Chapter 358

‘A traitor to humanity’—the broadcast echoed through the facility, a human slaughterhouse.

The flickering red emergency lights cast writhing, grotesque shadows on the walls and floor.

And from all directions, the cries and footsteps of people mixed with sharp warning tones could be heard.

Among them was a voice all too familiar to the silver-haired girl—the voices of the ‘facility’s children.

“What do we do?”

The brown-haired girl’s voice trembled.

She stood there panicked, her wide eyes clutching the silver-haired girl’s hand tightly.

“How are they mobilizing even the trainees? What if this mess gets discovered…?”

The silver-haired girl couldn’t hide her own confusion.

Still, she tried her best to think things through in an attempt to resolve the situation.

An extremely long and narrow room with one entrance and one exit at either end.

The horrors scattered throughout the space.

Footsteps echoing from every direction.

‘This won’t do. But where should we go?’

Despite spending quite some time in the ‘facility,’ there was no memory of any escape route.

At that moment, something small caught the silver-haired girl’s eye.

Far away, an odd object with a cute little sprout on its head waved its hand.

[Human! Over here!]

A strangely familiar voice.

It was the same voice that had offered her the fruit before.

And despite being incredibly soft, it cut through the noise clearly.

Judging by how the brown-haired girl showed no reaction, it must have been some kind of mental pollution audible only to her.

‘Still, there’s no other choice.’

The silver-haired girl grabbed the brown-haired girl’s hand and headed toward the sprout object.

There, hidden in the wall, was a square hole.

It was hard to spot at first glance due to the bloodstains covering it, likely used for disposing waste.

“This is a hole! The blood… It seems like a place for discarding something.”

The brown-haired girl praised her sharp eyesight as if amazed by how she found it.

Her gaze naturally turned toward the sprout object upon hearing the compliment.

[Hurry up!]

The sprout object anxiously tapped its foot while looking at the silver-haired girl with great urgency.

Its appearance was disarmingly harmless and friendly to humans.

Though reminded of the obvious advice to beware friendly objects, the silver-haired girl ignored it.

After all, it was already too late once she ate the fruit.

Besides, there was no other way out of here.

The silver-haired girl gave a small nod to the sprout object and dove into the hole with the brown-haired girl.

***

Mini Reaper Garden, Marshmallow Plains.

I lay down in a spot where the wireless signal reached well, watching a tiny TV.

“The following is news related to the recent ‘Blue Mist’ incident in the Pacific Ocean.”

“James Research Institute has announced the dispatch of researchers to investigate this event.”

“A noteworthy point is that all dispatched researchers will be accompanied by Mini Reapers, known as top-tier Objects.”

“James Research Institute plans to select personnel who can work alongside Mini Reapers for future dangerous expeditions.”

“Some domestic research institutes argue against excessive reliance on Objects.”

Finally, the news reported that a proper investigation team would be sent out.

It felt amazing to possibly escape the daily five-minute hassle I’ve endured.

Hehe.

Every time I heard about the ‘Blue Mist,’ it made me uneasy, especially since other institutes seemed uninterested in investigating, which annoyed me.

It’s probably because surveying the sea directly is tough.

Still, James Research Institute is truly competent!

As I happily watched the ads after the news ended, an unexpected scene appeared.

The screen was filled with Golden Reapers.

In the footage, Golden Reapers gathered happily, munching cookies with joy.

“The ultimate snack for Golden Reapers!”

“Made by professional research labs—completely safe!”

“Golden Reaper Cookies!”

The ad concluded with a Golden Reaper hugging a cookie, smiling blissfully, followed by the product logo.

‘Sehee…’

Sehee narrated the ad, and the cookies were made by ‘Sehee Research Institute.’

It was probably filmed at Sehee Research Institute too, judging by the number of Golden Reapers present.

What surprised me more than Seoah allowing this ad was the fact that such an ad existed at all.

Does this mean there are so many Attached Humans to Golden Reapers that these ads get approved?

I’ll have to check the numbers later.

Surely not in the hundreds of millions, right?

As I thought about this, Golden Reapers ran toward me with angry glares.

Each held a long marshmallow with writing on it.

Upon inspection…

[Yellow Reaper – Can use Hallucination Halo.]

[Fake blindfold…]

<...>

‘That’s my old notes summarizing Halo tests—I guess I didn’t clean them up.’

They began hitting me repeatedly with the marshmallows.

‘Mom rules!’

‘Rules!’

For breaking my own rules, I endured a long scolding session.

Hiiiii.

***

Over the endless blue waves of the Pacific Ocean, a massive research vessel moved slowly forward.

The setting sun beyond the horizon painted the sea in shades of orange as the ship cut through gentle waves.

The wind whipped around the woman standing on deck.

Occasional seagull calls broke the silence otherwise dominated by the sound of waves crashing against the hull and the wind brushing past the mast.

Everyone seemed entranced by the ocean’s ambiance, silently gazing at the sea.

Though slightly strange, everyone had mini reapers perched on their heads.

Black Reapers quietly stared at the ocean atop their attached humans’ heads.

Golden Reapers stood with arms spread wide, feeling the sea breeze.

The woman glanced down at her own attached reaper, still sound asleep.

Mingming, who had been floating around earlier, fell asleep immediately after boarding the ship.

Cocooned in cabbage leaves, Mingming’s skin even turned greenish like camouflage.

‘Every time she sleeps, this happens. Is there a reason?’

The woman smiled faintly and poked Mingming’s cheek.

Shifting her gaze from Mingming, she began observing the ship.

The ‘James Explorer’ lived up to its name with a majestic presence.

Stretching over 250 meters, the ship resembled a floating fortress.

Equipped with cutting-edge technology, antennas, and satellite dishes dotted the deck, enhancing its imposing silhouette.

Even the thick composite armor and intimidating cannons added to its might.

Of course, such armaments weren’t very effective against powerful Objects.

The ship’s greatest defense was the numerous Mini Reapers roaming about as freely as the crew.

Seeing mini reapers perched on people’s heads gave the impression that nothing could go wrong.

***

Deep within the underground ‘facility.’

The dim light filtering through the window faintly illuminated the room where two men stood.

One man stood near the window, embodying the image of a noble vampire-like figure, gazing outside.

The other knelt nearby, bowing his head.

“My Lord, why did you let them go?”

“Because it is necessary.”

When the kneeling man asked, his master looked upward at the artificial starlight emanating from the cave ceiling, smiling genuinely.

“Finally. We’ve found the most crucial livestock.”

As he spoke, the kneeling man gasped and looked up.

But when he raised his head, his master was gone.

“If we obtain that piece, I—and we—will gain the power to rule everything above ground.”

Suddenly, the master’s voice came from behind him.

“But we’re not ready yet.”

Then, the distant master appeared beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

The kneeling man tensed so much under the touch that he struggled to breathe.

“Therefore, your role is critical. Make the runaway sheep cling to hope and struggle as much as possible.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

With a strained reply, the kneeling man watched as his master’s presence vanished from the room.