Unveiling the Foundation: Choices and Consequences

Quickly, three remote-controlled robots were sent to the scene.

Under the control of Dr. A167, the remote-controlled robots quickly locked onto the location of SCP-307.

Through remote monitoring, Natasha finally witnessed the true form of SCP-307.

It was a purple vine. Before revealing its fangs, SCP-307 seemed harmless, just like an ordinary plant.

But Natasha knew that this seemingly harmless plant had slaughtered 100 humans in just half a day.

Among the 100 humans were ruthless terrorists, well-equipped elite agents, and innocent civilians coerced by terrorists.

"It's finally over!"

Natasha nervously watched as SCP-307 was continuously trimmed.

Under the scissors of the robot, the vines of SCP-307 were pruned, leaving only a core less than two centimeters long.

The remote-controlled robot with intact hands carefully placed SCP-307 into a metal box.

As the metal box was completely sealed, it marked the end of containment this time.

[Ding~ Congratulations, host, for successfully containing SCP-307 - Spider Ivy.]

[Ding~ Congratulations, host, for acquiring the ability to summon and control SCP-307]

[Ding~ Congratulations, host, for acquiring thermosensory abilities]

[Ding~ Congratulations, host, for acquiring partial traits of SCP-307 - Spider Ivy. The acquired trait is Plant Physiology (the body can be repaired through consuming meat as long as the core is not harmed)]

[Ding~ Congratulations, host, for obtaining two Shelter Cards (after using a Shelter Card, the target will not be actively attacked or harmed by a SCP for 24 hours. Note: Please pay attention to the phrase 'actively attacked.' If you provoke the SCP yourself, the Shelter Card will lose its effect.)]

[Ding~ Congratulations, host, for obtaining SCP-307 Growth Serum (after SCP-307 - uses the growth serum, it will grow to a terrifying degree in a very short period). One bottle (you may try to reverse-engineer the formula, maybe there will be surprises!)]

[Ding~ Congratulations, host, the current SP is: 1550!]

"What kind of rewards are these?"

Noah listened to the consecutive rewards from the system, feeling puzzled.

These rewards were not related to the Foundation's influence; instead, they were personal abilities.

Thermosensory ability, summoning and controlling SCP-307, plant physiology—all of them were abilities tailored specifically to him as the host of the system.

"Are the pre-reward for summoning objects categorized as faction-related, while the post-rewards are personal abilities?" Noah pondered.

As for the final 1500 SP, Noah didn't pay much attention to them.

With 1500 SP, he could only summon a SCP at random.

Noah disliked the randomness of summoning objects the most.

If luck was on his side, it would be fine, but if he summoned something like the Scarlet King, this world might be in immediate danger.

In that case, no matter how rich the pre-rewards were, the whole world would be lost.

Noah understood the difference between one saturation and repeated saturations.

At the same time, Noah also had a rough idea of the system's tactics.

The system seemed to enjoy sending SCPs out to cause trouble but didn't want them to go completely out of control. In that aspect, the system's intentions were similar to his own.

The pre-rewards for summoning SCPs seemed more like insurance, ensuring that the SCPs wouldn't completely lose control.

The post-rewards, on the other hand, were more like temptations, enticing him to contain SCPs and become even stronger.

Just like this time's rewards.

If he hadn't involved S.H.I.E.L.D. and directly contained SCP-307, he probably wouldn't have gained even 500 SP.

After all, the major contributors to the SP in this containment event were members of S.H.I.E.L.D., especially the S.H.I.E.L.D. Trio.

Thinking about this, Noah silently rejoiced.

Fortunately, he brought S.H.I.E.L.D. into the picture, and they became the scapegoat. Otherwise, he wouldn't have enough SP even for a random summoning of a SCP.

After organizing the rewards, Noah said to Black Widow beside him, "Natasha, you are free to move now. I have something to take care of."

After speaking, Noah left the command room and hurriedly arrived at the underground training room of the base.

Once in the training room, Noah summoned the Spider Ivy.

A purple vine suddenly emerged from the void. Under Noah's control, the purple vine wrapped around a nearby dummy and slowly tightened its grip.

After emitting a series of unpleasant friction sounds, the dummy finally couldn't bear the pressure and turned into a pile of debris.

Looking at the nearby dummy, Noah muttered to himself thoughtfully, "With its resilience and hardness equivalent to a plastic rod of the same volume, along with paralysis effects and the ability to control it at will, this ability shouldn't be too weak."

