Chapter 7
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 7Object Head (6)
March 4th, daytime.
They are coming up swarming like a colony of ants. Every single one of them holding a camera. Eyes blinded not by curiosity for the unknown, but for video angles.
Perhaps because large and small energies have gathered in one place. The evil spirits, unable to easily think of clinging to them, hold their breath.
I climbed a tree before being spotted by them. It wasn't a relatively difficult task to climb to a high place using my long arms and legs. I was worried if the tree would bear my weight. Perhaps because I'm an anomaly that shouldn't be considered by human standards, I seem to be lighter than I look. After hiding in the tree, I killed the flame as weakly as possible.
"Hey! Found the abandoned house! It's here!" "That's the place from the video, right?" "Go inside!"
They explore the inside of the abandoned house as they please. They also search every nook and cranny of the surroundings thoroughly. Seeing them so desperate even though it wasn't an official profession, it felt like watching an uncontrollable riot of madness.
'I can't stay here anymore.'
Once a space is compromised, this kind of situation will continue to repeat itself in the future. I can't hide like this every time they swarm in. I might have to seriously consider leaving soon. As for where to go, I should think about it after I leave for now.
"There's nothing here, though?" "Fuck! See! I told you it was fabricated!" "Stop whining and search more! We haven't even looked through the whole mountain yet."
Maybe their stress index is high because it rained. Every one of them tends to have raised voices. They were all on edge, as if they would all swarm and trample someone if they even met eyes wrong once.
Two men stop and pant right under the tree I am perched on. One guy, who was looking up the mountain resentfully, sat leaning his back against the tree.
"Hey. What if it's really not here?" "Then those Hunting bastards fabricated it! Let's pump out a call-out video! Just stab them with the intention of burying them completely." "But experts confirmed there was no manipulation. If we do it wrong, the backlash will hit us." "...Ah, whatever. Just filming what happened today will be a jackpot. You know all the algorithms are focused on the Object Head right now." "Haa, if we wrongly jump on a trend one more time, we're gonna die. Fuck. Hawk~ tuah!"
The guys with inherently foul mouths climbed the mountain again after a brief rest. I, who was right above their heads, thought deeply.
'So it really was leaked.'
I don't know how they filmed it, but YouTubers are YouTubers. They made such a fuss yesterday, yet they filmed everything in the midst of it all, huh. Now that it's come to this, humans are actually scarier.
'I should start soon.'
I looked down at the ground.
Rainwater flowing over the soil. Gathered puddles. Wet blades of grass and dirt.
I focused my mind. I focus my intense heat on all the moisture on the mountain.
'First, that one as a test.'
Before executing it in earnest, I made a small puddle right below my test subject.
I concentrated the flame. I concentrated my focus of wanting to burn something onto the puddle. At first, only bubbles rose up, making me wonder if it wouldn't work, but.
Hiiissssss-
The puddle boils and evaporates in an instant. The white vapor that rose along with the blazing heat naturally became one with the fog.
'It works. Thank goodness.'
The experiment perfectly accomplished the desired situation. Now, what follows is entirely up to my power. Because it's my first time trying it, I feel worried, and if the power is excessive, it could harm people instead. I need to be careful not to create a situation where someone gets hurt.
'Hoooooo-.'
Since I have no mouth, it was the moment I was trying to concentrate while letting out a sigh inwardly.
"Hey, hey! Stop right there! Do not go up!"
A shout that sounds like it's going to explode from being pickled in annoyance bursts out from the lower part of the mountain. Along with that sound, some YouTubers go down the mountain, or someone hurriedly runs up.
'What's going on. Who is it that they're acting like that?'
I focused my vision. The YouTubers are suddenly lining up obediently below. Perhaps tense, their breathing is irregular and their hearts are beating fast. Some are whimpering as if scared.
The culprits are two people.
'It's the police.'
