[Arknights] The Originium Gambit

Part 8: Nothing to worry about

SOC headquarters, Trimounts.

Oh, hey. I didn't see you there.

Do you like my office? It's gray, suffocating, and entirely devoid of anything resembling a soul. A perfect reflection of corporate life, don't you think?

The walls are painted in a shade of efficient neutral, as if even the color is too afraid to make a statement. The furniture is Standard-issue, ergonomic, and utterly uninspiring. And the view—well, there isn't one. Just a window facing another monolithic gray tower. It's poetic, in a way.

But! Redirect your attention to this "computer" from Rhine Labs. Heavy, unwieldy—I'll give it that. On the surface, trading unlimited Originium for this hulking piece of machinery might seem like the sort of move that'd get me laughed out of a boardroom. Short-sighted? Perhaps. But only if you don't know what this machine really represents.

Now, feast your eyes on this—a floppy disk.

Looks unimpressive, doesn't it? A little square of plastic that holds, what, a few kilobytes? I had to read a Rhine Labs manual on this thing to understand the terms. But when I slot this into the drive, when I input a command to open a program Rhine Labs has lovingly dubbed 'Excel'—well, my friend, that's when the magic begins.

Yes, I can hear your skepticism from here. "Accounting? Magic? You've finally lost it, Ivan." But hold your judgment. Let me enlighten you.

This isn't just an "accounting program." No, this is a revolutionary tool—a machine capable of untangling the chaos of finances, projecting outcomes, optimizing operations, and, most importantly, predicting profit margins with uncanny precision.

Why does that matter, you ask? Because in a world where a single misstep can crumble an empire, information is the most valuable currency.

So, settle in. I'll gladly play professor today, and you're about to get a masterclass in why this machine—and its humble floppy disk—will change the world.

Now, imagine SOC's vast financial network; hundreds of subsidiaries, thousands of accounts, and Originium assets flowing like rivers across Terra. Managing it all is like trying to control an ocean with a bucket. Sure, we've got armies of analysts working overtime, pouring over spreadsheets, trying to make sense of the madness.

But this machine? It does in seconds what they can't accomplish in weeks.

Let me demonstrate. I'll input a simple query—let's calculate the total operational costs of Originium transport across all SOC divisions for the last quarter. Click. Whir. Done.

And the total? A cool 1.4 billion LMD.

Let that sink in for a moment. That's not just a number—it's a reminder of the sheer scale we're operating on. Every shipment, every truck, every ounce of Originite Prime moved across Terra racks up costs that would bankrupt smaller corporations. And this machine? It just handed me that figure in seconds, complete with breakdowns by region, transport method, and even the weather's impact on delays.

Now imagine a human team tackling the same task. Weeks of poring over ledgers, reconciling accounts, dealing with errors—and in the end, they'd still be less precise.

And here's where it gets interesting. With data like this, I can instantly spot inefficiencies. Maybe the northern routes are bleeding money due to fuel costs, or the western facilities are overstaffed during low-output periods. With a few more commands, I can model alternatives—cutting costs, reallocating resources, and optimizing the entire network.