Chapter 35

Bounce, bounce.

With a light step, I dashed off.

Bounce, bounce.

A short journey to find the main body producing mechanical zombies began.

Since I had to cover a considerable distance, I was hopping along in a ghosting state.

If only those ghost hunters weren’t chasing me from afar all the time.

The moment they spotted me while I was ghosting, the ghost hunters went berserk and started chasing me like mad.

I’m pretty sure there were others pursuing some other ghost objects too, but for some reason, they kept coming after me.

Fortunately, my speed far exceeded theirs, so it didn’t seem like I’d be caught.

Just give up already and go chase some other ghost object!

“Raaaaaargh!”

An exasperated shout from one of the ghost hunters echoed through the forest.

***

It’s been some time since I completely lost the ghost hunters.

We’ve moved quite a distance away from Seoul, and I can feel the climate and vegetation gradually changing.

Those annoying ghost hunter-like objects are no longer in sight.

In this somewhat desolate forest, I quietly deal with an approaching zombie.

Pierce its heart with a solid thud.

After handling a few zombies, I’ve gotten the hang of it.

There’s no need to extract the heart when dealing with zombies.

Simply destroying the heart is enough to break their object composition.

Once the composition breaks? They lose regenerative ability and disintegrate near the Steel Tower.

Having traveled such a long distance, the number of zombies I’ve dealt with is fairly high.

Around 30 killed, maybe?

I thought the main body creating zombies would be near the Steel Tower, but that was a huge misconception.

It’s been quite a while since I last wondered if this place might have the main body.

Where are they sending them from?

At this rate, I might end up crossing the old North Korean border.

***

“Unnie Sehee, then I’ll head down first!”

Yerin finished her sentence and bounded down the stairs.

The atmosphere at the research institute has been somewhat chaotic since the Dobong-gu incident.

This was because most employees sent out to observe ‘Cute Puppy’ signals got caught up in the Dobong-gu situation.

Was it a mistake to temporarily take charge of ‘Cute Puppy’ for the purpose of expanding the institute?

Luckily, thanks to Kim Jungrwi and others’ hard work, the employees involved in the Dobong-gu incident returned safely.

Looking down from the roof, Yerin was leading employees somewhere, swinging her fists around energetically.

She was full of energy just moments ago when she was on the roof—she’s definitely the no.1 energetic person at the institute.

The area near the institute is much busier than before.

Since the institute is located in a dense cluster of research facilities on the outskirts of Seoul with good infrastructure, many evacuees have arrived here.

Is this not the optimal location—far enough from Seoul Forest yet close enough to Seoul with proper infrastructure?

“Hmph….”

I sighed, feeling suffocated.

The Reaper hasn’t returned yet.

The Ice Throne in Dobong-gu has completely melted away.

The Ice Soldiers have all turned to dust.

The bizarre event involving the Steel Tower has also ceased.

While the cause of the Ice Throne incident in Dobong-gu was identified, the pulsation of the Steel Tower ended without any explanation.

Of course, we still don’t know why it started or why it suddenly stopped.

Because of this, people in Seoul now live in fear that such terrifying events could happen again anytime.

Yerin, who idolizes the Reaper, joked around claiming both the Dobong-gu Ice Throne and the Steel Tower issues were handled by the Reaper.

She insists that the reason the Reaper hasn’t returned yet is because they’re busy with something, and once done, they’ll pop back in.

I really hope that’s true.

It feels kind of lonely without the Reaper around.

***

In the pitch-black late night, a group of men arrived at what looked like an abandoned building.

“Huh.”

A bald man sighed, looking disgruntled.

The bald man found it frustrating that he had to conduct investigations in places where hardly anyone ever ventured.

Previously affiliated with the Central Research Institute, he now worked for the ‘Temporary Object Management Agency.’

His sole mission? Solve the Golden Horns case faster than anyone else using any means necessary.

The bald man believed solving this case was impossible.

How could they possibly track someone abducted and taken all the way to China?

Even in the safer days before Objects appeared, let alone in modern Korea where even remote areas see frequent deaths?

But soon, he realized his thoughts were wrong.

