Mash-up Anime World: Creating the SCP Foundation to Contain Anomalies Chapter 263 - 258: The Plague Doctor (SCP-049) and the Scarl

Yuki Shouzo's furious outburst left Sugou Nobuyuki utterly dumbfounded.

Wait, what?! What did this have to do with him!?

Wasn't it that lunatic Kayaba Akihiko who lost his mind!?

With his collar yanked tight, Sugou Nobuyuki could barely breathe. He frantically waved his hands while struggling to speak:

"Y-Yuki-san! It's... all Kayaba's fault! I... I didn't know!"

Before he could finish, Yuki Shouzo cut him off sharply.

"Nothing to do with you? How could it not be your fault!? You're the second developer of the SAO project! Even if you weren't directly responsible for the main ga developnt, you were the one who inspected everything before launch!"

"No logout option, helts trapping consciousness, even brain destruction—how could you miss such blatant anomalies!?"

Hearing this, Sugou nearly coughed up blood.

At the start, he had only managed to get involved in Kayaba's project because they were classmates.

That connection also gave him a chance to get in with the Yuki family.

But after that, Sugou had stopped paying any attention to the SAO project entirely.

He was focused solely on buttering up Yuki Shouzo.

After all, even if they were classmates, there was a massive, unbridgeable gap between a genius like Kayaba and an ordinary guy like him.

Sugou Nobuyuki couldn't touch the actual developnt at all.

From the very beginning, he was just a na on paper.

He had spent two or three years worming his way into the Yuki family.

Over ti, he even forgot most of what he had learned in school.

After being kicked out by Yuki Shouzo...

Sugou had returned to Kayaba's company and got himself labeled the "second developer."

At that point, Kayaba Akihiko was entirely obsessed with finishing SAO and his AI program.

He didn't care what Sugou did.

So Sugou shalessly gave himself the title again without doing anything.

Not only did he not inspect the ga before launch...

He hadn't even set foot in the company again.

He had no involvent whatsoever in the SAO project.

Originally, Sugou had been excited, thinking that once SAO launched, he could use the opportunity to make a coback and earn so benefits.

But instead...

Forget benefits—he was nearly beaten up in the street today when soone recognized him.

And now, Yuki Shouzo had co storming to his door, practically choking him to death.

Sugou was feeling so desperate he wanted to die.

Seeing Sugou's red face and silence, Yuki Shouzo thought the guy had been exposed and was now too ashad to talk.

He raised his hand and smacked him across the face without hesitation. Completely disregarding his status as the head of the Yuki family.

In reality, though, Sugou was just being choked too hard to speak.

After several loud slaps, Yuki Shouzo finally hurled Sugou onto the floor.

He wanted to kill him, but he still had so rationality left.

After all, Asuna hadn't had an accident yet—Yuki Shouzo still needed to care for his daughter.

Otherwise, he really would have sent Sugou to et Kayaba in hell.

"You better pray nothing happens to Asuna. If it does, I'll drag you straight to hell with !"

He spat these venomous words, then slamd the door and left.

Sugou Nobuyuki lay on the floor, only regaining his breath after a long while.

His face was swollen like a pig's head.

But more than the pain on his face, it was the fear and dread in his heart that overwheld him.

Not because of Yuki Shouzo's threat.

But because he finally realized—he was in deep trouble.

The SAO incident had exploded into a huge scandal.

And the one responsible, Kayaba Akihiko, had evaded everything through death. Sure, they could dump all the bla on the dead guy.

But what about the rage of the public?

People like Yuki Shouzo would definitely redirect their anger at him, the so-called "second developer."

Just thinking about it made Sugou break out in a cold sweat.

The title he once wore just to chase benefits... had now beco a death sentence.

anwhile, in his apartnt, Haruto was being a lazy bum, completely unaware that his casual comnt earlier had turned soone into a terrified pig-headed wreck.

Now, with the Momobami clan and the Shinomiya conglorate publicly stepping forward, pledging to shoulder societal responsibility and help out...

News outlets and television were hailing the two gacorps as saviors.

The SAO beta players were being steadily transported to nearby hospitals to sustain their vital signs.

