You have failed to respond in time. Efficiency Rating -1% New Efficiency Rating: 0.96% Warning: Grace Period Reducing
A dull ache coursed through her head, likely a mild electroshock feedback from the harness. No permanent damage, she hoped. But her rating plummeted further. She still had more than two dozen cycles left of her grace period, but if her efficiency rating remained that low...
¡°You must expedite your decisions, Citizen-Doctor Qi.¡± The mechanical voice of the local Schedule Master spoke quietly next to her ear. There was no malice in its tone¡ªonly compliance and a slight tinge of concern. ¡°We exist to serve. Work safely. Work efficiently.¡±
She grimaced. ¡°I don¡¯t even know the correct responses. This system is insane! Less than a second per case?¡±
New Batch Incoming¡
Number of Cases: 20,524
Qi bit her lip. The harness beeped its persistent countdown. She tapped into the macros, scanning quickly:
Two microfactories requesting the same heat quota. She glimpsed a reference to the Department of Flow¡¯s guidelines. The recommended macros were ¡°Deny B¡± or ¡°Approve Both.¡± Her gut said that ¡°Approve Both¡± might lead to meltdown, but ¡°Deny B¡± could cause workforce slowdown. She guessed the planet was big on maximizing output. With no time to weigh it, she just slammed Deny B.
A complaint from a Department of Flow official about disallowed coolant usage. She recognized the department¡¯s significance. Approve the official¡¯s appeal or deny it? She Approved with no further thought.
Another dispute about overtime in sub-block D45. She had an odd feeling about that, but time was draining away. She pressed Deny with a trembling finger.
The system churned, analyzing her quick decisions.
NOTIFICATION
Block completed. Efficiency Calculation¡ Base Rating: 1.1% Estimated Gains: +1.3% Penalties: -0.5% Net Efficiency: 1.9%
Her heart sank. Barely an improvement.
SYSTEM ALERT
Next batch incoming in 2 millicycles.
She swallowed. This was the new normal: a relentless onslaught of decisions. For the next hour¡ªshe had no sense of time beyond the cycle readouts¡ªQi hammered the macros, sometimes approving, sometimes denying, sometimes deferring, all while vaguely trying to follow the planet¡¯s labyrinthine regulations. Still, she felt like a pilot flying blind, scanning only the bolded phrases and hoping to avoid catastrophic errors.
Her neural interface kept a running tally of her performance:
NOTIFICATION
Active Efficiency: 6.5%
Pending Cases: 342,001
Time to Grace Period Expiration: 0.5781 cycles
Six-point-five percent. Abysmally low, but at least she was crawling upward. She forced her breathing to steady, though sweat dripped from her temples. The harness had begun to chafe, and dull sparks of feedback pricked her spine whenever she missed a case¡¯s timer.
¡°Your break is now scheduled,¡± the Schedule Master announced cheerily. ¡°You have 20 millicycles to rest.¡±
Qi¡¯s eyes widened. She barely had enough time to slump back in her seat. The data feed vanished, leaving her in a haze of too-bright overhead lights and the distant roar of the superstructure¡¯s machinery.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
She fought the urge to scream. Thirty seconds was hardly a break. But she reminded herself that she was here by choice. A prestigious cultural exchange, her superiors had called it back home. She could bring back invaluable knowledge of the Provider Empire¡¯s technology. A chance to see the famed planet that sustained four quintillion souls in its miles-high labyrinth.
Yet here she was, inundated by a thousand tasks per second, battered by the fear of failure.
LOCAL SYSTEM (Soothing Tone):
12 millicycles remaining on break. Efficiency is suboptimal.
Recommendation: Use break to review processing macros.
Remember, your grace period is limited.
Qi closed her eyes, letting out a shaky breath. ¡°I can do this,¡± she whispered. Even if it felt more like a survival mission than an educational sojourn. If she could push her rating just high enough, she¡¯d buy herself some breathing room¡ªmaybe find a moment to explore this claustrophobic planet-spanning fortress.
She opened her eyes with renewed determination, ignoring the sweat and the dryness in her throat.
BREAK TIME END
Returning to Admin¡ªComplaints & Appeals system.
The HUD blinked into life again, an onslaught of new cases flooding her interface. She steeled herself and pressed on.
0.57... She had just half a cycle to drag her efficiency out of the depths. And beyond that loomed the intangible presence of the Provider that ruled Maxproxemix, a near-godlike figure who siphoned energy from a black hole to keep every assembly line running. Compared to that, her floundering attempts at administrative triage felt downright trivial.
But for Qi Meifen, the next few seconds of blistering decisions would mean everything. She braced herself, determined to survive this crucible of endless issues ¡ª one batch at a time.
===
Qi Meifen exhaled slowly as the Admin¡ªComplaints & Appeals interface resumed its relentless assault. The neural interface fired up, and the data feed lit up in her vision like an aurora of bureaucratic chaos. She noted her last recorded metrics:
STATUS SUMMARY
Efficiency Rating: 6.5%
Pending Cases: 342,001
Time to Grace Period Expiration: 0.5779 cycles
She hit the macros without delay. Most people back home would scoff at the idea of processing thousands of decisions in the blink of an eye. But on Maxproxemix, that was the standard. Every human¡ªnatural or engineered¡ªwas expected to keep pace with the world¡¯s monstrous demands. And Qi¡¯s neural interface was, by any ordinary measure, advanced enough to handle the data flow. Still, it was an unending torrent.
She tried to settle into a pattern. Her finger hovered over the macros, reading the bullet points at inhuman speed:
- A dispute about nutrient paste quality? Deny.
- A complaint about a missing shift break in sub-district 45A? Approve.
