Chapter 681: SCP-5000

After O5-7's reminder, the audience's thoughts surge again.

"I once thought that after 'SCP-2000' restarts civilization, the souls of the dead would be guided and reborn in new bodies... I didn't expect, it turns out it's not like that?"

"Who knows? The development of the Foundation in different worlds is different, and the specific details of the containment objects probably have considerable differences... But I still hope 'Deus ex machina' really lets people be reborn, rather than creating a pile of flesh that has nothing to do with the original."

"O5-7's logic in discussing the dead and clones has a small problem... letting the dead, and those who haven't descended into the world, talk about meaning, this is an illegal operation... meaning is retrospectively constructed. For the same thing, for different people, and even for the same person at different times, the meaning is different."

……

"The options you mentioned are not contradictory." O5-1 says calmly, "What we care about is the survival of the entire human civilization."

Yes, this is the goal that the Foundation has never changed.

O5-1's tense nerves finally relax a little, and they subconsciously lean back: "At the same time, we protect the 'status quo'."

"The survival of human civilization and the 'status quo' are mutually dependent."

O5-7 does not speak, but presses their hand on the pile of paper scraps, exerting slight force.

"Isn't human civilization composed of individuals?" They ask in return.

"If all the atoms of human civilization—people—have died, then if we use 'SCP-2000' to recreate a human civilization out of thin air, is it still the original human civilization?"

"Does it still have meaning for those who have died?"

"What's more—if we activate 'SCP-2000' to 'continue human civilization,' then our other actions should also be like this."

"But can we really say with confidence that all our actions are to continue human civilization?"

"Take a good look at the investigation report on 'PNEUMA' in your hands."

……

With O5-7's words, a new file appears on the screen.

【Containment Object: Why?】

【Item Number: SCP-5000】

【Danger Level: Safe】

【Special Containment Procedures:】

【'SCP-5000' must be stored in the basic storage unit of Site-22 and kept in an inactive state.】

【All files and intelligence recovered from 'SCP-5000' must be stored on a secure server and must be available for backup according to the requirements of the archives department.】

【File 5000-1:】

【Download File 0001-1】

【The following information is written and published after the unanimous decision of the O5 Council.】

【Those who have not yet noticed our existence, we represent an organization called the Foundation.】

【Our previous tasks were all centered around containing and researching anomalous objects, entities, and various other phenomena. For over a hundred years, these tasks have been the focus of our organization's work.】

【Due to the emergence of a situation beyond our control, this directive has now been changed.】

【Our new mission will be to exterminate all of humanity.】

【There will be no further communication after this.】

Before this moment, the vast majority of the audience still thought that the Foundation's position was firmly on the side of all humanity.

But this "SCP-5000" file is like a thunderclap, bringing the audience not only shock but also infinite terror.

"What?????"

"No, are you kidding me? The 'Pioneer' civilization worked so hard to create a perfect starting environment, and the Foundation just went ahead and did a big purge of human civilization???"

But some audience members also noticed that the content of the "Why?" file is incomplete.

"Is there a possibility that the complete 'SCP-5000' file length is no less than 'SCP-C-2000'? Here the Foundation just picked a small part to show?"

"Then the Foundation has no reason to clear all of humanity??? 'Oh, Death' didn't achieve the feat, the Foundation did it for them!"

……

The audience's discussion boils over, and on the light screen, lines of text are still updating rapidly.

【Consolidated File 0001-1】

【After their global announcement was released, the Foundation immediately launched an attack on all of humanity.】

【The response to the anomalies released by the Foundation was fast, but the damage had already been done.】

【It's hard to say exactly what happened, but from my perspective—by accessing the Foundation network and continuously tracking the news—I have already learned a little bit.】

【I have to write down everything I know—so that after all this is over, if anyone is still alive, they can understand what happened to us.】

【'SCP-096'】

【A photo of 'SCP-096's face was leaked to social media platforms.】

【Hundreds of deaths were caused before the photo was taken down. As far as I know, this photo is still circulating.】

【'SCP-196'】

【A series of nuclear explosives were detonated inside and on the surface of 'SCP-196,' causing it to stir slightly in its sleep.】

【The resulting earthquakes and tsunamis destroyed a very large number of coastal towns in the world.】

【'SCP-662'】

【Within twenty-four hours, an individual with an appearance consistent with 'Mr. Deeds' appeared near several major national leaders and used any tools available nearby to assassinate them, then quickly disappeared.】

【I don't know why this action stopped the next day.】

【'SCP-610'】

【Foundation agents lurking in several major cities, including New York and Delhi, spread samples of 'SCP-610'.】

【All civilians in the area, including the agents themselves, were quickly infected and assimilated by 'SCP-610'.】

【The Global Occult Coalition and the Church of the Broken God have joined forces to stop the further spread of 'SCP-610'.】

【'SCP-682'】

【Released.】

【……】

【'SCP-2000'】

【The Foundation deliberately triggered the eruption of the Yellowstone volcano to destroy 'SCP-2000'.】

【As far as the current situation is concerned, the anomalies deployed by the Manna Charitable Foundation have slowed down the impact on the environment at an alarming rate, but it is only a matter of time before we are choked to death by volcanic ash.】

Item after item of containment objects, heard of, unheard of, seen, unseen, constantly refreshing the screen.

Showing the Foundation's madness, the O5 Council's determination to destroy the world, and the final loyalty of the agents.

No one knows why they did this.

But one thing is certain.

—In a certain parallel world, the Foundation destroyed human civilization with its own hands.

……

"Do you know why the Foundation in the parallel world, those bastards, did such a thing as slaughtering humanity?"

"What are you and I sitting here resisting so-called 'anomalies' for?"

"You must already know the intelligence about the '2300 Incident' we learned from the parallel world, right?"

"But those 'Yeming Project' researchers who studied the '2300 Incident' never told you why the '2300 Incident' happened."

"Don't you want to know why the intensity of the '2300 Incident' is related to the level of human civilization development?"

"Come and see these video records."

Saying that, they take out photos one by one, showing the Foundation's atrocities to the councilors present.

"The Foundation in the parallel world—fortunately, we haven't started doing this ourselves yet—in order to resist this disaster, created a bunch of anomalies and sent them back to the past."

"Among them is this thing, 'The Statue'."

"The Foundation created this thing to 'cultivate the ability of past humans to resist anomalies' and sent it back to the past, but in the year 2300—" ===== CHAPTER 683 =====