Chapter 144: Honor the Fallen

Looking at her younger sister, Haruno felt an unfamiliar sense of loss.

For some reason, she felt as if she had been defeated.

She turned her gaze toward the Foundation agents and made a decision.

Since Yukino had joined this organization known as the SCP Foundation, then she would join as well.

No matter what, she would protect her little sister.

With her abilities, she should be able to contribute to the Foundation's work.

As the group prepared to exit the venue and head toward the Foundation's extraction point—

A sudden anomaly occurred.

The armed personnel, who had been overwhelming Tomie in combat, suddenly had one among them turn his weapon on his own comrades.

The betrayal was completely unexpected.

But as if anticipating such a possibility, the remaining two members of his three-man unit immediately responded.

They dropped their flamethrowers and swiftly drew their silver-white pistols from their holsters.

The handguns had a strange design, oversized barrels and specialized magazines. Without hesitation, they fired at their treacherous comrade.

There was no deafening gunshot, only the sound of two projectiles slicing through the air.

Two transparent syringe-like rounds embedded themselves in the rogue soldier's body.

The liquid inside the syringes was injected into his bloodstream.

The soldier instantly lost all resistance, collapsing to the ground.

"What's happening?!"

Yukino asked anxiously.

The agent's voice was grim.

"This anomaly possesses a medium-level cognitohazard, which affects individuals at varying speeds depending on their cognitive resistance."

"Before entering, all of our personnel took W-class mnestic supplements to mitigate the effects of the cognitohazard and prevent defection."

"However, the efficacy of W-class mnestics gradually weakens after 30 minutes. Once it fades completely, some personnel may succumb to the anomaly's influence."

"That's why all teams operate in three-man formations, using a triangular stance to monitor each other. Each member is armed with tranquilizer rounds to immediately neutralize any cognitohazard-compromised personnel."

Hearing this, the girls were left speechless.

To think that with only the limited intel provided by Ai Hayasaka—

And within such a short time—

The Foundation had formulated and executed such a meticulous countermeasure.

"This means… we don't have to worry anymore. The Foundation… is incredible."

Yukino murmured in awe.

"This plan, was it devised by an O5 Council member?"

Ai Hayasaka asked in astonishment.

The agent nodded.

Indeed, this operation had been planned by an O5 Council member. However, the agent hadn't disclosed everything.

There was a part of the plan he hoped would never come to pass.

Unfortunately, things don't always go as one wishes.

The affected squad—

Though they had swiftly neutralized their rogue member, he had still managed to inflict damage.

Before collapsing, he had turned his flamethrower on his own teammates, engulfing them in flames.

Wearing fuel tanks on their backs, the two soldiers had no way to roll on the ground to extinguish the fire.

All they could do was rush toward each other in an attempt to smother the flames manually.

At that moment, a Tomie head, flung by another Tomie's growing arm—landed on them, splattering fresh blood everywhere.

Some of the blood seeped into the unconscious soldier's protective suit.

"Terminate C3-6, C3-12, and C3-18 immediately!"

The commanding agent issued the order in a cold yet resolute voice.

The next moment, the two armed personnel who were hit by Tomie's severed head reacted. One of them picked up the head and threw it to the ground.

Holding a flamethrower, he incinerated the head along with his teammate, who was in a state of anesthesia on the ground.

For the anesthetic dart to take effect, it had to penetrate the protective suit.

However, a few drops of Tomie's blood, as if possessing a will of their own, seeped through the gaps in the dart and infiltrated the protective suit.

Moments ago, there were already clear signs of flesh wriggling inside the suit.

Even the smallest gap was enough for Tomie's cells to invade, taking deep root in the victim's body.

With just a breath, Tomie's flesh sprouted and bloomed within the person, using them as an incubator, forming grotesquely beautiful flowers.

There was no saving them.

Meanwhile, the two personnel hit by the severed head had their protective suits burned through due to the flamethrower attack.

On the parts of their bodies that came into contact with Tomie's flesh, Tomie's beautiful face had already begun to form, smiling seductively.

That face was so stunning that it made people feel inferior, as if it were a divine masterpiece.