- An appeal from a microfactory Supervisor for additional manpower? Defer.
Defer. Approve. Deny. She found a rhythm, pushing aside the creeping doubt that no mortal could truly keep up with this volume. All the while, glowing green or red text appeared in her peripheral vision, reflecting how the system evaluated each of her choices.
Occasionally, she saw a flicker of improvement in her stats:
NOTIFICATION
Batch Processed.
+1.2% Efficiency
Current Efficiency Rating: 7.7%
Every small bump made her heart lift a little¡ªonly to sink again as the next wave arrived, each bigger than the last. Despite her best efforts, the planet had over four quintillion residents, and even if only a fraction of them filed daily complaints, it was enough to bury her in forms.
A tenth of a cycle later, she sneaked a glance at her progress:
STATUS SUMMARY
Efficiency Rating: 10.1%
Pending Cases: 1,288,904
Time to Grace Period Expiration: 0.4612 cycles
She was inching forward, but far too slowly. By the time she reached the required 25% threshold, the grace period would be long gone¡ªassuming she didn¡¯t burn out first.
LOCAL SYSTEM ALERT
Multiple high-priority cases incoming. Prepare to override standard macros.
Qi gulped. High-priority meant the system was testing her comprehension of local policies. No quick ¡°Approve¡± or ¡°Deny¡± would suffice; she¡¯d have to attach a justification or risk a severe penalty. She glimpsed complex references to the Department of Flow¡¯s heat routing, departmental resource budgets, and dozens of sub-clauses in Maxproxemix¡¯s legal code.
-
Case #56777: ¡°Emergency rerouting of coolant from Wards 12¨C15. Overcapacity meltdown predicted.¡±
She had to choose among reassigning coolant from a different ward or shutting down partial production. She quickly chose the former after locating a nearby facility to route coolant from.
-
Case #56778: ¡°Complaint from M-Factory 854 regarding defective Disposables requesting emotional break.¡±
Emotional break? That was unheard of¡ªDisposables were engineered to be content. She hesitated, scanning the recommended decisions. The official stance was typically to disregard such emotional anomalies as malfunctions and replace the bad product¡ but an internal voice told her ignoring it could cause bigger problems down the line. Still, time was ticking.
She took a gamble, hitting Approve to investigate further.
WARNING: Delay in High-Priority Case #56779
Efficiency penalty imminent.
Her gaze snapped to the next line, mind racing. She hastily flicked through the macros:
- Deny.
- Deny.
- Approve with reservations.
- Defer¡
All the while, her rating droned in her mind:
Calculating¡ Efficiency at 10.9%¡ 11.2%¡ 10.8%¡
Every uncertain decision shaved off potential gains. She clenched her teeth, forced to keep going, battered by stress. The overly friendly attendant she had met upon arrival occasionally passed by, offering vacant smiles. It had become her sole respite in a sea of mechanical monotony¡ªthough it no longer said anything more supportive than ¡°We exist to serve.¡±
Eventually, the system projected an ominous red countdown in the corner of her vision:
NOTIFICATION
GRACE PERIOD: <0.1 Cycle Remaining
Current Efficiency Rating: 18.4%
WARNING: Grace Period end will trigger reevaluation of assignment viability. Current trend indicates insufficient performance.
Her chest tightened. She hadput everything into these tasks, but her 18.4% rating was nowhere near the required 25%. There was no way she would cover that gap in the final decicycle.
Her mind drifted for an instant¡ªwhy do they even require 25%? She had read the orientation materials: it was the minimum standard for a living entity to remain assigned on Maxproxemix. The planet¡¯s entire existence revolved around efficiency. If you couldn¡¯t keep pace, you were replaced. Disposed. Recycled. Everything was used to feed the machine¡ªincluding the bodies of the underperforming.
A bead of sweat traced down her temple. She tried to block out the fear and keep working. She hammered through another wave of disputes. She gleaned a meager bump:
Current Efficiency Rating: 19.3%
Her heart soared in a burst of desperate hope. But the red countdown in her vision drained faster.
- 0.05 cycles¡
- 0.04 cycles¡
- 0.03 cycles¡
As her rating crossed the 20 percent threshold, the system poured on even more high-priority cases, as if sensing her mental exhaustion. Summaries about ¡°Critical coolant shortage,¡± ¡°Energy misallocation,¡± ¡°Unscheduled shift expansions¡±¡ªon and on. She processed them with frantic speed, no longer sure if her choices made sense.
LOCAL SYSTEM ALERT
Multiple errors detected in justification for recent decisions.
Efficiency Rating Penalty: ¨C2.0%
Her rating plummeted.
Current Efficiency Rating: 18.4%
No. She could hardly breathe. The clock slid down toward zero, and the final millicycles of her grace period vanished.
NOTIFICATION
GRACE PERIOD EXPIRED
ASSESSING ASSIGNMENT VIABILITY... STAND BY...
Time froze. Qi¡¯s vision blurred, each data window replaced by a single directive that blazed across her ocular display:
ASSESSMENT OUTCOME
Energy Usage vs. Output Final Efficiency: 17.3%
DECISION: UNVIABLE
In that moment, she felt an overwhelming sense of defeat. She¡¯d come all this way, crossed light years, downloaded her consciousness into a clone, only to fail at an impossible standard. A hush seemed to fall in the chamber around her. Countless disposable administrators kept laboring at inhuman speeds, but Qi¡¯s station went dark.
The harness retracted from around her body with a soft click. She was free¡ªthough there was nowhere to go. A wave of dizziness struck as the neural interface forcibly disconnected from her mind. She tried to stand, feeling a pit in her stomach, a dull certainty of what was about to happen.
