Editor’s Survival Guide - Chapter 140

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Editor’s Survival Manual — Episode 140

ep19. Exploring the Timeless Hotel! (12)

Alpha, with short hair and a handsome face, dressed in gray combat fatigues.
And Seo Do-un, unusually pale-faced, wearing a black t-shirt and black combat pants.
I’d known that Cha Si-eon was larger than me, but seeing it like this in person made an involuntary laugh escape.
It was unreal.
Both their physical disparity and the existence of an entity wearing my face.
I stifled a bitter chuckle and ran my fingers across the back of my neck.
The sensation of being bitten by Kwak Jae-gyeom—no, Delta—resurfaced vividly.
“Ugh…….”
A faint groan drifted toward us.
It came from beneath Alpha’s feet.
“He’s still alive.”
Deputy Director Kwon murmured so only we could hear.
Alpha leaped down from the ceiling and brought a heavy boot down on Director Go’s head.
With that massive frame trampling him in military boots, the impact must have been considerable.
Fortunately, Director Go still had breath in him.
“Why would a Mercenary Entity show up at this timing?”
“It seems they were on standby after hearing our conversation.”
“And is Seo Do-un beside it a newly updated entity?”
“It appears so. First observation.”
“It looks too easy, which makes it suspicious.”
“I’ll handle Alpha.”
“I’ll take Seo Do-un.”
Kwon Mu-seop and Kim Seon-woong finished their exchange calmly.
It felt odd that they called it Seo Do-un so naturally.
Though my thoughts tangled, I steadied myself and spoke.
“Then I’ll keep an eye out and look after the director.”
“No, you stay put.”
But Deputy Director Kwon stopped me.
“They’re after you, I’m sure of it.”
“Right. Look, it’s being obvious about it, isn’t it.”
Kim Seon-woong pointed to Alpha standing over the director as he spoke.
It was something I couldn’t comprehend.
What part of that terrifying-looking thing reads as seduction to them?
All I could read from it was the naked threat: ‘I’ll stomp you to death too.’
“Do-un, your Three-section Staff……—oh, you threw it earlier.”
Deputy Director Kwon looked around for my staff and murmured.
“I have the knife.”
“That should probably go to Deputy Director.”
“Never mind. The knife goes to whoever’s handling Alpha. That Seo Do-un over there has no weapons anyway.”
Just as Deputy Director said, the other me was defenseless—bare-handed.
And that matched exactly how I was during my time at the National Theater.
When I was hiding that I belonged to the Management Bureau, I’d ditched my tactical vest.
Certainly, in that state, Deputy Director Kim could’ve grabbed him with bare hands.
Of course, that was only if there were no other hidden dangers—if what you could see was all there was.
Just as Kim Seon-woong said, Seo Do-un seemed like an ordinary person who looked easy prey.
Which made it all the more suspicious.
As if he had some unpredictable weapon hidden away.
Yet Kim Seon-woong declared he’d fight bare-handed anyway.
Conceding to that, Deputy Director Kwon pulled on my Combat Gloves and gripped the knife.
In return, Kim Seon-woong pulled a handkerchief from his suit pocket and wrapped it around his right hand.
Both were dressed neatly for the afternoon’s gratitude schedule.
The sight of them gripping knives and readying fists in such attire was strangely incongruous.
“Deputy Director, can you handle Alpha alone?”
“Cha Si-eon is someone I raised, sir.”
Deputy Director Kwon muttered as if his pride had been wounded.
Then he slowly rotated his wrist and advanced forward.
Kim Seon-woong matched his pace, and Alpha and Seo Do-un remained in place, following the two men only with their eyes.
Those Fake Humans had no capacity for negotiation.
Director Go’s purpose wasn’t even a hostage—just bait.
And bait’s purpose was to lure prey.
Tap-tap!
As Deputy Director Kwon drew close enough, Alpha and Seo Do-un lunged at him simultaneously.
Crash!
Kim Seon-woong snagged Seo Do-un and slammed him into the ground.
And Deputy Director Kwon grappled directly with Alpha.
Their arms crossed frantically.
