Editor’s Survival Guide - Chapter 32

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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 32

ep7. Bodies Running(4)

Thud-

Something collapsed beyond the smoke.

No, it would be more accurate to say ‘someone.’

In the silence that followed, I felt goosebumps crawling up my skin.

“Ugh, huff…!”

But then I heard rough breathing a beat later.

-Jae-gyeom, restrain him.

“Yes!”

At Cha Si-eon’s instruction, Kwak Jae-gyeom lowered his gun and ran over.

I followed in confusion, but there was nothing for me to help with.

Kwak Jae-gyeom instantly tied up the person who had been crouching.

I was flustered again by that scene.

Shooting and tying up a person.

This was something I’d only seen in movies or news from the other side of the world.

But my roommate was doing it.

The psychological resistance was considerable.

I tried to understand the situation and discovered something strange.

The surroundings were clean.

From that person’s reaction, he was definitely shot.

But there was no blood.

“What Jae-gyeom just fired, wasn’t that live ammunition?”

-It was a rubber bullet for subduing.

…Couldn’t you have told me that earlier?

I was really startled.

I finally patted my chest in relief. Phew.

Of course, shooting someone with a rubber bullet wasn’t ordinary either.

But since they threw the smoke grenade first, let’s call it even. Phew.

What Jae-gyeom had restrained with cable ties was the muscular man.

The man struggled with his arms tied behind his back, then gasped for breath when Jae-gyeom sat him up.

Then he urgently shouted at Jae-gyeom.

“A-are you a soldier? Please save me! I’ve been trapped here for over a day…!”

But the man’s complaint was cut short.

The man stared blankly at Jae-gyeom’s bleached hair, then suddenly turned pale and began begging.

“P-please save me! Please spare me! My mother is alone, if I’m not there my mom will die…!”

I know what this is.

I was also nervous when I saw Cha Si-eon’s topknot.

A kid whose hair doesn’t look like a soldier’s or police officer’s holding a gun would be scary.

The terrified man went from begging to crying.

But that sobbing didn’t last long.

-Gag him.

What?

I was shocked again, and Kwak Jae-gyeom silently acted once more.

Riiip-!

Jae-gyeom slapped duct tape all over the man’s mouth.

When I tensed at that merciless scene, Cha Si-eon explained.

-This individual is a subject for emergency arrest.

“Emergency arrest?”

-He stayed in the 「Comprehensive Sports Complex Where Bodies are Collected」 for about 13 hours, killed 2 people, and in the process committed unnecessary child abuse and sexual crimes.

Jae-gyeom and I looked down at the man.

The man made muffled sounds while vigorously shaking his head.

His face claimed innocence, but setting that aside.

“So you want me to kill this person and help Ha Yu-ju escape?”

-No. Management Bureau agents are strictly prohibited from attacking citizens. Even if they’re arrest targets, citizens’ rights are guaranteed until guilt is confirmed through trial.

Shooting with rubber bullets isn’t an attack?

I looked at Kwak Jae-gyeom’s submachine gun with this thought.

Then Cha Si-eon calmly and quickly added.

-However, responding to threats and temporary measures are possible.

“…So that’s why you told me to sit still?”

-The man has hidden a corpse. I’ll use that corpse to get Yu-ju out first.

So that’s why you made me sit, Team Leader Cha…

And what about Baek Sa-ra who tried to use me as a bullet shield at the hospital?

Ah, even then Baek Sa-ra wasn’t planning to attack directly.

She was planning to let me die from the Moving Gun’s grenade.

Hahaha…

I have a lot to say but no time to argue.

While Kwak Jae-gyeom was lifting the man up, I went to the room and supported Ha Yu-ju.

-The corpse is located on the 2nd floor, second room to the left from the stairs.

“Mmph!”

At Cha Si-eon’s words, the man struggled.

He really must have hidden a body there.

-Your current location is the indoor area corresponding to the stadium entrance. There are no other personnel in this area, so move without worry.

“How many people are here right now?”

-Including our personnel and the restrained male, there are 9 people total. Except for 1 minor, all are adults, with stays ranging from a maximum of 2 days to a minimum of 5 hours.

‘Route A. Escape through stadium cleanup’ was said to be possible when there were 5 or fewer survivors in the Special Zone.

Even if Ha Yu-ju got out, at least 3 more people needed to disappear.

This was why Cha Si-eon had postponed deploying the rescue team.

Here, having more allies wouldn’t help much.

It would only increase the number of people who had to die for someone’s escape.

That man had already killed 2 people too.

But why hasn’t he been able to escape yet?

I looked at the man struggling as Jae-gyeom dragged him.

That man was tall and quite bulky.

He looked like he weighed at least 90kg.

Could it be that the weight wasn’t enough?

Come to think of it, what Cha Si-eon said earlier.

-He killed 2 people

-and in the process

-committed unnecessary child abuse and sexual crimes.

I passed over it earlier because I was in a hurry, but what does this even mean…

“You said murder is exceptionally allowed here, right?”

-Some acts for survival are overlooked, but not all murder is permitted.

“Was that man’s murder within the allowed range?”

-It was within the allowed range.

“Then he became an arrest target because of child abuse and sexual crimes?”

-That’s correct.

Even hearing it again, I don’t understand what this means…

Of course, naturally, you shouldn’t abuse children or commit sexual crimes.

But I’m not sure if it makes sense to prohibit and punish lesser crimes when murder is allowed.

As I stood there bewildered, Cha Si-eon spoke.

-The permission to kill in this place is an exceptional measure to protect human lives as much as possible.

