Editor’s Survival Guide - Chapter 26

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Editor’s Survival Rules Episode 26

ep6. XIII(2)

“The government is prohibiting the Management Bureau from recruiting personnel.”

Hmm….

As I kept my mouth shut, Kwon Mu-seop said with a sad expression.

“You’re really honest.”

“Pardon?”

“This time you’re making a face like a person is barking like a dog….”

Ah, I got caught again.

“Oh, that’s not it, I was just thinking about what kind of situation this is.”

“It’s just a common situation. It’s been 8 years since the Management Bureau was established, but we’ve barely found out anything.”

“Does that mean the budget was cut due to poor performance?”

“Ah, the budget is still generous. They just limit the personnel. The higher-ups threw a fit when high-level personnel from the Management Bureau were wiped out.”

Wiped out?

“Are you perhaps referring to the time of the all-out war….”

“Ah, you already know about it.”

As I recalled what I heard from Kwak Jae-gyeom, Kwon Mu-seop nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. The Management Bureau originally had about 1,500 employees, but about a third of them died in the line of duty then. Most of them were from the field operations and research departments.”

…No, I had no idea.

A third died in the line of duty?

The damage was that severe?

“Since we lost so much personnel, the higher-ups drew the line saying no more. So now the Management Bureau is operating with 40% fewer people than the authorized strength.”

These people weren’t exaggerating, it was real.

They really were short-staffed….

And I boarded a ship that was about to sink after all the good times had passed…?

“Ah, but that doesn’t mean the government has given up on responding.”

Perhaps because I failed to manage my expression again, Kwon Mu-seop hastily added.

“They just changed the approach a bit. When the Special Zones were first observed, they responded very strongly because it was an unprecedented abnormal phenomenon. That’s why we get to use this headquarters building.”

Right, Kwak Jae-gyeom had said something like this too.

There’s no facility in Korea as expensive and safe as this place.

Actually, that’s what made it more absurd.

The facilities are top-notch but the organization is short-staffed.

But that’s how it was.

This was all past glory….

“But the situation dragged on too long and there was chaos like stirring up a beehive in the middle, so now the policy has changed to approach more cautiously.”

Kwon Mu-seop tried to package it nicely.

I think it’s a very exquisite expression.

“They haven’t given up on responding.”

You couldn’t say “They’re not responding properly” and “But they haven’t completely given up either” more politely than this.

More than that, what exactly happened during the all-out war?

Why did researchers suffer damage when they were trying to destroy the Special Zones?

No, setting that aside too.

“Don’t those higher-ups ever think they might get dragged into a Special Zone themselves?”

“They do think about it. That’s why they’re being careful in their own way.”

“How are they being careful?”

“They look at statistics to lower the probability. Last month many people went missing in Nowon District so let’s not go there, this month there were many late-night disappearances so let’s not be alone at night, things like that.”

“…?”

“Sounds like nonsense, right? I understand.”

Was it because my expression became honest again?

Kwon Mu-seop muttered with a shadowed face.

“But there really are patterns and tendencies. Sometimes you can see these things using their heads too.”

“Using their heads?”

Who? The Special Zones?

When I asked back in surprise, Kwon Mu-seop nodded.

“Last year alone, an average of 12.3 people per day were drawn into Special Zones, but it was never witnessed in real time. If being dragged into Special Zones was truly random, more people should be dragged away in crowded downtown areas during broad daylight.”

Come to think of it, that’s really true.

This means people weren’t just randomly dragged away but suitable people were selected.

“How is that possible? Are Special Zones not just spaces but living things?”

“Well, I’d really like to know that too.”

…Somehow I can understand the higher-ups’ feelings too.

They supported efforts to respond to abnormal phenomena but got “Well” as an answer for 8 years, so it’s rather remarkable they weren’t told to get out.

“Isn’t there anything that’s presumed?”

“There are many hypotheses…. They’re just too embarrassing to say out loud.”

What could they be that they can’t even talk about them?

When I looked at him puzzledly, Kwon Mu-seop sighed and confessed.

“The most creative one was the ‘revenge of earthbound spirits’ theory.”

“…Seriously?”

“Yes. One of our researchers suddenly brought it up, and somehow some high-ranking officials who like shamanism got hooked on it….”

Where exactly is this country heading?

“Ah, but it’s not completely without basis. Especially Type 1 Special Zones are good for connecting to that kind of thinking.”

“You mean Yongsan Station?”

“That too, but actually all Type 1s are like that. The Hospital Hunting Humans that you visited before is based on a university hospital in Jongno.”

Are you talking about the one at Hyehwa Station?

I’ve never been inside and only saw it in passing, so I didn’t recognize it at all.

But did something happen there too?

“That place was also a hospital during the Korean War, and hundreds of wounded Korean soldiers and civilian patients being treated there were shot and killed by the enemy.”

“In the hospital?”

“Yes, it was a clear war crime. And the Warehouse-style Mart you visited yesterday is originally located in Yeongdeungpo, and that street is considered a place where urban warfare was fierce. The stream next to it was said to be full of blood and corpses at that time.”

The picture in my head automatically came together from Kwon Mu-seop’s explanation.

A hospital where a massacre took place.

The Moving Gun that hunted humans in the same space.

A street where urban warfare was fierce.

