"Forehead ......"

When I opened my eyes again, I struggled to half-sit up from the bed. Looking up at the familiar gray ceiling, I couldn't help but fall into an irrepressible sense of loss, and before I knew it, countless familiar lives had passed in front of me, and what had become of me? Why should I bear all this? I even wondered the meaning of my existence – a question I had thought about countless times in the vastness of the past, and it still haunted me all the time.

I got up, washed up, and looked at myself in the mirror again: the familiar face, inlaid with the golden pupils as bright as the morning sun, it was so unique and beautiful, more dazzling and translucent than the most precious gem in any museum in the city, but every time it emitted a faint twilight in the darkness, it immediately evoked a chilling fear of the power of twilight, the price of the choice that lurked into the abyss, even if I could not understand what was going to happen, The only thing that can be confirmed is that it is more evil and desperate than death itself, but the indescribable unknown in itself is enough to make my poor brain almost shut down, and I have to empty my mind at once to avoid fainting as a result......

If nothing else, the records department will be opened today, and the veil of the company's most mysterious lower department will be slowly revealed. But I'm tired of this, the house arrest has been lifted, and I'm about to face even more difficult daily tasks, and Angela, whose completely unpredictable behavior has silenced all the returnees, not to mention the riots at the Central Headquarters yesterday...... In any case, today's work will not be easy.

"Ugh......" I sighed deeply, put on my black trench coat, unlocked the door, and prepared to go to work.

"Surprise!!"

Suddenly, instead of the cold walls and the indifferent crowd, there was a huge pink cake with a red candle on it. And then there were the familiar people: Yui, Camille, and Parker, carefully and awkwardly holding up the base, poured out the bright smiles of the six teeth to me; Gray with his feet on his feet and Ida shaking a colored stick lined his sides, and his body was wrapped with colorful ribbons; Even the usually serious Rocky Marx blew the party horn, and little Hana and Maxi hid behind everyone, cautiously poking their heads out and smiling shallowly at me.

"Happy birthday, Devna-senpai!" Parker, who was most enthusiastic, congratulated me.

I froze in place, staring at everything in front of me a little strangely, "Today? I...... Birthday? You ......" suddenly became incoherent, like a puppet, frozen in place, as if he had completely forgotten how he should react at this moment. In the end, Ada, who was quick-eyed, knew the most about the general situation, and immediately stepped forward to pick me up in a daze, and led everyone into the room together, so as to avoid the embarrassment of standing with me.

"Birthday? You guys...... I...... When? ”

"Today, of course." Parker blinked and put on a spiky party hat for me. Camille, who was on the side, stepped forward and added, "Although it seems that we have been here for a long time, if we start according to the date we came here, in fact, today is also the birthday of my senior." ”

"How did you think of me......"

"It's all planned by these little ghosts." Marx, while briefly decorating the room with other colleagues, said: "We old fellows have only done a little help. ”

"No, senior, you are too modest...... Hana hurriedly shook her head: "The minister, the warehouse, and the staff cafeteria, there are also your help...... to do a good job. ”

"It's been a lot of trouble lately...... Everyone is nervous, and they want to take this opportunity to relax, you ......" Loki didn't finish speaking, and was intercepted halfway by Ada, and pulled aside for a lesson.

"Dai...... My seniors must have been working hard lately. Yui stepped forward slowly, and also took my cold hands, bringing them a long-lost warmth: "Thank you for everything you have done for us. As she spoke, she stood on tiptoe and leaned close to the tip of my ear: "Ah...... Ade, and ...... for me", she suddenly couldn't say any more, and immediately picked up her cherry-like red cheeks and ran to the side shyly.

As I had spoken, everyone had simply set up my slightly cluttered room, with colourful balloons and fluttering ribbons dotting the grey walls, and people had set up the small tables they had brought, placed the cakes carefully on them, and prepared their knives and forks. From then on, everything was in place, and only the protagonist of the banquet was left to me. It seems that I was infected by the atmosphere of the banquet, or maybe it confirmed my peace of mind, "Brother Daphna, let's say a few words, everyone is a little anxious." Maxi naturally poked his head out and reminded me.

