Chapter 140

「Alpha」, in a dark gray combat uniform, with short hair and a handsome face.

And 「Seo Do-un」, wearing a black T-shirt and black combat pants, with an especially white face.

I had long known that Cha Si-eon was bigger than me, but seeing it directly like this brought me to the point of laughing hollowly.

It was unreal.

The difference in their builds, and the existence of an entity with my appearance.

Swallowing my bitter laugh, I groped the back of my neck.

The sensation of being bitten by Kwak Jae-gyeom, no, 「Delta」, vividly revived.

“Uuugh…….”

At that moment, a faint groan sounded.

It came from beneath 「Alpha」’s foot.

“He is still alive.”

The Deputy Director murmured so only we could hear.

「Alpha」 had jumped down from the ceiling and brought its foot down on Director Go’s head.

Since that giant frame had crushed him under a combat boot, the impact must have been considerable.

Fortunately, Director Go was still breathing.

“Why is a mercenary entity appearing at this timing?”

“It seems it was standing by after hearing our conversation.”

“Is that Seo Do-un next to it a newly updated entity?”

“It seems so. This is the first observation.”

“It looks too easy to handle, which makes it suspicious instead.”

“I will take 「Alpha」.”

“I will take Seo Do-un.”

Kwon Mu-seop and Kim Seon-ung calmly finished their conversation.

It felt strange that they so naturally called that thing Seo Do-un.

It felt as if the circuits inside my brain were tangling, but I forced myself together and said,

“Then I will watch for an opportunity and get the Director.”

“No, Do-un, you just stay still.”

But Kwon Mu-seop stopped me.

“What those bastards are aiming for is probably you.”

“Yes. Look at that. It is openly luring you.”

Kim Seon-ung said this while pointing at 「Alpha」, who was stepping on the Director.

It was something I could not understand.

What part of that terrifying-looking bastard was to be read as luring?

The only thing I could read was an obvious threat saying, “I will crush you to death too.”

“Do-un, your collapsible baton…… you lost it earlier.”

Kwon Mu-seop muttered while looking for my collapsible baton.

“I have a knife.”

“I think that should go to Deputy Director.”

“It is fine. The person taking 「Alpha」 should hold the blade. That Seo Do-un over there is unarmed, is it not?”

As the Deputy Director said, the other me was barehanded to the point of seeming defenseless.

And that exactly matched my state when I had been staying in 「National Theater」.

The appearance of having thrown away my tactical vest in order to hide from the contaminated person that I belonged to the Bureau.

Certainly, if it was in that state, Deputy Director Kim Seon-ung could handle it barehanded.

Of course, this was only if there were no other risk factors, and what could be seen was everything.

As Kim Seon-ung had said earlier, 「Seo Do-un」 was just an ordinary person who looked easy to handle.

So that instead made me suspicious.

As if it were hiding some unpredictable weapon.

Even so, Kim Seon-ung declared that he would collide with it barehanded.

At that concession, Kwon Mu-seop put on my stab-proof gloves and held the knife.

Instead, Kim Seon-ung took a handkerchief from his suit pocket and wrapped it around his right hand.

Both men were dressed respectably because of the afternoon audit schedule.

Holding a knife and preparing to throw punches while dressed like that made for a strangely incongruous sight.

“Manager Kwon, can you take 「Alpha」 alone?”

“I raised Si-eon on my back, Deputy Director.”

Kwon Mu-seop muttered as if his pride had been hurt.

Then he slowly rotated his wrist and advanced forward.

Kim Seon-ung moved in step as well, and 「Alpha」 and 「Seo Do-un」 stood in place, only following the two men with their eyes.

Those 「Fake Humans」 had no negotiation ability.

Director Go’s use was also not as a hostage, merely bait.

And the use of bait was to lure the prey.

Tap—!

When Kwon Mu-seop came sufficiently close, 「Alpha」 and 「Seo Do-un」 charged at Kwon Mu-seop all at once.

Slam—!

Kim Seon-ung snatched 「Seo Do-un」 and smashed it into the floor.

And Kwon Mu-seop became tangled with 「Alpha」 as they were.

Kwon Mu-seop’s and 「Alpha」’s arms crossed frantically.

Papapapapak—!

With the hand holding the knife, each aimed for the other’s vital points, while the opposite hand repeatedly struck away the incoming knife.

The machine-like exchange continued madly.

Meanwhile, Kim Seon-ung and 「Seo Do-un」 were…….