It was those police officers who often came here on patrol. They, too, are full of annoyance, as if they don't like the current situation. One police officer controls the personnel from below, while the other police officer comes up, pushing through the muddy dirt.
'I'm declining any more coming in.'
I wish they would stop swarming in now. Because I'm getting fed up with it too.
The police officer, who managed to struggle his way up, approached the vicinity of the tree I was in. Because he got wet and came up while pushing through the mud, he must be quite exhausted. The greatly angered police officer took something out from inside his raincoat.
'That is?'
It's a megaphone. Holding the wired receiver microphone in his other hand, the police officer delivered a loud voice to the entire mountain.
"Ah, ah, as of this time, all personnel on this mountain are requested to descend immediately. We are currently planning to restrict access to this area, so we kindly ask for your cooperation."
The YouTubers stir at the news they heard.
"We inform you that you may be arrested if you do not follow instructions. Therefore, we kindly ask for your cooperation."
While there are YouTubers descending the mountain, there are also YouTubers stubbornly hiding. To think people wouldn't listen to that extent. Even I clicked my tongue. Not stopping there, the police officer inevitably ends up finding the hiding people.
But it's hard to see an end to this. The police officer is controlling the people with quite some determination, but it's impossible for him to control the entire mountain alone. Ultimately, an effective method is needed.
'I'm sorry, but I'll have to step forward here.'
I'm not ignoring the police officer's hard work. I'm just doing this to protect my residence. Though I plan to leave once this is over.
I brought up the concentration I had stopped earlier again. The range is the entire mountain. To prevent harming people, I dropped powerful concentration solely on the moisture on the ground.
Hiiiiiiiisssssss-
Boiling sounds rain down from everywhere on the mountain. As the moisture begins to evaporate, the vapor rising from the ground merges with the fog. The moderately set fog thickens and slowly swallows the mountain.
"Wh-what's going on all of a sudden?"
The startled police officer freaks out at the change that occurred. Because of the vapor from evaporated water, the humidity went up and it even got hotter. The police officer unbuttons his raincoat.
Reactions of freaking out at the incomprehensible phenomenon follow one after another from all directions as well. The fog, thickened to the point where one couldn't easily see ahead, easily isolated people and manifested a phenomenon that visually trapped them.
The police officer, sensing things are unusual, pulls out a gun. Looking closely, it seems to be a taser, not the handgun I know.
"Everyone, carefully descend the mountain! Don't rush and take it slow!"
A police officer is indeed a police officer. Even while his own mind is wavering from fear, he prioritizes the evacuation of the people. I lightly tossed a compliment of excellence to applaud such a mindset.
Bzzzzz-
A static noise rings out. It was a sound from the megaphone the police officer was holding. Sometimes placing a microphone wrong can cause static, but I accurately detected an alien reaction.
'I think it just reacted because of me.'
The startled police officer aims behind him, aims ahead, and shows anxious behavior. Regardless of him, my gaze was fixed solely on the megaphone.
'Is it possible that I can interfere with a machine like a megaphone?'
It's a vocalization truly fitting for an urban legend. This is worth testing out. I made up my mind and tried it.
'Aaaah-'
Bzzzzzz-
The test was successful. If I use that megaphone, I can execute a plan even more fitting for an urban legend. The police officer, violently startled once again, suddenly checks the megaphone and feels relieved by himself.
"What a fright. That scared me."
Let's use it.
'Get- out!' "Zzzz- zzz- Get──out."
A voice comes out. Because the sound quality is broken and mixed with mechanical noise, the voice cannot be accurately distinguished. Instead, I can definitely dominate the atmosphere. To the point where the police officer would throw the megaphone in a fit of emotion.
The megaphone plunged into the mud. The police officer stares at the megaphone vacantly. I spoke again.
"Zzzz- Get──out." "Wh... Wh-wha...... What is it. What is it, fuck. What is it, fuuuck!" "Get──out!"
