Luo Shu didn't know what was happening upstairs. Right now, he was cautiously approaching SCP-055's containment unit.
When he'd wandered into Basement Level 5 earlier, it had been pure luck—ignorant and fearless.
Now, returning on purpose to face this anti-meme?
Terrifying.
But he had no choice.
Without SCP-055's power, he'd never make it back to B1 alive.
By now, the bearded commander had surely alerted all security—shoot any orange-clad D-class on sight below B1.
If death was certain either way, he might as well gamble.
B4 had been eerie, but B5—buried 100 meters underground—was colder than a tomb.
Forgotten by all but the Anti-Meme Division, this place had no cameras, minimal lighting, and an oppressive silence.
Every shadow seemed to twist unnaturally.
After 50 meters, Luo Shu reached the hallway where he'd found the Eye-Pods.
At the end stood SCP-055's unit—a rusted iron door with no electronic locks, no keypads.
Against anti-memes, low-tech was the only defense.
Luo Shu took a deep breath, activated the W-Class mnestic booster from the Catalog, and opened the door.
Inside the 5x5 meter chamber, he saw SCP-055.
It looked like a [DATA EXPUNGED].
Even with the booster, his mind struggled to process it.
Then, it spoke.
"Seeker of Truth, you've returned."
Seeker of Truth?
Was this a continuation of their morning conversation?
Luo Shu didn't remember—anti-memes had scrubbed the details.
And he wasn't any "truth-seeker."
He just wanted to survive.
Truth? That usually came with a death sentence.
Like the Anti-Meme Division.
Like Dr. Bartholomew Hughes, who'd first documented SCP-055.
"You know too much" was just a polite way to say "You're dead."
But since SCP-055 wasn't a memetic hazard, Luo Shu decided to hear it out.
"This world ████, the Foundation ██████."
The words echoed in his mind, yet key fragments were missing.
Seriously? You're gonna drop cryptic half-sentences?
"Can you repeat that? I didn't catch it."
SCP-055 sighed. "You're still too weak to hear. Return when you're stronger."
So the gaps weren't intentional—they were censored by the anti-meme.
The W-Class booster wasn't enough.
Would the Z-Class work?
Yes—for a few hours, before it fried his brain.
"The truth is worth dying for?"
Not to Luo Shu.
He switched tactics.
"Bro, can you do me a favor? Step outside, then let me re-contain you. I need your power."
To his surprise, SCP-055 complied, drifting past the threshold before returning.
The Catalog's "X" flipped to "O."
Ability restored.
"Thanks, man. I'll visit again."
Lie. He'd only return if he needed its power again.
As he shut the iron door and turned toward the stairs—
Footsteps.
Light, cautious, coming from above.
Luo Shu dove under the stairwell, hiding in the shadows.
A moment later, Dr. Marian Wheeler crept into view, pistol raised.
She stopped at the stairwell entrance—
—then fired straight at his hiding spot.
The bullet whizzed past his ear.
"I know you're there," she said coldly. "Come out. Next shot won't miss."