After inviting Binah to eat, Zhou Zhuang saw her shake her head and refuse. He didn't push it.
After saying goodbye to Binah, he followed Angela out of the R&D Department and retraced the route they'd come from.
Riding the elevator with Angela, Zhou Zhuang once again saw the Control Department slide into view as they ascended.
He wanted to see his "adorable employees" training hard, so he scanned the corridors eagerly—but all he found were large patches of bloodstains scattered along the hallway.
Are those from the training rabbit… or from my employees?
Zhou Zhuang's worry rose—
Until, after a bit of searching, he spotted Anna and the other three standing in the central hall, being reprimanded by Malkuth.
Only then did he relax.
Looks like the people I hired have some ability, at least—they didn't die.
Zhou Zhuang smugly "tapped his own nose" in his heart… but then he noticed something else:
Faust—who had been outside earlier—had returned at some unknown time, and was now participating in Malkuth's training as well.
Looking at Faust standing beside Malkuth, Zhou Zhuang made a guess:
Anna's group probably couldn't hold out under the teaching rabbit's attacks. Then Faust returned from the City at just the right time, arrived at the critical moment, and under Faust's "world-shaking wisdom," the four managed to suppress the teaching rabbit and complete Malkuth's training objective.
Probably…?
While he was still trying to imagine how Faust had even met Anna's group, the elevator had already reached its destination.
Zhou Zhuang snapped out of it and followed Angela out.
On the way to the cafeteria, Zhou Zhuang grew curious again: what was Lobotomy Company's food like?
Given the company's "transcendent" nature, it couldn't possibly be mediocre, right?
But then a memory hit him—what the City recognized as top-tier "delicacies"—and his body shuddered involuntarily.
Ugh… no way. That shouldn't be it, right?
He vaguely remembered that no company would hire those people…
And speaking of it—do the Wings in the City actually provide food and lodging for their employees?
Stroking his chin, Zhou Zhuang decided to ask his secretary directly.
"Hey… Angela."
"What is it, Manager?"
"How's the company cafeteria? Is it outsourced, or do we have some high-tech robot cooking system or something?"
"The cafeteria can satisfy most employees' taste preferences," Angela replied.
"As long as the Manager has an impression of it in your mind, the cafeteria will present cuisine that matches your preferences."
"Holy—so advanced!" Zhou Zhuang blurted out. "Then what if I stand at the counter for ages and can't decide what I want?"
"Time is money, Manager," Angela said. "While brief hesitation will not affect you, for the sake of employees' lives, the counter will serve the dish that flashes through your mind the most within a short time."
"That works. I don't care." Zhou Zhuang felt that having something decide for him wasn't a big deal—honestly, it was a blessing for indecisive people.
Zhou Zhuang puffed up with pride, bobbing his head.
"Wow—then Lobotomy Company really is the most employee-friendly, most humane Wing in the City!"
"Free housing! Free meals!"
"No tangled contract clauses! Full salary paid out! No middlemen taking a cut!"
"With me as Manager, they'll even have a rich personal life after work!"
"And the safest employee life insurance—man, I'm getting happy for my employees just saying it!"
Angela's next words shattered that fantasy cleanly.
"Manager, I must correct several points in your statement."
"First: the cafeteria provides a safe and convenient environment for eating, but cafeteria meals are not free for employees. However, employees can receive discounted pricing depending on their rank."
"Second: as for lodging, all daily necessities must be purchased by employees themselves in the company commercial district."
"Of course, if an employee believes they can endure the night—after a full day of work—with both mental and physical exhaustion, and still greet the next day in perfect condition, then…"
Angela's tone didn't change at all.
"Finally: while the employment contract is not explicitly written, as in the game setting the Manager is familiar with, there is only one way to 'resign.' I believe I do not need to say it out loud."
She continued:
"Employees' wages are calculated by converting the total PE-BOX obtained in a day's work. The conversion ratio is likewise determined by employee rank, from high to low."
"Using PE-BOX for transactions inside the company carries no additional fee."
"However, the company also considers visitors. If 'Ahn' is used for consumption, the company can only—regretfully—charge a 60% service fee."
Zhou Zhuang was so shocked he stopped walking.
Food, clothing, housing—everything cost money. And you could only settle it with PE-BOX.
You could pay with Ahn from outside, sure… but a 60% service fee?!
A chill crept up his neck.
It was as if a golden streetlamp in the distance was calling to him, and cold fear surged from his tailbone straight into his skull.
Angela looked at his frozen expression and sighed.
"Manager."
"Ah? I'm not selling the rope to hang myself!" Zhou Zhuang blurted out reflexively.
"No, Manager," Angela said evenly. "You have not yet adjusted your understanding of a Wing's taxation and fee structure from your original world."
"As you know, Wings possess extremely high autonomy within their Nest."
"For those living in the Nest, obtaining qualification does not mean living carefree. Each month, people still pay an amount—neither too high nor too low—to maintain their right to reside in the Nest."
"Our company's care for its Feathers is already far beyond that of other Wings."
"Safety is one aspect. The benefits Feathers enjoy can also be enjoyed by their families."
"While the company currently cannot allocate Nest property to employees, that will become attainable in the not-too-distant future."
Zhou Zhuang opened his mouth… and realized he had nothing to say.
"Manager," Angela said. "We've arrived at the cafeteria."
So they were here already?
Zhou Zhuang snapped back to reality.
Well—if they were at the cafeteria, then it was time to eat.
He pushed open the cafeteria doors.
The space inside looked like it extended endlessly, without visible end.
But the moment he stepped inside, the space "collapsed" into something finite—though by rough estimate, it could still seat several hundred people.
Zhou Zhuang looked around.
Besides himself and Angela, there was unexpectedly one other person at a table, eating with gusto—occasionally taking a sip from a mug beside them—then letting out a satisfied exclamation:
"Now that hits the spot!"
Seeing that familiar hair color, Zhou Zhuang's eyes lit up.
He walked toward the person, planning to greet them.
-------
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