Promotion
Snap.
The wooden chopsticks in Serena's hand splintered into pieces.
She didn't even notice, too busy grinding her teeth.
How anxious had she been just moments ago?
How much stress had she endured?
She had spent the last hour worrying that she would be decapitated and have her brain wired into Lui Chen's main server...
And yet, what did she get?
Grind.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't hold it in.
Her forehead burned, and a sharp pain shot up the back of her neck. Crazy bastard. Cheeky brat. Subhuman piece of trash.
Serena gulped down cold water, desperate to cool her raging temper.
"Are you alright?"
Harbor Allman, a department head from Lui Chen HQ who was dining with her, noticed her reaction and checked her expression.
If only he had stopped at checking her face. Instead, Harbor's gaze slithered down her neck, brushed past her chest, and lingered on her tight skirt.
Disgusting pervert.
Serena swallowed her bile and forced a smooth smile.
"My new secretary caused a bit of a troublesome incident... Excuse me for a moment."
"Oh my, on such a fine day... How unfortunate. Do you perhaps need any assistance?"
Unfortunate?
If you're going to say that, wipe the sauce off your mouth first, you filthy pig.
Despite her thoughts, Serena kept her professional smile firmly in place.
"It's a minor issue that my other secretaries can handle. Thank you for your concern, Department Head Harbor."
"Well, that is a relief then."
As Harbor looked away, making wet, greasy noises as he stuffed his face, Serena quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Enduring that pig's gaze was no easy feat. Whenever she noticed a bulge in his trousers, she would recall the endless stream of sexual harassment scandals trailing behind him and have to swallow back her vomit.
But she couldn't humiliate him openly.
Harbor Allman. Though his current rank as department head was lower than hers, he was slated for a promotion soon.
Before long, Harbor would become a director.
Even if they shared the title of director, the gap between HQ and a regional branch was astronomical. One wrong move, and Serena would become Lui Chen's next scapegoat.
So, even if he touched her rear or brushed against her chest while pretending it was an accident—just as he had done earlier—Serena had no choice but to smile and let it slide.
Because he was a dog she couldn't afford to touch, she had to smile through it.
I hope you get struck by lightning and die. No, I hope you survive the first strike just to get hit by a second one and die twice as hard...
Serena piled on the worst curses she could conjure up in her mind before continuing her meal.
"Speaking of which, I heard you had a hand in the recent disturbance in South Peak."
"I simply had some spare personnel on hand. In the end, it was all for the good of Lui Chen."
"Haha, Director Moretti's devotion to the company is truly commendable."
The one speaking this time was Cedric Bicio, not Harbor. He was a director from HQ.
If Harbor used his power to satisfy his lust, Cedric was the type of insidious bastard who would take his time to steal everything you owned.
A dog and a snake.
Serena despised them both.
The only saving grace was Suzanna Yuliano, who had accompanied the two bastards. She was a managing director from HQ, sitting at the center of the table.
Of course, that didn't mean Serena liked her. She was just slightly better.
Serena simply loathed corporate people. In the past, she had hated them because they were 'corporate.' Now... it felt closer to self-loathing.
"Director Serena Moretti."
"Yes, Managing Director."
Suzanna's dry, emotionless gaze locked onto Serena. Serena unconsciously swallowed hard.
If anyone at this table were to be chosen as the epitome of a megacorporation, everyone would point to Suzanna.
It wasn't just because of her high rank.
It was her eyes, her aura, her demeanor—everything about her made her feel like a cog designed specifically to keep the megacorporation running.
Serena might look that way to outsiders, but her corporate persona was entirely an act. Suzanna, on the other hand, showed no signs of acting whatsoever.
"Is this project your own design?"
"Yes, it is."
"From start to finish? All of it?"
"Yes."
"Intriguing."
Suzanna cut a small piece of steak, put it in her mouth, and chewed slowly. She made absolutely no sound. She looked like a noble straight out of a classic novel.
Serena watched her quietly. Or rather, she was waiting.
She expected something to follow that "intriguing." Even Harbor and Cedric seemed to be waiting for Suzanna's next words.
But Suzanna simply continued eating in silence.
That bitch.
Was she doing this on purpose to make Serena uncomfortable, or was she just so socially detached from never having to care about others' opinions?
Serena decided she should resume eating. But just as she picked up her utensils, Suzanna spoke again.
"How long have you been planning this?"
Fine, you win. I'll stop eating.
Serena set her fork and knife down and spoke.
Fortunately, her smile remained intact.
"I began considering it when the three major corporations, including Lui Chen, started expanding into the wasteland. However, seeing that recent wasteland activity has slowed down—"
"So, six months."
