Lobotomy Corporation but with Simulation System?

"Huh, where's Angela?"

After speaking for a while without any response, X slowly realized that her AI Secretary wasn't actually in the Manager's room. She had been talking to the air, muttering to herself.

Because she had been too scared, she hadn't dared to look at her surroundings. She had simply buried her head like an ostrich, and then sat in the chair, staring blankly at the screen.

This behavior was like someone who couldn't sleep after watching a horror movie, pulling the blanket over their head, hiding— although horror movies wouldn't scare X. Being told by her Secretary that there was no more rice in the jar was more frightening.

But the Secretary's absence from the Manager's room did make X feel a little more at ease.

After all, what had happened at lunchtime was a bit awkward. She still hadn't figured out how to face the Secretary, how to apologize, how to obtain the AI's forgiveness.

Those harsh words, spoken impulsively, made her regretful. X rarely spoke such cold and heartless words. But she couldn't control herself when she lost her temper.

Even though she immediately regretted it after speaking, those spoken words were like spilled water, they couldn't be taken back, they were like sharp blades that hurt others.

This could be interpreted as… side effects from excessive use of the simulator…

—Is Angela so angry that she doesn't want to see me?

X worried anxiously. The AI Secretary's unusual absence, even though she was afraid of the Secretary, actually made X more anxious. The Manager's room was empty, with only her.

Without Angela, she felt… unaccustomed… Usually, Angela would be by her side, keeping her company…

—Did I go too far?

She wanted to start working, but X's thoughts were a mess, making it difficult to focus on the monitors.

Because those random, distracting thoughts were constantly popping up, affecting her concentration.

Because of the [Pause] button, time flowed differently in the Manager's room than in the other Corporation Departments. If she was distracted, as long as she didn't make any mistakes during work, it would be fine.

Shaking her head, X tried to banish those chaotic, inappropriate thoughts, but… she wouldn't be able to work like this.

X needed to adjust her state. She decided to have a cup of coffee first.

—Perhaps a cup of coffee would help her focus.

Thinking this, X unconsciously spoke out loud.

"Angela, make me a cup of coffee, extra milk, two sugars."

After a few seconds, she didn't smell the characteristic aroma of coffee. No one brought her a hot cup of coffee. There was no response in the Manager's room.

—Oh, Angela isn't here.

X remembered that the Secretary wasn't there, so she stood up, preparing to make herself a cup of coffee.

Although she was the Manager, X wasn't familiar with the Manager's room. She only knew that there were monitors here, and that her job was to observe the Corporation's operations through the monitors, command the Deans and employees, collect energy, and meet the Corporation's quota requirements.

In other words, aside from the control panel and the monitors, she knew nothing about this place. She didn't know the functions of the other buttons, or if there were any hidden doors or switches. She didn't even know the basic layout of the Manager's room.

She didn't know where the coffee beans were kept, or if there was instant coffee.

When it came to personal matters, X was surprisingly clumsy, a stark contrast to her work competence.

Thinking about it, realizing that she didn't actually know how to make coffee, she decisively gave up and chose the vending machine, preparing to buy a can of coffee.

Unsurprisingly, the vending machine was broken.

It's a well-known fact that when you're unlucky, even drinking cold water can give you a toothache.

She had simply pressed the button as usual, entered the product number, and swiped her ID card. The vending machine malfunctioned, taking her money but not dispensing the product.

Seven days on the job, and the vending machine had malfunctioned twice. X couldn't help but applaud Lobotomy Corp's equipment quality. As expected of the Wings of the World, a small vending machine could malfunction twice in seven days.

Even in back alleys, the facilities were adequate and stable, with minimal issues.

How could it be that in L Corp, the magnificent Wings of the World, the vending machine in the Manager's room could malfunction?

And even aside from the vending machine, the monitors in the Manager's room also frequently malfunctioned. How did these things even pass quality control?

X wanted to fire the procurement staff. What kind of junk were they buying, wasting the Corporation's money? So much money spent on such low-quality equipment. Was the rest of the money embezzled? Falsifying accounts?

With this kind of skill, they shouldn't be in procurement. They should just pack up and leave.

X thought about how she racked her brains every day for the Corporation's achievements, working overtime to collect energy, not knowing who had embezzled the funds and purchased such shoddy equipment. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

Bang! Her fist hit the tempered glass of the vending machine. Then came an unsurprising groan.

"Ow, ow, ow!"

The vending machine was fine, but her hand hurt like hell. Enraged, X kicked the vending machine hard. This kick, with a loud bang, instantly broke the vending machine, which had been "smugly" holding her money.

