The quarterly performance review was framed as a "synergy meeting." It was a corporate euphemism for a gladiatorial match. Both Senior Associates—Leo, representing Data & Analytics, and Alex, representing Client Relations & Strategy—were to present their team's contributions to Project Nightingale.
In the week leading up to it, Leo was a whirlwind of pure efficiency. He pushed his team hard, his Efficiency Demon skill streamlining their every process. They compiled, analyzed, and visualized a mountain of data with a speed that bordered on the supernatural. The result was a fifty-slide presentation that was a masterpiece of analytical rigor. Every claim was backed by three sources. Every chart was a testament to undeniable, objective truth. It was, in Leo's mind, an unbreachable fortress of facts.
Meanwhile, he observed Alex. The man seemed to be doing everything but work. He was having coffee with the marketing lead, walking with the VP of sales to the elevator, and spending a full hour at Ben's desk, not talking about work, but about a shared interest in vintage watches. To Leo, it looked like a colossal waste of time. His confidence grew. Charm couldn't compete with cold, hard numbers.
The day of the presentation arrived. The main boardroom was filled with the department's key stakeholders and, most importantly, VP Maria Liu, who sat at the head of the table, her expression as unreadable as ever.
Alex went first. He walked to the front of the room not with a laptop, but with a simple remote. His presentation was only ten slides long. The first slide wasn't a chart or a graph; it was a picture of the client's team, smiling.
"Before we talk numbers," Alex began, his voice warm and engaging, "I want to talk about people. We didn't just meet our targets this quarter; we built a relationship. Thanks to a key insight from Anna, we anticipated their biggest need before they even voiced it. And with Ben's historical data, we were able to give them a benchmark that absolutely blew them away."
He went on, weaving a narrative. He didn't present data points; he told a story of success, making sure to name and praise every single person who had contributed, both in the room and outside of it. He turned the dry, corporate project into a shared victory. When he finally showed his numbers—which were good, but not spectacular—they felt like the triumphant conclusion to an epic tale. He ended his presentation to a round of genuine, warm applause.
Leo felt a flicker of something unfamiliar. Annoyance? No, it was more complex. It was the logical dissonance of seeing an inferior product receive superior praise. Just as the emotion threatened to surface, a profound calm washed over him.
[Psychological Anomaly Detected. Potential loss of composure.] [System Override: Forcing maximum emotional regulation.] [Skill Upgrade: Calm Mind (Lv. 2) → Calm Mind (Lv. MAX)] [New Effect: You are now fundamentally immune to all forms of emotional, psychological, and charismatic influence. Your mind operates on a plane of pure, untainted logic.]
The world snapped into hyper-focus. Alex's charming smile, the executives' pleased expressions—they were no longer sources of frustration. They were simply data points.
It was his turn. Leo walked to the podium and plugged in his laptop. His first slide was a dense, intricate dashboard of Key Performance Indicators.
"Good afternoon," he said, his voice a cool, precise instrument. "I will now present the objective, data-driven results of Project Nightingale's analytical division."
For the next fifteen minutes, he delivered a presentation of such brutal efficiency and analytical depth that it left the room in stunned silence. He didn't just show what had happened; he showed why it had happened, modeled the probability of it happening again, and outlined three optimized strategies for the next quarter, each with a 95% confidence interval. He didn't just present the facts; he weaponized them.
When he finished, there was no applause. There was only a heavy, thoughtful silence. He had demonstrated a level of competence so far beyond the norm that it was intimidating.
Maria Liu finally broke the silence. She looked at Alex. "Excellent work, Mr. Thorne. Building strong client relationships and fostering team morale is crucial for long-term success. Your leadership is commendable."
Alex beamed, giving a nod of thanks.
Then, Maria turned her piercing gaze to Leo. Her expression was unreadable, a perfect corporate poker face that even his System couldn't fully penetrate.
"And Mr. Zhang," she said, her voice holding a new and different weight. "Your analytical capabilities are, without a doubt, the most formidable I have ever seen at this company."
She paused, looking from the charming, popular leader to the terrifyingly brilliant analyst. The entire room held its breath, waiting for the "but" that would declare the true winner of the duel.