-Dream City.
Skyscrapers stretching thousands of meters into the clouds are common sights here, even blending into the city’s skyline and becoming a beautiful part of the landscape.
In the Dream City, countless people look up daily at these massive structures, dreaming of one day entering them and joining the ranks of the top-tier companies.
Each of these magnificent high-rises, towers, and spires belong to giant corporations and financial tycoons, boldly showcasing their immense wealth and status. Their confidence stems from their products penetrating every aspect of people’s lives.
It seems that it’s not companies that can’t do without people anymore, but people who can’t do without these companies.
Of course, this holds true as long as operations run smoothly without any major accidents.
Unfortunately, one super-corporation is currently facing such a significant incident.
In a completely sealed room, resembling a huge surveillance center and spanning hundreds of square meters, numerous electronic screens flicker in the darkness, packed tightly together in their hundreds.
Beneath these screens are many researchers in uniforms, identifiable by the “angel wings” emblem on their shoulders, a symbol of Kael Technology, the largest protective company in the Dream City.
Apart from these researchers, who wear strange devices and work on computers, a burly man in a more senior company uniform stand above them. He’s looking up, his brow continually furrowed as he focuses on the images on the hundreds of monitor screens.
“Chief William, signals from clones number 10836, 17534, 6532, and 7211, totaling over twenty, have disappeared. They are preliminarily judged to have encountered a Miasma disaster tide.”
“Immediately construct a model and estimate the signal timing.”
“Yes, sir!”
Following the burly man’s command, the researchers below quickly get to work. After a series of calculations and analyses:
“Chief William, the report is ready. The model analysis shows that the annihilation signal of this batch of clones originated from two days ago. The model suggests that our explorer teams should immediately stay away from areas Y-78 and Y-80. Should we send the instructions?”
The burly man first fell silent for a moment before issuing his command without hesitation:
“Delete that record.”
“Delete?”
William’s order clearly stunned the researchers below. After he repeated his command with more emphasis, a young male researcher, seemingly new, couldn’t hold back and stood up from his seat. .𝒎
“Chief, according to company regulations, a Miasma disaster tide that even ten clones can’t withstand is already classified as a Level B danger. The explorers in ‘Zero Dream’ should immediately evacuate the area!”
“Now, the Miasma disaster tide we’ve detected is double the usual, likely escalating to Level A danger. Concealing this information is akin to sending those explorers, who entered the dream for the company, to their deaths! This is a serious violation of company regulations. I request you to revise your order, or else I will immediately report your command to the higher-ups!”
To the young employee’s words, the burly man said nothing. Surprisingly, he flipped over the railing and jumped down from the platform. Only under the light of the screens was it clear that his burly figure and agile movements were due to his body being equipped with numerous advanced prosthetics.
“I remember you’re called… Famas, employee number 18637. Let me see, hmm… recruited from campus, not even half a year into the job, no wonder.”
A virtual tablet appeared before the burly man, displaying all the young man’s information.
“Famas, it seems your life has been unfortunate. Your father passed away when you were nine, and your mother worked three jobs to barely raise you and put you through college. Luckily, you did well, achieving excellent results. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have made it into Kael Technology. Oh, let’s see what else I found. You have a girlfriend who’s also been trying to submit her resume to Kael Technology, hoping to join the same company as her beloved boyfriend. Touching, isn’t it?”
“Chief William, I don’t understand what you’re implying.”
“Nothing much. I just feel sorry for you. As far as I know, Kael Technology’s janitorial department is planning to recruit some new people. Your mother’s condition fits perfectly. This way, she’ll only need to work one job and earn three times more than her previous three jobs combined.”
“I also feel sorry for your girlfriend. She has a promising resume and might have had the chance to join Kael Technology, just like you, enjoying the envy of her peers and other university classmates. As employees of Kael Technology, you wouldn’t have to worry about mortgages or car loans. Even your future children could attend the best schools funded by Kael Technology, receiving top-notch education. After graduation, they might easily join Kael Technology without competing with millions of other graduates, thanks to their parents’ connections.”
The young male employee, sweating under the pressure from the burly man, still insisted, “Whatever you say can’t change the fact that you’re violating…”
But before Famas could finish, Chief William interrupted him.
“However, do you know what? All these good things are about to vanish because of your current action. Let me tell you the truth. The company is in a severe crisis now. Your complaint will not only be ignored, but you will also be fired. Oh no, more likely, since you know some company secrets, you might spend the rest of your life in prison.”
“Of course, you could choose another path. Follow my order, let the explorer teams in Y-78 and Y-80 continue mining in the ‘Old World’ for the company. If they successfully excavate valuable ‘Old World’ relics from ‘Zero Dream’, not just me, but you too will be hailed as the company’s saviors. With a promotion, you, as part of the management, could easily help your mother and girlfriend, as I just mentioned, right?”
“Moreover, you know what’s most crucial? Even if they fail and die in ‘Zero Dream’, it will be them, not you. Do you understand?”
The young male employee wanted to say more, but he noticed the changed looks in his “colleagues'” eyes. No one supported him anymore.
At that moment, a communication message suddenly appeared before the burly man.
“Chief William, the advisory group from Sin City has arrived.”
“Understood, I’ll be right there.”
After responding to the message, William patted the young man’s shoulder meaningfully, even appointing him as his temporary deputy. The rest of the staff were to follow Famas’ orders. Then, without looking back, William left the monitoring room – or rather, the command center.
“Deputy Chief Famas, should we delete the record?”
The young male employee hesitated for several seconds but eventually nodded.
“Delete the record.”
New novel chapters are published on .𝒎