After waiting for about ten minutes, Lino received his own Dataslate.
The device was exceptionally well made. About the size of a mobile phone and built with solid materials, its screen displayed not only green pixels, but red, blue, and yellow ones as well.
The onboarding instructions on the screen stated that the Dataslate served as both an apprentice's ID badge and access card, and had to be carried at all times.
Every apprentice had a different work location and schedule, the specifics of which were detailed in the instructions.
Amy had been assigned to the Experimental Department.
Her working hours were from nine in the morning to five in the afternoon—a standard, enviable nine-to-five routine.
Lino's department was the Collection Department.
His working hours ran from seven in the morning until ten at night. It was nearly double Amy's shift, leaving him utterly dumbfounded.
Amy leaned in to glance at Lino's screen, clicking her tongue at the absurd schedule.
"A fifteen-hour shift? Assuming you sleep seven hours a day, that leaves you with only two hours to eat, drink, and rest. That's brutal. Is the Collection Department planning to turn you into a servitor?"
Lino scratched his head.
"I doubt it. A servitor's parts are worth way more than my life, and the cigarette factory isn't going to take a loss. Besides, with how well I did on the exam, wouldn't it be a waste to turn me into a servitor? I suspect the work in the Collection Department is more of an on-call gig, which is why the daily hours are so long."
"Yeah, that makes sense."
Amy's brow smoothed out slightly as her navigation route directed her elsewhere.
"I'll head out first. If anything comes up, we can talk when we meet again."
"Alright, see you later," Lino said, waving. He followed his own route toward a nearby elevator platform.
The elevator platform had no buttons and could only be activated using the Dataslate. His destination floor was underground.
Stepping off the platform, Lino entered a lobby on the first basement level. Over thirty people were already waiting there.
After a brief wait, the final person arrived, bringing the total number to eighty. Most of them were young men in their early twenties.
There were fewer than ten underage students like Lino.
A male voice rang out from the wall-mounted speakers.
"Good morning, and welcome to the Collection Department. I am your supervisor. First, let me share some good news: this department does not charge any tuition fees."
"Whoa, we get to work without paying? That's awesome!"
Someone in the crowd yelled, and the others nodded in agreement.
Lino was left speechless. He couldn't help but feel that his worldview was completely out of sync with the Lower Hive.
The broadcast continued.
"The primary duty of the Collection Department is to explore the Underhive to obtain the core raw materials needed to produce our new type of tobacco. Due to the unique nature of our work location, new employees in this department must undergo rigorous training. Now, use your Dataslates to open your lockers, change into your training uniforms, and begin today's training session."
The broadcast ended.
A section of the wall on one side of the lobby slid downward, revealing a spacious locker room filled with metal lockers.
Each locker bore an employee badge corresponding to everyone present.
The people in the room exchanged glances but didn't immediately move to change.
Upon hearing the word "Underhive," intense fear had seized many of them.
In their textbooks, the Underhive was designated as a forbidden zone for life, located at the very bottom of the Hive City.
There were no ventilation pipes to deliver air, no water filtration systems, no lighting facilities, and no fires for warmth. It was absolutely not a place where humans could survive.
Generally speaking, only monsters, cultists, and mutants could take root in the Underhive. Occasionally, feral, rogue servitors and rebel forces wanted by the Hive City would also appear there.
Going to a place like that to gather raw materials was no different from throwing their lives away.
"Supervisor, are you certain we have to go to the Underhive to collect raw materials?" someone asked timidly.
Silence hung in the air as the crowd quietly awaited the supervisor's reply.
"Yes, I am certain," the supervisor said, his voice entirely devoid of emotion.
The person who had spoken earlier raised his right hand.
"Supervisor, I give up on this job. Please let me leave. The Lower Hive might be a dump, but no matter how bad it is, it's better than the Underhive."
"Right, I quit too."
"Me too. I want to leave."
A few people waved their arms under the surveillance cameras.
They had transferred over from other jobs, and now they were surely filled with regret.
Had they known the cigarette factory would send them to the Underhive, they wouldn't have given up their previous jobs for anything.
"I approve your resignation requests. Anyone else who wishes to quit may leave with them."
The initial group walked toward the elevator platform, prompting many others to consider doing the same.
In a matter of moments, half the people in the room were heading for the platform.
Lino became the only youth from the Lower Hive in the entire room who chose not to leave.
He maintained a healthy respect for the Underhive, and the reason he wasn't in a hurry to leave was because the supervisor hadn't yet mentioned their compensation.
For such a dangerous job, the pay was bound to be substantial.
If he ultimately discovered that the effort and risk didn't match the reward, it wouldn't be too late to walk away then.
A device resembling a laser rifle emerged from the ceiling. Red beams shot out from it, quickly sweeping over those walking toward the elevator platform.
A line of text appeared on their Dataslates:
"You have been eliminated. Please follow the navigation route to the Recovery Department to return your Dataslate."
Once everyone who wanted to leave stepped onto the platform, an iron grate dropped down, sealing them inside.
The male voice from the broadcast returned.
"Oh, apologies. I forgot to tell you about the compensation for the Collection Department. That was my oversight.
"Those who complete the training but are ultimately not accepted by this department can transfer unconditionally to any other department in the cigarette factory and enjoy double the salary.
"If you are fortunate enough to become an official employee of this department, then congratulations. You will receive the gene-modification treatments of a Planetary Defense Force company commander free of charge, as well as your very own weapons and equipment."
The people on the elevator platform froze in unison. Their eyes widened as they slammed their hands against the grate and shouted.
"What?! Free gene-modification? Why didn't you say so earlier?!"
"Are you messing with us?!"
"Let me out! I just really need to pee! I didn't want to leave!"
The platform ascended rapidly, carrying their shouts away.
Lino looked up at the speakers. He got the distinct feeling that the supervisor had a twisted sense of humor.
If the man had stated the compensation at the very beginning, ninety percent of them might have stayed.
Now look what happened. Half the people were gone.
'If I were the boss of the cigarette factory, I'd probably be half-dead from anger over a stunt like this. Could it be that the supervisor of the Collection Department has a grudge against the factory director? Then again, the pay does seem pretty incredible. I'll see how intense the training is first. If it's really impossible, I can just slip away then,' Lino thought.
"Listen up, boys. The annoying ones are gone, and now it's time for training. Get moving and change into your training uniforms within ten minutes. Whoever finishes last gets their training workload doubled!"
At those words, the remaining recruits sprang into action, sprinting into the locker room to change.
Lino quickly stripped off his jacket and slipped into a tight, elastic suit made of an unknown material.