“Beep–”
The elevator door opened, and Luna walked in.
Behind her, a steel nurse with stiff movements followed into the old cabin with a clatter.
The elevator door slowly closed, revealing large red letters painted on it: staff only.
Luna looked at the steel nurse, whose limbs seemed newly replaced, with confusion.
The steel nurse glanced back at her and softly said, “It’s me.”
Luna covered her mouth in astonishment, suppressing a scream, “Oh my! Sister-in-law, you—”
“Shh.” Rong Yi patted her shoulder reassuringly, “Let’s pretend you don’t know me.”
“Beep–”
The elevator indicator showed “6” as the door slowly opened.
Rong Yi followed Luna out of the elevator into the spacious lobby marked “NPC Rest Area” above the lintel.
As Luna entered, the noisy chatter in the lobby suddenly quieted down.
The nurses formed small groups, casting discreet glances at Luna and Rong Yi as they walked in.
Approaching them, Rong Yi could hear their hushed whispers and occasional gestures towards her, showing puzzlement and disdain.
The nurses had either similar steel exteriors or graceful faces, but they all spoke in a similar tone:
“Oh my, how did she end up in the same elevator as her?”
“Exactly, aren’t they afraid of gossip?”
“I made the mistake of sharing an elevator with her before, had bad luck for two days!”
“I always maintain a safety distance of at least ten meters from her.”
At that moment, Rong Yi felt a slight vibration.
She instinctively opened the floating screen, where a yellow NPC screen replaced the familiar blue player interface.
The vibrating notification was a communication icon, which revealed that all her friends, including her boyfriend, were gone, replaced by a segmented corporate organizational chart with her name listed under Nursing Department 2.
The continuously vibrating group was labeled “Nursing Department 2”:
ID443829: She’s here, everyone
ID789372: She’s headed towards the sofa, sisters, make way!
ID748392: Someone from our department rode the elevator with her! Who?
Luna was walking towards a couch in the corner, and NPCs along the way parted like the Red Sea, avoiding her like floodwaters or beasts.
The smiley face on her coarse sackcloth head perpetually exuded happiness, showing no sign of concern about the blatant exclusion.
Rong Yi scrolled through the list. The steel nurses not only looked identical but also had neatly arranged six-digit IDs for identification. Her ID 748993 was hidden among numerous other IDs, making it inconspicuous.
So, she spoke up in the group chat.
ID748993: Just my luck, you all walked so fast, not waiting for me, so I had to ride with her.
ID748392: Sister, you really… try jumping over the fire pit tonight.
id748993: Cry cry.
id748392: Pat pat.
Rong Yi raised her head and nodded in acknowledgment to the three nurses chatting with a holographic screen at the side. She walked over and leaned against the long table, crossing her arms casually, imitating their gestures.
One nurse complained softly, “There are some new players this round, but they are so strong that we can’t kill them.”
Another nurse agreed, “I know, if I don’t meet my KPI, my points for this month will be deducted.”
Rong Yi thought to herself, “NPCs have KPIs too?”
She carefully examined her own holographic screen interface again and indeed, above the intricate organizational structure, there was a small icon labeled “KPI for this month,” followed by a few numbers: 0/5.
5? 5 of what?
The nurse mentioned about not being able to kill the players easily, could the KPI be the number of players they have to kill?
“In the next level, let’s cooperate and kill more.”
“Yeah, we should work together. Don’t hog all the kills, spare me a few.”
Indeed! Rong Yi realized that the current director was using the number of player kills as the performance evaluation standard for NPCs. Could the death rate in this instance be reduced?
Clapping sounds were heard as a regular nurse signaled for everyone to gather around.
Rong Yi moved closer with the other nurses. Among the NPCs were straw men and patients, but Luna was not among them. She sat alone on the sofa, with a big smile, looking at them.
The nurse shouted, “On the 3rd floor! No casualties! Did everyone safely go upstairs?!”
Chaos erupted among the NPCs; some accused others of cheating.
Although no names were mentioned, everyone knew who “she” referred to. The scene turned into a public criticism session against Luna.
In such a situation, Rong Yi thought, this might happen more than once a day.
Luna remained outside of the crowd, still wearing her constant wide smile, quietly sitting.
Rong Yi overheard a nurse burping and complaining softly, “Ate too many weapons today, feeling stuffed.”
“I’ve been working so hard. If not for that old woman causing trouble, I would have completed a wave of KPIs! It’s frustrating, haven’t received a full salary in months!”
Her companion sighed, “Me too!”
Rong Yi suddenly understood. The fervent NPCs were not angry at Luna but at the overly strict evaluation system.
The current director cleverly provided them with a “common enemy,” placing an old NPC, who lost all her backing and support, in an embarrassing position.
