Lin Yie never thought he would actually sleep in. It's almost ten o'clock now.
Was he really that tired? And when did these drones get here? But they are barely larger than his hands. What can they do really?
He pokes a drone randomly, and it seems to have detected something. It begins to circle around his hand, like a cat seeking attention.
How do they work?
Lin Yie takes out his phone and sees there are two missed calls, both of which from Orchid. He calls her right away.
"I'm really sorry for missing your call. I overslept."
Lin Yie feels really embarrassed, but fortunately, Orchid doesn't seem to mind it too much, probably because she understands the nature of his work.
He takes a glance at the drones next to him and asks, "So, how do you use the drones?"
"It's really easy," Orchid explains, "Just give them your order and the right to access all the rooms on your floor."
"That's it?"
"Yes," Orchid says lightly, "You just have to wait for them to finish. After that, you can order them to go back. We already uploaded your voice to the system, and with your authority, you should be able to order them freely."
Lin Yie can't help but feel he got promoted from being the CEO of a mental hospital to the army commander of a thousand killer drones.
"Alright, I understand now.."
But before Lin Yie hangs up, Orchid adds, "Once the drones have finished their work, you should go back to your dorm as soon as possible. Don't stay too late on the fourth floor."
Lin Yie pauses for a moment and asks, "Why did you say that?"
"I suppose someone else already said the same thing to you, but you don't need to worry too much, at least not tonight, I think. Still, it's better to be careful," Orchid says, "I know it was Amiya who put you there, but I… Nevermind, just go back as soon as possible."
Lin Yie stares at his phone, stunned, even though Orchid already hung up.
He looks a little pale.
"Why did everyone have to repeat this?" He mutters, "Who the hell lives on this floor? These rumors are getting out of hand."
Maybe it's just him, but the room suddenly feels a lot colder.
Lin Yie pats his chest and tells himself that there is nothing to be afraid of. Didn't Amiya say that the people on this floor are very ordinary and that they are very antisocial? Those rumors stem from misunderstandings. That has to be it.
And Orchid said today is not the day.
Lin Yie breathes a sigh of relief.
…
As Orchid said, these drones are highly intelligent. After receiving the order, they left to clean the other rooms on the fourth floor.
Even though he wants to watch the drones clean the rooms, Lin Yie is more concerned about the residents on this floor. Deep down inside, he chooses to believe Amiya and to think that the residents here are good people, but the rumors have still managed to instill doubts in his mind. Amiya said they are misunderstood. Saria compared them to the ocean. Ansel said they are monsters with an insatiable thirst for blood. Even Ptilopsis and Orchid advised him not to stay too late on this floor.
*Sigh*
I guess I really need a good sleep tonight. Nevermind, I still have to train later.
What a headache.
...
Forty minutes later, all the drones returned to his office after all the work was done.
Lin Yie checks the rooms to be sure, and he's really surprised to see that the trash and cardboards are really gone. The floor is mopped, and there are even some furniture pieces, such as metal shelves and water boilers. Even the lights are working now.
"Great job," Lin Yie praises the drones sincerely. And the drones seem to understand his praise, as they swirl in the air.
If he knew they were so capable, he would have let them assemble his furniture instead.
Lin Yie waves his hand, "You guys can leave now."
Then, he watches them file out the door in order and go downstairs.
They're way too intelligent. Isn't that kinda eerie?
He checks the time again. It's almost 10 PM.
I didn't even have dinner...
Thinking about the training he has to do next, Lin Yie grabs his things without a second thought and walks towards the light switches that control the lights of this floor, but before that, he decides to check the bulletin board.
...
No matter how he looks at it, the bulletin board looks the same as before, that is, without his recruitment notice. He can see Orchid's tired reminder, "Please do not resubmit your resume if you were hired before."; Amiya's encouraging message, "For the future of Rhodes Island, let's do our best together!"; Kal'tsit's stern warning, "Researchers are prohibited from bringing dangerous chemicals out of the lab."; and some anonymous operator's suggestion, "Sleep more and work less." That's it.
Did Ptilopsis forget?
Even though it's late at night, Lin Yie still dials her number out of irritation, "Ptilopsis, did you forget my recruitment notice?"
"Operator Ptilopsis already completed her assigned task."
"You did?" Lin Yie pauses for a moment. Then, he asks, "Really?"
"Operator Ptilopsis does not lie."
"But I don't see it," Lin Yie says, "I'm standing right in front of the bulletin board."
Ptilopsis says, "Ptilopsis believes it was taken away."
"... Is that so? All right then."
Lin Yie hangs up the phone.
But he still has some doubts.
If Ptilopsis were to be trusted, the notice was taken away the same day he asked her to post it. Then, how come no one came to him? He had been waiting in his office. Maybe they went to the HR department instead?
I guess I will check again tomorrow.
Lin Yie takes the elevator down, but before he walks out the door, he realizes he left his keycard in his office. He used it to give those drones access to the rooms and forgot to bring it with him. Without it, he can't even use the restrooms. He learned this the hard way during his internship…
He sighs and takes the elevator back up again.
Thanks to his stupid mistake, he can't even turn on the lights. He has to use the flashlight on his phone. But fortunately, he never locks his door.
Lin Yie pushes the door open and grabs his keycard from a drawer before leaving his office.
But something is off.
Lin Yie looks down the corridor. The restroom's lights are on. Does that mean the fourth floor's residents are back?
That thought sends a chill down his spine. Nevermind what Amiya said, his brain is replaying the rumors over and over again.
But what if he just didn't turn all the lights off?
Lin Yie decides to check for himself. If he really forgot, he will just turn the lights off this time. If the residents are back…
I guess I will say hello?
Well, he's the manager of this floor, but of course, he's not going to barge in.
Lin Yie knocks on the restroom door and shouts, "Hello?! Is anyone inside?"
He's sure that his voice can reach inside the restroom, but he doesn't hear any response.
"Is anyone inside?" Lin Yie asks again, but there's still no response.
He walks inside to check, but the moment he enters, he's overwhelmed by the thick, metallic smell of blood. There are even red stains on the floor.
What the fuck?!
Lin Yie covers his mouth with his left hand in a hurry and reaches for his gun with his right hand.
"Who's there?!"
No response.
Lin Yie is not taking any chances. He takes his gun out and disengages its safety.
"I'm Rhodes Island's psychologist Lin yie, and I'm also the manager of this floor. If you are from Rhodes Island, step out, right now!"
This restroom only has two stalls and two showers, but Lin Yie can't tell which one has people behind its door, and he can't just get on the ground and peek. What if they really came from Rhodes Island?
But… what if they are hostile?
Lin Yie thinks he should back off and call for reinforcement first. After all, he's not known for his fighting skills.
But before he turns around, Lin Yie sees some blood-soaked clothes next to a stall. That smell of blood must have come from them. There's even some paper…
My recruitment notice!
Lin Yie is stunned.
Did they lose too much blood? Is that why they didn't come to me first?
Without a second thought, Lin Yie kicks the door down, "Are you alright?!"
There's no one inside.
Lin Yie's pauses, but in the next second, a huge black sword stabs through his right armpit and into the wall.
He freezes immediately.
"Oh, you," He hears a soft, yet mature voice: "Why didn't you just leave?"
Lin Yie breaks out in a cold sweat. He gulps quietly and takes a sneak peek at the reflection on the glossy wall.
Behind him stands a woman.
She's naked...
