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The dim red lighting flickered in the eerie factory corridor.

There stood metal pillars resembling well-varnished ribs.

“Ha, ha.”

It was the same scenery as when I entered the factory, but the breath rising to my chin and my uneasy heart made every structure inside the factory appear terrifying.

The more I ran, the harder it became to breathe.

Nausea rolled in my stomach, and my chest felt tight.

The narrow space of the factory corridor seemed to close in on me with every step I took, as if the walls were trying to imprison me.

And the repulsive smell of oil wafting from deep within the factory.

I had thought it was just an ordinary smell in a factory and dismissed it lightly, but I should have paid more attention.

That very smell of oil was evidence that something was contaminating this factory, making it different from usual.

The ‘Great Object Suppression Shield’ I once thought was so reassuring was now thrown aside on the floor.

I needed the ability to run faster and longer than a mere shield.

“I shouldn’t have taken that suspicious foreigner’s request.”

At the time of accepting the request, he was a peculiar person promising a hefty reward, but looking back now, he had been a suspicious individual dressed in odd clothing.

The sound of my footsteps echoing alone made me acutely aware that I was now all alone.

The comrades who had once stood shoulder to shoulder with me had all fallen.

In my memory, their last faces were etched with fear and pain.

As I passed through the narrow factory corridor, the parking lot finally came into view.

Beyond the parking lot shimmered like a mirage, igniting a thrill within me.

Finally!

Escape was so close!

If I could just get through that parking lot.

Once I passed the parking lot, I would be free.

The object occupying the pudding factory strangely didn’t seem inclined to venture out of the factory grounds.

Hope surged in my heart, and a belief in my escape took hold.

I firmly vowed to never engage in any ‘Object Retrieval’ missions or other dangerous tasks again after leaving this place.

Yet, my hopeful plans evaporated like bubbles before I could even execute them.

“Ha, hahahahaha.”

A dry and bitter laugh burst forth from my parched lips.

It was a hollow laugh that felt unimaginable coming from my mouth, reverberating across the vast parking lot.

There it was in the center of the parking lot.

One of the objects occupying the pudding factory.

A giant teddy bear made of metal, towering at 2 meters tall.

And a monster that bore no resemblance whatsoever to the prior information.

The teddy bear’s oddly unpleasant face jerked with movements as if it were laughing like a person.

Had I not succeeded in escaping but rather been toyed with by that thing?

From the teddy bear’s demeanor, it certainly seemed that way.

My legs, once fueled by hope and adrenaline, were pinned to the ground by the gravity of despair.

Exhausted and devoid of power to flee from the dismal reality, I simply slumped down onto the asphalt.

As I sat on the ground, the bear’s eyes met mine, gleaming with a fierce red light.

It seemed to react as if it found no interest in prey that showed no inclination to flee.

The ferocious-looking object dashed forward in an instant, lightly swinging its steel fist toward my head, which was now utterly useless as a toy.

And with that, endless darkness enveloped me.

*

A man with black hair, blue eyes, and over 190 cm tall looked down at the smartwatch strapped to his wrist.

“Dangerous. Very dangerous. At this point, the ‘Object Recovery Experts’ who abandoned us must have all died.”

“You speak Korean well! You don’t seem to need an interpreter, so why! Why on earth?”

The angry-looking Korean shouted.

The foreign man replied with an indifferent expression.

“That’s because I’m a genius. I can master unfamiliar languages in just a day.”

“That’s not it! Why did you hire me as your interpreter if you’re that fluent in Korean?”

The frustrated interpreter pounded his chest.

The foreign man shook his finger back and forth as he answered.

“Because this isn’t tourism, it’s business, you see, interpreter. When doing business, it’s only polite to have a local-speaking interpreter with you.”

The interpreter squatted down with a look of despair.

“I should have never taken this job. I should’ve been suspicious when the employer showed up in that strange outfit.”

“Don’t be too disheartened. And from now on, avoid suspicious interpretation requests that promise hefty upfront payments.”

The foreign man patted the interpreter’s shoulder with a serious expression.

As the interpreter mentioned, the foreign man’s outfit was peculiar.

Stylish sunglasses perched atop his head.

