I created a foundation

"The other world?" Qianhua murmured to herself. She felt that her cognition was under a strong impact.

Grandfather nodded slowly, his eyes deep.

"Yes, Chika. Not everything in this world can be explained by the rules we are familiar with."

"The Tsuchimikado family is a guardian, or rather, an observer, of an ancient balance, independent of our mundane powers."

The air in the study seemed to freeze.

Qianhua felt an inexplicable chill rising from her spine.

A secret banquet that brings together the younger generations of top families from the political, business, agricultural and... mysterious circles.

This is by no means a simple social event.

A storm seems to be brewing.

And she, Fujiwara Chika, is about to be caught in the center of this storm.

Her eyes involuntarily fell on the letters sealed with special marks on her grandfather's desk.

Perhaps that is the invitation to this banquet.

"The Tsuchimikado family?"

Fujiwara Chika blinked her lively eyes, and her tone carried a hint of ease and confusion that was out of tune with the solemn atmosphere in the banquet hall.

"Didn't they disappear a long time ago? I remember visiting their shrine once when I was a kid. It felt deserted, and the incense wasn't very popular."

In her view, they were just a symbolic family clinging to ancient traditions, long since left behind by modern society. Rather than wielding any mysterious power, they were more like a group of conservatives living in the dustbin of history.

The old man sitting opposite her, the current head of the Fujiwara family, had lost his former kindness and composure. His face, covered with wrinkles of time, showed a heaviness and fatigue that Qianhua had never seen before.

"That's just appearance, Chika."

The old man's voice was hoarse, as if there were a frosted stone stuck in his throat. His slender, withered fingers tapped lightly on the rosewood low table before him, producing a dull, rhythmic sound that sounded like a warning bell ringing in people's hearts.

"You must understand that we, or rather, the entire upper echelons of Neon, are facing an unprecedented crisis. A crisis... that is enough to overturn everything."

The relief on Qianhua's face gradually faded. She could sense the unusual weight of her grandfather's words. This was no longer a discussion of family matters; it was a deeper, existential warning. The melodious classical music continued to flow through the banquet hall, but to Qianhua, it sounded like the prelude to some ominous omen.

The old man leaned back slightly on the soft sofa cushions, his eyes as deep as the starless sea at night. He did not directly answer Chika's question about the Tsuchimikado family, but instead led the conversation in a direction that was even more puzzling to her.

He lowered his voice, each word coming out from between his teeth, carrying a chilling chill: "Since the so-called large-scale gas leak incident that occurred on the Izu Peninsula a few months ago..."

Qianhua remembered the incident, which was covered extensively in the news, but was quickly overwhelmed by subsequent reports. The official explanation was that an operational error at a chemical plant had caused the spread of toxic gas, but it was handled exceptionally quickly, with little to no widespread panic.

Asking for flowers

"...to the serial gas pipeline explosions that occurred in downtown Tokyo..."

Chika was also deeply impressed by this incident, as one of the explosion sites wasn't too far from their school, Shuchiin Academy, and the school had even stepped up security patrols. Similarly, the official explanation was that the old pipes were improperly maintained, but the result was also incredibly "perfect," as if an invisible hand had quickly erased all traces.

"...and most recently, there was the food poisoning incident near the Capitol, which was attributed to a mass outbreak of spoiled bento..."

The old man spoke slowly, but each incident he mentioned was like a boulder dropped into Qianhua's heart, stirring up ripples. These seemingly isolated "accidents," all brushed aside by officials with various excuses, were now linked together by his grandfather, exuding a chilling and eerie atmosphere.

"The official investigation reports on these incidents are all too perfect," the old man emphasized, his tone filled with sarcasm and helplessness. "Perfect scene containment, perfect explanations, and perfect guidance of public opinion. All the reporters who tried to dig deeper into the truth, all the legislators who raised questions, were forced to shut up due to various unexpected circumstances."

His fingers unconsciously stroked the edge of the coffee table, but the smooth touch of wood could not bring him any peace at this moment.

"Do you understand what this means, Qianhua? It means that a mysterious force, completely beyond our comprehension and reach, is infiltrating and manipulating this country in ways we cannot even imagine. All of our intelligence channels and surveillance networks seem to have been completely obscured by an invisible hand, turning them into a pile of useless decorations."

The old man took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling slightly, and for the first time, his eyes revealed an emotion close to fear.

"We are ... gradually losing control of this country."

These words resonated like a bolt from the blue, piercing Qianhua's mind. She had never imagined that a figure as powerful as her grandfather could utter such despair. They stood at the pinnacle of power in this country, the ones who set the rules and distributed the benefits. Yet, now, they were like lambs lost in a thick fog, filled with a deep fear of the unknown beasts lurking in the shadows.

"So," the old man paused, his eyes refocused on Qianhua, with a trace of final hope, "The Tsuchimikado family is the only hope we can think of at the moment. They are the oldest Onmyoji family in Japan. Although their influence has declined in modern society, according to the family's secret records, they are the only one who can possibly transcend the rules.

"We need people who can interpret all these unusual phenomena for us. They may be able to tell us what that mysterious power is."