Noah realized that his ability to summon SCP-307 resembled plant manipulation, but it could only control SCP-307.

In terms of strength, it wasn't particularly powerful or weak; it could be considered an average ability.

As for the plant physiology, Noah didn't experiment with it. Firstly, he was afraid of pain, but mainly because it seemed unnecessary.

Regarding the remaining 1500 SP, Noah didn't plan on using them to summon a SCP immediately. He intended to wait a few days first.

If his plan was correct, in a few days, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Iron Man's side should be able to provide some SP.

Unless absolutely necessary, he really didn't want to randomly summon a SCP.

Among nearly ten thousand SCPs, there were close to a thousand that couldn't be contained, which was almost a 1/10 chance. Noah didn't want to gamble with such high odds.

Before his transmigration, he was just an ordinary human. Who knew if his luck would become worse after transmigration? After all, all the luck he accumulated in his previous life was used for transmigration and acquiring cheat-like abilities.

This lottery wasn't just for fun. When he played games and participated in lotteries before, the worst outcome was losing some money.

But when summoning a SCP, if his luck was bad, the cost would be an entire world!

Shaking his head to keep himself clear-headed, Noah also left the training room.

At this time, Tony and the others were also brought back.

Looking at the unconscious trio, Noah ordered expressionlessly, "Wake them up directly. I want to talk to them and decide how to deal with them."

Natasha, who was nearby, looked worriedly at the unconscious Sharon Carter. If possible, she hoped to save Sharon Carter.

After listening, Dr. A167 took out the awakening agent and injected it into the three individuals.

The awakening agent was a special drug developed by Dr. A167 specifically to counteract the sedative effects of SCP-307.

The drug was extremely potent and effective against any sedative.

Basically, once injected, it would take effect immediately.

Of the three, Sharon Carter, with the best physical condition, woke up first.

As Sharon abruptly opened her eyes, she instinctively struggled, but at this moment, she was restrained on the hospital bed and couldn't even move, let alone resist.

Realizing that she was captured by someone, She didn't show any signs of panic but calmly surveyed the environment in the medical room.

Soon, she caught sight of Natasha standing beside Noah.

And Natasha gave Sharon a reassuring look, subtly indicating that she shouldn't reveal her identity.

Feeling temporarily safe, Sharon didn't struggle further but rather looked at Noah expressionlessly.

It took Sharon less than a minute to analyze who was in control of the situation in the room.

"Who are you? Why did you capture me?" She didn't mention anything about SCP-307.

Because she knew that the terrifying and strange plant definitely wasn't a natural occurrence; it was likely a creation of some laboratory.

If those people were responsible for creating that thing, the more she knew, the easier it would be for them to eliminate her to keep it a secret.

"We are the SCP Foundation. We found that cave and two others like you," explained the elderly Dr. A167 with a smile.

Sharon quickly glanced at the nearby hospital bed and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Tony Stark safe and sound.

S.H.I.E.L.D. suffered heavy losses today, and if they hadn't rescued Tony, their losses would have been even more futile.

Pretending to be nervous, She asked, "What do you want with us?"

"We..." Dr. A167 was about to explain but was interrupted by Noah. "Doctor, you talk too much. She is not yet part of the Foundation, and knowing too much won't benefit us.

Dr. A167 sighed helplessly upon hearing this.

To be honest, he admired this young girl. The fact that she woke up so quickly indicated that her physical condition was exceptional.

Such a talented person not contributing to the Foundation was truly a loss for all of humanity.

In Dr. A167's mind, the Foundation was equivalent to all of humanity.

After all, without the Foundation, the entire world would be unable to withstand the encroachment of the SCPs.

A muffled groan sounded as Tony and Yensen woke up in succession.

Perhaps due to surviving a life-threatening situation, Tony couldn't stop talking.

"Damn it! I thought I was supposed to be dead, but here I am alive. I thought I was supposed to be on a hospital bed, but now I'm on an experimental bed. What are you doing? Planning to dissect my brain?"

"To be honest, you have a good eye. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call this brain the greatest in human history," Dr. A167, who had extensive knowledge about SCP-307, explained seriously. "Rest assured, we're not interested in your brain! Right now, we're just checking if you pose a threat and if your bodies are parasitized."

At the mention of parasitism, Tony's face turned pale instantly.

He thought of the cave filled with purple vines.

"Parasitism? That thing can parasitize?"

Tony shouted in horror.

