Chapter 64 A Special Apocalypse Mission? No Problem—the Mobile Task Forces Are Ready!

“Intelligence Officer Vera, your credentials have been verified. You may proceed.”

After completing the security inspection, the two guards allowed her through the checkpoint leading into the command center.

An escort guided Vera to the office of the Supreme Commander, the room symbolizing the Foundation’s highest authority.

A female military aide emerged a moment later.

“You may enter. Remember, you have only twenty minutes.”

Vera nodded nervously.

“Understood.”

Upon entering the office, she saw Ethan studying a report behind his desk. Miss 2B stood behind him, serving as both his adjutant and security officer.

An elegant woman in a green qipao was also present. Madame Ophelia sat gracefully in one of the guest chairs, taking delicate sips from a cup of black tea.

Vera straightened her back and announced in a clear voice, “Reporting, sir!”

Ethan set aside the document and examined her with an imposing gaze.

“Keep it brief, Intelligence Officer Vera. Deliver your report.”

Vera raised her voice.

“Yes, sir!”

The intelligence officer began presenting her findings carefully.

“According to the investigation conducted by our advance intelligence team, Agents Natasha and Skye of S.H.I.E.L.D. joined us in searching Hell’s Kitchen.”

“We rescued a Strategic Homeland Division team known as Mole while they were under attack by an unidentified organization.”

“After establishing contact with Mole Team, we learned that a recent defection occurred at a research institute belonging to Blackwatch, a secret federal military organization.”

“A researcher named Elivise opposed Blackwatch’s actions and attempted to contact the Strategic Homeland Division.”

“However, the team led by Agent Catherine, which the Division dispatched to meet her, appears to have been wiped out. Every member of the team has disappeared.”

“The Strategic Homeland Division deployed Mole Team to investigate, but its rescue operation also failed. The target location had already been sanitized, leaving us with no useful evidence.”

“Our intelligence team subsequently traveled to a Strategic Homeland Division branch located at Fort Redstone Military Base.”

“There, we discovered that an unidentified virus had been deliberately released during the base’s public open day.”

“Large numbers of military personnel have fallen ill. I suspect they were exposed to the T-virus or a similar pathogen.”

“After carefully analyzing all available intelligence, I believe a Chaos Insurgency faction has weaponized a virus derived from SCP-008 and is preparing a large-scale offensive.”

A faint smile appeared on Ethan’s face.

He gave Vera an approving look.

“Excellent work, Miss Vera. Your conclusion is very close to the truth.”

“The Foundation recently discovered an infected banknote.”

“It was a one-hundred-dollar bill contaminated with a large quantity of a newly developed virus resembling a mutated form of the T-virus.”

“Our intelligence analysts believe another branch of the Chaos Insurgency was responsible.”

“What we didn’t expect was that Blackwatch would also be connected to the Chaos Insurgency.”

“I’ve concluded that the Twelve Round Table Council has already seized control of Blackwatch.”

Ethan smiled as though he had finally caught sight of his prey.

“If I’m correct, the Twelve Round Table Council intends to use Blackwatch and its affiliated Chaos Insurgency branch to manufacture a biological crisis capable of sweeping across the entire United States.”

Ophelia, who had been listening with great interest, set down her porcelain teacup and crossed her legs.

Her eyes shimmered with curiosity.

“Do you believe they intend to use this crisis to overthrow the American government, Commander?”

“No. Quite the opposite.”

“I believe they intend to use SCP-008 to manufacture a biological crisis, seize control of the entire country, and then use the United States to bring all of human civilization under their control.”

Ophelia adjusted her posture.

“What do you intend to do, then, Commander?”

“I don’t believe they possess the ability to control a virus created from a daughter strain of SCP-008.”

“Spreading it through banknotes is an especially foolish approach.”

“They may be able to use the resulting emergency to acquire special authority and forcibly assume control over every infected region, but they’re overlooking one important problem.”

“If the infection escapes control, all they will inherit is a wasteland.”

Ophelia’s eyes shone with anticipation.

“So how do you intend to resolve this crisis, Commander?”

“This biological crisis is already destined to erupt.”

“It represents an opportunity for them—but it is also an opportunity for us.”

Ethan’s gaze grew profound and resolute.

“Don’t forget why the Strategic Homeland Division was originally established.”

“The Division was created to confront a biological crisis capable of engulfing the entire United States—or even the whole world.”

“A massive nationwide emergency exercise was once conducted specifically for that purpose.”

“This remains one of the Division’s highest secrets. Apart from its successive directors, almost no one knows the truth.”

“Once the crisis erupts, I can justifiably awaken the Strategic Homeland Division—the sleeping phoenix.”

Both Vera and Ophelia were stunned by this classified revelation.

They had never imagined that the Strategic Homeland Division had been created for this exact purpose.

To resist a biological disaster that might engulf the entire country or even the world, the Foundation had established an enormous organization and prepared it for decades.

All of that had been done in anticipation of a possible containment failure involving SCP-008.

The Foundation had been willing to commit incalculable manpower and resources to containing a single anomaly, maintaining its preparations year after year for decades.

Even Ethan had been shocked when the system first revealed this top-secret information to him.

“During peacetime, Division agents live as ordinary citizens alongside everyone else.”

“But when a crisis occurs and Directive 51 is activated, those agents immediately transform into elite combat personnel.”

“They will do everything possible to maintain order in every city and save human civilization from destruction!”

Even Ophelia, who knew more about the Foundation than most, was shocked by the existence of this plan.

Vera was a Foundation intelligence officer, yet even she had never known that the organization concealed something of this magnitude.

The Foundation truly deserved to be called humanity’s beacon.

