Editor’s Survival Guide - Chapter 65

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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 65

 

ep11. Depriving the Five Senses (10)

 

Hissss-!

 

I burned the “Ant Thread” with my torch.

 

“Ugh, huff! Hah…!”

 

Groans and labored breathing came from beneath the “Ant Thread” spread thin like a single-layer blanket.

 

It was Section Chief Kwon Mu-seop.

 

Hissssss-!

 

I finished melting the “Ant Thread” around him with the torch.

 

Finally able to move, Kwon Mu-seop removed the equipment tangled with the “Ant Thread” one by one.

 

He had to take off his bulletproof vest and even tear off his sleeves to barely escape.

 

The state Kwon Mu-seop was revealed to be in was miserable.

 

Both arms were slashed and bloody, and mucus had seeped into the wounds with white “Ant Thread” hardened all over them.

 

“Section Chief…”

 

“It’s fine, thanks to this the bleeding stopped.”

 

Kwon Mu-seop spoke calmly, understanding why I was calling him.

 

“Ant Thread” was a substance that could contaminate you just by touching your skin.

 

And it hadn’t just touched bare skin but entered through knife wounds.

 

Yet he said he was fine – where exactly was fine about this?

 

“Do-un, are you okay?”

 

“Yes, I’m fine.”

 

Actually, I wasn’t sure.

 

I had also thrown away my vest and padding like Kwon Mu-seop, leaving me defenseless.

 

I couldn’t do anything about the “Ant Thread” stuck to my hair, so it was still hanging there in clumps.

 

I worried about my head unraveling into thread, but there was no time to worry about that now.

 

“What happened to ‘Alpha’?”

 

“It’s pinned under the ‘Ant Thread’.”

 

I illuminated the floor with my searchlight.

 

Kwon Mu-seop couldn’t see it, but one spot covered in “Ant Thread” was bulging up noticeably.

 

It was “Alpha.”

 

Earlier, when “Alpha” was cornered, it broke the “Executioner Ant’s” neck and burst its salivary glands.

 

This caused the “Ant Thread” mucus to explode, and we all got covered in it.

 

The mucus hardened like paraffin, forming a thin membrane as soon as it touched objects.

 

We nearly suffocated to death because of it.

 

No, I think we almost did die.

 

If I hadn’t been able to reach the torch, we definitely would have died.

 

After all the struggles to escape the “Ant Thread,” we were both a complete mess.

 

Click, click-!

 

And even our guns were broken.

 

“What should we do about ‘Alpha’?”

 

“Let’s just leave it.”

 

Would that be okay?

 

No, even if it wasn’t okay, there was nothing we could do.

 

We might get counterattacked while trying to tear away the “Ant Thread” to capture “Alpha.”

 

Rather than risk that danger, it was better to leave it trapped and destroy the core.

 

That way we could also experiment to see what happens to mercenary individuals from other Special Zones when this Special Zone is destroyed.

 

And most importantly, we needed to destroy the Special Zone’s core before our contamination progressed.

 

We barely made it back to the branching point.

 

We entered the right path we hadn’t chosen earlier.

 

…But seriously, this was driving me crazy.

 

New cocoons were growing here and there throughout the corridor.

 

It seemed they were preparing the next generation again.

 

“Alpha” killed two “Ants” earlier, right?

 

Now there was only one left.

 

But why hadn’t that one appeared yet?

 

I moved forward slowly while keeping watch in all directions.

 

My steps were heavy from exhaustion.

 

But I couldn’t show signs of fatigue because of Kwon Mu-seop silently following behind.

 

He must know that “Ant Thread” had entered his wounds.

 

He would know much better than me that extreme transformation occurs when Special Zone materials are injected into the body.

 

Yet Kwon Mu-seop showed no signs of disturbance.

 

He was someone who was coldly rational not just about others’ lives, but about his own life too.

 

Stop-!

 

“Why?”

 

When I stopped walking, Kwon Mu-seop stopped too and asked.

 

“The corridor is blocked by cocoons. It looks like torn cocoons and newly grown cocoons are interlocked.”

 

So that’s why I couldn’t see one “Ant.”

 

Two cocoons had gotten tangled together, blocking the path.

 

I shined my searchlight through the gap between the joined cocoons.

 

Sure enough, on the other side, one “Ant” was wandering around in confusion.

 

“There’s one ‘Ant’ over there. It seems to be the last individual of this generation.”

 

“Test if the ring is effective.”

 

Hissssss-!

 

I widened the gap in the cocoons with my torch, then stuck out my hand wearing the ring.

 

Keeeeeeek-!

