༺ Central Research Institute: Epilogue ༻
In the middle of the ruined city lay a seemingly bottomless, dark hole, resembling the gate to the abyss.
In my opinion, this was the only way to stop all the Objects that escaped from the Central Research Institute.
These Objects, that broke free from the Central Research Institute, wreaked havoc in all directions and indiscriminately attacked all creatures in their vicinity. So it seemed necessary to deal with them quickly.
Hence, my chosen method was a simple one: collapse the ground and isolate them.
Though there might have been a better way to do it, this was the best I could think of in such a hurry.
As I refocused my senses back to me, I felt the flame in my chest had diminished considerably.
In order to guide the Hungry Ghost to the center of the collapse, I used my regeneration ability a little too much.
If it weren’t for the overwhelming emotions of fear and despair around me, I would have given up and ran away a long time ago.
In fact, it was a bit of a close call just before the sinkhole was completed.
Why was it a close call?
It was because all the people around me had died, so I had no other choice but to use my reserves in order to endure.
Looking down into the deep dark hole, I waited for the Objects to climb up again.
The idea behind this plan was to give the soldiers enough time to at least build a barrier around the area.
One hour…
Two hours…
Three hours…
I sat on the edge of the sinkhole, swinging my feet back and forth as I waited. However, not even one Object came back up.
Since it seemed like soldiers had started to move around while I waited, I decided to leave the area.
By the way, why didn’t they come up?
If it’s the Hungry Ghost, for sure the sinkhole would do nothing but buy me time…
There were also a lot of flying Objects before…
Could something enticing be hidden underground? Perhaps, candy?
***
The government was suffering from the Gray Collapse Incident.
A memorial procession?
That was something that could only be done thirty years ago when Objects were not known to the public.
Instead, what transpired was a procession of people fleeing from Seoul.
After all, death was too close for them to be sad.
Meanwhile, those who chose to remain in Seoul demanded many things from the government.
They clamored for the blockade of Songpa-gu and the punishment of those responsible, among other requests.
At that time, a new target of rage was thrown to the public.
It was a report released by a certain detective agency.
The report exposed the numerous deaths that the Central Research Institute covered up.
It also unveiled that human experimentation had been conducted using kidnapped people, in particular individuals with no family or friends.
Furthermore, it shed light on the manipulation of industrial accident statistics within the research institute, accomplished by transferring personnel who met their end during experiments, to other private institutes.
There was also the fact that they had hidden the Hungry Ghost that had killed tens of thousands of people in Seoul Plaza.
Also concealing the fact that the research center in the middle of Seoul was not a normal building but an Object instead.
Additionally, a host of undisclosed cases of corruption came to the fore.
There seemed to be no end to the backlash and anger directed towards the government and the National Object Management Association.
Opinions that ranged from demands for a complete audit of all national research facilities to suggestions that all Objects should be handled exclusively by private research institutes.
Even if the government stated that they were ignorant, their claims fell on disbelieving ears.
***
A certain man was sitting on a chair, puffing on his pipe, inhaling the acrid smoke, before releasing it back into the air.
He had suddenly become a star after exposing the report containing the crimes of the Central Research Institute, but his expression remained dark.
The table in front of him was littered with numerous empty alcohol bottles, while across from him, a woman lay sprawled out, drunk.
Just moments ago, he had been comforting her, as she blamed herself for everything. However, as she lost consciousness, his face grew stiff.
Inside the quiet room, the only sound was the radio playing at a low volume.
There was no mention of the deceased on the radio.
All it talked about was advising listeners to prioritize their own safety and criticism of the government.
They found it extremely amusing.
‘It’s a truly insane world.’
Looking at his tired reflection in the mirror, the man caught a glimpse of a black butterfly that disappeared almost instantly.
With weary eyes, he slowly closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
As soon as he fell asleep, a faint giggle emanated from the gas lamp within the room.
[Has the case been resolved? Resolved? Resolved?]
[It has been resolved.]
[A lot of people died because of Holmes.]
[It is fine. The path of a great detective is one where the flow of blood never ceases.]
[A detective shouldn’t blame himself. Blame himself. Blame yourself.]
[A detective who regrets is not like Holmes.]
[Then was it a failure?]
[It is fine, since the request wasn’t a failure.]
[Then let’s fix it.]
[Even the junior?]
[Even the junior.]
