NOVEL WEB Chapter 59: Chapter 59: The Anomalous Activity of Kisemori Town
"Alright, everyone, let's go."
Haruto called out and then took the lead, stepping into the portal first. The others didn't hesitate much and followed him through the mysterious portal.
This time, there was no discomfort from the teleportation.
It seemed the connection between worlds had stabilized, and the spatial tunnel was more refined.
After a brief moment of darkness, the scene before their eyes completely changed. A futuristic alloy room filled with technological aesthetics appeared before them.
It was the same containment chamber Haruto and Annie had used when they left. As soon as they arrived, the personnel outside the room immediately took notice.
Armed personnel quickly surrounded the room, weapons raised in alert.
"O5-1, please verify your identity through the room's sensor."
A voice came through the microphone from one of the armed personnel.
Ymir scoffed and nudged Haruto with her elbow.
"Your subordinates don't seem to respect you much, huh, leader?"
Haruto shook his head.
"First of all, within the Foundation, we are all colleagues. Outside of containment operations, there is no strict chain of command. Secondly, such security measures are necessary for the Foundation. We can't rely on appearances alone to confirm identities. If an anomaly were to be released due to negligence, that would be the true failure of a Foundation personnel."
"Beep. Identification confirmed: O5-1. Trust Level: Level 5 (Thaumiel). Unlocking the room."
After undergoing multiple layers of verification; password authentication, identity card scan, fingerprint match, iris scan, DNA sampling, and a cognitive recognition test-
Haruto's identity was finally confirmed.
The containment room was unlocked at last.
"Our apologies, O5-1. This is a necessary security procedure of the Foundation."
The armed personnel addressed Haruto.
Haruto shook his head.
"No need to apologize. This is necessary."
After all, these protocols were his own design.
Some anomalies could mimic appearances, and if proper screening wasn't conducted, the consequences of an anomaly infiltrating the Foundation would be catastrophic.
"How long was I gone during this containment operation?" Haruto asked in a deep voice.
"According to our records, from the moment you disappeared in the light containment layer to your reappearance, a total of 45 days, 13 hours, 23 minutes, and 17 seconds have passed."
Haruto nodded.
A month and a half.
It seemed the system's theory about time anchors was correct, there really was a tenfold time difference.
"The cocoon I brought back contains a contained anomaly. No need for additional restrictions; place it in the light containment layer. I have already documented the information on this anomaly. Upload this record into the Foundation's system.
Due to the anomaly's ability to spread, no experiments should be conducted until there is a breakthrough in research.
As for the people I brought back, assign them rooms in the residential sector and provide systematic education.
Some of them should receive firearm and combat training during their studies. The list is here. After their training, they will be assigned as Mobile Task Force Unit A, designated 'Wings of Freedom.
Send negotiation experts to the anomaly designated as 'Gate of Titans' to establish contact with its inhabitants and set up a Foundation outpost. Focus on developing the energy source 'Icefall Stone' produced by the 'Gate of Titans' anomaly and implement its application as soon as possible.
Retrieve all records of anomalies discovered by the Foundation in the past 45 days and present them to me."
Haruto systematically issued a series of orders.
The Foundation personnel swiftly got to work.
Erwin and the others were guided to the residential sector for systematic learning about Earth's foundational knowledge.
Christa and Ymir would also temporarily stay at the Foundation for their studies.
Meanwhile, the Foundation dispatched personnel to the Titan world to make contact with the Survey Corps. Developing the Titan world was a crucial step for the Foundation's future growth.
Then, a tablet was handed to Haruto.
The device contained only a single document—a detailed record of the Foundation's activities and anomaly discoveries over the past month and a half.
Haruto quickly skimmed through the document.
"Big Brother, you're finally back!"
A playful voice came from the side.
Without looking up, Haruto responded,
"Yeah, the containment operation in the Titan world is complete. Nao, have you been staying in the facility this whole time?"
A silver-haired girl appeared beside him.
"Yep! While Big Brother was away, I was helping to manage the Foundation's affairs."
Nao placed a finger on her cheek in a thinking pose before continuing:
"By the way, the sister you recruited before—Mihari Oyama—has arrived. She's temporarily staying in the residential sector and conducting some preliminary research."
Hearing this, Haruto raised an eyebrow.
Mihari Oyama, the girl who could create anomalous potions by hand, was a talent he was particularly interested in.
"She hasn't been exposed to any sensitive Foundation matters, has she?" Haruto asked.
From his observations, Mihari had a kind-hearted nature.
If she were to learn about the Foundation's use of D-Class personnel in experiments…
Or about the inhumane experiments conducted on humanoid anomalies…
Although explanations could be provided, it would likely damage her trust and loyalty to the Foundation.
Nao shook her head.
"She hasn't been given access to much information. Her clearance level is only 1 for now."
Haruto nodded in approval and reached out to ruffle Nao's silver hair.
"You've worked hard while I was away."
He felt that this girl's way of handling things was becoming more and more in tune with his expectations.
Nao closed her eyes, enjoying the affectionate head pat.
"Anything else?" Haruto put away the tablet and directly asked Nao.
Hearing this, Nao nodded seriously.
"Kisemori Town has been drastically diminished. The town's population has been reduced by 90%, leaving only a handful of survivors. This happened seven days ago. Here are the aerial photos comparing the town before and after the incident."
Nao handed a set of aerial images to Haruto. Glancing at them, Haruto couldn't help but be taken aback.
Although Kisemori Town wasn't exactly prosperous, it still had a considerable population.
The streets and houses were neatly arranged, exuding a rustic charm. But the later images were horrifying.
It looked as if the entire town had been plowed over. The terrain itself had even changed slightly. On the aerial map, numerous destruction marks were visible. It was as if someone had randomly scribbled chaotic lines over the town in the images.
These lines cut across buildings, streets, and infrastructure.
Everything along their path was utterly obliterated.
In some areas, even the ground had been upturned.
Haruto examined the images, his expression growing solemn.
If this level of destruction was caused by an anomaly, then it was incredibly dangerous and needed immediate containment.
Seeing that he had finished looking at the photos, Nao continued,
"The Foundation deployed armed personnel immediately and took control of Kisemori Town. To the public, we announced that a massive earthquake had struck and that emergency relief efforts were underway.
However, the Foundation's takeover has met resistance from the Japanese government, and we won't be able to hold them off for long. Through our contacts within their government, we discovered that Kisemori Town housed a secret Japanese military base.
But now, it appears that the base was also wiped out. No information has surfaced from it."
Hearing this, Haruto's brows furrowed deeply.
A secret military base in Kisemori Town? This just made things even more complicated.
Earth's technology wasn't weak.
If an entire military base had been erased, then the threat level of this anomaly needed to be raised even further. Moreover, while the Foundation held great power, dealing with a military base incident would make things even more difficult.
They needed to contain the anomaly quickly and withdraw from Kisemori Town.
"Have we sent D-Class personnel to investigate the area? Any findings?" Haruto asked.
Nao nodded.
"Three teams were sent. All were killed instantly before they could report anything. The first team encountered military personnel in the town. When they retrieved a tactical helmet from one of them and accessed its footage, they were wiped out immediately."