"Humanity has propagated for 250,000 years, but only the most recent 4,000 years have been meaningful."
"So what have we been doing for nearly 250,000 years? We hid in caves, huddled around tiny bonfires, fearing things we didn't understand—explanations for how the sun rose, monsters with human heads and bird bodies, sentient stones."
"We called them 'gods' and 'demons,' and begged them for forgiveness and prayed for salvation."
"Later, their numbers dwindled, and ours increased. As the things we feared became fewer, we began to view the world more rationally."
"However, inexplicable things did not disappear, as if the universe deliberately chose to remain absurd and incredible."
"But humanity can no longer live in fear."
"Nothing can protect us; we must protect ourselves."
"While others live in the sunlight, we must fight them in the shadows and prevent their existence from being exposed to the public—so that others can live in a rational, ordinary world."
——— Foundation Manifesto
Time: Unknown
Location: Site-CN-36
"Mom and Dad, don't worry. Your son is fighting for a great cause…"
"I will never regret coming to this place…"
"The New Year is approaching. Buy some New Year's goods for yourselves. I'm busy with work this year, so I won't be coming home…"
"Please take good care of yourselves. If you run out of money, or if anything happens, go to the address I gave you. Don't worry about what kind of company it is… they will help you…"
"…."
"Mom and Dad, I'm sorry… Your son is unfilial."
After a few minutes, the suicide note was finally finished. Z9-1 dropped it into a box nearby.
Behind the oxygen mask, he seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
Then he asked his teammates beside him,
"Are you all done writing?"
The personnel—dressed in dark yellow hazmat suits and armed with M4A1s—all nodded.
They were MTF Zeta-9.
This was Site-CN-36.
Now, Project Number: SCP-CN-5981. First exploration begins.
"Alright, everyone—move out."
Z9-1 took a deep breath and was the first to walk into the pitch-black cave.
(Descent depth: unknown.)
(Time: The watch hasn't changed for a long time for some unknown reason… but it feels like three hours have passed.)
The cave entrance above was no longer visible.
In the pitch black, only by relying on the headlamps illuminating one another could the task force members confirm that no one had fallen behind.
"Captain… how much longer do we have to descend?" Z9-2 surveyed the nearby rock walls. "I keep feeling like we're caught in a loop."
Z9-1 didn't respond, merely glancing at the CTM data displayed on his mask.
Every "mole" was equipped with complete personal digital modifications and implants, along with a cochlear-type topological map instrument (CTM) capable of constructing underground maps using high-frequency echo waves.
Yet the result remained the same—the map showed only a straight downward passage.
…This was the spatial anomaly of the area.
The Foundation's CN branch had scanned the region with various instruments. No abnormalities were detected except for a 300m × 300m × 300m underground cube.
But clearly, they should have already passed through the anomalous zone…
And now, their communication with Site Command had inexplicably been cut off.
"This place definitely isn't friendly to people with claustrophobia," Z9-6 said casually. "Next time, I really should bring two bottles of wine down here."
"If Site Command heard that, wouldn't they kill you?" Z9-3 joked over the comms. "But I agree—we definitely need a few good drinks once we're back on the surface."
"..."
They all knew the odds of survival were slim, so they used idle banter to relieve the pressure weighing on their hearts.
That atmosphere didn't last long.
"Stop talking," the captain ordered. "There's light ahead!"
Z9-1 raised his rifle and advanced toward the source.
It was a blue, glowing rift.
After deploying a drone into it—only to lose signal immediately—Z9-7 asked,
"What do we do, Captain? Do we go in?"
Z9-1 was silent for several seconds. Then he nodded.
"Z9-2, take the collected data and return the way we came."
"Why me?"
Z9-2 wasn't sure whether this was mercy for being the youngest—but if it was, he would absolutely refuse.
"If we don't come back," Z9-1 said coldly, "humanity and the Foundation will need that information. And don't think this is a safe mission."
Z9-1 glanced at him, then turned to the others.
"The rest of you—follow me!"
"Understood."
"Let's go."
Each member patted Z9-2 on the shoulder before resolutely stepping into the blue rift.
No one knew how much time passed.
Z9-3 was the first to wake up.
"Captain!" he shouted, urgently shaking the others.
"What happened…?" Z9-1 groaned. His head felt like it had been split open. It was as if they had all been knocked unconscious upon passing through the rift.
"Look around."
Everyone was awake now, rifles raised.
Under the combined light of their headlamps, their surroundings became clear.
It was unmistakably a sewage treatment facility.
Dark red liquid poured endlessly from outlets above, converging at their feet into a massive pool of flesh and blood.
Had they not been wearing oxygen masks, the stench alone would have suffocated them.
"There are a lot of bodies here," Z9-3 said cautiously.
"Let me see." Z9-1 crouched down. "These aren't all human… are they?"
"Not necessarily," Z9-4 replied. "But most of them resemble humans, with blood covering their faces. Their blood vessels have all been extracted… Good lord, what kind of sick obsession does this killer have?"
"..."
Z9-1 fell silent.
Human corpses. Spatial rifts. And a clearly man-made sewage system.
This was already far beyond the Foundation's original threat assessment.
Finally, he exhaled.
"Stop speculating. Turn on all cameras—this intel must be sent back to the Foundation."
"Check your CTMs and all electronic equipment for damage."
"We're leaving."
With a hand signal, the team advanced in tight formation.
There was only one route forward.
A pitch-black tunnel.
Blood flowed steadily along it—
draining deeper and deeper into the darkness.