1. The Walk Back Is Longer When You're Officially Wrong
No one spoke on the return trip.
District Seven faded behind them, lanterns swaying gently—as if nothing monumental had happened.
Ne Job dragged his feet.
"…Do you think they'll revoke my intern badge?"
Yue shot him a look.
"You were just reclassified as an Unauthorized Auditor."
"Oh." He brightened slightly. "So the badge problem solved itself."
Qi-Yun did not smile.
"They will not touch you immediately," he said. "Oversight prefers precedent."
Ne Job frowned. "Precedent for what?"
"For what happens to people who do what you just did."
That… did not help.
2. Heaven Adjusts the Furniture (Around Him)
Back at the Bureau, the changes were subtle.
Too subtle.
Doors opened half a second slower. Terminals lagged—just for him. His name failed to autocomplete.
Ne Job stared at the screen.
"…I'm being soft-locked."
Yue muttered, "They're constraining you without issuing a formal order."
Qi-Yun nodded. "This is how Oversight pressures dissenters. No punishment. Only friction."
Ne Job leaned back.
"Wow. They turned my entire existence into bad Wi-Fi."
3. The First Denial
A request pinged—one Ne Job had been tracking for weeks.
A famine stabilization in a minor mortal province.
He reached for it instinctively.
ACCESS DENIED
Ne Job blinked.
"…Excuse me?"
A note appeared beneath it:
REASSIGNED TO STANDARD PROCESSING
ESTIMATED RESOLUTION: 11 MONTHS
Ne Job's throat tightened.
"That region doesn't have eleven months."
Yue slammed her hand on the desk.
"They're doing this on purpose."
Qi-Yun's expression was grim.
"They are reminding him what authority looks like."
Ne Job stared at the denial.
Then quietly opened a blank correction slate.
4. Working Anyway
"Ne Job," Yue warned.
He didn't look up.
"I know."
"You're visible now."
"I know."
"They'll trace this."
"I know."
He adjusted the probabilities manually—careful, slow, minimal.
No signature flares. No dramatic cuts.
Just nudges.
Rain fell where it hadn't. Trade routes shifted by chance. A single magistrate decided—on a whim—to open the granaries.
The famine eased.
No miracle.
Just survival.
The slate dimmed.
Resolved.
Ne Job exhaled.
"…Worth it."
Behind him, a terminal chimed ominously.
5. Oversight Responds (With Politeness)
A formal message rendered itself.
No alarms. No threats.
Just immaculate formatting.
OVERSIGHT NOTICE:
SUBJECT NE JOB HAS INTERFERED WITH REASSIGNED CASE
ACTION LOGGED
FREQUENCY: 2 VIOLATIONS
PLEASE BE ADVISED: CONTINUED BEHAVIOR WILL NECESSITATE REVIEW
Ne Job squinted.
"…They're scolding me."
Yue laughed once—sharp and humorless.
"That's worse."
Qi-Yun folded his arms.
"They are measuring how often you will disobey."
Ne Job shrugged.
"…Often."
Qi-Yun almost smiled.
6. The Weight of Being Watched
By the third quiet correction, Ne Job's hands were shaking.
Not from fear.
From restraint.
Every instinct screamed to fix more. Faster. Louder.
But he couldn't.
Not without escalation. Not without consequences spilling onto others.
He leaned against the wall.
"…This is harder than fighting monsters."
Yue softened.
"Because monsters don't pretend they're reasonable."
Ne Job huffed a weak laugh.
"…I miss when the threat was a giant stamp monster."
Qi-Yun nodded solemnly.
"So do I."
7. A Question Yue Doesn't Want to Ask
Later, in a quiet corridor, Yue stopped him.
"Ne Job."
He looked up.
"If this keeps going… they will force a choice."
He frowned. "Between what?"
"Between stopping," she said, "and becoming an example."
Ne Job considered that.
"…Examples usually hurt, don't they."
"Yes."
He nodded slowly.
"…Okay."
Yue's chest tightened.
"That's all you have to say?"
He smiled—small, tired, sincere.
"I already decided back in District Seven."
8. End Beat: The Other Watcher Moves Closer
Deep within the Archive's forbidden strata, something shifted again.
Not Oversight. Not Qi-Yun's domain.
A shadow threaded through abandoned ledgers and dead rules.
A whisper, amused and patient:
Unauthorized…
Unoptimized…
Unafraid…
A new directive etched itself into nothingness.
INITIATE CONTACT PROTOCOL
TARGET: NE JOB
METHOD: OFFER
Far above, Ne Job sneezed.
"…Why do I suddenly feel like someone wants to sell me something."
Qi-Yun stiffened.
Yue's blood ran cold.
Because whatever was coming next—
Was not going to threaten him.
It was going to tempt him.
END OF CHAPTER 214