And the Warehouse-style Mart where gunfire and explosions were rampant.

At this level, it makes sense, doesn’t it?

Special Zones really seem to be curses of earthbound spirits…?

“Actually, that’s why we’ve performed shamanic rituals before.”

“Shamanic rituals?”

I was uncertain, but the mention of shamanic rituals brought me back to my senses.

Shamanic rituals?

The kind with bells and blade-walking?

“Yes. Since it only costs money anyway, thinking we had nothing to lose, the higher-ups ordered us to do it big a few times.”

“The effects were….”

“As you can see, none so far.”

Kwon Mu-seop said regretfully, and I laughed helplessly.

These people really were desperate.

No, wait.

I looked toward Cha Si-eon.

But Cha Si-eon absolutely wouldn’t look at me.

He just turned his head expressionlessly and strongly avoided my gaze.

So I just asked Kwon Mu-seop.

“Were you also there during the gut ritual, Team Leader Cha?”

“Of course I was. Back then Team Leader Cha was the youngest, so he did a lot of the dirty work. Still, he was so good at his job that he was reliable.”

“Wow… Really…”

What did that guy say before?

Something about needing scientific investigation, asking what’s the point of superstitious imagination?

I clearly remember him saying ‘that kind of association is an insult to the victims.’

Hey, you performed a gut ritual and then said that to me…

It was absurd in many ways, but on the other hand, I could understand it.

Management Bureau agents were high-level personnel called national assets.

Such people gathered to respond but learned nothing and only suffered devastating damage.

The higher-ups changed the guidelines saying they couldn’t waste any more personnel.

So now they’re just watching.

Not knowing whether this can be managed, or what it will become later.

No, they’re observing people die without even knowing what this is yet.

Today like yesterday, tomorrow like today.

Like a frog slowly cooking in a pot.

As silence fell, Kwon Mu-seop spoke gloomily.

“Anyway, given this situation, talking about it makes me feel pathetic for only confessing our incompetence… When I should be showing a reliable side instead.”

This section chief is really honest.

Earlier, Kwon Mu-seop’s first impression was like a clergyman.

But after talking with him, now I get this feeling.

A pitiful neighborhood fool with a decent build.

Those cauliflower ears might not be a fighter’s symbol but traces of being a punching bag…

“Still, the staff morale has really improved since you came, Mr. Seo Do-un.”

“What have I even done…”

“You’ve done great things. Much more than you think.”

“Pardon?”

“So personally, I hoped you would just complete your probation period and be dismissed, but things don’t go as planned.”

I couldn’t quite understand what Kwon Mu-seop was saying.

Setting aside what great things I supposedly did.

He hoped I would be dismissed?

“Wouldn’t it help the Management Bureau if I get dragged around to Special Zones?”

“From the Management Bureau’s perspective, yes. My hope for your dismissal was my personal feeling. Purely private.”

Kwon Mu-seop said with a pale smile.

So I regained my common sense.

Right, this is the proper attitude when trapped in a random box where you don’t know when you’ll die.

Not like that bastard Cha Si-eon who just congratulated me outright.

“Still, since it’s come to this, we should do our best. To be honest, my desire to receive help from you is also growing. The higher-ups changed the policy to maintaining the status quo, but our goal is still interpreting and solving the phenomenon.”

Kwon Mu-seop stated his aspirations in a calm tone.

Then he asked me too.

“What is your goal, Mr. Seo Do-un?”

“Surviving.”

“What’s the reason?”

The question is too profound.

Does survival need a reason?

As I pondered my answer, Kwon Mu-seop smiled and continued.

“Anyway, we understand each other well. We need you to solve the phenomenon, and you need to conquer Special Zones to survive. So I hope you’ll work with us. Then at least we won’t leave you to wander alone in mortal danger.”

Kwon Mu-seop’s voice remained gentle as always.

However, his last words carried quite some weight.

Right, the Management Bureau’s support I received yesterday was definitely reassuring.

So I have no intention of declining, but the conditions seem too good for me, which is actually concerning.

These people aren’t giving trees, and they must want something in return for what they give.

“I’d be grateful if you did that, but I’m not sure if I can be as helpful as you expect.”

“I think you have sufficient qualifications. Your somewhat weak body will be resolved quickly, so I’m not worried about that.”

I’m not weak, you people are just excessively healthy.

I’m actually closer to average.

“And your situation itself is an important opportunity for us, but let’s discuss that gradually and focus on survival for now. Surviving comes first anyway.”

Kwon Mu-seop concluded and extended his hand.

I thought he was like a neighborhood fool earlier, but I should probably revise that impression.

Section Chief Kwon Mu-seop seems to be a cunning type.

The kind who manipulates people while complaining with a smiling face.

And this type of character has a high probability of having sinister intentions…

But well, if I have to shake hands, a cunning person would be better than a fool.

I took Kwon Mu-seop’s hand.

Then Kwon Mu-seop smiled and asked.

“Now that we’re family, can we speak casually?”

“Yes.”

“Please take care of me from now on, Do-un.”

“Please take care of me as well.”

It would have been heartwarming if it ended there.

But Kwon Mu-seop spoke up again.

“Do-un.”

“Yes.”

“You don’t have a girlfriend, right?”

…?

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