A full-body swimsuit-like attire that covered him down to his toes and a smartwatch.

“And calling this multi-purpose outfit designed by this genius ‘James’ suspicious is just too much. This was specially made to come to dangerous Korea, you know? Perfect from the design to the Great Object defense.”

James grabbed the interpreter by both shoulders and lifted him up energetically.

“What, don’t be so down. As your employer, I intend to take full responsibility. Since you weren’t hired as a bodyguard, there’s no way you’ll die before I do.”

James said to the interpreter with a refreshing smile.

Of course, given that both of their chances of survival were quite slim, it wasn’t particularly comforting.

*

In the back seat of the vehicle, a camping sheet had been installed.

It wasn’t as plush as a bed, but I rolled around on it, finding it reasonably comfortable.

Yerin had set it up for me as preparation for the long drive, and I was quite satisfied.

A plethora of bread and snacks filled this comfy space.

Of course, there was no pudding.

Now, there was only one type of pudding I could eat!

Right now, I was on Yerin’s car, heading towards the factory located near Incheon Sea.

I had initially planned to slip away alone, but Yerin insisted on coming along, so we were together.

“Reaper, that factory in Incheon says it produces pudding using objects. The U.S. has already progressed to making consumer goods with objects. I wonder when will our country be able to do the same?”

While waiting for the traffic light, Yerin quickly searched for information about the factory.

In truth, I had been planning to storm the factory and destroy all the objects inside, so this was astonishing information.

They’re making pudding with objects?

Should I not destroy all the objects, then?

I had been intending to unleash a horde of ferocious golden reapers due to my pudding deprivation, but that wouldn’t do.

*

The completely nocturnal blonde girl looked up at the sky and said, “Ahjussi, the red moon has risen.”

The girl wore a displeased expression.

“It’s a completely different moon, which is disappointing. There’s no soft sand to gently embrace me like the sun’s warmth. It’s just a moon that exists and is observed. Could it be the intention of the one who destroyed the red moon?”

The girl turned her gaze from the sky and gently stroked the black agent’s hair, who had fallen asleep early, needing to rise early the next morning.

It felt a bit sad, as if the time we lived was different from each other.

Until the red moon rises again and we can stand beneath the sun, such moments might continue to happen.

I want to recreate the red moon, but the heart that should guide me has yet to give any direction.

It was a slightly melancholic night.

*

The sky feels ticklish.

A strange sensation that humans can never feel.

The sky is ticklish?

Lying in the car and looking up at the sky, I could see the source of it.

The destroyed red moon floated above.

Next to the original moon, smaller in size, it looked rather adorable.

As soon as I spotted it, I knew.

That moon is mine.

It seemed to have emerged from the destruction of the red moon, and though I had destroyed many objects, this was the first time I experienced such a thing.

Not only was I left with my abilities, but something additional seemed to occur.

“Reaper, this is bad. There are two moons. Are we about to see a desert here too?”

Yerin seemed to have now spotted the moon, panicking.

Whether she was in a rush to gather information or not, Yerin hurriedly turned on the radio.

[A foreboding red moon has risen in the sky. Right now, this phenomenon is not localized like the desert situation in Gangseo-gu.]

[If that moon is a precursor to global desertification, then it appears that the predicted destruction caused by objects has manifested in reality.]

[It took just about a week to desertify a land the size of Gangseo-gu, so if it’s global desertification, I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes around 200,000 years.]

[All I can hope for is to not wake up in the desert after a week.]

Many channels were discussing the ‘red moon.’

An atmosphere of impending desertification loomed, but from the perspective of its owner, it felt like a nonsensical narrative.

I gently patted Yerin’s shoulder, who looked anxious over unnecessary worries.

*

Maybe because we set off late, by the time we arrived near the factory, it was already deep into the night.

The area around the factory was bustling with people who seemed to be staff.

Is it alright for them to be chatting near the factory when a dangerous object has taken over?

While Yerin went off to engage in pointless conversations with the staff, I gazed around the factory perimeter.

There was an unpleasant smell.

An unpleasant odor I had once caught a whiff of in the desert.

Somehow, it felt like I would make a mistake and let the golden reapers slip through again this time.