Wham! Wham! Wham—!

What is happening there?

「Seo Do-un」 was pinned beneath the bear-like Kim Seon-ung and getting beaten one-sidedly.

It was a sight that made me feel like I should call the police.

……Seriously, what is happening?

「Seo Do-un」, what are you doing? Do you not have some hidden move?

Did you just come here to get beaten?

Pow—!

Kim Seon-ung, who had been pummeling 「Seo Do-un」, suddenly rolled aside.

“……?”

Kim Seon-ung nimbly put distance between himself and 「Seo Do-un」.

Then he watched 「Seo Do-un」 with a serious face.

It was then.

WHAM—!

A heavy impact rang out.

In the middle of knife-fighting, Kwon Mu-seop had been kicked by 「Alpha」 and was being pushed sideways.

Kwon Mu-seop urgently caught his balance and pulled the knife out from 「Alpha」’s side.

It seemed he had landed a valid hit and been counterattacked.

And 「Alpha」 did not miss that gap, pressing Kwon Mu-seop.

It was when Kwon Mu-seop, whose posture had broken, was busily retreating.

Whack—!

Kim Seon-ung, who had somehow rushed forward, swept 「Alpha」’s leg.

But 「Alpha」 only staggered briefly and did not fall, and Kwon Mu-seop hurriedly put distance between himself and 「Alpha」 in that gap.

Kim Seon-ung, who was barehanded, also swiftly moved away from 「Alpha」, who held a knife.

Once that distance opened, 「Alpha」 did not chase us either.

Instead, it returned near the Director and watched us.

Only then did I finally understand what Kim Seon-ung had meant by “luring.”

That bastard was fishing us with the Director.

When a temporary lull came, Kim Seon-ung asked,

“Any injuries?”

“Whew, almost none.”

Kwon Mu-seop caught his breath once.

Kim Seon-ung looked at Kwon Mu-seop like that and murmured,

“You said you raised him on your back.”

“It seems I raised a tiger cub…….”

To think they could joke in the middle of this.

The Field Division people’s subtle madness was unexpectedly a tradition.

“As for Seo Do-un…….”

At Kim Seon-ung’s voice, we all looked at 「Seo Do-un」 together.

「Fake Humans」 barely bled.

But how hard had he hit it…….

「Seo Do-un」, the 「Fake Human」, had a face covered in bruises and blood.

“…….”

“…….”

Against my will, I looked at Kim Seon-ung with sorrowful eyes.

For some reason, Kwon Mu-seop also watched Kim Seon-ung with clouded eyes, and Deputy Director Kim Seon-ung rubbed his forehead as if a little embarrassed and said,

“That thing is strange somehow.”

“What do you mean, strange?”

“Its body is too soft. It seems to be hiding something. Earlier, there was also some sound from the heart area. Like a drrrk, the sound of pressing a switch.”

Kwon Mu-seop listened carefully to the Deputy Director’s words, then gestured to me.

“Do-un, come here.”

“Yes.”

When I approached their side, Kwon Mu-seop pushed me toward Kim Seon-ung and said,

“How is it compared to the original?”

At Kwon Mu-seop’s words, the Deputy Director gripped my shoulder.

The handling was a little strange, but I accepted it, thinking it was necessary.

But Kim Seon-ung’s expression changed abruptly after he grabbed my shoulder.

“……?”

“Deputy Director?”

“……?”

“It hurts a little.”

After gripping my shoulder for a while, Kim Seon-ung asked Kwon Mu-seop with a face that said he could not understand.

“Does Seo Do-un not train?”

I do train…….

“Is this really a man’s upper arm?”

“If you look at the Research Division, there are quite a few similar cases.”

Kim Seon-ung was genuinely bewildered by the state of my upper arm.

Beside him, Kwon Mu-seop defended me, or not defended me…….

I have said this repeatedly, but the one closer to the national average is me, not you people.

“Is it similar to the Seo Do-un over there?”

“……They are the same.”

Kim Seon-ung killed me twice without malice.

“Then why did Seo Do-un become a mercenary entity?”

It was the question of everyone here.

Is that merely a 「Fake Human」 imitating me?

Not something else?

If that was truly the case, it was fairly good news for us.

However, this went against the existing rule that “strong entities are selected and made into mercenaries.”

Cha Si-eon had said so too.

“「Delta」 going to Mr. Seo Do-un is interpreted as an attempt to obtain data.”

