Chapter 68

The container, from which the ninjas in black clothes had just uniformly vanished, now retained only the lingering heat of the battle that had recently transpired.

Pausing momentarily to catch my breath, each inhalation felt as though I was sucking in scorching-hot air.

Completely different from the chaos of the fight, the narrow confines of the container were eerily silent now—filled with nothing but the smell of blood.

Just as I began to fully realize the end of the battle, I took a deep breath and shouted.

“Ah! We’re alive!”

A triumphant roar accompanied by the flourishing swing of my hammer.

Honestly, I have no idea why the ninjas suddenly fled.

And I don’t even know why they appeared in the first place.

But surviving—that’s what mattered most.

Looking behind me, Hyejin seemed surprisingly unscathed.

Whether it’s her personality or because of the golden horns, who knows—but she looked fine.

The client, however, appeared visibly shaken.

Who wouldn’t be shocked when ninjas suddenly appear trying to kill them?

Knock knock.

Suddenly, the sound of someone pounding on the container wall made me whip my head around to see an all-too-familiar senior standing there in his yellow suit.

“Looks like something big happened here.”

With his usual expression, he returned with a calm smile.

***

Examining inside the container revealed a chaotic mess soaked in blood.

Three ninja corpses sprawled across the floor.

One died from gunshot wounds—Junior No. 2 must’ve done that.

Two others were crushed—Junior No. 1’s work, no doubt.

Clearly, the enhanced strength of a superhuman at play.

The ninjas usually target camp residents, so involving juniors in combat must’ve been due to the client.

Judging by my guess, the client and the camp residents are connected somehow.

Probably either victims of the Object or its byproducts.

“Senior! Why did you take so long?! No communication whatsoever!”

“I came as fast as possible. And it seems these black-clad creeps jammed our signals; my phone’s dead.”

I waved my phone around as I spoke.

“These mysterious figures targeted the client, right?”

“Yes, they went straight for the client out of nowhere. Can you imagine how startled we were when ninjas showed up?”

Junior No. 1 looked pretty worn out, drenched in sweat, but thankfully without serious injuries.

Glancing around, Junior No. 2 seemed relatively intact, while the client appeared slightly traumatized…

Hmm.

Wait… the client has shrunk?!

At this point, it’s almost certain the client isn’t human.

Though, whether the client is human, an object, or an alien doesn’t really matter much.

Clap clap.

I clapped twice to draw attention.

“Alright, we know where we need to go next: the underground sewer system north of the camp. The client’s younger brother, whom they asked us to find, should be there.”

I urged the juniors and the client onward.

This mission is nearing its conclusion.

If we can locate the client’s younger brother in the underground sewer, that’d be great…

***

The massive subterranean structure beyond the sewer.

The basement saturated with blood.

Stacks upon stacks of ninja corpses piled high.

And several times more researchers’ bodies stacked alongside them.

Heh heh heh.

The director spat out blood while laughing.

With multiple ninja swords piercing his torso, he continued laughing.

“It’s about time we abandon this camp. With weirdos like these interfering, it’s clear we need to relocate.”

Turning his gaze, the director pointed to the only human still tied up in the basement.

A man severely tortured, barely conscious.

“At least we’ve managed some success with our test subjects…”

The director circled the sole survivor incessantly, muttering nonstop.

“Who would’ve thought objects could arise from humanity’s desires? But with only one successful case, it might still be premature to declare victory…”

After checking the survivor’s condition, the director turned and declared:

“In this state, long-distance transport shouldn’t pose a problem.”

Raising both hands, the director shouted aloud:

“Let’s begin moving the research facility!”

As the director’s voice echoed through the basement, the supposedly lifeless researchers began stirring.

Despite missing eyes, severed limbs, and spilling guts, they moved with despondent expressions.

***

Arriving at the northern camp, a barren landscape contrasted sharply with the gaping mouth of a large sewer.

“Definitely here.”

