༺ Central Research Institute (3) ༻
In a room enveloped in darkness, the only source of illumination emanated from a projector casting a video to one side of the room.
The video displayed the horrific murder that had just occurred.
The victim in the video was acting strange even at a glance. At first, the person was walking just fine, but after a while, he started waving his hand in front of his eyes, muttering softly to himself, his words inaudible.
“Hey, where are you looking at? Snap out of it! No matter how hard it is, you have to come to your senses.”
“Get a grip! Open your eyes! Just where are you looking?”
Probably sensing something amiss, the victim’s colleague walking beside him, shook the victim’s shoulder, and talked to him, trying to bring him back to his senses.
When the victim and the Gray Reaper made eye contact, he extended his hand toward the Reaper, as if accusing the Gray Reaper of being the culprit.
Seemingly in response, the Gray Reaper approached the victim and grabbed his leg.
In an instant, the wounds all over the man’s body exploded, showering the room with his shredded skin.
The Gray Reaper, its entire body now drenched in blood, looked around before vanishing once again.
The colleague, horrified by the gruesome scene, fled the room in a panic, screaming. Precisely at the moment that the video finished, bright light illuminated the room.
“This is truly a terrible incident. The victim, Jeong Dongjeon, was a 32-year-old security guard. When he was found, all of his skin had been peeled off, and all of his internal organs were destroyed. The only witness in the video remains in shock, unable to work properly.”
The presenter explained the situation in a calm manner.
“As we can see in the video, the victim’s last words were ‘Gray Reaper…’ So, it’s clear that there is some kind of connection. Given, that the victim had no prior contact with the Gray Reaper before the incident shown in the video, this incident should be classified as an ‘indiscriminate attack'”
“The Gray Reaper is an Object with a rating of grade 4 in terms of danger and aggressiveness. However, considering its indiscriminate, we believe it has a tendency to actively target humans. Therefore, we should raise its aggression level by 3, changing its rating from grade 4 to grade 1.”
“In light of this, our actions inside the institute need to be more proactive and comprehensive to match the new grade.”
As soon as the presenter finished speaking, the conference room erupted into a cacophony of voices, like a swarm of insects.
“There is no way Sehee Research Institute was unaware of this!. We must expose their cover-up and hold them accountable.”
“So, are you suggesting that we reveal the Central Research Institute’s mismanagement of one of their Objects and the fact that lives were lost as a result? By the way, how are the security measures and the crackdown on this incident going?”
The presenter answered the question with a triumphant smile.
“You needn’t worry about that. The individuals involved in the case have already been transferred to another private laboratory.”
Murmurs of approval echoed throughout the conference room. After all, being transferred from the Central Research Institute was synonymous with death.
“In the end, isn’t this why we are having this meeting? To deploy the ‘Hungry Ghost’?”
A voice, low and deep, chimed in. It belonged to an old man with a long white beard. While his tone was fairly quiet, his words reverberated through the conference room, silencing everyone.
“That is correct. Since the containment room had been breached, we don’t know when the Reaper will escape from the institute. Therefore, as soon as we confirm its location, we will evacuate all important personnel before unleashing the ‘Hungry Ghost’ within the Special Research Institute.”
“In the end, it seems that’s our only option. Proceed with the plan.”
This conclusion was reached in the secret room of the National Object Management Association, far away from the central research institute.
***
A secure email had arrived from the Object Association. The message contained urgent instructions to release the ‘Hungry Ghost’ inside the Research Institute to eliminate the Gray Reaper, which had escaped from the containment room.
“Ha, so it has come to this.”
A lot of data was needed to kill the perpetrator of the Seoul Plaza disaster, also known as the ‘Hungry Ghost’. But because of what was going to happen, useful research material would be lost once again. As soon as the email was read and confirmed, it was automatically deleted within a mere 10 seconds.
It was an inconveniently excessive security system, but when he thought about it deeply, it was just natural.
If news were to spread that a man-eating monster was being raised in a research institute, a scandal would be the least of their worries.
“We need to vacate the lab. Notify all the researchers and instruct them to prepare for immediate departure. We will leave as soon as we locate the Gray Reaper.”
Ringing a bell, he summoned his secretary and issued the instructions. The important researchers would be safely evacuated, while the general employees of the Central Research Institute would be ‘transferred’ to other private research institutes.
