——What should I do——
—— How to escape from this place ——
X reluctantly used her hands to support the wall, stabilized her body, and stood up bit by bit.
The metal wall was cold, the light was also dim... But when she raised her head and carefully glanced around, she could see countless cameras.
Corporation cameras seem to cover every corner, maybe even the bathrooms.
The manager will look at the monitor since X has left the monitoring room... Now who is in the monitoring room monitoring everything?
The camera will not stop operating because the Manager finishes working, it will also monitor her.
There's nowhere to hide, everyone is being watched...
The discomfort in her body was very obvious. X felt like she should change her clothes later, whether it was the inside clothes or the outside clothes, they all needed to be changed, because..... It's all dirty.
Dirty clothes need to be changed and washed, this is normal.
Walking down this extremely quiet corridor, the combination of the faint scent of blood and the cold metal industrial-style environment was oppressive, making people feel lonely and empty.
So when the pure black and silver metal wall appeared with a different tone, it stood out like fireflies in the dark.
Control Department's main tone is light brown, not dazzling, but not gloomy either. The neutral tone will make people feel comfortable, and they will become relaxed without control.
On the screen, X looked at the appearance of the Control Department, but when she went to see the Control Department herself, it was undoubtedly a different appearance.
She is a Manager, she doesn't have to be like an employee to walk down the hallway that could be attacked by Abnormalities at any time, but she can take the safe path reserved for the Manager.
In the hallway, there were a few office workers dressed in black suits sweeping the floor or transporting things. When they saw Manager X, they were undoubtedly extremely surprised. However, it may be an obstacle to the Corporation's discipline. Even if they are curious, they will not come close to bothering Manager X.
The employee has never seen X but can realize that X is the Manager, mainly because only the Manager can wear that outfit. Similar to the research staff, they wear white coats on the outside, but on the inside, they wear black clothes.
Corporation employees don't wear white clothes. They have uniforms, and Dean also wears a black uniform. White is outstanding, white is special, and when exposed to other colors, it appears extremely outstanding.
There was no need to knock on the office door like an employee, worried and anxious, but carefully waiting for something, X directly opened the door of the Control Department Dean's office.
"Miss Malkuth, can I wait here for a while? Just a while."
When X saw that only Dean Malkuth was in the office, she clearly sighed. She was now really a bit afraid of looking at the Secretary. Compared to Angela, X feels that when she is together with Control Department Dean, she will not feel bound.
"Ah, Manager, you came faster than I thought, wait, I'll clean it up immediately! You know... the Control Department has a lot of work to do and is busy with a lot of things, so there's a bit of chaos."
On the table were stacks and stacks of documents spread out on display. Malkuth was very clear that she hadn't finished processing these things and conveniently put them aside. There's also the Department's report thrown onto the sofa, taking up space, and making it feel unbearably messy.
Frantically, the Control Department Dean quickly picked up the documents on the ground, plopped down on the sofa reported, and placed them back on the desk. Reluctantly, it was considered a clean, comfortable sitting position for Manager X.
"Ho ho, Angela told me you seem to be under some psychological pressure. Don't mind telling me a little. The first day will eventually be a little uncomfortable. This is very normal."
"Manager, today's mission was completed extremely perfectly, I knew you could do it!"
Control Department Dean Malkuth was sitting opposite Manager X, seemingly trying to wonder how to praise the Manager. X also didn't feel like today's simple job had anything worthwhile to receive praise for.
It's a bit too superficial... However, I don't hate it.
Malkuth's efforts to praise her actually made X relax a bit. Just seeing Malkuth Dean's smile made X feel better, but thinking about it, this was also Corporation AI...
Should I tell Malkuth about those things, definitely not.
X couldn't say that she was entangled by a strange system, maybe it was the Corporation system, maybe it was something else. But in short, she saw a lot of 'strange' unknown things, but in the simulation game, the AI Secretary did a lot of things wrong.
But those things that went wrong even made me feel a little strange... Too much of a myth, and at the same time a medical condition.
Uneasiness, and worry, this is X's entire feelings, without anything the slightest bit becoming the Manager's happiness.
This is a strange environment... No matter which corner or crevice it is, it brings out rich and strange colors.
Compared to that employee who invaded the meeting room to plead for resignation, the Corporation is simply crazy, there is nothing normal in it. Even though Malkuth looks very approachable in person, Malkuth only cares about the Corporation.
Malkuth respects her, probably just because X is the Manager, and the Manager is Dean's superior.
But it's just this level, who gives the Manager the authority? It is estimated that as long as I show the slightest tendency to resign, Corporation AI will consider finding someone to replace me.
[ Fortitude ][ Prudence ][ Temperance ][ Justice ], can these things have an effect? X was skeptical, but I can now sit here and think very well, probably because these things are helping her.
In the simulation, she seemed to have a weak mental state and could collapse at any time.
"Malkuth, if I act like an employee and say I want to resign, will I be 'handled' or not? At that time, I should have aimed the gun right at my head and then fired one shot."
X said calmly, then conveniently picked up a report under the sofa. Inside are a few 'Resignation' employee numbers, red in color, hanging there.
