Under Luo Shu's orchestration, the Stairwell Investigation Team morphed into a "Wellness Check Squad" for SCP-173 ("The Sculpture") and SCP-049 ("The Plague Doctor")—ensuring they hadn't been traumatized by last night's visit from the "Shy Guy."
The team arrived at SCP-173's containment unit first.
The MTF operatives halted outside, all eyes on Luo Shu.
He understood. Without a word, he stepped inside alone.
Perfect. I wanted to talk to Peanut privately anyway.
After a theatrical inspection of the unit (everything intact), Luo Shu paused beside SCP-173 and whispered:
"We've known each other a while now. I've taken good care of you. Can we call this… friendship?"
That's right—he wanted to add SCP-173 to his "Anomalous Friends Milestone."
But Peanut stayed silent.
Fair. It doesn't talk.
"No need to respond. Just… think of me as a friend in your heart," Luo Shu coaxed.
Yet when he checked the Anomalous Project Encyclopedia, the dropdown menu still only showed four entries:
Junk Carnival
Cain
SCP-055
Eye Pods
"You don't consider me a friend?! Cold."
SCP-173's silent rebuttal: You're my boss. My nemesis. "Friend" is too humble a title.
With no way to confirm, Luo Shu gave up.
Deep down, he knew the "Anomalous Friends" and "Anomalous Nemesis" milestones were likely mutually exclusive.
If Peanut's a no-go, maybe the Plague Doctor will be more receptive.
Confident SCP-049 would be easier to negotiate with, Luo Shu led the team to its containment area.
At the door, Bearded Jack moved to follow—after all, the Plague Doctor was far less dangerous than Peanut.
Oh no you don't.
How am I supposed to "bond" with 049 with you third-wheeling?
Luo Shu blurted the first excuse that came to mind:
"Boss, when was your last COVID-19 test?"
Bearded Jack frowned. "Uh… over two weeks ago?"
"And you're just waltzing in? What if the Plague Doctor senses the 'pestilence' and kills you?"
(Luo Shu himself hadn't been tested recently either—but since SCP-049 hadn't detected anything during the "Shy Guy's" visit, he figured he was safe.)
The warning worked. Bearded Jack not only backed off but ordered the entire squad to keep their distance—just in case someone had an asymptomatic infection.
Alone at last, Luo Shu entered the unit.
And froze.
Empty?
Where's the Plague Doctor?
Did I walk into the wrong room?
He backtracked to check the unit number.
SCP-049. No mistake.
The Plague Doctor was gone.
Did I leave the door unsecured earlier?
Luo Shu mentally retraced his steps.
When he'd left with the "Shy Guy", he'd definitely locked up.
So what happened?
From across the hall, Bearded Jack barked: "What's wrong?"
Seeing no way this could be pinned on him, Luo Shu confessed: "Code Black. SCP-049 is missing."
COVID-19 concerns forgotten, Bearded Jack shoved past Luo Shu to verify.
Yep. Empty.
SCP-049 couldn't turn invisible. This was a full-blown breach.
He grabbed his radio and bellowed: "049 IS GONE! SOUND THE ALARM!"
The Site Director's panicked reply crackled through: "Alert issued! Contact Surveillance—find out where it went!"
Switching channels, Bearded Jack snarled: "Surveillance! This is MTF Commander Jack, Level-4 clearance! Pull all footage for SCP-049's hallway! I want to know how it escaped AND its current location!"
The response came fast: "Post-0500 footage shows nothing unusual. Pre-0500… unknown."
"UNKNOWN? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PEOPLE PAID FOR?!"
Surveillance's defensive reply: "At 0500, SCP-096 breached Site-19. All pre-0500 footage—especially near SCP-049's unit—was irreversibly wiped per the Director's orders."
Bearded Jack's rage cooled into dread.
Someone exploited the chaos.
While the cameras were blind, they freed the Plague Doctor.
But who?
Luo Shu's first suspect: The "God."
But why?
Does he think SCP-049 can kill me?
A quick check via "Pursuit Over a Thousand Miles" confirmed the "God" was still 1,000 kilometers south at Site-17.
The ability shouldn't be wrong.
Before Luo Shu could ponder further, the Level-4 alarm blared through Site-19:
"ALERT! ALERT! CONTAINMENT BREACH! SCP-049 HAS ESCAPED!"
"ALL NON-COMBAT PERSONNEL: EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!"
"ALL SECURITY: REPORT TO SUBLEVEL-1 ATRIUM FOR SEARCH DEPLOYMENT!"
"ALL D-CLASS: ASSEMBLE AT SUBLEVEL-1 FOR ASSIGNMENT!"
As a D-Class, Luo Shu shot Bearded Jack a look.
"Stick with me," Jack growled. "No—I'll stick with you. You're the brains. Figure out where 049 went. Now."
Though baffled by the "God's" motives, Luo Shu saw no harm in making trouble for the old bastard.
He began piecing together the timeline:
"SCP-096 invaded Site-19 between 0400 and 0500. By 0500, I'd contained it. Surveillance came back online after."
"SKIP THE LECTURE! JUST TELL ME WHERE IT IS!" Bearded Jack snapped.
Luo Shu glared. "You want me to pull answers out of thin air? This is called deduction."
(Translation: This time, I'm actually trying. Pay attention.)