For three days, Leo operated in a vacuum. He meticulously worked his way through the digital archives, absorbing years of TitanCorp's strategic triumphs and failures. His new laptop processed the data with incredible speed, allowing him to learn more in 72 hours than most employees did in a year. But his real focus was on the human element.
He used his Calm Mind to sit perfectly still for hours, watching, listening, and mapping the social currents of the department. He learned who went to lunch together, who stopped by whose desk for hushed conversations, and who avoided whom. He was building a network map based on observable data, but it was incomplete. He could see the actions, but not the intent behind them. The "why" was a black box.
On the third afternoon, as he watched two senior analysts, Anna and Ben, have a brief, tense exchange, his phone buzzed.
[Analysis Complete: Your current observational methods are insufficient for this environment.] [You are gathering behavioral data without the emotional context. This is like reading a balance sheet without knowing if the numbers represent profit or loss.] [System recommends a software upgrade for your perceptual OS.] [Upgrade to "Human Intelligence Suite 1.0"? Cost: 500 EXP.]
Leo didn't hesitate. He had plenty of EXP from his promotion. He mentally confirmed the purchase.
[Upgrade complete.] [New Skill Acquired: Microexpression Reading (Lv. 1)] [Effect: Allows the user to perceive and interpret microexpressions—fleeting, involuntary facial movements that reveal a person's true underlying emotion. Contempt, fear, anger, surprise—the truth is now written on their faces, if only for a fraction of a second.]
The world didn't change, but his perception of it sharpened to a razor's edge. It was like a graphic overlay had been installed directly into his brain.
David Chen, the department head, walked out of his office. "Team, quick huddle in five."
As everyone gathered in the open meeting space, Leo's new skill activated. It was overwhelming at first, a flood of silent data.
David started speaking, his tone warm and encouraging as he outlined the week's priorities. "...and I want to officially welcome Leo to the team. His work in his previous role was exemplary, and we're expecting great things."
Professionally, it was a perfect welcome. But as he said Leo's name, Leo saw it: a flicker at the corner of David's mouth, a slight tightening of the eyelids that lasted less than a tenth of a second. The System flagged it instantly: [Emotion Detected: Professional Caution / Assessment.] David wasn't being welcoming; he was putting a specimen under a microscope.
Then David turned to Anna, a sharp analyst in her late twenties with a reputation for being fiercely ambitious. "Anna, I want you to bring Leo up to speed on the 'Project Nightingale' preliminary data. Show him what we have so far."
Anna smiled, a perfect corporate smile. "Of course, David. Happy to help."
But Leo saw it clearly. As she agreed, her upper lip twitched almost imperceptibly on one side. [Emotion Detected: Contempt.] She didn't see him as a colleague. She saw him as an unqualified usurper, an intern playing in the big leagues.
In contrast, Ben, an older analyst who had been with the company for fifteen years, just looked tired. When he glanced at Leo, the microexpression was one of [Emotion Detected: Resigned Wariness.] He wasn't hostile; he was a veteran who had seen dozens of hotshots come and go. He was simply waiting to see how Leo would inevitably flame out.
The huddle ended. For the first time, Leo felt a sense of profound control. The wall of silence was still there, but now it had windows. He could see the enemy positions clearly. Anna was hostile. Ben was neutral but pessimistic. David was the detached judge.
He now knew that trying to win over Anna would be a waste of time. She was a rival, plain and simple. But Ben… Ben was different. His wariness wasn't personal. It was institutional. If Leo could prove his worth and, more importantly, prove he wasn't a threat to Ben's own stability, that "wariness" could be turned into respect.
Leo looked at his quest objective on his phone: Earn one person's genuine respect.
He had found his target.