The Regressor Only Protects Me [EN]: Chapter 62

## Episode 62. Checkmate (3)

“What is this…?”

The police officer, hand still on the doorknob, muttered, his gaze fixed on Jin Jaehee sitting calmly on the sofa.

Jin Jaehee remained silent, her eyes unwavering as she stared back at the blood-soaked officers.

The police officers were covered in bloodstains and gasping for breath.

Silence hung heavy in the air of the office.

Only the ragged panting of the police officers broke the stillness.

The police chief was passed out, slumped over his desk. Kang Sion leaned against the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling. Jin Jaehee sat beside him, an impassive observer.

The remaining women huddled together in a corner of the office, trembling with fear.

Gulp-.

The surviving police officers swallowed hard, the metallic tang of fear coating their mouths.

The situation was clear: they were finished.

The police’s last line of defense, the 5th floor, had been breached.

It was only a matter of time before Choi Myungjoon’s special forces reached the chief’s office.

Their leader, Sergeant Lee Chungchun, had fallen to Choi Myungjoon, and the remaining police force numbered less than ten.

The police had been routed.

The surviving officers had been hunted and driven back, forced to flee to this room.

Their plan had been to escape with the chief.

He still held the power of the ‘Edict’ [a special order or command with absolute authority].

But the chief had succumbed to unconsciousness and collapsed.

Sion slowly lowered his head, his gaze sweeping over the police officers.

The officer in the front, sensing something unsettling in Sion’s intense stare, asked hesitantly.

“…Manager. What is all this about? W-What’s going on?”

Sion didn’t answer.

His eyes remained locked on the police officers.

The chief had given strict orders that no one, except those he specifically permitted, should approach the office under any circumstances.

This was to prevent disgruntled individuals from barging in.

In fact, one patrolman who had ignored the order had been instantly killed by the Edict.

This meant the chief had been protecting himself with the ‘Edict’.

He had no idea what had transpired downstairs.

Likewise, the police officers were completely unaware of the events that had unfolded in the office.

A police officer stepped forward, his voice laced with urgency.

“Manager…!! You have to escape, quickly…! There’s a riot going on… now!”

The police officer rushed towards Sion, who remained seated on the sofa.

But Jin Jaehee, sitting beside him, intervened with swift and brutal efficiency.

Suh- wuhk.

It was a simple, economical movement.

The approaching police officer’s neck was sliced open, and his head tumbled onto the office floor.

“…”

“…”

The other police officers, who had been cautiously observing the situation, watched in stunned silence as their colleague’s head rolled to a stop.

The gruesome sight instantly clarified the situation for them.

They immediately dropped to their knees.

“Please spare us. If, if you spare us…”

“S-Spare…”

Their reaction was contagious, and the remaining officers quickly grasped the reality of their predicament.

The fallen chief.

A colleague dead before their eyes.

Kang Sion, the leader of the citizens, now revealed as something far more dangerous.

And the palpable aura of murderous intent.

All of it pointed to a single, undeniable truth.

Kang Sion was at the center of everything.

“…Where is Choi Myungjoon?”

Sion asked, rising from his seat.

He moved slowly towards the table, picking up a towel that lay discarded on its surface.

The kneeling police officers didn’t dare to lift their heads.

Manager Kang Sion, standing before them, radiated a chilling murderous intent.

Every movement, from walking to picking up the towel, was imbued with a palpable sense of power.

It was a different kind of power than the authority wielded by the chief.

The police officer, feeling the oppressive weight of that power, stammered in a trembling voice.

“Ch-Choi Myungjoon is… coming here now… M-Manager…”

Jin Jaehee followed Sion’s lead, lifting the police chief’s head.

Sion began to gag the police chief with the towel.

The Edict was proclaimed through the voice.

If he could prevent the chief from speaking, he could effectively neutralize the Edict.

Besides, with Choi Myungjoon having dealt with the chief’s personal guard, the chief was now utterly powerless.

Kkwaaak-.

Sion tied the towel tightly around the chief’s mouth.

Even with the rough handling, the chief remained unresponsive.

The chief couldn’t be allowed to die here.

If he was killed at the right moment, he could be used to far greater effect.

Bang!

Sion slammed the chief’s head against the desk, then drew a military dagger from his waist, placing it in his own mouth to keep it out of the way.

Meanwhile, Jin Jaehee tied the chief’s hands behind his back.

Sion pressed the dagger against the inside of the chief’s cheek and addressed the police officers.

“Look up.”

Sion’s voice was cold, commanding.

Not a single police officer dared to disobey.

The police officers raised their heads, their eyes fixed on Sion.

Now, as Sion had ordered, they were looking at their chief, the police chief.

The police chief remained slumped on his desk, unconscious.