"This banquet," the old man's voice dropped again, almost inaudible, yet filled with a desperate determination, "is called communication, but in reality... it's just a trivial yet necessary attempt by us, drowning mortals, to test the unknown monster hidden beneath the surface of the deep waters."

Qianhua listened quietly, her body, which had been leaning forward slightly out of curiosity, unconsciously leaning back. Every word of her grandfather was like a heavy hammer, hitting her heart hard.

Wasn’t the “poison gas leak” in Izu the time when President Lin Qing dealt with the Deep Sea King?

Wasn’t the “serial gas explosions” in Tokyo a riot caused by Miss Tomie, which was eventually quelled by the foundation?

As for the "collective food poisoning" near the Capitol, if she guessed correctly, it should also be related to the "dead bodies" that suddenly appeared not long ago, which was also dealt with by the Foundation with thundering means.

It turns out that what seemed like "daily" containment and post-disaster relief work to these foundation members was actually a "mysterious event" so terrifying, so incomprehensible, and even enough to shake the foundation of their rule in the eyes of these "ordinary rulers" at the top of the neon world.

Isn't that what my grandfather called a "monster"... the SCP Foundation? Isn't it an organization with Chairman Lin Qing at its core, possessing power beyond imagination?

A cold realization washed over her like a tide.

For the first time, she realized so clearly how huge, mysterious, and... terrifying the "secret society" she had inadvertently joined was in the eyes of these high and mighty secular rulers.

They didn't even know who the "enemy" was, but they already felt the despair of doomsday.

And she, Fujiwara Chika, as someone who knew part of the truth, sat here, listening to her grandfather's almost wailing confession, with mixed feelings in her heart.

An inexplicable sense of superiority arose spontaneously, but was quickly replaced by a more complex emotion.

This so-called banquet, this so-called temptation...

She looked into her grandfather's cloudy eyes which held a hint of hope.

It seems that tonight will not be peaceful.

Chapter 92: The "giant beast" is discovered! The new master of the Shinomiya family!

In the Fujiwara family's study, the air was so heavy that it almost froze.

The heavy curtains blocked out the noise from the outside world, leaving only the occasional crackling of sparks from the fireplace, illuminating the gloomy face of Fujiwara Chika's grandfather.

The old man held a long-extinguished cigar between his fingers. There was a long piece of ash accumulated on it, but he was completely unaware of it.

"Qianhua, this banquet is of great importance."

My grandfather's voice was hoarse, with a hint of imperceptible fatigue.

Fujiwara Chika sat on the sofa opposite, looking well-behaved, but she felt a little disapproving in her heart.

Just another boring gathering of those old guys.

She secretly curled her lips, wondering which peers from her family would appear at the banquet, perhaps she could find new fun.

"Grandpa, isn't it just an ordinary business banquet hosted by the Shinomiya family? Is there any need to be so serious?"

She shook her calves and spoke in a relaxed tone.

The old man withdrew his gaze from the void and fell on his granddaughter's face with a complicated expression.

"ordinary?"

He smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"If it was just an ordinary event, why would I call you back from school and tell you to dress up?"

Fujiwara Chika's heart moved, and the relaxation on her face gradually faded.

She knew her grandfather, and he would never speak to her in that tone unless the situation was serious.

"Grandpa, what happened?"

The old man took a deep breath, as if to muster up great courage.

"We...these families in Japan, the forces that control the lifeline of the country, may be facing an unprecedented enemy."

"enemy?"

Fujiwara Chika frowned slightly.

Is it some short-sighted overseas consortium or some emerging political force?

Grandfather did not answer directly, but fell into some memories, with deep fear in his eyes.

"Do you still remember the incident that happened to the Tsuchimikado family some time ago?"

Fujiwara Chika nodded.

The Tsuchimikado family, a family of Onmyoji with a history of thousands of years, holds a pivotal position in the underworld.

It was said that their current head of the family died suddenly, and the entire family fell into chaos and almost fell apart.

"And the Hojo Group. Overnight, all of their core members were replaced, and their style of doing things changed drastically."

"Even... the Shinomiya family."

When mentioning the Shinomiya family, the old man's voice lowered even more, with a hint of disbelief trembling.

"A man like Brother Yan'an would so easily hand over the position of family head to that little girl Kaguya. This is unreasonable, completely unreasonable!"

One after another, seemingly unrelated events were connected together by my grandfather.

Fujiwara Chika's heart also slowly sank.

She is not stupid. On the contrary, in some aspects, she is much more sensitive than her peers.

Behind these events, there seems to be an invisible force, a terrifying existence that can easily subvert the existing order.

"Behind these events," Grandfather's voice was hoarse, "there seems to be an invisible hand manipulating them. It's powerful, mysterious, and... unscrupulous."

"It's eroding, infiltrating, and quietly changing everything."

"We don't know what it is, what its purpose is, and where its bottom line is."

The light in the study seemed to dim a little.

Fujiwara Chika felt a chill running down her spine.

Some fragments involuntarily emerged in her mind.

That huge base hidden deep underground, like something out of a science fiction movie.

Those "contained objects" with incredible abilities.

And... the young president, Lin Qing, who is always calm and indifferent but seems to be able to see through everything.

SCP Foundation.