After finishing their inspection, Zhou Zhuang carried the bag of snacks gifted by "Ham-Bam-Bam" and walked with Angela back toward his room.
On the way, he chatted with her on and off. Most of the time, it was Zhou Zhuang voicing whatever popped into his head, while Angela listened like the dutiful, loyal attendant she was.
As they walked, Zhou Zhuang suddenly pointed ahead and said to Angela,
"Angela, don't you think the atmosphere in this company is way too cold?"
He stomped the metal floor hard—bang, bang—and glanced at her.
"Look at this corridor. Nothing but monotonous lighting and airtight steel passageways."
Angela replied gently, "Is it? Perhaps we've simply grown used to it, Manager."
"That's not the point." Zhou Zhuang shook his head, adamant. "People can't just force themselves to adapt by saying 'I'm used to it.' Stay in a place this oppressive long enough and it'll drive you insane. So I've decided—when I get back to my room, I'm sending out a poll in the work chat."
Angela could tell what this was: her manager had some free time again, which meant the "brilliant ideas" were starting to bubble up.
"By the way," Zhou Zhuang asked, "does the company phone have something like that penguin chat app?"
He could have checked his phone himself, but why bother when he had a living encyclopedia walking beside him?
"Yes, Manager," Angela answered after a brief moment of thought. "In fact, the phone itself is essentially a collection of the applications you remember. Any function you want can be done through it."
"Really?" Zhou Zhuang stared at the company-issued "high-tech" phone as if seeing it for the first time.
"I'll try it when I get back."
They reached the elevator. While waiting for the doors to open, Zhou Zhuang suddenly remembered the rich kid who hadn't shown up in a while.
"Oh, right—Angela. That guy in our company… uh… that rich second-gen. His name is Jin… Jin… Jin-whatever. Forget it. How's that employee doing—the one sent out on fieldwork?"
"Jin Shiyong?" Angela supplied smoothly.
"Yeah! That's the one." Zhou Zhuang slapped his thigh in satisfaction.
"According to the logs," Angela said, "he has successfully reached the edge of the Alley of Sound. He is currently proceeding according to the instructions on the company's invitation."
"However, at his current pace, it is estimated he will need half a month to reach his destination."
"Huh?!" Zhou Zhuang nearly stumbled. "What, did he use a 'Anywhere Door' to teleport into the middle of nowhere? Why would it take that long?"
"The target's information is incomplete," Angela explained. "No one can be certain where the closest entry point would be. So Jin Shiyong decided to begin his search from the center of the Alley of Sound."
"Before he formally began searching, he also planned to obtain a vehicle from a dealership under his family company's name to use as transportation."
"That makes sense," Zhou Zhuang conceded—then immediately frowned again. "But if he has a car, why would it still take so long?"
"Because once he reached the center," Angela said, "he realized he had underestimated the sheer scale of the Backstreets. And under the influence of the Black Noon, he occasionally encounters creatures of Great Sin."
"Ah…" Zhou Zhuang's expression dimmed. "Right. It's the Black Noon—chaos time."
He sighed.
"Then all we can do is pray he delivers the invitation safely… and comes back alive."
The elevator arrived. The two stepped in, one after the other, and rode up.
When they got out, Zhou Zhuang shifted the bag of snacks to his other hand. The hallway was so quiet that their footsteps echoed back at them. After enduring it for a few more seconds, he finally couldn't take it anymore.
"Angela… can we use the company broadcast to play some music or something? Change the vibe while we walk."
"Of course, Manager." Angela turned to him. "What would you like to play?"
"Anything," Zhou Zhuang said. "Just pick a few relaxing tracks from stuff I've heard before. If you need a category… hmm… let's go with 'anime' vibes."
"Understood, Manager."
A familiar melody suddenly flowed through the air—recognizable almost instantly from the very first line.
Zhou Zhuang yelped, "Oh hell—the widow song!"
He shot Angela a teasing look.
"Angela, you've got a bit of a wicked sense of humor, huh?"
Angela blinked, genuinely puzzled. "Manager, does this song carry some unfortunate implication? If it does, I can change it."
"No, no, it's fine." Zhou Zhuang waved it off. "It's a good song."
He paused, memories flashing through his mind—neon nights, a broken city, and the kind of tenderness that refuses to die even in a world that's already rotten.
"In a sick world… it's the kind of love that never fades."
"I see," Angela said softly, not pressing further.
And so the two continued walking, the music accompanying their steps.
…
Elsewhere.
"Faster! My dear employees—this is the third time! How are you still not finding the weak point of the enemy right in front of you?!"
Malkuth was so fired up she had one foot planted on a low table, pointing down at the trainees like a battlefield commander with a clipboard.
"Sif! Stop cowering and dodging! Watch the enemy's attacks—then step into them! If you can't even face it, how do you expect to grow?"
"And you too, Anna." Malkuth's finger snapped toward her. "What, is your opponent not strong enough? You still have the spare attention to watch other people's fights?"
Startled, Anna whipped her focus back—only to find her enemy's speed spike sharply. A blade swept toward her waist. She barely twisted away in time.
Her heart hammered. The fear sobered her instantly.
"Right now, only Ryan and Faust are doing well," Malkuth declared, nodding in satisfaction. "They've basically figured out how to handle their opponents."
She leaned back—then froze.
Music was echoing through the facility.
Surprised, Malkuth looked at Hod. Hod looked back, just as confused.
"Hm." Malkuth tilted her head, listening. "So this is the Manager's idea."
Below, one of the four trainees finally brought down their opponent. With that momentum—and with others helping cover openings—the rest quickly finished off theirs as well.
Malkuth watched the exhausted group, then made a decision.
"Alright, that's enough." She exhaled. "Rest. The Manager is playing music, and it's hard to concentrate like this."
The moment they heard the word rest, the employees collapsed onto the floor like their bones had been removed.
....
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