Sion climbed onto the slumped chief, using his knees to pin the chief’s face in place.

Then, he inserted the dagger into the chief’s mouth.

And in one swift motion, he sliced open the chief’s cheek.

Chwaaaaaak-!!!!

The chief’s bright red blood gushed onto the table, mingling with the scattered food.

Sion moved the dagger to the chief’s other cheek.

He cut the cheek muscles to prevent him from pursing his lips.

He would also glue his mouth shut to prevent any sound from escaping.

Sion wasn’t a doctor.

He couldn’t simply sever the vocal cords to silence the chief.

So, he opted for the most direct method.

To completely seal his mouth shut.

It was a brutal spectacle.

But everyone present bowed their heads, averting their gaze.

“Obey, or die.”

In reality, the answer had already been decided.

They had no reason not to be loyal to Sion.

Obeying him.

That was their only path to survival.

Chwaaaaaak-!!!!!

Sion finally severed the chief’s other cheek.

The chief was now unable to close his mouth.

The chief’s cheeks were torn open like the maw of a beast.

Jaehee retrieved a tube of glue from her pocket and handed it to Sion.

Sion accepted it without a word and applied the glue along the raw, bloody edges of the chief’s cheeks.

Just then, another group pushed past the remaining police officers and entered the office.

It was Sion’s special forces.

At the sound, Sion paused his gruesome task and looked up.

“We’ve taken care of everything.”

Bowing-.

Choi Myungjoon bowed deeply to Sion, inclining his upper body.

Sion’s gaze flickered to his arm.

His arm was shackled with blood-stained red handcuffs.

A dagger was embedded in his side.

His condition was clearly serious.

Sion lowered his gaze and said.

“Get treatment first.”

Despite the order, Choi Myungjoon kept his head bowed and replied.

“No problem. Give me the next order.”

Sseuek-.

Sion wiped the chief’s blood from his own cheek with his hand and said.

“To get treatment first is my next order.”

Sion tossed the tube of glue onto the floor.

The sticky glue effectively sealed the chief’s mouth shut.

Choi Myungjoon bowed his head once more and replied.

“…I will obey.”

He immediately turned and walked back into the hallway.

The special forces members who followed Choi Myungjoon began to bind the chief’s hands and feet.

Tteong-.

Sion set down the water bottle and looked down at the unconscious chief.

“…”

He turned to Jin Jaehee, his eyes weary.

“Clean this place up. Lock the chief and the police officers in the underground detention center… Clean up… roughly…”

“Okay.”

Sion climbed off the chief’s body and walked away, staggering slightly.

He held his head with one hand.

Jaehee followed Sion, her expression filled with concern.

Sion turned to Jaehee and said.

“Let me… walk alone for a bit.”

“…”

Sion spoke those words and left the office.

* * *

I left the office.

Clinging to my slightly dizzy mind, I walked down the blood-soaked hallway.

The boiler [a metaphor for a system or organization that is about to explode or collapse] that I had worked so hard to build was now a chaotic mess.

Numerous bodies lay scattered throughout the hallway, and groans and screams echoed from every direction.

People were moving about, attempting to clean up the aftermath of the battle.

As I walked down the hallway, they parted to the left and right, their eyes fixed on me.

Some remained silent, while others called out my title.

“Manager.”

“Manager…!”

“…Manager.”

Each time they called my name, I nodded in acknowledgment.

Everyone had fought bravely.

The special forces, some of the work crew, and even the citizens who had joined the revolution.

They were all watching me.

As I moved, their gazes followed.

I was now heading towards the stairs that led from the 5th floor to the 4th floor.

Numerous police officers’ and citizens’ corpses were tangled together, blocking the stairs.

I carefully stepped over them, making my way to the middle landing.

There, Sergeant Lee Chungchun sat slumped against the wall, breathing heavily.

I looked down at him, then carefully bent down to meet his gaze.

Sergeant Lee Chungchun’s body was covered in cuts and blood.

It was only a matter of time before he succumbed to his injuries.

“…Heu… Heu… Heu.”

Lee Chungchun exhaled in short, irregular breaths.

I studied his face.

Lee Chungchun had been a valuable asset.

A talent I would have liked to have under my command, if possible.

But fate had conspired against us.

Lee Chungchun had to be eliminated for me to seize power, and in the end, I had chosen Choi Myungjoon.

Even Choi Myungjoon alone was a powerful enough force.

Unfortunately, it was Lee Chungchun’s destiny to die here.

I couldn’t afford to leave any loose ends.

Just then, screams erupted from the 4th floor.

I glanced at Lee Chungchun and continued down to the 4th floor.

“Let go of me!!! Do you know how much tax I pay to the country?!?! More than your salary!”

