Chapter 312

James Tower in the outskirts of Songpa District, Golden-Mecha-Tyranno Armor assembly plant.

A thoroughly sealed assembly room where robot arms controlled by AI were skillfully putting together the tyrannosaur armor piece by piece.

Hop-hop-hop.

The Golden Reaper had stealthily entered the assembly room via ghosting and was happily hopping around, enjoying the sight with a cheerful expression.

James, meanwhile, was relaxing in the control room after evading the robot arms skillfully as he observed the golden reapers. It was a much-needed break for James, who had been working tirelessly to repair and improve the Golden-Mecha-Tyranno Armor.

A warm cup of coffee and a sweet dessert—James’s honey-like rest after sacrificing sleep to work on the armor.

James’s personal Golden Reaper was sitting on the table, nibbling away at cookies bit by bit.

Of course, the Golden Reaper tried to drink coffee too, but after several attempts, it simply gave up.

Thus, this detail was noted in James’s Golden Reaper report.

[After eating, it sticks out its tongue for about a minute and appears to strongly dislike it.]

[A similar coffee experiment was conducted on 1,000 random Golden Reapers, yielding the same result.]

At the bottom of the report was a photo of James being mobbed by a thousand Golden Reapers getting their fix.

Just then, the TV in the background began broadcasting news about a missing person case.

[On the 15th, an elementary school girl went missing. The CCTV footage obtained by the police shows the girl’s face frozen in shock as if she witnessed something terrifying.]

[The police tracked her movements based on the CCTV but lost her trail at some point.]

[They suspect this isn’t just a simple disappearance and may be related to an ‘Object,’ prompting them to seek assistance from the Object Association.]

On the screen, the girl was shown panicking, looking around frantically.

It seemed like a typical Object-related incident.

While sipping his coffee, James tried to push the case aside, but a previous report suddenly came to mind.

“Hang on, this feels familiar…”

James rummaged through the messy pile of reports on the table and pulled out an old one.

[Case Number: 2xxx-xxxx-xxx]

[Informant: Kim Nam-su (Male, 45)]

[Report Details: Kim Nam-su reported seeing an ‘Object’ hiding near a road in Songpa District at around 3 PM on x/x/20xx. He appeared extremely frightened and was certain of what he saw.]

[Investigation Results:]

– Upon receiving the report, investigators immediately arrived at the scene but found no traces of the Object.

– Kim Nam-su calmed down during further questioning and admitted that his report might have been a mistake.

[Further Investigation:]

– At the police’s request, James Research Institute conducted a separate investigation but also found no evidence of the Object.

[Conclusion:]

– Based on the investigations, it was determined that Kim Nam-su’s report was likely a misunderstanding.

– No Object traces were found, and Kim himself revised his statement, suggesting a high possibility of misidentification.

– The case was closed accordingly.

This report seemed unrelated to the missing girl.

“But the same area, and similar signs of fear.”

With a serious expression, James picked up the report.

Looks like I need to investigate further.

***

Nearby in Songpa District, a sparsely populated Yellow Reaper hideout.

The Ashen Girl, presumed missing, was here.

Using the powerful mental pollution effect of the “Ordinary Pedestrian Doll Costume” created by the Yellow Reaper, she arrived unnoticed.

Though massive at nearly two meters tall, the costume made her appear like an ordinary passerby.

It didn’t affect the Ashen Girl, but it was enough to deceive the Objects and humans in the apartment complex.

Once inside the Yellow Reaper’s hideout without anyone noticing, the Ashen Girl still looked confused.

“All of it… all of it was fake, wasn’t it?”

“Everyone in our apartment, everyone I knew—even my own family—they were all Objects.”

“Maybe even me…”

The Ashen Girl stared blankly, speaking only to herself, though her voice produced only creaking sounds.

Her soliloquy was inaudible even to herself.

“Every day, everything I thought I liked—it was all fake. Were my emotions even real?”

