Seoul Object Story - 115 chapter - Trinity's Third Laboratory (5)

James stepped into the sleek and immaculately maintained international airport.

The airport staff greeted him with polite bows as he disembarked from his private jet.

"Finally, I’ve arrived in Korea."

It was only his second visit, but it felt strangely familiar.

Maybe it was the bond he had formed after surviving near-death experiences here, or perhaps it was the lingering effects of the mental contamination caused by the "Lake Object."

Behind James, four tense bodyguards followed closely.

The Association had assigned them to him because he was transporting another 0-level relic.

For James, this was a good thing.

After the last Object terror incident, he wanted to come better prepared, and the Association had provided him with reliable personnel.

As he passed through the automatic doors and entered the arrivals hall, a familiar face greeted him.

"Oh! It's been so long, great to see you!"

James expressed his delight by hugging the translator who had shared hardships with him at the pudding factory.

"Ah, yes. Good to see you too, James."

However, the translator didn’t seem particularly happy, wearing a somewhat somber expression.

"Hmm? Is something wrong?"

"This time, do you even need a translator?"

The translator responded with a slightly gloomy face.

"Also, I had a nightmare. A really unsettling one, so I feel anxious."

"You're worried there’ll be another incident like the one at the factory, huh?"

James laughed heartily and patted the translator on the back.

"No need to worry. This time, I’ve brought a solid security team with me. There won’t be any major issues."

As James turned to glance at the four bodyguards, they nodded curtly at the translator, their expressions emotionless but their alertness evident.

The translator felt somewhat reassured by the professionalism of the bodyguards, who were constantly aware of their surroundings.

"There's no way we'll be caught up in another incident, right? Haha."

With a more relaxed expression, the translator guided James and his group.

The first thing James did upon arriving in Korea was check the current location of the Gray Reaper.

After all, the pudding factory, the 0-level relic he brought—it all revolved around the Gray Reaper, so it was only natural.

The translator made a call to Sehee Lab, confirming a few details.

"The Gray Reaper has been transferred to 'Trinity Lab.' It’ll take about a week for it to return to Sehee Lab. What should we do?"

"I’ve heard that unlike in the U.S., you can view Objects at Korean research labs as long as you file a request. Let’s head to Trinity Lab, then."

James’s bulletproof vehicle turned toward Gwanak-gu, where Trinity Lab was located.

The woman, whose head had been smashed, began to bubble and transform, turning into a monstrous creature made entirely of blades.

Her arms and legs stretched out like long, sharp blades, with no fingers or toes in sight.

It was as if molten metal had been twisted into a grotesque form.

In the space separated by the partitions, the massive Object loomed over me.

Its jagged teeth clattered together, creating a terrifying atmosphere.

If I looked like that, scaring people would be a lot easier!

As I entertained this random thought, the blade-like arm swung toward me at high speed.

Despite the horrifying speed of the sharp blade, it was still just a physical attack.

I could easily avoid it by shifting into ghost form, making the attack meaningless.

But then, an unfamiliar noise stopped me in my tracks.

Beeeeeeep!

"!!!"

Just as I tried to use my ghost form, a loud, piercing sound echoed, catching me off guard.

Because of that, I failed to ghost and got hit by the blade, sending me flying into the wall.

Beeeeeeeep!

Every time I tried to use my ghost form, the irritating sound blared again. It seemed like a sound that only spirits could hear, meant to block ghost abilities.

Interesting.

I was a bit surprised that Korea had developed such technology. I thought only the U.S. created things like this.

If an Object that relied solely on ghost form were around, this would be a real nuisance.

The Golden Reapers would probably just end up as sturdy, adorable punching bags if this sound filled the area around them.

Luckily, it seemed that if I forced it, I could still use ghost form, but there was no point in doing that while enduring such an annoying sound.

Besides, with my immunity to physical attacks, the blade assaults from that Object weren’t much of a threat.

As the blade Object’s desperate attacks continued, the situation inside the partition began to change.

Bubbling.

Transparent bubbles started emerging from all around.

Despite their light appearance, the bubbles were incredibly heavy and solid.

