Editor’s Survival Guide - Chapter 45

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

Editor’s Survival Rules Episode 45

 

ep9. Identifying the Fake(6)

 

Crash-!

 

The “fake human” was instantly taken down.

 

And I was bewildered by what I had just done.

 

What did I just do?

 

Ms. Baek Sa-ra, are you watching?

 

You’ve finally turned a weak editor into a human weapon.

 

-You need to stay focused until the very end.

 

Ah, that’s right.

 

I snapped out of my daze, recalled Baek Sa-ra’s words, and moved again.

 

This “fake human’s” strength was definitely above mine.

 

So I had to finish it quickly.

 

Strike? No, I couldn’t guarantee an end with that.

 

Then rather.

 

I grabbed one leg of the fallen “fake human”.

 

There are parts of the human body that can never be trained.

 

Joints.

 

I wrapped my leg around its leg, planning to twist and break the “fake human’s” ankle.

 

Hmm, but.

 

Was there ever mention that these things have joints identical to humans?

 

Crack-!

 

Why are bad premonitions never wrong?

 

Before I could even twist it, the “fake human” broke its own ankle and freed itself from the hold.

 

“Ugh…!”

 

I was horrified and prepared for a counterattack.

 

Creak-!

 

Then the door opened.

 

Teddy Bear peeked his head out again.

 

And the “fake human” stopped moving completely.

 

The “fake human” with its eyes returned to normal groaned beneath me.

 

“P-please spare me…”

 

I was genuinely flustered by the sight of the “fake human” suffering as a frail old man again.

 

Moreover, my current position standing over the old man was the epitome of unfilial conduct.

 

“No, this is…!”

 

As I tried to protest, the skeletons came rushing over.

 

I stepped back to avoid them.

 

But their target wasn’t me in the first place.

 

Click-!

 

The skeletons handcuffed the “fake human” Im Jong-hak.

 

And Teddy Bear came over to me with a grin.

 

“Whoa, looks like you got some exercise?”

 

This bastard…

 

“These guys are so rude. When it’s just two people, they flip out and attack, seriously.”

 

“You knew that and still experimented?”

 

If I hadn’t been on guard beforehand, I would’ve been done for.

 

I deliberately got irritated in my frustration.

 

“If that’s how it is, you should’ve warned me beforehand, or at least tied him up! I almost died!”

 

“Ah, we want to do it safely too. But when these guys’ eyes roll back and they’re hunting, they get super strong and break free from restraints. That’s why we just don’t tie them up. If we tie them up, only people get hurt.”

 

When I burst out angrily, Teddy Bear made excuses with a sly expression.

 

And what Teddy Bear just said was true.

 

I knew that habit too, but it would be more natural to say this.

 

As I continued to be angry, Teddy Bear went outside pretending to appease me.

 

Then he spoke to me and Choi Sang-eun who had come out first.

 

“We caught all the fakes, so you can relax now. Sorry if you were scared.”

 

What?

 

Teddy Bear suddenly became kind.

 

“Squad Leader!”

 

Then one skeleton who had been looking around the performance hall ran to Teddy Bear.

 

“There are two people dead inside?”

 

“Oh no, how terrible. Let’s all have a moment of silence.”

 

Teddy Bear clasped his hands together like praying and bowed his head.

 

Then the other skeletons also closed their eyes and bowed their heads in similar poses.

 

What is this politeness, really?

 

I thought they were a crazy violent gang, but they weren’t?

 

And it seems they still haven’t found the Management Bureau vest I threw off.

 

It probably fell under a seat and they just passed by it.

 

As I secretly breathed a sigh of relief, Choi Sang-eun asked Teddy Bear.

 

“Please explain now. What is all this? Where exactly is this place, and why am I here?”

 

Choi Sang-eun’s complexion, which had been urgently questioning, suddenly turned pale.

 

“By any chance, am I already dead?”

