Editor’s Survival Guide - Chapter 34

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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 34

ep7. The Corpse Runs (6)

Screech-

Jae-gyeom and I pulled the rope we had tied to the goal post and bench earlier.

As we both strained and pulled with all our might, the objects tied to it were dragged along in a chain, moving into the stadium.

We pulled until the rope was taut, then tied it to a pillar in the stands.

With that, a barricade crossing the stadium was complete.

Of course, neither of us expected this flimsy fence to hold for long.

Still, it would be better than playing tag on an open field.

“Hama, Ha Yu-ju! Snap out of it, we’re going now!”

At Jae-gyeom’s shout, Ha Yu-ju forced her eyes open.

Ha Yu-ju was soaked in sweat all over as if she’d been caught in the rain alone.

We put the corpse in a roll container we found in the warehouse and had Ha Yu-ju sit on it too.

Jang Han-bin would have to push this alone.

To the stadium center, and then to the goal post.

We considered tying a rope so we could all pull it together.

But since we didn’t know how strict the victory conditions were, it was better not to take unnecessary risks.

Instead, Jae-gyeom and I planned to hold off the incoming zombies as much as possible.

“Let’s go.”

At Jae-gyeom’s signal, Jang Han-bin pushed the roll container.

The contents weighed 150kg, but with a high school boy putting his strength into it, it rolled along reasonably well.

Screech-! Caw-!

Damn, their reaction is sharp as a knife.

The zombies in that corner came swarming with an uproar.

I thought it would be better since we caught the sprinters beforehand, but the sheer force of their numbers was terrifying.

“Don’t mind them, keep going!”

It wasn’t easy to keep moving forward with zombie hordes rushing from the side.

I myself wanted to run away to the opposite side right now.

Kwak Jae-gyeom, knowing this coward’s heart, kept encouraging us.

“It’s okay, there’s enough distance! Keep going like this!”

Screech-!

When we barely reached the stadium center, the zombies also reached the barricade.

Zombies caught in the rope and obstacles, flailing about blindly.

Some of them collapsed like dolls and were trampled by their own kind.

“Good, now to the goal post!”

We sent Jang Han-bin toward the goal post and remained in the center.

Around that time, the straight barricade was gradually bending.

As the zombies swarmed in, the rope couldn’t withstand their weight and was being pushed back.

Creak- Creak-

The cover objects tied to the rope shook together, making noise for a moment.

Pop-!

The nylon rope tied in several layers finally snapped.

As the rope broke, the barricade became a messy tangle, and corpses poured out through the gaps.

Bang-!

Jae-gyeom shot the one running at the front.

Bang- Bang-!

The one behind it too, and the one behind that.

He knocked them down immediately, but it had little effect.

The sheer numbers on their side were too overwhelming.

“Hurry up!”

An impatient Kwak Jae-gyeom shouted toward his back.

But it would have been better if he hadn’t.

“What are you doing right now!”

“The, the wheel is stuck…!”

Kwak Jae-gyeom shouted at Jang Han-bin who was hesitating in place.

The impatient Jang Han-bin started forcing the roll container forward.

“No, don’t push it!”

I shouted, but it was too late.

Eventually the roll container toppled over and Ha Yu-ju rolled off from the impact.

The man’s corpse also bounced out and came loose from the silver blanket.

“Damn it…!”

Jae-gyeom ran toward the roll container without delay.

“Hama, grab the small bag!”

Ha Yu-ju, who was barely holding onto consciousness, clutched the small bag.

At the same time, Kwak Jae-gyeom lifted Ha Yu-ju and started running straight toward the goal post.

“Jang Han-bin! You drag that thing too!”

The stadium was covered with slippery artificial grass.

Even a 90kg load should be movable if dragged along the ground.

Besides, only about 20m remained to the goal post now.

But Jang Han-bin wasn’t moving.

“Hey!”

Even when Kwak Jae-gyeom shouted again, it was the same.

