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Chapter 23.1
Chapter 23.1
Chapter 23.1
After barely escaping the deranged red mascot zone, we finally made it to the blue zone.
That’s where D-squad was waiting for us… with A-squad’s leader hanging limply over Section Chief Lee’s shoulder.
“……”
I managed to ask,
“Uh, Section Chief, Is that a corpse on your shoulder…?”
“Oh, she’s just unconscious.”
Ah, he was moving her somewhere safe.
Just as I started to feel relieved and the sense of familiarity returned, D-squad’s assistant manager pointed her thumb at a large inner tube they’d been dragging with the supervisor.
“The corpse is over there.”
“……”Seeing them haul a body shoved into a tube… really added a new level of horror.
“We wrapped it up well, but some parts were broken off.”
Please, spare me the details.
“No, seriously, it was horrific. Ugh…” Supervisor Park shuddered.
“Roe, you better be careful. The mascots here act like some kind of righteous enforcers,” Assistant Manager Eun quipped.
“Huh?”
Here’s how it was explained: the mascots in this zone absolutely despise violence between team members.
“So, in typical A-squad fashion, the assistant manager with the praying mantis mask decided to run a little experiment.”
While riding the first attraction, he kept forcing the Y-squad employees into dangerous positions for laughs: telling them to unbuckle their seat belts, stand up, sing along, or even do a handstand on the track.
“Three Y-squad members died that way. The last one begged for mercy through tears, but he didn’t even blink… It was revolting.”
“……”
It seemed that feeling was shared by more than just the survivors.
Assistant Manager Eun scowled.
“When we got off the ride, the mascot was waiting for him, just standing there and calling him a ‘naughty child’. And then…”
She spared me the details, thank heavens.
“I thought I was going to vomit.”
“……”
“Well, I mean, honestly, he had it coming! …Even if the chief disagreed with those methods,” Supervisor Park said, glancing over at the limp body of A-squad’s leader on the section chief’s shoulder.
“By the way, why exactly did she pass out?” I asked, still a bit puzzled.
“Well… our squad leader here, um…”
“……”
Wait a minute.
No way.
“See, she pushed us a bit hard, trying to save her subordinate somehow. And it got a little excessive, so…”
“The chief just knocked her out.”
“……”
“Hey. We’re all going to agree she passed out from high blood pressure, so keep your mouth shut, Roe.”
“Yes, I’ll take it to the grave.”
“Oh, and if you’re wondering why Y-squad got treated that way…”
“I already heard. From that person over there.”
I discreetly nodded toward the assistant manager in the butterfly mask. Seeing that I already knew, Supervisor Park seemed a bit more at ease, as if glad to skip such a dark topic.
“Anyway, how are your team members doing?”
Ah.
I quickly checked on the cow mask with the injured shoulder and the butterfly mask with the blistered face.
“Some of them need first aid. Could we get some help?”
“Yes.”
Suddenly, Section Chief Lee unceremoniously dropped the unconscious A-squad leader from his shoulder onto the ground. Then, he started shaking her shoulder.
“W-wait, Chief!”
“Ahh!”
“……?!”
After shaking A-squad’s leader awake, the section chief said with a calm face,
“Section Chief Seo, there are employees here in need of treatment.”
“W-What…”
Looking dazed at first, the A-squad’s leader pointed a shaky finger at Section Chief Lee as realization hit her.
“You!! You—”
“Yes?”
“How could you do that to Assistant Manager Lee! The one with the praying mantis mask…!”
“He’s deceased.”
“……”
“……”
“And while he was dying, what were you doing?”
“We waited until he passed, then retrieved the body and moved on to the next attraction.”
Oh, dear lord.
A-squad’s leader was at a loss for words, her expression one of disbelief, before finally managing to stammer out a response.
“Y-You watched A-squad die? Are you insane, Lee Jaheon? How are you going to take responsibility for this loss?!”
“? I’m D-squad’s leader. A-squad is not my responsibility.”
With a slight squint, the section chief looked at her, almost perplexed.
“The responsibility for the loss of A-squad Assistant Manager Lee Seok-jong rests with you, A-squad’s leader.”
“……”
Witnessing someone say something like that to a superior in a work setting was… something else. Even if they hold the same title, an elite squad leader should technically outrank him.
A chill went down my spine in an entirely new way.
“……”
A-squad’s leader glared at Section Chief Lee, her eyes bloodshot.
“You fainted, yet we still completed the three attractions together to meet the clearance conditions. Now, take responsibility and treat your—”
“Chief.”
The butterfly-masked assistant manager interrupted, not in an attempt to dissuade Section Chief Lee, but rather addressing the A-squad’s leader, who was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
“Perhaps it would be better to continue this conversation outside? Let’s complete the clearance before anything else comes up. Plus, you still have that deranged researcher from Research Team 1 to deal with.”
“…Yes, of course.”
The eyes under the teal duck mask blinked, then gradually calmed down.
It seemed she’d found a new focus for her anger.
But she still left one last comment hanging in the air.
“Squad Leader Jaheon, shall we take this outside?”
“Yes.”
Supervisor Park leaned in and whispered to me,
“Don’t worry. Apparently, our squad leader hears lines like that as an annual event.”
“……”
Is that, uhh… really okay?
Well, one thing’s certain.
I’m definitely not at the level to get involved here.
Better to keep my mouth shut and keep my head down.