The feeling of acting like a "mysterious riddler" and then immediately walking away was amazing.
Back in the familiar company cafeteria, Zhou Zhuang replayed his little "cool-guy" performance in his head and felt a surge of excitement.
No wonder so many people loved talking in half-sentences. It felt so good to leave people hanging.
After hyping himself up for a bit, he pulled out his phone and checked the time.
A little past 6:00 AM.
He could wander around the company for a while… but where?
Zhou Zhuang rubbed his chin, thought it over, then sighed.
Forget it.
He'd just go with Angela to check out his workstation.
His shoulders slumped as he spoke, defeated before the journey even began.
"Angela… take me to my workstation."
"Yes, Manager."
Angela gave a slight bow, stepped from behind him to the front, and began leading the way.
Zhou Zhuang followed her through endless turns inside his "own" yet still completely unfamiliar company.
Honestly, he'd been awake here for over two days now. By all logic, he should've recognized some routes after walking them multiple times.
But every time Angela led him, it somehow became a new environment.
Zhou Zhuang stared at a junction that looked like one he'd seen "several times," then pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache forming.
I'm not memorizing this. Screw it.
If Angela could lead him, why was he wasting brainpower on navigation?
He accepted defeat instantly and shamelessly.
The moment he accepted his weakness, he became—
Invincible. (In the most thunderous voice imaginable.)
Having committed fully to "lying flat," Zhou Zhuang stopped trying to map the company's pathways with his poverty-level sense of direction and simply followed Angela obediently.
He wasn't sure how long they'd been walking, but his feet were already aching.
One thing was certain now: the internal scale of this place was huge.
Exhausted, he forced out a question in a strained voice.
"An… Angela… hhh… are we there yet…?"
"Just a little farther, Manager," Angela replied without even turning her head.
"Why is my workplace so far…?"
Dragging his sore feet, Zhou Zhuang checked the time again.
"It's been almost twenty minutes! Don't tell me I have to walk twenty minutes every day just to start work…?! That kind of work life—no! Cough—!"
Talking while walking finally triggered the body's punishment system.
He choked on his own saliva, stopped, and stood there trying to catch his breath.
Angela spoke in a tone that didn't allow refusal.
"Manager, based on your physical condition, I think the exercise plan I mentioned yesterday should be implemented as soon as possible."
"Starting today. After work ends, I will begin your physical training."
Zhou Zhuang, who had just recovered his breathing, immediately started coughing again.
"Cough—n-no—cough cough!"
…
After resting, Zhou Zhuang continued onward with his head drooping.
He'd assumed yesterday's "exercise plan" was just a joke.
But now every single word of it was proving painfully real—only he had been hoping it was fake.
Then Angela stopped.
Zhou Zhuang lifted his gaze with the eyes of a defeated man.
Ahead wasn't the hard iron door he'd come to associate with this company.
It was a strange wooden door.
He knew it wasn't alive… but the oppressive weight emanating from it made it feel anything but ordinary.
Its hollow religious carvings looked vivid, almost breathing.
If you got close enough, it felt like you might hear faint whispers—words that promised both ascension and corruption.
Zhou Zhuang swallowed.
"Angela… is it here?"
"Yes, Manager. Do not be afraid. Please step forward and open the door."
"Gulp…"
Zhou Zhuang took a step forward and reached his right hand for the handle.
He hesitated in midair—then gripped it decisively.
"Manager," Angela reminded him gently, "please unlock the door first."
Zhou Zhuang had been intensely focused on the door's creepy aura. Angela's sudden voice startled him so badly he jumped.
"Ah—Angela! You scared me! It's locked? But I don't have a key!"
He shoved both hands into his trouser pockets to prove it—
…and his left pocket touched something long and rigid.
He pulled it out.
A plain, antique key.
"…Huh? When did this get in my pocket?"
He bent toward the door, inserted the key into the keyhole, and while unlocking, asked:
"Angela… did you put this in my pocket?"
"No, Manager."
"The key has always been in your possession—and can only be in your possession."
Damn it. I hate riddlers.
What did that even mean?
Click.
The lock opened.
"Ah… it's open."
At that sound, the door's "presence" seemed to thicken, and Zhou Zhuang felt like he was standing in a silent cemetery halfway up a mountain in the middle of the night.
Ugh. Stop scaring yourself.
He steadied his mind, straightened his back, and placed his hand on the handle again.
Then—one clean push.
The heavy wooden door swung inward.
There was no dusty, abandoned room like he'd expected.
Instead, unlike the company's other areas full of incomprehensible high-tech equipment, this room's first impression was:
Familiar. Comfortable.
As if he had arranged it himself, piece by piece, into exactly this shape.
He stepped in and walked to the center—toward a desk piled chaotically with unknown documents.
He pulled out a slightly worn office chair from behind, sat down reflexively, shifted his hips, rolled forward, and positioned himself behind the desk.
"Huh… our company is surprisingly considerate."
"This environment… it's messy, but it's comfortable. If you gave me a clean room, it'd turn into this in a few days anyway."
"Honestly, better to just start me off in a mess like this."
He ran a hand along the chair's armrest.
Angela closed the door and sat down in a separate area of the room that was impossibly neat.
Zhou Zhuang asked, "Angela… how do we work, exactly?"
"Manager, press the red button on your desk. The screen in front of you will display the department status."
"The system will enlarge or shrink the surveillance view according to your thoughts."
"There is a company microphone behind the computer on your right, allowing you to give a speech before employees begin working—whether you say anything is up to you."
"Employee operations are the same as in the game you played: choose a containment unit, choose a work type, select the employee to perform the work."
"Of course, Manager… once you begin, you will understand the specific details."
"Mm-hm."
Arms crossed, Zhou Zhuang listened while guessing which Abnormalities would be "working hard for the company" today.
When Angela finished, he pressed the red button.
The door he had entered through faded away as if it had never existed.
The white walls darkened into black.
Then light reappeared—
And when Zhou Zhuang saw the familiar display in front of him…
he couldn't help but laugh.
....
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