 

The “Ant” shook its antennae frantically as if having a seizure.

 

It was clearly showing fearful behavior.

 

But it didn’t retreat easily like the “Staff” at the “Warehouse-style Mart.”

 

Those “Staff” were neutral entities anyway.

 

In contrast, this “Ant” was definitely a dangerous entity.

 

Plus we had massacred two generations of them.

 

And right now we were approaching this Special Zone’s core.

 

It was natural for its reaction to be more hostile.

 

What should we do now?

 

We needed to get through here, but how could we neutralize that thing…

 

That’s when it happened.

 

-Section Chief!

 

Instead of the radio we’d left behind tangled in “Ant Thread,” Yun U-jeong’s voice rang out from my smartwatch.

 

-“Echo” has been observed in Area A-3 of the “Ant Hill”!

 

“Echo”?

 

This was the name of another mercenary individual.

 

But that had appeared too? It hadn’t even been 10 minutes since “Alpha” was subdued?

 

“Do-un, clear the path.”

 

“The ‘Ant’ won’t retreat even after seeing the ring!”

 

“I understand, so clear the path and tell me the ‘Ant’s’ position.”

 

Following Kwon Mu-seop’s instructions, I finished burning the empty cocoon.

 

“The ‘Ant’ is 1 meter ahead. The cocoon is almost completely melted. …Now, it’s coming!”

 

As the cocoon melted away, the “Ant” charged toward us.

 

Crunch-!

 

Kwon Mu-seop stabbed it with his knife.

 

Kwon Mu-seop grabbed one of the creature’s antennae and slashed at it fiercely.

 

Finally managing to cut off one of the creature’s fangs, Kwon Mu-seop shouted at me.

 

“Do-un, run!”

 

Damn it…!

 

I gritted my teeth and leaped over the debris at my feet.

 

Then I sprinted with all my might.

 

Hurry, faster!

 

If I don’t destroy the core quickly, Kwon Mu-seop will die!

 

Creak-

 

But this wasn’t the time to worry about others.

 

Creak- Crack-

 

What?

 

The cocoons in the corridor began to writhe.

 

Don’t tell me the last “Ant” died?

 

No, Section Chief Kwon Mu-seop wouldn’t make such a mistake.

 

Then, the cheerful voice from some educational material suddenly flashed through my mind.

 

-Special Zones have a habit of desperately protecting their core.

 

-When the core is threatened, the Special Zone will withdraw all activities and focus on protecting the core.

 

Damn it, it’s been activated.

 

This Special Zone’s self-protection system!

 

Crack- Riiip-!

 

The “Ants” finally tore through their cocoons and emerged.

 

But perhaps because they hadn’t gone through proper procedures?

 

The newly emerged “Ants” weren’t in perfect condition.

 

Instead of their usual black, glossy exoskeleton, they were covered in translucent, molt-like shells.

 

Kikikiki- Kikikikikik-!

 

Those immature specimens tried to bite me.

 

But they backed away after a few steps and made disgusting crying sounds.

 

The ring.

 

It was because of the ring Baek Sa-ra gave me.

 

But how long would this effect last?

 

Riiip- Riip-!

 

Cocoons kept tearing open in front and behind me.

 

Soon I found myself running together with those “Ant” creatures, like someone participating in a marathon.

 

After running like this for a while.

 

Kiiiek-!

 

One “Ant” that had been backing away while facing me finally charged at me.

 

I rolled my body and barely dodged its fangs.

 

Splash-!

 

But the floor was damp.

 

This is “Ant Thread”…?

 

Damn, the floor had been strangely sticky since earlier!

 

These incomplete creatures had been dripping mucus everywhere.

 

Seeing the mucus, I pulled out my torch again.

 

Then I turned up the flame to maximum and lit it.

 

Kiiiiek-!

 

The “Ants'” molts melted away.

 

I used that to drive away the creatures loitering in front of me.

 

It was good that the path opened up, but the melted molts made the floor even stickier.

 

No, it wasn’t just sticky – my feet began sinking in like I’d entered a mudflat.

 

I forced myself to run through it.

 

As my steps became heavier, I felt like my heart would burst.

 

My legs grew heavier and heavier until they felt like they might snap off.

 

I even thought about giving up and finding relief.

 

But if I did that, Section Chief Kwon Mu-seop would die a dog’s death…!

 

I endured with the determination to die running if I had to.

 

Then, my vision suddenly brightened.

 

Outside? No, it’s a wall.

 

The searchlight’s beam had reflected off the blocked end of the tunnel, making it bright.

