Dead End: Hell of Customer Service

Chapter 10 - Bloody Audit on The Liquidation Floor

The Billing Headquarters stood tall like a gargantuan tombstone amidst the city’s ruins. Its brutalist architecture—composed of windowless grey concrete on the lower floors—exuded a cold, predatory aura of authority. As Mark Miller stepped through the creaking revolving doors, he was greeted by a scent he knew all too well: the smell of aged paper, cheap printer ink, and the cold sweat of desperate workers.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: YOU ARE ENTERING THE 'DEBT COLLECTION' RED ZONE]

[Status: Delinquent Debtor (Category: Total Default)]

[Helpdesk System: "Mark, as your career assistant, I strongly advise you to turn back. Entering this area without additional collateral is considered an attempt to evade debt. Consequence: Forced Soul Seizure."]

"I’m not evading anything, you idiot," Mark growled, tightening his grip on the 'Contract Termination' Hammer he had purchased on the Black Market. "I’m here to perform a counter-collection. Tell your boss Mark Miller wants to close his account... permanently."

The lobby was vast and silent, but the stillness was deceptive. In every corner, stacks of documents ten feet high swayed without a breeze. Suddenly, the rapid-fire clacking of typewriters echoed from every direction.

Tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk-ting!

"Welcome to the Asset Liquidation Division," a monotonous voice droned.

From behind a mountain of paperwork, a grotesque figure emerged: The Chief Accountant. His body was hunched, but from his spine sprouted eight additional long, spindly arms, each clutching a steel calculator, a razor-sharp oversized fountain pen, or a massive hole puncher. His face was obscured by a stack of invoices stitched directly into his skin.

"Mr. Miller," the bureaucratic monster hissed, scuttling closer on his extra limbs like a spider. "Your debt has reached a critical limit. We have already commenced the conversion process on your colleague, Sarah, into compensation points. She is currently undergoing ‘document shredding’ on the 50th floor."

"Release her, or I’ll dismantle this entire office along with your annual reports!" Mark threatened.

[Helpdesk System: "Negotiation failed. Warning: This monster's efficiency is 300% above average. Deploy your ‘Physical Complaint Form’ now."]

The Chief Accountant struck first. Three of his arms launched thousands of sheets of paper into the air. These were no ordinary pages; each leaf had edges coated in a thin laser-film. It was a Salary-Cut Paper Trap.

Mark swung his hammer, creating a shockwave to repel the paper storm, but a single sheet managed to slice his cheek.

[Warning: Physical Damage Detected!]

[Helpdesk System: "This injury will incur a health administration f*e of 50 Points. Please request a rating to cover the costs."]

"Shut up!" Mark lunged forward, dodging a thrust from a giant pen that shattered the concrete floor where he had stood a second before. He rolled beneath the monster’s underbelly and slammed his hammer into one of the additional limbs.

CRACK!

The mechanical arm shattered, leaking black oil and blue sparks.

[Target Injured. Service Procedure: Immediately inquire about the target’s satisfaction regarding the impact of your attack.]

Mark leaped back as the monster thrashed, toppling a lobby pillar. "Thank you for experiencing our asset destruction service! Give me a five-star rating, or I’ll terminate your life-contract!"

[System processing... Rating received: 1 Star.]

[Monster Comment: ‘Unprofessional attack. Highly painful. I shall report this to Hell’s HR Department.’]

ZAPPPP!

Blue lightning struck Mark’s back from the lobby ceiling, which had transformed into a massive digital screen. Mark fell to his knees, smoke rising from his scorched skin. The pain was excruciating, as if every nerve in his body was being pulled out by the roots.

"Dammit... the lightning... it’s stronger here..." Mark wheezed.

[Helpdesk System: "Naturally, Mark. This is the hub. The punishment signal here has much higher bandwidth. Try to be more cordial."]

"Cordial?" Mark stood unsteadily, his eyes crimson with rage. "I’ll give them a cordiality they’ll never forget."

Mark accessed the Black Market through his cracked watch. "Give me that ‘Empathy-Stripping Fluid’ you offered earlier. Fast!"

[Transaction Successful. Price: All remaining warmth from your childhood memories. Consuming fluid now...]

Mark downed the cold, black liquid. Instantly, the trembling in his hands ceased. The fear of pain vanished from his eyes, replaced by a cold, calculative void. He no longer saw The Chief Accountant as a terrifying monster, but merely as a numerical value that needed to be zeroed out.

"Operator Miller," the monster hissed, "you will never reach Sarah. She is already inside the shredder."

Mark didn't answer. He moved with a velocity that was no longer human. When the monster tried to impale him with six arms at once, Mark didn't dodge. He allowed one of the sharp pens to pierce his shoulder, locking the monster in place. Then, with his free hand, he brought the sledgehammer down onto the creature's face—again and again.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Every strike of the 'Contract Termination' Hammer pulverized the invoices stitched to the monster’s face. Blood and ink exploded into a single mess.

[Helpdesk System: "Mark, consecutive attacks without polite dialogue will drastically lower your CSAT score! Cease or—"]

"Mute all voice notifications," Mark commanded coldly. "Divert all energy from the communication module to physical offense. Now."

[System: "Warning! This violates protocol... Diverting energy..."]

Mark’s body was suddenly enveloped in a pitch-black aura. He raised his hammer high, ignoring the hole in his shoulder. With a roar that sounded more like an engine's revving than a human voice, he slammed the hammer into the lobby floor with full force.

KABOOOOM!

A wave of energy obliterated every paper trap in the room. The Chief Accountant was hurled across the lobby, his many-limbed body snapped in multiple places.

Mark walked toward the dying monster and crushed its head under his ink-stained boot.

"Rating," Mark hissed shortly.

[Monster provides rating... 5 Stars (Due to Total Intimidation).]

[Bonus: Instant Wound Recovery granted.]

The wound in Mark’s shoulder closed in seconds, leaving behind a jagged, horrific scar. Mark stared at the elevator leading to the 50th Floor. David stood in the distance, shivering at the drastic change in Mark.

"Mark... are you... are you still in there?" David asked hesitantly.

Mark turned, his eyes vacant. "Mark is on a long leave of absence, David. Now, there is only the new Billing Department."

They stepped into the elevator. As the doors slid shut, a new voice echoed inside—one deeper and more authoritative than the Helpdesk System.

[Congratulations, Mark Miller. You have passed your probationary period. Welcome to the core team: 'The Liquidation Squad'.]

Mark merely stared at his reflection in the polished elevator doors. He no longer saw a man, but a shadow encased in a lethal system. In his hand, the hammer began to pulse, as if thirsty for the blood of the higher-ranking bureaucrats above.

"50th Floor," Mark muttered. "Time to fire them all."

Will a shred of humanity remain when Mark sees Sarah inside the shredding machine, or has the ‘Empathy-Stripping Fluid’ transformed him into a monster far worse than the ones he fights?