Chapter 299

The space station swallowed by Earth’s shadow.

The woman stood there, her gaze locked with the faintly glowing strange creature amidst that darkness.

Though it was a bizarre lifeform unseen even on Earth, strangely, it didn’t evoke fear.

“Meeng!”

A cute cry.

Small enough to fit in one’s arms.

Two golden eyes radiating warmth, bringing calmness to the heart.

A refreshing mint scent reminiscent of grass after the rain.

Maybe it was all these elements combined that made her feel this way.

Without thinking, the woman instinctively reached out to pet it but stopped herself, remembering the objects she’d encountered as an object researcher.

Objects like this—ones that appear harmless or create mental pollution to give off such impressions—had to be approached with caution.

Her wrist might vanish the moment she touched it.

On closer inspection, its mouth seemed suspicious.

It felt like if she got too close, it would gobble her hand up!

Trying to prioritize safety, the woman restrained her urge to stroke the strange creature but then thought:

“If I’m just going to die alone out here in space anyway, what difference does petting this adorable little thing make?”

Freezing to death from the endless cold creeping into the shadow-swallowed station was also highly probable.

A mix of resignation, loneliness, and the biting chill led her to cautiously extend her hand.

As her fingertips touched its moist-looking green surface, a warm sensation spread through her.

“Meeng?”

Like caressing luxurious fur, soft yet warm like a heated pad.

“It’s warm.”

Taken by the comforting heat, the woman slowly cradled the strange creature in her arms.

“Really warm.”

Holding it close, feeling its gentle pulse, the woman quietly teared up. The fear and loneliness she’d felt being stranded at the station seemed to melt away.

Survival chances were still slim, but holding this small being somehow eased her worries.

“Meeeing!”

But the strange creature, seemingly uncomfortable, wriggled to escape her embrace.

“Haha.”

Its cuteness and playful struggle made her laugh—a sound she hadn’t made since the green moon took over.

***

The courtyard of Sehee Research Institute, lush with grass so plush it felt like a carpet.

I lay sprawled on the soft bed-like lawn, wearing a VR headset.

Cheong had gifted it to me during her recent visit to the institute, and now I was finally trying it out.

Cheong’s group, accompanied by mini reapers, had stayed for a while, but they left sooner than expected, saying they were traveling around the world.

Their departure sparked fleeting thoughts of joining them on a trip, but laziness quickly won over.

Traveling always ends in chaos for me; staying home is safer.

Cheong’s companion, the roll cake human, adopted one of the golden reapers captivated by the allure of roll cakes.

Despite being an object, the roll cake human oddly intrigued the mini reapers.

Probably because mini reapers have a sweet tooth for garden snacks—similar logic applies here.

While lying there with my VR headset on, a golden reaper wiggled its way inside.

The golden reaper slowly crawled toward my eye from near my cheek.

“Mommy!”

When I watched TV, the mini reapers behaved, but once I wore the VR headset, they insisted on sneaking inside.

This was already the fourth golden reaper poking its head under the headset.

Sitting up, I found four golden reapers dangling awkwardly from beneath the headset, their heads stuck inside like condemned prisoners.

“I can’t use this with mini reapers around.”

Sighing inwardly, I removed the headset, causing the four golden reapers to tumble onto my lap.

Tossing the headset aside, I turned on the TV instead.

[Recently, phenomena believed to be influenced by objects have been reported worldwide.]

[Plants grow overnight, extinct animals reappear, and Earth’s ecosystem undergoes dramatic changes. Despite global experts’ efforts, no clear cause has emerged.]

[The American Object Association announced today that these events may stem from the mysterious green moon observed in space.]

[Currently, no method exists to control or remove this celestial object. Emergency investigations are underway globally, but solutions remain elusive.]

[Experts agree: “Handling objects affecting Earth from space poses unprecedented challenges. Removing the green moon with current technology seems impossible.”]

‘Green moon!’

Startled by the news, I sprang to my feet, ignoring the golden reapers tumbling off my lap.

‘The green moon has finally appeared.’

While eliminating moons of various colors, I pondered something significant:

The destruction of Steel Tower.

Steel Tower, its destruction conditions, and the view from atop it all seemed interconnected with the phrase “[Nostalgia]” and the colorful moons.

Gathering moons strengthened my hypothesis.

And now, the final piece to destroy Steel Tower had arrived.

But deciding to eliminate the green moon presented a problem:

‘How do I get to space?’

Even with cloud fish, reaching such heights seems implausible.

‘Do I really need modern tech like rockets?’

Unfortunately, Sehee Research Institute, preoccupied with mini reapers, lacked rocket-building expertise.

A tricky situation indeed.

Then, the idea of being launched via a colossal black reaper ballista flashed through my mind—but abandoned upon realizing space travel requires precision.

Getting lost in space would be depressing.

What should I do?

***

In the courtyard of Sehee Research Institute, Mom suddenly collapsed while watching the news.

Amid ankle-deep grass, courtesy of the green moon, mini reapers wandered about.

‘Eureka!’

Among them, a golden reaper gleefully exclaimed, clutching a tiny bird.

These mini concave-eyed creatures naturally spawned due to the green moon’s influence.

The golden reaper placed the bird-sized concave-eye on its head before bounding among gathered mini reapers.

‘Tiny baby bird!’

Surrounding the concave-eye, mini reapers fed it bits of their cherished snacks.

Researchers smiled warmly, snapping pictures of the scene.

Mini hamsters and rabbits also became adored pets of the mini reapers.

Watching this, a researcher posed a question:

“Why does Sehee Research Institute only spawn absurdly tiny ‘mini creatures’?”

“Don’t know. But they’re cute, so isn’t that great?”

Such casual dialogue seemed uncharacteristic for object specialists.

Meanwhile, Seoah observed all this while drafting a report in the deputy director’s office.

[Analysis of the Impact of the Green Moon Phenomenon on Supernatural Lifeforms and Public Perception]

[Introduction: Following the green moon, mythical beings like phoenixes and dragons have emerged. This study explores public perception’s influence on these entities.]

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[Conclusion & Recommendations: The green moon phenomenon has caused supernatural beings to emerge, significantly affected by public perception.]

At the bottom of the report, a hastily scribbled memo read:

[What about Sehee Research Institute?]

***

Outskirts of Songpa District, James Tower.

Inside the massive facility within James Tower, employees worked feverishly on the urgent T-Rex Project to address the green moon.

Through unprecedented collaboration between the Korean Object Safety Management Council and the American Object Association, everything from launch pads to rockets was airlifted from the U.S.

James, looking exhausted with heavy dark circles, reviewed blueprints while overseeing the work.

“This should catch the gray reaper’s attention.”

In his weary eyes, the towering golden-shining mechanical T-Rex rocket reflected brightly.