Chapter 65: Hmph, so what if she's a little older? What's so special about that?
Would humans try to understand an AI?
Probably not. But AIs would try to understand humans, imitate humans, learn from humans… There's no special reason for this. It's simply because that's how they're programmed. It's their nature.
The reference point for AIs is humanity, so they naturally strive to become more human-like… But replicating human emotions with programming is incredibly complex. The possibility that purely mechanical creations could possess emotions is unpredictable.
And the simplest, most brutal way to obtain an emotional machine is to put a human brain into a metal body.
But putting a human brain into a metal body isn't to make the machine emotional, but to hope that the human becomes desensitized, better able to withstand the torment of time with the help of a metallic body, because machines can withstand boredom and loneliness far better than humans.
When performing repetitive mechanical labor, machines are more accepting than humans. They have a much stronger tolerance.
The person who does this must be incredibly cruel.
Forcing a creature with emotions and intelligence to suppress its emotions…
Demanding that it possess emotions, but forbidding it from expressing them. What a cruel person…
...
"Angela, hm? Is this a new project by Hod? It looks pretty good."
X was reviewing the projects submitted by the AI Secretary. The projects submitted by the Deans had already been reviewed by Angela. When they reached X, all she had to do was choose one she liked and approve it.
The AI Secretary had arranged everything perfectly… very convenient.
But since she was the Manager, it would be inappropriate if she didn't review her Deans' designs. So, X would still carefully review them, examining the specific content.
Like the Information Department Dean, each piece of information they wrote was costly. It was obtained at the cost of employees' lives. Quickly scanning them… was a sign of disrespect.
X felt that respecting the Deans wasn't just about words. It should be demonstrated through actions, carefully reviewing their reports… Similarly, X hoped that this respect would make the Deans realize that she wasn't just paying lip service.
She hoped that the Deans would one day approve of her as Manager, truly respecting her, not just formally calling her "Manager" and then threatening to punish her if they were unhappy.
The Training Department Dean, Hod, had previously launched a psychological consultation project that had ended in failure. Because she had given employees excessive amounts of Enkephalin, creating many addicts, Angela had forcibly ended it. But this time, it seemed to have improved.
This project's approach was to provide employees with a training manual to help them quickly adapt to the new environment and learn and gain experience quickly during work.
Yesterday's containment work experience had been made into a training video by Hod. She had also compiled several points to pay attention to, collaborating with Yesod to create a training manual for employees.
It contained many points to note regarding working with Abnormalities, methods for dealing with them, and methods for adjusting one's mental state, speaking up when feeling unwell and informing the Department Dean.
Many times, employees' collapse from excessive pressure didn't entirely stem from high-pressure work—
It was partly because employees didn't know how to deal with it. They lacked a sense of security. In an insecure environment, after doing a mental report, they would blindly worry, viewing the Corporation's routine inspections as a form of "oppressive torment."
But in reality, Deans wouldn't force employees to work in the Containment unit when they were in poor condition, because failed work results could only lead to bigger problems and greater losses.
But the Deans weren't mind readers. They weren't precise detectors that could sense the employees' poor condition. When employees were struggling but didn't speak up, the Deans wouldn't know.
The most important point of the training manual was to shorten the distance between the employees and the Deans. No matter what, if there was a problem, they should speak up. If they felt uncomfortable, they should rest. And if they couldn't adapt to the environment, they should inform the Dean or consult with their colleagues.
Of course, this also highlighted the importance of X's work as Manager—
The G.O Visualization system could visually display the employees' mental and physical states through data. The Corporation had a huge number of employees who were always sneaking around. The Deans couldn't possibly pay attention to every employee's condition. This is where X needed to step in and check.
In front of the screen, her perspective was macroscopic, like a chess player looking at the whole board, not just one piece, limited to her immediate vision.
When a Dean felt that a certain employee's condition might be problematic, but didn't take action, X needed to confirm the situation.
With the Manager constantly monitoring and confirming the overall situation of each Department's employees, the safety of the work could be guaranteed to the greatest extent, minimizing the possibility of accidents.
And for unavoidable factors, such as Abnormalities breaching containment, with a Manager commanding the containment efforts, the casualty rate among the containment personnel would be greatly reduced.
After all, an employee's anxious state when blindly confronting a situation would affect their containment work. But with a Manager or Dean's guidance, their mental state would be steadier. Containment would become a test and a valuable learning experience.
Although, when serious incidents occurred… this wouldn't help. They might still collapse emotionally, negatively venting their frustrations toward the Manager and Deans, saying unpleasant things, cursing…
But for now, the Corporation was still very safe, wasn't it? There were no dangerous Abnormalities being received. Most Abnormalities were well-behaved as long as the rules were followed. Even new employees, as long as they followed the employee manual properly, wouldn't have any accidents.
Of course, accidents involving Clerks couldn't be guaranteed… Those weren't included in the casualty count. X wouldn't care.
At least not now.
"Hod's idea is really good. This training manual should help the employees."
X signed off on the employee training manual project, her words of praise flowing out… She wasn't stingy with her praise. Whenever a Dean deserved praise, X would praise them.
