After his conversation with the Site Director, Luo Shu officially received his first assigned job at the SCP Foundation.
From today onward, he would be the daily caretaker of SCP-173, responsible for cleaning the containment unit of "The Sculpture" every two weeks.
As long as he didn't die, it was a relatively easy job.
The reason Site-19 needed someone like Luo Shu as a dedicated caretaker was simple: SCP-173's containment was prone to breaches.
Almost every now and then, due to human error, the containment of "The Sculpture" would fail.
On the surface, cleaning SCP-173's unit required at least three personnel—one to clean while the other two kept their eyes locked on the statue without blinking. But everyone knew how terrifying SCP-173 was, and the psychological pressure was immense.
Even with strict protocols requiring personnel to announce blinks, someone would inevitably crack under pressure and forget to report it.
Or worse—when one D-class announced they were blinking, another might unconsciously blink at the same time due to stress.
The moments when the containment unit doors opened or closed were especially high-risk.
This was also why Mobile Task Force Epsilon-11 ("Nine-Tailed Fox") was permanently stationed at Site-19—they were constantly putting out fires.
Luo Shu guessed that the bearded commander's powered exoskeleton was probably designed specifically to counter SCP-173.
With reinforced neck protection, the exoskeleton might prevent SCP-173's signature neck-snap kill.
Might.
Because the commander hadn't tested it firsthand yet.
Having already survived an encounter with SCP-173, Luo Shu wasn't too afraid of it now.
What he was more concerned about were his fragmented memories of his past life.
What exactly was going on?
The answer had to lie in this world.
After all, memory erasure didn't exist in his original world.
So Luo Shu set himself a small goal—recover his memories!
He repeatedly flipped through the Anomalous Item Catalog in his mind, searching for any method that could help restore his memories.
But the catalog only displayed the three SCPs he had encountered so far.
Then, his gaze fell on the "O" at the bottom of each entry. Both SCP-173 and SCP-3329 had this symbol, but SCP-231-7 did not.
Why?
Back in his dorm, Luo Shu decided to test the "O" on the third page.
He focused his mind and clicked it.
Instantly, the "O" turned into an "X"!
And a familiar taste filled his mouth—the flavor of the Rainbow Lollipop!
Luo Shu was stunned.
What the hell?
He was still in his dorm, so even if he had a theory, he couldn't test it immediately.
He resisted swallowing or drinking anything, preserving the taste in his mouth.
Finally, at lunchtime, the dormitory doors opened. All D-class personnel were guided through the corridors to the designated cafeteria.
As Luo Shu stepped out, he ran into his foul-mouthed neighbor—the huge, bald, tattooed white guy who looked like a violent convict.
Summoning his courage, Luo Shu approached him and whispered,
"Hey, bro! Aren't you that guy? I remember lending you a hundred bucks back in San Quentin."
The bald man's eyes glazed over in confusion.
"Huh? Did you? I don't remember, but if you say so, I guess it's true."
Bingo.
Luo Shu's theory was confirmed.
The lingering taste of the Rainbow Lollipop in his mouth meant the Barnum Effect was active.
"Do I owe you? I don't have any cash on me right now," the bald man muttered.
Luo Shu shook his head. "Nah, keep it."
The bald guy relaxed and wandered off, still grumbling.
The Anomalous Item Catalog could replicate the Rainbow Lollipop's persuasion ability!
This was huge.
Suppressing a grin, Luo Shu savored the fading sweetness in his mouth.
At the cafeteria, he smoothly convinced the lunch lady to give him extra beef, making others suspect he had some special relationship with her.
Then he persuaded another D-class to give up his seat.
He even made a female D-class believe she had a secret admirer in him.
Every test proved the Barnum Effect was real and functional.
By the time lunch ended, the lollipop taste had completely faded.
Luo Shu immediately reopened the Anomalous Item Catalog and stared at SCP-3329's page.
But now, the "O" had turned into an "X."
What now?
He tried mentally clicking the "X" repeatedly—nothing happened.
"That's it? It's gone?"
His newfound ability had lasted less than half an hour.
After lunch, under the watchful eyes of security, the D-class personnel returned to their cells—another form of imprisonment.
Just as Luo Shu reached his door, a massive hand grabbed his collar and slammed him against the wall.
"You little shit! You tricked me earlier! If one of my boys hadn't reminded me we've never met, I'd still believe your bullshit!"
It was the bald guy.
Luo Shu's stomach dropped.
The Barnum Effect only worked on the person directly persuaded—not on unrelated third parties.
The more outrageous the lie, the easier it was to expose.
Out of his four tests, the first one had been the flimsiest.
And now, it had backfired.
"Hey, bro, my bad—I mistook you for someone else," Luo Shu said quickly.
But the bald man wasn't having it. His meaty hands tightened around Luo Shu's throat.
"You think 'my bad' cuts it? You've got one choice—pay me a thousand bucks, or I snap your neck right here!"
Luo Shu struggled, but the guy was built like a tank.
"Bro, come on! Nobody here carries cash! And if you kill me, the Foundation will execute you!"
"So what? Another death sentence? I've already got one! Hell, maybe they'll send me back to San Quentin—better than rotting in this hellhole!"
With that, he started strangling Luo Shu in earnest.
Luo Shu wanted to tell him: D-class personnel don't get sent back to prison.
If they screw up, they're just terminated.
But he couldn't speak. Couldn't breathe.
"Is this how I die? What chapter is this again?"
"Why is my luck so damn terrible?!"