The suppression operation had been underway for quite some time.
Watching the single-digit numbers repeatedly flashing on Nothing There's health bar through the E.G.O visualization, X was almost unable to keep looking.
At this rate, even if ten Level 5 employees wearing Mimicry took turns tanking damage, they still wouldn't last until the Abnormality was finally suppressed.
And although it felt like the fight had dragged on forever, in reality, less than five minutes had passed since combat began.
Yet in just that short span of time, Justin, who was holding the front line and drawing all the attention, was already on the verge of collapse.
As for why it deteriorated so quickly—
Just moments ago, Nothing There's right arm—the one that functioned as a flesh hammer—had suddenly undergone a teeth-grinding sequence of bone and muscle restructuring. It transformed into a massive, horrifying flesh blade, which then came crashing down onto her!
The power and range of that single strike were terrifying.
Even the corridor's ceiling and reinforced floor were carved with grotesque scars.
As for Justin, who took the hit head-on—
If Mimicry hadn't gone into a frenzy of hyperactive regeneration at the very last instant, forcibly stitching her body back together when she was nearly split in two…
She would have been cleanly chopped into Justin halves.
It was precisely because of that horrifying blow that X finally made his decision—
This was no longer a battle.
It was suicide.
"Terminate suppression!"
X shouted into the communicator.
"All personnel, retreat! Fall back immediately to the Control Team's main break room and await orders!"
Upon receiving the command, everyone involved in the suppression felt as though they'd been granted a reprieve from death. They withdrew from the deadly corridor at top speed—
Especially a certain someone who was only barely hanging on thanks to her armor.
She might have been mentally prepared to sacrifice herself, but if death could be avoided, who would willingly choose it?
Without Mimicry, she would already be lying motionless on the ground.
But the situation still wasn't over.
After landing that devastating strike, Nothing There realized that the stubborn human was still alive—and even trying to escape.
It raised the massive flesh blade once more, reconstructed from its hammer-like arm.
From its perpetually gaping mouth came a new word—
"Goodbye!"
Though it was a farewell, the way it spoke it sounded less like see you again—
and more like this is the end.
If that blade landed cleanly on Justin again, no matter how desperately Mimicry tried to keep her alive, it would be utterly hopeless.
Click—
At that critical moment, everything inside Lobotomy Corporation seemed to be seized by an invisible hand—
and paused.
The fleeing clerks, the anX ious pacing in the Control Team, the elite employees on standby, Nothing There mid-swing—
Every single movement froze in place.
"Well… I knew ALEPH-class meant dangerous, but I really didn't expect it to be this bad…"
X had activated TT2's time stop.
He sat in his chair, his face pale with lingering dread.
"A single hand blade dealing 60 RED damage… that's against ALEPH armor with 0.2 red resistance…"
His eyes remained fixed on the crimson humanoid on the screen.
"If that's the reduced damage… then the original hit was around 300 points, wasn't it?"
"Even Chunbon wearing full 0.5 resistance Justitia would probably get cleaved in half by that."
"…Sigh."
He leaned back weakly, an unsettling thought surfacing in his mind.
Nothing like this happened on DAY18 or DAY19…
Could it be—
Did I provoke it last night… when I went into its Abnormality world?
"You still have two remaining chances to restart this day, Manager."
Angela's voice sounded calmly beside him.
"It appears you currently have no means of handling this Abnormality's breach. What is your decision?"
"What choice do I have?"
X gave a bitter smile.
"I can only restart the day."
"There is… one more option."
Angela continued.
"If you believe that certain Abnormalities you have contained exceed your current management capacity, you may choose to return them to storage."
"Return… to storage?"
The unfamiliar term made X glance at her.
"What does that mean?"
"Allow me to introduce another hidden function of the TT2 Protocol—Return to the Memory Repository."
Angela bowed slightly before explaining:
"To prevent Managers from prematurely containing Abnormalities far beyond their current capabilities, the company commissioned this function from T Corp."
"In simple terms, this function allows the entire facility's state to revert to the (5X + 1)th day of your tenure."
"For example, if you choose to return to the memory repository now, it would be equivalent to restarting from DAY16."
"All Abnormality containment records would revert accordingly."
"In that case, the Abnormalities Judgement Bird, Nothing There, and Ancient Belief and Promise would all be returned to storage."
"When you reach a new day and select new containment targets, you may choose different Abnormalities."
"However, since Return to the Memory Repository only rewinds the facility's physical state—"
"All unlocked Abnormality records and all developed E.G.O equipment will be preserved."
"This allows you to use your existing knowledge to avoid Abnormalities that are currently unmanageable."
"TT2 has a function like that? Then why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Just listening to Angela's explanation, X could already tell how absurd—
how utterly unreasonable—this ability was.
"That being the case…"
"What's the cost?"
"Although convenient, this function has its limitations."
Angela replied calmly.
"For instance, we cannot guarantee that the newly selected Abnormalities will be safer than the previous ones."
"The Research Team cannot select Abnormalities as though ordering from a menu."
"And most importantly—"
Her golden eyes locked onto X 's.
"This concerns you, Manager."
"Me?"
X pointed at himself.
"What happens to me if I use it?"
"First, from the company's standpoint," Angela said,
"Using such a powerful Singularity consumes an enormous amount of energy. Even for an energy corporation, repeated usage would be unsustainable."
"Therefore, you may only use this function once every thirty days."
"Additionally, upon using it, your entire monthly salary will be deducted, and all performance metrics for the reverted days will be nullified."
"Your working days will not decrease as a result of the rollback—in fact, they will effectively increase."
"You will still need to work until DAY60 to apply for the standard company leave."
"That part I can accept."
X nodded.
"And then?"
"And finally," Angela said evenly,
"Everyone in the company—except for myself and the Sephirah—will lose their memories of these days."
"…Including you, Manager."
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