I created a foundation

"You will be exposed to real combat techniques and learn how to use the powers you may have or will soon be given."

"You will understand how insignificant humans are in this universe. And how terrifying and treacherous the anomalies lurking around us are."

Yukino's tone was calm, yet it carried a chilling sense of oppression.

"The elimination rate in the training camp is 70 percent."

"Some of you may collapse because you can't bear the mental pressure, and choose to have the relevant memories erased. Like an ignorant person, you return to your original daily life in a daze."

"Some people may be deemed unfit because they cannot meet the most basic physical or skill standards, and may also face amnesia and deportation."

"Someone might even pay a heavy price and be stuck there forever due to a moment of negligence or lack of skills during simulated confrontation training."

She turned around and looked at the three people again, with a look of scrutiny in her eyes.

"Remember, the Foundation doesn't support useless people, and we don't need any burdens."

"The only one you can rely on is yourself."

"Your will, your sweat, the potential you unleashed in desperate situations, and your tiny bit of luck."

"How far I can go, what kind of power I can gain, whether I can become a full-fledged member who can stand on my own, or whether I will be ruthlessly eliminated, does not depend on me, and certainly not on the President."

"It all depends on you, whether you are qualified to control your own destiny and face the reality of this world."

There was a brief silence in the room.

All three of them had solemn expressions on their faces.

Xueno's words were like a cold carving knife, stripping away all their unrealistic fantasies about the future one by one.

Only the most naked and cruel reality remains.

Yukinoshita Yukino looked at them, and finally, in a tone that was emotionless and like a declaration, she said:

"Welcome to the real world."

Chapter 130: "Recognition" from the President! "Stone Statue" from the Universe

The night was like spilled ink, thickly covering the Tokyo sky.

When Yukinoshita Yukino stepped back into the heavy alloy door of the foundation headquarters, a hint of paleness had already appeared in the eastern sky.

After a sleepless night, the intense fighting and the high mental concentration, her fair cheeks were obviously tired, and a faint blue shadow was cast under her eyelids.

But her back remained straight, as strong as a cedar, and her black uniform outlined her slender yet powerful body.

The air still lingered with the smell of gunpowder and a hint of blood. That was the smell of last night's battlefield, which she had now brought back to this fortress that represented order and shelter.

The corridor was brightly lit and so quiet that she could hear her slightly rapid breathing.

Without stopping for a moment, she walked straight to the chairman's office on the top floor.

Every step she took on the mirror-like floor reflected her slightly hurried figure.

The report in my mind had already been prepared, and every detail, every judgment, and every decision had been repeatedly deduced in my mind.

She knew that this mission was of extraordinary significance, not only because she had successfully contained the "Nightmare Ghost", but also because she had independently led and completed the handling of an S-level abnormal event for the first time, and even brought back three potential newcomers.

The elevator rose silently, and the numbers jumping on the screen also stirred her somewhat confused mood.

Finally, the elevator doors slid open.

Outside Lin Qing's office, the secretary respectfully opened the door for her.

"Team Leader Yukinoshita, the chairman is waiting for you."

Yukino nodded slightly, took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in her heart, and walked in.

The furnishings in the office are as simple and technological as ever. Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the morning light is trying to dispel the last of the darkness and give this sleeping city a golden edge.

Lin Qing was standing in front of the window, with his back to her, as if overlooking the world below him.

Hearing footsteps, he slowly turned around.

His eyes were calm, yet seemed to be able to see through everything.

"came back."

Three simple words, without any extra emotion.

"Yes, Chairman."

Yukino stood at attention, her voice clear and steady, trying her best to hide her fatigue.

She held out the encrypted data tablet in her hands.

"This is the complete report on the Sleeping Beauty incident. It includes an analysis of SCP-013 - Nightmare Ghost's abilities, a recap of the battle, and the reasons why I decided to recruit Hayato Hayama, Yumiko Miura, and Himena Ebina. Please review it."

Lin Qing took the data board, but did not check it immediately. Instead, he gestured for her to sit on the sofa beside her.

Xueno hesitated for a moment, but still sat down as she was told, but her body remained slightly tense.

Lin Qing then sat down behind the large desk and lightly tapped the smooth surface of the data pad with his slender fingers.

The light screen lit up, and dense text and data flowed across it.

The office fell into extreme silence.