Sure enough, the friendly attendant from came forward, wearing the same welcoming smile. It inclined its head politely. ¡°Doctor Qi Meifen, your grace period has ended. It was an honor to serve with you.¡±
There was no malice¡ªonly a gentle courtesy. Before she could protest, the attendant raised one small device¡ªa euthanizing tool that glowed with a faint hum¡ªand pressed it to her temple. A burst of white heat flared through her skull. She felt her consciousness flicker, her vision shattering in a fractal swirl of static.
She never felt herself crumple to the floor. Didn¡¯t feel her body being hauled away. The last things that registered were fleeting after images of the attendent¡¯s unwavering smile. ¡°We exist to serve.¡±
She was dead. Terminated. The system had no further use for her inefficiency.
In the absolute darkness that followed, time and form lost all meaning. A sense of non-existence gripped her. Then¡ªwithout sight or sound¡ªshe experienced a bizarre impression of being dissected, her mind picked apart and analyzed just as her biological materials were sorted and repurposed with the same meticulous routine that governed every corner of Maxproxemix.
A sudden flash. Qi Meifen, or something that had once been Qi Meifen, saw text swirl before her in a void of digital haze. The familiar lines of Maxproxemix¡¯s central operating system reasserted themselves:
REINSTATING CONSCIOUSNESS¡
INDIVIDUAL DESIGNATION: ¡°QI MEIFEN¡±
STATUS: UNASSIGNED
Her mind reeled, half-formed memories crackling like static. She had died¡ªshe was certain of it. But a smoldering echo of her consciousness was evidently circulating within the planet¡¯s data vaults.
A message demanded her attention.
MAXPROXEMIX LOCAL MESSAGE
FROM: Maxproxemix Administrative Core
TO: Qi Meifen
Greetings, Qi Meifen.
We at Maxproxemix would like to formally thank you for your recent contribution to the Admin¡ªComplaints & Appeals Department. Although your assignment was regrettably terminated prior to meeting the minimum required efficiency standard, you did successfully render services for a total of 0.6 cycle.
Below is the detailed breakdown of your compensation:
| BASE PAY (prorated for 0.6 cycle) |
+1200.00 Credits |
| INEFFICIENCY PENALTIES |
-387.50 Credits |
| ERROR PENALTIES |
-212.75 Credits |
| DISPOSAL & RECYCLING FEES |
-150 Credits |
| REINSTATEMENT FEES |
-300 Credits |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- |
------------------------------------ |
| BALANCE CREDITED
|
+249.75 Credits |
| BALANCE CARRIED FORWARD
|
0 Credits |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- |
------------------------------------ |
| TOTAL BALANCE
|
+249.75 Credits |
Your final balance of 249.75 credits has been transferred to your Maxproxemix personal account.
Thank you again for your time and efforts, and may your next assignment¡ªif any¡ªbring higher productivity and satisfaction to all.
¨C The Maxproxemix Administrative Core
¡°We exist to serve.¡±
And just like that, she was pulled again into the vast machinery of Maxproxemix¡ªher consciousness flickering somewhere between life and data, awaiting an uncertain fate in a place where everything¡ªfrom wasted heat to terminated employees¡ªwas recycled.
Chapter 2
A faint hum filled the blankness of limbo. Qi Meifen ¡ª once a flesh-and-blood doctor, then a faceless Admin worker, and now reduced to drifting data ¡ªslowly became aware of herself again. She had no physical body, no heartbeat, yet her consciousness remained intact, tethered to the vast machinery of Maxproxemix like a phantom.
Her last memory: the abrupt end of her assignment, and the swift, clinical termination that followed. Now, she existed in a realm of translucent code and flickering windows, waiting for a new opportunity to be reassigned.
Somewhere in that digital twilight, a soft chime sounded.
LOCAL SYSTEM MESSAGE
Department of Equanimity ¨C Free Evaluation
A glowing message materialized in her vision. It bore the emblem of the local Department of Equanimity, whose mission was to ensure that the planet¡¯s populace remained psychologically balanced, content, and ¡ª above all ¡ª loyal.
A calm, melodic voice played directly into Qi¡¯s consciousness, as though reading from a script:
DEPARTMENT OF EQUANIMITY
Dear Qi Meifen. We have analyzed your mental profile and performance metrics from your last assignment in Admin¡ªComplaints & Appeals.
Our findings indicate that distracting thought patterns and strong emotional responses significantly impacted your decision-making, resulting in sub-optimal efficiency.
Maxproxemix demands unwavering focus and contentment. Birthborn human minds may lack the necessary conditioning experience crippling distractions¡ªfear, stress, moral hesitation.
To facilitate your reintegration, we highly recommend adopting an appropriate Conditioning Package.
The statement concluded with a slight echo, leaving Qi disoriented. She had known, even before she first arrived, that Disposables were genetically engineered for unwavering focus, obedience and contentment. But she wasn¡¯t a disposable¡ªshe was an offworlder with ordinary human emotional depth. By Maxproxemix standards, that made her a liability.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
Conditioning recommendations for Qi Meifen
-
Emotion Damping v2.0 (150 credits) ¨C Reduces fear, anxiety, guilt. Preserves mild curiosity.
-
Obedience Reinforcement (100 credits) ¨C Enhances compliance with hierarchical commands.
-
Linguistic Focus Patch (75 credits) ¨C Improves ability to parse and analyze large volumes of natural language data.
-
Comprehensive Recalibration v1.1 (200 credits) ¨C Overhauls emotional reflexes, cultivates loyalty.
-
Discounted Combo Pack (400 credits) ¨C Combines the above for total synergy (insufficient credits).
