The End of a Worker

The next afternoon, Yang Luo, with gratitude in his heart, carried his backpack and his medical report and diagnosis to the company.

As he went up the building and entered the familiar cubicle space, he noticed something unusual just as he was about to approach his desk.

...Huh?

The mouse wasn't where he remembered it being, the angle of the monitor seemed slightly adjusted, and for some reason, the wiring on the power strip seemed different from a few days ago. Furthermore, why was there a balding middle-aged man occupying the desk space next to his, which had always been vacant?

Yang Luo stood beside his desk, feeling an inexplicable shadow looming over his heart.

However, his momentary daze was interrupted when the team leader, who was discussing project requirements with another planner nearby, spotted him and approached.

"Ah, Brother Luo."

His familiar smile, unchanged from the past, instantly dispelled the unease Yang Luo felt.

"You're at the office. Set your backpack down first and go to Meeting Room 5. I'll come over with HR to talk to you in a bit."

Yang Luo nodded in acknowledgment but hesitated to move.

"That..."

He gestured towards the middle-aged man with a nod of his chin, showing his uncertainty.

"...Is he a new employee?"

"Oh—"

The team leader looked in the direction Yang Luo indicated and responded with an unconcerned smile.

"He's the manpower we requested from the central department. After all, it's a critical time for the project. With you not around, someone had to fill in."

"I see, so he's from the central department..."

This revelation eased Yang Luo's tension a bit.

He managed a weak smile at the team leader, set his backpack on the desk, and then headed towards Meeting Room 5.

...

Once inside, he pulled out a chair and sat down, waiting for the team leader and HR to arrive. Meeting Room 5 wasn't unfamiliar. It was where the server team held their weekly meetings and where he annually discussed pay raises and benefits with HR.

Having worked there for three years, Yang Luo knew every nook and cranny of the room. Yet, for some reason, staring at the pristine white ceiling and bright fluorescent lights, he felt an unfamiliar anxiety.

...Has my mood changed?

He let out a wry smile.

Just then, the door of the meeting room opened quietly. The team leader and HR walked in. Yang Luo quickly straightened up to face them.

"Ah, Brother Luo, no need to be so formal."

The team leader said with the same familiar smile.

However, the HR person beside him was expressionless.

Yang Luo recognized this HR; his name was Huang Cheng. Every year, he would greet Yang Luo with a cheerful congratulation for the salary increase or inform him about the year-end bonuses. He felt they had a good rapport.

But today, Huang Cheng's expression was clearly different from before. Moreover, he held two thick booklets in his hands. What could those be?

"...Ah, okay."

After a moment of distraction, Yang Luo came back to his senses and nodded.

As Yang Luo pondered, the team leader and Huang Cheng sat down in front of him. The team leader took the thickest of the documents from Huang Cheng and placed it before Yang Luo.

"Take a look, Brother Luo. I hope you can accept the terms laid out here." The team leader said with a chirpy grin.

Accept?

This choice of words felt strange to Yang Luo, who immediately felt a surge of unease.

He took the document, each page heavier than the next. As he delved deeper, the words became fewer, but his reading pace slowed even more. He trembled as a volcano of shock erupted in his heart.

After a long pause, he looked up, eyes blazing with rage.

"...The company wants to dismiss me?!"

"And not just dismiss me, but wants me to resign voluntarily, offering only 50,000 yuan as compensation?!"

With anger burning in his chest and the familiar pain shooting through his heart, Yang Luo had no thought to spare for his own health. All he wanted was to vent and settle the score with the duo before him.

Yet, neither the team leader nor Huang Cheng looked surprised. They exchanged glances as if they had anticipated this reaction. Huang Cheng gestured to the team leader, who shook his head, making Huang's expression lighten significantly.

"Yang Luo," Huang Cheng said coldly, "To put it bluntly, you have a malignant cardiac tumor, a condition that won't recover. You won't be able to return to your job. It might be best for both parties to accept this 'win-win' solution. The company's offer of 50,000 yuan is purely out of compassion. If you don't take it, you won't get a cent..."

"I don't give a damn about your 50,000 yuan!" Yang Luo bellowed, fury overtaking the increasing pain in his chest.

"I earn 30,000 yuan a month. By the N+1 rule, after eight years, I should receive 270,000 yuan in compensation. Not to mention, I contracted this heart tumor because of the incessant overtime I worked! You want to give me a mere 50,000 in the end? Where's your conscience?"

"N+1, huh?" Huang Cheng sneered.

The team leader, with a gentle smile, tried to soothe, "With the gaming industry not doing well, you should know that profits this year are down. If we were to give you 270,000 yuan, it would dent our project's profits, affecting everyone's annual bonuses. You've been with the server team for three years. Think about your colleagues."

"And if you don't accept, we could always transfer you to a redundant position, pay you a measly 1-2,000 yuan a month, and after a year, your N+1 would be less than 10,000 yuan. Even if you deliberately tried to play the victim, death at work due to non-work-related reasons wouldn't qualify as a workplace injury, you know?"

Yang Luo stared, finding the leader's smile eerier than ever before.

Suppressing the pain, Yang Luo rasped, "...I've never underperformed. What right do you have to transfer me? Don't think I haven't read the labor law..."

The two exchanged another glance, their icy smiles deepening Yang Luo's chilling dread.

"Well, about that..."

The team leader took another short document from Huang Cheng. Before he could present it, Yang Luo snatched it away. But a quick glance made his heart feel as if it had been struck by lightning.

Employee Yang Luo's Absence Record:

2020

May 3rd, half-day.

May 17th, one day.

June 11th, one day.

...

2021

February 7th, one day.

April 19th, half-day.

...

2022

May 1st, one day.

...

From May 17th to May 21st, five consecutive days.

Frequent absence over the past three years, unsatisfactory performance.

This record...

This record of absences...

"...These were all my annual leave days, and I had you help me request them through the internal system..." Yang Luo's vision began to blur and darken.

Slowly, he shifted his gaze to the team leader, who wore an easy smile and shrugged. "Well, the internal system's records can be revoked, but the reality of not clocking in remains. After all, you never recorded any of our conversations, did you? So now, there's evidence of 'incompetence', right? I'd advise you to agree to the resignation terms quickly. We'll ensure the 50,000 yuan reaches you promptly. With that, you can get early treatment. Maybe you'll live a year or two longer, haha..."

Yang Luo couldn't hear any more.

At that moment, a surge of blood and overwhelming pain from his heart pushed him to his limits. The world around him became silent.

As his consciousness faded into darkness, the last feelings he clung to were deep resentment and indignation.

"You... you bunch of bastards!"