Lobotomy Corporation but with Simulation System?

"Yes, that's right… Thank you for understanding, Yesod."

"I need to borrow some personnel. Netzach, yes, Hod needs some elite employees to set an example for the new employees. The Safety Department employees are very experienced in this area. I think it will be very effective."

X explained the situation to each Dean, and after obtaining their consent, she began to reassign employees. Although managing employees was just a matter of giving orders, in reality, there were many things to consider.

Such as considering the employees' opinions, respecting their choices, and also taking into account each employee's personality and work style.

Even among elite employees, their styles varied greatly. Some were brave and fearless, others were cautious and meticulous, some were quiet but steady workers, and some were quick-witted and liked to think outside the box.

These were all aspects of their personalities. Although most of the time, X didn't need to consider these things, she only had to consider the work situation and energy collection. But as Manager, showing concern for the employees was necessary, especially since the employees were the core and backbone of the Corporation's operations.

If the Corporation was considered a whole person, then they were the blood in the body, responsible for transporting nutrients and oxygen. Only when the blood continuously circulated, providing the body with nutrients without rest, could the body function normally.

Without blood, the human body would lose its functions and die.

Even the term "lack of blood" isn't accurate enough. If the human body loses 20% of its blood, roughly 1000ml, the body will go into shock, unable to function normally. The organs will begin to fail, the brain's blood supply will be insufficient, and consciousness will become hazy.

When the blood loss exceeds 2000ml, or 40% of the blood volume, the person will be completely paralyzed, experiencing the coldness and numbness as their life ebbs away.

In other words, if the Corporation loses more than half of its employees, it will be paralyzed. When this happens, a series of chain reactions will occur. Alarms will blare. No one can stop the torrent. They can only wait for death in complete silence.

Although a small cut on the skin and a few drops of blood are insignificant, when an artery is severed and blood spurts out, it's a different matter.

Imagine being in warm water, your artery cut. Feeling the blood slowly flowing out of your body… that's how lonely it would be.

Only someone truly wishing for death would endure the feeling of blood flowing away in the soothing warmth of the water. The body slowly grows cold, and the warm water can't dispel the coldness, only growing cold together… growing cold…

Like that fading life, that warm water slowly cooling, finally becoming as cold and lifeless as the porcelain of the bathtub.

The feet touch the cold porcelain tiles, the coldness penetrating to the bones, without a trace of warmth.

Crimson blood finally stains the bathroom red. Lingering bubbles will fill the air with the musty smell of rust.

Life is so fragile… It's gone in the blink of an eye…

"Well, this should work."

X checked the employee distribution in each Department again. Following the Training Department Dean's request, she assigned some elite employees from other Departments to the Training Department, to serve as instructors and set examples for the new employees.

"Oh, it seems fine. The employees in each Department have been assigned. Ahem, Angela, I need to start working. Make me a cup of coffee, extra milk and sugar."

After confirming the employee assignments, X officially began her work. Today's work was the same as usual. She needed to manage the Abnormalities, collect energy, and then complete the tasks assigned to her by the Deans.

She was very proficient and adapted to her job as Manager.

[The simulation has started—]

[Day 7—Look at that adorable little bird. Too bad it never chirps.]

[Today, you received Abnormality Subject Number [O-02-56]. It was assigned to the Training Department for management.]

[You assigned employees to perform [Instinct] work on [O-02-56]. The work was completed successfully.]

[You assigned employees to perform [Insight] work on [O-02-56]. The work was completed successfully.]

[You assigned employees to perform [Attachment] work on [O-02-56]. The work was completed successfully.]

[You assigned employees to perform [Repression] work on [O-02-56]. The work was very unsuccessful. It disliked [Repression] work. However, the employees only suffered minor injuries.]

[You confirmed that [O-02-56] didn't have any kind of instant kill mechanism. It was a gentle, obedient, harmless little bird.]

[You calmly assigned other employees to manage the Abnormalities, performing containment work and collecting energy.]

[… …]

[… …]

[You discovered that [O-02-56] had suddenly escaped. You assigned employees to contain [O-02-56].]

[Your employee was killed by [O-02-56].]

[Your employee was killed by [O-02-56].]

[Your employee was killed by [O-02-56]. Containment failed.]

[You realized that the elite employees assigned to the Training Department had suffered almost complete casualties. You realized this had become a source of panic for other employees.]

[You saw the Training Department Dean's near-tearful expression.]

[… …]

[… …]

[You completed today's energy quota, but you were punished by the AI for a serious work error.]

[You were punished by the AI. Your pleas for forgiveness were futile.]

[You enjoyed the punishment.]

[You liked it.]

[Your mental state is distorted…]

[… …]

[Achievement Unlocked—The Little Bird in the Forest Punishes the bad people]

[Friendly Reminder: Sometimes, excessive intimacy can anger the other party. Maintaining a safe distance and allowing the other party personal space is more effective than being too close and intrusive.]

[Please choose your reward for this outcome:

1. Fortitude (+1)

2. Prudence (+1)

3. Temperance (+1)

4. Justice (+1)]

[First-person perspective original YES/NO]

X's gaze lingered on the Training Department's screen. The [O-02-56] Containment unit was intact. The small bird, entirely white except for a crimson patch on its belly, was still hopping on a branch, flapping its tiny wings.