Honestly, keeping them alive just ant supplying them with nutrient fluids.

Compared to real dical treatnt, this cost very little.

Even caring for 10,000 people was barely a blip on the financial radar of the two conglorates.

In fact, the positive publicity had significantly boosted their overall profits.

Previously, many in Japan had a negative view of these conglorates—after all, monopolies never feel good to the public.

But now, in the current dia environnt, they were hailed as responsible and compassionate role models.

Asuna was also transferred to a private Momobami hospital.

Haruto went to visit.

He also t Asuna's older brother.

Well... nothing particularly notable about him, Yuuki Kouichirou was your typical caring big brother.

No twisted traits, no special talents.

anwhile, the unconscious Asuna was receiving top-tier dical care.

The standard nutrient fluid had even been replaced by the Foundation's special version.

This special fluid could prevent muscle atrophy and other issues, even if the patient remained inactive for decades.

Thanks to this, the negative effects of the SAO incident were rapidly being contained.

Everyone could finally breathe a little easier.

Now, it was just a matter of beating the ga from the inside. The faster SAO was cleared, the sooner this nightmare would end.

Just as the storm began to settle...

Haruto suddenly received word from the Foundation.

A new anomaly had been discovered in the rural outskirts of France.

Not just one—two anomalies.

The local Foundation branch had already begun containnt operations.

Since he had nothing else to do, Haruto opened the live containnt records and prepared to fly over and observe the situation.

Containnt Record:

In the southwest wilderness of France...

Satellite footage from the Foundation showed a strange being walking slowly through the desolate landscape.

It had a humanoid figure and proportions.

Its appearance resembled a dieval plague doctor—black robes, bird-beaked mask.

However, the mask and outfit appeared to be a part of its body, not clothing.

It walked through the wilds tirelessly, unaffected by the blazing sun.

The satellite captured it approaching a rural farm...

It politely knocked on the farmhouse door.

When the farr appeared, the creature even perford a kind of bow.

According to records, this was a standard greeting gesture from the 15th century Western world.

The farr, a rugged middle-aged man with a full beard, was visibly wary of the strange visitor and pointed a shotgun at it.

Even under threat of gunfire, the creature remained calm and attempted to communicate.

Though the satellite provided no audio, body language showed they exchanged words.

Eventually, the farr hesitated... and opened the gate.

The creature entered the farm and interacted amicably with the farr.

Later, the farr's wife ca out of the house.

At this point, the creature grew agitated, pointed at the woman, and said sothing.

Clearly, the discussion broke down.

The farr raised his shotgun again and fired.

The creature was hit—but appeared completely unhard.

It ignored the farr, walked directly toward his wife.

When the farr physically blocked its path, they made contact.

At that mont, the farr collapsed. (Later investigation confird: instant death.)

Then it touched the farr's wife—she collapsed too.

The creature pulled out various ancient surgical tools and unknown dical substances.

Then it began a strange "treatnt" on the farr's wife.

After the procedure, the wife stood back up.

She had no signs of life, aimlessly wandering the farm like a zombie.

Having finished, the creature cald down again and respectfully bid farewell to the dead farr.

Then it left and continued walking through the wilderness.

This footage was flagged during routine satellite monitoring.

The Foundation imdiately launched a containnt operation.

A team was dispatched to the farm to confirm the anomaly's effects.

Upon arrival, agents found the dead farr and his wife wandering in a zombified state.

She showed no signs of life—effectively turned into so form of animated corpse.

Based on this evidence, the creature's profile was compiled.

Due to its appearance and behavior, it was officially classified as: Plague Doctor (SCP-049).

The Foundation theorized that the Plague Doctor could kill any normal human by touch.

Additionally, it could transform the deceased into "Plague Doctor Zombies" (SCP-049-2) via unknown thods.

These zombies, when provoked, would attack surrounding lifeforms.

Their physical capabilities were 1.2 tis their original selves.

Standard lethal damage to a human could not kill them; only complete spinal destruction worked.

During this investigation, the Foundation team discovered another anomaly.

A loli girl with scarlet eyes and twin-tailed crimson hair.