“If so, what’s the meaning of my existence? Why am I here? Is my life nothing more than being someone else’s puppet?”

But the Yellow Reaper could hear her clearly.

To the Yellow Reaper, the girl hadn’t changed at all.

“Who created us? Who is the creator behind all this? Why were we born?”

Because to the Yellow Reaper, the girl had never spoken before.

“Am I really alive, or am I just pretending to live—a mere doll?”

The Yellow Reaper removed its Golden Reaper doll costume, stuck its head out, and perched on the girl’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry. You’re real.”

Though the Yellow Reaper’s words didn’t reach the girl audibly, the meaning was conveyed.

“Is that… true?”

Tears streaming down her face, the Ashen Girl drifted off to sleep.

***

In China, within the Free City Alliance.

I visited the city of Mini Reapers and Roll Cake Humans after a long absence.

There was one reason:

The “real” Tyrannosaurus Rex created by the Green Reaper.

It was simply too large to keep at Sehee Research Institute.

And it didn’t quite fit in the Mini Reaper Garden either.

The plush marshmallow land seemed better suited for anglerfish-like creatures.

My own imaginatively crafted T-Rex lacked detail and didn’t feel out of place…

But the Green Reaper’s creation felt overly alien.

Like placing a real fish next to a white hungry ghost.

So I decided to create a proper dinosaur park.

Initially, Seoul Forest seemed ideal!

But upon reflection, Seoul Forest had problems—like that strangely crumbling Steel Tower.

If the T-Rex were placed there, it would likely be torn apart.

Thus, I chose the Free City Alliance, bustling with Mini Reapers and seemingly easy to manage.

A giant dinosaur park would be built in one corner of the city.

No opposition here.

Hehe.

As I wandered around, I saw Mini Reapers and Roll Cake Humans hard at work constructing the dinosaur park, moving faster than normal humans thanks to their Object-enhanced abilities.

In a corner, they rested together.

“Where’s Cheong now?”

“Last I heard, she left Korea for Japan, visiting a research institute led by the Golden Reaper director.”

A man with four arms and a tall woman surrounded by Mini Reapers chatted casually.

On the woman’s shoulder sat the Black Reaper, poking her cheek.

“I want snacks too!”

The woman smiled and handed over some snacks.

They all looked happy.

Even transformed into Objects and Roll Cake Humans, they seemed content.

Maybe because they’d always been swapping body parts with Objects?

Still, a punk-style Object city with a dinosaur park sounds promising.

Hehe.

***

James was reviewing the newly arrived report with a grave expression.

[Interim Report on the Death of Informant ‘Kim Nam-su’]

[Overview]

– Informant ‘Kim Nam-su’ has been confirmed deceased.

– Cause of death presumed accidental.

– However, connections to other incidents have been identified.

[Connections]

– Similarities found with past deaths of construction company executives.

– All deaths classified as accidents share commonalities.

– Further investigation required.

[Investigation Plan]

– In-depth investigation planned regarding the circumstances of ‘Kim Nam-su’s death.

– Additional inquiries to determine links to construction executive deaths.

[Other Matters]

– This appears to be a highly covert and methodical Object-related event, so utmost confidentiality must be maintained throughout the investigation.

[Written Date: xx/xx/2xxx]

[Author: Special Investigation Team, James Research Institute]

“This is bigger than I thought.”

What worried James most was the location—”Songpa District.”

If Mini Reapers could move around undetected…

It was undoubtedly a powerful Object.

Moreover, James had discovered similarities between this and another case during his investigation.

The infamous Small-Town Annihilation Object Incident.

An entire village turned into ruins overnight.

A consistent feature was always at least one witness claiming to see a “monster.”

And those witnesses inevitably met with “accidental” deaths.

[Strong Object phenomena in Gangwon H Township…]

[Downtown D City in Chungbuk Province reduced to ruins… residents disappeared.]

James sighed deeply, staring at the clippings he’d saved.