“Do you know who I am? Do you know who I am?!?!”

The special forces were detaining several citizens.

They were the privileged elite of the force, favored by the chief and the city councilman.

Businessmen, lawyers, doctors, high-ranking officials.

All of them had been living lavish lives, enjoying the best benefits even within the resource-scarce force.

“Wait.”

At my command, the special forces immediately ceased their actions and released them.

Then, a businessman wearing glasses came crawling towards me, groveling at my feet.

“M-M-Manager…! You know who we are, right??? We’ll definitely be needed. We’re really needed… !”

“Y-Yeah! If it’s not us… who else will rebuild the force? You’ll need our help.”

They writhed at my feet like worms, begging for mercy while still bound.

I looked around at them and asked.

“Who is the doctor?”

“…”

“…”

Then, a middle-aged woman who was tied up and sitting powerlessly in the distance quietly raised her head and looked at me.

“…That would be me.”

The doctor had to be spared.

Because she was a medical professional.

But lawyers, high-ranking officials, and businessmen were not needed in my force.

It would be better to use them as sacrifices to boost my approval rating.

“Treat the doctor with respect.”

Besides, among these privileged individuals, I remembered that only the doctor had not forgotten her duty and had helped the citizens.

She had dedicated herself to providing treatment every day.

I respect those who are valuable.

So, I will help that value shine.

To cultivate a beautiful flower, you must first remove the rotten stems.

I would soon begin a large-scale purge.

“Yes, I understand.”

“Let’s treat her with respect.”

“Yes. Hurry.”

Following my instructions, the special forces members continued to detain the others, but treated the doctor with deference.

The doctor got to her feet with the help of a special forces member and bowed to me.

“Thank you…”

I didn’t respond.

I simply walked silently down the 4th floor hallway.

And behind me, I heard the desperate cries of the other privileged individuals.

“Hey! Manager!!!! How can you do this to us!!! Do you know who we are?!?!?!”

“M-Money? Do you need money? I’ll give you as much as you want! 1 billion? 10 billion????”

“M-Manager! Save me! If you save me, I’ll do anything…!”

From the 4th floor to the 3rd floor.

I walked down the hallway filled with corpses until their voices faded into the distance.

The police officers’ corpses were entangled with shields and batons, stretching along the long hallway.

The citizens peeked out from behind their doors, maintaining a tense silence.

Most of the citizens here had been aware of the revolution that would take place today.

They had heard about it through rumors spread by key figures.

The reason they hadn’t ventured out into the hallway during the battle was precisely because of that.

Now I descended to the 1st floor.

This confirmed that the police force had completely collapsed.

Several special forces members began to lower the police flag and the Taegeukgi [South Korean flag] that had been flying in the parade ground.

I slowly walked up onto the platform.

The guillotine still stood in the parade ground.

Beneath the guillotine lay the severed heads of massacred citizens.

“…”

After today, everything would change rapidly.

No, to be exact, it would change rapidly after the chief was executed on the guillotine.

Tomorrow, I would execute the chief.

From then on, everything would begin to transform.

I would build a new social system and stabilize the force.

And based on the stabilized labor force and system, I would do everything in my power to find my brother.

To do that, I would have to expand the force.

In this collapsed city, I would reign as the first force lord of Manan, build a city, establish a market, organize an army, and eliminate all external forces that posed a threat.

I would create a strong and huge force group so that no one could covet my force.

The plans had all been made.

“…Ugh.”

Sitting on the platform, I felt a wave of nausea and immediately lowered my head.

Soon, gastric fluid surged up from my throat and spilled onto the floor.

As if once wasn’t enough, I vomited two, three times in a row.

It wasn’t vomiting from alcohol.

I wasn’t even drunk in the first place.

But why.

Why, now…

“…”

I raised my head slightly and looked inside the police station.

There, two special forces members were carrying the corpse of a female police officer with an axe embedded in her forehead.

Looking at that, my heart pounded violently.

I felt like I was going to vomit again.

I covered my mouth with my hand and looked forward again.

‘…’

The day I killed my aunt.

I decided to become a demon.

If the world is hell.

If demons are ordinary people in a hellish world.

I willingly vowed to become a demon, and vowed again.

Demons don’t feel guilt.

Even if they are all dead by my orders.

I will steadfastly move forward.

Kkuuuk…

I clenched my fist so tightly that the blood vessels in my hand stood out.

All emotions are enough to pour out after everything is over.

I have been holding back, I am holding back, and I will continue to hold back.

I raised my head and looked at the city.

The snowy, all-white city skyline.

There, the red sun was slowly beginning to rise.

The long night of slaughter had passed.

It was the first sun of a new era dawning.

The execution is tomorrow.

(To be continued in the next episode)