Slash-slash-slash-slash!
With the knife hand targeting vital points and the other deflecting incoming blades, they repeated the exchange.
The mechanical back-and-forth continued ferociously.
Meanwhile, Kim Seon-woong and Seo Do-un…….
Thud! Thud! Thud!
What was happening?
Seo Do-un was pinned under the bear-like Kim Seon-woong and being beaten one-sidedly.
It was the kind of scene that warranted calling police.
……What in the world was happening?
Seo Do-un, what are you doing? Don’t you have some secret trick?
Did you just come here to get beaten?
Bang!
Kim Seon-woong, who’d been pounding Seo Do-un, suddenly rolled to the side.
“……?”
Kim Seon-woong quickly widened the distance between himself and Seo Do-un.
Then he fixed a serious gaze on Seo Do-un.
That was when it happened.
Crack!
A sharp impact sound rang out.
Deputy Director Kwon, kicked by Alpha during their Knife Fighting exchange, was being driven backward.
Quickly regaining his footing, he pulled the knife from Alpha’s flank.
It seemed a solid hit had been followed by a counterattack.
And Alpha, seizing the opening, pressed the advantage.
As Deputy Director Kwon hastily retreated with his stance broken——
Thud!
Kim Seon-woong, having burst forward, swept Alpha’s leg out from under him.
But Alpha only stumbled briefly and didn’t fall, and Deputy Director Kwon used the moment to rapidly increase the distance from Alpha.
Kim Seon-woong, unarmed, swiftly withdrew as well.
Once the gap widened, Alpha didn’t pursue.
Instead, it returned near the director and observed us.
That was when I finally understood what Kim Seon-woong meant by ‘seduction.’
It was using the director as bait to fish for us.
As a brief lull settled, Kim Seon-woong asked.
“Hurt anywhere?”
“Hah, barely anything.”
Deputy Director Kwon caught his breath.
Watching him, Kim Seon-woong murmured.
“You said you raised him.”
“I raised a tiger cub, it seems…….”
That they could joke in this situation.
The subtle lunacy of the Field Team people was apparently a tradition.
“What about Seo Do-un…….”
At Kim Seon-woong’s words, we all looked toward Seo Do-un.
Fake Humans bleed very little.
But how much had he hit him?
Seo Do-un’s face was battered and covered in blood.
“…….”
“…….”
I found myself regarding Kim Seon-woong with an unintentionally sorrowful look.
Deputy Director Kwon too fixed a dim gaze on Kim Seon-woong, while Deputy Director Kim rubbed his forehead with some embarrassment.
“Something’s off about it.”
“Off?”
“Its body is too soft. It feels like it’s hiding something. Even earlier, there was a sound from around its chest—a cracking, switch-flipping kind of sound.”
Deputy Director Kwon listened carefully to his words, then gestured for me.
“Do-un, come here.”
“Yes, sir.”
As I moved toward them, Deputy Director Kwon pushed me toward Kim Seon-woong and asked.
“How does it compare to the original?”
At Deputy Director’s question, Deputy Director Kim gripped my shoulder.
It was handled somewhat roughly, but I accepted it as necessary.
Then, grasping my shoulder, Kim Seon-woong’s expression changed dramatically.
“……?”
“Deputy Director?”
“……?”
“That hurts.”
After gripping my shoulder for a moment, Kim Seon-woong turned to Deputy Director Kwon with a bewildered expression.
“Doesn’t Seo Do-un train?”
He does, though…….
“Is this a male forearm?”
“In the Research Department, we see similar cases fairly often.”
Kim Seon-woong seemed genuinely taken aback by the state of my upper arm.
And Deputy Director Kwon, standing beside him, offered support rather than criticism…….
I’ve said it before, but who’s closer to the national average isn’t you—it’s me.
“Is it similar to that Seo Do-un?”
“……Identical.”
Kim Seon-woong killed me twice with no ill intent.
“So why did that Seo Do-un become a Mercenary Entity?”
It was a question everyone here shared.
Was it really just a Fake Human that mimicked me?
Nothing else?
If that were truly the case, it would be quite fortunate for us.
But it contradicted the existing protocol: ‘Select strong entities to become Mercenary Entities.’
The same went for Cha Si-eon.