"It's just speculation. We can't confirm it yet. After all, you are survivors of the SCP-307 attack. We need to conduct a comprehensive examination on you."

"And then?"

Tony, upon hearing that, became much more obedient.

Although being bound was unpleasant, compared to his own life, Tony suddenly felt that this bit of grievance was nothing.

Noah approached and explained coldly, "Currently, we haven't found any anomalies. Once we determine that you pose no threat, you'll be free to go."

"Tony Stark, the world's biggest arms dealer, famous playboy, and the greatest inventor of the 21st century. Someone like you is a rare talent even in our Foundation."

Tony retorted directly, "That's not necessarily true! There's no one in this world smarter than me."

"Is that so?" Noah smiled meaningfully and didn't argue further.

Noah shifted his gaze to Yensen.

"Dr. Yensen, are you interested in joining the Foundation?"

Facing Noah's invitation, Yensen asked with a bitter smile, "Do I have a choice?"

He was all too familiar with this kind of invitation.

Previously, when the Ten Rings invited him, the situation was similar to now.

After refusing, he had suffered a beating and was forced to join.

In Yensen's mind, the current Noah and those terrorists were no different, and he was well aware that he had no real choice.

Surprisingly, Noah said, "Of course you have a choice. Once you understand the Foundation, if you still don't want to join, we'll let you go, but you'll have to sign a non-disclosure agreement."

Hearing that he still had a choice, Yensen was taken aback..

"You can release Dr. Yensen now," Noah instructed Dr. A167, who was nearby.

Dr. A167 commanded his assistant to remove the restraints from Yensen.

Upon regaining his freedom, Yensen looked at Tony and Sharon, who were still bound on the hospital beds, hesitating to speak.

Before Noah could invite him, Tony spoke up directly, "I won't join your so-called Foundation, but I can invest and cooperate."

Without understanding this mysterious organization, Tony felt that he should stabilize the situation first, so as not to end up being beaten like before with the Ten Rings.

Noah nodded and then turned his gaze to Sharon Carter.

Noah wasn't as polite with her and bluntly presented her with two choices.

"As a former agent of an organization, to prevent the leakage of our Foundation's intelligence, you have two options now: either join us or have your memories wiped and be set free."

As a second-generation S.H.I.E.L.D. agent couldn't possibly succumb to such coercion.

Sharon Carter immediately wanted to refuse and even mock the other party.

However, at that moment, Natasha, who had been silent, stepped forward.

"Wait!"

Natasha, who intended to save her colleague, pleaded, "Sir, let me handle her. I can persuade her."

Noah looked deeply into Natasha's eyes and then nodded at Dr. A167.

Noah warned, "You have one night. You can't wander around the base with her. If you haven't successfully persuaded her by tomorrow morning, we'll have no choice but to forcibly erase her memories."

"Don't worry! I'm confident that I can convince her," Natasha confidently nodded.

After dealing with Sharon Carter's situation, Noah turned his attention to Tony, the fat lamb.

"40 billion! As a reward for saving you, all you have to do is transfer 40 billion to the Foundation."

"No problem!"

As a true trillionaire, 40 billion was nothing to Tony. (AN: I don't believe Tony was just worth 12.4 billion dollars)

For people like them, money was just a string of numbers.

Seeing Tony easily agree, Noah suddenly regretted it a bit. He had underestimated this wealthy guy. He should have added another zero just now.

"From today onwards, you'll be an external consultant for the Foundation!"

"Wait a minute! Before talking about being a consultant, can you introduce the Foundation to me? That abnormal plant in the cave, it's not something produced by your laboratory, is it?"

Tony quickly called out to Noah as he prepared to leave.

Encountering so many strange things inexplicably today, the self-assured Tony was eager to understand the causes and consequences.

"Dr. A167, explain it to him! 6547 is about to return, and I need to contain SCP-307."

Seeing Noah preparing to leave, Natasha wanted to follow him. After all, Noah was likely heading to the mysterious headquarters of the Foundation.

However, when she looked at Sharon next to her, Natasha suppressed her urge.

"Child! Let me introduce the Foundation to you," Dr. A167 said kindly to Tony.

This was a scapegoat... no, a major donor for the Foundation in the foreseeable future!

"Listen carefully, child!"

"We are humanity's first line of defense, as well as the last! We die in the dark, so you can live in the light. Remember our motto: We Secure. We Contain. We Protect! We... are the Foundation!"

Tony: "..."

Tony's mouth twitched as he looked at the fanatic old man before him.

Why did this sound a bit like a cult?

