I created a foundation

Kaguya Shinomiya stood in front of the podium, her silver custom-made uniform outlining her beautiful yet cold figure~.

The operators behind her all had serious expressions, and the sound of keyboard tapping was particularly harsh in the quiet command center.

"The preliminary energy analysis report is out." The voice of a technical director broke the silence, trembling with a hint of disbelief.

"Speak." Kaguya's voice was calm, but her clenched right hand revealed her inner unrest.

"The target area... no known anomalous energy residue can be detected. It's as if... as if those missing humans, along with all traces of their existence, have been completely digested by something. There are only extremely weak spatial disturbances at the scene."

Digestion.

This word dropped the temperature in the command center a few degrees.

"If regular D-class personnel are sent in, I'm afraid they won't even be able to make a wave." Kaguya's adjutant, Hayasaka Ai, stood beside her and whispered, her tone full of deep worry.

Kaguya was silent for a few seconds.

She knew that any hesitation at this moment could lead to the loss of more innocent lives.

President Lin Qing handed over the daily decision-making power of the Tokyo branch to her. This was a trust as well as a test.

She slowly raised her head, her eyes regaining their usual sharpness and decisiveness.

"We can't wait any longer." Her voice was clear and firm, echoing in every corner of the command center.

"The order is effective immediately."

"First echelon, dispatch two A-level standard response teams, codenamed Scavengers and Pathfinders, to conduct armed reconnaissance to the central district of Shibuya and the outskirts of Kabukicho Ichibangai in Shinjuku, respectively."

"Objective: Confirm the threat level, obtain as much target information as possible, and in the event of force majeure, prioritize preserving intelligence."

"Operation Level: Gamma-7. Use of unconventional tactical equipment authorized."

The order was quickly transmitted through the encrypted line.

The Foundation's war machine began to operate with astonishing efficiency.

ten minutes later.

Two pitch-black V-280 tilt-rotor transport aircraft, covered in optical camouflage, hovered silently in the Tokyo night sky.

Inside the cabin, the lights were dim.

The twelve members of the "Scavenger" team wore the latest "Nightmare IV" powered assault armor, coated with a special coating that absorbed radar and infrared signals. Each of them received preliminary instruction in chakra refining techniques and introductory training in the three-color Haki. While far from reaching Eriri's level, it was enough to allow them to navigate ordinary abnormal events with ease.

Their weapons were specially designed electromagnetic acceleration rifles, equipped with specialized ammunition tailored to target different types of anomalies. The display screens within their tactical helmets flashed with various environmental data and their teammates' vital signs.

Captain "Nighthawk" made the final gesture to confirm.

"Rappelling countdown, five, four, three, two, one."

The hatch slid open, letting in the cold night air.

Twelve black shadows, like agile cheetahs, silently landed on the rooftop of Shibuya 109 along special ropes.

Almost at the same time, the "Pathfinder" team on the other side also successfully broke into the designated area of ​​Shinjuku.

command center.

Kaguya stared at the twenty-four green life points on the main screen representing the two teams, as well as the real-time images transmitted back by their helmet cameras.

In the picture, the streets of Shibuya are eerily empty.

The billboards that once stayed awake all night were still flashing a hazy light, and the colorful neon lights illuminated the empty streets, shopping bags scattered on the ground, and some vehicles that had not yet left.

It was as if time suddenly stopped and everyone disappeared out of thin air.

"The scavenger team has arrived at the target area. Group A is responsible for peripheral surveillance, and Group B has begun a fan-shaped search of the central area. Everything is normal at the moment, and no energy fluctuations have been detected." The captain's voice came through the encrypted communication, calm and professional.

"I repeat, no unusual energy detected. The air is filled with a faint... sweet smell, source unknown."

Kaguya frowned slightly.

Sweet smell?

"The Pathfinder team has arrived at Shinjuku 3-chome. The streets are empty. The life detector shows that there are zero life signals within a radius of 500 meters. I repeat, zero life signals." The report of another team followed closely, also with a hint of confusion.

