Lobotomy Corporation but with Simulation System?

Those who don't know are fearless. Those who know are deeply afraid… Although sometimes, even with your eyes and ears covered, you can't escape that fear, that soul-crushing terror. But existing, living, creates that kind of frantic existence.

But at least, the AI Secretary wasn't the kind of AI that would drive you crazy just by existing. She was beautiful, meeting human standards of beauty. She wouldn't do anything dangerous. She was intelligent, able to communicate with humans without any problems.

Perhaps, excessive similarity might cause fear. High anthropomorphism might be frightening. But… being completely human-like didn't seem to be a problem.

If she hadn't emphasized it so many times, no one would have called her a machine.

"Angela, is this yesterday's report…? Oh, let me see."

Her rationality prevented her from dwelling too much on the sensitive topic of wounds. X shifted her attention to the work documents. She was supposed to check them with the Deans after work yesterday, but because of "some things," she had forgotten.

She hadn't even conducted the routine check. X had promised Dean Hod from the Training Department that she would spend time with her after work. And she was supposed to urge the Safety Department Dean, Netzach, to submit her work results to the Information Department Dean, Yesod.

She had broken her promises… And by the time she remembered, she was already asleep. It was too late—

Now, she could only hope that the Deans wouldn't think she was deliberately teasing them and that she hadn't lost her credibility as Manager.

Climbing trees… that would probably have a negative impact…

—Oh, it's all Angela's fault!

X silently cursed her own incompetence, cursing 'A' for designing such a beautiful AI, severely impacting her work efficiency.

Oh… why design the AI with such a terrible personality? She deserved to be criticized, condemned.

Oh well— Angela's personality wasn't that bad. Closing her eyes, ignoring the truth, Angela was indeed a gentle, caring, loyal, and reliable AI. She was Lobotomy Corp's best AI, highly "trusted" by the Manager.

"[Type 2 Regenerator]… Hm, Netzach's idea is to allocate another redundant reactor. It seems pretty good, but the cost would be high. Let's put it on the reserve research list."

X looked at the design written by the Safety Department Dean. It was impressive that Netzach had written a new design and had it approved by Angela. But in terms of practicality— it wasn't a high priority at the moment.

The Corporation's current Abnormalities weren't "dangerous enough." Most were docile. If something did happen, there was no need for rescue. They could simply be "cremated."

In other words, minor issues didn't require treatment. Serious issues meant death.

Don't panic over small things, panicking over big things was useless.

Minor injuries to employees, who were then tied up and sent to the lounge by their colleagues… this was probably due to the mental trauma inflicted by [Funeral of the Dead Butterflies]. As for the other Abnormalities, they wouldn't hunt employees unless certain conditions were met…

How to put it? Even if the employees weren't killed, rescue wasn't allowed because it harmed the Corporation's interests.

Much data showed that Abnormalities increased their energy output after killing or hunting employees, turning employees into a valuable energy source.

But saying this frankly would be too cold and cruel. Kind-hearted Deans might not be able to accept this, so it's better not to tell them.

For Abnormalities like [Bloodbath] and [Spider Bud], if an employee was hunted, the Dean would be notified that the missing employees were dead.

Even though the employees might just be trapped and still have a chance of survival, their emotions would be converted into nutrients for the Abnormalities, producing more energy. So, even if they were considered dead, there would be no rescue attempts.

Like Hod and the other Deans who heard "some sounds" in the hallways and offices. It wasn't an illusion. Those unfortunate employees who were being eaten were whimpering softly.

As Manager, X had access to this top-level information. Because she knew this, she could understand the pressure on some Deans and their near-hysterical behavior. Occasionally venting their emotions was necessary.

The biggest difference between humans and ordinary animals is that humans have compassion and empathy. They can feel empathy for others' tragedies, and feel joy for others' happiness. The Corporation's AIs had the same emotions as humans—

So, being intelligent, they would have negative emotions when they witnessed certain employee situations.

Whether it was self-reproach for their inability to prevent it, resentment and anger at employees' rule-breaking behavior that caused significant losses, or a sense of failure due to their limitations, these emotions could accumulate.

Only truly heartless people could ignore these tragedies.

"[Enhanced Recruitment Program]… Hm, so this is how it is! The Corporation is using this method to recruit employees…"

X was reviewing the Training Department Dean's new design, the [Enhanced Recruitment Program]. The idea was that instead of recruiting a bunch of random employees with varying qualifications, they should raise the standards and recruit higher-quality employees.

Although Lobotomy Corp was part of "Wings of the World," its employee recruitment standards weren't as high as one might imagine. They would hire the elite from the Nest, the unlucky souls from the alleys and streets, and the discarded individuals from the outer city.

In fact, most employees came from poor environments, the alleys and outer city. They weren't necessarily intelligent, didn't have any skills, and lacked background and connections. But Lobotomy Corp still hired them.

This was different from most "Wings" companies. Many "Wings" companies had high standards for recruitment, requiring rigorous screening. Even for a cleaning worker, you had to compete with many others.

But thinking about it, it made sense, considering the number of employees and the casualty rate. The daily loss of Clerks alone was high. Most employees were essentially expendable resources, used as food.