A faint black smoke appeared…

"Hmph, serves you right."

X clutched her hand, very satisfied with her "achievement," without any remorse for damaging public property.

The specially upgraded vending machine should have been more durable than before, but the thickened metal casing was still dented by the kick. The originally straight side was completely caved in.

It was like a crushed aluminum can, dented and deformed. The cracks revealed the internal structure and some wiring. Having suffered such severe damage, the drinks inside naturally spilled out.

It was like hitting the jackpot in pachinko…

X casually picked up a few drinks she wanted and carried them in her arms, placing them on the Manager's desk. Her bad mood completely disappeared, her anxiety dissolving like smoke. She felt much better now.

It was good to hit a punching bag when angry. She couldn't vent her anger on the employees or the Deans, so she vented it on the vending machine!

She couldn't bully the AI Secretary or the Department Deans. But as Corporation Manager, couldn't she bully a small vending machine? Did a small vending machine dare to defy her?

Feeling wronged, she asserted her dominance over the vending machine!

X thought smugly, then excitedly opened a can of strawberry soda and drank it in gulps. After asserting her dominance over the vending machine, she felt powerful. She also had the satisfying feeling of a pet destroying things while the owner and housekeeper were away.

After finishing the strawberry soda, X even stacked the other cans, building a small pyramid like she was playing with blocks.

The stacked cans on the table resembled a small house, giving X a sense of accomplishment. After happily building a tall pyramid of drinks, she finally remembered that she still had work to do.

Without Angela by her side to remind her, she would forget.

The small mountain of drinks was piled on the table. After pulling out the instant coffee can that served as the central support, the drink pyramid instantly collapsed. X didn't care about the scattered cans rolling around on the floor. She simply focused on opening the instant coffee.

She didn't even glance at the drinks scattered on the floor, rolling around her feet. She was only interested in what she held in her hand.

X noisily sipped the cheap instant coffee, barely savoring the overly sweet coffee flavor, before turning her attention back to work, focusing on the monitors.

Even the slow-witted X could sense the obvious difference.

The coffee brewed by her AI Secretary was much better. The canned coffee was too weak, more like some kind of sweet drink. It lacked the taste of real coffee. To be precise, it could only be called a coffee-flavored beverage.

But she had to endure… after all, sometimes, happiness came from comparison. Only after experiencing something bad could you appreciate what was good.

After getting used to good coffee, switching to cheap instant coffee was difficult to endure. It felt like torture for her taste buds.

X put the coffee aside, ignoring it.

The afternoon work was much easier than the morning's work. The morning was for trial and error. The most important thing in managing Abnormalities was information. As long as she followed the Abnormality management procedures, those dangerous monsters wouldn't cause any problems.

The information on [O-02-56] was available after the morning's work. It was officially identified as [Punishing Bird], with a threat level of TETH.

It was an Abnormality that frequently breached containment. But as long as it wasn't provoked, it wouldn't cause any casualties.

Because it only escaped out of curiosity or boredom. It would return to its Containment unit after a while.

So, when [Punishing Bird] escaped, the best course of action was to ignore it, telling employees to keep their hands to themselves. Don't touch or poke it. If [Punishing Bird] felt threatened, if it was angered—

Its true "nature" would be revealed, tearing the offending employee into pieces. It was an almost instant-kill attack. Even elite employees equipped with high-level E.G.O gear couldn't withstand this "filth" attack.

In other words, this was an Abnormality that shouldn't be provoked unless you had nothing better to do. As long as you treated it gently and politely, it would be friendly and affectionate. It was very suitable for new employees to manage and train their mental fortitude.

And from its appearance, [Punishing Bird]'s cuteness made it easier for employees to accept. New employees didn't feel much pressure facing it, which was perfect for training them and helping them quickly adapt.

After understanding the management protocol, the work became much easier. As the work progressed, the Qliphoth Meltdown counter filled up, and the [Dawn] Ordeal followed.

This time, the Ordeal was green, meaning [Green Dawn - Doubt].

Green warning text appeared on the screen. After the roar, like the creaking of rusted gears, those energy residue entities appeared.

They were humanoid robots, looking very old and clunky. Although humanoid, they didn't look human. Their angular heads had three horns, and their mechanical eyes glowed red.

And the [Doubt] scenario began to scroll on X's screen.

[One day, a question crossed my mind. Where do we come from? We were given life and left in this world against our own volition.]

[Life, full of pain.]