Chapter 138: The Extravagant Banquet and the Mysterious Shinomiya Tomie

At the North Foundation Containment Site, within the reinforced containment layer…

The Undying Lizard (SCP-682) was now completely submerged in hydrochloric acid.

The 5m × 5m × 5m acid-resistant alloy container was sealed shut.

[Successfully contained anomaly: Undying Lizard (SCP-682).]

[Containment Level: Tier 5 - Apocalyptic. Containment Status: Stable.]

[Reward: One Tier-5 Lottery Draw.]

The miniature Undying Lizard made no attempt to resist.

In fact, ever since Haruto had erased 87% of its mass, the creature had remained utterly docile.

Watching SCP-682 completely submerged, the site director of the North Foundation Containment Site finally let out a deep sigh of relief.

He had only recently been promoted to a Level-4 personnel—his abilities were sufficient, but his experience was lacking.

And yet, as soon as the North Foundation Site was established, the very first anomaly they encountered was an apocalyptic-level threat like SCP-682.

It was utterly terrifying.

"If not for the President, this containment mission would have come at an unimaginable cost."

The site director wiped the cold sweat from his forehead as he spoke.

This was not an attempt at flattery but a genuine sentiment of admiration. In the Foundation, flattery was the least necessary thing.

Such behavior was meaningless, the Foundation was not a social organization; it operated on absolute principles.

Haruto waved his hand dismissively.

"For an anomaly of this level, being able to promptly identify its traits and find countermeasures is already commendable. The Foundation evolves by learning from each containment experience, continuously improving so that we can protect all of humanity."

Hearing this, the site director nodded in deep agreement.

The President's words were simply the absolute truth!

At this moment, however, Haruto's thoughts remained focused on the Immortal Reptile.

This massive lizard had been classified as a Level 5 containment object, designated as an apocalyptic-level threat.

In other words, if left unchecked, the Immortal Reptile would bring about a catastrophe on the scale of the world's end—at the very least, it would lead to human extinction.

And this assessment was clearly accurate.

If the Immortal Reptile's early-stage evolution had not been identified and restricted in time, then in an incredibly short period, it would have evolved to a level where causing an apocalypse would be effortless.

The containment of the Immortal Reptile granted Haruto a Level 5 lottery draw.

Combined with the Level 5 lottery from the previous containment of the Guardian Deity, Haruto now had two in his possession.

The chance of drawing a red-tier reward in a Level 5 lottery was 10%.

Although even a Level 5 red-tier reward couldn't grant complete Supreme Divinity,

even fragmented divinity with a 10% probability was still highly tempting.

However, Haruto didn't rush to use it.

Better to rely on a bit of superstition, he'd wait for Kanako to return and draw while holding the "lucky charm."

Another matter that caught Haruto's attention was that the Immortal Reptile was almost impossible to kill.

Even when Haruto personally intervened, he couldn't find a definitive way to execute it.

Under the power of the world, time was frozen, and Haruto reduced 87% of the Immortal Reptile's mass.

He didn't stop because he wanted to spare the creature.

Rather, he had a premonition, if he continued erasing its physical body, it would trigger some kind of irreversible change.

And that change would be detrimental not just to Haruto but to the entire world.

That was why he halted.

Aside from this strange intuition, the Immortal Reptile retained awareness even in frozen time.

That, too, was astonishing.

Haruto's world power was derived from fragmented Supreme Divinity.

Only Supreme Divinity could resist Supreme Divinity.

This led Haruto to suspect that the Immortal Reptile also possessed some form of fragmented Supreme Divinity.

It simply had not fully manifested yet.

To investigate the potential existence of Supreme Divinity...

It was foreseeable that the Foundation would conduct a series of experiments centered around the Immortal Reptile.

Since it was nearly impossible to kill...

The goal of the experiments would be to find a way to execute it.

With this thought in mind, Haruto nodded in agreement with himself.

"SCP-682 has no research value, is extremely dangerous, and frequently breaches containment."

"Given these characteristics, the SCP Foundation must eliminate SCP-682 as soon as possible."

"From now on, the Northern Site will be responsible for containing SCP-682 while also monitoring other Foundation containment subjects."

"Consider viable execution methods, if necessary, utilize interactions with other anomalies to expedite the process."

"Uh... of course, execution experiments must be reported to the O5 Council and approved before proceeding. That's it—I have high expectations for you!"

After speaking, Haruto patted the site director on the shoulder.