Another agent from the same ‘Temporary Object Management Agency’ had traced the whereabouts of the Golden Horns.

And the bald man had arrived here early to claim credit for that agent’s work.

After all, his order was to solve the case faster than anyone else.

With an annoyed expression, the bald man nodded and ordered his subordinates to enter the building.

The eerie hoot of an owl echoed ominously.

According to the records left by the agent, traces of Golden Horn smuggling disappeared at this ominous-looking research facility.

That’s why they ended up here, in this creepy abandoned building on such a dark night.

The bald man picked up a fragment of cracked concrete and muttered.

“Was this place actually running as a research institute until a few days ago? Did I come to the right spot?”

According to the records, this decrepit building was a fully operational research institute just a few days ago.

But now, it looks like a haunted house waiting for ghosts to emerge.

Crunch. The sound of brittle glass being crushed underfoot reverberated loudly in the silent ruin.

In this terrifying atmosphere, strange noises began to arise.

The sobbing voice of a woman and the harsh sound of nails scratching walls filled the air.

Though startled, the men scanned their surroundings but couldn’t locate the source of the sounds.

Terrified as they were, they managed to suppress their fear with reason.

After all, fleeing here would make their reality far more horrifying.

Swallowing hard, they pressed deeper into the dark recesses of the building.

With the woman’s wailing and the unsettling sound of fingertips scraping against surfaces in the background.

“Kyaaaah!”

One of the advancing men gasped sharply upon seeing blood streaming down the wall.

[It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. Send me home. Please send me home.]

[It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. Send me home. Please send me home.]

[It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. Send me home. Please send me home.]

Meaningful messages were etched into the walls in blood.

The bald man kicked the fallen employee aside and urged everyone to keep moving forward.

“It’s probably some kind of Object. From what I see, these things are only capable of scaring us. Move forward!”

Such boldness came from knowing his boss was far crueler than mere ambiguous fears.

If you don’t want to die, sometimes you have to pretend to die, right?

As they reached the staircase leading underground, ominous signs were everywhere.

Charred corpses lay scattered about.

A small voice whispered incessantly in their ears.

No matter how much light they shone, the entrance to the staircase remained pitch black.

The abyssal staircase looked like the gateway to Hell itself.

Terrified employees hesitated to move forward.

“Idiots! I’ll go first, so follow me.”

Mocking the frightened men, the bald man boldly descended the stairs first.

Suddenly, flames erupted in front of him.

“Kyyyyaaah!”

Someone was strangling the bald man by the neck.

He dangled helplessly in mid-air.

Despite clearly seeing no one around!

Struggling uselessly with his limbs, the bald man couldn’t breathe as fire enveloped his entire body.

The men cautiously following behind screamed and fled at the sight.

The bald man’s piercing screams quickly subsided.

Now, the dilapidated building returned to its usual unsettling silence after the chilling cries ceased.

***

‘Hmm…’

This definitely doesn’t feel like Korea anymore.

I think I crossed several rivers, maybe even the Yalu River?

Since remnants of modern civilization like concrete and asphalt are still visible, albeit in ruins, it seems I’ve stepped outside the Steel Tower’s influence.

Fortunately, I’ve pinpointed the location of the entity sending out zombies.

The abandoned concrete building before me must be it.

Since the building itself isn’t an Object, the main body must be inside.

As I stood in front of the building, the ominous hoot of an owl reached my ears.

Standing in front of this abandoned building in the dead of night certainly gives me the chills.

There was no sign of life emanating from the building.

Crunching broken glass underfoot, I entered the building, where eerie sounds nearby greeted me.

Turning my head, I saw a ghost painfully scratching at the wall.

‘!’

Wow, I’ve finally seen a ghost.

Being able to see spirits was one of the things I hoped for after gaining the ability to perceive ethereal beings.

Do humans really become ghosts after death?

It was a story I desperately wanted to confirm.

But disappointingly, I hadn’t seen any ghosts until this moment.

So why are there ghosts here and nowhere else?

Leaving the crying ghost scratching the wall behind, I moved forward.

‘Will I encounter other ghosts?’

With that hope in mind.