 

“No, there are dead people separately, so why are you like that? Mister, you’re perfectly alive.”

 

Teddy Bear answered with a giggle.

 

“Mister, have you played games?”

 

“Games?”

 

“When you’re gaming and hit a bug, you go outside the map and wander around places that aren’t paths, right? It’s like that. You just had bad luck and slipped and fell here.”

 

“What do you mean, then what were those monsters? And that stage earlier…”

 

“Ah, don’t ask me. When you go to the mountains there are lots of bugs, but you don’t know their names. They’re just like those bugs.”

 

Teddy Bear’s explanation was quite clear despite being careless.

 

He seemed fairly accustomed to the Special Zone environment.

 

But Choi Sang-eun, for whom all this was new, fell into confusion.

 

So I butted in.

 

“Then what are you guys? Do you live here?”

 

“Us? We’re just helping people.”

 

…Really?

 

“Getting out of here is surprisingly easy. But people don’t know that, so they panic and die a lot. Even if they know, if they’re outnumbered by those fake guys, it’s total annihilation. So we’re managing it.”

 

Really?

 

Were you guys actually good kids?

 

“Are you folks from some organization or agency?”

 

“Huh? No, we’re just doing it on our own.”

 

“Then just vigilante activity?”

 

“Vigilante?”

 

At Choi Sang-eun’s question, Teddy Bear scratched his mask.

 

Then he looked around at the skeletons and asked.

 

“What’s a vigilante?”

 

“Isn’t that a YouTuber?”

 

“…”

 

Choi Sang-eun and I were left speechless by the Teddy Bear gang’s innocence.

 

These guys are a bit rough and stupid, but they don’t seem like bad guys.

 

Come to think of it, the message I received earlier only told me to hide being from the Management Bureau.

 

Conversely, that means it’s okay to make contact as ordinary citizens.

 

Thinking this way puts my mind at ease a bit.

 

“Just follow me for now. There are other people who came here first.”

 

Teddy Bear gestured and took the lead, while Choi Sang-eun and I followed behind.

 

Then Choi Sang-eun took out a performance brochure from his suit pocket and asked.

 

“Where is the person in charge who made this manual?”

 

“Ah, you shouldn’t bring that with you. Other people need to see it too. Hey, Number 7! Take this back to the theater.”

 

“It said it was being managed by the government.”

 

“Management my ass… Huh? Ahhh!”

 

Teddy Bear, who had been walking casually, suddenly screamed and stopped.

 

We were startled and looked around, when Teddy Bear pointed at Choi Sang-eun and shouted.

 

“I, I figured it out! Choi Sang-eun! The initials are the same as that bastard!”

 

Initials?

 

Bastard?

 

As Choi Sang-eun and I looked confused, Teddy Bear exploded in anger.

 

“Cha Si-eon! That fucking XX bastard! Ah shit, I knew something felt off when I heard the name! This was it!”

 

…Oh my.

 

Kids these days call initials “name alphabets.”

 

And Team Leader Cha, just when you think he’s forgotten, he shows his presence like this…?

 

“Cha Si-eon?”

 

“Ah, he’s a real fucking scumbag. That bastard sucked us dry and threw us away!”

 

“Sucked you dry?”

 

“We really didn’t do anything, but that bastard threatened to arrest us. So we did everything he told us to do and groveled like dogs, but three of the guys who hung out with me died because that bastard used them as bait, and after using us all up and not needing us anymore, he fucking backstabbed us! He arrested all the remaining guys and only I barely escaped, XX…!”

 

Teddy Bear passionately denounced him, and I struggled to manage my expression.

 

If they find out I’m with the Management Bureau, I’ll really be in big trouble…

 

Meanwhile, Choi Sang-eun’s face hardened for a different reason than mine.

 

“You said he used them as bait and they died? What kind of situation was that? When and where did this happen?”

 

“Last year maybe? It was in the red area where there are old houses, but I don’t really know where since it was my first time there. We were just dragged along.”