I screamed and even raised my tone. It's fascinating. Finally, I can speak too. It's not words coming out of my throat, but finally, I too have obtained a way to accurately convey my opinion to someone.
When I raise my tone, the tone gets louder. When I put emotion into it, emotion is imbued in the voice.
An action that might be natural to someone. But to me, it was something naturally unobtainable. These rewards I gain as each day passes might be nothing special, but to me, they are very valuable rewards. However, I don't know the reason why the voice drags on. Whether it's because I'm not good at speaking, or if it's an unavoidable natural phenomenon.
"I──SAID──GET──OUT!" "Uwaaaaaaak!"
The police officer, eventually swallowed by extreme terror, ultimately couldn't overcome it and began running down the mountain. Starting with him, the YouTubers all around also cry and wail while running down the mountain. Without leaving a single person behind, everyone. Creating an atmosphere of fear is this powerful.
'It's a relief the plan worked out well.'
I came down from the tree and headed down towards the road.
The people are leaving. Just as they did when they entered, this time the vehicles compete to go first and exit the mountain. I came down the mountain and stood on the small cliff overlooking the little yard.
The police car holding its position until the very end before moving. I stared intently at the vehicle and watched to see if they were completely leaving.
When it became quiet again, as if it had never been so crowded, I also turned around and climbed the mountain. The shower stopped too. The fog covering the mountain also slowly thins out.
'It's here.'
The megaphone stuck in the ground. I picked it back up and brushed off the dirt.
'Ah-.' "Zzzz- Ah──."
I can hear it. It works. Words come out. I was deeply moved.
Finally, a condition has arisen where I can speak too. With this, having conversations with people is also possible.
'The sad part is that this operates on batteries.'
Once the battery is depleted, this megaphone will become a useless lump of machinery. Since there's no way to get batteries, let's use it as sparingly as possible. I turned the power off the megaphone.
Click.
Ever since the Object Head video was uploaded, the internet was in an uproar. Generally, there were many opinions that the video in question was fabricated. Even though experts gave assurance that there were no suspicions of manipulation, that public opinion showed no sign of decreasing. Eventually, as the location where the Object Head was discovered was leaked, YouTubers visiting the hotly debated location appeared like mushrooms after rain.
The first day's exploration. Naturally, people hoped that this many YouTubers would prove it was fabricated. However, the returning answers were completely unexpected results.
'It seems to be really real.' 'I didn't see the Object Head. But there were strange phenomena.' 'A bizarre voice was heard incredibly loud.' 'The police made that! You guys were tricked!' 'How are you going to explain the sudden fog? Are you going to call that fabricated too? There were dozens of people caught up in the anomaly at that time!' 'Currently, that location has gone under control by the police side. You cannot approach it carelessly.' 'If the police are blocking it, doesn't it mean it's not fake?' 'Stop fabricating. The police blocked it because YouTubers were causing a nuisance.' 'I think it's real. There are a few people who witnessed the Object Head when coming out of the mountain.' 'Provide evidence. I won't believe it without evidence.' 'It's real. Then how are you going to explain the phenomenon that day?'
YouTube and all communities buzzing with discussion in full swing. It is a serious issue that is at risk of escalating beyond just internet talk into an uncontrollable social problem. This news quickly reached the ears of Inspector Go Jin-tae, the head of the police substation.
"……." "……."
Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock.
A heavy silence flows through the substation, quiet enough to hear the ticking of the clock's second hand. Go Jin-tae, with a serious expression, is watching the first video that started the situation on his computer, and in front of him, the senior police officer sat waiting with a gloomy expression.
Tap.
Pressing the spacebar to stop the video, Go Jin-tae leaned against the backrest and rubbed his face with both hands.
"Uuuuuh…."
It's a headache, too much of a headache. Even Inspector Go Jin-tae, who has an 11-year police career, is experiencing a situation like this for the first time in his life.
