I created a foundation

The atmosphere in the hall was extremely tense.

Beads of sweat appeared on everyone's forehead, but their movements and voices still maintained mechanical precision.

This is the Foundation's war.

A war without smoke, but more cruel and insane than any other war.

In the center of the screen, the countdown ticked relentlessly.

【02: 17】

【02: 16】

……

The scarlet track has crossed Kanagawa and is about to touch the edge of Tokyo.

"Alert! The target's energy response has surged again! The speed... the speed is unmeasurable!"

A technician's voice suddenly rose, carrying a hint of uncontrollable fear.

"The shock wave created when it broke the sound barrier has already reached Sagamihara City! Weather satellites detected a three-kilometer-diameter hole torn through the clouds!"

"Impact countdown, corrected to... thirty seconds!"

Nanami Aoyama suddenly raised her head and her pupils contracted.

Her gaze passed over countless flashing screens and finally fell on the row of heavy alloy gates with flashing red warning lights leading to the lower areas at the deepest part of the hall.

There, it is five thousand meters underground.

It is the destination of this "express delivery".

"Alert! The target has breached the Tama Hills defense line!"

"Entered the Tokyo metropolitan area!"

Before he finished speaking, the entire huge underground base suddenly shook.

It was not a violent shaking, but a dull throbbing that came from deep within the earth, as if the heart was being grasped by a giant hand.

Fine dust fell from the ceiling.

"Countdown... ten seconds!"

"Nine!"

"Eight!"

The cold electronic synthesized sound, like the second hand of the god of death, struck the hearts of everyone in the command hall.

Hundreds of staff members in various uniforms held their breath and stood stiffly at their posts, but their eyes were fixed on the huge holographic map in the center.

The scarlet trajectory that represents absolute destruction has completely penetrated the territory of Tokyo, and its tip infinitely overlaps with the light spot called "HOME" on the map.

"The target has entered the airspace vertically above the base!"

"Surface defense array at full power! High-energy particle barrier activated... Alert! Barrier penetrated within 0.1 seconds!"

"Physical armor from the first to the tenth layer, penetrated!"

"The alloy isolation zone from the 11th to the 30th floor is penetrated!"

Rapid and desperate reports came in from various monitoring posts, but no one paid any attention. Everyone knew that these defenses, which had cost astronomical sums and were capable of withstanding tactical nuclear strikes, were as fragile as paper in front of that thing.

Their only significance is to gain even a ten-thousandth of a second of buffer for the final impact.

Nanami Aoyama stood at the front of the command desk, her hands resting on the cold metal table. Her body remained motionless, like a statue made of steel.

In her pupils, the red track that was about to end and the numbers that were mercilessly jumping in the corner of the screen were reflected.

"three!"

"two!"

"one!"

"Crash!"

When the last syllable fell, time seemed to freeze.

There was no earth-shattering explosion as imagined, nor was there a loud noise that would tear the eardrums.

The entire huge underground base suddenly sank.

It was a kind of throbbing that could not be described in words, as if the heart of the entire planet was tightly grasped by an invisible giant hand and then suddenly stopped beating.

The dull roar coming from deep within the earth was not transmitted through the air, but through the bedrock beneath their feet, through the walls, through every metal component, and directly into everyone's bones and internal organs.

The lights on the ceiling flickered wildly, countless electric sparks exploded in the gaps of the console, and fine dust fell like thick fog, plunging the entire command hall into darkness and chaos in an instant.

Some people let out suppressed cries, some were knocked to the ground by the absolute violence originating from the physical level, but more people just clung to the fixed objects around them, their faces pale, feeling the terrifying aftermath that seemed to crush everything.

The vibration lasted for a full five seconds.

Five seconds later, everything fell silent.

An absolute silence that was more heart-wrenching than any noise before.

"Damage Control Report!"

Aoyama Nanami's voice was the first to break the stillness in the air. Her voice was still steady, but with a barely perceptible hoarseness.

"The base's structural integrity is… 98.7 percent! The main structure is stable!"

"The energy supply system...is restarting. Normal lighting is expected to resume in thirty seconds!"

"Report casualties from all departments!"

"..."

After a brief silence, the heads of various regions began to respond one after another.

"Intelligence Department, no casualties!"

"Armed Forces, no casualties!"

"Logistics Department, safe!"

Fortunately, apart from the violent vibrations, the destructive force was precisely guided and did not cause any additional damage.

"Containment unit status!"

Aoyama Nanami's gaze passed through the dim command hall and fell on the row of alloy gates leading to five thousand meters underground, with flashing red warning lights.

There is the end point of this "express delivery".

"Trying to connect...the signal is interrupted! At the moment of impact, all monitoring equipment inside the mailbox failed!" A technician reported loudly, his voice full of tension.

"What about the vital signs? Are D-9527's vital signs still there?"

"...The signal disappeared..."

This result was within everyone's expectations.

The selected D-class personnel, along with the last image of his face left on his retina, were completely decomposed into the most basic particles at the moment of impact.

"What is the target?" Aoyama Nanami asked. This was the most crucial question.

"Unable to detect! The containment unit is completely covered by high-concentration energy particles, and no detection signal can penetrate!"

In the command hall, the atmosphere, which had just slightly eased, became tense again.

Did you make it?

Will the invincible "natural disaster", after completing its only hunting mission, really calm down its anger and return to a passive state as described in the information?

Nobody knows.

Every second of waiting feels like a century.

Everyone's eyes were focused on the technician in charge of monitoring. He was the only one who could still obtain information from that forbidden zone.

The young technician was seen pressing the monitoring device to his ear tightly, veins bulging on his forehead, and the expression on his face changed from nervousness to confusion, and then to an unbelievable astonishment.

He suddenly took off his headphones, as if he had seen a ghost, and looked up at Aoyama Nanami. His lips trembled, but he couldn't make any sound.

"Speak!" Qingshan Nanami said in a low voice.

"Crying..." The technician's voice broke with excitement. "Sound... I heard it... It was crying..."

"It's crying!"

The rage that could destroy the world, the violent aura that could tear apart mountains and evaporate rivers, disappeared.

Instead, there were faint, sad sobs, as if abandoned by the whole world.

Successful.

At this moment, Nanami Aoyama's tense shoulders finally relaxed slightly.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

When she opened her eyes again, there was only cold rationality and absolute authority in those blue eyes.

"Engineering Corps."

"exist!"

"Execute the Eternal Protocol. Codename: Hades Gate."

"Roger that! The Eternal Agreement is activated!"

Along with her cold command, the sound of heavier and larger machinery running came from deeper in the base.

Dozens of giant construction machines that had been on standby at designated locations were activated at the same time.

Pipes with a diameter of more than five meters, like giant steel pythons, extended from all directions, precisely aimed at the area where the alloy compartment serving as the "mailbox" was located.

"Phase one, liquid tungsten alloy begins infusion! Goal: Form the first layer of physical blockade, thirty meters thick!"

"Phase two: inject neutron-absorbing materials and high-density polymer ceramics! Goal: isolate all energy radiation!"

"Phase Three: The pouring of ultra-high-strength special concrete begins! Goal: Completely separate this area from the base structure, forming an independent tomb!"

On the screen in the command hall, the structural diagram representing that area was being rapidly covered by layer upon layer of color blocks representing different materials.

Red, gray, black...