༺ Central Research Institute (4) ༻
When the door of the director’s office was opened, I was greeted by the bustling scene of a research institute, with many researchers scurrying about.
However, what caught my attention was that there seemed to be nothing inside the containment room the researchers were looking at.
“Oh, it might look a little strange. We study Objects that can not be seen anywhere. Let’s take a closer look.”
As I moved closer, the vague images within the containment room slowly came into view.
“Though there are no Objects present, we can recreate their images based on Objects from reality. Whether it be Objects from the past or those yet to be discovered, we can recreate them here.”
The blurry images in the containment room turned out to none other than myself. I had a tired expression on my face while being bombarded by countless bullets.
As I looked around the other containment rooms, I noticed an image of the ‘Gray Reaper’ in every one of them.
The me when I first opened my eyes inside the forest.
The me when I was gazing at the steel tower.
The me watching TV in the containment room.
The me when I was inside the stomach of the steel pig statue.
They were all showing my images. From the past to the present.
It felt incredibly strange to have dozens of people meticulously observing me, continuously jotting down notes.
When I opened my mouth slightly, they would jot it down. If I took a step, they would jot it down. They even took notes when I picked up a rock from the ground!
“This lab was specifically designated for you, Number 897. In fact, we have been waiting for you for quite some time.”
You were waiting for me? But why?
“You look curious as to why we waited for you. It has to do with the future we looked forward to. We have foreseen a future where our wishes come true within a month of your arrival at this research institute.”
“Now, our long, long wait of thirty years will end in around a month.”
So, wouldn’t we naturally want to welcome you? A smile that seemed to convey those words spread across the director’s face before he started walking around the lab.
There seemed to be no limit to the size of this research institute. It seemed to gradually grow in size as the director moved forward. In the expanded space, I could see a lot of isolation rooms and a variety of Objects.
“Come, there is much more I must show you. I’ll guide you to an Object you should really see.”
The director walked at a fast pace after that, and before long, we arrived in front of a massive elevator.
It didn’t look like an ordinary elevator, no matter how I looked at it.
Its design included keyholes and various authentication devices, unlike any elevator I had ever seen, Yet, the director skillfully operated the complicated mechanisms one by one before starting the elevator.
With a meaningful expression, the director got on the elevator and opened his mouth.
“Below, an Object that is considered to be the most important by the Central Research Institute is hidden.”
After a while, we arrived in a dark basement with little to no lighting.
To put it in a good way, it had a utilitarian feel lacking any decorations, the exposed concrete giving off the impression of a bomb shelter built with only practicality in mind. But, to put it in a bad way, it gave off the impression that the construction was rushed and underdeveloped.
A short walk from the elevator led us to an area with the floor made out of iron bars. Underneath, I could see a blood-stained concrete and a translucent image of a monster.
“That Object is called the ‘Hungry Ghost’. It was responsible for the Seoul Plaza disaster. Though its escape was announced as a complete accident, in truth, the association had purposefully released it in the Seoul Plaza to kill me.”
“The association announced that they were able to kill it successfully, but in actuality, it’s still stored in the Central Research Institute.”
The appearance of the Hungry Ghost bore a striking resemblance to a monkfish. But, the tentacles that covered its body were disgusting to the point that it did not even feel like a fish whatsoever. Moreover, its size was so immense that it felt as if I was seeing a fish the size of a house.
“Although they call the Hungry Ghost an Object that devours other Objects, I don’t want to call it that way.”
“It was an Object that devoured the enemies of the Association.”
“Anyone deemed too capable or unsuitable to the tastes of those old knaves of the association goes straight into the Hungry Ghost’s stomach.”
Beneath the iron bars, the Hungry Ghost eagerly devoured something. Blood splattered from its mouth as it chewed, likely because what it ate was raw meat that hadn’t been drained of blood.
“You need to be vigilant. Objects that are determined to be uncontrollable by the Central Research Institute are given to the Hungry Ghost as food.”
Suddenly, the images before me began to distort.
However, the director maintained a calm expression, as if he had anticipated this phenomenon.
“As expected, I couldn’t keep holding onto an Object. Our encounter was too short. So I couldn’t really describe the incompetence and malevolence of the Association, nor the power of the Hungry Ghost.”
Like a sheet of thin ice cracking and plunging into the river below, the illusion shattered, and I returned to reality.
“It would be better if we can talk for a little longer next time. I hope we meet again, ‘KR – 897’.”
And just like waking up from a dream, I returned to reality.