From the outside, it didn't seem dangerous at all. X couldn't imagine how such an adorable little bird could have eliminated the Training Department's elite employees. And it had "eliminated" more than one.

Containment work had never been so difficult. Even the most unsettling [Meat Lantern], which would burrow its way through the Corporation's floors, could be easily handled by employees equipped with remote E.G.O weapons.

Drinking the steaming coffee in one gulp, X chose the [First-person perspective original] [YES] option. Although she usually didn't like this kind of thing, it was still…

Based solely on the limited information in the text, X couldn't assess the specific situation of [O-02-56]. Some things had to be seen firsthand. Images contained far more information than text.

Even if there was a terrible punishment… X still decided to take a look.

The moment she selected [YES], the image seemed to freeze. When X regained consciousness, she was in a Manager's room that felt identical yet subtly different.

It was her, yet not her… Like looking at her reflection in a mirror, only the positions were reversed. She was the one in the mirror, and the other person was the one outside the mirror making the movements.

X could only mimic the other person's actions like a puppet on strings, unable to perform any action of her own will.

This had happened before. She couldn't change it. She could only observe from the outside, re-experiencing the feeling of failure.

She saw the Corporation's personnel performing containment work on other Abnormalities. [O-02-56]'s energy level started to drop, then suddenly returned to normal.

Then, [O-02-56] escaped. The entirely white little bird flew out of the Containment unit. The Containment unit seemed to be like wallpaper or a teahouse to it. It could come and go as it pleased… completely unaffected by any barriers.

To be frank, for most Abnormalities, the Containment units were weak. They were willing to stay there simply because they were willing to—

And when they felt like it, or were in a bad mood and wanted to go for a walk, the barriers would become ineffective, and they would easily escape from their cages.

X saw herself giving the order to contain [O-02-56]. The moment the employees assigned to contain [O-02-56] touched it, they were torn to shreds, becoming crimson fragments on the floor and walls.

The E.G.O protective gear was like paper, offering no protection whatsoever. They were torn apart, reduced to pieces of flesh.

That thing… X saw it clearly.

Subject Number [O-02-56], upon being attacked by the employee, turned completely red, as if it had been enraged.

[O-02-56] immediately attacked the employee who had injured it. Its belly swelled and burst open. It was a horrifying sight. Sharp, thin pieces of flesh formed a beak-like mouth. It bit the employee to pieces, tearing them into scattered fragments of flesh.

That dismembered flesh, making people want to vomit, was something X would never forget.

If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, X would never have imagined that such a small bird could have such a powerful suction force. It was the crimson patch on its belly that was the actual "mouth," formed from several twisted pieces of flesh.

Using "filth" to punish its enemies…

The outcome was the same as X had seen before. Even elite employees equipped with WAW-level E.G.O gear would be torn apart by this enraged little bird's "filth."

This was an almost instant-kill attack. Without extremely high spirit damage resistance, high-level E.G.O equipment, it was absolutely impossible to withstand [O-02-56]'s attack.

Attacking [O-02-56] would enrage it. And all of this had happened because of the Manager's erroneous commands, her faulty judgment.

The moment the elite employee died, their tragic state caused a severe mental shock to the employees nearby. Those employees with poor mental states collapsed, acting erratically. Some attacked their colleagues, others ended their own lives, and others opened the Containment units, releasing Abnormalities.

In fact, the higher-level employees, when they collapsed in a state of panic, were even harder to recover. They could also cause far more damage to the Corporation than ordinary employees.

They were strong, and they were also fragile…

Drugs to heal the body developed at an unimaginable speed. But drugs to heal the mind did not.

The Regenerator could only save those employees who still had a glimmer of hope. When someone fell into a true mental abyss, how much good would [Mental Corruption Neutralizing Gas] do…?

A rotting soul cannot be saved.

These things could only keep the employees' minds clear, maintaining their normal analytical abilities and basic judgment, but they couldn't save those employees who had truly broken.

Everything collapsed into despair… They fell into silent self-destruction.

The death of one elite employee caused a series of reactions. Other employees responsible for containing [O-02-56] immediately lost their balance. Other employees collapsed one after another, becoming chaotic and uncontrollable.

This wouldn't have escalated to such a severe level, but the Manager made a wrong judgment.

This was something X never would have done, yet this "X" was so stupid.

The alarm escalated. The piercing alarm sounded along with the Deans' announcements.

After the alarms subsided and the energy was collected, it was time for the non-verbal Manager punishments…

X watched her AI Secretary lock the Manager's room door. A gentle smile played on her golden eyes. The curve of her lips was more pronounced than ever, as if she had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

Even though she knew it was a pretense, X couldn't help but feel nervous, terrified.

It was better when Angela didn't smile. When she smiled, it felt ominous… This kind of smile was strange, as if she had a wrong understanding of "smiling." It felt malicious.

It was a gentle, sunny face, yet the curve of her lips ruined it all.

X wanted to stop, to look away, but she realized there was no option to exit.

How had she exited last time…?