Jang Han-bin was pale as a sheet, staring at the dead man.

A couple of “running corpses” passed by me and charged toward Jang Han-bin.

Still, the kid just kept freezing up.

—

Precautions

5. “Running corpses” prioritize the corpses of losers over living humans. So in emergencies, abandoning the corpse and running away is also an option.

—

Thwack-!

I used the telescopic baton I got from Jae-gyeom to trip the zombies trying to pass me.

But they briefly touched the ground like newspaper blown by wind, then got up and continued forward.

I overtook those zombies and shouted at Jang Han-bin.

“Get up!”

Whether he heard me or not, Jang Han-bin’s shoulders flinched.

But his gaze was still fixed on the dead man.

Flutter-

I covered the man with the silver blanket.

Then I hastily tied it up tight and shouted again.

“Don’t chicken out when you’ve already won!”

“…!”

“If you don’t want to see it anymore, get rid of it completely.”

I jerked my chin toward the goal post.

Jang Han-bin looked at me, then got up.

Then he started dragging the man along with the silver blanket.

The slippery silver material glided smoothly across the artificial grass.

But the zombies flailing and running were slightly faster.

If we lose that corpse now, it’s over.

In my urgency, I set up the roll container to block the zombies.

Clang- Bang-!

The zombies that had been charging recklessly crashed into the roll container.

But when four or five of them came pushing, I was the one who got pushed back instead.

As I struggled desperately, thinking I needed to hold out for even a few more seconds.

Kwak Jae-gyeom’s voice came from behind me.

“Hyung, get down!”

If I get down now, I’ll be crushed to death!

I turned around to shout this.

But damn it.

The gun barrel was already pointing this way!

Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-!

I immediately threw myself down, and the sound of the world being destroyed rang out.

Ugh, the trauma from the mart…!

I covered my ears with all my strength and endured.

How much time had passed?

“Hyung…! …get up!”

Jae-gyeom, who had come beside me at some point, grabbed my arm and shouted.

But my ears were ringing so I couldn’t hear what he was saying at all.

I looked around in confusion and then turned toward the goal post.

Ha Yu-ju and Jang Han-bin were inside it.

The corpses were properly there with them too.

This was both good and bad news.

I looked forward again with an ominous feeling.

Sure enough, the zombies were now running toward us.

I grabbed Jae-gyeom and frantically got up.

Kahak- Kat-!

The first sound I heard as my hearing recovered was this…!

I ran frantically, chased by the sound of zombie cries.

But when I tried to go toward the goal post, which was the shortest distance, Kwak Jae-gyeom suddenly grabbed me.

“To the side! Go to the side since the kids are there!”

Then why didn’t you run diagonally from the start…!

Aside from the burden of suddenly changing direction, one zombie had gotten close enough to pounce on me.

Kagat-!

Its damp breath brushed against my forearm.

Whack-!

Kwak Jae-gyeom struck down that zombie with his elbow.

Then he grabbed me and started sprinting.

I was half-dragged along before crossing the white line.

Right after, Jae-gyeom let me go, and I rolled magnificently with the momentum.

Roll roll- Thud-!

“Huff, huff, huff!”

“Hyung, are you okay?”

“Huff, huff, talk, huff…”

“I understand, you don’t have to talk.”

Ah, I really feel like I’m going to throw up.

What happened to the kids?

Kwak Jae-gyeom carried Ha Yu-ju while running in the middle, but that didn’t cause any problems, right?

I forced myself to lift my head to check on the kids’ situation.

At that moment, a huge shadow fell over the stadium.

I unconsciously looked up and froze in place.

A hand that could be called divine was descending from the sky.

A hand with the same texture as the pitch-black sky.

That dark hand, which revealed its outline while swallowing light, was huge enough to cover the entire stadium.

At the same time, it had incredibly delicate lines.

I was breathless at the sight, not knowing whether it was terrifying or wondrous.

Two hands passed through the goal post, and one hand grasped Ha Yu-ju and Jang Han-bin, while the other grasped the corpses.

