Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 557

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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557. In the Chaos (10)
The moment I slipped into the Security Room and shut the door behind me, urgent footsteps echoed from outside.
“That was close.”
I pressed my ear against the door, wondering if it might be one of the cast members, but unfortunately, all I heard was the mechanical whir of security robots—no human voices at all.
To be safe, I waited a bit longer until the sounds of movement outside faded completely.
“…Are they gone?”
And once the entire surroundings fell into silence—
I moved without hesitation.
‘Since I’m alone here anyway, there’s not much audio to salvage. At best, I’ll just show what I did in this room quickly.’
Calculating the time I’d agreed to meet Nam Sa-ra and Ha Tae-jin again, I had at most thirty minutes to spend in the Security Room.
Given that constraint, there was no point in wasting energy on elaborate preparations.
[Lock disengaged.]
First, I located the locker room containing the security key and research uniform.
The lock used a rotating dial system, and when I entered the longitude and latitude of the Research Facility marked on the map posted in the locker room, it opened immediately.
I quickly put on the white research coat and silver-rimmed glasses inside, then hung the employee ID card around my neck.
“There are a few more ID cards left?”
Just in case, I pocketed the remaining employee cards and immediately proceeded to the next task.
[Lock disengaged.]
[Lock disengaged.]
[Lock disengaged.]
I unlocked every single lock in the Security Room in rapid succession, then used the master card and password I’d obtained to access the Security System. I even remembered to find and connect backup power when I noticed a severed wire in the process.
I was somewhat concerned that Void might exploit this too, but there was nothing else I could do right now.
[System code required.]
[System code entered.]
[CCTV monitoring activated.]
“Done.”
The blank monitors spread before me instantly filled with images from throughout the building’s interior.
Still, I noticed several screens displaying ‘No signal,’ which meant I couldn’t access every CCTV in the Research Facility.
“Well… this is enough.”
I systematically checked every CCTV feed I could access by rotating the remote control pad below.
I noted the CCTV locations, their coverage ranges, and blind spots on the blueprint, then began filling in the previously empty spaces on the schematic based on that visual information.
I also made sure to document the patrol patterns and time intervals of the security robots.
“Come on, come on, come on….”
Even after filling the blueprint so densely that no gaps remained, I didn’t stop observing the CCTV feeds.
I needed to gather clues about the other cast members moving around the Research Facility.
“…Found them.”
After cycling through the screens several more times, familiar faces finally appeared on the monitors.
The first ones I located were naturally Nam Sa-ra and Ha Tae-jin.
The two of them, having just passed the Second Floor and heading toward the Third Floor, seemed to be struggling in front of an automatic door that required a security key.
“…Is there any way to help them?”
The reason I’ve been muttering to myself unnecessarily since earlier is purely out of a sense of duty to fill the audio track.
As long as I’m alone, if I don’t speak, the Main PD editing this footage will have no idea what I’m doing right now or what I’m about to do.
I stood with my hands on my hips, deliberating for a moment. Still, this is technically a security room, so there should be something I can do related to security….
[System Alert: Kang Ha-jin!]
[System Alert: Here! Here!]
[System Alert: ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ↘↘ “H E R E” ↙↙ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧]
“…?”
What’s with that Sparkle?
‘No matter how I think about it, this Time Management Authority member seems to enjoy the human world far too much.’
Pushing aside my usual doubts about whether this was even acceptable, I approached the direction Thirteen was pointing toward.
There was some kind of control panel there, and it seemed like another puzzle I’d need to solve. Looking at the manual attached to the top, it appeared that by solving the puzzle in different ways, I could change the security system throughout the building.
“Nice.”
[System Alert: o(≧∇≦o)]
[System Alert: The System expresses excitement, saying it finally feels like a real fantasy novel system!]
‘Now, of all times…?’
Isn’t the timing of this excitement way too late?
My head tilted slightly in confusion, but I let it slide since the System seemed excited.
“Wow, everything’s here?”
Next to the control panel Thirteen had discovered, security equipment like laser gun chargers, walkie-talkies, and flashlights were lined up.
I quickly grabbed a laser gun and plugged it into the charger. The charging speed wasn’t fast due to weak power output, but what mattered was that it was charging at all.
“Just in case, I’ll grab a few of these too….”
I generously gathered spare walkie-talkies and flashlights, hanging them from my belt or stuffing them into my pockets. I hadn’t specifically dressed for this, but my outfit turned out to be perfectly suited for today’s shoot, which I found satisfying.
Once I’d finished all the preparations, I turned my attention back to the control panel.
“Since this is the third-floor entrance, I need to set it so Type A comes up…. If I mess up even one, it becomes Type X—total security deactivation mode.”
Operating the control panel itself wasn’t difficult, but the problem was that one wrong move could potentially deactivate the security for the entire Research Facility.
From the circumstances, this security system seemed to be the last stronghold that Void alone couldn’t penetrate, and I couldn’t afford to commit the insane act of disabling it through my own blunder.
“….”
Should I? Or shouldn’t I?
I deliberated for a moment.
Even if I didn’t open it here, Nam Sa-ra and Ha Tae-jin might find another way or entrance. The two people on screen seemed to already be searching for an alternative route.
‘Should I just look for Son Je-u instead? The risk of attempting this recklessly is too great….’
But that anguish didn’t last long.
Through the CCTV monitor, I could see a group of security robots heading toward the third-floor entrance where Nam Sa-ra and Ha Tae-jin were located.
