear in both hands and used Hornet's combat technique: [Aerial Thrust].
Shen Yu pushed off with both legs and leaped into the air, where he actually hovered for a brief moment. Once he had aimed at his target, his body shot forward in a sudden thrust that defied physics.
Shhk! The Ice Crystal Spear pierced the airborne Scavenger's waist. The tremendous impact knocked it off course and sent it crashing to the floor.
Upon landing, Shen Yu used a Backstep to evade the other Scavenger's lunge, then gripped his spear and followed with a Dash, driving it straight into its left eye.
What's going on? Have I panicked and lost my mind? Harvey stared openmouthed at Shen Yu's physics-defying combat techniques. A thought suddenly occurred to him: Could this guy be a humanoid Abnormality?
Shen Yu sidestepped an attack with ease, then slashed open its neck with a backhand sweep of his spear.
Clang! One Scavenger circled around Shen Yu and charged toward Harvey with dragging steps.
Shen Yu gripped the Frost Shard in both hands and used a Dash, piercing straight through its abdomen.
Just as he was about to pull back the spear and follow up with a second attack, a sharp pain struck his heart, as though a blade had pierced it.
Then an intense cold spread from his heart, gradually freezing his blood and thoughts. Shen Yu looked down at his hands and found that the skin of his palms had frozen to the spear.
The Godtuner against his chest vibrated, and a message appeared in his mind:
Resonance initiated. [Snow Queen] attunement rate increased: 0% → 1%
You damned E.G.O. You set me up.
Before you continue