 

Thump- Thump- Thump-!

 

My heartbeat echoed loudly in my throat and ears.

 

Is this the end?

 

Why is there nothing here?

 

Don’t tell me I took the wrong path…

 

I was about to turn around immediately like Kwon Mu-seop had done, but stopped.

 

When I came down this path, the “Ants” tore out of their cocoons.

 

That meant I’d reached the center correctly.

 

I gasped for breath and looked around.

 

After shining my light on the walls like a madman for a while.

 

Wait-!

 

I discovered a black sphere on the floor.

 

No, was it really a sphere?

 

It was so pitch black that I couldn’t sense any volume at all.

 

It looked more like a hole than a sphere, which is why I didn’t recognize it immediately.

 

It was the core of the Special Zone.

 

Kikikik-!

 

When I shone light on the core, the “Ants” struggled even more frantically as they charged.

 

I threw my heavy body forward and reached for the core.

 

But what’s this?

 

I felt resistance.

 

Like the feeling of trying to push together magnets of the same pole.

 

Creak- Creaak-!

 

My hand wouldn’t advance through the air.

 

A type of force I’d never experienced in my life pushed me away.

 

I endured the feeling of my vision going dark and squeezed out my last strength.

 

“Ugh, aaaaah…!”

 

Crack-!

 

There was a sound of something breaking.

 

And my hand touched the core.

 

Whooom-!

 

A strange vibration passed through my body.

 

But that was all.

 

The core didn’t break.

 

Why?

 

I struck the intact core again with my fist.

 

This time I felt no resistance at all.

 

It just felt like hitting a sculpture made of iron.

 

It won’t break!

 

Why? They said it would break immediately just from touching it…!

 

I kept pounding on the core, then turned around anxiously.

 

“…Huh?”

 

The “Ants” were melting away and disappearing into the floor.

 

Something white fell right in front of my eyes too.

 

It was “Ant Thread” that had been tangled in my hair.

 

What’s happening? Is it resetting?

 

The “Ants” gradually seeped into the floor and completely vanished.

 

The slimy melted shells also all disappeared without a trace.

 

I stared at this blankly, then picked up the core lying on the floor.

 

That core was only about the size of a bowling ball.

 

I was hurriedly trying to smash it by banging it against the wall when it happened.

 

Thud-!

 

At the sound from behind me, I quickly turned around.

 

“Do-un.”

 

It was Manager Kwon Mu-seop.

 

Kwon Mu-seop was approaching me in an even more tattered state than before.

 

While observing the surroundings with his eyes.

 

“Manager, can you see?”

 

“Yeah, I can suddenly see. What happened?”

 

“I’m not sure either… Mmph!”

 

I stopped mid-answer and covered my nose.

 

The acrid smell of smoke rushed in all at once, making my nose tingle.

 

It seemed my sense of smell had returned too.

 

Kwon Mu-seop asked back.

 

“The core?”

 

“It’s here.”

 

“…It didn’t break?”

 

“As you can see…”

 

Kwon Mu-seop looked at the core with a perplexed expression.

 

Then he slightly furrowed his brow.

 

“You, where’s your ring?”

 

Ring?

 

I turned over the hand holding the core and belatedly realized the ring was gone.

 

Of the two rings, the silver ring was still there.

 

Only the black ring that Baek Sa-ra had given me was missing.

 

“Huh?”

 

I was surprised and searched the floor.

 

Where did it go?

 

Just moments ago, even when I reached out to touch the core, it was definitely there.

 

But now I couldn’t find even a fragment.

 

While I was looking around, Kwon Mu-seop spoke into my smartwatch.

 

“Deputy Manager, please check the situation at ‘Ant Hill.'”

 

-We’re looking into it now. There appears to be no change in the space’s scale or form. “Echo” has disappeared from sight. And all the “Ant Thread” has vanished.

 

“What happened to the woman contaminated by the ‘Ant Thread’?”

 

-She’s alive. Her body parts that were lost to contamination have… all been restored.

 

“…!”

 

Are they talking about that woman?

 

That young woman who left us her last words?

 

I was delighted by this unexpected good news.

 

But Kwon Mu-seop didn’t get carried away and asked seriously.

 

“No physical defects or bleeding? Are you certain the body parts deformed by contamination have been restored?”

 

-That’s how it appears. The citizen in question is currently walking normally.

 

Kwon Mu-seop’s eyes wavered with unreadable emotion.

 

When Kwon Mu-seop couldn’t continue speaking, Yun U-jeong added in a trembling voice.

 

-It seems the Special Zone has… stopped functioning.

—————
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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