But the AI Secretary didn't seem to think so. She rarely expressed her opinion. Usually, the AI wouldn't comment on the Manager's… work-related matters.
But there were always exceptions, such as when she was in a bad mood.
[Manager, judging from past experience, the things written in these documents only provide psychological comfort. You shouldn't have too high expectations… Instead, you should pay more attention to the Enkephalin quota and its use.]
The AI Secretary's calm tone suddenly turned critical. It was unclear whether she was criticizing the Dean or X.
X felt that Angela was implicitly criticizing the Training Department Dean for abusing Enkephalin. It was like bringing up an old story again.
"Oh, Hod is a good girl. I think she's corrected her mistakes. Let's let the Enkephalin matter go, Angela. You're being too harsh on her. In any case, I'll check after work. I believe she's already handled the Enkephalin properly!"
X gave her assurance in front of the Secretary. She had a good impression of the Training Department Dean and had high hopes for her…
Unlike Netzach, Hod was a very friendly girl. She was enthusiastic about her work. Aside from doing good things with bad intentions, she didn't have any other flaws.
She didn't know why her AI Secretary had such strong opinions about the Training Department Dean—
Clearly, Netzach had been so defiant. Before X had implemented any reward measures, her reports had never been submitted on time. But Angela didn't manage Netzach much. She didn't even urge her, turning a blind eye to Netzach's behavior.
But when it came to Hod, Angela showed no mercy. She had even scolded her together with X. But in reality, Hod's attitude was much better than Netzach's. She was enthusiastic about her work, her gentle personality was like a little rabbit. Who would make things difficult for such a cute girl? X certainly wouldn't.
It was because of these unique Deans that the beauty of Malkuth and Hod stood out against the backdrop of the many strong-willed Deans.
Oh, and let's not forget the AI Secretary with her strong desire for control…
As soon as X said this, defending the Training Department Dean, the AI Secretary's expression darkened. She frowned, and X knew she should shut up because she must have said something wrong.
Although she didn't know what she had done wrong, she definitely couldn't try to figure out what had triggered the AI.
The more she said, the more mistakes she revealed. It was best to remain silent.
Whatever the Secretary said was right. Nodding was enough.
As for why the Manager had to nod at the Secretary, lacking any Manager-like demeanor, it could only be said that the Manager's punishments had made X very obedient.
The extremely obedient Manager X didn't want to be punished by the Secretary, although it sounded like some kind of interesting game, a flirtatious game…
After several days of working and training, the AI only needed to get close and lightly bite X's neck, and X would take the initiative to kiss and be intimate. She was very obedient.
Moreover, she had gone from not responding at all to learning how to respond to the AI with actions… or perhaps, to buy off the AI.
A small price to pay, totally worth it!
After X's response, the AI's brows relaxed, and her mood improved.
To put it bluntly, this could be considered a good morning kiss. Although the black-haired woman didn't realize it, it… was enough to alleviate her desires.
Even though it was essentially using despicable tactics, using coercion and enticement to achieve her goal. But so what? The goal had been achieved, hadn't it? That was good enough.
The AI held the woman in her arms, feeling the warmth of the black-haired woman's body. She didn't want to let go. It was like a koala clinging to a sturdy tree.
X didn't actually dislike the AI hugging her like this, but being buried in her arms made it difficult to breathe… Oh, how to put it? X didn't know what material could be so soft.
The designer must have been thinking something. They kept adding details in such useless places… Too many useless details. They meticulously crafted every detail.
"Angela, I feel like I can't breathe."
X felt that the Secretary had been displeased with her for a while, intending to find another way to punish her, or perhaps to murder the Manager. Maybe this was a form of punishment? One of her punishments.
Hmph, it's just… she's a little older. What's… what's so special about that!
She thought this in her heart, but X's gaze faltered. She couldn't look away.
Immediately realizing her actions, X berated herself… She felt ashamed of her thoughts toward the AI Secretary.
This was a very un-Temperance-like behavior. It was an extremely absurd thought and needed immediate criticism.
X suppressed her desires, not continuing to look at her Secretary. She didn't know what was happening lately. These past few days, she had been having some absurd thoughts, as if she were… ██.
Was it because she had been single for too long? Adults had normal needs… This was a normal thought, nothing to be ashamed of. But X didn't think so.
She silently berated herself again, feeling disgusted by her reaction.
This meant she had to suppress it even more. X thought she hadn't been strict enough with herself lately, and this was why she had the energy to think about other things…
So, she had to work harder and bury herself in her work. As long as she was tired enough, she wouldn't have time to think about other things.
"Angela, make me a cup of coffee, no sugar."
X insisted that the screen was more attractive than her AI Secretary.
Oh… perhaps it was an illusion. X always felt like the screen had been upgraded… higher pixel count, the images were a little clearer?
She couldn't explain the reason, but X felt it had been upgraded. But thinking carefully, the Corporation's monitoring ran all day, the screens also ran all day. Under high load, frequent changes were normal and nothing to question.