"Ah...... Well. I hurriedly agreed, and although I had gradually recovered some consciousness from the coma-like trance, I was still immersed in this sudden and unprecedentedly unforgettable feeling: "I...... I...... I am happy. I kept pouring out of my trembling mouth the words that I tried to suppress my excitement: "You, everyone, everyone. Everything I did for me, and ...... Thank you. ”

"Actually, you are the person we should respect the most." Camille pulled his colleagues and said to me: "You have taught us and protected us from the beginning, and you have silently carried a lot, you are a competent and good senior!" ”

"You're already stronger than I am." Gray patted me on the left shoulder, followed by the trusting eyes of the five returnees, "Come with us to the end, don't let us down." ”

"Woo......"

I smiled, the smile that had really come from the heart for a long time, but tears were falling from my eyes in large pieces, half reflecting the color of blood, half dissolving golden. "Daphna senpai...... Crying. Parker said with some surprise, and Yue immediately stepped forward and handed the handkerchief: "It's okay senior, we're all here." ”

“…… Sorry, sorry. I quickly realized my gaffe and ended up wiping tears with my handkerchief, "Thank you." I said, bowing deeply to the people: "The day before yesterday, and even earlier, I committed the sin with my own hands...... But you still believe in me and support me, regardless of your past suspicions. I have nothing to repay for this, but I can only swear that I will make up for it with my life. ”

"Senior...... Hana bravely stood up at this time and said, "You also saved us...... Many times. ”

Marx also said earnestly at this time: "You don't owe anyone here. Be yourself, that's enough. ”

"Hmm......" I smiled and nodded slightly, wiping the last tear from the corner of my eye.

"Goo~" There was a sudden discordant sound in the air, and when he looked at it, he saw Maxi and Parker holding their stomachs one after another, and said with a cheeky smile: "It's so tiring to be sad all the time, I'm hungry." When do we eat cake? ”

"You know how to eat!" Camille pouted and lectured Parker.

"Yes, after so long of preparation, everyone must need to add it." Marx smiled and said, "But first let's celebrate Devna's birthday!" As he spoke, he stepped forward and lit candles, and everyone gathered in a circle with reason. Standing in the center, Marx solemnly read out the congratulatory message like a baptizing priest: "Today we gather here to celebrate the birthday of our beloved colleague, reliable comrade-in-arms, and ardent friend, Devna, and wish her all the best in the years to come!" ”

"Good!!" People applauded and celebrated, and sang birthday songs: "I wish you a happy birthday ~ I wish you a happy birthday......" In this strange but warm melody, I closed my eyes, folded my hands, and blew out the candle after making a wish, enjoying the completion of this traditional ritual that I once scoffed at.

Parker, who was anxious, hurriedly asked, "What wish did the senior make?" ”

I smiled, "It's a secret. ”

"Ah...... The seniors said so slyly. Parker turned back to the side in some disappointment, but was taught a lesson by Camille: "If you say it, it won't work, what are you asking?" ”

"Okay...... You're talking about, seniors. Parker said sourly, grimacing at Camille.

"You! Seniors are here, and they don't have the same knowledge as you. Camille pouted, causing everyone to laugh. Eat cake eat cake! Maxi who had been salivating for a long time kept stamping his feet and couldn't wait to say. You're a bit of a good guy. Gray frowned, and raised his hand to tug at his ear. The witty scenes made the atmosphere even more enthusiastic, and this time even Loki had a rare laugh. In the midst of laughter, I cut the first cut of the cake, and after that, I was out of control, and finally the whole cake was covered in frosting and strawberries with the help of everyone.

After a full meal, people began to talk casually, cleaning up the messy tabletop, I sat on the bed in amazement, looking at everything in front of me - it was so natural, but so hazy and strange, like a dream, a dream that should not belong to me, but never want to wake up.

"It's not too early, it's time to start preparing for today's work." Loki gestured to his watch and reminded us. Although this is somewhat disappointing, after all, there is no banquet in the world, and people just sigh lightly and prepare to prepare for the morning meeting. And I left Yui and them, "Let's go together." I said so, and then sent off the more task-heavy returnees one by one, looking through the materials Loki had left for me, and planning for today's content.

......At this moment, the door was suddenly gently slammed, and Hana hurriedly stepped forward to open the door, but it was indeed a visitor who surprised everyone: the familiar mechanical body, and the record board fixed to the body, was Minister Marcus (Malkuth).