"The air composition is normal, free of toxic substances. But... the silence here is unsettling."

On the screen, the two teams advanced steadily. The players coordinated seamlessly, alternating screens, their tactical movements as standard as a textbook.

They are the elite of the Foundation, veterans who have escaped the brink of life and death countless times.

The atmosphere in the command center eased slightly, but the invisible string was still taut.

Kaguya's eyes never left the screen.

Time passed by minute by minute.

five minutes.

ten minutes.

"Scavenger Team B has entered the core area of ​​the central block and has found no trace of the missing persons. The sweet, cloying smell is stronger here, a bit like... rotting fruit mixed with... blood."

"The Pathfinder team discovered a large number of abandoned vehicles at the entrance of Kabukicho Ichibangai. Some of the vehicles showed signs of being forcibly broken into, but there were no signs of a struggle."

The report remained calm, but the content became increasingly bizarre.

Kaguya's fingertips tapped unconsciously on the cold metal surface of the podium.

Her intuition told her that something was wrong.

Something is very wrong.

at this time.

Changes occur suddenly.

There was no warning.

No warnings whatsoever.

On the main screen of the command center, the twelve green life points representing the "Scavenger" team seemed to be wiped out in an instant as if by an invisible big hand.

They all went out.

It didn't flash, didn't turn red to indicate danger or yellow to indicate a bad signal.

Just so abruptly, it disappeared.

Then, there was an interval of less than half a second.

On the other side, the twelve green life points representing the "Pathfinder" team also completely disappeared from the screen in the same way.

Twenty-four points of light.

Two elite A teams.

At the same time, he disappeared.

At the same moment, the real-time image transmitted back by the helmet camera turned into dazzling snowflakes and then completely interrupted.

In the communication channel, the voice that was reporting the situation steadily just a second ago suddenly stopped, leaving only a suffocating, eternal busy tone.

"Fuck-"

Dead silence.

The entire command center fell into deathly silence.

Everyone froze, staring in disbelief at the empty area of ​​the map.

It was as if those twenty-four lives and those two well-equipped teams had never existed.

Hayasaka Ai gasped and subconsciously covered her mouth.

Kaguya's body swayed slightly.

She reached out and grasped the edge of the cold podium, her knuckles turning white from the strain.

Her pupils shrank to the size of a needle tip at that moment.

Fear surged in from the other side of the screen like an invisible tide, instantly flooding the entire command center.

The screen still shows the bustling yet deserted street scenes of Shibuya and Shinjuku.

The neon lights flicker, but they cannot illuminate the bottomless darkness.

There was deathly silence in the command hall.

On the huge holographic tactical screen, there were light spots representing the Foundation's field investigation team. Just a few seconds ago, there were two soldiers and four people.

They flash blue to represent the execution of the mission and are distributed at various key nodes in Tokyo's Shibuya district, forming a dense reconnaissance network.

And now, those twenty-four spots of light were instantly wiped out as if by an invisible giant hand, and all went out.

No warning.

There was no distress signal.

Not even a trace of abnormal energy fluctuation was detected.

It just disappeared out of thin air, as if it had never existed.

In front of the control console, the elite operators responsible for monitoring the data flow had beads of cold sweat on their foreheads.

Someone subconsciously covered their mouth to prevent the screams from breaking the silence.

The air was as heavy as if filled with lead, making it hard to breathe.

The extinguishing of each pixel was like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's heart hard.

"All life signals in the target area have disappeared."

An operator in charge of vital signs monitoring reported in a dry voice, trembling with a hint of disbelief.

"Energy residue analysis...no results. The scene appears to have been thoroughly cleaned, with no trace of any high-intensity energy burst."

Another analyst added, his eyes filled with confusion and horror.

This is so weird.

Twenty-four experienced investigators equipped with the latest individual combat systems and experienced in many battles are not twenty-four rabbits.

They are enough to deal with a small-scale local war.

However, they disappeared silently under the nose of the Foundation.