The final purchase for the industrial complex—the Forge—closed promptly at 9:00 AM. Joshua and Victor Stone arrived at the facility, which Victor had already renamed Stone Forge in the asset registry.
Victor, wearing his usual efficient, charcoal-colored suit over his massive, scaled body, stood at the entrance. The air was heavy with the smell of old oil, dust, and human clutter.
Dr. Elias Thorne, the newly appointed Forge Master, met them. The brilliant engineer looked haggard but determined, clutching the Manufacturing Optimization Protocol (MOP) like a military field guide.
"Dr. Thorne," Victor greeted, his voice echoing in the cavernous space. "You have the MOP. I require the first visible demonstration of T-Rank dominance on my new territory."
Dr. Thorne gestured around the chaotic factory floor, where outdated machinery sat amidst mountains of misplaced inventory and personal effects. "The systemic inefficiency is overwhelming, Mr. Stone. The workers have hoarded non-essential supplies, damaged tools are scattered, and there are personal items everywhere. The atmosphere is visually and functionally polluted."
The Cleansing
"Inefficiency is Contamination," Victor declared, turning to the handful of security personnel Joshua had hired through Stone Acquisitions LLC. "Initiate The Cleansing."
Victor pointed to a pile of old cardboard boxes stuffed with forgotten paperwork. "All non-essential items, personal effects, and outdated inventory are to be removed and incinerated. The floor is to be rendered sterile. Any tool not essential to the immediate assembly line is waste."
The security team, quickly trained to obey the warrior's direct, simple commands, began the ruthless purge. Desks were emptied into bins. Non-compliant machinery was tagged for immediate removal. Within minutes, the factory floor began to transform from a cluttered, messy workshop into a hard-edged, sterile environment.
[TASK COMPLETE: PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF T-RANK EFFICIENCY IMPOSED.]
[GOOD DEED ACHIEVED: ENVIRONMENTAL OPTIMIZATION AND RESOURCE CONSOLIDATION.]
[SYSTEM POINTS (SP) AWARDED: +50]
[CURRENT SP: 125]
Victor surveyed the scene with satisfaction, but Dr. Thorne looked ill. "Mr. Stone, the MOP demands tolerances that require weeks of recalibration. We need to install the new robotic arms, and that requires complex coding. I can't implement the full MOP alone."
The Transfer of Oversight
Joshua realized this was the critical moment. The A-Rank skill he bought (Technical Oversight) was in his head, but the implementation needed to be in Dr. Thorne's hands. He needed to make the engineer an extension of the T-Rank will.
Joshua activated the System interface and prepared to deploy his remaining points.
Acquire Neural Linkage (G-Rank), Joshua commanded mentally.
[SKILL ACQUISITION INTERFACE (SAI)]
[Current SP: 125]
[MANAGEMENT UTILITY]
Neural Linkage (G-Rank) [Cost: 75 SP]
Description: Allows the user to transfer System-acquired conceptual knowledge (e.g., A-Rank Technical Oversight) to a compliant subject's mind, ensuring perfect, non-questioning execution of protocols for maximum short-term efficiency.
[ACQUISITION CONFIRMED. COST: 75 SP. BALANCE: 50 SP.]
[INSTALLING: NEURAL LINKAGE (G-RANK)...]
A brief, sharp spike of energy rushed through Joshua's consciousness. He looked at Dr. Thorne, and the Technical Oversight (A-Rank) knowledge he possessed—the flowcharts, the code, the perfect assembly line metrics—was now accessible as a secondary feed to the engineer's brain.
"Dr. Thorne," Joshua said, stepping forward. "Mr. Stone requires absolute compliance. You signed the contract promising the execution of the MOP."
As Joshua spoke, the full, perfect knowledge of the MOP's implementation flooded the engineer's mind, overriding his prior doubts. The impossible became simply the only possible solution.
Dr. Thorne blinked rapidly. His eyes, seconds ago filled with panic, now held a cold, ruthless clarity that mirrored Victor's own.
"The coding is simple," Dr. Thorne stated, his voice now crisp and detached. "I can generate the new robotic arm sequencing in under four hours. The necessary sensor placement for optimal flow is flawed by 23 degrees on Assembly Line Three. I will begin the correction immediately."
He no longer seemed like a nervous engineer; he was the Forge Master, perfectly aligned with T-Rank efficiency.
[TASK COMPLETE: A-RANK KNOWLEDGE SUCCESSFULLY DEPLOYED TO OPERATIONAL FOREMAN.]
[EPIC GOOD DEED ACHIEVED: SYSTEMIC INTEGRATION OF HUMAN RESOURCE FOR MAXIMIZED PRODUCTIVITY.]
[SYSTEM POINTS (SP) AWARDED: +50]
[CURRENT SP: 100]
Victor Stone glanced at Joshua, a flicker of approval in his four eyes. The human resource was now optimized.
"Excellent, Forge Master," Victor declared. "Stone Logistics requires 50 electric conversion vans for immediate deployment. You have four Terran weeks to deliver. Failure to meet this production quota will result in termination under the MOP."
He turned to Joshua, utterly satisfied with his Dual Campaign. "The Forge is operating at T-Rank potential, Counselor. Now, what is the next vulnerability in the Terran economic defense?"
Joshua now has 100 SP remaining, Victor has total dominance over his business, and the Forge Master is ruthlessly implementing efficiency. Victor is ready for the next, highly ambitious phase.