Upon entering my living quarters, the first thing that caught my eye was the camera and a computer. The computer I was expected to use, since mobile or personal devices that are not made by or for Lobotomy Corporation are completely off limits while working here. The room was, for lack of a better term, a box with a kitchen and bathroom attached to it. Despite my new home being quite roomy, it held very little furniture. A small living room table, a built-in closet, desk, rolling chair, and a computer that is connected and built into the wall, hanging over my desk. On my desk was a tablet with a sticky note stuck on it. The tablet was for me to use when I am assigned the task of producing power. I was still unsure what exactly was needed to produce power, and my confusion only deepened as time went on, especially about everything this facility was all about, and giving us some guns with ammunition did very little in abating my unease and uncertainty of this place.
Fortunately for me, all I had to do was clean the bathrooms for the first couple of days, which was easy enough. Especially since the money I was receiving was well worth the effort. All of that money went straight into my system for safekeeping, where I can use it to buy things in case of an emergency, and only when needed. But I wasn't a total prude when it came to my money. I would buy things here and there, like items that would make my job here easier or food. One of the few items I bought that wasn't a single-use item was the Aglet from the game Terraria, making my body more agile, or better yet, more responsive.
And since in my previous world I had a full-time job in janitorial work and partly as a handyman before being isekai'd, I already had more than enough experience in cleaning. Making my job in cleaning the toilets much easier. It was good experience to have since everybody needs a janitor or handyman.
But after a week went by, I ended up receiving an update from my tablet saying that they wanted me to produce power that day and that I was expected to reach my quota by a specific time.
When I entered what people would call a mud room before entering the main chamber, a feature that I didn't have access to was unlocked, and I was surprised by what I saw. Rather than giving me directions for some device, I received information that looked like something out of SCP containment.
Apparently, I was supposed to interact with One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds to produce power. It turns out that my first thought about this place looking like something you would find in SCP Containment Breach was not wrong.
But fortunately for me, the information needed to deal with this Abnormality and every other Abnormality currently in this facility was already documented, and apparently they keep the simplest Abnormalities here. The reason was very simple: all of the Abnormalities here produce less Enkephalin, with only a few deadly ones being transferred to this facility from the main facility or other facilities on rare occasions. Luckily for me, I was able to reach my quota without any issues after a couple of days.
But I still needed to be careful, since even the most harmless Abnormality can and will kill you—or worse—even if whatever it is is considered the safest of all Abnormalities out there.
The next day was not a good day—not for any of us. Thirty days in, and our first alarm went off. An Abnormality had breached containment. Scorch Girl. Apparently, one of my fellow coworkers couldn't tell she was upset, since this is the real world and not a game where we can see the Qliphoth Counter.
So when the person in question interacted with Scorch Girl, she escaped her confinement, leading to what was happening now.
I was enjoying a meal with three other coworkers, three out of the seven people that joined Lobotomy Corporation with me. That moment changed our lives, but for the better or for the worse, I could not say, to be honest.
Ever since arriving in this world, I couldn't help but reminisce about my life before being transported to this hellhole. But despite trying my best, I couldn't remember how I got here or why. All I could remember was getting ready for work one day, and then boom—I'm here.
The three I was eating with when Scorch Girl escaped are Finn, Samantha, and Sally. Sadly I never got the chance to meet the other four dew to the fact that they all died to the Abnormalities they were sent to interact with. Fortunately or unfortunately, I never got the details on how they died, but I can only hope that there death was painless and quick. Especially, since in this world there are things far worse than death.
Me and the others were having a good chat, enjoying our lunch, with me providing the treats. I was fortunately able to keep my powers a secret. we happened to be near the cafeteria door when she—or rather, it—passed by.
That's when the alarms went off, and before we knew what was happening, gunshots rang out from the hallway. Not long after, a massive boom went off like a grenade had exploded at the end of the corridor.
Then came the whining and groaning, the groaning coming from the same direction Scorch Girl went—the same direction we heard the loud boom.
None of us got up. None of us wanted to.
Maybe out of fear of another explosion going off. Maybe out of fear of seeing what had just happened.
Maybe both.
But what I do know is that the Mood Candy was doing a fine job suppressing not just my fear, but also the fear of my three other coworkers and friends.
Then and there, I began to do something I hadn't done since I was young.
I prayed.
Praying for those who got hurt, injured, or possibly killed to make a swift and healthy recovery. And if anyone was killed, that they could finally find peace in the afterlife.
After such an experience, the mood at our table—and in the cafeteria—died down. Everyone, despite looking calm, had their guard raised, not knowing if something else was going to happen.
Not long after that experience, thirty became forty days. And on that day, we all received a message on our tables: two new Abnormalities had just been transported from the main facility to here. The Queen of Hatred and an old-fashioned gaming set.
I had no information on the gaming setup, but I recognized the other Abnormality, the Queen of Hatred. When she starts panicking and her Qliphoth Counter gets too low, she'll transform into a snake-like monster and proceed to go on a rampage, killing and butchering everyone who happens to be standing in her path of destruction.
Now, why would she start panicking, you might think? And my answer to you is... I don't know—or at least I wouldn't know if it weren't for the tablet we were given by Lobotomy Corporation. A soft beep informing us of a new update to the Abnormality section from the tablet system drew everybody's attention. Information about the Queen of Hatred, what we needed to know when interacting with her, and what signs we needed to keep an eye out for when she becomes mentally unstable and is about to transform, or better yet, breach containment. Little did I know that we, the personal didn't have access to all of her information.
I knew things would get crazy if she goes on a rampage, so I decided I would do whatever I can to prevent that from ever happening by volunteering to interact with her to make sure she doesn't kill everyone. To be honest, I would have felt bad for her, if it weren't for the fact that she technically isn't human. But there was something sad about it, the fact that she wanted to protect people and help people, only to transform into a monster if things remain too peaceful, and the fact that she forgets what she does when she transforms.
So, before the next day could come, I decided to spend a good portion of that night coming up with plans and ideas. How would I calm her down? How should I calm her down? Can I even calm her down? And most of all, what should I do if I can't calm her down?
End of Chapter Four