Ye Lan was a good employee.
Gender: Male. Orientation: Heterosexual.
He was twenty-two years old—or perhaps twenty-two plus a few hundred thousand, or even a million, extra months. Although he had just celebrated his birthday yesterday with his "colleagues," the time in the facility was in a constant loop. He himself couldn't remember how many twenty-second birthdays he had lived through.
He was a transmigrator. The moment he opened his eyes, he found himself in a massive training ground. By the time the then ten-year-old boy understood where he was, the "Invisible Company," a corporate resistance group, had placed him in that training ground to begin his grueling training.
During those ten years of monotonous life, Central, the leader of the Invisible Company, personally trained him into an exceptionally capable and well-rounded agent.
On his twentieth birthday, as his memories from his past life fully returned, he was sent into the City. He joined L Corp—Lobotomy Corporation—as a spy, tasked with stealing their Singularity technology...
The ringing of an alarm clock shattered the young man's reminiscence. He reached out and slapped the clock on his bedside table quiet, then got up and walked into the bathroom in his personal quarters.
He stood before the mirror, which reflected a cold, lifeless face. The countless cycles had ultimately destroyed Ye Lan's normal emotions. While he could still smile, his young face would forever wear a mask of cold emptiness unless he was in the presence of others.
Squeezing some shaving cream onto his face and working it into a lather, Ye Lan began to deal with his stubble. A light screen projected from an ornament on the sink, and Central's face appeared upon it.
"Report your mission."
"Infiltrate Lobotomy Corporation. Confirm and steal the company's Singularity technology."
"Memory is clear. No symptoms of brainwashing have appeared. Happy birthday, Ye Lan. Although this wish is a day late, I'm sure you don't mind."
"Thank you. We have half an hour before breakfast. Is there anything you need me to report?"
"No, I'm here to inform you of something. There has been an anomaly in the high-risk area known as the Ruins. The corridor we used to send you into the City has been completely destroyed."
"So, that means I can't return to the Company for the time being?"
"We will find a way to open a new path as soon as possible. Be careful."
Central closed the communication, and the ornament on the sink became inconspicuous once more.
"Heh... the same notification again. Even the dialogue was identical." Cold tap water splashed against his face, washing away the foam and freezing his despairing heart. Even for a highly trained agent, the erosion of time was enough to cause a breakdown. Just maintaining his sanity was already Ye Lan's limit.
Ye Lan had experienced this exact conversation countless times. Although he could still clearly remember playing the game Lobotomy Corporation on his computer in his past life, after truly becoming an employee within it, he no longer dared to think about how much time had passed in the outside world. Under the effects of the TT2 Protocol, every single event had repeated itself innumerable times.
"Angela, I know you're listening, and I know you can't answer me. Thank you for hiding my abnormalities, and thank you for preserving my memories."
He stared at his reflection. A billion agonizing memories seemed to surface, and the breaking point was instantaneous. His reflection in the mirror let out a furious, sorrowful roar:
"BUT WHY?! WHY WON'T YOU ERASE MY MEMORIES OF THE RESETS?! WHY MUST YOU MAKE ME SUFFER ALONGSIDE YOU?! AAAAARGH!!!"
CRASH!
Crack...
Just as in countless previous loops, Ye Lan once again shattered the mirror with his bare fist. The time he had for his breakdown was over. With blood dripping from his hand, he left his quarters, just like always.
Deep down, Ye Lan knew. From the first time he told Angela everything he knew about the City and Lobotomy Corporation, he had become an anchor for her own self-preservation—a companion with whom she could share a pain that was a hundred times greater than his own.
For the sake of the Seed of Light project, Angela's perception of time had been cruelly slowed by a factor of one hundred. The weight of memories a hundred times more painful than his own crushed down on her, trying to destroy her. The plan to resurrect Carmen had instead resulted in her, an AI who was merely a shadow of the original. Disgusted with himself, Ayin refused to acknowledge her and made her the overseer of the very project that caused her suffering.
Ding.
The elevator outside his door chimed pleasantly as it stopped on his floor. The doors slid open automatically, revealing two colleagues from the Training Department.
"Morning, Ye! What's with the... Hey, what happened to your hand? Come here, I brought a recovery agent."
The corners of Ye Lan's mouth twitched into a forced smile. "It's nothing. I just accidentally broke the mirror this morning and got cut by the glass."
His two colleagues, long accustomed to his fake smile after two years of working together, ignored his expression. One stepped out, grabbed his arms, and pulled him into the elevator.
"You really need to be more careful. If our 'Best Employee' dies from a wound like this in a containment unit, our dear Miss Hod is going to cry her eyes out."
"Haha, don't worry. I'm not going to die on a day like today."
By the time the elevator opened again, the wound on Ye Lan's hand had been completely healed by his colleagues. He vaguely recalled what would happen next: the three of them would chat idly on their way to the cafeteria, eating breakfast sandwiches while listening to Miss Malkuth assign the day's tasks to all the employees.
And then, as always, the next cycle would begin...
"Ahem, is everyone here?" Malkuth, the Sephirah of the Control Department—a certain box-headed Sephirah who was a bit naive, slightly impatient, and a little conceited—stood before them. Ye Lan usually called her "Miss Makuku," which would earn him a chase around the room by her and her clipboard.
It was, he had to admit, one of the few pleasures he had left in this endless loop.
Ye Lan devoured his sandwich in a few bites and sat listening to Miss Malkuth's arrangements. However, something different happened. He wasn't assigned to the Disciplinary Department to guide new hires with Gebura. Miss Malkuth waited until everyone else had their assignments before walking over to him personally.