"Happy birthday, Devna employee." Before I could speak, the minister said, "It's really hard to work hard for so long. ”

“…… No, no, it's all thanks to you, Minister," I skillfully flattered and politely said, "Thank you very much, you can remember my birthday." ”

"In fact, I also prepared a unique birthday present." Minister Marcus pretended to be mysterious, and there was a hint of smugness and playfulness in his words.

"I'm sorry...... Minister Malkuth. I hung my head and said, "I still haven't been able to do everything well, even with the sacrifices of so many people." ”

The minister seemed a little surprised when she heard this, she was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly stepped forward again, and took my hand affectionately like a real friend: "Then you should come and see it." As he spoke, he was about to lead me out of the door, but I couldn't refuse, so I hurriedly motioned for Parkyui and the others to follow, and left the dormitory.

"Daphna staff...... Do you feel this way? On the way to the morning meeting, Minister Malkuth suddenly said to me: "It's like sinking into a strange deep sea, and you're wrapped in darkness, groping your way." ”

I was a little surprised, but I replied seriously, "Hmm...... Yes, it was like that yesterday, and the day before yesterday, earlier. ”

"It's like a nameless island in the middle of the ocean...... Minister Malkuth said, his voice full of sorrow and loneliness, "Control is responsible for giving orders in case of emergency, as well as on-site command. You've been through it all, and so have I. No one knows the pressure to dictate to everyone. When you feel like you might not be able to do well, it's as if the world is starting to fall apart. ”

"I think I understand that......" I said, pursing my lips. After all, you've been my boss for so long. ”

“Elijah…… That's my name. Suddenly, the minister turned to us and said, "That's what everyone called me before I came here and was put in this shell." ”

"Very good name." I took a deep breath and said, glancing briefly at the people behind me, and sure enough, their expressions were already full of surprise and surprise, but they didn't say much, just listened quietly.

"I don't have the talent to be in charge, and I don't have the charisma of Miss [DATA EXPUNGED]." The minister walked all the way, saying, "For a long time, they didn't let me participate in the core research project. Even if it's not very competent, I really want to help! At this point, he suddenly became extremely excited: "On that day...... That day, I accidentally entered the lab that didn't belong to me with the key card that I sneaked into, and then ...... And then it happened. ”

I swallowed and held my breath.

The minister was silent for a moment, then suddenly raised his head as if he had made up his mind (although he was only looking straight and mechanical), and said, "Do you know that your nails are falling off in front of your eyes, and your body is full of unbearable pain, and you can't stop scratching the floor? It's like struggling on the brink of death all the time. The minister paused, trying his best to maintain a natural tone: "That's the symptoms of early low-purity cogito, injected directly into the human body. Sounds unpleasant, right, but when your nails peel off, you don't feel anything at all, and you can't help but laugh when you realize you've completely lost control of your body and you're no longer yourself — even if it's not funny. ”

"I'm sorry for you." I shook my head and said, "Believe all this, no one wants to go through it." ”

"That'...... And then what? Parker suddenly interjected with the guts behind him.

Then ......" The minister did not seem to be angry, but his words were more disappointed and sad: "Mr. A...... The Director stopped in front of me, the dim light casting shadows of his body on me. 'Please kill me. I pleaded with him. But when he finally turned back to me, it was all over......" The minister bowed his head, as if with a deep sigh and perhaps an irrepressible regret, and continued, "Yes, he ignored me. After all, it is a unique and important living sample, a scarce experimental data related to the future of the laboratory, and the victim is only an insignificant little clerk, right? Even if all I hope for is a word of encouragement or affirmation from him. ”

I didn't say anything, things like this are as common as breathing and sunsets in the vast history of the Brain Lobe Company, in the vast back alleys and suburbs outside. The only difference is that death, which does not bring liberation, has become some kind of fate in an almost frozen time.

"At that moment, I really felt hopeless and helpless. It's a terrible feeling when you find yourself out you can't even control your own body. So much so that when I actually came here after I got rid of my dizzy memories, I was terrified of the feeling, and I tried my best to do everything - behold, my memo was worn out terribly. "But I can't overcome it, and it's as natural as a prey fears its predator." Until the end...... The emotion could no longer be contained, and it burst out of my body like a balloon, becoming incredibly twisted and weird—but it was me, too. ”

"This ...... Could it be said? "I was stunned for a moment, and my mind began to search for the grotesque anomalies of the ministers in countless memories of the past, and the terms that Loki and Ada had been mentioning to me repeatedly; And Minister Malkuth seemed to foreshadow my thoughts, and at the same time turned to me: "Reverse Kabbalah energy materialization. We exhaled in unison.

