Chapter 28

On a peaceful afternoon, we were enjoying a picnic in the courtyard of Sehee Research Institute, basking in the sunlight.

I was lounging comfortably under the shade of a tree, sipping on a cold drink and relaxing.

The tranquil daily life came to an abrupt halt when the ‘Cute Puppy’ that had been lying there exhausted suddenly started barking like crazy.

If it had been any other behavior, one might have thought “Why is it acting like this? Has it gone mad?” But this frenzied behavior from the ‘Cute Puppy’ was something I recognized even from its human days.

Yerin, who had been lying down with us, suddenly changed her expression, pulled out a small notebook, and started furiously scribbling something.

This convulsive behavior was the reason why the ‘Cute Puppy’ ended up being excessively pampered.

It’s the ‘Cute Puppy’s money-making reason.’

The puppy could sense events related to Objects happening around.

When the puppy sensed something, it would bark wildly, giving information about the direction and angle where the changes were occurring.

And you’re wondering why this makes money?

Firstly, discovering and containing Objects earns you money.

Even just reporting discovered Objects gets you paid.

Since most Objects are difficult to coexist with humans, the faster they’re found or contained, the less damage they cause to the city.

Research Institutes incentivize such actions by offering generous bounties for Object discoveries.

These bounties are set to protect the city and save lives.

Many research institutes operate numerous investigation teams to preemptively discover and capture Objects.

Even though the puppy doesn’t alert 100% of the time, its ability to do so while simply sitting on the institute floor makes it invaluable.

Its speed and accuracy surpass anything a human could achieve by patrolling, making it crucial for making Seoul safer.

At Seoul Research Institute, whenever the puppy starts barking, the staff would immediately stop their work and wait for the researchers’ interpretation.

The barking patterns are few and can be learned quickly if studied.

However, despite my attempts during my human days to study them for a raise, it proved far from easy.

Not the kind of difficulty a regular person avoiding studying could tackle.

Watching Yerin work, I still couldn’t figure out what she was doing no matter how many times I looked!

After finishing her calculations, Yerin said in a slightly urgent tone, “I’ll be right back!” and hurriedly ran into the institute.

***

Busy, busy.

Holding the interpreted paper, I rushed to the office.

The interpreted result was quite significant.

It indicated a large number of Object-related phenomena occurring near Dobong-gu.

The problem was Dobong-gu was currently considered the most dangerous area in Seoul.

Upon arriving at the office, I handed over the interpretation to Senior Jungloe.

After reading it, his expression hardened, and he began making a phone call.

“Are you serious?! Just because we temporarily took care of the ‘Cute Puppy,’ does that mean we have to handle these tasks too?”

What started as a calm conversation soon escalated into shouting and protests.

“It’s impossible to handle this without prior notice. What exactly do you expect us to do?”

Apparently, Central Research Institute had collapsed, leaving no department to handle ‘Cute Puppy’-related matters.

Moreover, the current government was dismantling all national research institutes, transferring all authority to private ones.

Thus, Sehee Research Institute was tasked with conducting investigations and writing reports.

We were only supposed to temporarily keep the ‘Cute Puppy,’ but now we’ve been given official duties.

Though unreasonable beyond the contract, institutes must comply if the government demands it.

No research institute operates independently of government subsidies after all.

Perhaps some American labs selling equipment capable of handling Objects might differ.

The smell of unwanted extra work was strong.

Sure enough, after slamming the phone down, Senior called everyone in the office together.

My attempt to sneak away was thwarted, as expected, and I was caught.

“Yerin Oh, go investigate this area. Prepare thoroughly since it’s near Dobong-gu.”

The map Senior handed me was filled with routes and tasks I needed to cover.

Hiiing, I don’t want to go.

To prepare for the Dobong-gu field trip, I visited the supply room to gather necessary items.

Sighing deeply at the unavoidable reality, I prepared, only to find a yellow beam shining on my face from somewhere nearby.

The Reaper was curiously staring at me, radiating interest.

