When Anna stepped out of the containment unit, she honestly expected retaliation.
After all—she'd already confessed almost everything she could confess.
So she braced herself for an attack…
…but nothing happened.
She completed the work perfectly and walked out without taking a scratch.
Touching the thorny crown on her head, she hesitated.
Maybe it was just her imagination, but when she ran out of things to say, the crown seemed to resonate with the Abnormality—like it was answering on her behalf.
Wing technology really is something else…
And where the company even found these things called Abnormalities, she had no idea.
Beep-beep.
"Level-1 Employee Anna, proceed to O-02-56 for Instinct work."
"Huh? The work type changed."
Instinct… if she remembered correctly, it meant satisfying the Abnormality's desires.
Which was weird to think about.
So even these "Abnormalities" had cravings and "sins" like humans did?
But… how exactly were you supposed to "satisfy" a bird-like Abnormality's desires when touching it could trigger an attack?
Anna hurried along.
On the way, she passed Faust—who was rotating over to work with the skull Abnormality again. There wasn't even time for a greeting; the schedule was too tight.
Back in the rest area, Anna saw something encouraging:
Even Sif, normally a single-minded wall, had started training under Lain's guidance.
Sure, last-second cramming probably wouldn't change much, but Anna could tell his mindset was shifting—at least for now.
She didn't stay.
Pushing forward urgently, she arrived outside the containment unit for her next assignment.
You can do this.
She took a breath, stepped in—
…
From the control room, Zhou Zhuang watched their pace improve.
"Looks like after that initial unfamiliarity, their work speed has noticeably increased. Two or three more rotations and we'll basically unlock the rest of the dossiers."
"And then we'll pull two sets of Punishing Bird E.G.O gear… and we can clock out today."
He glanced at Faust and Anna's progress, then at Lain and Sif training in the rest area.
"Lain recovered pretty well… but I'm still scared he'll die if I send him back in."
And then Zhou Zhuang frowned, thinking about something that didn't add up.
"Does that mean Anna's 'sin' only belonged to Anna?"
"Did Lain and Sif not take part in whatever it was?"
He stared at them for a beat.
Then he decided to gamble.
"Damn it. I'm betting you were messing around last time, Lain. This time we've unlocked more info, success rate and speed should improve…"
He fixed Lain with a glare like sheer hostility could raise his odds.
"When Faust finishes, it's your turn—and it's a high-stakes bet, my friend."
The moment Faust's work ended, Zhou Zhuang immediately opened One Sin's file and spent PE-Boxes to unlock more information.
The work success probability climbed again.
By the game's standards, it looked like about a 10% boost total when combined with earlier buffs.
"…Go, Lain."
On the monitor, Lain received the assignment.
No visible fear.
His steps were steady as he walked toward One Sin's containment.
Zhou Zhuang couldn't help it—watching that posture, one thought popped up in his head:
"We're good. We're all good."
But cracking champagne at halftime was taboo.
He kept his doubt and watched closely as Lain entered the unit and began work.
Inside, Lain knelt in front of One Sin—just like Anna had—and started to confess.
The collector gauge rose smoothly, without a single hitch.
When Lain finished speaking, that familiar white light flooded the containment unit again—so bright the whole Control Department seemed to glow.
When the light faded, Zhou Zhuang leaned in.
Just as expected—
A One Sin accessory appeared on Lain's head too.
"I knew it," Zhou Zhuang said, excited.
"There's no way your boss's 'sin' belonged only to her. Yeah, this is a pretty hellish inference… but it's for your own good."
On the monitor, Lain sprinted back toward the rest area, and Zhou Zhuang nodded in approval.
So that means Sif could probably get an accessory too…
But Zhou Zhuang watched Sif's hesitant posture and immediately backed off that idea.
Not yet.
With Sif's current HP, three or four hits from One Sin's fear damage could kill him.
Better wait until his courage improved through training.
At least now they had three people who could rotate.
Zhou Zhuang decided quickly:
Lain would be One Sin's babysitter for the day.
Faust and Anna would rotate with the bird Abnormality instead.
Instinct, Insight, Communion—any of those could work with the bird, as long as they avoided provoking it.
"Alright. Adjust assignments based on situation… but at least one flag-bearer has been freed up."
Then—
BZZZ—BZZZ—BZZZ—BZZZ.
The sudden alarm jolted Zhou Zhuang so hard he nearly jumped.
He focused on the display.
A warning had appeared:
One Sin's containment unit: MELTDOWN IMMINENT.
"…Okay. This one's easy."
"Let the newly appointed One Sin babysitter handle it."
…
After telling his sins, Lain felt light.
Not physically—something deeper than that.
Like the burden on his heart had been removed.
Just like Anna, he'd forgotten something too.
Maybe the Abnormality had "eaten" that memory.
A mountain inside him collapsed into dust, and a smile formed without him noticing.
In the rest area, Anna paced back and forth, repeatedly glancing at the A-sector door.
"Boss, Lain will be fine," Sif tried to reassure her.
"You might not know this, but after your first work session, the whole company flashed with white light too… and then you came back safely."
Anna blinked.
"You mean the white light just now is the same thing?"
She didn't fully believe him, but she stopped pacing and sat down anyway.
"…If Faust weren't at the bird's unit, I could ask her."
Sif frowned, black lines practically appearing over his head.
"Boss, you trust her that much and not your own subordinate?"
"And anyway, if you don't believe me, why would you believe her?"
Anna laughed awkwardly.
"Uh… because Faust is… smart?"
A terrible answer, but it was all she had.
Then—
The A-sector door opened.
Anna shot up instantly.
Lain appeared.
And compared to last time, he didn't look miserable, blood-soaked, or half-dead.
"Boss—safe return," Lain said with a grin.
Anna and Sif rushed him and immediately punched him twice each out of pure reflex.
Before Anna could interrogate him, her wristband buzzed again.
"Supervisor assigned a task. I'll deal with you when I'm back," she threatened, marching toward Sector B.
Lain and Sif turned toward each other.
Sif asked, "Why weren't you covered in blood this time?"
Lain started, "Ah, that's because I—"
—but before he could finish, the control room lighting began flashing red.
A shrill alarm screamed through the facility.
Lain's wristband vibrated.
He looked down, instantly understanding.
"Ah… Sif, I have to work again. I'll tell you when I'm back."
And he bolted back the way he came.
Because whatever was happening in the control room didn't look like a small incident.
Sif watched him go, left standing alone.
It felt like Anna and Lain had both stepped into a new chapter—bravely moving forward—
…and he was the only one left behind, staring at their backs.
....
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