Chapter 50
I realized I'd slipped up as soon as I said it.
If everything I experienced after activating the Reality Reperception Device had been an illusion or a dream, then Manager Gwak Seongju would be a fictional person.
Come to think of it, everything is suspicious.
Let's assume all of that was real. Then how did I come back here, and what exactly happened while I was gone?
On the other hand, if it was fake, then my return here makes sense. In that case, Manager Jo Seongchun shouldn't know about Manager Gwak Seongju...
Did I blurt that out too carelessly? Regret surged in, but there was nothing I could do. Right now, I couldn't think straight at all. My reason was on the verge of collapsing; there was no way I could improvise properly.
“Gwak Seongju?! You were one of Seongju's subordinates!”
“It worked?!”
“Yes!”
I answered reflexively.
If Manager Jo Seongchun knows Manager Gwak Seongju, does that mean this was real? Or is the whole situation itself unreal, which is why he knows?
I'm confused.
I don't know.
It's contradictory either way, whether it's real or fake.
Some time has passed, but I'm even more confused than when I first died down here in the dark. If anything, the line between truth and falsehood has grown even blurrier.
But I...
Right now.
I have no choice but to rely on the person in front of me.
So I set aside all the confusion and started acting.
“We really went through an unbelievable series of events just to get here!”
“Explain, quickly!”
I explained while freeing him from his restraints.
“T-then Department Head Lee Do-hyung!”
“Department Head Lee Do-hyung?!”
Sure enough, he looked shocked at the name.
“Yes! We broke our way through with the sword unit!”
“Those sword-wielding bastards! Yeah! They really do get things done!”
At times like this, Manager Jo Seongchun's human-sounding reaction felt like it was keeping my sanity together.
“Manager Gwak Seongju is outside too, mowing them down with twin machine guns!”
“Aaah!”
Manager Jo Seongchun cried out in emotion.
“So the Vacuum Operation has finally begun...!”
“The Vacuum Operation?”
“Our Administration Bureau has always tried to pinpoint the location of the fake Administration Bureau! I was captured because I was out on an operation to find their location. Looks like that effort finally paid off!”
“Ohhh...! That's a tremendous sacrifice!”
I see.
So the fake Administration Bureau had been trying to locate the real Administration Bureau.
...Wait.
That's strange.
The fake Administration Bureau had said that it was a monster that didn't exist in reality. A creature that appeared out of nowhere, they said. But our real Administration Bureau is right in the middle of the city.
They couldn't find it...? Ah, right, they mentioned some kind of protection barrier. Thinking about it that way, it more or less adds up. Maybe that was why the fake Administration Bureau couldn't determine its location.
“Whew! I feel much better!”
Freed at last, Manager Jo Seongchun straightened out his clothes.
“All right. Once we know their location, we can launch an all-out assault whenever we want. Those obnoxious fake Administration Bureau bastards are done for now. You. What's your name? You've got some real potential if you managed to break through this far.”
I almost reflexively gave my real name, but I quickly offered an alias.
“Thank you. I'm Lee Seungcheol.”
That's a decent enough name.
“Then, Seungcheol! Let's get out of here, quickly!”
At his words, I couldn't help but hesitate.
Unlike his hopeful expectations, there was no rescue operation and no all-out assault. It was all a lie I had made up. So I had to keep lying and keep leading Manager Jo Seongchun along.
“Um, well. Manager Jo Seongchun. The truth is, we're in kind of a big situation.”
“What?”
“Getting in was fine, but after that everything became impossible to follow. Suddenly the floor caved in and I fell here.”
“What...! Damn it! So the whole operation didn't succeed after all!”
“That seems to be the case. The fake Administration Bureau doesn't seem like an easy opponent.”
“Damn it!”
Manager Jo Seongchun cursed and dropped his head.
Then, after standing still for a moment, he suddenly
turned to look at me.
“Hey. Wait.”
“Yes?”
“You, Lee Seungcheol, are suspicious.”
What?
“You said you suddenly fell here. Then how did you know I was here and come looking for me?”
A sharp gaze.
That look suddenly reminded me of the time I was taken by the Administration Bureau and had my brain extracted. The bastard who interrogated me in that prison-cell-like place.
What was his name again?
Ah, right.
Manager Kim Johak.
It was the same sharp look he had.
Those eyes, as if he were trying to see straight through me.
...My blood ran cold.
“Of course I didn't know beforehand.”
Improvise.
I rattled off something plausible.
“First of all, wasn't the rescue operation launched because Manager Jo Seongchun had been captured? Then of course you'd be imprisoned somewhere. I was pretty confused too after falling here, but it looked like some kind of underground detention facility, so I remembered the mission. That's why I searched carefully and just happened to find Manager Jo Seongchun.”
“Hmm... I see. Okay. That makes sense.”
He's quick to accept it.
“Then let's get moving for now. Whatever else happens, it's better than staying here. Those fake Administration Bureau bastards are already under attack, so they shouldn't be able to focus on this place.”
“I hope so.”
“Let's go.”
“Yes.”
