The "God's" Scheme

It was still early, so Luoshu checked into a hotel near the supermarket under the guise of a middle-aged, greasy man. He slept until the early hours of the morning, by which time all his abilities had refreshed their usage counts, and then set out.

He had already memorized Xin Chen-8-C-011's details earlier, so now he could simply use Thousand-Mile Tracking to pinpoint the man's location.

The "Felines" MTF was stationed in a residential complex across from the supermarket. With Thousand-Mile Tracking guiding him, Luoshu found the place effortlessly.

The "Felines" enjoyed decent accommodations—each member had their own room.

This worked in Luoshu's favor.

After infiltrating Xin Chen-8-C-011's quarters, Luoshu activated Counter-Distortion and Cult Leader Charisma, then began murmuring persuasively beside the sleeping operative.

Before long, the MTF member inexplicably became a devoted follower of "Cult Leader Luo."

Yes, after prolonged use of his abilities, Luoshu had begun to intuitively grasp their nuances.

Cult Leader Charisma was a fusion of reality-warping and mental influence, suppressing ambient Hume levels to weaken an individual's mental resistance.

When a target's Hume levels dropped sharply, their mind would grow hazy, their willpower fragile.

At that point, preaching or brainwashing would implant deep-seated loyalty, forging unshakable belief.

Thus, when the target was asleep, the ability worked even faster and more effectively.

In just two-thirds of the usual time, a new entry appeared in The SCP Field Guide:

[Page: 75]

[Item Number: Xin Chen-8-C-011]

[Item Name: Random Extra (You read that right—he's just a nameless background character with no lines.)]

[Object Class: Safe]

[Abilities: Spatial Barrier (Fake). The moment you see "fake," clever readers will think of "God." Correct—this ability was also granted by "God." As for why "God" did this... take a guess.]

[Status: Cult Leader Luo's Follower]

[Interaction History: Click to Play]

[O]

The moment he read the description, Luoshu understood everything.

Of course. "God" indeed possessed a spatial barrier ability.

Back when "God" attacked IR1901, Luoshu had tried to ambush the old bastard, only to slam headfirst into an invisible spatial barrier and fail miserably.

He should've realized Xin Chen-8-C-011's ability came from "God."

As for why "God" did this—was it even a question?

That paranoid old freak trusted no one, not even the child laborers he himself had created.

Xin Chen-8-C-011 was just another pawn, placed to keep the child laborers in check.

Luoshu saw through "God's" scheme at a glance.

Next, he tested the Spatial Barrier ability on the spot.

When he pressed the [O], a transparent bubble materialized in his right palm, rapidly expanding.

The bubble weighed nothing—it was pure energy.

As Luoshu adjusted his wrist, the bubble remained fixed to his palm, moving with him.

After about ten seconds, the bubble reached a diameter of 10 meters and stopped growing.

This was the complete form of the spatial barrier.

Unfortunately, it was far from enough to deal with "God."

First, the expansion was too slow, taking over ten seconds.

Second, the bubble was anchored to Luoshu's palm, meaning even if he trapped "God" inside, he couldn't close the distance for a surprise attack.

Moreover, during the earlier MTF raid, Luoshu had walked right out of the barrier's range.

This proved the ability only blocked spatial travel (like tunnels), not normal movement.

"God" had given Xin Chen-8-C-011 this nerfed version—another sign of his distrust.

The full version, which "God" possessed, was likely instantaneous, invisible, and capable of blocking all movement.

After all, "God" had once used it to waterboard IR1901, torturing him for information on Luoshu.

Though the ability fell short of expectations, Luoshu was still pleased to have stolen one of "God's" pawns.

One day, when "God" realized his own underlings had become Luoshu's lackeys, the old man's reaction would be priceless.

But who else served "God"?

Aside from SCP-053 (Young Girl) and SCP-096 (The Shy Guy), who remained?

Luoshu's gaze turned toward Site-CN-02.

Even if Barbie wasn't directly one of "God's" pawns, she was certainly aligned with him.

Why not go all the way and deal with her too?

He still had one use left of both Cult Leader Charisma and Unobservable, and Counter-Distortion was always available.

Passing up this opportunity would be a waste.

Steeling himself, Luoshu switched Thousand-Mile Tracking's target to Barbie, ready to strike.

But to his surprise, Barbie wasn't at Site-CN-02—she was somewhere between the capital and Tianjin.

What's going on?

Had Achilles' Heel already discovered his shift to Site-CN-06?

If so, all the more reason to deal with Barbie now!

Without hesitation, Luoshu set off toward her location under cover of darkness.

When he arrived, he was stunned to find Barbie inside a military base.

The base bore the insignia of the Capital Garrison Unit—the elite forces guarding Beijing and Tianjin.

Luoshu's heart sank.

Had the Foundation enlisted national military support?

Fortunately, Luoshu was a lone operative with no overt faction. Even if the Foundation mobilized the army, it wouldn't be as effective as their previous small-team tactics.

Right now, with Unobservable active, Luoshu strolled straight into the base, the guards at the gate not even blinking.

Following Thousand-Mile Tracking, he weaved through the compound until he reached a large auditorium-like building.

Barbie was inside.

Pushing the door open, Luoshu took in the scene—and his pupils contracted sharply.