This short half-morning was an unprecedented, brand-new experience for Lin Xinyi.
His previous work was always busy and fulfilling, constantly in battle, every minute and every second having meaning.
But now, two full hours had passed, and besides breaking his beginner Minesweeper record to 3 seconds, he hadn't done anything meaningful.
This was something Lin Xinyi could never have imagined before.
To him, this kind of empty, tedious, boring work that wasted his life—
"Isn't this too awesome?"
Lin Xinyi was somewhat moved:
He didn't have to do anything, and he could earn 890,000 a month just sitting in the Office.
Thinking back, it was already good enough if he wasn't woken up by a phone call in the middle of the night to appear at a scene, let alone slacking off at work like this.
"Alright, let's go to the Cafeteria."
Having just wasted two hours of his life, Lin Xinyi was indeed feeling a bit weary.
Since the Underling Yamada had proactively reminded him about the meal, he went along with the flow, nodded in agreement, and got up to go to the Cafeteria with Yamada to have lunch.
Perhaps because the Original Owner naturally had a solitary and taciturn Personality, Yamada didn't notice at all that his "Big Brother" had been replaced by someone else deep down.
He honestly led the way in front, while Lin Xinyi followed slowly behind, taking the opportunity to familiarize himself with the company's internal structure.
Soon, the two arrived at the company Cafeteria.
The Cafeteria space wasn't very large, but the decor was high-class, and the Food supplied was dazzling and complete in variety.
Lin Xinyi observed briefly and found that employees could eat completely free of charge in the Cafeteria; they could take whatever they wanted, equivalent to eating at a high-end buffet every meal without paying.
"The company benefits are too good."
At this moment, Lin Xinyi even felt like staying at this company forever.
He didn't waste time talking but followed Yamada's example, picking up a Tray and selecting Food.
After getting his Food, as he prepared to sit down, he found that the tables were somewhat insufficient.
This not-so-large Cafeteria was almost completely occupied by the employees who had come to dine.
And these employees were clearly divided into two distinct groups:
One group wore black clothes and carried a Handgun at their waist; there were fewer than 20 people, all Security Personnel under Lin Xinyi's command.
The other group all wore white lab coats and generally possessed a frail Demeanor; there were about 30 or 40 people, all Technicians from this pharmaceutical company.
The Security Personnel and the Researchers clearly couldn't converse with each other.
They huddled together in their respective groups, occupying almost all the tables in the Cafeteria.
Only one large table was relatively empty.
Sitting there was a young female Researcher wearing a plain white Experiment suit and short Brown Hair.
This young lady—no, "girl" is more accurate—occupied this large table, which could seat six people, all by herself.
It was Strange that even though seating was a bit tight, no one nearby attempted to share a table with her.
Whether Researchers in white coats or Security Personnel in black clothes, everyone seemed to be deliberately avoiding sitting near her.
Lin Xinyi, however, had no such reservations:
"Let's go to that table."
He carried his Tray and prepared to approach and share a table with that female Researcher.
But Yamada, who had been following beside him, stopped with some Hesitation:
"Ahem, Big Brother, you go by yourself."
"That woman always speaks sarcastically; I won't go look for trouble."
"Oh?" Lin Xinyi vaguely felt it was Strange, but compared to that female Researcher who seemed unpopular, he, lacking the Original Owner's Memory, was even less willing to sit with "Acquaintances" like Yamada.
So, after thinking for a moment, he ultimately walked toward the Brown-haired Girl sitting alone.
As he got closer, Lin Xinyi could see the girl's Appearance more clearly:
Describing her in his usual manner, this girl was beautiful—
Female, estimated Height 170cm, well-nourished, features symmetrical, limbs without deformity.
Bridge of the nose was high and upturned, alae nasi narrower, tip of the nose smaller, cheekbones lower, jawbone flatter, showing Half-breed characteristics.
Slightly dark brown pigmentation observed around the eye sockets; skin elsewhere was pale, no jaundice.
Both Pupils were equally sized and perfectly round, corneas clear, irises blue-green.
Capillaries around the eyes were congested, showing symptoms of red blood streaks.
From the upper edge of the Collarbone down to 1/3 of the distance to the Mandible, venous distension was visible when seated, and jugular vein distension was quite obvious.
"She's quite Beautiful."
"But she is obviously suffering from long-term overwork, with excessive Pressure on her right heart."
"Lacking sunlight, her skin tone is pathologically pale, and her Spirit is poor."
This girl has been working overtime too much; her Body is very unhealthy.
Lin Xinyi summarized internally.
Meanwhile, as he walked closer step by step, this Brown-haired Girl also noticed him.
Her brow furrowed slightly, and undisguised disgust was Revealed in her Pupils.