 

This atmosphere is getting bad.

 

Choi Sang-eun seemed ready to dig into the problem like a true journalist.

 

And what’s more troubling is that even I have rock-bottom trust in the Management Bureau.

 

The thought that Cha Si-eon would really do such vicious things…

 

What should I do about this?

 

I silently agonized.

 

But I soon realized this was unnecessary worry.

 

“What does this Cha Si-eon person do?”

 

“He’s a civil servant. His people made that manual.”

 

“A civil servant did such things? Which department does he belong to?”

 

“Department? I don’t think he has any religion?”

 

Teddy Bear was rough but kind, and also a bit lacking.

 

Should I consider this fortunate or feel sorry?

 

Anyway, he probably can’t give proper information.

 

Teddy Bear resumed his briefly stopped steps while grumbling.

 

“He’s really a total bastard. Here too, those bastards just left the manual and emptied the place, so we’re taking care of it!”

 

“This is my business card.”

 

“Oh? Why are you giving me this?”

 

“Later, once we get out of here, please contact me. If you tell me about that Cha Si-eon person and this space, I’ll try to find a way to help you. And could you give me your phone number?”

 

Choi Sang-eun was definitely a journalist.

 

But what’s this?

 

Unlike Choi Sang-eun who was enthusiastically trying to secure a source, Teddy Bear was lukewarm even after receiving the business card.

 

This would be a good opportunity to expose Cha Si-eon’s human rights violations.

 

“Yeah, well. If you get out of here safely.”

 

“Is there a special way to get out of here? Can’t we just go to the exit?”

 

“Of course not. Did you come in through the door here?”

 

“Then how should we…”

 

“It’s easy. Just take one of those ‘fake humans’ and you can get out right away.”

 

—

 

Route A. Escape through ‘Those Wearing Old Uniforms’

 

One person can escape per ‘fake human.’

 

—

 

“So that’s why you caught those fakes?”

 

“Yeah. If we don’t filter them out, people get fooled by them and die while traveling together.”

 

Teddy Bear said matter-of-factly.

 

But can I believe all of this?

 

Who cut out the ‘fake human’ part cleanly from the brochure placed in the performance hall?

 

There’s no one else who would do that except these guys.

 

I hid my suspicion and asked Teddy Bear.

 

“How long have you guys been here?”

 

“Us? It’s been about a month now?”

 

Just a month.

 

They haven’t been here that long.

 

What exactly is their purpose? Really volunteer work?

 

“Then could I use one of those fakes?”

 

Choi Sang-eun pointed to the handcuffed ‘fake humans’ and asked.

 

They were being dragged along in a line by the skeletons.

 

“Not for free. We caught them. We need to get paid for our work to make a living.”

 

When money was mentioned, Choi Sang-eun actually looked convinced.

 

I felt the same way.

 

If the guy in the bear costume was just volunteering out of kindness in this chaotic space, that would be too scary.

 

But he’s staying here because of money?

 

It makes sense, so I feel more at ease. Yeah.

 

Then there’s only one problem left.

 

“How much would the service fee be?”

 

“You can decide that yourself.”

 

Teddy Bear answered Choi Sang-eun’s question in a light tone.

 

Decide for yourself? What does this mean?

 

I thought he’d try to sell it expensively somehow.

 

Teddy Bear climbed the stairs without further explanation.

 

When we climbed up to the third floor, we could see a lobby with sofas.

 

And there were about six or seven people sitting there.

 

Toward those people, Teddy Bear shouted loudly.

 

“Escape tickets are here! Three tickets today, call out your prices!”

 

What?

 

Before I could even be surprised by Teddy Bear’s shout, the people sitting in chairs jumped up and responded.

 

“20 million won!”

 

“25 million!”

 

“27 million…!”

 

Surprisingly, they began an auction.

 

It was another crazy scene.

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