***
When I opened my eyes, I found myself passing through the wall of the containment room I was trapped in.
The time is… It didn’t seem like much time had passed.
The atmosphere in the lab was serene, and looking at the clock, time really had not passed much.
Even though I had to enter a slightly strange place first, I still succeeded in passing through the wall that could supposedly stop even Ghost-like objects.
As I emerged from the containment room, the cat in the opposite room let out an envious meow.
It then cried even louder and struggled, while I chuckled softly and waved my hand.
As I enjoyed my newfound freedom while listening to the cat’s meowing, I suddenly noticed a few butterflies fluttering in the hallway.
They were purely black butterflies. However, since people didn’t seem to notice them, it meant that they were a Ghost-type Object.
There weren’t that many of them, and they fluttered around only occasionally.
An Object flying around a Research Institute that managed Objects?
Considering that no one seemed to know about their existence, it was clear that it was not an Object that was intentionally kept there. Something was amiss.
Strolling around the hallway where the butterflies fluttered beautifully, I wished for something to happen. Though, I prayed it wouldn’t be something gruesome.
***
After several minutes of watching and chasing after the butterflies, a siren started blaring all of the sudden.
“The Gray Reaper has escaped!”
“Review all CCTV footage to track its movements.”
The employees seemed to have finally discovered that I had managed to escape the containment room.
They scrambled around to find me.
Meanwhile, I stood atop a cabinet in a room buzzing with activity, looking down at the commotion.
Maybe this was the situation room? It appeared to serve a similar purpose.
It’s not here, it’s not there either! Despite the multitude of people shouting and searching for my whereabouts, I focused on something entirely different.
A person’s body seemed to be completely covered in the swarm of glistening black butterflies, or something of the like.
Since it was a ghostly butterfly, there was no way the man could feel its weight. But for some reason, he seemed unusually lethargic and tired, as if he was being affected by something.
There were so many butterflies swarming around the man that it obstructed me from seeing him. They fluttered all over the walls, ceiling, as well as the air.
If I were in the man’s shoes, I would have yelled in annoyance. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be able to see those butterflies. After all, if he could see them, it would mean that his vision was completely obscured by butterflies, blocking him from seeing anything in front of him.
Even a cute little bug like a butterfly would become disgusting in such high numbers. The silver lining was that those butterflies seemed to avoid me. I discovered this when I released my Phantom form and touched them. When I did so, they were startled, causing them to flutter away to put distance between us.
This man, on the other hand, while searching for me, seemed to occasionally mutter to himself that the butterflies were bothersome.
Could he perhaps see the butterflies?
The man tried in vain to shake the butterflies off by waving his hands, but that had no effect on the swarm.
It was only after I followed the butterfly-man out of the situation room that I felt something was strange.
A butterfly bit the man.
Though it was only one of them that bit him, an attack was still an attack.
The man waved his hands frantically in all directions, as if he had always been able to see the butterflies, rather than just seeing them occasionally.
It appeared that, perhaps since the man could see a Ghostly Object, he could also see me even though I was in my Phantom form.
His eyes were clearly fixed at me, his hands trembling, trying to point at me.
However, his gestures made him seem like he was drunk, not being able to even stand up straight.
Was the butterfly an Object that slowly drained the energy of its target? That seemed plausible.
But upon taking a closer look, it turned out to be a far more terrifying Object than I had thought.
The man was already dead.
The reason his body was still able to move was because the butterflies burrowing into his body were moving it like a puppet.
Seeing these butterflies desecrating a corpse, I released my phantom form and rushed over to the man.
The butterflies were afraid of me earlier, so I thought I could easily chase them away by doing this.
Although the idea seemed perfect, the result was far from what I expected.
The butterflies inside the man’s body suddenly took off, all at once, quite literally exploding and scattering the man’s flesh and skin..
I was dumbfounded to such a point, that I could only look around in a daze.
My surroundings were filled with nothing but blood, flesh, and screams.
Did I make a mistake?
***
In a secluded corner of the Central Research Institute’s equipment warehouse, a secret conversation was taking place.
“Thank you so much for coming, Sunbae. I was so anxious because the atmosphere was strange, and the restrictions on going outside.”
“No no, it’s fine. On the contrary, thank you for calling me. To think there is a possibility that the ‘Hungry Ghost’ is still alive! I can’t be left out of such a big incident.”
Standing in front of the woman wearing the Central Research Institute’s staff uniform was a man in a bright yellow suit that did not fit the atmosphere of the research institute.
“Don’t worry, Korea’s number one detective is here.”