When employees couldn’t meet their KPIs, they naturally blamed Luna, who obstructed their path. They vented their hatred and released their emotions on her.
Director Dicklan from the outside world really showed his wide knowledge. He cleverly shifted the contradiction away like this.
No one cared. Clearly, he was the one who set the KPI system, and the points deducted for employees’ uncompleted performance probably ended up in his hands.
Rong Yi thought that his harassment towards Luna at work wasn’t solely because of his new authority, but also because he saw her as a tool for his own gain.
Genius!
Under the intentional guidance of this master, NPCs internally united against outsiders – the players and Luna.
To regain power, Luna must break this united front!
Rong Yi is pragmatic and never involves herself in office politics. But that doesn’t mean she won’t.
Given a choice, her favorite way of dealing with conflict is to “use strength against strength.” It requires minimal investment with high returns, aligning with her values.
Since these NPCs are so used to collaborating to exclude others, replacing one with a new target would surely be quickly adapted to.
After all, they are all seasoned players.
Rong Yi habitually touched her lips as she pondered for a moment and suddenly exclaimed, “Hey, haven’t you also turned a blind eye before?”
The NPCs immediately turned their gaze towards them.
The burping nurse looked around and pointed at herself, “Are you talking about me?” She retorted, “Where did you see me turn a blind eye? How could I have?” “Oh, I heard it from another sister.”
“Who? Who said it?”
Rong Yi shrugged, “I can’t tell you who, what if you seek revenge?”
The nurse stepped forward, staring angrily at Rong Yi, “Then tell me how I’ve turned a blind eye?”
“You intentionally didn’t collect the players’ weapons,” Rong Yi said. “A young female player with a pen-like weapon, that sister said she saw you not collecting it.”
“Yes!” A patient suddenly cried out excitedly, holding up his bloodied arm, “It looks like a pen, but it’s made entirely of iron. Look how she injured me!”
The burping nurse panicked, “But, but that’s just a pen, my settings only allow me to collect weapons…”
“That’s the Judge’s Pen, a rare weapon,” Rong Yi sighed, “Sister, not to criticize, but as an NPC specializing in weapon collection, your lack of professional knowledge is quite detrimental! Do you realize how much damage a fish slipping through the net can cause us!”
“Yeah!” The injured patient complained, holding his arm.
The NPCs around cast scathing glances, weakening the burping nurse’s resolve. Reluctantly, she said, “Fine, even if it’s my mistake, why didn’t the sister who saw my mistake remind me in time? Just stood there and watched?”
“How would I know, it wasn’t me who saw it,” Rong Yi shrugged indifferently, “Is it the time to focus on your personal mistakes now? The time is to proceed to the next task and make up for your past errors, sister.”
She turned to the nurses gathered for gossip on the side, slyly asking, “What do you think?”
“Yes, yes!”
“This round is not over yet, it has already caused trouble for everyone, but getting tangled up in one’s own mistakes is too selfish.”
Rong Yi added fuel to the fire: “Just apologize to us and let it go. Shall we agree on that?”
The steel nurse’s face only showed cold metal, otherwise it should have turned red or green at this moment. She hesitated for a while, finally muttered “I’m sorry.”
The NPCs unconsciously moved away from her, she looked around helplessly, feeling a bit wronged as she lowered her head.
Seeing the satisfied looks of the other NPCs after finishing their melons, Rong Yi sneered inwardly. When you all united to ostracize Luna, you probably didn’t think about how uncomfortable it would be when the fire turns on you.
Although she hadn’t stirred up trouble before, had she seen less of it? In the workplace, those schemers could easily stir up the calm waters with just a half-baked move, churning up all the dirt below.
Isolating a certain NPC was just her first step.
“Alright!” the lead nurse who had spoken earlier clapped her hands. “Everyone knows that Director Dicklan does not tolerate mistakes! Colleagues who make mistakes will definitely receive appropriate punishment, so please rest assured!”
Rong Yi knew punishment meant having points deducted.
The nurse then talked about closely monitoring the next level and insisted on reducing the number of players by half, leading all the NPCs towards the elevator.
As they passed the hiccuping nurse standing alone, with no one by her side, Rong Yi whispered quickly in her ear, “The NPC who witnessed your mistake, you know them.”
The hiccuping nurse suddenly looked up, a hint of surprise on her face.
And Rong Yi had already merged into the crowd of NPCs, disappearing among the identical steel nurses.
Stirring up trouble tactic two: sow discord.
In the crowded elevator, Rong Yi watched the suspicious looks NPCs gave each other and the hiccuping nurse deliberately avoided, a silent joy rising within her.
It was the guilty pleasure after a childhood prank.
“If only…” the elevator reached the 4th floor, and Rong Yi and the NPC army flooded into the dark waiting area next to the lobby.