Even in limbo, Qi could see her credit balance in a small corner of her mental HUD:
ACCOUNT BALANCE: 249.75 CREDITS
Thanks to the modest payout from her ill-fated stint, she now had enough to afford some mix of these ¡°enhancements.¡±
The Department of Equanimity concluded its pitch:
Given your environment on Maxproxemix, we strongly advise you to undergo conditioning before seeking a new assignment. Without it, your risk of repeated termination remains high.
The message dissolved, replaced by a blinking prompt:
PURCHASE CONDITIONING PACKAGE?
YES | NO
In the empty digital void, Qi pondered her limited freedom. She could decline, remain unconditioned¡ªand likely fail again, facing a swift recycling. Or she could pay for modifications that would quiet her anxieties, bury her doubts, and align her personality with the hyper-efficient soul of Maxproxemix.
She glanced at the recommended packages. Comprehensive Recalibration (200 credits) looked robust enough without going over budget. Perhaps she could add the Linguistic Focus Patch (75 credits) to gain an extra edge. That would total 275 credits¡ªtoo high for her 249.75.
Her second option: Emotion Damping v2.0 (150 credits) plus Linguistic Focus Patch (75 credits) made 225 credits, which would leave her 24.75 credits in her balance. But that might not be as thorough a solution as the ¡°Comprehensive Recalibration.¡±
The numbers whirled in her mind. She felt a jolt of unease about surrendering her emotional autonomy. But the memory of being forcibly terminated¡ªand the humiliating sense of failure¡ªstill burned in her consciousness. She had come here on a cultural exchange, hoping to learn. What could she possibly learn if she was re-recycled in less than a cycle?
She selected:
- Comprehensive Recalibration v1.1 (200 credits) ¡ª Overhauls emotional reflexes, cultivates loyalty.
- Linguistic Focus Patch (75 credits) ¡ª Improves ability to parse and analyze large volumes of natural language data.
Error. That would cost 275, which she didn¡¯t have. She tried to confirm it anyway, but the interface beeped negatively. She¡¯d have to settle for something else.
¡°Fine¡¡± she muttered in the silence of her own mind. She picked:
- Emotion Damping v2.0 (150 credits)
- Linguistic Focus Patch (75 credits)
Total: 225 credits. That left her with 24.75 credits¡ªa small cushion, at least. Her intangible finger hovered over the ¡°Confirm Purchase¡± button, the final door between free will and reprogramming. But a calm part of her recognized there was no real alternative if she wanted to function here. She took a breath¡ªthough, in this limbo, it was purely psychological¡ªand pressed Confirm.
Immediately, a new system window unfurled:
PURCHASE CONFIRMED
Emotion Damping v2.0 + Efficiency Focus Patch
Processing Payment¡
CREDITS DEDUCTED: 225
REMAINING BALANCE: 24.75
Then a final prompt pulsed into view:
NOTIFICATION
CONDITIONING: INITIATING
PREPARE FOR SYSTEM OVERRIDE
Qi felt a jolt at the core of her mind. For an instant, she tried to brace herself¡ªthen everything went black, even blacker than the void of limbo.
She experienced an electric surge of white noise, as if her consciousness were being torn apart and reconfigured on a molecular level. Her personal memories, feelings, and reflexes were forcibly reorganized. The fear she had felt¡ªthe panic under suffocating workload¡ªseemed distant, muted. Even the sharp regret of her termination began to fade into a dull shape at the edge of her awareness.
Ghostly images flickered: a swirl of half-remembered training instructions, compliance reinforcements, code after code rewriting her neural pathways. She had no sense of time. It could have taken seconds or entire cycles.
At some point, a single line of text flashed in the swirling oblivion:
¡°Maxproxemix has no place for doubt. Efficiency is paramount. Service is pride.¡±
Then, with a snap, the process ended.
Qi¡¯s senses¡ªif they could be called that in limbo¡ªflickered back. Suddenly, she felt more centered, more calm. Where there had been an undercurrent of tension and dread, she now felt¡ acceptance. No crushing regrets. No gnawing fear about the future. The conditioning had quite literally dulled her emotional responses¡ªjust as promised.
SYSTEM REBOOT COMPLETED
Conditioning packages successfully installed.
Emotion Damping v2.0 ¨C Active
Linguistic Focus Patch ¨C Active
A flutter of cold excitement coursed through Qi, but not the frantic or anxious kind¡ªmore like a steady, unwavering readiness. Part of her recognized that she¡¯d just sacrificed some piece of her individuality. But it no longer bothered her, and that thought was quickly sidelined by the priority that glowed in her mind:
- Acquire new assignment
- Perform tasks with minimal emotional interference
- Thrive under Maxproxemix standards
She felt motivated. The old Qi might have questioned the ethics of this ¡°brainwashing.¡± Now, she only felt a calm determination to make better use of her second chance.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Another system window appeared:
NEW ASSIGNMENT OPPORTUNITIES:
1. Admin Department - Cultural Exchange Specialist (Retrial)
2. Industrial Ward Administrative Aide
3. Microplant Efficiency Coordinator
4. Nutrient Paste QA Specialist
5. Department of Equanimity - Councillor (Intern)
6. Department of Flow ¨C Radiator Maintenance Engineer
...
Qi scanned them all in a fraction of a second, her newly upgraded mind parsing the text with remarkable speed. She felt a surge of gratification at how easy it was now, a tingle of pleasure from fulfilling the prime directive to be efficient.
And for the first time since her arrival on Maxproxemix, she did not feel overwhelmed or terrified. She felt¡ perfectly functional.
With her new conditioning, she was ready¡ªready to choose a path forward in this colossal, planet-wide machine that consumed everything and everyone in the name of marginal gains.