What a tremendous paradox.

Permission to kill for the protection of human life.

-Using this situation as an excuse to commit antisocial crimes does not align with our purpose of reducing casualties, and is considered abuse of the system, which we punish severely.

Is this even logical…

Well, when the situation is a mess, the response can’t exactly be a bed of roses.

So this seems similar to how war crimes are punished even during wartime.

Even in warfare where hostile forces kill each other, civilian massacres, torture, rape, etc. are prohibited by international law.

Of course, prohibiting these things doesn’t mean they don’t happen.

Rather, it’s more about setting minimum standards in situations where such crimes can easily occur.

There are things you shouldn’t do regardless of the circumstances.

“Mmph! Mmph!”

When we arrived at our destination, the man’s resistance intensified.

A completely different attitude from when he was crying and begging earlier.

It seemed his true nature emerged once he realized we couldn’t touch him.

Kwak Jae-gyeom opened the door while holding onto the man.

The room was darker than the corridor, making it impossible to see anything.

Jae-gyeom took out a searchlight.

The concentrated beam methodically illuminated a plush sofa, a desk with nameplates, and display cases full of trophies.

This was a space like a CEO’s office or chairman’s room.

-The corpse is under the desk, sealed in black plastic.

“Mmmmph!”

“Ah, stay still!”

As soon as Cha Si-eon pinpointed the location, the man went almost berserk.

Kwak Jae-gyeom threw down the searchlight and restrained the man with his whole body.

So I had no choice but to accept my fate.

Of course, retrieving the corpse would be my job…

I seated Ha Yu-ju on the sofa and approached the desk.

When I pulled out the chair, ugh, there really was an object wrapped in black plastic.

Please go to a good place.

May you achieve paradise and rest in the Lord’s embrace and find peace in heaven.

I offered a brief prayer and bent down under the desk.

But wait, what’s this?

“There’s another small plastic bag here?”

It was about the size of a school bag.

It was placed in front of the large plastic bag that appeared to contain the corpse, so I grabbed it to move it aside.

Then I was startled and let go of it.

“…!”

What was in the plastic bag felt moderately cool and moderately soft.

At the same time, it formed moderately solid lumps.

So it felt like something I shouldn’t touch.

“There’s something inside the plastic bag.”

-It’s probably a victim who was killed first by that man.

“Excuse me?”

-The first victim was reportedly a woman with a similar build to that man. After the man killed her, he immediately took her to the stadium, but before reaching the goalpost, the “running corpses” damaged most of the body. This is presumed to be parts of the corpse he managed to salvage then.

“Huh…”

So that’s why he killed two people but still couldn’t get out.

Because he already failed once.

I grabbed the knot of the bag with a horrible feeling.

Then I carefully took it out and placed it beside the desk.

Now what remained was the large bag.

That bag crumpled under the desk was literally the size to fit one person.

If I pulled carelessly, the bag would tear.

I had no choice but to grip it firmly with my hands.

Squirm-

…It seemed to move somehow, was it rigor mortis?

I endured the creeping chills and pulled the bag.

It was when I had pulled it out halfway.

Rustle- Rustle-

Thump thump thump-!

The bag started thrashing!

“Ahhh!”

“Hyung, what’s wrong?!”

I let go in surprise, then grabbed and tore open that plastic bag with a different kind of shock.

When I tore the black plastic wrapped in several layers, something burst out through the gap.

“Gasp…!”

Soon came labored breathing.

“Gasp, huff…!”

“A-are you okay?”

I asked almost like a sigh.

The second victim was still alive.

Moreover, what had been trapped inside was a thin male student wearing a school uniform.

Plus a face covered in bruises.

Uncomfortable-looking movements.

Looking again, his arms were tightly bound with plastic.

-Please untie him.

Cha Si-eon spoke before I could even ask.

I immediately tore off the plastic binding the male student.

Then I handed him a water bottle and asked again.

“Are you okay?”

The kid first gulped down the water urgently, then glanced up at me with gloomy eyes.

His face reading the situation was shadowed in a way unbefitting his age.

“Kek, kek!”

Then a strange sound came from beside us.

When I turned to see what it was, the man caught by Jae-gyeom was making kek-kek sounds by himself.

…He was laughing.

As if pleased.

As if our predicament was very amusing.

The bastard knows we can’t harm ordinary citizens.

He also knows that Ha Yu-ju is an emergency patient who needs to get out urgently.

But the only means of escape, the corpse, had come back to life.

Now we’re in a situation where we can neither advance nor retreat.

The bastard immediately realized this and was mocking us.

I looked at that man with a feeling of futility.

Kwak Jae-gyeom ground his teeth as if his jaw would break.

“Mmph, mmph! Mmmmph!”

The man was triumphant and babbling something.

He was appealing with his whole body that he had something to say, but I could guess without listening.

He’d probably suggest making a deal, saying he’d step up and kill for us.

Damn, how am I supposed to handle this…

-Stay still.

That’s when Cha Si-eon spoke.

-Don’t do anything and just wait.

What the hell is he talking about all of a sudden…

Rustle-

That’s when the boy got up, pushing away the plastic covering his body.

Still weak, he leaned against the display case for a moment before standing straight again.

Then he began walking unsteadily toward Kwak Jae-gyeom.

The next moment.

Thwack-!

The boy struck the man’s head.

With a heavy, sharp trophy he had just grabbed from the display case.

The man’s neck snapped and droplets of blood scattered through the air.

We were all shocked.

But no one stopped him.

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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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