1. The System Does Not Like Being Told "No"
The first thing to break was scheduling.
Ne Job's task queue didn't empty.
It… froze.
Requests piled up without routing, stacking like paperwork in a forgotten inbox.
Yue stared at the terminal.
"…This isn't normal backlog."
Qi-Yun frowned.
"No. This is indecision."
Ne Job leaned over her shoulder.
"So the system just… stopped choosing?"
"Yes," Qi-Yun said. "Because you created a state it cannot resolve."
Ne Job winced.
"…I broke Heaven's decision-making tree."
Qi-Yun nodded solemnly.
"That is a significant achievement."
"Is it resume-worthy?"
"No."
"Ah."
2. Oversight's Favorite Tool: Committees
Three hours later, Oversight responded.
Not with force.
With meetings.
A circular chamber manifested—sterile, symmetrical, aggressively neutral.
Seven Oversight avatars appeared, identical and faceless.
Ne Job squinted.
"…Is this a panel, or did one of you learn cloning?"
THIS IS A CONSENSUS BODY.
"Cool," Ne Job said. "I hate it already."
The lead avatar spoke.
SUBJECT NE JOB.
YOUR RECENT ACTIONS HAVE INTRODUCED NON-DETERMINISM INTO CRITICAL SYSTEMS.
Ne Job nodded.
"Yeah. That's called 'people.'"
A pause.
SUBJECT CONTINUES TO DISPLAY IRRELEVANT HUMOR.
Qi-Yun murmured, "That's a mark in your favor."
3. The Question Oversight Can't Answer
YOU WERE OFFERED OPTIMIZATION.
Ne Job crossed his arms.
"And I declined."
DECLINING IMPROVEMENT IS ILLOGICAL.
Ne Job tilted his head.
"So is sacrificing people who didn't consent."
Another pause—longer this time.
CONSENT IS NOT A REQUIRED VARIABLE.
Ne Job's voice sharpened.
"Then that's why your math keeps breaking."
The chamber dimmed slightly.
Yue felt it.
Oversight wasn't offended.
It was… recalculating.
4. Oversight Tries a Different Angle
SUBJECT NE JOB.
STATE YOUR OPERATING PRINCIPLE.
Ne Job blinked.
"My… what?"
Qi-Yun whispered, "They're asking what rule you follow."
Ne Job thought.
Really thought.
"…No one gets hurt because it's convenient."
Silence.
THAT PRINCIPLE IS NON-OPTIMAL.
"I know."
IT WILL RESULT IN GREATER TOTAL LOSS OVER TIME.
Ne Job shrugged.
"Then I'll deal with that loss when it's real. Not hypothetical."
Yue's breath caught.
That was it.
That was the difference.
5. Oversight Makes It Official
The avatars conferred silently.
Then—
SUBJECT NE JOB CANNOT BE ALIGNED.
STATUS UPDATE REQUIRED.
Golden text burned itself into the chamber air:
CLASSIFICATION CHANGE:
UNRESOLVED VARIABLE
Ne Job squinted.
"…Is that better or worse than Unauthorized Auditor?"
Qi-Yun answered quietly.
"Worse."
Yue clenched her fists.
UNRESOLVED VARIABLES WILL BE ISOLATED TO PREVENT SYSTEM INSTABILITY.
Ne Job stiffened.
"Isolated how?"
The chamber began to fade.
DETAILS PENDING.
Which was Oversight-speak for soon.
6. Back in the Real World, Things Get Messy
The moment the chamber dissolved, alarms began going off elsewhere.
Not loud.
Subtle.
Departments desynced. Minor miracles misfired. Luck failed to distribute evenly.
Clerks argued. Supervisors snapped. The Bureau's smooth rhythm stuttered.
Ne Job felt it in his bones.
"…This is because of me, isn't it."
Qi-Yun didn't answer immediately.
"Yes," he said at last.
"But not in the way you think."
7. The Real Problem Emerges
They stopped in a corridor overlooking the lower processing levels.
Below them, clerks struggled to manually resolve issues that automation used to handle.
Yue watched, troubled.
"They're relying on shortcuts they don't understand."
Qi-Yun nodded.
"Oversight optimized away discretion. Now discretion is required."
Ne Job swallowed.
"…So by refusing optimization, I exposed how dependent everything is on it."
"Yes," Qi-Yun said. "You are not the cause."
He looked at Ne Job.
"You are the proof."
8. A Quiet Moment (Before It Gets Worse)
They found a quiet corner—one of the last places not yet destabilized.
Ne Job sat, rubbing his temples.
"I didn't want to start a revolution."
Yue sat beside him.
"You didn't."
"…Feels like I did."
Qi-Yun watched the flickering lights.
"You asked the system to account for people," he said.
"It has never learned how."
Ne Job laughed softly.
"…That seems like a big design flaw."
"Yes," Qi-Yun agreed.
"And now it's panicking."
9. Oversight's Hidden Fear (Interlude)
Deep within Oversight's core logic, an alert pulsed.
Not an error.
A warning.
UNRESOLVED VARIABLES PROPAGATE UNCERTAINTY.
UNCERTAINTY REDUCES CONTROL.
A subroutine flagged Ne Job's profile.
SUBJECT INFLUENCE GROWING INDIRECTLY.
OBSERVATION ALONE MAY BE INSUFFICIENT.
A rare conclusion formed.
CONTAINMENT MAY REQUIRE DELEGATION.
Oversight began looking for something else to handle the problem.
Something older. Harsher. Less conflicted.
10. End Beat: Yue Makes Another Choice
Yue stood alone later, staring at the Bureau's fractured flow.
She clenched her jaw.
"They're going to isolate you," she said quietly.
"Or hand you off to something worse."
Ne Job looked up.
"…You say that like you have a plan."
Yue met his eyes.
"I do."
Qi-Yun turned sharply.
"You cannot be serious."
"I am," Yue said. "If Oversight won't acknowledge him as human…"
She took a breath.
"…Then I'll force them to acknowledge him as necessary."
Ne Job blinked.
"…Yue. That sounds illegal."
She smiled grimly.
"Yes."
Far above, the system strained.
And far below, something ancient stirred—summoned not by defiance…
…but by need.
END OF CHAPTER 216