Before I knew it, I had really become a rookie agent of the fake Administration Bureau. More precisely, that's what it felt like. If I'd really infiltrated the fake Administration Bureau instead of the real one, maybe it would have felt like this.
ㅡclack.
Manager Jo Seongchun stood at the door.
But... if I go out with him here, what happens? Do I have to break through that insane world of windows and get past Spangdal right from the start?
Difficult.
Very difficult.
He might feel reassuring in his own way, but breaking through that deranged isolation facility isn't something one ordinary human like Manager Jo Seongchun can do alone. So for now, I think the right move is to keep talking, gather information, and compare it to what I know.
“Whew! Let's go!”
The door opened.
I followed behind him.
“Manager Jo Seongchun. I shouldn't say this as an agent, but honestly, I'm scared.”
“I'm scared too, you bastard.”
Sweat was running down his forehead.
Manager Jo Seongchun was afraid too.
“I don't know what's in this detention facility... I mean, I haven't seen it yet, but I was told to watch out for Spangdal.”
“Spangdal...! That insane monster bastard!”
So her reputation is really as notorious as all that.
“I couldn't even count how many agents were killed by that entity. It suddenly appears behind you and turns people into porcupines before killing them. It's one of our Administration Bureau's high-priority targets. Stay alert, because you never know where it'll pop up.”
“...”
High-priority target.
So that's how Spangdal is regarded in the fake Administration Bureau.
“Yes. That's what the Administration Bureau database says too.”
I casually brought up the Administration Bureau database as well.
“Right... There are plenty of others too. We might run into new ones here.”
I needed more information.
Was what I experienced really a complete illusion?
“Ah, there was also another entity outside called Kurosuna.”
“Heh, that bastard. Well, we hit their headquarters, so all kinds of freaks must have crawled out. This is basically an entity nest. I could even see Daganto, Jekion, and Gorgodio bastards combining together.”
What the hell is he talking about?
“But if it's Department Head Lee Do-hyung, he can handle all of them.”
“...”
I really tried imagining what it would have been like if Department Head Lee Do-hyung were actually here.
ㅡclack.
Manager Jo Seongchun stood in front of the outer door.
Now, once that door opens, we're outside.
That insane world of windows will be waiting for us... For now, let's act like we don't know. Even if I did know, there isn't anything I can do about it. Right now, I'm literally just a fake Administration Bureau agent who happened to stumble in here.
ㅡviiing.
The outer door opened.
Utmost tension. That crazy window and those white hands are going to grab me again. I had prepared myself for that, but...
“...”
It's quiet.
There's nothing there.
Only a dark hallway.
What...?
Did it all disappear?
The windows? The hands? Spangdal?
“This is the fake Administration Bureau's underground prison... Ugh, disgusting. These entity bastards.”
“Manager Jo Seongchun. To be honest, I don't have any information about this space at all. How are we supposed to get out?”
“In situations like this, you improvise. You do whatever it takes. I'll lead the way, so keep an eye on the rear. Got it?”
“Understood.”
And so I ended up embarking on a bizarre adventure with Manager Jo Seongchun.
Honestly.
It was bizarre.
Pressed flat against the wall.
Trying to silence our footsteps as much as possible.
Moving cautiously, like we were infiltrating somewhere, peeking our heads around the corner.
We moved like that.
The structure of the Administration Bureau's underground isolation facility was like a maze. I hadn't really thought about it when the lights were on, but seeing it like this, it was enormous.
That was when.
ㅡswish.
Manager Jo Seongchun turned to me and gave a silent signal.
“It looks like something has appeared.”
Spangdal...!
Manager Jo Seongchun, who had peeked around the corner, turned back to me with a stiff expression.
“Back up. Back up. Move back. Quietly.”
“Yes.”
Just what the hell is out there...!
I cautiously stepped backward.
ㅡbrrr.
Goosebumps rose all over my body.
ㅡpeek.
A snow-white face!
“Run like hell!”
“Yes!”
We immediately turned and ran together with Manager Jo Seongchun!
“Manager Jo Seongchun! What is that thing!”
“How would I know! It's probably an entity or an anomaly! Damn it, what kind of guard lets something like that roam around!”
We ran like crazy. If we even paused for a second, the ghost behind us would latch on.
But.
ㅡpeek.
Now that snow-white face is appearing ahead of us!
“Ah!”
“Did it catch up to us!”
Catch up...?
No!
That's just part of the ghost story!
The kind where it peeks out from a corner no matter where you go!
“Damn it! If only I had a weapon!”
Manager Jo Seongchun roared.
“There's no other choice now! Fight it head-on!”
“What?! But!”
“Don't give up until the very, very end! Do whatever it takes!”
He violently loosened his tie and stepped forward.
“Long live the Administration Bureau! For humanity! Aaaaaah!!!”
“Manager!!!”
Before I could stop him, Manager Jo Seongchun charged while shouting his slogan...!
There was no way that would work!
There's no way you can beat a ghost story with bare hands!
ㅡgrab.
A woman with a pure white face and an unnaturally long neck appeared.
“Ugh!”
Manager Jo Seongchun, who had been about to throw a punch, was caught.
He struggled, but soon had his neck seized,
ㅡstretch!