The hand holding the living rolled up toward the sky, while the hand holding the dead came down to the center of the stadium.

When that hand finally opened, we were reunited.

With the man who had died and been wrapped in foil, now a “running corpse.”

If Jang Han-bin had seen that, he would have had a fit…

Even I, who had directly witnessed a human becoming a zombie, didn’t feel very good about it.

So I was swallowing my complicated feelings when.

-Ha Yu-ju and Jang Han-bin have successfully escaped.

Cha Si-eon delivered the welcome news for once.

-Our agents are transporting them to the Medical Center.

As soon as we heard that, Jae-gyeom and I hugged and patted each other’s shoulders.

Thank goodness. Both the person from the other team who got involved for no reason and the teenager we picked up by chance are now safe.

But after being happy for about 30 seconds, reality hit me.

“Jae-gyeom.”

“Yes, hyung.”

“What do we do now?”

Kwak Jae-gyeom stared at me and then smiled brightly.

His expression said why are you asking me that.

* * *

“I think I’m going to have a panic attack.”

“If you keep looking, you really will have a panic attack, won’t you?”

It’s not an exaggeration, I really think that might happen.

I’m currently looking beyond the stadium’s fence.

I looked because I was curious about what it looked like out there and if there might be a way out, but I encountered a truly amazing sight.

What was beyond the fence was perfect blackness.

Void, darkness, abyss, nothingness.

It was a scene as if only this space had been cut out and placed inside a black hole.

Is this what it would feel like to be isolated during space travel…

Feeling like I might develop a phobia I didn’t even have if I kept looking, I finally came down from the trash can I’d been using as a footstool.

“Hyung, sit down and rest a bit.”

Kwak Jae-gyeom said while sprawled out in the spectator stands.

He looked light and relaxed as usual.

Just a moment ago he had been tensing his brow.

It was good that he’d found his composure, but he seemed excessively carefree, so I said something.

“Aren’t you relaxing too much just because your girlfriend got out?”

“Huh? What girlfriend? She’s not my girlfriend!”

“…”

Is whether she’s a girlfriend or a female friend what’s important right now?

When I stared at him, Jae-gyeom realized his mistake and kept clearing his throat.

“Ahem, hmm! The Team Leader will tell us our escape method soon. It seems like they’re discussing it now…”

Right. Team Leader Cha will bring a plan soon.

But I can roughly guess what that plan will be.

They’ll probably provide sacrificial lambs equivalent to mine and Jae-gyeom’s weight.

That will most likely be prisoners from the Management Bureau.

The Special Zone is really messed up, so the Management Bureau that deals with it is inevitably messed up too.

It’s not like I’m in a position to be picky about food, but honestly, surviving this way isn’t pleasant.

So this was why Section Chief Kwon Mu-seop told us to create a reason for him to survive no matter what.

I felt unnecessarily troubled and changed the subject.

“How did you figure out the escape rules for this place?”

“It’s written over there.”

At my question, Jae-gyeom pointed to the stadium’s electronic scoreboard.

The massive scoreboard was functioning properly like a lighting tower.

Of course, I couldn’t read the text written on it.

“Don’t look at it too long. That doesn’t end with just panic.”

I know.

Not only are the Special Zone’s characters unreadable, but if you force yourself to try reading them, your eyes hurt like they’re about to pop out.

“There’s someone among the contaminated who can read the Special Zone’s characters. That person told us the rules here.”

“You did well to think of making that public as a manual.”

“It’s better than dying without being able to do anything.”

That’s true.

The situation is a complete mess, so what else can we do.

We have no choice but to be satisfied with the lesser evil rather than the worst and compromise.

I prepared myself mentally while waiting for Cha Si-eon’s plan.

But then, someone appeared from the spectator stands on the other side of the stadium.

Did they hide and watch Ha Yu-ju and Jang Han-bin’s escape?

That person started waving their outer clothing toward us.

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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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