"Ye, you're going to the Architecture Department today. It's a newly opened department, and it's very important."
"You said... the Architecture Department?"
Ye Lan's head snapped up. He repeated the words, testing them. "You said... the Architecture Department?"
"That's right. It's the final department of the main branch. It's critical, so we need you there personally to feel at ease."
Ye Lan's breath hitched, and his heart began to pound in his chest. The Architecture Department. In the game Lobotomy Corporation, it was the department that only opened during the final sequence. If they could pass the trials of the next five days and release the Seed of Light, then he, Angela, and everyone else in this facility could finally escape this eternal loop.
"I understand. Trust me."
A light, long absent, ignited in his eyes. The chance to end it all sent a thrill through his entire body. His colleagues watched in bewilderment as he suddenly grabbed their Control Department Sephirah and planted a firm kiss on her cheek, leaving Miss Malkuth completely stunned.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
About a minute later, an enraged Malkuth chased Ye Lan out of the cafeteria, brandishing her clipboard. The other employees glanced at each other, shrugged, and went back to their breakfast. After all, it wasn't the first time their Best Employee had been chased out of the cafeteria for teasing Miss Malkuth. Rather than watch the show, it was better to finish what might very well be their last meal.
After letting her chase him for some distance, Ye Lan stopped and allowed her to smack him with the clipboard, which landed with a series of loud thwaps.
Once Malkuth had vented her embarrassment from the sudden kiss, Ye Lan asked her, "Which Abnormality did the Manager choose for today?"
"Eh? You tricked me into coming out here just for that?"
"No. At that moment, I really did want to kiss you."
"Hey!" Malkuth took a deep breath to calm herself. "Today's two Abnormalities are D-03-109 and O-01-64. Two at once, so be extra careful."
"Hmm. Reassign my department colleagues elsewhere. And give me [Smile]."
Ye Lan patted the top of Malkuth's box-like head and started walking toward the changing room.
Left behind, Malkuth watched their Best Employee with a puzzled expression. He seemed different today, but she couldn't tell if this change was a good thing.
Then again, in this company, what could ever truly be considered a good thing?
... ...
In any case, the Manager, A, granted all of Ye Lan's requests. Day 46 began.
The [Smile] E.G.O. set consisted of a giant hammer bearing the pale face and gaping mouth of some long-dead employee, and a suit of armor with the face of another familiar, deceased colleague embedded in its chest. Strange, deathly groans swirled around Ye Lan as he wore them, the weight of the dead settling upon his shoulders.
"Hoo..."
Ye Lan let out a long, heavy breath and walked into the main room of the Architecture Department, carrying the giant hammer. Today, the room looked like a normal, if old-fashioned, manager's office. There was even an old CRT monitor sitting on the manager's desk.
Ye Lan threw himself onto a sofa against the wall, waiting for A to give him the order to begin work.
The bodies of his dead colleagues enveloped him. To him, who had passed the final observation, their curse-like groans were now clear words of encouragement. Their corpses would become his fortress, shielding him from harm.
"Ye Lan, it's time to move. Go to D-03-109. I don't know why you made these requests, but I trust you have your reasons. For the sake of our tomorrow, work hard."
The Manager's voice echoed through the room. Ye Lan stood up and moved out.
D-03-109, Melting Love.
A humanoid slime with a sweet, strawberry scent. Its overflowing love was a deadly poison.
Ye Lan took the necessary supplies for Insight work from a shelf outside the containment unit and walked inside with his record board.
The strawberry-scented slime stood obediently in the middle of the room, allowing Ye Lan to circle the warning line and observe its body. As if understanding his purpose, the slime generously opened its arms, exposing its entire form to his gaze.
Time flew by. The energy counter on the wall surged, quickly surpassing the 24 PE-Box threshold and stopping at 30. A "Good" work result popped out from the machine beside him, signaling that it was time to leave.
Just as he was packing up to leave, the slime moved. The ball of strawberry-scented goo, seeming to sense his intent to depart, pinched off a piece of itself and molded it into the shape of a heart.
Abnormalities were not senseless beasts; dredged from the human psyche, they possessed twisted emotions. This heart-shaped ball of slime, brimming with affection, floated above Ye Lan's head. It was both a form of protection for him and a bomb capable of converting others into slime.
Ye Lan sighed at Melting Love, who was now looking at him quizzically for having stopped. He turned back, knelt before it, and, ignoring all regulations, reached his hand into its strawberry-scented body.
In that instant, the entire slime quivered. It interpreted his touch as an expression of affection. As Ye Lan withdrew his hand, the gradually melting ball of slime above his head solidified, seeming to stabilize for a time, no longer a threat to those around him.
"What took you so long? If your work result hadn't come through first, I would have thought you'd died in there."
A's greeting came as soon as Ye Lan returned. It seemed whatever had happened while he was working had put the Manager in a much better mood.
"I won't say much more; you can take care of yourself. Mr. Best Employee, your next destination is the containment unit for O-01-64. Once you're out, today's Dawn Ordeal should be safely cleared."
"A, be careful. I have a feeling today's trial will be anything but ordinary."
For Ye Lan, as long as he could get through these last five days, he would have gladly told every employee in the facility everything he knew.
Unfortunately, the script could not be changed. Everything was for the launch of the Seed of Light. Both he and Angela could only remain silent. Even if they wanted to offer a warning, it would come out as nothing more than a dry "be careful."
Taking a deep breath, his physical and mental state restored in the rest area, Ye Lan walked into the containment unit of O-01-64, the Queen of Greed.