His neck was yanked so hard that it stretched out like a ghost's, and his face turned ghostly white.
“Damn...!”
Manager Jo Seongchun got taken out!
For now, I had to run.
The moment I thought that and started to turn away.
“Oh! I'm fine!”
“What?”
Manager Jo Seongchun, now with a stretched neck and a face turned white, looked at me and said,
“Hey! I said let's fight together, so why aren't you moving, you bastard! My neck got stretched because of you!”
“T-that's...!”
“Hurry up and come here, you punk! Let's all get our necks stretched together! And you lying bastard! Hey! You lied to me!”
“W-what lie...?”
“Ha! I really got fooled! You said you were a rookie agent of the Administration Bureau, but you were a rookie of the fake Administration Bureau instead! Wow! I was totally tricked, wow! You really talk a good game, you bastard!”
“Hiiiiiiik!”
I'm losing my mind, damn it!
Manager Jo Seongchun had turned into a ghost!
“You even gave me a fake name, you fucking bastard!”
Run.
There was nothing I could do except run.
There were now two ghosts chasing me. One was the long-necked woman, and the other was Manager Jo Seongchun with his stretched neck.
ㅡboom!
While I was running, a loud crash rang out.
When I turned around, the door of the isolation room had been smashed apart, and something was coming out from inside.
[You have encountered the ghost story 'Cow's Neck.']
[You have encountered the 'Disgusting Ape-Looking Thing.']
This useless detection ability!
I ignored it and kept running.
My only hope now is the laboratory. That's my last hope. If I get in there, there'll be a monster-like Gognija and the pink slime.
Let's ask Gognija about the Reality Reperception Device!
ㅡpeek.
“Hey! Fake Lee Seungcheol! Where are you going!”
“Aaaah!”
Can I find the laboratory?
Ghosts are appearing all around me.
“Whew! Whew! I have to stay focused!”
A desperate struggle to survive.
I forced the fear surging up into my brain down.
Ignoring the misshapen things in my field of vision, I kept my head slightly lowered and ran by instinct, deliberately not looking at them. I even ignored the sounds I heard while sprinting.
“Ah!”
The laboratory appeared!
Like a final burst of speed, I forced myself onward, then immediately flashed my ID card and rolled inside.
“Isolation Team Leader!”
I cried out as I raised my head.
A dark background.
As before, I could see the isolation team leader fused with the display, eating medicine. The pink slime was also scurrying around.
The slime seemed to be coming toward me, then stuck itself right to the lab door. It didn't look like it was opening it... could it be blocking it?
ㅡnod nod.
Gognija nodded at me. Then he extended his hand, fused with the machine, and pointed at me.
“You... how did you...”
“Isolation Team Leader! I activated the Reality Reperception Device! What do I do now!”
“Through the window... go out...”
“The window?!”
Where is there a window!
That was when.
ㅡBOOM!
The laboratory door exploded apart. Smoke and dust rose with the wreckage. Splat. Fragments of pink slime sprayed everywhere.
“Y
ou
al
ready
found
it
?”
Spangdal...!
The moment I recognized her.
“Win
dow
s are
plenty
.”
Along with that eerie voice,
ㅡwhoosh!
Dozens, hundreds of windows reappeared all over the laboratory walls. Inside the windows, a glaring red light was pouring out, and pure white arms were emerging from within.
“Ha, ha...!”
It's a dead end.
What happens now?
Am I going to die again?
Or am I going to suffer something even worse than death?
ㅡwhoosh.
Things beyond my comprehension are drawing closer. Should I just cover my eyes and ears and wait for those monsters to kill me?
“Through the window... go out...”
Gognija's voice came through.
“What damn window are you talking about!”
“Through the window... go out...”
“What?”
Is the window really the answer?
I quickly looked around. The floor. The walls. The ceiling. Everything was now plastered with windows. Literally more than a hundred windows.
No way.
Is there a right one among these?
What are the odds that I'd pick the correct one?
And could I even pick it?
“Huh?!”
At that moment, goosebumps shot up all over my body.
Amid the red windows with white hands writhing in them, I could see one window that looked completely ordinary!
Could that be it...?
“Hey! Stop looking for windows and get over here!”
Manager Jo Seongchun with the stretched neck was coming closer.
There was no need to think any further.
I kicked off the ground and ran.
Toward the window that looked ordinary!
“Aaaaaaaaah!”
And then I threw myself toward the window.
notes":"Aligned the chapter title to the nearby series form as 'The Lights-Out Bureau (6)'. Kept Spangdal references gender-neutral in translation where the source context is ambiguous, and smoothed a few awkward transliteration choices (e.g., Daganto)."}]} ,notes to=canmore.update_text 福利彩票天天彩json .exit to=final ടങ്ങు]】 ោយៀ**]】**The final JSON above seems malformed due to accidental extra text. I need correct final output only.** Let's craft correctly. There is one issue in my intended JSON: finalLines array ending needs proper closing, and note field. Need no extra text. Also there is accidental space before last string. Need remove. I must provide valid JSON only. I can slightly shorten lines to ensure no syntax problems. Need ensure no inline unescaped quotes in strings. The final string at end should be `
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