Chapter 144: The Burning Drug (3)

After wrapping up my work, I left the deputy director’s office at the Sehee Research Institute and made my way to the sleeping room.

Inside, right in the middle, stood a sturdy containment unit made of tempered glass—the special room built just for the bud.

And sure enough, my hunch was right. Ever since it was moved to the sleeping room, the bud had been looking fresher and livelier every day.

I was grinning at the sight of it when I noticed something odd.

What is that?

I opened the tempered glass and pulled out the flowerpot to check. Next to the bud’s leaves, a small blue fruit had started to form.

As I stared at the fruit, as pretty as a sapphire, I got that prickly feeling—like someone, or something, was watching me.

Blink-! Blink-!

“!”

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I realized the bud had opened its eyes and was staring right at me.

With a big yawn, it let out a tiny giggle, its face all cute and smug, then plucked the fruit and handed it to me.

“You want me to eat it?”

When I took the fruit, the sprout kept miming the motion of putting it in its mouth. Then it shut its eyes again and went back to sleep.

Now, since this was a fruit given by an Object...

Obviously, I shouldn’t eat it. But then again, this was the Mini Reaper variant, so... maybe it’d be okay?

I shook my head furiously, trying to clear away those Oh Yerin-esque thoughts.

But seriously, what was I supposed to do with this fruit?

*********As I walked through the gate, the vast airport spread out before me, sparkling under the soft glow of modern lights. Ooh, shiny!

The terminal was all sophisticated and fancy—minimalist and elegant, like something right out of a brochure. Wide, clean corridors led to several gates. R�

Even the check-in area was all neat and organized, with kiosks everywhere, making sure no one would get lost.

It wasn’t too crowded, which was nice. Mostly, I just saw people who looked like government officials, all busy-busy. Probably because this airport was brand new, built just for the research institute nearby. Fancy stuff.

It was a cool sight and all, but... I wasn’t exactly feeling cheerful.

And the reason...?

Ugh, that smell of coal—ugh, that all-too-familiar scent from the burning Seoul Forest. It was faint, just a little whisper of smoke in the air, but still! It was delicious enough to make me curious. Totally not because I messed up a prank on the Golden Reapers. Nope, not at all.

Maybe my sulking was obvious, because the Golden Reaper, who would usually be bouncing around on my head and playing with my antenna, was now perched on my shoulder, gently stroking my cheek with a worried look.

It was... kinda sweet. I picked it up with my hand, and it reached out to me, beaming like it had just won a prize.

Hmph, how could I stay grumpy after that? I patted the little Golden Reaper on its head and trailed after Yerin, who was already making her way out of the airport.

Outside, a sleek, fancy limousine with the James Research Institute logo was waiting for us. Oooooh, a limo!

When I hopped in with Yerin, I found the inside was just as impressive as the outside—spacious and shiny.

“Wow, the chair is nice and soft.”

Yerin said, shaking my hand like she was closing a big business deal or something. Cute.

“Then, we will be leaving.”

I was busy admiring the sparkly car interior when the secretary sitting across from me spoke up. The car glided forward, smooth and soft, like a cat padding across a plush carpet.

As we rolled out of the nearly empty parking lot, I spotted a crowd gathered near the airport exit.

They were waving papers and shouting at the top of their lungs, all excited about something. The signs were in English, but I could still catch the gist.

< dismantle="" that="" cursed="" barrier!="">

< embrace="" your="" fate!="">

“So, you noticed,” the secretary said, noticing my staring. “That hole constantly distorts space. The closer you get to the center, the worse the distortion. It’s so severe that we haven’t been able to reach the center yet.”

I’d heard about the mysterious tree that could twist time, but this hole? This was on a whole different level.

“Researchers assigned to the Rocky Mountains are shown this sight to humble them. It’s a reminder of just how precarious Earth’s situation is, despite the current peace.”

“That’s... true...” I replied, my voice sounding a bit tired even to my own ears.

The scale of the Object below was so massive it made me feel how small and weak humans really are. I couldn’t help but wonder—will humans really be okay?

But then I glanced over at Reaper, who was sitting beside me, looking so bored. My worries instantly melted away.

Well, the Reaper was invincible, so it’d take care of things, right?

“Aside from the danger from the Objects that live here, it’s actually quite a beautiful sight. It’s also pretty popular.”

I kept my eyes on the swirling pit below. It felt like it was trying to pull me in, and I could catch a whiff of something oily and unpleasant. Yuck.

*********In the shadowy underbelly of the city, where the streets twisted and turned like a labyrinth, a man crept through the darkness.

He had been working undercover for months, unraveling the secrets behind the ‘Object drug’ that was seeping its way through the United States, tainting everything it touched.

And now, at last, the real source of that poison lay before him.

< burning="" steel="" pig="" statue.="">

An Object once unearthed in Korea, now hidden deep beneath American soil.

His heart thundered in his chest, each beat a reminder of the urgency.

He only needed to get out of this place, to bring the truth back to his superiors.

Just one more step, and his mission would be complete. All he had to do was endure the meeting of these doomsday zealots, trapped in their underground sanctuary.

The group’s prayer, laced with sinister devotion, finally ended. The man allowed himself a quiet sigh of relief.

Phew! I can go back safely now.

But fate had no intention of being kind.

A seemingly harmless, middle-aged woman approached him, her smile deceptively warm, as she extended a glass of whiskey toward him.

“How about a drink with me?”

The man hesitated, the unexpected gesture sending a chill down his spine.

The whiskey flickered with a peculiar glow, its surface shimmering like liquid fire.

He raised the glass, and a sweet, intoxicating aroma filled his senses—a scent that had no place in any ordinary liquor. It was unmistakable.

The whiskey was tainted, clearly a product of an Object.

As if to confirm his worst suspicions, the Object detector on his wrist began to blink, the red light flashing a dire warning: Level 1 mind corruption—a perfect brainwash, impossible to resist.

Time seemed to stretch, every second dragging on as the reality of his situation clawed at him.

When did I get caught?

“Did you really think you could fool us?”

The words hit him like a hammer. In a desperate act, he hurled the glass against the wall and spun on his heel, ready to flee.

But he didn’t get far. A gunshot echoed through the room, and pain exploded in his side, driving him to the ground.

His vision swam, the world around him fading as the burning pain spread.

“You should have been more careful, Agent.”

“It’s okay. You won’t die. Not yet, at least. After all, you’ve got to live... To join us, to become one of us.”

Through the encroaching darkness, he saw it—the burning whiskey glass, inching closer, its malevolent glow lighting up the sinister grins of his captors.