What’s with all the bubbles all of a sudden?

In the control room of Trinity Lab.

The head of security stared intently at the monitor with a serious expression.

When he saw the Gray Reaper get flung back by the deputy director’s attack, a sly smile crept onto his face.

"As expected, it can’t use ghost form. This significantly raises our chances of hunting the Gray Reaper."

The monitoring staff grinned and added, "From the looks of it, the Gray Reaper has been completely neutralized. Do you think the deputy director might actually win?"

"No, I don’t think that will happen."

Even though the Gray Reaper on screen looked like it was being tossed around like a leaf in the wind, the head of security was confident in his assessment.

"Deploy the bubbles immediately."

It was a decision made after observing the Gray Reaper’s calm, almost bored expression.

Bubbling.

The bubbles continued to fill the partitioned area.

Made from an Object that was almost impossible to burst, the bubbles were designed to contain high-risk entities like the Agu.

While they were primarily meant to handle the likes of Agu, they seemed to work even more effectively on the deputy director.

Soon, the bubbles filled the entire space inside the partition.

Unable to move, the deputy director clacked her blade-like teeth together in frustration.

It looked like she wanted to say something, or perhaps scream in anger, but couldn’t.

"It seems the deputy director has even lost her ability to speak."

She thrashed about, wildly swinging her bladed limbs, but it was all in vain.

On the other hand, the Gray Reaper seemed quite relaxed.

Unlike the deputy director, the Gray Reaper was leisurely enjoying the bubbles, moving its limbs around as if it were in a ball pit.

Though the Gray Reaper appeared to be having fun, its movement was undeniably restricted by the bubbles.

Satisfied with how the bubbles had sufficiently limited the Gray Reaper’s mobility, the head of security gave the order.

"Initiate the destruction test in section D-15, where the Gray Reaper is contained."

"But won’t the deputy director get caught in it too?"

"She’s a necessary sacrifice."

The head of security issued the command without any hint of regret.

"And send in the strike team to attack the hostages. The Objects guarding them seem to be connected to the Gray Reaper, so take a defensive stance."

The monitor showed intense flames engulfing the space within the partition, flames capable of melting even an evolved Agu.

As he observed the Gray Reaper’s calm expression amidst the high heat, the head of security thought to himself:

‘If it’s really protecting the hostages, it’ll show some reaction to an attack. Let’s see how long it can stay so relaxed.’

I watched the Blue Reapers playing with my daughter.

Seeing her bright smile made my worries disappear, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

In truth, I had a vague understanding of the situation.

In the corner, there was an old man with a broken neck, and we were still trapped inside the dangerous "Trinity Lab."

Even if I wanted to call for help, all our electronic devices had been confiscated.

We couldn’t leave, and the situation was unsettling, but I didn’t feel anxious.

The Blue Reapers were likely the reason.

I didn’t know why they were making humans feel at ease and happy, but for now, I had no choice but to accept it.

Bang!

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out.

My daughter collapsed to the ground.

I rushed over in a panic, but thankfully, she was unharmed.

However, the Blue Reaper that had taken the bullet instead of her was not so lucky.

"Ah... Daddy, the Reaper is hurt!"

One side of the Blue Reaper’s body had been torn apart, and it lay weakly in my daughter’s hand.

Glowing liquid dripped from it like blood, and incomprehensible symbols flickered faintly.

The other Blue Reapers, who had been playing with the children, flew into a frenzy and quickly erected a barrier made of water droplets.

As soon as the water barrier was in place, a barrage of bullets rained down upon it.

The giant water Reaper that had been used as a trampoline stood up and began gathering people in its arms to shield them.

Boom!

The deafening sound of gunfire, far louder than normal, echoed every time a bullet struck the water droplets.

"Dad, what do we do?"

My daughter looked up at me, anxious.

The Blue Reaper closed its eyes and began to crumble into dust.

<Mom...>

At that moment, its one remaining arm stretched out toward something, but it fell limp to the ground.

And then, at that instant...

The sky split open.

No, it looked as if space itself had been torn apart.