Although she said nothing, that gaze full of aversion was clearly directed at Lin Xinyi.
Lin Xinyi paid no attention to this.
It was good that the other party disliked him; he just wanted to eat quietly and didn't want to chat with a female Colleague he didn't know at all.
Talking too much could easily lead to Be Exposed, and he would have to spend effort explaining.
Thus, enduring her icy gaze, Lin Xinyi boldly sat down at the corner of the table diagonally opposite her.
As he sat down, he inadvertently saw the work badge hanging on her chest:
"Name: Shiho Miyano"
"Title: Chief Researcher"
Chief Researcher?
Lin Xinyi muttered inwardly:
Such a young girl actually holds the position of Chief Researcher in this important Laboratory?
That's different from his Safety Director; Chief Researcher is a position requiring thorough high-level Technology. Can such a young girl handle it?
Lin Xinyi was surprised, but to minimize interaction with "Acquaintances," he didn't pry out of curiosity.
And so, amidst a stretch of Silent, he began to focus intently on eating.
"This guy is a bit off."
Lin Xinyi remained completely silent, yet the girl named Shiho Miyano felt a ripple in her heart:
She sensitively noticed that Lin Xinyi today was a bit different from before.
The former Lin Xinyi was solitary and depressed, sloppily dressed and unkempt, his eyes lifeless, walking only with his head down. He was like a decaying Machine, a walking corpse controlled by someone else.
While today's Lin Xinyi also appeared solitary and Silent.
He had cleaned himself up very well, and his gaze had become Firm and strong, possessing a different kind of vitality.
Then looking at how Lin Xinyi was eating—
His lunch was a Western-style steak, eaten with a knife and fork.
The gleaming knife in his Hand was used very skillfully; every cut precisely followed the grain of the beef, slicing off a suitably sized piece.
The motion of using the knife was gentle and elegant, as if performed by nobility trained in etiquette.
This was not the behavior one would expect from someone who paid no attention to demeanor.
Of course, Shiho Miyano could not have guessed that Lin Xinyi's skill in cutting meat with a knife wasn't honed by eating Western food.
But regardless, she vaguely perceived that Lin Xinyi was somewhat different from before.
The current Lin Xinyi felt more approachable.
However—
"He's still so annoying."
"Why does he have to sit so close?"
Shiho Miyano's aversion persisted.
Speaking of which, she and Lin Xinyi were old acquaintances.
Lin Xinyi was reserve talent recruited and trained by The Organization, and he had once been sent with her to study at Columbia University.
It was just that Lin Xinyi studied Clinical Medicine, while she studied Biology and Pharmacology.
But the two had no interaction during their University years; even if they did, they were extremely unpleasant Memory—
Because Lin Xinyi was ostensibly sent to school for training, but in reality, he was sent by The Organization to conduct close Surveillance on Shiho Miyano, preventing her from leaving The Organization's control while studying in the USA.
In other words, Lin Xinyi was a Restraint The Organization had placed around her neck.
This Restraint constantly bound her, preventing her escape, pinning her firmly in this Darkness abyss.
And this Awful Situation had continued right up to the present.
After Shiho Miyano graduated from University, she was assigned here by The Organization to lead Drug Research.
Lin Xinyi also graduated from Columbia University with her and was assigned to this Laboratory as the Safety Director, his main Work still being the Surveillance of Shiho Miyano.
He was a vicious dog carefully kept by The Organization, and Shiho Miyano knew she was the caged bird firmly guarded by this vicious dog.
Therefore, no matter how much Lin Xinyi's Demeanor improved, as soon as she saw his glaring black clothes, she would immediately associate it with her Despair-filled situation of being under House Arrest and coercion by The Organization.
"It's sickening."
The more Shiho Miyano thought about it, the less appetite she had.
This wasn't just because it was Lin Xinyi; it was because thinking of him reminded her of the man to whom Lin Xinyi reported directly—Gin.
This Demon had visited the Laboratory this morning and taken another batch of APTX4896 from her hands—these small capsules she personally developed—and she didn't know how many more people Gin would use them to kill.
Thinking of this, Shiho Miyano felt even less like eating.
She stood up just like that, frowning, and looked deeply at Lin Xinyi.
"Huh?"
Lin Xinyi was somewhat Inexplicably confused by the stare.
He thought "he" just had a bad relationship with Miss Miyano, but judging by that look, was there enmity?
But Shiho Miyano left just like that without looking back.
Wastefully, she left behind a Peanut Blueberry Jam Sandwich on the table that she had only taken a few bites of.
"This..."
Lin Xinyi frowned tightly:
Overworked, jugular vein distension, yet her appetite is still so low.
This girl's Body is truly weak.
Fine, I need to be ready to perform CPR at any time.