The site director immediately nodded firmly.

"Yes, President! I will find a way to execute SCP-682 as soon as possible!"

Haruto nodded in satisfaction and instinctively took out his phone.

The screen showed a string of missed calls.

Earlier, he had been focused on containing SCP-682.

Facing an anomaly suspected to have fragmented Supreme Divinity, even Haruto couldn't afford to be careless.

He had to give it his full attention.

So, when his phone rang, he had ignored it, only now did he notice.

Most of the missed calls were from Ririka.

Haruto glanced at the time and let out a deep sigh, rubbing his forehead.

The financial conglomerate gala in Chiba had already been going on for a while. And he, invited by Shinomiya Kaguya, had failed to show up.

He had even asked Ririka to go in his place; and now, he had completely bailed on her.

That left Haruto feeling a bit helpless.

But there was no choice, containing an apocalyptic-level anomaly had to take priority over having fun.

He scrolled further down the missed calls.

Hayasaka Ai had also called several times.

Haruto guessed she was probably calling to question why he had stood them up.

Continuing down the list...

"Yukinoshita?"

Seeing a call from Yukinoshita Yukino, Haruto frowned in confusion.

Why would she call him?

In his impression, Yukino found his playful attitude rather distasteful.

Despite being forced to join the Foundation due to two encounters with anomalies, she showed no reverence toward Haruto as the President.

So why was she calling?

Then, as he scrolled to the very last entry, Haruto's expression darkened.

It was a special call notification.

No number.

No origin.

No information at all.

As if it were a ghost call.

The only identifier was the caller name displayed:

O5-2.

This was a special security measure used by O5 Council members.

Any information from an O5 member was untraceable.

The recipient would receive only the intended message, nothing else. No phone number, no call origin, no time or duration.

If answered, the voice on the other end would be electronically altered, devoid of tone, making it impossible to determine gender or age.

It was even uncertain whether the call was personally made by an O5 member or simply an automated message they had set up.

This Twin Star (Level 5 Security Clearance) mechanism was currently only used by Erwin.

And Erwin, being the only O5 member aside from Haruto, would only make such a call for something of utmost importance.

Haruto immediately called back.

Meanwhile...

Let's rewind time to a few hours earlier.

The gala hosted by the Shinomiya family and two other financial conglomerates was in the final stages of preparation.

The venue was so lavish it was almost blinding.

The red carpet underfoot was made of a special silk velvet from the City of Rome, worth more than gold.

The chandeliers above reflected light off massive, rare diamond raw stones.

The tables and chairs scattered throughout were handcrafted from top-grade nanmu wood, showcasing both exquisite materials and masterful craftsmanship.

This setting could only be described as extravagant beyond reason.

Yet, Kaguya seemed extremely displeased.

Everyone knew the Shinomiya family was wealthy.

But Kaguya never considered flaunting wealth in such a manner to be a wise strategy.

Showing off riches was meant to provoke desire in others.

But to this degree of indulgence?

Kaguya saw no benefit whatsoever.

Furthermore, the Shinomiya family had never done something like this before.

"That adopted daughter again? Shinomiya Tomie?"

Kaguya frowned and asked Hayasaka Ai.

Hayasaka Ai, however, subtly signaled her to keep quiet.

Kaguya was instantly alarmed.

She suddenly recalled the recent assassination attempt on her.

A portion of the Shinomiya family's authority had been handed over to an adopted daughter. And this adopted daughter had used that authority to openly order an assassination attempt on the true heiress of the Shinomiya family.

It was absurd.

But it had happened.

And now, Kaguya couldn't even speak freely about it.

"Milady, it seems this gala was arranged by the Shinomiya family to officially announce Tomoe's existence. Furthermore, the other two families appear to have similar intentions, the entire setup of this venue was a joint effort among all three families. The situation is peculiar, so please be patient. I've already sent people to investigate."

Hayasaka Ai lowered her voice.

Kaguya exhaled deeply and nodded.

She had endured for the sake of the family before, she could do so again. She understood the necessity of bowing to circumstances.

Yet, her frustration was growing.

Just then, Hayasaka's phone vibrated.

She took it out and found a message from her investigator.

However, upon reading its contents, her expression darkened.

What the hell is this?!

Hayasaka had sent out several private investigators.

Now, the report stated that many of them had gone mad and were executed by the Shinomiya family.

Only one had managed to send back his findings.