"Yes, but the actual planning of the project took less than a month."
Despite the rudeness of being cut off, Serena nodded calmly.
Every minor expression, the blink of her eyes, the rhythm of her breathing, her pulse rate, body temperature, blood pressure—she had to control it all. In front of HQ executives, she had to eliminate any vulnerability.
"And yet, you sent it directly to the HQ executive inbox."
"I was confident."
Suzanna's gaze drifted back to Serena.
Serena met her eyes head-on.
There was no tremor, no anxiety in her gaze.
How had Serena, a mere mercenary in the past, risen to the position of director?
It was thanks to this very recklessness and confidence.
Whenever she saw an opportunity to boost her performance, she sent a report straight to HQ. She had nearly died several times because of it, but in the end, she survived and became a regional director.
This time was no different.
She was certain that her words and actions wouldn't arouse suspicion.
"Impressive," Suzanna said, wetting her throat with a sip of wine.
"A keen sense of the trends, bold execution, and the confidence to stand your ground even in front of me. You are a talent 'we' would hate to lose."
But if this project fails, it will be nothing but reckless bravado... That was the unspoken warning Suzanna left behind.
Yet, the meaning of the word 'we' was ambiguous. Why did she use 'we' instead of 'Lui Chen'?
"Thank you."
Serena nodded, keeping her face perfectly composed. Her resolve wasn't weak enough to be shaken by a single warning.
"No need to thank me."
With those words, the clatter of utensils stopped.
Suzanna set down her fork, bringing the meal to a natural end.
"If everyone is finished, let's head out."
Though most of the food remained untouched, Suzanna stood up without a second thought.
No one dared to oppose her.
The four of them rode in separate cars toward the western edge of Westtown.
Surrounding their vehicles were five security cars and a secretary car, making a convoy of nearly thirty vehicles moving in unison.
And they traveled on the ground, not through the sky.
They went so far as to control every traffic light and block off every road along the way.
It was slow, inconvenient, and expensive, but there was no better way to announce the arrival of Lui Chen's HQ executives.
The surrounding landscape proved the effectiveness of this display.
The only things visible were reporters' drones hovering in the distance; not a single living soul was in sight.
If even megacorp employees couldn't enter this area easily, there was no way ordinary citizens could.
Yet, the reporters' drones bravely crept closer.
Lui Chen didn't bother to drive them away or shoot them down. They decided to leave them be, letting the public know that Lui Chen was making a major move.
The moment giants like HQ executives mobilized, Lui Chen's actions could no longer be hidden. So, they chose to be open about it.
By now, Zyrec and Neonic would be making all sorts of guesses about what lay in the west of Westtown.
Once they realized that a Dead Sector shrouded in electromagnetic storms lay ahead, and deduced that Lui Chen was targeting it, the two rival megacorps would start keeping tabs on each other while trying to probe Lui Chen.
What happened next depended entirely on how Serena's project unfolded.
If it succeeded, Lui Chen would wield immense influence in Westtown. If it failed, they would pin all the blame on Serena, give her a slap on the wrist, and dump all the troublesome aftermath on her.
Even if it fails, I won't die...
Serena tried to ease her mind.
She wouldn't die. It might be a fate barely better than death, but she would still be alive. That meant there would be a next time.
Even while preparing for the worst, Serena clung to the hope of the best outcome.
Because of Swoo. If it was Swoo, surely she could pull it off. Since Swoo was the one who asked, she would make it happen somehow...
To ease her anxiety, Serena sent Swoo a message. She did it knowing she would probably get another ridiculous reply.
It wasn't a ridiculous reply, but it was completely out of the blue. Was she telling Serena to come there, or to look? Surely she didn't mean for Serena to come over right now.
Serena turned her head and looked out the window.
The Blooming Building was one of the three tallest skyscrapers in Westtown. It was quite far from Serena's current location.
She had to crank her ocular implant's zoom function up to seventy times just to barely make out the rooftop.
"Ha."
A hollow laugh escaped Serena's lips.
❗+❗+ FIGHTING SLN +❗+❗
❗+❗+ YOU'RE THE BEST SLN +❗+❗
Was that "SLN" supposed to be her initials?
It was utterly lamentable. Serena's name was spelled with an 'R'. It should have been SRN, not SLN.
"Ahaha..."
A genuine laugh slipped out.
The tacky cheer, the pathetic spelling mistake, the subtle warmth behind it...
Even as she sent the reply, she felt the tension draining from her body.
And for a brief moment, a smile she hadn't worn since the days before she traded her humanity for corporate success graced her lips.