Incomplete Project

While Loshu was having a blast experimenting in Anomaly-CN-722's containment unit, Site-CN-02 was in chaos.

If he had just messed around quietly, it might have been fine—but he had to go and use his charisma powers again.

For the second time tonight.

Where there are people, there are politics—and the Foundation was no exception. Internal power struggles and factional rivalries were common.

Otherwise, groups like the Chaos Insurgency would never have split off.

Naturally, there were those who envied Barbie's authority and were happy to see her fail.

So when Area-13 called again, the tone was far less polite:

"What's going on? Your team is right there at Site-CN-02! Why haven't you neutralized that reality bender yet? If you can't handle it, we'll send someone else!"

Barbie was furious. She wanted nothing more than to tear Loshu apart.

This time, the Kant Counter had locked onto his location: B4, the Keter-Class containment zone!

"You're dead! This time, I'll kill you no matter the cost!"

Problem was, she'd said this in front of "Bamboo Slip."

Loshu knew instantly.

Come on then. Try and find me.

Wrapping Up the Experiment

With only three child laborers left, Loshu had limited options.

Neck-twisting: Used twice.

Charisma powers: Used twice.

Persuasion: Used once.

To save time, he went for the most efficient method—mental enslavement for the next two.

As expected, their designations (CN-722-4 and CN-722-7) were added to the Anomaly Overlord milestone.

Now, five out of six children were under his control.

He took a moment to compare them:

The two mentally enslaved children showed no physical decay (their undead bodies were sustained by reality warping).

Their mental imprints were more permanent than faith—only something like The Mask could erase them.

Without orders, they just stood there blankly.

The charisma-converted child (CN-722-6) was more autonomous, acting normally outside of fanatical devotion.

This was already a major blow to "God."

But time was running out.

Barbie, Achilles' Heel, and "Flawed Beasts" were storming toward B4.

For the last child (CN-722-2), Loshu decided to test Cupid's Arrow.

Interestingly, this child was also classified under Anomaly Overlord.

According to files, the children faced punishment if they betrayed "God" or failed missions.

Now, with Cupid's Arrow, betraying Loshu would also be deadly.

What happens if "God's" orders clash with mine?

A fascinating question—but "God" wasn't in Beijing to test it.

Regardless, all six children in Site-CN-02 now belonged to Loshu.

The Anomaly Catalog's latest page updated again:

[Abilities: Not Acquired]

[Status: Executed 1/7; Contained 5/7]

Still no abilities?

Loshu frowned.

He'd dealt with six out of seven—why wasn't it enough?

Probably because CN-722-5 (the leader) was still free, making the project incomplete.

This reminded him of Anomaly-105 (Iris)—where he couldn't gain the photo portal ability without also obtaining Anomaly-105-B (her camera).

But this time, the Catalog didn't even list the ability, which was weirder.

Would he need to subdue CN-722-5 to unlock it?

Recalling the files, Loshu realized: Yes.

CN-722-5 was the oldest and strongest, tasked with protecting and managing the others.

That's why she couldn't be contained at Site-CN-02—she remained in her nest at a Beijing supermarket.

Guess I'll have to pay her a visit tomorrow night.

The Final Escape

With no reason to stay, Loshu left the unit—only to run into Barbie's assault team at the B4 crossroads.

Leading the charge: Barbie herself, backed by Achilles' Heel and "Flawed Beasts."

Time to go.

Loshu smirked and vanished into the shadows.