Yensen, standing beside him, was similarly speechless. In the Middle East, there were too many fanatical religious fanatics like this. He was already too exhausted to comment.

Natasha slapped her forehead heavily with her hand and looked up at the ceiling for a long time.

It's hopeless!

If the Foundation recruits people like this, they're beyond saving!

For some reason, Natasha decided to personally evangelize... no, personally recruit people!

"Our Foundation's full name is the Special Containment Procedures Foundation, abbreviated as the SCP Foundation."

"The so-called SCPs are supernatural anomalies, like the Spider Ivy you encountered today."

Tony interrupted Natasha's lengthy explanation and questioned, "Wait a minute! You said that thing today wasn't created by you. So how did it appear?"

"Well..."

Facing his own knowledge gap, Natasha turned to Dr. A167 for help.

"So far, we haven't discovered the pattern of anomalous occurrences. They could have originated before the birth of humanity, resulted from accidents, or even been created intentionally. But these SCPs all share a common characteristic—they are uncontrollable and pose great danger to humanity, even if unintentionally," explained Dr. A167 to everyone.

Sharon, listening attentively, suddenly realized. Wasn't this the same as the 0-8-4 within S.H.I.E.L.D.? It just had a different name.

But why did this organization collect so many 0-8-4s? Were they really for protection, or did they have their own ambitions?

Unlike Tony, Sharon, who didn't trust the Foundation's containment and protection claims, felt disdainful. Only S.H.I.E.L.D. could bear such responsibility. If anyone else did it, it would surely be to fulfill their own ambitions.

"The Spider Ivy? The bizarre plant we encountered today?" Tony raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, SCP-307, the Spider Ivy! It preys on warm-blooded animals and can grow infinitely. If left unchecked, it could devour all warm-blooded animals on Earth," nodded Dr. A167.

Tony immediately noticed something, "SCP-307? Are you saying that the Foundation has 307 of these things?"

"In fact, there are more than that! Since the Foundation's inception, we've contained and protected nearly a thousand SCPs," explained Dr. A167 with a meaningful smile.

Hearing this terrifying and chilling number, the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees for the others.

Even Coulson and May, who had just reached the door, couldn't help but stop in their tracks, feeling a chill rising from the soles of their feet.

Close to a thousand SCPs?

What did that mean?

In places unknown to S.H.I.E.L.D., the crises capable of destroying the world had been prevented a thousand times?

How was that possible?

The four S.H.I.E.L.D. agents found it hard to accept this fact.

If that were true, what was the point of S.H.I.E.L.D.? What face did they have to claim to protect all of humanity?

In fact, the protection claimed by S.H.I.E.L.D. was as ridiculous as their limited perspective.

Dr. A167 smiled and shook his head, "No! Don't think too much about it. SCPs as dangerous as SCP-307, capable of threatening the entire world, are relatively rare. Most SCPs are just somewhat dangerous. You'll understand when you encounter more SCPs in the future."

Tony, who was traumatized by SCP-307, couldn't wait and said, "I'm quite interested in those SCPs. As your consultant, can I study them?"

"That's up to the President!" Dr. A167 smiled and shook his head.

Meanwhile...

After successfully returning, 6547 handed a sealed metal box to Noah.

"Report to the Commander! SCP-307, the Spider Ivy, has been contained!"

Seeing the metal box handed over by 6547, Noah took it with satisfaction and threw it directly into the containment space.

SCP-307 was the type of SCP capable of destroying the world when it reached a certain level of growth.

Noah didn't dare to keep such a level of SCP in the real world. With S.H.I.E.L.D. already infiltrated and the meddling of Hydra, if SCP-307 went out of control in a busy city, it would cause a huge problem.

Although he would love for more people to witness the horror of SCPs, he wasn't insane enough to sacrifice the lives of an entire city just to increase his SP.

After securing SCP-307, Noah turned back and returned.

After listening to Natasha and Dr. A167's explanations, Tony's face turned serious, lost in thought. It was unclear what he was contemplating.

Yensen also hesitated.

Having lost his family, Yensen had been searching for his place in the world. He returned to his hometown with the hope that his abilities could make it a better place.

But now...

Yensen realized that he had higher aspirations.

If the Foundation was truly as Dr. A167 described, why shouldn't he join and contribute his power for the sake of all humanity?

As Tony stood up while contemplating, he saw Noah returning and said solemnly, "I request that you bring me along in your future operations. If I am convinced of your righteousness, I am willing to support the Foundation at any cost!"