“What 「National Theater」 wants is a strong entity. Therefore, Mr. Seo Do-un cannot be the objective, and it must have been an attempt to update information on me or Kwak Jae-gyeom.”

……Thinking about it, there were quietly many wrong things among what that bastard had said.

So what exactly is this situation?

While we could not find our bearings, Kwon Mu-seop seemed to think of something and said,

“The Special Zone may have mistaken Seo Do-un for a strong entity.”

“Mistaken?”

“Yes. The damage inflicted on Type 1 Special Zones because of Seo Do-un is severe, and Seo Do-un has also landed a valid hit on 「Big Cat」 before. With a bone fragment of 「Big Cat」, without even a gun.”

“So the result of making it while thinking he knew how to fight is that?”

Kim Seon-ung asked back half in doubt.

Before him, Kwon Mu-seop nodded with certainty.

And I was being subtly hit, bundled together with 「Seo Do-un」’s weakness.

From beginning to end, the situation was absurd.

If this was 「Big Cat」’s judgment, then perhaps it truly was a being with about a cat’s intelligence.

“It seems to be correct. And as for the switch sound from earlier…….”

“It must be the sound of ribs breaking.”

Kim Seon-ung muttered that dizzying statement indifferently.

It seemed Kim Seon-ung had decided to accept this favorable situation.

And Kwon Mu-seop was the same.

“This is rather fortunate.”

“Hmm.”

“Do-un, can you hold that fake Seo Do-un in place?”

“Yes.”

I nodded in order to stitch my tattered pride back together.

That 「Seo Do-un」 was me during 「National Theater」.

I should be better now than I was then.

Though the Deputy Director had said we were the same, I should be much better. Yes.

We glared at 「Alpha」 and 「Seo Do-un」 and schemed for a short while.

After some time.

“Ugh……!”

「Alpha」 pressed down on Director Go’s shoulder with its foot.

At that urging, Kwon Mu-seop and Kim Seon-ung steadied their breathing.

6 hours since we had been dragged here.

We were already exhausted.

If we could not end this quickly, our defeat was certain.

As if neither Kwon Mu-seop nor Kim Seon-ung had any intention of dragging it out, they immediately charged toward 「Alpha」.

「Alpha」 and 「Seo Do-un」 rushed to meet them.

At that moment, Kwon Mu-seop pulled his body back, and 「Alpha」 and 「Seo Do-un」, as if conditions had been input into them, ignored the barehanded Kim Seon-ung and chased Kwon Mu-seop first.

Because of that, 「Seo Do-un」 exposed its side to Kim Seon-ung.

As if he had been waiting, Kim Seon-ung snatched 「Seo Do-un」 by the back of the neck and the waist of its pants.

Then he threw it hard toward me as if throwing a log.

Including Kim Seon-ung’s single momentum step, 「Seo Do-un」 flew nearly 7 meters.

「Seo Do-un」 tumbled across the floor like a discarded stuffed doll, and I ran toward it.

When I stepped forward, 「Alpha」 immediately reacted.

Kwon Mu-seop and Kim Seon-ung firmly blocked its path.

So that their cowardly yet rational 2-on-1 match could be realized, I climbed on top of 「Seo Do-un」, which was still collapsed.

Then I trapped its body and both arms between my legs and pressed down.

「Seo Do-un」 struggled to get out.

I put strength into my legs and pressed down on its neck and shoulders with my hands as well.

Once I subdued it like that, this was much more doable than I had thought…….

Compared to when I struggled with all my might against Kwak Jae-gyeom or Han Ji-su, it was absurdly easy.

Just as I was thinking that holding out like this did not seem very difficult, my eyes met its.

A strange feeling completely different from looking into a mirror.

It felt as if an unknowable force was pushing my back.

Uh……?

I felt a strange sense of incongruity.

By the time I recognized that, I was already choking 「Seo Do-un」.

Crrrrk—!

I did not know the reason.

I was not doing it because I wanted to.

I merely choked 「Seo Do-un」, and at the moment, that was not a forbidden act either.

Whether I pinned down this 「Fake Human」 or strangled it to death.

Either was fine.

But why?

Why am I going out of my way to do this…….

“Seo Do-un, come to your senses!”

The sound digging into my ears snapped me awake.

Then I reflexively turned my head.

What I saw immediately was 「Alpha」 charging toward me.

What I saw next was Kim Seon-ung lying on the floor, covered in blood.