The vehicle drove away from the cordon of Vine Corporation, the low rumble of its engine echoing dully along the silent, desolate road.

  Inside the cab, a deathly silence reigned.

  Just as Michael was about to speak, Elena, gripping the steering wheel, cut him off:

  "Don't move around, don't look around, don't speak."

  Her voice was icy:

  "From now on, you listen to me. If you dare show the slightest sign of anything unusual, I'll throw you to the patrol immediately."

  Even if he was a nobody, Michael was still a man.

  Being commanded like this by a woman around his own age definitely didn't feel good.

  His pride was genuinely wounded.

  He even thought about forcing Elena to stop the car right then, slapping her, skipping all the steps, and conquering her in the most primal way!

  Michael had been parasitized by some strange thing from the company lab.

  This really couldn't be known by the company, lest he be sent to the lab to be dissected a thousand times.

  The thought had just reached this point when he felt a faint warmth in his chest.

  Pain. It made Michael suck in a sharp breath, a soft "hiss" that caught Elena's attention:

  "What's wrong?"

  Michael didn't answer her.

  Instead, he directly yanked open the shirt on his chest.

  The bizarre scene stunned them both at the same time:

  On Michael's left chest, a vine had actually appeared!

  Elena immediately reined in her look of surprise, focusing on the road ahead as she spoke:

  "Hah, that's the old man's mark. Congratulations, from now on, you're no longer the invisible nobody you were."

  Michael frowned, full of confusion.

  "Address." Elena spoke tersely.

  ......

  The car moved steadily along the potholed road. Before long, it slowly stopped outside a low, dilapidated cluster of shacks.

  This was the rented room of the poor wretch Michael: dim, damp, oppressive.

  "Get out."

  Elena didn't turn her head, her tone still an unyielding command.

  "Report to work as usual tomorrow. No being late, no asking for leave, no showing anything out of the ordinary. As long as you listen to me, nothing will happen."

  Michael nodded, pushed the car door open, his legs still feeling a bit weak.

  He knew that the transformation earlier, as badass as it was, came with a huge cost.

  He had just steadied himself when the car wheels turned again, quickly disappearing into the depths of the night.

  Even though he had just survived a brush with death, and even though the rented room was filthy and reeked, Michael managed to fall asleep as soon as his head hit the bed...

  The next morning, the alarm clock roused Michael from a deathly deep sleep.

  He had just slipped into his seat in the sales department when Kurt sidled over, his tone dripping with contempt:

  "Well, well, Michael. You clocked out early yesterday, didn't you? Pretty slick."

  Because yesterday, he had been pulled away on a temporary assignment as manual labor. It wasn't logged.

  No one had even remembered his face.

  Who would have thought that being so utterly insignificant in the grand scheme of things would turn out to be a stroke of luck for this specific incident.

  "The backlog of orders the supervisor just dumped, for you."

  Kurt tossed a stack of delivery slips onto his desk.

  "Don't dawdle again. No one's going to help you if you get chewed out."

  No one liked being ordered around, and Michael was no exception.

  He was just about to speak when the office area suddenly fell quiet.

  Silhouetted in the light from the doorway, Elena walked in slowly, the click of her heels marking her pace.

  Her form-fitting black uniform outlined a graceful yet firm figure.

  Her long hair was tied in a high ponytail, revealing a pale, slender throat.

  Every step carried an intimidating aura.

  Several people dropped their pens on their desks, their gazes glued to Elena.

  Kurt was staring so hard his eyes were practically popping out, subconsciously straightening his posture, a lewd smirk on his face as he whispered to Michael out of the corner of his mouth:

  "Tsk, tsk, tsk, Michael, oh Michael, stop looking. A stunning beauty like that would never look at you in this lifetime. Only a master of romance like me has a chance."

  Michael glanced at Kurt.

  Hah, this guy with a face not even a 5 out of 10 and a potbelly calling himself a master of romance?

  "You'd better wipe the drool from the corner of your mouth first. What a disgraceful sight!"

  Elena was the center of attention. Being associated with Elena meant he would also become the center of attention.

  So, he subconsciously avoided Elena's gaze.

  Yet, as luck would have it, Elena was coming straight for him.

  Stolen story; please report.

