Chapter 57 The Extremely Dangerous SCP-008—A Distress Signal from the Strategic Homeland Division

“Welcome to the Foundation. You’re safe now, Tony—and you too, Ms. Potts.”

Pepper had only just helped Tony out of the aircraft when she saw Ethan and several Foundation officers waiting below to greet them.

Ethan warmly bumped fists with Tony.

Looking at his bruised face and the bandages wrapped around his head, Ethan burst out laughing.

“Buddy, you look terrible.”

Tony’s face immediately twisted with indignation, veins bulging on his forehead.

“It’s all because of that old bastard Obadiah! He lied to me and launched a sneak attack!”

Ethan consoled him.

“Don’t worry. As long as you remain inside a Foundation base, your safety is guaranteed.”

After catching up with Tony, Ethan approached Natasha and Skye as they disembarked.

“Welcome to the Foundation’s Paradise Island Base, Agents Natasha and Skye.”

His expression was entirely sincere, as though he genuinely intended to help guide S.H.I.E.L.D. through the crisis.

“It’s an honor to visit one of the Foundation’s bases. Thank you for inviting us, Commander Ethan.”

After shaking hands with Natasha and Skye, Ethan made a suggestion.

“Let’s continue our discussion somewhere else.”

He took the lead and boarded one of the base’s internal transport vehicles.

Once everyone was aboard, Ethan’s expression turned solemn.

“Tony, I know you’re confused about what’s happening with Obadiah.”

“According to the Foundation’s intelligence network, Obadiah appears to have defected to an organization known as the Chaos Insurgency. That organization was originally established by traitors from the Foundation.”

“For reasons we haven’t yet determined, those defectors possess several extremely dangerous anomalies.”

Tony, Natasha, and Skye immediately looked enlightened.

Only Pepper remained confused, quietly asking Tony what an anomaly was.

After Tony finished explaining, worry spread across Pepper’s face.

The threat posed by anomalies was simply too terrifying.

Even humanity’s most powerful nuclear weapons couldn’t necessarily cause millions of casualties unless their yield was sufficiently high.

Anomalies, however, could.

Worse still, those unnatural things rarely followed reason. Some didn’t even obey the laws of physics.

As a group of Foundation defectors, the Chaos Insurgency hardly appeared easy to deal with.

Pepper couldn’t help feeling deeply concerned.

Tony reassured her.

“Don’t worry. We’re inside a Foundation base. We’ll be safe here.”

As he spoke, they passed the FFR-41MR Yukikaze parked on the airfield alongside her three FRX-99 Light Cavalry unmanned combat aircraft.

The sight of Mobile Task Force operators busily moving throughout the airfield immediately made everyone feel considerably safer.

Natasha, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.

“Mr. Ethan, has the Foundation confirmed that Obadiah is working with the Chaos Insurgency?”

Ethan nodded firmly.

“Yes. I’ve heard that S.H.I.E.L.D. has recently fought several engagements against the Chaos Insurgency.”

“Do you require the Foundation’s support? The Chaos Insurgency is an extremely difficult enemy.”

Despite the apparent sincerity of Ethan’s offer, Natasha shook her head.

“Thank you, but S.H.I.E.L.D. can still handle the Chaos Insurgency for now.”

“Do you know Obadiah’s current location or the location of the Chaos Insurgency forces working with him?”

“We haven’t identified their exact position yet. However, we recently detected a large number of suspicious electronic signals near Hell’s Kitchen.”

“We also discovered that Obadiah’s private aircraft made an emergency departure not long ago. Its destination was New York.”

Natasha and Skye immediately tensed.

That was New York—the economic and cultural center of the United States, with influence extending across the world.

If the Chaos Insurgency possessed an anomaly and intended to cause a major incident there, the consequences could be unimaginable.

An unmistakable trace of urgency appeared in Natasha’s eyes.

“Mr. Ethan, can you tell us which anomaly the Chaos Insurgency possesses? How does it compare with SCP-096, which the Foundation previously contained?”

Ethan considered the question for a moment before answering.

“According to our current intelligence, the Chaos Insurgency most likely possesses SCP-008, codenamed the Zombie Plague.”

“It isn’t the same type of anomaly as SCP-096, but the potential damage it could cause is far greater.”

Natasha’s and Skye’s expressions changed immediately.

“The Zombie Plague? Are you saying SCP-008 can turn people into something resembling zombies from the movies?”

Ethan smiled bitterly.

“Strictly speaking, that was the effect of the original SCP-008. The strain currently in circulation appears to have undergone some form of mutation.”

“The infectious capabilities of this mutated SCP-008 progenitor strain vastly exceed those of the original. If released, it could destroy an entire megacity within days and transform it into hell on Earth.”

The situation had become far more serious than they expected.

After hearing the details, Natasha and Skye were stunned. Their emotions had risen and fallen like a roller coaster.

What had initially appeared to be a single anomalous incident could potentially escalate into an apocalyptic crisis!

Tony and Pepper were equally overwhelmed.

How had this suddenly become a situation that might end the world?

Before any of them could regain their composure, Ethan’s adjutant, Miss 2B, hurried toward them with a tablet in her hand.

“Commander! We’ve received a distress signal from Strategic Homeland Division agents in New York. Their last confirmed location was Hell’s Kitchen.”

Everyone exchanged startled looks.

Hell’s Kitchen?

Wasn’t that precisely where the suspicious signals had been detected?

“A distress signal from the Strategic Homeland Division?”

Although Ethan and the Foundation had heard the organization’s name, they had never made direct contact with the Strategic Homeland Division.

Ethan didn’t hesitate.

He turned decisively toward Natasha and Skye.

“Agents Natasha and Skye, I’ll dispatch Foundation agents to accompany you to Hell’s Kitchen and investigate the situation.”

“It’s unfortunate. I had hoped to give both of you a proper tour of the base.”

“Don’t worry about that, Mr. Ethan. The situation is urgent. Please arrange transportation for us.”

“Miss 2B, please prepare a transport for them. Have Colonel Hans deploy a Mobile Task Force team to investigate the scene.”

“Understood, Commander.”

After issuing his orders, Ethan looked apologetically at Natasha and Skye.

“Then I’ll welcome you back as our guests another time.”

“The Foundation will continue monitoring the situation. We can provide S.H.I.E.L.D. with intelligence support whenever necessary.”