Who gave you permission to travel through time with Earth?

"Oh my, it's been so long since we've seen a new person. The longer a company has been around, the more it needs an injection of fresh blood."

"You've come at just the right time. We're short-staffed everywhere, especially our data processing department. Every day we sit down and we're bombarded with 999+ task notifications. It's so annoying!"

"But I have to say... because it's so busy and tough, our salary and benefits are basically the best here. If you value this aspect, you can consider us first."

"..."

The senior walked ahead, talking as he went, showing excessive enthusiasm for the two newcomers. Fang Jin followed behind, laughing and answering, while Xu Rou silently tugged at his sleeve.

"Why...why don't we leave?" Xu Rou whispered quickly, her voice as low as possible, pressed against the back of Fang Jin's neck.

"You saw it too! The staff here are all monsters. The flickering lights are the trigger for their transformation. Who knows when they'll transform again? By then, we won't even be able to escape..."

"Shut up."

Fang Jin turned his head and said coldly, then his eyes fell on Xu Rou's tearful face. Only then did he reluctantly change his tone and give her a warning.

"We can't determine the pattern of the lights right now, but for the past ten minutes or so since we entered the corridor, there haven't been any problems. The circuitry here is clearly much more stable than outside."

"Secondly, in those thirteen minutes...did you see any other employees of Beast Corporation besides this senior from the data processing department?"

Xu Rou was taken aback... There really wasn't one, because after entering the corridor, it wasn't a straight path at all, but a maze of countless intersecting straight lines. It was in such a place that the senior had led them through countless twists and turns.

"You mean... he's guiding us, and this route is specifically for the so-called Data Processing Department, so there won't be any employees from other departments or outsiders present?"

"That's it. You really need to get your brain cleaned up."

Fang Jin spoke in a low voice, while outwardly continuing to chat and laugh with his senior. His social skills were surprisingly high, much to Xu Rou's surprise.

"Beasts and monsters are also classified. If they are kept together, they will only devour and kill each other. This is especially true in this Beast Company. The division of areas between different departments should be even more strict."

"As long as we survive the initial flash of light, the senior will be our guide until we reach the second floor. He will at least ensure that we don't wander into other areas and get surrounded by multiple people before the next light goes out."

"But he can turn into a monster too! The next lights going out could come at any moment, and then what should we do..."

Xu Rou suddenly froze. Fang Jin forcefully shoved the revolver hanging around her neck into her hand, and the cylinder silently ejected, the three scarlet bullets flashing strangely under the light.

She made a stupid mistake. Bullets could end her senior's life at any time. She was caught off guard before, but now she can't even hold the gun butt properly?

The initiative had unknowingly returned to their hands.

"I understand. The first bullet can be used in two situations: when the lights go out again... and before we reach the data processing department."

"Yes, we absolutely cannot allow our staff to huddle together; that would be a death trap! If the flashing lights were to occur then, we would be surrounded and slaughtered by a monster of flesh in an instant."

"Remember, just before you arrive at the data processing department, regardless of whether the lights flash during that time, this bullet must be 'delivered' as a gift into your senior's brain."

Fang Jin gave Xu Rou an approving look. She was much smarter and more decisive than he had imagined, and as a teammate, she wasn't too unqualified.

"As for the first scenario... there's no need to rush to waste bullets. After all, we haven't actually fought these monsters head-on yet. Perhaps we can try to hold them off for a while."

"...Based on rational judgment, if the time comes, I will decide to fire immediately."

……

But things went more smoothly than they had imagined. Another ten minutes passed, and the lights still hadn't flashed. They had even finished touring most of the data processing department.

Most of the warehouses were filled with mainframes and hard drives, densely packed with flashing blue light. Occasionally, a person would emerge from the piles of data cables... but they showed no intention of joining them.

The more this was the case, the less Fang Jin and the others dared to relax. The rhythm of the script was affected by the system, and the current calm could only mean that greater risks were brewing later.

"We've arrived at the main house."

The senior suddenly stopped. The room on the side was made up of large pieces of transparent glass, and the interior was very brightly lit, casting a conspicuous wall of light in the slightly dim corridor.

"They're all working, let's go in quietly."

The senior turned around and lowered his voice, then walked through the French windows into the main room. Fang Jin and the others glanced at him out of the corner of their eyes... and a few beads of cold sweat immediately appeared on their foreheads.

At least four or five people stared blankly at the flickering computer screens. The dark circles under their eyes and the lunchboxes on their tables proved that they hadn't rested in a long time, and their poor condition was heartbreaking.

But none of that matters now. So many employees of Beast Corporation still have to go inside to visit the main building... There's no doubt that this is the highlight of their visit to the data department.

"Get ready."

Fang Jin gave the order softly. Xu Rou gripped the pistol even tighter, but this time, after much persuasion, she managed to insert her finger into the trigger. She was ready to shoot him through the skull the moment she reached the main room door...

Fang Jin also felt a bit regretful. The senior's character was truly good, but they had already experienced the terror of the true form from the beginning, and there was absolutely no way they would give up such a good opportunity.

Speaking of which, why didn't the monster that our predecessor transformed into attack us at the beginning? Was it because there wasn't enough time... or was his attack power just not strong at that time?

He suddenly realized he had overlooked something: the lights going out was an opportunity for employees to become alienated, and essentially, it was their "rest time" to release stress and their animalistic instincts.

Back then, the senior didn't possess much aggression... Could it be because his physical state was naturally more relaxed and comfortable? So there was no pressure he needed to release?

"Wait... what about here?"

Fang Jin suddenly looked towards the main room next door. The staff members were in a completely different state from their seniors; they were all on the verge of their limits.

The pressure and madness accumulated within them created flesh and blood monsters... which are bound to be among the most aggressive!

"Senior...I have a question I'd like to ask you."

"If you want to visit the field operations department, just walk straight ahead for a short distance."

No...no.

Seeing the senior's smiling face slowly turn around, Fang Jin's eyes turned cold. He seemed to have underestimated the NPCs in this instance.

"This is a rather cliché question. I'd like to ask if the company's rest time is uniformly scheduled... or is it adjusted manually by each department?"

"..."

His smiling face suddenly enlarged, and even without the flashing lights, the expression was so exaggerated that it was beyond human capability; even the dough and bones seemed to flow again!

"Each department has different regulations and workloads, so it's impossible to unify them. Therefore, of course... we will decide for ourselves."

"Or rather, it's up to me to decide."

With a flick of his wrist, the ceiling lights immediately began to hiss! The current and the light dimmed instantly, plunging the entire corridor into the same deep, inky darkness it had entered through!

Then the glass window was smashed to pieces from the inside by countless filthy, scarlet tentacles!