Smoke billowed out of the gas lamp, filling the entire detective agency.
The night echoed with the sound of grinding bones and gushing blood.
***
At dawn, as a blue light shone through, the man opened his eyes, feeling strangely refreshed.
When he opened my eyes, he saw that the detective agency was a mess.
Aside from the scattered liquor bottles, blood and bone fragments covered the floor, making the office look like a murder scene.
Where on earth did all this blood come from?
“Watson, did you drench me in blood again? I told you not to do that.”
In his memory, there was a time when he had been covered in blood like this.
However, the memories of that time were hazy, as if a fog prevented him from recalling them.
“When did I drink this much alcohol? Did the junior drink it alone?”
Meanwhile, Watson watched quietly as the detective, who couldn’t remember anything, grumbled and sorted things out.
A new lightning-shaped scar appeared on his temple, next to an older one.
That same strange scar was also present on the temple of the sleeping junior.
***
On a dark night devoid of moonlight, I finally returned to the Sehee Research Institute.
The Institute was quiet and dark, with only a few people present in the night duty room and security room.
After looking around the Institute, which had a different atmosphere than usual, I entered the research institute.
I had finally returned to the Sehee Research Institute.
Finally, I was back in my containment room!
Indeed, there was no place more comfortable than home.
The saying that leaving home was a hardship applied not only to humans but also to Objects.
By the way, probably because it had gone through a lot inside the sinkhole, the cat kept sleeping on top of my head.
Although it almost woke up a few times due to my fast movements, it seemed to have relaxed after meeting me and just continued to sleep.
I also brought the blue lizard, but I was not sure if this was the right choice or not.
Why? You see, something had already eaten its upper body and fled, leaving only the lower half behind.
Considering its ability to fully regenerate in about a day, I expected it to recover soon.
However, it was still uncertain whether it would be regenerated here or back in the sinkhole in Songpa-gu.
What surprised me the most was the fact that no Objects died because of the collapse.
Just how many vicious Objects were there in the Central Research Institute?
As I turned on the TV, lowering the volume so as not to wake the cat, my face kept appearing on the news.
The public dubbed the incident as the ‘Gray Collapse.’
It was apparent from the name alone. It was called so because it was a collapse caused by the ‘Gray Reaper’.
They were also afraid of me, saying that I was the strongest Object since I could easily defeat the Hungry Ghost.
There were also opinions that a ‘Non-standard’ class should be created to classify Objects that could cause mass destruction like me.
For me, it was a good thing.
If I had that level of notoriety, even people who saw me for the first time would be able to contribute a little to my flame.
In the end, what I got from going to the Central Research Institute was firewood, notoriety, and two Object friends.
Thinking that it was a pretty good harvest, I turned off the TV and surrendered myself to the comfort of the bed.
Working excessively had taken its toll, leaving me exhausted and drowsy.
Well then, good night, everyone.
***
After Reaper’s return, the Sehee Research Institute began to regain its vitality.
The research complex, where Sehee Research Institute was located, was on the outskirts of Songpa-gu.
Perhaps because of that, lots of research institutes which were also located here began to move to other places to avoid danger.
However, Sehee Research Institute and several others decided to stay where they were.
As I looked around the research complex, which looked quite dreary, I understood the true extent of the ruin that had befallen Songpa-gu.
This recent incident marked the second incident that drastically reduced the size of Seoul. The first was the destruction of Dobong-gu which happened about a decade ago.
I remember there was much discussion and discourse during that time.
The Ice Throne, an Object that appeared in Dobong-gu, turned approximately hundred thousand people in Dobong-gu into ice statues overnight.
At that time, there were memorials and mourning.
It felt an overwhelming sorrow had enveloped the people, and society became stagnant as a result.
But people of the current era had grown accustomed to experiencing so much sadness that such displays of collective grief were no longer needed.
Nowadays, we lived in an era where self-preservation and survival are more important than memorializing.
Back then, there was also a lot of anger directed towards the situation.
A lot of politicians vowed to destroy Dobong-gu’s ice throne.
Countless individuals thought of ways to reclaim Dobong-gu.
But people had become too familiar with the weight of loss to actively pursue such matters anymore.
Now, rather than seeking revenge, the thought that it was fine as long as it didn’t happen to them was much more common.
After looking at the dreary and empty research institute, I returned to the director’s office.