Who else would invest decades of effort and unimaginable resources in preparing for a threat that might never materialize?

Strategic Homeland Division agents had worked anonymously and fulfilled their duties in silence, remaining loyal to humanity.

Over several decades, one generation of agents had succeeded another.

Even if the day of their activation never came, they remained prepared to fight for everything beautiful in the world.

Only the Foundation could cultivate such loyal guardians in a country dominated by self-interest.

Perhaps the United States had once been capable of producing idealists like them.

Now, however, it would be almost impossible without the Foundation.

The current crisis demonstrated just how vicious the Twelve Round Table Council and its Chaos Insurgency branch truly were.

They had contaminated dollar bills with the virus!

The more advanced human civilization became, the more complicated its systems grew.

Even today, physical currency hadn’t been completely abandoned. It remained one of the world’s most widely circulated forms of payment.

Contaminating banknotes with a virus was potentially one of the deadliest attacks that could be launched against the United States.

Money—something everyone desperately wanted—had suddenly become a demon capable of taking their lives.

Banknotes didn’t merely circulate widely.

They also changed hands extremely quickly, allowing the infected currency to create vast numbers of new infection sources with ease.

Even worse, the virus appeared to possess an incubation period.

The moment Ethan obtained a sample, he had immediately sent it to Dr. Birkin for analysis.

According to Birkin’s findings, this T-virus-like zombie pathogen had an incubation period of at least two to three days.

That incubation period made the Zombie Plague even easier to spread.

Its victims wouldn’t immediately mutate into zombies.

Within two or three days, the contaminated banknotes could travel from the United States to destinations throughout the world.

This alone demonstrated the Twelve Round Table Council’s enormous ambitions—and its utter insanity.

The Council knew its plan could kill tens of millions of people or trigger an uncontrollable global catastrophe.

It was willing to proceed even if the entire planet might be doomed.

Ethan couldn’t help remembering a parallel branch of the Marvel universe.

The *Marvel Zombies* universe.

In that world, countless superheroes and mutants had been infected and transformed into zombies.

Some zombified heroes had even traveled into space in pursuit of fresh flesh.

The thought alone made Ethan’s scalp prickle.

If he ignored the present crisis, this world might eventually follow the same path.

The system had already issued a mission.

[Ding! Special Apocalypse Mission triggered.]

[Mission Objective: Contain the out-of-control daughter strains of SCP-008, the Zombie Plague.]

[As this is the Host’s first Special Apocalypse Mission, the Foundation will dispatch reinforcements.]

[Two hundred YoRHa androids are standing by.]

[Mobile Task Force “Nine-Tailed Fox” has been mobilized.]

[Esteemed Commander, please save the human world and prevent it from entering the timeline of the Marvel Zombies universe.]

Ethan hadn’t expected the system to provide reinforcements.

He had already possessed the confidence and strength required to contain the biological crisis.

Now he was even more certain of victory.

By this point, Vera and Ophelia had recovered from their shock.

Thinking about the Foundation’s decades of preparation—and the unprecedented complexity of the current situation—Vera remained concerned.

“Commander, although the Foundation has prepared extensively for this scenario, we still don’t know how widely the virus has spread.”

“Even if we distribute vaccines and antiviral serum now, we may not be able to bring the situation under control.”

“If the infected begin mutating, the consequences will be unimaginable. All humanity could face extinction.”

“The Twelve Round Table Council is composed of lunatics. This crisis may already be beyond human control.”

“If the situation becomes impossible to contain, should we begin preparations to preserve the last remnants of humanity?”

Hearing her concerns, Ethan waved dismissively.

“The apocalypse isn’t coming. Don’t worry.”

“Even if it does, it doesn’t matter.”

“I’ll handle it.”

Ethan then issued a new set of orders.

“Intelligence Officer Vera, board a transport and return to Fort Redstone immediately.”

“I’ve arranged for personnel to load a shipment of vaccines and antiviral serum.”

“You will lead an advance team and deliver the medical supplies and other resources to Fort Redstone Military Base.”

“Several additional transport groups will subsequently distribute vaccines and serum to Strategic Homeland Division facilities across the country.”

“The Helljumpers and Hammer Down Mobile Task Forces, along with the Nine-Tailed Fox Mobile Task Force dispatched by Foundation Headquarters, have entered twenty-four-hour combat readiness!”

Ethan turned toward Ophelia and continued issuing orders with complete composure.

“Madame Ophelia, you may begin contacting your people.”

“You will receive new equipment and additional support.”

“It’s also time to test the power of the T-103X Tyrants enhanced with the Blood Orchid.”

“The Twelve Round Table Council and the Chaos Insurgency wanted to wage a propaganda war against us, didn’t they?”

A mocking smile appeared on Ethan’s face.

“They portrayed the Foundation as an evil organization secretly controlling the world, turning the public against both the Foundation and the Strategic Homeland Division.”

“They believe they can fool everyone and manipulate the entire world.”

“It’s time to show them the Foundation’s true power!”

“Madame Ophelia, in eight hours, I will launch a counteroffensive through the media.”

“At the same time, I will exercise my authority as the Foundation’s Supreme Commander and submit a formal request to the president to sign Directive 51.”

“When that happens, you’ll be free to act without restraint.”

Ophelia’s eyes shone with excitement as she listened to Ethan’s plan.

She already seemed impatient to begin.

“Then use both me and the Chaos Insurgency however you wish.”

“I will take control of them and return the Chaos Insurgency to its original mission.”

Ethan raised his wrist and checked his military watch.

“”It is now 11:00 p.m. on November 23.””

“Eight hours from now, the Foundation will stand before the entire world—”

“And drive this apocalypse out of our reality once and for all!”