Unit C on the 495th floor. The exterior walls were a gray-green color, covered in various graffiti. Six or seven girls entered the activity center with expressions of excitement, anticipation, or nervousness.
Their clothing was simple in style and muted in color, primarily in shades of blue, black, white, and green. However, each of them had delicate features and were in the prime of their youth.
As they glanced at the only LCD screen on the entire floor, the leading girl couldn't help but whisper, "I wonder what kind of husband the company will assign me?"
"Mainly, it's about the personality," the girl next to her, wearing a green top and blue pants, replied, biting her lip.
As the second generation of genetically enhanced individuals, they were not concerned about the appearance and height of their future husbands, as all of them were above average in those aspects.
The leader of the group glanced at her companion and said, "You've forgotten that those participating in the arranged marriages include people our age as well as those whose spouses have passed away. Some of them are in their forties or fifties and may have defects due to not undergoing genetic enhancements during the embryonic stage."
In order to ensure an adequate number of newborns, their company had a rule: "Anyone who is 20 years old or has graduated from higher education and is not married will have a spouse arranged by the company. Those who refuse will be subject to punishment by the 'Order Supervision Department.' The first violation will result in a reduction in energy supply and deduction of corresponding contribution points. The second violation will result in expulsion from the company to live self-sufficiently in the gray soil."
Similarly, those who were widowed and not raising children were required to participate in arranged marriages three years after their spouse's passing, as long as they were under 60 years of age.
"And, even if it's not these people, don't you all hope that your future husband will be from an M-level family?" Another girl joined the discussion, joking.
The company was divided into three levels: D-level employees, ranging from D1 to D9; M-level management, ranging from M1, representing director level, to M3, corresponding to board members and chief scientists; and a level without an alphabetical code, only referred to as the "big boss," an exceptionally mysterious lady.
The girl wearing a green top and blue pants pursed her lips and said, "When have you ever heard of someone from an ordinary floor being assigned a spouse from the 346th, 347th, 348th, or 349th floors?"
The 346th to 349th floors were where the M-level managers resided, with ample energy supply and housing area ten times larger than that of ordinary employees. Additionally, these four floors had their own independent elevator, purified water, ventilation, sewage, and education systems, and their children would not normally have contact with those of ordinary employees.
The only exception was during higher education, as the company only had one university located on the 350th floor.
Children of ordinary employees needed to take an exam in order to decide whether they would start working or enter the university, while children of the management level could enter higher education without an exam.
Within the company, there was no one who did not wish to become a part of the management level or did not want to have connections with them.
As for the "big boss," ordinary employees not only had no contact with her, but they didn't even know what she looked like. They could only hear her voice through broadcast at the end of the year, the beginning of the year, or during major events. Therefore, very few people dared to imagine being appreciated by the "big boss" and quickly rising to the management level.
Of course, there were a few, but not many.
The leader of the group chuckled and said, "That's why I've always encouraged you to freely fall in love at school. Look at Adah, her husband was assigned by the 'Material Management Department' as soon as he graduated. There must be some background in her family!"
"Reese, how can you say that? Why didn't you freely fall in love?" the other girls teased at the same time.
"You all know me, don't you? My greatest strength is talking." Reese admitted unashamedly.
After some laughter, the girl in the green top and blue pants asked curiously, "Reese, do you know the level of Adah's husband's family? You are quite close to her."
Glancing around, Reese lowered her voice and said, "He is the Director of Operations at the Security Department."
"Wow…" the girls exclaimed as a group of young men entered the activity center.
The two groups glanced at each other for a few seconds before shyly turning their gazes away. After all, no one could be certain whether their future spouse was among the others.
A man of about 1.75 meters, with a neat crew cut, scanned the surroundings and then nervously asked his companion, "Lems, do you think the company will assign me a wife?"
His companion, who was probably 1.85 meters tall, with bright brown eyes and a strong, masculine appearance, responded, "First, you have to be assigned before you can discuss what kind."
He was wearing a dark blue suit, his muscular arms straining against the fabric, giving him a strong and powerful appearance.
"Ha, it can't be that unlucky, right? This time, there are only two more men than women in total," the man of average height, with relatively ordinary features, laughed.
As his expression gradually turned serious, he rambled on, "But what if they don't like me? I've only been enhanced to 1.75 meters and I'm not that handsome, and all my academic scores are just average…"
Lems stated seriously, "That's not the key. The key is your name."
"My name? What's wrong with the name Mika? It's meaningful. Besides, the company's uniform allocation won't take into account my height or appearance. It's said to be arbitrarily excluding any blood relations… Ah, what if they mistake me for a woman because of my name and assign me a husband? What should I do?" Mika rambled to himself.
Lems glanced at Mika and said, "Organ transplants, neural reconstruction surgery, artificial uterus – perfect solutions to the problem."
Mika forced a laugh, "Haha, how could that be possible? I mean, how could they possibly make a mistake with my gender? It's clearly specified as male on all my documents!"
"Your thought process is really strange. Shouldn't a normal person be thinking about appealing instead?" Lems responded before adding, "So, why is your name the key here?"
"Names represent a person's destiny, and random allocation is all about fate," Lems replied earnestly.
Mika's expression froze for a moment before saying, "I knew you wouldn't have any constructive ideas!"
Before Lems could respond, Mika asked, "Lems, what kind of wife do you want to be assigned?"
Lems raised his chin and said, "I don't need one. With limited company resources, humanity on the gray soil is in a dire situation with famine, infection, deformity, and savage transformations still shrouding the entire world. How could I get married?"
"…" Mika let out a laugh, "You're becoming more and more of a joker."
Lems looked at him coldly and said, "I've already applied to give up this unified allocation."
"You're serious? That's impossible. How could the company agree to let you give up the unified allocation for this time! Haha, I almost believed you!" Mika was first surprised, but then he breathed a sigh of relief.
Before he had finished speaking, Jack, the supervisor of the activity center on the 495th floor, left his position and approached the LCD screen to start adjusting it.
This elderly man with graying hair and a slightly unsteady gait used to be part of the Security Department, responsible for external operations. He had worked his way up to the rank of D7 group leader but had left the department due to age constraints and had been promoted to D8 manager, in charge of the activity center on this floor.
Lems and Mika were very curious about this old man's past and always enjoyed coming to the activity center to ask questions. However, Jack strictly adhered to secrecy and only shared some well-known stories, like a normal employee who had been born and raised, studied, worked, grown old, and never left the underground building. He had never seen the real sky.
"Alright, it's about to begin." Jack held a remote control and pressed it heavily.
The display screen flickered a few times, emitting a faint light.
Mika, Reese, and the others held their breath, waiting for the results of the allocation.
They were not worried about the text scrolling too fast, as each activity center on every floor only displayed the relevant results for its own residents.