NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13: Chapter 12: Charlotte and the D-Class Memory Erasure Method
Hayasaka Ai diligently recorded the gathered intelligence.
After thinking for a moment, Gu Zeyuan decided...
"Anyway, I'll give her a little lesson first."
With that, Haruto led Annie toward a secluded alleyway.
Stopping beside an almost-abandoned warehouse, Haruto prepared to smirk coldly before capturing Hayasaka Ai.
However, just at that moment...
[An anomaly has been detected nearby. Please proceed with containment.]
A system panel popped up.
A red dot on the panel indicated that something was moving rapidly toward them.
Haruto frowned.
Anomalies take priority.
"Annie, prepare for battle," Haruto ordered.
Annie immediately tensed, ready for combat at any moment.
As the anomaly's red dot drew closer, Haruto finally saw its full form.
It was a white-haired girl dressed in what resembled a hospital gown.
"Help me! Call the police!"
The moment she saw Haruto and Annie, the girl shouted desperately.
Annie turned to look at Haruto.
Gu Zeyuan nodded, giving the signal.
In the next instant, Annie swiftly dashed forward.
The moment she reached the girl, she grabbed her arm and easily took her down.
Then, with a precise joint lock, Annie completely subdued her.
The girl barely had time to let out a whimper before she was rendered immobile.
[Successfully contained "Adolescent Syndrome - Visual Distortion."]
[Containment Level: 1 - Dangerous. Containment Status: Stable.]
[Reward: One Level-1 Lottery Draw.]
The system notification appeared.
Haruto nodded in satisfaction.
It seemed that even if his subordinates contained an anomaly, the system still awarded rewards.
And containment simply required ensuring that the anomaly couldn't escape.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps sounded from ahead.
A group of fully armed individuals wielding rifles rushed over.
"Hey! Who are you? Hand her over immediately, or else—"
The squad leader shouted as he raised his rifle toward the trio.
But before he could finish his sentence, he saw the distant young man suddenly vanish.
The next thing he knew, a black blur flashed before his eyes.
A sensation like being hit by a truck overwhelmed him.
His vision went dark as he was sent flying, dead on the spot.
The others hadn't even registered what happened.
Annie, who had been ready to assist, widened her eyes in shock.
This level of speed and strength...
It was comparable to—or even exceeded—her Titan form!
Haruto tore through the squad like a tiger among sheep, slaughtering them effortlessly.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have acted so ruthlessly.
But they were armed.
Although their weapons posed no threat to him, they could harm Annie.
These weren't simple muskets or flintlocks.
So, without hesitation, Haruto acted first, nipping the threat in the bud.
In the span of less than three minutes, the fully armed squad was wiped out. Their rifles had barely fired a few shots, most missing their mark. Gu Zeyuan finally stopped.
Not a single enemy was left alive.
Annie and the subdued girl were utterly dumbfounded.
Equally shocked was Hayasaka Ai.
Hiding in the shadows, she had witnessed everything unfold before her eyes.
"A combat power surpassing that of humans... This is too dangerous! I have to escape and report this to the young lady..."
Hayasaka Ai cautiously stepped backward.
Just as she turned around, ready to sneak away—
A hand patted her shoulder.
Hayasaka Ai's face fell.
She forced a smile and turned around.
"Ahaha... What a coincidence."
Haruto was also smiling.
"Yeah, quite the coincidence."
And with that, Hayasaka Ai was effortlessly subdued and slung over his shoulder.
Back at their spot, Haruto placed Hayasaka Ai and the anomaly girl together. Crossing his arms, he smirked at the two of them.
"You two seem to have seen something you shouldn't have."
It was the kind of line a villain would say before eliminating witnesses.
"No, I saw absolutely nothing," Hayasaka Ai lied through her teeth.
At the same time, her hand discreetly reached for her waist—
Only to find it empty.
Hayasaka Ai's pupils shrank.
Meanwhile, Haruto casually pulled out a strange-looking phone.
"Miss Hayasaka Ai, I believe this is what you're looking for. Unfortunately, information from this place cannot be leaked."
Hayasaka Ai stared at the phone in Gu Zeyuan's hand.
"When did you—?!"
She hadn't even noticed that her phone had been stolen.
That phone was a special satellite device capable of bypassing most communication barriers. Hayasaka Ai had planned to use it to contact the Shinomiya family.
After witnessing Gu Zeyuan's power, she had concluded that escape was impossible. At the very least, she had to get the information out.
But now, that option was gone as well.
"Just who are you?"
Hayasaka Ai asked, eyes locked onto Gu Zeyuan.
"SCP Foundation Chairman, Special Containment Executive, Code O5-1," Haruto replied.
Hayasaka Ai: ?
She searched through all the intelligence in her mind but found nothing related to those terms.
"Is big brother one of those 'chuunibyou' types?"
The anomaly girl asked curiously.
Haruto glanced at her.
This child… does she have no sense of danger?
Having extracted genetic information from the armed squad, Haruto now knew the full details of the anomaly girl.
Tomori Nao.
A girl with special abilities—her power allowed her to deceive people's vision, making herself appear invisible.
The drawback was that it only worked on one person at a time.
A weak ability.
However, the origin of Tomori Nao's power was worth noting.
Ten years ago, a comet named "Charlotte" passed over Earth.
"Charlotte" carried a unique virus.
Those infected developed supernatural abilities during adolescence—this was known as Adolescent Syndrome.
The armed squad had belonged to a private military organization.
This group had established a lab to imprison infected individuals and experiment on them in an attempt to extract their abilities.
Tomori Nao had escaped from that laboratory.
Gu Zeyuan ignored her for now.
The priority was dealing with Hayasaka Ai.
"Miss Hayasaka Ai, the Foundation's protocol is to contain anomalies and protect the public's awareness."
"Information about anomalies must not be leaked. And yet, you've seen too much."
Upon hearing this, Hayasaka Ai immediately responded, "I'll keep my mouth shut, I swear!"