I created a foundation

Busujima Saeko spoke slowly and clearly, ensuring that every word she said was accurately conveyed to the other party.

"Help you figure out why you're here. And, help you find a way back—if that road still exists."

The way back.

These five words, like a precise key, instantly opened the softest and most desired door in Tifa's heart.

Her eyes fluctuated violently.

Confusion, bewilderment, vigilance...all these complex emotions were overwhelmed by a strong "desire" at this moment.

She wants to go back.

Back to "Seventh Heaven", back to her companions.

But her logic told her not to easily trust a mysterious girl carrying a weapon whom she met in an alley.

"Why should I...believe you?"

Tifa asked the most crucial question.

"You don't need any reason."

Busujima Saeko's answer was beyond her expectations.

"You just have to make a choice."

"One, continue to stay here, wandering like a headless chicken in this completely unfamiliar world. Until your abnormality attracts those who truly harbor ill will towards you."

Busujima Saeko's gaze seemed to penetrate Tifa and look into the deeper darkness.

"Believe me, they will. The overwhelming life energy in you is as eye-catching as a torch in the dark night in their eyes."

"Two, follow me."

Her gaze refocused on Tifa's face, her eyes calm and sincere.

"At least, I can guarantee your safety. And, give you a chance to find the answers."

The alley fell silent again.

A struggle between conscience and desire was going on in Tifa's mind.

She could feel that the other party was not lying.

The feeling of being watched has been there ever since she came into this world.

But she didn't expect that the first person who came to her door would be a girl like this 2.9 who didn't look like a bad person.

a long time.

Tifa's tense body finally slowly and completely relaxed.

She dropped her fighting stance, and her bright red gloves hung limply at her sides.

"I……"

She took a deep breath, as if she had made an extremely difficult decision.

"I'll go with you."

After hearing this answer, a barely perceptible smile finally appeared on Busujima Saeko's face.

"Wise choice."

She nodded and turned around.

"Follow."

She didn't say another word, but took clean and neat steps and walked towards the bizarre city night outside the alley.

Tifa looked at her defenseless back, was stunned for a moment, and then quickly followed her.

Just as she walked out of the alley, Busujima Saeko raised her left hand seemingly casually and lightly tapped the air near her ear with her fingers.

A tiny earring-like communicator, imperceptible to the naked eye, was instantly activated.

Her thumb brushed lightly across the side of the communicator and pressed the only call button, which represented the highest authority.

A clear, ancient-style character, "Qing," flashed across her retina screen.

Chapter 153: "Invitation" from the Foundation

It was a dark night, and the neon lights of Tokyo streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of an upscale cafe, casting a dazzling array of colors on the walls of the exquisite bone china cups.

The air is filled with the unique, mellow and slightly sour aroma of Blue Mountain coffee beans.

Kasumigaoka Utaha sat opposite Lin Qing, stirring the coffee in the cup gently with her slender fingers, with an elegant posture.

She had just finished reporting to Lin Qing about several important moves the foundation had recently made in the political and business circles through the Sigong Group.

At this moment, the screen of Lin Qing's private communicator on the desk lit up silently.

It was a black square with a minimalist style, without any unnecessary logos, and at this moment only a name was displayed on the screen.

【Bukujima Saeko】

Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced over subconsciously, and her heart moved slightly.

As the foundation's top armed investigator, Saeko-chan will not contact the chairman directly through this highest-authority line unless it is an S-level emergency.

Lin Qing's expression did not change at all. He just raised his hand casually and touched the communicator with his fingertips.

The call was connected, but no sound came through.

This is the highest level of bone conduction encrypted communication within the foundation, and only Lin Qing, who is wearing the corresponding receiver, can hear it.

Kasumigaoka Utaha could only see Lin Qing's eyes focused for a moment, and then he returned to his usual calmness.

His fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, as if he was listening to a report.

The whole process lasted less than thirty seconds.

"understood."

Lin Qing spoke his first words to the air.

His voice was soft, but it carried an undeniable determination.

"Target codename: Seventh Heaven. Threat level is tentatively set to pending assessment. Not actively offensive."

He paused and continued giving orders.

"Activate the [Alien Drifter Level 2 Contact Plan]."

"Take the target to Safe House Number Three for quarantine and observation. Until the evaluation results are out, she is prohibited from contacting any Foundation members other than you."

"I will personally notify the base."

"Execute it."

call ended.

Lin Qing put down his hand and refilled the cup of coffee that had already cooled down.

Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at him, her purple-red eyes flashing with deep curiosity and inquiry.

Drifter from another world?

Level 2 contact plan?

Even though she was a core member of the foundation, she had only seen a few words about these terms in the highest-level documents and had never thought that they would be activated in reality.

"Is it a new containment?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Do not."

Lin Qing shook his head and took a sip of coffee. The taste was not as good as before.

"It's a...lost child."

His gaze passed over Kasumigaoka Utaha and looked at the prosperous and cold steel forest outside the window, his eyes deep.

"A very powerful child from another world."

……

at the same time.

The streets of Shinjuku were crowded with people.

On the huge electronic billboard, the virtual idol’s concert video is played in a loop. The deafening electronic music and the roar of vehicle engines are intertwined to form a sea of ​​noise.

Tifa Lockhart followed behind Busujima Saeko, feeling like a child who had entered the land of giants.

She raised her head, looking at the light pollution that was a hundred times more dazzling than the neon lights of the Shinra Building, and feeling the dust raised by the steel structures called "cars" passing by at high speed. Her mind went blank.

Everything here was too unfamiliar to her.

There were no Mako reactors, no familiar scent of life streams, and not even a hint of gunpowder or engine oil in the air.

Instead, there is a kind of prosperity that is so peaceful that it is almost false.

The pedestrians on the street had relaxed smiles on their faces. They looked down at the small glowing cube in their hands, indifferent to everything around them.

No one was armed, no one was alert to their surroundings.

This relaxed atmosphere made Tifa feel a deep sense of discomfort and alienation.

She was like an alien, invisibly excluded from the rules of this world.

The overwhelming sense of loneliness and confusion, like the cold tide of the deep sea, drowned her little by little.

She subconsciously clenched her fists. The pair of bright red fighting gloves were the only thing that could make her feel safe at this moment.

Then, her eyes fell on the figure in front of her, wearing a high school uniform and a long sword at his waist.

Busujima Saeko.

This mysterious girl who claims to be able to help her.

From the moment they walked out of the alley, she didn't say a word, but just led the way calmly.

Her pace was neither fast nor slow, always keeping a distance of about three steps from me.