The boss, seasoned by countless storms, quickly stepped in to steady the room.
"Calm down. There are thirty-five of us. With that many minds working together, are we really unable to come up with a strategy? Don't lose your composure."
The manager nodded, a sharp glint flashing behind his lenses.
"Exactly. This is a high-risk game, but the prize is substantial.
"Yesterday there were thirty-six of us, and the total bonus was 1 million. Today there are thirty-five, and it's risen to 1.5 million. Sacrifice has its rewards.
"Of course, I'd rather see everyone leave here alive. If we can make tens of thousands in just a few days and go home, that's not bad at all."
"So what do we do now?" a quiet, frail-looking young man asked.
The manager adjusted his glasses. "Based on the secretary's experience, getting close to the queen does increase your health points.
"We can pool our points, exchange them for jewelry from the marketplace, and use it to curry favor. That should help us secure better positions.
"No matter how heartless the queen may be, she's still human. If we work diligently, perform our duties well, and greet her respectfully whenever we meet, there shouldn't be any problems."
The others nodded in agreement.
The HR representative chimed in, "The queen's personality is extremely strong. The secretary must have offended her somehow to meet such a fate. We're not like him. If we keep our heads down and behave ourselves, we'll be fine. Don't worry."
Soon, the manager and the boss gathered everyone's health points, exchanged them for jewels, and went to meet the old matron in charge of palace affairs.
For some reason, I couldn't shake a growing sense of unease.
I didn't believe the boss and the manager could suddenly become so kindhearted. When they were still our superiors at the company, they had never cared whether we lived or died. Now, in this palace where survival was uncertain from one moment to the next, could they truly have a change of heart and lead us all to safety?
Sure enough, when they returned, their expressions were tinged with guilt.
The manager cleared his throat. "Although we've secured thirty-five positions, some are better than others. To be fair, we'll decide by drawing lots."
Everyone tensed as they lined up to draw.
I glanced at the slip in my hand.
"Lantern bearer to the queen."
It was an excellent post—one that allowed close proximity to her.
Looking up, I saw some colleagues beaming with excitement while others wore expressions of disappointment and worry.
The HR representative turned to me with curiosity.
"Adrian, what did you get?"
I answered honestly.
He stared thoughtfully at the slip in my hand, then smiled. "Adrian, no one in the company likes you, but I do. I hope we can both earn the bonus and make it back to the real world alive."
A few minutes later, the manager began matching each position to its holder.
Originally, there had been only one lantern bearer. After the comparison, there were suddenly two.
The manager frowned. "At a time like this, there's no point in lying. Positions may differ, but those who do well won't forget to help those who don't."
No one spoke.
Left with no choice, he started checking one by one. The moment I finished stating my position, the HR representative suddenly burst into tears.
"Earlier, when Adrian asked what I drew, I told him I got lantern bearer. I never imagined he'd lie just to compete with me for the position!"
A chill ran down my spine.
In a panic, I pulled out my slip. The words had changed. What once read Lantern Bearer now said Kitchen Menial.
Someone had switched my lot.
The others immediately looked at me with disdain and contempt.
"Adrian's always scheming, but he's unbelievably stupid. Does he really think people will believe him just because he says so?"
"Didn't he steal from someone at the company before? Even after he was caught, he insisted he'd bought it himself. Shameless as ever."
The HR representative stepped in as peacemaker. "All right, all right. That's enough. Adrian just wants to survive. I can understand that."
He wore a gentle, understanding smile, but I didn't miss the provocation lurking in his eyes.
