It was hard to imagine such a large conference room being so quiet. Usually, where there were many people, there would be noise, but here, not a single person among the ten thousand spoke.
No one even moved, and there wasn't even the sound of fabric rubbing together.
From her vantage point at the very front, Nan Yue saw everyone sitting straight in their chairs, as stiff as a row of gravestones.
The meeting was presided over by one of the five people in charge, a somewhat greasy middle-aged man Nan Yue remembered was named Liu Ming.
"Today we welcome thirty-three new companions. Let us welcome them!"
Liu Ming had an exaggerated smile on his face, as if he had high hopes for these newcomers, but the Liu Ming Nan Yue had seen during the interview was not like this. Back then, his nitpicking and contempt for new employees had been written all over his face.
As Liu Ming's voice fell, thunderous applause erupted. The roar was so loud that it nearly made Nan Yue's ears ring.
"And now, let us invite them onto the stage to share their thoughts on joining the company!"
Nan Yue felt a pang of embarrassment. She hadn't expected this part.
The thirty-three people stood on the stage in an orderly fashion. Many were at a loss, as anyone would be nervous facing the bright lights and the gaze of ten thousand people.
Nan Yue heard the breathing around her suddenly become much more rapid.
The microphone was handed to Qi Qiao, a scavenger assigned to Logistics. She was standing at the end of the line, so she had to speak first.
She was very nervous, but she cheered herself on in her heart and prepared her words. Just as she was about to speak, Liu Ming interrupted her.
"Oh, I forgot to mention earlier. I said that Blooming Media is a loving and caring company. Everyone is a brother or sister, and we are all equal!"
"However, this does not mean the company lacks rules and systems. Since you have joined, I hope everyone can abide by them. If you cannot even do that, you are not a good employee."
Liu Ming's tone lowered, his eyes narrowing as his voice became eerily soft.
"Can Blooming Media accept a bad employee?"
The rows of gravestones below were silent for a moment, and then they shouted in unison.
"No!"
"Blooming Media does not want bad employees!"
"We only want capable companions!"
It was as if they had been trained. Every word they spoke was identical, sounding like a single person answering with a voice as resonant as a bell.
But the perfect synchronization felt eerie. At the very least, the thirty-three people on stage felt a chill run down their spines.
It was as if the things listening to their reports below were not actually human, but something else... something pretending to be human.
Liu Ming laughed loudly and returned to normal.
"Come on, Little Qi, go ahead."
The courage Qi Qiao had managed to muster was largely frightened away by the bizarre scene. She swallowed hard, trying to stay calm, but her mind was flooded with images of her dying a tragic death after saying the wrong thing.
Her gaze fixed on the four people in charge in the first row. These four people held the power of promotion over everyone in the company and perhaps even the power of life and death over the scavengers. Right now, their expressions were cold, staring at her like mannequins.
Qi Qiao froze.
Others noticed it too. In fact, many were just as frightened as she was, but she happened to be the first, making her particularly unlucky.
Liu Ming's face suddenly became expressionless. "Little Qi? Do you have nothing to say?"
The spotlight hit Qi Qiao's face, the glare forcing physiological tears from her eyes, which she struggled to hold back.
She opened her mouth and made an unintelligible sound. She wanted to speak, but her throat was as tight as a string about to snap.
She couldn't make a sound.
The more anxious Qi Qiao became, the less her voice would come out, and the more her voice failed, the more she panicked. In this vicious cycle, her face turned pale and her eyes bulged.
Whispers began to rise from below.
Normally, this would be more natural, as it was impossible for ten thousand people to stay perfectly silent, but to Qi Qiao, it felt like they were all gossiping about her.
She knew she had messed up.
Pop.
The spotlight moved to the man next to Qi Qiao, and she was completely ignored.
Although the man was also panicking, Qi Qiao's hesitation had bought him some time. He stammered.
"Hello everyone, I... I am Liu Qijun from the... Logistics Department... Please... please look after me."
At least he managed a full sentence. To Nan Yue, this NPC felt very real. The nervousness, the excitement, and the slight crack in his voice from the tension were details that made him seem very human.
Every time she realized that the NPCs were not much different from them—except that the scavengers could find a way out while the NPCs could not—Nan Yue felt a bit uneasy.
Listening to the speeches, most people didn't perform well. Some had poor psychological resilience, while others were simply intimidated by the spectacle. The scavengers didn't have another incident like Qi Qiao's, but facing a crowd that might not even be human, most of their performances were mediocre.
Gu Xiang Kai, however, was naturally immune to stage fright. His heart might beat faster when facing ghosts in life-or-death situations, but giving a speech under a spotlight in front of ten thousand people caused him no pressure at all.
Nan Yue saw the stiff faces of the executives in the first row soften slightly. They were likely satisfied with Gu Xiang Kai.
Zhu Xi Ning also passed smoothly. When the microphone reached Nan Yue, her performance was just as her resume described: enthusiastic and generous.
She saw Sister Lian nod slightly and knew she was safe.
The last one to speak was the beautiful girl who had left a deep impression on Nan Yue. Clearly, many people below felt the same, as a slight commotion arose.
"Hello everyone, my name is Wen Xiang Yuan. I am President Liu's secretary. I hope you will all look after me in the future, and I ask for your understanding if I fall short in any way."
Wen Xiang Yuan's smile was captivating. Even Liu Ming dithered for a moment before puffing out his chest with pride, looking to be in a very good mood.
"Alright, those are the newcomers who joined this week. Everyone must remember to be loving and caring in your future work. I will reiterate: the company is absolutely fair and just. Everyone is equal. Positions exist to motivate you to work hard, but bullying must never occur."
After Liu Ming finished speaking with a serious tone, thunderous applause followed. The thirty-three new employees left the stage one by one and sat in their assigned seats.
Liu Ming continued on stage, "Good. Now we will announce the results of this week's performance evaluations. Currently, the company has eleven thousand two hundred and twenty-three employees. All staff must participate in the evaluation, including us five in leadership positions."
"If we do not perform well, we also welcome your criticism and corrections."
"There are five people who received an A evaluation this week: Mr. Tan Xin, Mr. Zhang Jiakun, Ms. Song Lian, Mr. Fu Yong, and Mr. Liu Ming."
This time, the applause was even more enthusiastic and lasted for a long time.
Liu Ming smiled and raised his hand, and the room fell silent. "The vast majority of employees received a B grade."
"However!"
Liu Ming became serious. "There are five people with a C evaluation. They are failing!"
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