Chapter 69: Pirated SCP Foundation

After toppling Otlan’s Empire Tower, standing at 605 meters tall and ranked among Xuanlan Star’s ten tallest buildings worldwide, the city giant proceeded to devour nearly half of it as if munching on cookies. This seemed to temporarily satisfy it. It leaned against the remaining ruins and sprawled out like a human ready for sleep after a satisfying meal.

However, the city giant was simply too massive. With its movements, reality mirrored those of a tokusatsu hero battling monsters; with just one roll, it effortlessly destroyed structures that humans had spent considerable time and effort building.

Worse still, once the city giant fell asleep, large amounts of hot breath emanated from its ears, nose, and mouth. These exhaled gases contained slight toxins, causing much of Otlan to become engulfed in poisonous mists.

“This cannot continue!” Lyndon Lindenwood, clad in deep blue military attire, leaned heavily on a table with both arms, his sharp gaze resembling that of an enraged lion.

At thirty-seven years old this year, Lyndon was at his prime, particularly for a man. Especially notable was Lyndon himself; by the age of thirty, his exceptional political prowess had distinguished him from the Jindar Empire’s royal family, leading to his formal ascension as the empire’s emperor.

Now, it was his seventh year on the throne.

He was a visionary leader, consistently wise and astute, possessing the decisiveness and ruthlessness required in politics. However, despite his brilliance, he never anticipated such a catastrophe befalling their planet. Worse still, the city giant had destroyed a significant portion of their Ark System!

Based on the current pattern of mysterious events, the spiritual tides were expected to surge at least two more times, with each lasting longer than the previous. Only after these occurrences would the concentration of mystical substances born from ‘spiritual tides’ on Xuanlan Star reach a dense yet relatively stable level. At that point, those humans who have survived would finally begin anew.

Following the global conference, nations capable of preserving neutrons for themselves exerted all efforts to safeguard their strength. The Jindar Empire, after discussions, swiftly initiated the construction of the Ark System.

According to experts’ projections, the Ark System represented the most advanced technological achievement of the entire Jindar Empire at present. Otlan itself was planned to undergo complete transformation to fully support the operation of the Ark.

On the surface, Otlan established comprehensive facilities for food production, military factories, pharmaceutical manufacturing plants, and a range of other human necessities. These were equipped with large-scale automated machinery. In conjunction with these factories, beneath Otlan’s ground, numerous hive-like structures were constructed. The preserved human neutrons would inhabit these hives, simultaneously obtaining necessary resources from the surface.

However, the city giant emerged, nearly destroying most of Otlan’s surface resources with its rampage. Its devastation also allowed the spiritual tide-induced storms and chilling winds to infiltrate the hives. Currently, over one million individuals within the hives have fallen ill due to lack of aid.

“How should we deal with this monster?!” Lyndon’s gaze scanned the circle of people before him.

“Considering its size, we cannot handle it within Otlan,” his secretary, Shanni, bluntly informed him.

This did not mean they couldn’t use modern technology to kill the city giant. Unlike the sea spirits of the Li Kingdom, which existed between reality and illusion, rendering conventional weaponry ineffective except through mystical means, the city giant was more akin to an enlarged humanoid monster. Attacks on it proved effective. However, the biggest issue was its immense size; using high-capacity explosives to eliminate it would cause further severe damage to Otlan itself. As for munitions with intense lethal radiation, those were even riskier to employ unless Otlan was willing to sacrifice significant portions of its territory.

However, unlike the sea spirits, the city giant resembled a massively scaled-up humanoid monster, making attacks against it potentially effective. The biggest issue was its enormous size; using high-capacity bombs to eliminate it would cause even greater damage to Ortland. As for ammunition with intense lethal radiation, they dared not employ such options unless they were willing to abandon Ortland entirely.

Currently, their best course of action was to lure the city giant away from Ortland and then thoroughly defeat it in an open area without concerns for collateral damage.

Lyndon managed to compose himself slightly. “What is the current extent of damage to the Ark System?”

“Sixty percent. If we don’t restore full productivity soon, at least two to three million individuals within the hive will have to be sacrificed during this spiritual tide, as our resources won’t sustain its long-term operation otherwise.”

It was a difficult decision to make.

“Regulate the Ark System and put the hive into emergency mode, conserving resources as much as possible. Additionally, based on big data analysis, identify at least one million individuals who can be deemed expendable. Arrange a military team to devise a plan for awakening the city giant and drawing it away from Ortland.” Lyndon spoke through gritted teeth.

Sannie gave Lyndon a deep look, understanding his profound love for their country. He would not have made such a decision unless it was truly desperate times. In the face of this catastrophe, every nation worldwide had to grapple with choices and sacrifices, none could escape it.

With Lyndon’s secret revealed, the entire hive swiftly entered a state of emergency that same day. Any disturbances or inciting behavior would result in immediate execution by the patrol squads upon discovery.

Meanwhile, on the ground outside Otlan, a ten-member team was cautiously moving forward.

Under torrential rain, the sky appeared dark and oppressive. Despite being daytime, the heavy cloud cover, mist from rainfall, and pervasive toxic miasma in Otlan made their journey extremely uncomfortable.

The leader of the group was named Sandra, who previously served as Daniel’s butler before losing one eye due to the Hermit Union incident. Originally a mercenary, he had been employed by Daniel for many years, often handling tasks that couldn’t be dealt with openly.

