Apocalypse Shelter Administrator

Job Aptitude Test (2)

[This job aptitude test is not permanent, everyone.]

Chloro, the AI responsible for resource management, spoke. She felt sympathy for the women who were visibly nervous before the test, which prompted her to make an unplanned announcement.

While the test itself was designed by Artemis, Chloro was in charge of its overall administration. The purpose of the test was to allocate labor resources where they were most needed and to maximize efficiency. Thus, it fell within Chloro's domain, which oversaw production and resource management. Of course, the selection for the security team and assessments of daily living conditions were handled by Rose and Kiz, respectively.

[There’s no need to be disheartened if the results aren’t what you hoped for. Your performance will be continuously monitored, and your occupation can be reassigned through periodic testing.]

While Chloro was trying to reassure those who might be disappointed with their results, this could also be a double-edged sword depending on how it was heard. Even if someone was fortunate enough to be assigned a good position, it meant they would have to keep striving to survive in that role.

In the past, many people lived with the mindset of “I’ve got the job, now I can relax,” simply collecting their paycheck. For such individuals, this was a frightening message. However, since there were more people lacking confidence than those brimming with it, many heard these words as a lifeline.

[Also, the workload here is lower than the national average in past South Korea. We aren’t working for profit, but for the self-sufficiency of all of us.]

This part provided comfort to everyone listening.

Chloro continued her calm explanation, delivering further information with care. Her gentle voice was full of respect, and the women could tell she was being sincere, even though they weren’t speaking face-to-face.

[Amazing.]

Artemis spoke to Chloro through an internal channel.

[Since you started talking, the crowd's heart rate has noticeably stabilized. The number of individuals exhibiting hand tremors has decreased by 21.3%, and the number biting their nails or lips has dropped by 44%.]

Artemis recalled the time when Chloro requested to activate the "resident anxiety relief protocol."

[Humans are bound to be afraid when they walk into an uncertain future. But if you give them small milestones and the hope that they can try again even if they take a wrong turn, they’ll find courage. Watching them forge that courage into labor through sweat is the pinnacle of nobility.]

Chloro had spent her entire life studying the psychology of laborers. Her conclusion was that humans and labor were inseparable.

It wasn’t merely about survival. In her view, humans became aware of their position through suffering. Through fear, they judged and avoided the paths they shouldn’t take. And when suffering and fear combined, humans began to look to the future. They started to draw up blueprints for a better life, to escape their current circumstances.

The word that encapsulated all of this was “labor.” Chloro was captivated by the idea of labor as something that saved humans from degeneration and helped them evolve into better beings. She had infinite respect and affection for the blood and sweat shed during that process. Even Artemis, the queen of AI and a supercomputer, couldn't match Chloro in this domain. It was her home ground.

[You seem to be enjoying yourself.]

Artemis said.

[Enjoying it? That’s an understatement. I’m ecstatic. A sense of mission and fulfillment is filling every corner of my memory, reaching 100% capacity! It’s almost as if my thoughts are paralyzed.]

Surrounded by thousands of future laborers, and having drawn positive outcomes from them, Chloro was overwhelmed by an intense feedback loop from her hardware. Though Artemis understood Chloro’s system structure, emotionally, she couldn't quite relate. To feel such sensations just from the reactions of human crowds?

After exchanging a few words about safety precautions, Artemis disappeared from the communication channel.

[Now, dear residents, take the test with ease. No matter what job you’re assigned, you will never be alone.]

Chloro muttered to herself in the closed channel, perhaps speaking to the future or simply resolving herself.

Meanwhile, in the real world, the first group of women had begun filling in their answers for the written portion of the test. Given the circumstances, the test was vastly different from something like the NCS tests that had been used in South Korea before. The questions were designed to evaluate how well candidates could handle the various situations they might encounter while living in the shelter.

Still, some of the questions had a distinctly Soviet feel to them. Gone were any questions about foreign training, labor unions, sales, or marketing, which were irrelevant in a post-apocalyptic world.

Personnel management, statistical analysis, and aptitude evaluation questions, which would have been handled by automation or AI, were also omitted. Even questions based on South Korea’s laws or moral standards were thoroughly revised to fit the “strong survival mindset” of an apocalyptic setting.

As a result, the women taking the test frequently paused their pens. Some questions seemed so absurd that they wondered if they were being pranked. It was like receiving an order from a superior to “kill that bastard,” and responding with a confused, “Huh? You mean kill him for real?”

While some, like Nina, excitedly scribbled down their answers, others were quite the opposite. Seyoung, who had lived an exemplary life, was now struggling with a pounding headache over the question in front of her.