"To think I'd get swept up in something like this in all my life." "……." "Sergeant Jeong Ho-yeon." "Yes, Chief."
The senior police officer. His name is Jeong Ho-yeon. His rank is Sergeant. He possesses quite an extensive career in his own right, and though he frequently gets scolded for slacking off, he is a capable figure whose absence would leave a hole in the substation. He occasionally causes trouble, but even that tends to bring vitality to a local substation like this every now and then.
However, this time, it is an issue that cannot be taken at the level of vitality. Go Jin-tae clutched his scarce hair, then flinched and let go.
"Ho-yeon-ah." "Yes, Chief." "What on earth is this uproar? Huh?"
Jeong Ho-yeon kept his mouth firmly shut, as if he had nothing to say. He wanted to cover up the situation on his end, but controlling YouTubers was indeed impossible. The incident from yesterday heated up the communities again before even a few hours had passed. Thanks to that, all attention ended up being focused on the area and the police officer in charge.
"Why didn't you report this accurately?" "I tried to report it, but…… the Lieutenant scolded me, asking how I was supposed to submit this as a report." "Haa-…. Lieutenant Choi. This inflexible moron."
He understands. If they submitted a report that YouTubers flocked due to an unknown entity and they controlled them, they wouldn't have anything to say even if they got slapped. Therefore, they controlled YouTubers who came to film dangerous wild animals. They submitted a report only to that extent, but out of all things, contents completely different from the report were uploaded on the internet. In the end, higher-ups put pressure on Inspector Go Jin-tae. The mountain in question was placed under access restriction, and a search order was issued to figure out the situation as soon as possible.
"Since it's obvious things will get messy if an external investigation team comes, we've decided to form a search team on our end and verify it." "……." "What's with your expression?" "Um…… Inspector? I think it will be quite dangerous there."
Perhaps losing his temper for a moment, Go Jin-tae slammed his desk with a Bang!.
"Hey, you bastard! What do you mean dangerous! If we half-ass this, both you and I are fucked! Do you want to be fucked right now, or have your future fucked?" "H-but I saw it. Something scary is living there."
At Jeong Ho-yeon's dissuasion, Go Jin-tae spoke almost as if pleading.
"Yeah, I know. Ho-yeon-ah, I know. You said it earlier, right? That a bastard with a blue head is living there. That's why we're going, isn't it. Let's figure it out and handle it ourselves before the higher-ups make a move personally." "I'm sorry. I really am scared." "Scared? Then do you want to be hospitalized like Sung-woo too?"
Constable Kim Sung-woo. He is the cherished junior police officer who practically stuck with Jeong Ho-yeon during activities. Ever since the incident yesterday, he had seizures and complained of intense psychological stress, leading to his current hospitalization in a psychiatric ward.
"The higher-ups laid down a threat to be prepared if we don't figure this out properly. I'll form a search team with the guys and go later, so you get ready too." "……."
Inspector Go Jin-tae, who was yelling, felt his heart soften because the guy who was normally confident and slack off was unusually intimidated. It's because he's a guy who gets scolded more than the youngest, but he's grown fond of him just as much as he scolded him.
Eventually, he reached forward and warmly patted Jeong Ho-yeon's shoulder.
"It's okay, man. I'm going too, and the other guys are going together, so don't be too scared. Whatever is there, we'll go and check if it's a ghost or not. It's definitely someone playing a prank, so don't worry about it." "I'm sorry for always causing trouble." "This isn't trouble you caused this time. I know you tried to resolve it. Sung-woo will recover soon too, so at least you cheer up. Even if things get blown out of proportion, I'll take all the responsibility."
The YouTube video playing on the computer left neglected while comforting him. The paused screen clearly captured the Object Head with its blue blazing head. An unpleasant and fascinating scene that even raises suspicions of being fake because it's so clear and accurate.
At that moment, the screen went down with a message popping up in real-time saying the video had been deleted.