"Aphrah, what a coincidence. I recall you're from the design department. Why are you at the rookie training for the security department's Section C?"
It was the veela girl Xu Xiaoyou had seen earlier in the elevator.
"Even though my job is in design, I inevitably have to coordinate with everyone in the security department, so I came over to get familiar with the new faces."
Aphrah seemed a bit flustered after the girl looked her way, her voice growing smaller as she spoke.
'Senior Xu Nian really is so good-looking. His smile is so mild. Even though he looks so gentle, how can he be from the security department? And an A-rank at that.'
She had certainly heard of the methods used by A-rank employees. They were all a bunch of lunatics walking a tightrope, stopping at nothing to collect debts.
"No need to be nervous, I don't bite," Xu Xiaoyou teased.
"Um..."
Aphrah stole a few more glances at the girl beside her. The other person had long golden hair and soft facial features, like a pool of water under the moonlight—quiet and deep.
No matter how she looked at him, Senior Xu Nian didn't seem like a ruthless lunatic.
He looked exactly like a very gentle soul.
Aphrah's thoughts were in a muddle, as if a halo was spinning above her head.
Xu Xiaoyou naturally had no idea what the girl beside her was thinking and looked toward the stage.
A figure took the microphone, straightened his back, and scanned the noisy, disorderly scene below with a furrowed brow. Suddenly, he let out a great roar.
"Everyone, stop!"
This roar was incredibly piercing, like the howl of an alpha wolf. It echoed through the entire hall, and even the lights on the ceiling flickered between bright and dim from the sound.
The noisy environment fell silent instantly. Countless new employees below clutched their ears in pain, and those who had been drowsy were startled awake.
Xu Xiaoyou felt lucky she was sitting far away; otherwise, her ears would surely be suffering right now.
The man's facial hair was long on the sides, his golden pupils constricted, and his fangs were sharp. A suit couldn't hide his burly physique, which was stretched tight by the contours of his muscles.
Standing there, he commanded respect without even trying, his pressure making the new employees tremble uncontrollably.
There was no mistake; he was the department head of the security department. He was actually a werewolf, just like Anya.
Werewolves were different from other animal races—quite different, in fact.
Their social status was naturally higher than even top predators like lions or tigers. In most hive cities, werewolves were the rulers and aristocrats. Their long lifespans allowed them to accumulate wealth and connections far beyond those of ordinary races.
They were a race blessed by the 'moonlight.' By welcoming the moonlight under a full moon, they could gain a stronger physique, faster speed, more resilient bodies, and even longer lives.
Because of this, they were also known as the moon demon race.
Xu Xiaoyou's evaluation was—
Inferior to humans.
The weakness of werewolves was that outside of the full moon, they weren't much different from ordinary people, and their growth rate was actually slower.
The top of a hive city's pyramid was usually occupied by races with special traits like the werewolves. Below them were the various animal races, trolls, ogres, and the like, down to the bottom tier of ghouls, zombies, saprobes, and the more numerous green-skinned races.
Only humans existed outside this power pyramid.
Humans could be any part of this pyramid, from slaves to the highest rulers.
If a scholar heard Xu Xiaoyou's thoughts, they would surely roll their eyes at her.
A typical 'human-shill' speech.
To put it nicely, humans were balanced. Indeed, compared to any other race, they had no major shortcomings. They weren't clumsy and stupid like trolls or ogres, nor were they as frail and weak as the green-skinned dwarves.
To put it bluntly, they were mediocre, lacking any highlights.
Either way, Xu Xiaoyou didn't care. Narcissistic as she was, she would never admit her own human race was mediocre.
"Look at yourselves!" the department head roared again. "This level of order is ridiculous! The outside world says that entering Universal Heavy Industries is equivalent to having one foot in the door of the elite class. Do you look like elites right now?!"
Bellowed at by the department head, the new employees all behaved themselves. Some even wore expressions of genuine self-reflection.
'Here it comes, the classic PUA.'
First, elevate the target's status, then emphasize the collective to create a sense of belonging, and finally create a gap that makes the target feel ashamed and guilty toward the collective.
Xu Xiaoyou had spotted this guy acting suspiciously at the door from the start. He hadn't come in for ages even after the time was up, only entering once the talking below grew loud.
The second step was to project authority. After establishing the concept of the collective, make them fear being excluded from it.
"Look at you! What's the point of hiring you? You can all pack your bags and get the hell home!"
This time, as expected, even the new employees who had been indifferent earlier began to panic, their faces filled with unease.
Xu Xiaoyou smirked.
This didn't work much on someone like her, but it was incredibly effective on the people in this hive city.
People who lived hand-to-mouth had fought tooth and nail to get their ticket into Universal Heavy Industries, desperate to jump social classes and change their living environment.
To be told they had to pack up and leave before they even started dreaming—that threat carried massive weight.
This time, many new employees began to whisper, even blaming each other.
What Xu Xiaoyou didn't expect was that Aphrah's entire face turned pale as she fiddled with her fingers.
"It's fine, calm down."
The girl couldn't hear a word she said. Her face was full of terror and unease, and she couldn't stop muttering:
"No... I don't want to go back to that kind of place..."
Xu Xiaoyou gave up on trying to persuade her. She watched the figure on the stage, having already figured out the next part of the process.
He would pretend to leave in a huff, leave everyone hanging for a while, and when everyone's anxiety reached its peak, someone would come out to play the good cop.
It happened exactly as she predicted. Not long after, a sheep-woman walked in, her voice gentle.
"Everyone, don't mind the supervisor. He's actually doing this for your own good. I know you all worked hard to get in here. I know it wasn't easy and that you have your own families."
"I talked it over with him, and we'll let it slide this time. The company is giving you a chance; you must make the most of it..."
Only then did most of the new employees breathe a sigh of relief. They felt genuine gratitude toward the woman, while secretly resolving to work their hardest for the company!
'Does it have to be this cliché?' Xu Xiaoyou grumbled inwardly.
Then came a series of grand ambitions, company goals, benefits, and stories of outstanding employees getting promoted and raises.
The only thing that surprised Xu Xiaoyou was that the company didn't force employees to work overtime.
The training session lasted nearly two hours. Xu Xiaoyou's ears were practically growing calluses when the girl beside her poked her.
"What is it?"
"Senior, how did you know everything would be okay?"
Rate on N.U.
