In countless past cycles, he was a monster, a nightmare, a ruthless killing machine programmed by the System. Everyone who saw him would scream. Everyone would run. But in this moment, watching the humans obediently lining up to pay, looking at the chainsaw that no longer jammed, his long-stopped heart seemed to give a single, violent twitch.
Through the slits of his mask, he stared deeply at Vera's calm, exquisite profile. An emotion he had never experienced spread through his chest, scorching and unfamiliar. It was not the urge to kill, but a heavy sensation known as dignity.
Bubba silently took a half-step forward. He straightened his already massive frame even further, becoming an insurmountable wall standing between Vera and all danger. He still did not understand what capital was. But he knew one thing: this woman before him was a treasure he would not allow anyone to touch.
Vera keenly perceived this shift.
She pushed the gold-rimmed glasses up her nose. Her gaze swept over the data panel floating above Bubba's head. The red value representing "Hostility" had vanished completely, replaced by a line of green code that was reassuringly stable.
[Loyalty: 100% (Die-hard / Locked)]
"Excellent." A satisfied curve touched Vera's lips. Her voice held less of a merchant's calculation and more of an appreciation for a star employee. "Maintain this state, Bubba. Now, please show your first batch of 'customers' inside."
Bubba did not speak. He simply turned around to face the players who were clutching their phones, ready to transfer points. He silently revved the idling chainsaw.
The movement no longer carried a threat. Instead, it resembled a hardcore sheepdog herding its flock.
"Hurry! Get inside!"
The players snapped out of their trance, scrambling into Room 204. The narrow single room was instantly packed with nineteen people, but the cramped sensation was now their greatest source of security.
Vera was the last to enter. She paused as she passed Bubba.
"You come in too. Guard the door."
Bubba hesitated. In his implanted memories, he belonged to the dark, damp hallways and basements. No one had ever invited him into such a warm, bright "human zone."
He carefully lowered his chainsaw, turned sideways, and clumsily squeezed into the room as if afraid of dirtying the floor. He planted himself like an iron tower, blocking the entrance.
Zzzzt... Zzzzt...
The moment the door clicked shut, the lights in the room began to flicker eerily.The temperature plummeted. A cold, electric hum penetrated the walls and drilled directly into Bubba's brain.
[WARNING: NPC Logic Error Detected.] [Core Command "KILL" illegally overwritten. Initiating Mandatory Takeover Protocol...]
Bubba's massive frame shuddered violently. He clutched his head in agony, a beast-like growl rolling in his throat. In his eyes, which had just regained clarity, a red murderous light began to flicker again, as if he were locked in a death match with some invisible will.
His arm jerked upward uncontrollably. The roaring chainsaw slowly turned toward the person closest to him—Vera, who was sitting on the sofa counting her money.
"Ah! The monster is losing control!" A player in the corner screamed.
Vera did not scream. She didn't even look up. Her fingers, busy counting points, simply paused for half a second. In her [Absolute Valuation] vision, she clearly saw countless black data chains representing "System Authority" frantically attacking Bubba's mental firewall.
"Trying to steal my core asset right in front of my face?" Vera sneered and snapped her notebook shut.She stood up. Ignoring the serrated blade that was now only four inches from her neck, she reached out and grabbed Bubba's trembling wrist.
Her hand was cool and soft. To Bubba, who was on the verge of going berserk, the touch acted like a shot of adrenaline."Listen to me, Bubba." Vera's voice cut through the ear-piercing System noise and poured directly into his eardrums.
"That voice is commanding you to be a slave who only knows how to kill. But I am inviting you to be an employee with dignity."She didn't use any magical items. Instead, she leveraged a backdoor in the base code she knew as the former System Architect, implanting a new command through speech.
"According to Labor Law, mandatory overtime is illegal. Reject it."
Bubba shook violently.
Two diametrically opposed commands collided within his logic core.
System Command: Kill them all. Vera's Command: Reject overtime.
For the soul of a worker exhausted by endless cycles, the temptation of the phrase "Reject overtime" was more powerful than any divine decree.
"ROAR—!!!"
Bubba let out a deafening roar. This time, it wasn't directed at Vera, but at the entity in the void trying to control him.
Crack.
Vera felt as if she heard the sound of invisible shackles breaking.
The red light in Bubba's eyes extinguished completely, replaced by a deep, rock-steady black. He slowly lowered the chainsaw—a movement made entirely of his own volition.
He gasped for air, sweat and blood dripping onto the floor. Then, the terrifying killer clumsily took a step back, bowed his proud head once more, and positioned himself to shield Vera.
The System interference vanished. The lights returned to normal.
[System Alert: NPC Hostile Takeover Failed. Error Code 404.]
Vera let go of his wrist, sat back on the sofa, picked up her slightly cooled coffee, and took an elegant sip.
She looked at the shell-shocked players, then at Bubba standing like a guardian deity, her tone as bland as if discussing tomorrow's weather."No need to panic. That was just a malicious software update from the System. Our IT department has already blocked it."
She tilted her chin gently toward Bubba.
"Good work. Your performance bonus for this month just doubled."
Although Bubba didn't understand what a performance bonus was, he could feel the pleasure in his Boss's tone. He cracked a grin beneath the grotesque mask—a smile uglier than crying, yet incomparably sincere.
"I am free," Bubba thought to himself.