Yet at this moment, it was the most terrifying thing in the world.

"I am C3-18. My comrades, continue the containment mission! We must not let this anomaly spread. This is our duty as Foundation personnel!"

A sudden voice rang through the communication devices of the team.

It was a gentle, middle-aged voice.

As part of the C3 squad, many people recognized him.

This guy often dragged teammates out for drinks and complained about the poor treatment of armed personnel.

He was the big brother of the C3 squad, known for his hearty laughter and his patience in guiding new recruits.

A fireball erupted in the center of the venue.

C3-18 pulled open the valve of the fuel tank on his back, allowing the flames to engulf his protective suit.

No one could see his expression through the fire and the visor.

The younger members of the team could only vaguely remember his face and that bright, hearty laughter.

At this moment, that face carried unwavering determination and fearless courage, a final lesson from their veteran comrade.

Watching this scene, whether it was Yukino, Kaguya, Hayasaka Ai, or Haruno, they were all deeply shaken.

Tears fell unconsciously.

What kind of conviction, what kind of willpower, was required to march toward death so calmly?

"We contain, we protect. We may fail, but we will never retreat, because behind us stands all of humanity!"

Through the communication device, C3-6 recited the Foundation's code.

Another fireball exploded in the arena...

With that, all three contaminated armed personnel were executed.

The commanding agent's voice was hoarse.

"Continue the anomaly containment mission! The W-class memory supplement is reaching its time limit."

"You cannot take a second W-class memory supplement in a short period. Carefully monitor the status of your teammates."

"If a teammate shows signs of cognitive contamination, sedate them immediately and evacuate them from the anomaly outbreak zone."

"If you are unfortunate enough to be infected by the anomaly, conduct self-termination! Offer your heart for humanity!"

"We contain, we protect! We may fail, but we will never retreat! Honor the fallen!"

Before the agent finished speaking, the armed and agent teams resumed their containment mission.

Inside the venue, fireballs rose frequently, and their occurrence was steadily increasing.

Without the protection of W-class memory supplements, the Foundation's agents and armed personnel could only endure the cognitive hazard with their sheer willpower.

One after another, those destined for death stepped forward, igniting themselves into flames.

As if doing so could illuminate the path ahead for humanity.

Tears and words were stuck in their throats.

Haruno stared blankly at everything happening in the venue.

Could she really handle being a member of the SCP Foundation?

Did she truly possess the courage to die for humanity?

Yukino was equally speechless, unable to utter a single word.

So this was the SCP Foundation?

The usually leisurely yet authoritarian Foundation, was that precious time of peace actually something hard-earned?

The time she had dismissed as wasted was, for these fallen heroes, the most precious moment of their lives?

She had always believed in the justice in her heart.

But was it really justice?

At that moment, a sudden, sharp sound of something slicing through the air echoed.

The venue fell into a sudden silence.

When everyone turned toward the source of the sound, they saw that, at some point, a young man with black wings had appeared above the venue.

"The President has arrived!"

"The fallen gave their lives meaning! We held on!"

"As long as the President is here, the SCP Foundation will never fail! A mere anomaly is nothing!"

The moment Haruto appeared, the heavy, suffocating atmosphere instantly dissipated.

In its place was a wave of relieved cheers.

The SCP Foundation was never an organization that celebrated victory prematurely, it remained cautious until the very end.

The Foundation demanded absolute success, for behind them stood all of humanity, and they could not afford the cost of failure.

But when Haruto appeared, the Foundation personnel instantly relaxed.

Because that was the President!

As long as the President was here, everything would be resolved!

This was a truth passed down among Foundation personnel.

Kaguya looked up, and when she saw that figure, her heart began to race. At the moment of crisis earlier, the figure that flashed before her eyes overlapped with Haruto, who now hovered in the air.

Pressing a hand against her chest, she felt her heartbeat quicken and took a deep breath.

Meanwhile, Yukino looked at Haruto in the sky, her eyes brimming with tears.

The man she once thought was despicable was actually the pillar supporting countless people.

He was someone for whom these people, marching toward death, could cheer the moment they saw him.