  Elena's gaze passed over everyone, landing precisely on Michael in the corner.

  "Michael," her thin lips parted, "Starting today, you're transferred to my Western District Sales Department. Report immediately."

  The words hit like a thunderclap, exploding in everyone's ears.

  The lewd smirk on Kurt's face instantly froze, his mouth slightly agape, an expression of utter disbelief.

  What was the Western District Sales Department?

  It was the area with the most lucrative opportunities, the easiest to rack up achievements.

  Countless people fought tooth and nail trying to get transferred there.

  Even someone as savvy as him hadn't found a way in.

  Michael?

  This guy he usually ordered around, who couldn't even handle delivery slips properly, this waste—how?

  An indescribable mix of resentment and jealousy, like weeds, began to grow wildly in Kurt's heart.

  Elena led Michael into the Western District Sales Department. It was noticeably more spacious and tidy than his old department.

  Elena stopped at a workstation near the window, her tone flat:

  "You'll work here from now on. Mia will assign you tasks."

  With that, she didn't linger, turning and walking towards the private office at the very back.

  Michael stood before the new workstation, momentarily dazed.

  The desk was clean and smooth, a far better setup than in the Eastern District.

  "Michael!"

  A clear, soft, almost adorable voice came from the side.

  Michael turned to see a young woman with her hair in two ponytails, a round face, hurrying over.

  Her eyes curved into two sweet crescents, her smile clean and warm, like a rare ray of sunlight in the ruins.

  "My name is Mia. I'm the clerk here. I handle the sales data for the Western District, to make it easier for you all to do business. I'm the data backup for the sales team! Manager Chen specifically asked me to look out for you. Even though the work is pretty similar, if there's anything you're not familiar with, you can always ask me!"

  As she spoke, she shoved a thick kraft paper envelope stamped with the Vine Corporation logo into Michael's hand:

  "This is the newcomer subsidy for the Western District, plus two canned food vouchers. The kind that can be exchanged for real meat. They're very precious."

  Michael took the items, a feeling of warmth welling up inside.

  Mia seemed to sense his awkwardness and proactively helped him tidy his desk.

  "Michael, you just got here. Take your time getting familiar with things."

  Her tone was sincere and earnest, without a hint of condescension, and certainly none of the mocking superiority that Kurt had.

  Watching her busy figure, Michael's lips unconsciously turned up slightly at the corners.

  "Thank you, Mia."

  Mia's cheeks flushed pink. She quickly waved her hand, trotted back to her own spot, occasionally stealing glances back at him.

  Her eyes held a touch of curiosity and a bit of natural affection.

  For the rest of the day, Michael stayed in the office familiarizing himself with the work.

  It was the most stable, most peaceful day he'd had since joining Vine Corporation.

  Nearing the end of the workday, Mia came over again, handing him a neatly folded cloth bag.

  "Michael, this is some pickled vegetables I dried myself. Take it back to eat with your compressed biscuits. It's better than just gnawing on them dry."

  Michael took the bag.

  A faint, salty fragrance wafted to his nose, and his heart felt warm.

  "Thank you so much, Mia."

  "You're welcome!"

  Mia smiled, her eyes curving again. "See you tomorrow!"

  After work, back at the rented room, opening the door brought the familiar dampness and gloom.

  He fished out the crumpled company employee roster.

  It had a group photo of the department.

  Inside, Elena wore her usual cold expression.

  Mia stood in a corner, surrounded by the crowd, smiling so brightly her eyes curved into crescents, exceptionally dazzling.

  He sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the photo for a moment, his mind a chaotic mess, giving rise to images:

  Elena on the left, Mia on the right, both in semi-transparent gauze, looking at him with tender affection in their eyes...

  As soon as these thoughts surfaced, Michael sighed, feeling like a loser.

  The vine mark on his chest was still there.

  The monster inside him was still there.

  Who knew, maybe one day he'd be dragged off to the lab for dissection.

  Michael lay on the bed, staring at the mottled ceiling.

  His thoughts uncontrollably flashed to Elena and Mia at their most beautiful.

  He didn't know how much time passed before his thinking began to clear up:

  Someone like Elena would indeed be difficult to deal with。

  but someone like Mia wasn't unapproachable...