I created a foundation

In an unknown corner.

Wake up quietly.

The night in Tokyo is still bustling.

Little did it know that a pair of cold, predatory eyes had already locked onto it.

Before dawn on the third day, the command hall of the Foundation headquarters was torn apart by an unprecedented alarm.

The shrill beeping sound was not of any known warning level. It was sharper, more rapid, and carried a chill that penetrated the bone marrow.

【CodeBlack】

On the main screen, these two scarlet words replaced all regular surveillance images, like an ominous brand, burning everyone's retina.

The cold, mechanical female voice repeated without any emotion.

"The highest level threat has been activated. I repeat, the highest level threat has been activated."

Kasumigaoka Utaha stood at the center of the command platform, her back straight and unwavering. Her deep black eyes reflected the blood-red light on the screen, her face devoid of any unnecessary expression, only a look of ultimate calmness.

She raised her hand, put her index finger and middle finger together, and tapped lightly on the cold metal table.

The subtle sound instantly silenced the noisy discussions around.

"All non-core personnel, maintain minimum communications and remain on standby."

Her voice was clear and steady, like a stabilizing force, temporarily calming the panic that was beginning to spread in the hall.

Shiyu turned to the side and looked at Eriri, who was in charge of compiling intelligence.

The blonde girl's face was pale, and her usually vibrant emerald eyes were now filled with solemnity. She bit her lower lip tightly, her fingertips swiping across the tactical tablet, pulling up a set of terrifying data.

"Senior Shiyu..."

There was a barely perceptible tremor in Eriri's voice.

(beei) Shiyu nodded slightly, indicating her to continue.

"Report to the Chairman."

Shiyu activated the internal communication connecting to Lin Qing's private space, and the voice was transmitted through the encrypted line.

"In the past seventy-two hours, the number of registered missing persons cases in the Tokyo metropolitan area has reached twenty times the normal daily figure."

She spoke steadily, without any hesitation.

"The disappearances are mainly concentrated in densely populated areas such as Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Ikebukuro. According to preliminary statistics, the missing persons do not have specific age, gender, or occupation characteristics. The growth curve... is still climbing at a nearly vertical angle."

On the other end of the line, Lin Qing's voice contained no emotion, only faint breathing sounds.

He seemed to be resting with his eyes closed.

Eriri took a deep breath and took over the conversation. Her voice was calmer than before, but still couldn't hide the horror in it.

"Chairman, Senior Shiyu, the most... the most incomprehensible thing is our intelligence network..."

She paused, as if searching for the right words.

“…It’s completely ineffective.”

The command hall was dead silent, with only the low hum of instruments.

"Our spies in the Metropolitan Police Department, the Cabinet Intelligence Office, and even in some gray areas, all regularly report back that everything is normal without exception."

"There were no reports of any unusual incidents, no signs of panic spreading, as if... those missing people hadn't attracted any official attention at all."

Ying Lili's fingers slid quickly across the tablet, calling up several processed surveillance videos.

The pictures are from different places where the disappearances took place, including a busy commercial street, a late-night convenience store, and a quiet residential area.

"We checked all public and internal surveillance footage from the missing area. The result was... nothing."

On the screen, the busy streets were bustling one second, and the next second, dozens or even hundreds of people in the picture disappeared abruptly without any warning, any struggle, or even any unnecessary movements.

It was as if it was wiped out in an instant by an invisible hand.

There were no explosions, no light or shadow, no energy fluctuations.

"There were no signs of a struggle, no witnesses, and no record of any unusual break-in."

Eriri's voice was hoarse.

"It's as if the person... evaporated into thin air."

"Across the entire block, across the entire office building, sensors could detect hundreds of life signals one minute, and then completely drop to zero the next."

"Everything happened silently."

At this moment, Kaguya Shinomiya was standing in front of the giant curved screen on the other side, her fingers operating smoothly on the light-sensitive control interface.

On the screen, a real-time satellite thermal map covering the entire Tokyo metropolitan area is slowly unfolding.

Normal areas show a warm orange-red light, representing life activities, like a beating pulse.

"Shiyu, Eriri, look here."

Kaguya's voice was calm, almost icy, but her furrowed brows showed that she was not at peace inside.

Following her instructions, the timeline on the thermal map began to rapidly rewind, and then played at normal speed.

A shocking scene appeared.

At first, there were just a few insignificant dark spots, like ink dropped into clear water, inconspicuous in the vast orange-red warm light.

But soon, these dark spots began to expand, spread, and connect into pieces at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The warm orange-red light seemed to be swallowed by a black hole, and was quickly replaced by the deep blue and black that represented death.

Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Shinagawa, Chiyoda...

Areas that once symbolized prosperity and vitality are rapidly and irreversibly "cooling down" on thermal maps, turning into dark areas with no signs of life.

It was not a slow decay, but rather it disappeared in large pieces as if cut by a sharp blade.

Kaguya's fingertips stopped at an area on the screen that had just gone completely dark.

"Minato Ward, near Shiba Park. Three minutes ago, the thermal signal strength plummeted from its peak to zero. The area encompasses an elementary school, two office buildings, and surrounding residential areas. The estimated number of people who vanished instantly... exceeds three thousand."

Shiyu's eyes were fixed on the hopeless darkness.

This is not a massacre.

Because there was no bloodstain at the scene, no signs of struggle, and not even a trace of residual energy of panic could be detected.

This is not kidnapping in the conventional sense.

Because no organization or individual has claimed responsibility, nor has there been any ransom demand, such a large-scale, highly efficient operation requires resources and capabilities beyond the scope of any known native Earth power.

This was a silent disappearance.

An invisible and deep fear, like the thickest black tide, is seeping out from every corner of Tokyo, quietly submerging this megacity that once symbolized the ultimate prosperity of human civilization.

Lin Qing's voice finally sounded again in the communicator, still calm and composed.

"understood."

Just three simple words.

Then, communications were unilaterally cut off.

Shiyu put down the communicator without changing her expression.

She knew that this was a test and trust given to them by Lin Qing.

"Kaguya."

"exist."

"Recall all en route field teams, block all external physical connection points of the Foundation, and activate the highest level of internal defense protocols."

Shiyu's instructions were clear and decisive.

"Yes."

Kaguya executed immediately.

"Continue to monitor the thermal image and mark any areas with abnormal energy fluctuations, accurately down to the coordinates."

"clear."

Kaguya's gaze returned to the huge thermal image. Her fingers moved rapidly on the control panel, inputting complex analysis commands one after another.

Suddenly, her movements paused.

In the center of the screen, at the edge of a steadily spreading dark area, an extremely weak abnormal energy reaction point, which was increasing at an alarming rate, suddenly lit up.

The light was a strange purple-black color, like a single eye opened in the abyss.

It is not in any known high-incidence area for disappearances, but is closer to the edge of Tokyo Bay.

Kaguya's pupils suddenly shrank.

The energy intensity at that point is rising exponentially.

She had never seen such a pure, such a massive, and so... ominous reaction of energy.

"Shiyu!"

For the first time, Kaguya's voice was filled with a hint of uncontrollable shock.

"look here!"

The purple-black dot of light on the screen resembled a rapidly expanding, destructive heart.

Chapter 136: The Investigative Team That Fell into the Sea, and the Call of the Chosen Ones

Foundation Tokyo branch, three hundred meters underground, command center.

The air was as oppressive as solidified lead.

In just three days, the number of missing persons has exceeded four digits.

This is no ordinary abnormal incident.