“Want to come along?”

Extending my hand, The Gray Reaper firmly grasped it.

For some reason, this outing seemed like it would be enjoyable.

***

Arriving at our destination in Yerin’s car, we reached the boundary line of Dobong-gu.

There, surrounding Dobong-gu entirely, stood a towering concrete barrier.

That massive wall separating Dobong-gu from Gangbuk-gu.

Seeing it for the first time, it felt both practical and majestic, likely built to combat Objects.

Rumors say the other side is a freezing hell at -100 degrees Celsius, and it almost felt like the cold could seep through the wall here.

Yerin parked the car, grabbed a camera, roughly set it up facing the wall, and returned.

“Well, let’s have a second picnic!”

Yerin spread out a blanket on the grass and patted the space beside her.

‘…’

I couldn’t help but think Yerin might get fired someday if she keeps this up.

***

While eating snacks, Yerin’s phone rang.

Checking the caller ID, Yerin frowned and answered.

“Yes, this is Yerin Oh.”

As Yerin replied, a stream of scolding poured out from the phone.

[Are you seriously with the Gray Reaper right now? You need to report properly. What were you thinking…]

But the lecture didn’t last long.

An unexpected event occurred mid-call.

BOOM!

A massive shockwave rippled through the ground.

Enough to lift us off the blanket.

Startled, Yerin jumped to her feet, realizing the phone call had been cut off due to the impact.

BOOM!

With the second explosion, we saw the distant wall crumbling into concrete debris scattering everywhere.

Through the broken wall emerged a colossal fist.

Swinging again, it shattered the wall into pieces.

Carefully destroying the wall were the soldiers known as the Ice Throne Soldiers.

Covered in transparent ice armor, powered by gears and machinery within.

They emitted piercing coldness.

Beyond the fallen wall stretched an endless army of ice warriors.

Soldiers clad in icy armor.

Despite nearby residents fleeing in panic, the ice soldiers ignored them completely.

They merely swung their fists, demolishing buildings and walls indiscriminately.

Just like during the invasion of Dobong-gu ten years ago.

Yerin grabbed my hand, shoved me into the car, and sped off like a maniac.

The robots moved incredibly slowly, yet urgency seemed necessary.

“Haa… Haa…”

White breath escaped Yerin’s mouth.

It felt like the temperature had already dropped to -10 degrees Celsius, even in summer.

Monsters that never left Dobong-gu had begun their march.

Fortunately, there were hardly any vehicles on the road, thanks to the low popularity of living near Dobong-gu’s wall.

While Yerin raced down the highway like a racing car, her phone buzzed.

The message on the screen was brief.

Other investigation units had also begun their escape. You should retreat quickly too.

Not particularly useful information for Yerin, who was already fleeing.

***

Yerin’s face was pale.

Clearly not normal.

A blizzard raged outside the car windows.

Even in summer.

Was the temperature here dropping to match Dobong-gu’s core temperature of approximately -100 degrees Celsius?

Dressed lightly, Yerin appeared to be struggling.

Then, the car emitted an unfamiliar strange sound before stopping completely.

Yerin curled up and sighed.

Shivering violently, Yerin turned her head towards me with great effort, trying to speak but failing to form coherent words.

She seemed to have something to say but lost consciousness after closing her eyes.

***

I regained consciousness from a warm, fuzzy feeling.

Thinking I was surely dead after losing consciousness in the cold, I realized I survived somehow.

Or maybe this was the afterlife?

Considering the surreal existence of Objects, an afterlife seemed plausible.

But the intense heat confirmed I was still alive.

Slowly blinking, I opened my eyes.

Right in front of me was The Gray Reaper’s sleeping face.

The fiery glow was so intense it illuminated the Reaper’s gray skin in yellow, driving away the external chill.

The Reaper had burrowed into my clothes, only exposing their head.

Gently stroking the Reaper’s head with my hand, I whispered quietly.

“Thank you.”

Then, I tightly hugged the Reaper, savoring the warmth.

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