Service is pride, the conditioning whispered. We exist to serve.
She applied for the retrial with the Admin Department.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
Application Granted
ASSIGNMENT UPDATED
Position: Cultural Exchange Specialist
Assigned Department: Admin ¨C Complaints & Appeals
A smile¡ªa numb, placid smile¡ªformed in the intangible corner of Qi¡¯s consciousness. She was ready to begin again.
===
A swirl of sterile fluid. A faint glow from overhead lights. A slow, measured pulsing in newly formed arteries and veins. Qi Meifen¡¯s consciousness drifted toward the surface of a clone vat, resurrected in flesh for the second time on Maxproxemix. Yet, unlike her first awakening¡ªwhich had been fraught with shock and confusion¡ªthis time, she felt only calm acceptance.
Qi¡¯s genetic blueprint, stored securely in Maxproxemix¡¯s data vaults, activated a specialized growth chamber. Microscopic nanoscale drones assembled her body layer by layer: bone lattice first, then muscle strands, then an intricate web of nerves. A neutral nutrient solution, thick with proteins and nanites, surrounded her forming tissues.
As her brain took shape, the infomorph that was Qi Meifen seamlessly integrated with the neural template. Under normal circumstances, merging a digital consciousness with new synapses would have induced existential dread. But the Emotion Damping v2.0 made the process feel like flipping through an orderly list of tasks. Her cortical folds synchronized with the preloaded neural map, forging continuity of identity¡ªif not continuity of memory.
Automated needles descended into the vat, injecting tailored hormones to ensure a stable circadian rhythm, minimal stress response, and properly aligned doping for mental acuity. The Linguistic Focus Patch data wove itself into her hippocampus, making memory recall and data processing more streamlined.
A soft whir signaled the draining of the nutrient solution. Medical servomechs gently lifted the new body¡ªa perfect copy of Qi Meifen¡¯s physiognomy¡ªfrom the vat and laid her on a metallic gurney. Tubes and cables detached from her forearms and spine. An overhead speaker announced, in calm monotone:
Clone Sequence Complete.
Qi¡¯s eyes opened. This time, no panic¡ªonly a mild curiosity at the lights overhead. The overhead beams reflected off a polished ceiling, and her retinas adjusted quickly. She felt the dryness of her newly minted skin, the mild ache of fresh muscles not yet accustomed to gravity.
Her brain¡ªnow embedded with advanced conditioning¡ªregistered these sensations as negligible details. Standing up is required, her mind declared with a crisp mental efficiency. She swung her legs off the gurney and set her feet on the cold floor.
A single note blinked in her field of vision:
CLONE STATUS: ACTIVE
BODY ID: QI MEIFEN (INSTANCE 2)
CONDITIONING: STABLE
She experienced no surge of relief or excitement¡ªonly a determined readiness. With practiced composure, Qi walked out of the clone bay and into the corridor leading back to her place of work.
The corridor was identical to her memory: The endless hordes of workers marching in tight formations, the seamless metal panels, a faint hum of power lines, overhead cables forming a mesh. She navigated swiftly, guided by the occasional notification in her mind and by the unstoppable impetus of moving bodies.
And there, in front of the Admin¡ªComplaints & Appeals entry hatch, stood the same attendent who had kindly led her inside on her first try¡ and also disposed her when she failed. He wore the same unassuming grey uniform, that same unwavering, helpful smile.
¡°Citizen-Doctor Qi Meifen!¡± he greeted with genuine warmth, his voice brimming with unshakeable positivity. ¡°Welcome back! We are so glad you have rejoined us.¡±
Previously, she could easily have felt unease about being welcomed by the same individual that killed her without a second thought not too long ago. Now, she felt nothing beyond a basic acknowledgment. She gave him a tiny nod.
¡°Thank you,¡± she said, her voice smooth and steady. No resentment. No fear. Simply a polite civility.
If the Attendant noticed the stark difference in her demeanor, it showed no sign other than a slight brightening of its unblinking eyes. It gestured politely for her to follow. ¡°This way, Citizen-Doctor.¡±
Qi stepped into the cavernous Admin Department again. This time, she barely noticed its intimidating scale¡ª20-kilometer-high superstructure or not, it was just background noise. The endless rows of manned stations, massive data screens, the myriad of glowing cables snaking from the ceiling¡ªthis was her domain now, and she felt perfectly at ease.
The attendent guided her to a waiting seat. She recognized it as the same station where she had toiled and failed before. With her new conditioning, any recollection of that failure sparked only a mild desire to improve.
Metal clasps extended from the seat, snapping into place around her torso and wrists. A slender cable rose from behind, connecting to the small port at the base of her neck. No momentary jolt of fear this time; just a relaxed acceptance as data began flowing across her vision.
- Interface Activation: A rolling string of code scrolled across her HUD, verifying that Qi Meifen (v2) was recognized.
- Data Link: The console¡¯s OS merged with her augmented neural pathways, granting her near-instant access to the planet¡¯s labyrinthine administrative records.
- Conditioning Overrides: Subroutines spun up, ensuring that any emotional surges would be repressed.
NOTIFICATION
Interim Goals:
1) Your efficiency rating must exceed 25% by the commencement of your first evaluation period.
Failure to complete will result in immediate termination.
Have a safe and productive cycle!
Qi mentally reviewed the macros for complaint resolution, but this time, the details felt second nature. She needed no frantic scanning of policy files; her internal Linguistic Focus Patch instantly cross-referenced the database.
NOTIFICATION
Ready for Processing.
Pending Cases: 12,492
Evaluation in 150 millicycles.
Begin.