Noah looked at Tony Stark, who seemed serious and not joking, and considered his request. Could a single ordeal really bring about such a significant change in a person?

"Unfortunately, we cannot grant your request," Noah shrugged, refusing Tony's plea. He was certain that even with the protagonist's aura, Tony's arrogant and self-centered personality wouldn't fare well against the anomalous entities in the Foundation.

Considering that Tony would soon become a major donor to the Foundation, Noah made a compromise. "However, we can inform you of our operations, but you cannot personally go to the frontlines."

Tony was not willing to give up easily. After witnessing his inventions being used by terrorists to harm innocent civilians, he had developed the intention to atone for his actions. Now, after witnessing the greatness of the Foundation, Tony wanted to redeem himself by containing these anomalies and, in the process, verify the Foundation's purported greatness

Unfortunately, the President of the Foundation refused him without hesitation.

Tony had even requested things that the military would normally comply with.

"Is there really no way?" Tony asked, unwilling to give up.

"No! You would only be a liability if you went," Noah replied expressionlessly.

Sharon, standing beside Natasha, secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Noah reject Tony's request. Having witnessed the strangeness of the SCPs, Sharon understood just how dangerous they were. If a playboy like Tony got involved, there was a high chance he would end up being a casualty.

Why would someone like Tony Stark, a playboy who had been living a good life, abandon his public image and engage in such dangerous activities? That was not dedication, but sheer recklessness.

"You can leave tomorrow morning, and we will also return to New York," Noah stated firmly.

He only needed a major donor, not an Iron Man charging into the frontlines.

After dismissing Tony, Noah turned to Coulson, who had appeared out of nowhere, and ordered, "You should also prepare. We will depart tomorrow."

Coulson and May's expressions immediately changed upon hearing that they had to return to New York.

"Wait! Sir, why should I go back? Haven't I already joined the Foundation? We also want to contribute to humanity," Coulson protested unwillingly.

Just now, he had reestablished contact with S.H.I.E.L.D., and Director Fury had issued new orders. In S.H.I.E.L.D.'s risk assessment, the Foundation was classified as extremely dangerous. Director Fury had given the strict command to find the Foundation's headquarters and the containment locations of all anomalies.

Compared to the existence of the SCPs, even a nuclear warhead was insignificant. Coulson weighed the importance of the two and couldn't accept Noah's decision.

Now, Noah's order had completely ruined his plans.

As an undercover agent, he hadn't accomplished a single one of the orders issued by his superiors.

He hadn't learned the location of the Foundation's headquarters, nor the containment locations of those anomalies. He didn't even know what had happened to SCP-307. How could he explain this?

If he didn't have confidence in himself, Coulson would have suspected that Noah had discovered his true identity.

"Are you really determined to join the Foundation?" Noah looked at Coulson with a strange gaze.

Coulson immediately nodded in response.

As someone begging to become cannon fodder, Noah felt that even God wouldn't be able to stand by and watch.

"In that case, you can join the Foundation with your previous smuggling group. From now on, you'll be in charge of all D-class members of the Foundation," Noah said, revealing a faint smile.

Coulson's eyes brightened upon hearing the news.

Seeing Coulson ecstatic, Natasha shook her head helplessly.

As a top agent, Natasha wasn't as naive as Coulson. During her time at the base, she had learned about the power structure of the Foundation from some researchers.

At the top of the Foundation's power pyramid was the President, while the lowest level consisted of C-class agents. In addition to these ranks, there was an entirely unacknowledged class, referred to as the cannon fodder, or D-class armed personnel.

And now, Coulson had been appointed to lead this group of cannon fodder.

After his joy subsided, Coulson expressed gratitude. "Thank you, Sir, for your trust. I will go back and arrange the personnel, forming my own team!"

Coulson already had plans in mind. Once he returned, he would include all the undercover agents sent by S.H.I.E.L.D. into his team. On one hand, he wanted to use his own people, those he was familiar with. On the other hand, it would be an opportunity to promote excellent agents and infiltrate the Foundation from within.

Watching Coulson leave in a hurry, Noah couldn't help but let out a cold smile.

Wasn't S.H.I.E.L.D. always shouting about protecting all of humanity and the world? By becoming D-class armed personnel on the frontlines, they were fulfilling their own slogans.

"Ah!" Natasha sighed silently.

She had planned to remind Coulson when she had the chance later, but he was too eager and didn't even give her an opportunity…