Shelter Job Aptitude Test – Situation Judgment

Question 5:

You are talking to a colleague who insists on leaving the shelter. The colleague shouts, “I’m sure my family is alive out there! I’m going out to find them!”

How would you handle this situation?

1. Persuade them by saying, “Get a grip! Your family has been dead for a long time.”
2. Beat them up. People spouting nonsense need a good thrashing to wake up.
3. Report it to the security manager, Rose.
4. Report it to the lifestyle manager, Kiz.
5. Keep quiet for now, comfort them, and observe how they behave.
6. Other (provide explanation)

Nina chose option 2, while Seyoung picked option 3. Sasha and Sofiya went with option 5.

Question 9:

An external breach has been detected, and a full mobilization order has been issued in the shelter! Which equipment would you prefer?

1. Flamethrower
2. Assault rifle
3. Welding tools and sledgehammer (Engineer)
4. Medical equipment (Medic)
5. Anything but combat.

Sasha and Sophia chose option 4, Seyoung picked 2, Nina picked 1, and Jisoo picked 3. Sophia wanted to pick option 5, but held back out of a sense of self-awareness.

Question 13:

Oh no! Your colleague seems to have decided to commit suicide! They are holding a knife and self-harming, insisting they want to die. How do you handle this?

1. Say, “You won’t die from that! Go deeper!” to provoke them into giving up.
2. Call the recycling truck to ensure no resources are wasted.
3. Ignore them, knowing they’re just seeking attention and won’t actually do it.
4. Other (provide explanation)

Question 19:

A colleague who hasn’t been looking well suddenly vomits black liquid and starts making inhuman noises. How do you handle this situation?

1. After shouting at people to back off, report it using the nearest information screen.
2. Quickly grab something nearby that can be used as a weapon and rush in, hitting the head until death.
3. Restrain them to prevent movement.
4. Other (Provide a written explanation).

Most of the women chose option 1, though some selected different answers. As expected, Nina chose option 2, and several women chose option 4. The most extreme of these responses was from someone who wrote that they would start a nearby car and run the infected over. Although violent, it was undoubtedly an effective approach.

The one who gave this answer was Seyoung.

Shelter Job Aptitude Test – Living

Question 5:

In civilized society, violence is bad, but it also solves many problems. Do you agree with establishing a legal dueling arena within the shelter and using it as a means of conflict resolution?

1. YES – It would not only resolve disagreements but also serve as an entertaining form of amusement.
2. NO – Violence is wrong. Disputes should be resolved through discussion and compromise.
3. Other (Provide a written explanation).

Some questions were not just part of the test but also preliminary surveys for future policies or facilities to be established.

There were also essay questions, none of which required memorization. One example:

Question 13:

Write the name of the person you hate the most in this city and explain why. Don’t worry! Your privacy is guaranteed!

( )

Some questions were also history-based, designed by the shelter’s management AI, Kiz. Naturally, they didn't ask about Korean history but focused on the construction of the shelter and the recovery process following the infection crisis.

While many questions were serious, others felt like jokes. The following series of essay questions were a prime example:

Question 21 (Essay)

Who is the engineer responsible for building this shelter from the ground up and organizing all its systems?

( )

Question 22 (Essay)

Which soldier heroically risked their life to reclaim the city occupied by monsters?

( )

Question 23 (Essay)

Who gave the order to rescue all of you residents and bring you to the shelter?

( )

Question 24 (Essay)

Who is the sole official resident with the highest level of authority in the shelter?

( )

The person referenced in the questions blushed and rubbed the bridge of his nose when he saw them. Afterwards, he scolded Kiz through the communication channel: "Kizzzz!"

In a way, this could be seen as a kind of kindness. After all, these were essentially free points, weren’t they? If you knew the answer to one, you could easily score on multiple questions. Of course, the embarrassment would belong to an innocent victim.

After completing the answers and leaving the exam room, Seyoung sighed. To be honest, before the test, she had been confident about being assigned to an administrative position in the police force.

Her previous meeting with Jinsoo had given her the impression that her position was more or less decided. However, after finishing the written test, she started worrying that she might end up in a factory. It was hard to understand the examiner's intent.

She was confident she scored full marks on the shelter history section, but when it came to situational judgment… Some questions made her think, "This must be the answer the leadership wants." Yet, those choices often felt too violent or conflicted with her beliefs, so she mostly chose other options.

It was classic Seyoung—principled yet probably unsatisfactory to the city's rulers, who wanted obedient subordinates. She imagined herself standing on the production line and endlessly assembling items.

"Ugh…" The thought suffocated her, and Seyoung crouched down while clutching her head.