“Damn it….”
The moment I confirmed the security robots heading toward where the two of them were, I couldn’t help myself and placed my hands on the control panel. Since this was my first time solving this puzzle, my head ached a bit, but once I’d started, I had to see it through no matter what.
“Please, please, please….”
Cold sweat broke out from my anxiety.
Nam Sa-ra and Ha Tae-jin on screen also became frantic upon noticing the security robots approaching. I mobilized every ounce of my intelligence and concentration to ensure I didn’t accidentally trigger Type X mode—complete security deactivation.
And finally, after completing the last panel, I pulled the lever on the control panel, which now glowed green, without a second thought. Then―.
[The security on the 3-A Gate has been deactivated.]
“…Ugh, my heart.”
The moment I saw the gate door open through the CCTV feed and Nam Sa-ra and Ha Tae-jin rush inside with urgency, I collapsed onto the floor and clutched my chest.
The security robots advanced to the gate entrance where the two had been moments before, exactly as anticipated, but they had already slipped into a different room on the third floor.
[System Alert: That was an incredibly close call….]
[System Alert: The System notes that it really doesn’t seem suited for this kind of heart-pounding genre.]
[System Alert: (〃´o｀)=3]
‘But a psychopath trying to become human, gaslighting some poor kid over a thousand iterations, sending innocent people to the Military three times—that genre is fine?’
[System Alert: Well, that’s also a bit….]
Kim Thirteen seemed somewhat flustered by his own words and reduced his own opacity to about 30% to dodge the question. He used to grumble at me about decorating the System window, yet he’s the one who uses those features the most.
I let out a small snort at Kim Thirteen and got to my feet. Now that I’d let Nam Sa-ra and Ha Tae-jin inside, it was time to check on Son Je-u and the stragglers.
“…?”
That’s when it happened.
Footsteps echoed from outside the Security Room door—a place that theoretically should have been empty. I switched the CCTV feed out of caution, but the camera in front of the Security Room was dead, so I couldn’t see anything.
[System Alert: Σ(・Д・)!?]
[System Alert: Could it be an intruder?]
‘…I don’t know.’
I calmly checked the remaining CCTV feeds first.
If it was a security robot, it wouldn’t penetrate into the Security Room itself, and even if it was a person, they couldn’t easily open the door since I’d destroyed the puzzle that would have revealed the password.
I still had some time.
“….”
I quickly cycled through the CCTV channels.
Soon, I spotted three stragglers—presumably on the System’s side—rummaging through the Underground Convenience Store while chatting.
‘Then whoever’s outside is either a teammate contestant or, at worst, a security robot.’
I carefully picked up the laser gun I’d charged nearby.
Then I muted Kim Thirteen, who was sprinkling all sorts of sparkle effects while making comments like “Finally, an action scene!” and slowly moved toward the door without making a sound.
Beep, beep, beep, beep―.
Beep beep―.
Someone outside attempted to unlock the password several times.
They seemed to be trying to deduce the remaining numbers using the half of the puzzle I hadn’t destroyed, but after failing more than three times, a loud alarm blared from the door lock.
“…!”
As a result, even the ones in the Underground Convenience Store seemed to hear something and began looking around nervously. Regardless of who was outside, drawing aggro like this was a disadvantage for me.
Ultimately, I had no choice but to unlock the door lock myself.
Worried the alarm might continue, I even removed the batteries, and only then did the beeping stop. I exhaled in relief only after confirming that the stragglers in the Underground Convenience Store had resumed their meal.
“…?”
That’s when I sensed something odd.
The lock had clearly been disengaged, and I’d even removed the batteries from the door lock so the power was cut. Yet the person outside wasn’t entering the Security Room easily.
‘Could they know I’m in here and deliberately…?’
Did they intentionally trigger the alarm to make me unlock it from inside?
I wondered if they’d panicked and fled at the alarm, but I didn’t hear any footsteps, and more importantly, I could distinctly sense a human presence through the crack of the open door.
We were at a standoff with the Iron Gate between us. Gripping the laser gun firmly in my right hand, I slowly extended my left hand toward the door handle.
The fact that my opponent was thinking this strategically made it clear they were one of the cast members.
‘Son Je-u? Esther? …Or Ji Ye?’
In truth, any of the three would be on my side, so there was no real reason to be this cautious….
Yet something about this felt wrong.
While the three of us had been trapped in the office, I had no idea what the other cast members were doing or where they were.
Click!
“…!”
At that moment, I felt my opponent carefully turning the door handle from the other side.
I immediately released my grip on the handle to let them open it easily, then pressed my body against the wall behind the door. Soon, the heavy iron gate creaked open.
And the instant my opponent cautiously stepped into the security room―.
“Who are you?”
“…!”
I seized the moment they fully entered, slamming the iron gate shut with one hand while leaning against it, my laser gun trained directly at the back of their head.
But my opponent possessed equally sharp reflexes—they twisted their body in an instant, creating distance between us, and didn’t hesitate to aim their laser rifle directly at me.
In the darkness, the two of us finally got a clear look at each other.
“…Ji Ye?”
“….”
The one aiming that rifle at me with perfect precision was Ji Ye—the influencer who had been with me since the pre-production shoot.
“Drop the gun.”
“…?”
“Drop it, oppa.”
For reference, Ji Ye, who now actively streams on AiTube with her cute visuals and straightforward personality, had a rather different past career….
“I’m a better shot than you are.”
…She was a former national team reserve marksman.

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