"Huh...? Why did you suddenly say that, I see, are you still thinking about those things in the morning..."
Malkuth's face looked awkward as if she was determining whether X was serious or not, but even if she saw that X was serious, Malkuth still gave X an encouraging smile and comforted her.
Managers are different from employees. Today is X's first day in office, and not being able to adapt to the situation is very normal. Malkuth can understand this kind of uneasiness.
"Such things often happen, you should not be troubled by such things. Every day there is a lot of work to do, so if you are bothered by these things and waste your thoughts, you will lose more than you will gain."
"You are the Manager, you are different from them. Didn't you do a very good job this morning? Today I relied on you to do the work and you did it all. You have such ability, I also know I can count on you."
"But it's fair enough to encounter a situation like this. After all, Angela or I would normally handle this kind of situation. Have a little fun, Manager, if you're sad, you can express what's in your heart. Don't be too quiet, it'll be more pleasant to say it out loud."
Malkuth tried to enliven the atmosphere. In general, no one would really object to a lively, adorable, and energetic Dean, even though behind her gentleness it appeared that was indifferent towards the employees.
Employee is an employee, Manager is a Manager, different positions, different classes, at least Malkuth cares about X.
X paused for a few seconds in silence, still deciding not to say anything about her situation. What she was worried about was not the death of the employee, but the results of the simulation.
If she didn't know anything, she probably wouldn't be so frightened. It was only because she knew that she was not supposed to know the information that it made her feel uneasy, but she couldn't escape it, not knowing anything was also very scary.
What happened to the employee who was dragged away?
Roughly speaking, resigning employees are also being taken away to raise those monsters locked in the Containment Unit. Squeeze a little after the end value. Just plain killing is a waste of resources.
"Malkuth, how do you feel today?"
X looked at Dean sitting opposite her. As a Manager, she probably needed to understand the Department Dean and quickly enter a similar state.
"How was today? All very good! Extraordinarily not bad! We successfully completed today's emergency training program, there were no personnel casualties, and everyone did super well! Of course, this is far from enough, with such an excellent Manager, I believe we will do better!
Every word Malkuth said was very heart-warming, at least X could be cured. When a Dean praises her with every word she says, it really feels like happiness.
Obviously... I'm just a new Manager...
It would be nice if I could see Malkuth's smile every day. X leaned on the sofa and thought, this was probably the only place that could make her feel a bit more comfortable. There is a caring and gentle Dean, without the cold and scary intelligence of the AI Secretary.
—— I really want to wait here a while longer ——
Even if she was sleeping in Malkuth Dean's office, X was willing.
But time and time again, when X thought about intimately cuddling Malkuth, when she was comfortably lying on the sofa, closing her eyes, and resting for a while, she heard the sound she didn't want to hear the most in front of her eyes.
[Manager, are you feeling better? The situation doesn't look bad, but Malkuth is very busy, don't you see how awkward she is, it's best not to disturb her work]
Claiming to be loyal and trustworthy, Secretary AI walked to Manager X's side, unintentionally depriving X of the right to continue waiting there.
X reluctantly stood up from the sofa, she was already a little sleepy, and she was very tired.
"It's okay, Angela, The Manager probably just wants to rest here for a while. This won't actually affect my work."
And Malkuth also wanted to hold back a bit, but Secretary AI is her real superior.
[Malkuth, did you forget that there will be a conference this afternoon? You're still not sure about the new design that you proposed here.]
"Ah ah ah, what, I forgot! It's so bad, I forgot it!! Angela, I'll go prepare immediately."
Malkuth hastily turned it over to see the notebook she was carrying with her. She hurriedly flipped through the messy pile of documents on the table, as if she were looking for something, but because she was not very familiar, it was very disorganized.
With just a single sentence from the intelligent AI, Control Department Dean began to rush her own affairs, and X herself had no reason to continue waiting here.
Even if it's not voluntary, X must obediently follow the Secretary and leave without bothering Dean.
[Manager, do you like Malkuth very much? It was just the first day that the two of you met, and you thought you'd sleep in her office overnight?]
On the way, the blue-haired Secretary suddenly turned her head to look at X and asked the same question. As soon as this question was asked, X already felt something was wrong. The simulation was supposed to be active at this dangerous time, but the black and white Lobotomy Corporation logo had not yet lit up.
—— How should I answer this?——
X doesn't understand much about a woman's thoughts. Her EQ is not high, but her strong desire to survive is forcing her to make the right choice.
In X's opinion, the AI's intelligence is very scary, and more terrifying than the monsters in the Containment Unit.
"No, it's just that the Manager should care about Dean, right? Malkuth Dean is a very good person. But Angela is the AI I trust the most."
"Angela, I'm hungry, can you prepare dinner for me?"
As if to increase the credibility of her speech, X also stroked her belly, indicating that she was still pitifully starving.
This kind of weak behavior probably satisfies the intelligent AI's certain desires. At least the intelligent AI's mood seems to have improved a lot, she probably likes the feeling of being relied on by the Manager.
[Of course, I will prepare a healthy dinner for you, with food and drinks to pamper you with your hard work today]
After hearing these words, X silently breathed a sigh of relief, luckily she had passed the question.