Although Daniel was primarily a businessman, Sandra greatly admired his astute judgment and decisive nature. For instance, after the hive announced its emergency status, Daniel promptly paid a hefty price to ensure Sandra led a team away from the hive.

Otlan, once the thriving and romantic capital of the Jindar Empire, now faced uncertain times.

But now everything has changed; wherever one looks, there is knee-deep accumulated water, indicating that Ottlan’s flood prevention system has been largely damaged.

Large amounts of murky liquid cover the ground, and countless ruins attest to the city’s devastation. Occasionally, Sandra could spot bloated corpses submerged in the filthy water.

“Move faster,” Sandra panted, striving to give her instructions.

Each team member wore protective suits equipped with oxygen supply, temperature maintenance, and various other functions. Without these, they would be unable to navigate normally under such extreme cold conditions.

The others swiftly signaled their acknowledgment. After bypassing the slumbering city giant, they departed from Ottlan through different routes. Coincidentally, Sandra unexpectedly encountered another group clearly composed of mercenaries as well. Following brief exchanges, Sandra learned that they were sent by Nade Bezoss.

Sandra naturally knew Nade Bezoss, the second-richest person globally. At that meeting of the Hermit Union held at the Global Building, Nade Bezoss had also participated.

Contrary to expectations, they did not engage in a fierce confrontation due to the unexpected encounter. Instead, during their cautious probing, they discovered that their objectives aligned—both parties had virtually received orders to go to Margate Castle and contact the Hermit Union.

Their respective patrons were already planning to abandon the Ark System. If the Hermit Union had a superior Doomsday Base, they aimed to relocate there through the Hermit Union’s assistance.

Thus, Sandra and the other group reached an immediate agreement, intending to travel together towards Margate Castle.

With the spiritual tide outbreak, communication signals faced issues such as disruptions, and various public transportation modes like airplanes and trains came to a halt. It was uncertain what challenges they would face along the way, making cooperation mutually beneficial.

Two days later, at Margate Castle.

A modified military vehicle came to a disheveled stop on one side of the road, or rather, it wasn’t by their own choice but because the vehicle had run out of fuel.

Bang.

The car door swung open forcefully. In just two short days, Sandra’s once robust stature had alarmingly withered, particularly noticeable by his near-total lack of color. Struggling to exit the vehicle, he was followed by four more individuals who emerged successively.

These past two days had been far from easy for them. Initially, they had prepared private planes and helicopters, but the worsening conditions forced them to rely solely on land vehicles amidst dwindling resources.

The car door swung open forcefully. In just two short days, Sandra’s once robust stature had drastically changed, now appearing alarmingly emaciated, particularly due to his near-total lack of color. Struggling to exit the vehicle, he was followed by four more individuals who emerged one after another.

Their journey over these past two days had been arduous. Initially, they had prepared private planes and helicopters. However, due to the extremely severe weather conditions, the planes were unusable, and even the helicopters barely managed before encountering mishaps. Out of the original group of over twenty people, only five, including Sandra, managed to reach Margate Castle.

Worse still, their protective suits had sustained damage. If not for a medicinal substance developed by the Jindar Empire based on findings from previous mysterious incidents, they would have already perished completely.

However, this medication was far from perfect; it carried significant side effects, which explained why Sandra’s group now appeared akin to desiccated mummies.

“Cough… Shouldn’t we be close now?” Gerran looked even more frail than Sandra, as if all his flesh had entirely vanished, leaving behind only skin stretched over his skeletal frame.

“Let’s move.”

The chosen location for the Hermit Union’s re-emergence into the world was not subtle: it was a biopharmaceutical research institution called BR. This company, relatively unknown globally, specialized outside mainstream pharmaceuticals, and many might not have even heard of this particular institute.

However, behind the scenes, the BR research institute received substantial annual funding from Nade Bezoss, Mary Walton, and the prestigious Abell Family, one of the oldest top clans in the Jindar Empire. Naturally, such massive investments yielded significant returns.

Karl Abell, currently managing the family’s resources, ranked eleventh on the global wealth list. He was also one of the two individuals who did not attend the Hermit Union’s gathering at the Global Building.

Following that meeting, Nade and Mary contacted Karl, ultimately deciding to gift the BR research institute to the Hermit Union. Firstly, although Karl didn’t attend, once informed about the true nature of the nearly thousand-year-old Hermit Union, he had no qualms about investing in it. Secondly, with the spiritual tide unfolding, apart from Ottlan, most other cities were left largely at the mercy of fate. It was uncertain if BR could survive intact, so they opted to extend a favor instead.

The br Research Institute boasted some of the world’s most advanced research equipment. Although experts and previous records were withdrawn, all the instruments remained for the Hermit Union’s use.

Sandra had never described what the original research institute looked like, but now, standing at the entrance, he was momentarily stunned, unable to move.

The former abbreviation ‘BR’ (Biological Research) had been replaced with ‘Specialized Containment Procedures’, abbreviated as SCP. These golden letters, engraved prominently on one side of the building, could not be missed.

Beyond that, this once unremarkable building had lost all its subtlety. A massive pink octopus clung tightly to it, with rain cascading off its body. As the octopus flung away large amounts of water, paradoxically making the surrounding area seem drier. The sight of palm-sized suckers along the writhing tentacles sent chills down anyone’s spine who beheld it.

Gerran, having accompanied Nade to the br Research Institute before, could sincerely attest that the institute never used to look like this!