The only sounds were the imperceptible swish of pages turning on the data slate, and the occasional murmur of the city awakening from outside the window, attenuated to the extreme by the soundproof glass.

Yukino lowered her eyes, placed her hands on her knees, and curled her fingertips unconsciously.

She could feel Lin Qing's eyes fixed on every word of the report.

Time passes by second by second, and every second seems to be infinitely stretched.

She reviewed the report again in her mind.

Her analysis of Nightmare's abilities was as detailed and objective as possible, listing out everything from its scope of influence, mental penetration methods, weaknesses, to its potential value.

She did not hide a single thing when reviewing the battle process, including her initial underestimation of the enemy, the dangerous situations in the middle, and how she used psychological tactics and teamwork to achieve the difficult victory in the end.

As for recruiting the three people, Hayato Hayama, it was the most daring decision she had ever made. In her report, she elaborated on the special potential and strong will they had demonstrated in her dreams, as well as the value they could bring to the Foundation, especially Hayato Hayama's near-precognitive intuition.

She didn't know what Lin Qing would think.

Do you approve of her decisiveness, or do you think she is overstepping her authority?

Finally, Lin Qing's fingertips lightly swiped across the light screen, and the report turned to the last page.

He raised his head, his gaze moving from the datapad to Yukino.

Yukino's heartbeat involuntarily quickened a few beats at this moment.

Lin Qing didn't speak immediately.

He just looked at her quietly, his eyes so deep that it was impossible to tell what he was thinking at the moment.

The air in the office seemed to freeze.

Just when Xueno was about to hold her breath, Lin Qing stood up from behind the desk.

He took a step forward, walking towards Yukino slowly and steadily.

Each step was steady and powerful, carrying an invisible sense of oppression, yet strangely making people feel at ease.

Xueno subconsciously wanted to stand up, but Lin Qing's eyes told her not to do so.

He walked in front of her and stopped.

Yukino raised her head slightly and looked at him.

Then she saw Lin Qing stretched out his hand.

It was a slender, strong hand with distinct joints, which was now slowly falling towards her head with an irresistible tenderness.

Yukino's body stiffened for a moment.

Due to the fatigue and mental exhaustion from the night, the pair of furry pure white animal ears on her head, which had appeared due to emotional fluctuations, had not yet completely retracted, but were drooping weakly and softly.

Lin Qing's warm palm gently covered the top of her head and her soft ears.

The warmth from his palm instantly made her body, which was slightly cold due to nervousness, feel a strange warmth.

The pair of drooping animal ears seemed to sense the owner's emotional changes, and seemed to be too comfortable because of the gentle touch, so they shook slightly involuntarily. The fine fur rubbed against Lin Qing's palm, causing a slight itch.

Two beautiful blushes suddenly appeared on Yukino's cheeks and quickly spread to her ears.

She could clearly hear her heart beating violently in her chest, "boom boom boom," almost breaking free.

"Well done, Yukino."

Lin Qing's voice was low and gentle, like the mellowest cello sound, ringing in her ears.

There was undisguised approval and a hint of imperceptible tenderness in his tone.

Just five simple words.

But it seems to possess the most powerful magic in the world.

Yukino's nerves, which had been tense all night, completely relaxed at this moment.

All the fatigue, all the fear, all the struggle and anxiety disappeared with this simple compliment and the gentle touch on the head.

An indescribable warmth began from the place on the top of the head covered by the palm, like ice and snow melting in spring, quickly spreading to every part of the body, and finally converging to the softest corner of the heart.

She felt her eyes getting slightly warm.

She went through a lot that night.

From the calmness and confidence when he first received the mission, to the difficulty and solemnity when facing the nightmare's strange abilities, to wandering on the edge of dreams again and again, and fighting against the fear deep in his heart.

She had felt lost and helpless.

But she never thought of giving up.

Because she knew that there were countless ordinary people whose safety needed to be protected behind her, and more importantly, she did not want to disappoint the trust and expectations of the man in front of her.

At this moment, all the efforts and hard work seem to have been perfectly interpreted and rewarded in the sentence "Well done".

To Yukino, this simple compliment was more valuable than any flowery words in the world, any substantial reward, or even all the honors and medals she had ever received.

At this moment, all the fatigue and struggle of the night turned into endless warmth and indescribable joy, which surged in like the rising tide and instantly filled her entire heart.