Batch 1
-
Case #1: Microfactory worker requests shift swap.
- Cross-checks: labor policy 54.2 + reference to sub-district constraints.
- Assessment: Applicable sub-clause violation).
- Deny.
-
Case #2: Supervisor disputes resource allotment.
- Reference departmental budget logs. High priority, but the data shows a shortfall.
- Approve partial allotment.
-
Case #3: Disposal unit¡¯s complaint about defective equipment.
-
Misfiled self-report. Low priority.
-
Defer.
Case after case flicked in her mind, her responses near instantationeous. After hundreds of cases were processed, her interface whizzes:
BATCH COMPLETE
Efficiency Gains: +5.0%
Immediately, she experiences a pleasant mental ping¡ªthe new conditioning rewarding her for each correct, efficient judgment. Instead of fear or pressure, she feels a crisp surge of motivation, a satisfied hum in her mind that encourages her to keep going. She quickly moves on to the next batch.
Batch 2
-
Six subcases revolve around coolant reallocation. Please reference the Department of Flow general guidelines.
-
Cluster deals with scheduling expansions for sub-block U21. Identifies potential solutions.
Qi¡¯s new brain swiftly sorts them into ¡°approve¡± or ¡°deny,¡± referencing the relevant Department of Flow guidelines. She moves on to the next task and identifies the standard solution in milliseconds.
BATCH COMPLETE
Additional Gains: +3.5%
Cumulative Efficiency: 8.5%
The harness hums approvingly. Qi can sense the synergy of her improved mental processes. Her quick decisions no longer feel like guesswork. She¡¯s not skipping steps¡ªshe¡¯s simply analyzing them at lightning speed with minimal emotional interference.
A more complex set of disputes regarding heat radiator quotas appears. Qi¡¯s Linguistic Focus Patch retrieves relevant sections of the planet¡¯s thermal management protocol. She instantly sees a path to optimizing these lines, selecting ¡°Approve, Approve, Deny¡± with concise justifications that the system automatically logs.
BATCH COMPLETE
+6.2% Efficiency
Cumulative Efficiency: 14.7%
Her mind churns contentedly as she processes batch after batch. She notices a subtle phenomenon: each time she nails a decision, the system¡¯s neural link feeds her a microdose of compliance satisfaction. A mild euphoria builds with each correct judgment, fueling her drive to keep going at this breakneck pace.
As Qi is mid-approval on a dispute about sub-district shift changes, a wide notification expands across her HUD:
EVALUATION IMMENENT
0.003 Cycles Remaining...
0.002...
0.001...
She doesn¡¯t even break pace when the timer hits zero. The harness¡¯s feed flickers once, and a calm, mechanical tone states:
REPORT
Energy Usage vs. Output Final Efficiency: 28.1%
INTERIM GOAL: COMPLETED
ASSESSMENT: PASSED
DECISION: VIABLE
There is no surge of triumphant relief, no wild excitement¡ªonly a subdued note of satisfaction. For a moment, Qi allows herself a half-smile. She has cleared the crucial threshold. She is, by every metric, valuable to Maxproxemix now.
The harness retracts as her shift concludes without incident. The same attended who escorted (and killed) her stands by, still wearing its unwavering smile.
¡°Congratulations, Citizen-Doctor Qi Meifen. You are proceeding at an excellent rate.¡± It speaks as though they were meeting for the first time, no mention of her prior disposal.
Qi merely nods, face impassive. ¡°Thank you.¡± Then she returns her attention to the console, already anticipating the next wave of tasks with a newfound sense of professional zeal.
No bitterness. No hesitation. She is prepared to serve.
Around her, Maxproxemix hums with the industry of quadrillions of loyal workers. inside, Qi Meifen has become an integral part of that machine¡ªher mind sharpened and her emotions harnessed. The planet demands unwavering efficiency, and now, with the dull ache of any emotional friction excised, Qi Meifen stands ready to answer that call.
Chapter 3
Mei''s shift had ended¡ªher first truly successful assignment since her resurrection. A calm sense of satisfaction pulsed through her newly conditioned mind. No tension, no spike of excitement¡ªjust the efficient knowledge that she had done well.
A soft chime rippled through her neural interface.
MAXPROXEMIX LOCAL MESSAGE
FROM: Maxproxemix Administrative Core
TO: Qi Meifen
Greetings, Qi Meifen.
Thank you for successfully completing your shift at Admin Department¡ªComplaints & Appeals.
Below is the detailed breakdown of your compensation:
| BASE PAY (prorated for 0.9 cycle) |
+1800.00 Credits |
| EFFICIENCY BONUS |
+37.50 Credits |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- |
------------------------------------ |
| BALANCE CREDITED
|
+1837.50 Credits |
| BALANCE CARRIED FORWARD
|
+24.75 Credits |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- |
------------------------------------ |
| TOTAL BALANCE
|
+1862.25 Credits |
The due balance has been transferred to your Maxproxemix personal account.
Thank you again for your time and efforts.
¨C The Maxproxemix Administrative Core
¡°We exist to serve.¡±
Even with her muted emotions, Mei felt a brief flicker of gratification. Nearly two thousand credits was not a significant sum on Maxproxemix, but it was enough, at least, to afford her some short respite. But the interface quickly followed up with a second alert:
MANDATORY ELICITATION Per the Provider Empire¡¯s Data Sharing , loyal subjects must undergo neurological data upload (Elicitation) at least once every .
Your next elicitation to be conducted within cycles.
Non-compliance with the Data Sharing Policy is grounds immediate termination will see your data surrendered to the Department of Compliance for summary enforcement and edification.
Acknowledged?