—It appears Delta went after Seo Do-un for data-gathering purposes.
—What the National Theater wants is a strong entity. Therefore, Seo Do-un couldn’t be the goal; it was likely an attempt to update information on me or Kwak Jae-gyeom.

……Now that I think about it, there were quite a few inaccuracies in the things that bastard said.
So what was this situation, then?
As we fumbled for answers, Deputy Director Kwon seemed to remember something and spoke.
“The Special Zone might have misidentified Seo Do-un as a strong entity.”
“Misidentified?”
“Yes. The damage Seo Do-un caused to the Type 1 Special Zone was severe, and Seo Do-un has even landed effective blows on the Big Cat—without a gun, just using fragments of the Big Cat’s bones.”
“So they thought he was a good fighter and created……that?”
Kim Seon-woong asked with doubt.
Deputy Director Kwon nodded with conviction in front of him.
And I, collateral damage from Seo Do-un’s weakness, was being casually hit.
The situation was absurd from start to finish.
If this was the Big Cat’s judgment, it truly was a creature with the intellect of a cat.
“I’m fairly certain that’s it. And the switch-flipping sound from earlier…….”
“Would be broken ribs, probably.”
Kim Seon-woong uttered something chilling without concern.
It seemed Deputy Director Kim had chosen to accept this fortunate situation.
And Deputy Director Kwon felt the same.
“Actually, this works out well.”
“Mm.”
“Do-un, think you can hold down that fake Seo Do-un?”
“Yes.”
I nodded, attempting to mend my battered pride.
That Seo Do-un was me from the National Theater days.
I should be stronger now than I was then.
Even if Deputy Director said we were identical, I’m sure I’m better. Yes.
We exchanged glances with Alpha and Seo Do-un briefly.
It didn’t last long.
“Ngh……!”
Alpha pressed its boot down on Director Go’s shoulder.
At that prod, Deputy Director Kwon and Kim Seon-woong steadied themselves.
Six hours since we’d been dragged here.
We were already exhausted.
If we didn’t end this quickly, we were finished.
Whether Deputy Director Kwon or Kim Seon-woong intended to drag things out, both rushed toward Alpha.
Alpha and Seo Do-un lunged forward to meet them.
That’s when Deputy Director Kwon pulled back, and Alpha and Seo Do-un, as if programmed, ignored the unarmed Kim Seon-woong and chased Deputy Director Kwon first.
Which exposed Seo Do-un’s flank to Kim Seon-woong.
Kim Seon-woong, as if he’d been waiting, seized Seo Do-un by the back of the neck and hip.
Then he hurled him toward me with the force of tossing a log.
Seo Do-un, who’d flown nearly seven meters including Kim Seon-woong’s follow-through step, rolled across the floor like a discarded doll.
And I rushed toward that Seo Do-un.
The moment I moved, Alpha reacted immediately.
Deputy Director Kwon and Kim Seon-woong blocked its path firmly.
I mounted the still-prone Seo Do-un to enable their underhanded yet sensible 2-on-1 match.
I pinned his body and both his arms between my legs.
He struggled to break free.
I tightened my legs and pressed down on his neck and shoulders with my hands.
Subduing him this way felt far more manageable than I’d expected…….
Compared to when I gave my all against Kwak Jae-gyeom or Han Ji-su, it was impossibly easier.
As I thought I could hold this position without much difficulty, my eyes met his.
It was a sensation entirely different from looking in a mirror.
An unknown force seemed to push my back forward.
What……?
I felt an odd sense of wrongness.
By the time I recognized it, I was already choking Seo Do-un.
Choke-choke!
I didn’t know why.
It wasn’t something I wanted to do.
I was simply choking Seo Do-un’s neck, and for now, that wasn’t forbidden.
Whether I held this Fake Human down or strangled him to death—
Either was fine.
But why?
Why was I doing this…….
“Seo Do-un, snap out of it!”
A voice stabbed through my ears, and I jolted awake.
Then I reflexively turned my head.
What I saw was Alpha charging straight at me.
What followed was the sight of Kim Seon-woong sprawled on the ground, drenched in blood.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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