1. When the System Notices Something Looking Back
The darkness did not enter.
It evaluated.
A pressure settled over Layer Zero, not heavy—but precise. Like a finger pressing on a bruise the universe pretended it didn't have.
Qi-Yun went rigid.
"…That presence is not divine."
Yue swallowed. "Then what is it?"
NULL answered softly:
"A customer."
Ne Job blinked. "…We have customers?"
The darkness responded with a sound like a page being turned by something that did not have hands.
EXTERNAL AUDIT INITIALIZED
The Archive screamed.
Not metaphorically. Literally.
Shelves twisted, index runes scrambled, and long-retired laws tried to refile themselves out of pure panic.
Ne Job clutched his head. "WHY DOES REALITY ALWAYS SCREAM WHEN SOMETHING IMPORTANT HAPPENS?!"
Qi-Yun muttered, "Because it knows it's about to be judged."
2. The Auditor Without a Face
The darkness condensed.
Not into a monster.
Not into a god.
Into a silhouette wearing something disturbingly familiar.
A suit.
Perfectly fitted. Featureless. No insignia. No rank.
Just a badge that read:
EXTERNAL COMPLIANCE
It looked at NULL.
Then at Qi-Yun.
Then—
At Ne Job.
It paused.
"You are not on the authorized responder list."
Ne Job raised a hand weakly. "…I'm an intern?"
The Auditor tilted its head.
"Unrecognized position."
NULL hissed under its breath. "Oh, this is going to be catastrophic."
3. Oversight Tries to Intervene (And Fails)
Oversight flared overhead, flooding the space with golden authority.
NOTICE:
This system operates under self-contained jurisdiction—
The Auditor raised one finger.
Oversight froze.
Mid-sentence.
Mid-light.
Like someone paused a video.
The Archive went silent.
Qi-Yun's breath caught.
"…Oversight just got put on hold."
The Auditor turned slightly.
"Internal arbitration detected.
External review supersedes."
NULL folded its arms. "Figures."
4. The Audit Question No One Can Answer
The Auditor gestured.
Golden text materialized, massive and unavoidable.
AUDIT QUERY:
Does this system produce unjustified harm?
The Archive tried to answer.
Failed.
Records scrambled. Precedents contradicted themselves. Entire sections of Heaven's legal history returned ERROR: CONTEXT MISSING.
Ne Job felt something twist in his chest.
"…It's asking the wrong question."
Qi-Yun looked at him sharply. "No. It's asking the only one that matters."
NULL nodded. "And Heaven never prepared for it."
5. The System's Defense Is… Silence
The Auditor waited.
Seconds stretched.
Nothing responded.
Yue whispered, "…Heaven's not answering."
NULL smiled grimly. "Because it can't."
The Auditor's tone remained neutral.
"Failure to respond constitutes non-compliance."
Alarms blared again—deeper this time.
REMEDIATION PROTOCOL PENDING
Ne Job panicked. "WAIT—what does remediation mean?!"
Qi-Yun's voice was tight. "It means correction by force."
6. Ne Job Does the Unthinkable (Again)
Ne Job stepped forward.
Qi-Yun grabbed him. "Don't."
Ne Job shook his head. "If the system won't answer—someone has to."
He looked up at the Auditor.
"We cause harm," Ne Job said loudly. "Sometimes unjustified. Sometimes because it's easier than fixing the rules."
The Archive trembled.
The Auditor focused on him.
"Identify authority."
Ne Job swallowed.
"I don't have any."
NULL snorted. "Bold strategy."
"But," Ne Job continued, heart pounding, "I added a clause. And I triggered this audit."
The Auditor paused.
"You initiated review without authorization."
"Yeah," Ne Job said. "Because authorization was the problem."
Qi-Yun closed his eyes.
Yue whispered, "Oh no… he's doing the thing again."
7. The Auditor Asks Him
The Auditor stepped closer.
"If harm exists, what is your proposed remediation?"
Ne Job's brain screamed.
His mouth answered anyway.
"…Change."
Silence.
"Not erase the system. Not punish everyone. Just—make it stop pretending it's perfect."
NULL watched him carefully.
Qi-Yun whispered, "Ne Job… be precise."
Ne Job nodded, shaking.
"Add accountability. Make 'why' mandatory. Let doubt file appeals."
Golden text flickered.
PROPOSED REMEDIATION:
Continuous Context Review
The Archive… paused.
NULL inhaled sharply.
"…That would make stagnation impossible."
Yue's eyes widened. "That would force Heaven to keep changing."
The Auditor considered.
For the first time—
It hesitated.
8. Judgment Deferred
The Auditor straightened.
"Remediation proposal logged."
Oversight resumed—jerky, shaken.
STATUS:
External Audit — Inconclusive
The pressure lifted slightly.
"System granted provisional continuation," the Auditor said.
"Condition: Variable Monitoring."
It turned to Ne Job.
"You are now a monitored anomaly."
Ne Job blinked. "…Is that bad?"
NULL laughed. "Oh, immensely."
The Auditor began to fade.
"Next audit will occur when variance exceeds tolerance."
The darkness receded.
Before vanishing completely, it added:
"Intern."
Ne Job froze.
"Do not let the system forget this conversation."
Gone.
9. Aftermath: Everyone Stares at Ne Job
Silence.
Qi-Yun exhaled slowly. "…You just negotiated with an external cosmic regulator."
Ne Job sat down hard. "I think I'm going to throw up."
Yue grabbed his shoulders. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU DID?!"
"Prevented reality from getting deleted?" he offered weakly.
NULL approached, chains faint but present.
"Congratulations," it said.
"You just made doubt official policy."
Ne Job looked up. "…Is Heaven going to hate me?"
Qi-Yun smiled thinly.
"Oh, Ne Job."
"They already do."
10. Somewhere Else, Something Takes Notes
Far beyond Heaven.
Beyond Oversight.
A ledger closed.
A mark was made.
SUBJECT: NE JOB
STATUS: ACTIVE VARIABLE
RISK: ESCALATING
The universe turned the page.
END OF CHAPTER 276