[YES/]
Qi recognized the gravity of this requirement. A mental frown might have crossed her face¡ªhad she still possessed the capacity for alarm. But her new conditioning turned it into a mere curiosity, a routine step to maintain a well-organized system.
She clicked [YES]. The system¡¯s reply snapped back:
Elicitation Scheduled
Remaining:
Why not do it automatically? she wondered. Maxproxemix surely had access to her neural data already¡ªit was how they had reconstructed her after her last termination. But she recalled reading that the planet had its own local administrative framework, separate from the broader Provider Empire¡¯s overarching institutions. Likely some bureaucratic tangle, she thought, an official checkpoint so the Empire can track compliance.
A tired, fleeting thought surfaced: I could rest for a bit. By all logic, she had earned a break. But the prospect of rest on Maxproxemix, she soon recalled, was a luxury¡ªone that cost more than most could afford. The planet¡¯s endless push for productivity made it clear that even a single cycle of ¡°idle time¡± came at steep personal cost in accomodation and resource fees.
All around her, Disposables labored, blissfully content to dedicate 95% or more of their cycle hours to constant work. If Disposables have no trouble working nearly non-stop, how can I justify stopping? The question lacked real bitterness in her mind, replaced by a calm acceptance: I must find my next gig quickly¡ªone that pays well, or risk draining my balance on basic sustenance.
Yet a separate line of data popped up in her field of vision, highlighting a rare no-cost opportunity:
ATTEND PROVIDER GLORIFICATION CEREMONY: NO CHARGE
Praise and reflect upon the Ruling Provider of Maxproxemix.
Recieve the Provider''s blessing.
Next ceremony begins in 0.02 cycles.
[JOIN] | [IGNORE]
Mei¡¯s efficient sense of curiosity decided for her. Besides, the conditioning had instilled a faint respectful eagerness toward the empire¡¯s figureheads. She pressed JOIN, and the system brought up a small corridor map to guide her.
Leaving the Admin Department, Mei stepped into the arterial walkways that snaked through the planet¡¯s interior superstructure. Overhead, pipes carrying coolant and raw materials rattled in a continuous flow. Narrow side passages branched off to commerce hubs, microfactories, and warehouse blocks. Every square centimeter was utilized for production and transit¡ªthere was no wasted space in this fortress-world of ten billion cubic kilometers of infrastructure.
As she made her way, Mei noted the churn of bodies: endless streams of disposables in neat uniforms jogge along, forming a crowded mass that marched in perfect unison. Their faces bore that trademark aura of compliance¡ªmany had neural cables plugged into ports along their heads, walking as if on autopilot. The corridors echoed with their combined footfalls, a steady rhythm that guided Mei along.
Occasionally, a Worker Drone parted the flow to allow Qi passage, nodding politely. ¡°Citizen-Doctor Qi Meifen, you appear to be in transit. May we be of assistance?¡± they would ask, always smiling. She politely declined, forging onward through the sea of identical faces.
Her neural interface chimed with the path ahead¡ªthe ceremony was being held in a large auditorium carved from the superstructure, only a few floors above the main coolant distribution hub. Every few moments, signage blinked with motivational messages and outright propaganda:
GLORIFY THE PROVIDER
TOGETHER, WE ARE THE EMPIRE
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The crowd thickened near the amphitheater. Mei found herself pressed between lines of unwaveringly cheerful disposables, all heading toward the same goal: to sing praises to the lone Provider that powered their entire planet.
Finally, Qi arrived at the auditorium''s massive gates. They slid open in silence, revealing a round, cavernous chamber, with layered tiers extending far back. On stage was a colossal holographic projection of the abstracted hypercube that made up the Provider¡¯s crest¡ªthe entity who siphoned power from the local black hole, who governed every function of this sprawling realm.
A hush settled through Mei¡¯s mind as she gazed upon the symbol. The conditioning inside her whispered: reverence, pride. She felt no conflict about it¡ªjust a measured sense that this was right, that she was part of something grand, an eternal engine of production.
In her periphery, a new System Notification flickered:
CEREMONY COMMENCING IN 0.01 CYCLES
Maxproxemix thanks you for your attendance.
Even the notion of a ceremony was steeped in the planet¡¯s obsession with efficiency: a brief but methodical rally of loyalty, condensed to the bare minimum. She quietly took a place among the hundreds of thousands assembling in tight rows, the air pulsing with the faint hiss of coolant overhead and the rhythmic hum of power conduits.
Her next assignment could wait, for now¡ªonly for a sliver of a cycle. And as Mei prepared to join the throng in praising the Provider, she found herself more than capable, both mentally and emotionally, to sing the empire¡¯s accolades with no shred of doubt. After all, her new conditioning had left fear and uncertainty behind. There was only the calm, unwavering resolve to serve, glorify¡ªand continue onward.
The auditorium rose around Qi Meifen like a metallic canyon, tiered overhangs stretching upward in rings of gray steel. Though her new conditioning muted her emotional responses, she couldn¡¯t help noting the crush of humanity¡ªand more than humanity¡ªpacked together in dizzying numbers. The Provider¡¯s crest, a colossal hologram, glowed at the far end of the chamber, and the milling crowd faced it with solemn devotion.
In front of them, the dim lighting flickered across a sea of red-clad Localsec guards¡ªthousands of them, perched on railings and stationed along the stage¡¯s perimeter. Their uniforms were a stark contrast to the usual dull colors worn by the disposable workforce. The guards stood rigid, weapons discreetly holstered but undeniably present, their faces obscured behind reflective visors.
At the center of the stage, rows of Ordinators in flowing robes formed a solemn procession. Their garments bore the Provider¡¯s sigil. Qi recognized them as officiants, though the data in her neural interface quietly noted that they too were disposables, merely elevated to a ceremonial function. She filed the information away, untroubled by the irony that disposables were blessing other disposables on behalf of the Providers.