“Senior, are we sure this is the right place?”

Junior No. 1 questioned anxiously.

With blood pooling near the entrance and corpses scattered everywhere, it’s understandable to feel uneasy.

Judging by the fallen ninja corpses, this was clearly their destination.

Step by step, countless lifeless bodies lay strewn about.

Corpses submerged in pools of congealed blood.

The underground sewer lined with countless ninja corpses grew denser the deeper we ventured.

So many bodies that the drainage pipes exuded rivers of blood instead of water.

Behind me, the group tensed noticeably.

Junior No. 1 clutched the hammer tightly, scanning all directions as they closely followed me.

Junior No. 2 gripped the reloaded revolver firmly, staying close to the client.

Something seemed off about the client.

They appeared somewhat dazed…

Venturing deeper into the sewer, unfamiliar sounds began echoing.

Thump thump.

Heartbeats reverberated from deep within the underground.

The thick flow of blood mingling with heartbeats created a chilling atmosphere.

Deeper into the sewer.

The number of corpses increased dramatically.

Strangely, all the bodies belonged to ninjas.

What exactly were the ninjas fighting against?

The heartbeat grew louder.

Now resonating so strongly it vibrated the walls and floors.

At the end of the sewer, an unexpected open lot greeted us.

A massive heartbeat echoed, while unknown fluids streamed down the walls in an eerie space.

Around the edges of the clearing lay numerous ninja corpses, while white-coated figures welcomed us at the center.

“Long time no see, detective in the yellow suit!”

The deranged-smiling research director called out loudly from the center.

An identical-looking director from the Central Research Institute stood there, brimming with energy.

But this wasn’t the same entity.

My perception confirmed it, and the text displayed through my monocle indicated otherwise.

Back then, it read: [As long as the director exists, the institute cannot be destroyed.] Now, completely different phrases appeared:

[As long as the director exists, they possess the researchers.]

[Until the research concludes, the director regenerates.]

[Without fulfilling the desire, the research never ends.]

While my monocle sometimes omitted or failed to display information, it always showed consistent readings for the same object.

Thus, the director before me and the one from the Central Research Institute were entirely different entities.

‘There you are.’

The person I sought was indeed here.

The young man whose photo I’d seen in the roster, bound to a chair and covered in blood.

“Younger brother! There he is!”

The client exclaimed loudly.

Sure enough, their finger pointed directly at the bloody youth.

Older than the client?

Juniors No. 1 and No. 2 exchanged puzzled glances, having assumed the younger brother was elementary-school aged.

Upon hearing the client’s shout, the research director glared fiercely and growled:

“You’re thieves trying to steal our experimental subject!”

With a raspy voice, the director barked the command, and the surrounding researchers lunged toward us.

***

Nom nom nom.

Devouring a mountain of pudding brought immense happiness.

No matter how much I ate, it never diminished!

As I indulged in the endless pudding, a faint sound reached my ears.

Too soft to notice initially, but it grew clearer.

Mewwwwwww!

The urgent cry of a ghost cat.

Ah, the ghost cat!

I’d completely forgotten about it…

Lost in the joy of the ninja pyramid.

Could something be wrong?

To trace the sound emanating from underground, I ghosted into the ground itself.

Beneath the surface, I found a room soaked in blood.

Searching for the cat led me to the source of malevolence.

The very place I originally intended to investigate.

An ominous aura radiated from the location.

Human blood splattered everywhere, staining the gray concrete crimson.

Pools of blood emitted sinister gleams.

The overwhelming stench of iron filled the air.

In the center of the room sat a single corpse tied to a chair.

A headless corpse.

From this body emanated the faint traces of malice I sensed earlier.

Though barely perceptible, it was unmistakable.

However, whatever ‘thing’ emitting this malice was already gone.

Hm, what could it have been?

Mewwwwwww!

At that moment, another urgent cry sounded nearby.

Its distress was palpable.