"How could you have known these ...... in advance," the minister was surprised, "this information has been ...... There are some company secrets involved. ”

I also seemed to realize that something was wrong, and immediately tried to remedy it: "This ...... It's a long story, when I was the team leader in the R&D department, she ...... because of Minister Binah."

"Forget it, it's okay." The minister interrupted my tirade and continued, "Anyway, Mr. Director, he doesn't mind revealing this to you now: strong emotions mean tremendous energy, and when we are crushed by negative emotions as Sephirah, strong reverse Kabbalah energy breaks through our bodies and quickly materializes – a phenomenon they call 'core collapse'. ”

"That's where those departmental anomalies that appear in our memories come from......" I muttered to myself.

"When the minister's core collapses, a corresponding response strategy is needed, which is 'core suppression'." The minister went on to elaborate to us: "The supervisor will immediately arrange for the entire company to immediately carry out energy harvesting to neutralize and consume the overflowing reverse Kabbalah energy. But this can only calm us down and return to normal, but it will never eradicate the crux of our hearts. Before we knew it, we had come to the door of the staff preparation room, and the minister looked at us, "and let us really get out of the shadows and find everything we need." Employee Devna, this is our gift to you—" She said mysteriously, pushing the conversation to a final climax:

After speaking, the door opened, and they were greeted by a dizzying welcome gaze, they were civilians, from the maintenance group, the coordination group...... All the employees of the control department, that particularly spectacular scene actually rose in my heart an unprecedented warm current, and Camille around me was naturally deeply affected, especially Parker, who was so excited that he couldn't wait to fly directly on the spot. The minister also added fuel to the fire and said: "The care and support from colleagues and partners is a good medicine to cure the crux of the problem!" It's a birthday present from Control, everything you've done for us! ”

"The seniors have worked hard!" The crowd cheered in unison.

At this moment, I finally truly understood all this. Perhaps to the outside world, this small "celebration party" is not a big spectacle worth mentioning, after all, the speeches of the leaders in any nest will be reaped by a tidal wave of people, but even so, the permanence of their outline on the stage is still incomparable with the moment at this moment, because this is a profound commemoration that truly belongs to the people, and it is better than a thousand meaningless and arrogant lies.

"Thank you very much!" I stood in front of the podium as usual, but my mood has been refreshed, there is no speech routine, no hypocritical flattery, only sincere gratitude and surging: "Today's work will be very hard, and the future will only be more difficult, but please believe me, I will definitely work with you to move towards that beautiful tomorrow that belongs to us!" ”

The audience applauded thunderously, and everyone's faces showed unprecedented joy and pride. And finally ushered in the end of its own in the sustenance and trust that rose like the sun.

"Each of us is not perfect, but we are always pushing ourselves, forgetting the gap between ideals and reality." Later in the Minister's Office, she told me: "In any case, this facility is a sad place where countless tragedies have been born. We often don't want to admit that our ability to do it alone is always limited. ”

“…… The world itself is full of tragedies of countless ups and downs. I said with a regretful expression: "Back alleys, suburbs, nests, all the time, everywhere, everywhere." Everyone lives like a monster. ”

"But you see, this sick stubbornness will eventually consume us, and what really matters is that a person really stands straight: knowing where we are and where we are going. All of this is inseparable from the support of your peers, and I think you must have gotten everything you deserve. The minister breathed a sigh of relief and said earnestly: "Then naturally, we will all find the faith in our hearts." ”

I also smiled and bowed deeply, "Thank you, Miss Elijah. I'll keep that in mind. ”

The minister suddenly took out a familiar small chip from the cubicle behind him, and solemnly handed it to me: "This is the information of the control department, which contains everything about the work: about my past, core suppression, and roster, etc., ......"

I cautiously took the chip, "Well, I'll take advantage of it." I replied earnestly.

"I believe that you will be able to lead the Control Department to the end."

"Do your best." I replied with relief.

Since then, two pieces of information have been in the possession of the returnees, and while I have shared information with Marx and others, I have also begun to analyze the results of the analysis they have passed on to me. At this moment, in the face of an unprecedented work crisis, we must do everything we can to watch out for Angela, who is silent in the dark, ready to destroy everything.