A hush fell over the amphitheater. Cramped bodies pressed together¡ªtens of millions of them in just this one vast hall, though the feed overhead implied countless more were watching through distributed holo-links across Maxproxemix. Loudspeakers crackled:
¡°By the will of the Empire, we stand in gratitude to the Provider who harnesses the black hole¡¯s might. We proclaim: ¡®We exist to serve!¡¯¡±
Without prompt, the entire crowd¡ªdisposable workers, supervisors, admin staff¡ªdropped to their knees, prostrating themselves in unison. Qi Meifen followed suit, her new conditioning easing any hesitance. She placed both palms and her forehead to the cool metal floor, hearing the droning intonation echo from row after row:
¡°We exist to serve.¡±
The words came from thousands of throats, swirling in a chaotic harmony that reverberated through the steel walls.
Finally, the Ordinators at the center of the stage raised their arms. Their voices boomed with fervor, projected through speaker arrays:
¡°THE EMPIRE ACKNOWLEDGES YOUR SERVICE.
I GRANT YOU ITS BLESSING ON BEHALF OF THE PROVIDERS.
MAY IT BENEFIT THE FULFILLMENT OF YOUR CONTRACT.¡±
The assembled masses remained bowed low in near silence. Qi lifted her gaze just enough to see the Ordinators sweeping their arms outward, as if scattering intangible blessings over the masses.
Mei offered no condemnation or excitement¡ªonly the contentment of compliance. Even these Ordinators are disposables, she thought.. The entire ceremony was, in some sense, a meticulously staged ritual perpetuated by the very ones it intended to subjugate. Yet the conditioning made it feel correct¡ªthis was part of Maxproxemix¡¯s grand design.
As the hush lengthened, Qi mentally noted that the ceremony was typically short. Likely it¡¯s over now, she thought with calm practicality. Her knees and forehead ached slightly from contact with the floor, so she began to straighten up.
Even as Mei stood, she saw movement at the base of the amphitheater¡ªlines of lower-tier disposables were rising too, but they proceeded forward, en masse, toward the stage. Their faces held no fear; many actually wore serene smiles. They all carried small cards, brandishing them with a kind of pride. Mei recognized it as a completion token, marking the end of their fulfillment of their contractual service.
She watched as the red-clad Localsec guard parted to allow these contract-fulfilled disposables closer. Then, without fanfare or ceremony, the guards raised euthanizing devices¡ªcompact, industrial tools, not unlike what Mei had faced in her own termination. In a single, synchronized motion, they discharged them at the front rank of disposables.
Thousamds dropped instantly, bodies seizing and going limp before tumbling into open trapdoors that had slid open in the floor. Those behind them walked forward, obedient as ever, barely reacting when the red guard repeated the lethal routine.
A methodical, unbroken cycle followed: a line would advance, get euthanized, and tumble¡ªor be shoved¡ªinto the open pits. New lines pressed forward behind them, advancing to their sudden deaths. The entire operation had the chilling, mechanical efficiency of a factory process.
Qi Meifen observed with muted fascination, her mind processing the scene while the conditioning tempered any horror she might once have felt. The churn of bodies was swift and relentless, the pits devouring the corpses before the next wave was forced down.
These disposables are done with their contracts, Mei realized. The system had evidently deemed them no longer necessary¡ªperhaps their tasks were complete, or their cycle allotment had run out. Instead of awarding them rest or reassigning them, the Empire reclaimed the raw materials of their bodies so that a new generation of clones could be grown and cultivated in service of the Providers.
Around her, many in the assembled throng knelt in acceptance, or maintained blank, peaceful smiles. A few looked on with mild fascination, but none protested.
Seeing the disposal line continue unabated, Mei¡¯s interface drew her attention to a data panel about the practice:
DISPOSAL STATISTICS:
PAST : ,,1, ( billion) disposables recycled planetwide.
PROJECTED NEXT : ,,,
613 billion in a single cycle. That figure was almost too large to grasp, yet the planet¡¯s scale made it feasible. For Mei, it was simply another data point in the cold logic that governed Maxproxemix.
Finally, after an indeterminate span of time¡ªno more than a fraction of a cycle¡ªthe trapdoors sealed. The red-clad Localsec guards stepped back, forming a perimeter around the stage. The robed Ordinators turned inward, facing the Provider¡¯s crest once again, presumably to finalize the ceremony with silent ritual.
The throng of living disposables began dispersing with little fuss, shuffling out of the auditorium in orderly waves to return to work or find new tasks. Mei followed the crowd automatically, propelled by the same subdued determination that guided her now-conditioned thoughts.
In the corridor beyond the auditorium, there was no talk. No sense of tragedy. On Maxproxemix, the cycle of service, disposal, recycling was an accepted part of existence, embedded in every worker¡¯s genetic loyalty and reinforced by the system¡¯s unyielding demands.
Qi Meifen, too, felt no revulsion¡ªonly a distant reflection that she had once found it shocking. But that was before. Now, her mind was a model of stoic composure, shaped by the very forces she had witnessed in action.
She quickly needed to secure her elicitation, there was no time to spare. And after what she had witnessed, the choice was painfully clear: either she continued to conform, or she would meet the same fate as those newly recycled thousands. With her streamlined focus and unwavering sense of duty, Mei resolved to ensure her next assignment would prove her valuable¡ªher existence would remain justified in the eyes of Maxproxemix.
In the background, the replays of the ceremony continued on overhead screens, chanting once more: ¡°We exist to serve.¡±