“Ah, Deputy Director. I noticed a change in the Director. It’s a minor thing, but I think it’s hard to say it’s just a coincidence.”
“Oh? What happened?”
“The Director has started including sketches of ‘The Gray Reaper’ in his research journal.”
“Really? The timing is too perfect to call it coincidental. Okay, I’ll check it later. You may leave now.”
The secretary nodded, bowed respectfully, and quietly exited the room.
Indeed, the timing was far too perfect. Although the subject of the director’s research journal was always random, it was difficult to chalk up the sudden appearance of sketches of the Gray Reaper to a mere coincidence. Therefore, despite being busy preparing for the release of ‘The Hungry Ghost’ inside the institute, he still had to check it out.
After passing through a long, winding hallway, the deputy director arrived at an expansive office. The walls were filled with countless books, while a huge table and chair occupied the middle of the room. Seated at that table was a man in a lab coat, constantly scribbling something on sheets of paper before throwing them to the floor.
He was the director of the National Special Research Institute.
A man who had become an Object, or rather, an Object that had taken on the form of a human.
“This is unmistakably the Gray Reaper.”
The sheets scattered across the floor had drawings of what could clearly be seen as the Gray Reaper. However, in stark contrast to those familiar drawings, the accompanying comments were completely incomprehensible.
It was clearly a research journal about something. However, the documents written by the director were simply undecipherable.
To be more precise, no one dared to decipher them.
After all, anyone who successfully interpreted them accurately would go missing. They would suddenly disappear into thin air.
No one knew where they went or what became of them..
Hence, the papers were repurposed as padding for the protective clothing worn by the field operatives. Since Objects were resistant to other Objects, the paper was a better armor against Objects than any alloy. However, only a limited amount could be produced, as they had to exercise utmost caution to prevent these papers from falling into public hands.
What if the journal was leaked into the world? That would mean dangerous goods that could cause mass disappearances would spread to the society.
Since it was very easy to copy, he had no idea how big of an impact it would have. In some ways, it posed a bigger threat than the leakage of ammunition or explosives from the military.
Fortunately, the method to eliminate the Director, who endlessly produced these dangerous goods, had already been discovered.
All they had to do was dismiss the director through an official document. Once they did so, the director would disappear completely from the face of the earth.
However, since the existence of a director was essential for the research institute, the responsibility of managing the special research institute inevitably fell upon the ‘deputy director’.
He put the paper with the Gray Reaper scribbled on it back to the floor and left the room.
If the ‘Hungry Ghost’ was killed, would the Director return to normal? That was probably something that no one knew.
***
As I crossed the wall, I was met with a colorless world. The walls were lined with huge bookcases, while the only furniture present in the spacious room was a desk and a chair.
“Oh, what a peculiar visitor.”
Remarked a man in a lab coat, sporting a neatly trimmed beard.
“Usually only researchers come here. This is the first time an Object came to visit.”
The man laughed and clapped as if he was delighted.
“You are ‘KR-897’, huh?”
The man said, summoning a file out of thin air and browsing through it. As I tilted my head at the unfamiliar ‘KR-897’ word, the man explained further.
“Ah, perhaps you prefer to be called ‘The Gray Reaper’? To be honest, we don’t really like that name. In fact, haven’t you ever thought that it was strange to be given such a name?”
“I mean, didn’t you ever find it strange to be publicly given a name, when it makes it hard for you to be classified and could also cause various problems? After all, the more widely known it is by the public, the more troublesome it becomes.”
“It’s because people living in reality today have been robbed of their freedom to give names to Objects.”
The man recited those words with a meaningful expression before continuing with a smile on his face.
“Well, I suppose it’s pointless to say something like that to an Object. By the way, the limitations of the real world don’t matter in this place, so I will just give you a name. You are the 897th Object to be discovered in Korea.”
The man got up from his chair and walked out of the room while spreading his arms and making a welcoming gesture.
“Well, as the first Object to come here, it is only fitting for the director to personally guide you.”
“Welcome, Number 897. To the Eternal Research Institute, trapped within the rift of time.”
The man greeted me with an exaggerated gesture, smiling with a meaningful expression.
The moment I saw the passion that shone in the man’s eyes, I realized that the Research Institute’s director mentioned in the hint [Make the Research Institute Director’s wish come true.] was referring to the person in front of me.