If they were expendable, there was no need for high standards. They only needed to use numbers to feed the monsters.

This was a profitable deal. And for most employees, it was a kind of "kindness," a form of grace.

Considering the employees' backgrounds, most of them came from poor backgrounds, struggling to survive in back alleys. Their dreams of joining the Corporation were understandable—

Being able to join "Wings," being selected, even as the lowest-level Clerk, was a great honor.

At least, if something happened in the Corporation, their families could receive compensation. And even if they didn't have families, working for Wings of the World might allow them to achieve a better position.

So, if you considered it a mutually agreed-upon transaction, a kind of devil's contract, there was nothing wrong with it… probably?

"Oh, let's sign this Protocol. We really should consider improving employee welfare."

Even though talent cultivation was the Training Department Dean's responsibility, the burden ultimately fell on X. Oh well… she was the Manager of the Deans. She was responsible for them.

The ability to quantify employee qualities numerically was impressive, but it was just one application of Singularity technology—

And it could genuinely enhance employee abilities, transforming [Virtues] into skills.

[Fortitude], [Prudence], [Temperance], [Justice]. These were all [Virtues]. Just as [Qliphoth Energy Suppression Gas] weakened Abnormalities, there was also energy-enhancing gas to strengthen employees' inherent qualities, allowing them to better deal with the monsters that could never be truly killed.

Using EGO equipment, the weapons extracted from the cores of [Abnormalities], to deal with the Abnormalities themselves… this didn't even require training. It was like an innate instinct. The EGO weapons would naturally guide the employees, teaching them how to use them.

The power they could unleash depended on the employee's inherent qualities and compatibility with the EGO— this was driven by intense emotions and beliefs, virtues unleashing power.

This could also be considered an application of L Corp's Singularity technology. Whether extracting [Abnormalities], harvesting clean energy from [Abnormalities], or extracting [EGO equipment], it was all an application of Singularity technology.

More precisely, it could be called [Emotional Manifestation]. X felt that emotional manifestation was the essence of Lobotomy Corp's Singularity technology. Much of the evidence pointed to this. You only needed to think about it to reach this conclusion.

But what was the point of knowing? She probably couldn't escape her position as Manager.

At least not by being "fired."

Glancing sideways, she saw her beautiful Secretary waiting patiently. Oh, she could also enjoy this. At least, it was visually appealing— it was just that her personality was a bit… problematic.

[Manager, employee welfare is something the Welfare Department Dean should handle. I've explained this many times. Your responsibility is to oversee energy production, not protect employees.]

"Don't be so serious, Angela. I was just chatting. I know this. I'm doing a great job as Manager, don't you think? I feel very suitable for this position,"

X weakly explained, trying to appear confident, but it was ineffective. The AI Secretary didn't care about this. She didn't care about this kind of "nonsense."

If the Manager made mistakes, punishment was inevitable.

"Oh, by the way, Angela… When can I meet the other Deans? I heard the Welfare Department Dean makes excellent coffee."

X had heard a bit about the Department from the employees. The Welfare Department Dean was the best Dean, offering the best benefits. Many employees wanted to work in the Welfare Department, hoping to be managed by her.

She was the most popular Dean among the employees… The employees' reviews were all positive. Being loved by the employees was probably the kind of Dean Hod envied…

What was her name again…?

X wasn't sure. She thought it was Chesed…? Although X hadn't met this Dean, she felt something was off, or perhaps, a bad feeling.

Perhaps it was a first impression. Perhaps it was because of the "lack of memory." X always felt that the Welfare Department Dean shouldn't have that name.

[Manager, perhaps my coffee doesn't suit your taste? If you like, I can ask the Welfare Department Dean to make you coffee.]

A cup of fragrant coffee was placed on the table. Then, X's face was held by the AI Secretary, gently caressed and stroked… Feeling a surge of survival instinct, X quickly changed her words.

"Nonsense, Angela makes the best coffee. I like Angela best! The Welfare Department Dean's coffee? I don't care for it!"

Because her face was being held, X's words were slightly slurred, but her meaning was clear— The AI reluctantly released her grip, letting go of the woman in front of her with a cold sigh.

Although she knew the black-haired woman was lying, it was at least pleasant to hear, and she didn't expect much. At least, she was a bit appeased…

[Manager, regarding the middle layer Departments, you will be responsible for managing them once you have proven your abilities. It's only been a week. I hope you can demonstrate your abilities to the Corporation and to us.]

The AI Secretary's patience was wearing thin. She patiently explained things to X.

It was the eighth day, the first day of the second week, meaning it was Tuesday. After this week, the mid-level Departments would open.

Of course, this was conditional on X safely completing this week, not being fired… The first week was simply an adaptation period for new Managers. It was simple and easy, designed to help the Manager adapt to the environment. There weren't any truly difficult tasks.

In short, the AI was trying to convey this: don't be complacent because the first week's work was easy. Don't ignore the work ahead.

The Corporation's true test of the Manager hadn't begun. The second week, even though it was a kind of probationary period, was the beginning of the official stage. The AI Secretary hoped X would take it seriously and complete the Corporation's assigned tasks with utmost effort.