The voice on the phone carried a strange warmth—almost comradely.
Even villains could have bonds, it seemed.
"From now on, you'll remain under deep cover at Site-19," the voice continued. "I'll arrange alternate contact methods."
Luo Shu cut in: "What if I handle communications?"
A pause. Then—excitement. "You're… that person?"
"If you mean the one IR1901 was searching for, then yes."
"An honor! But IR1901 said you weren't 'awakened' yet?"
"Depends how much you trust me."
Luo Shu's gamble:
If Chaos truly believed he was the "Truth-Bringer," they'd agree.
If not—their prophecy was a lie.
To his surprise, the voice didn't hesitate. "Absolutely! Here's the contact protocol—"
A complex cipher, tied to:
GPS coordinates.
Exact call time.
A displacement algorithm.
IR1901 demonstrated, and Luo Shu—a triple-degree scholar—memorized it instantly.
Now he was Chaos's Site-19 liaison.
IR1901, effectively his subordinate.
"I know you distrust us," the voice sighed. "We'll prove ourselves in time."
Luo Shu couldn't resist: "By causing more XK-class scenarios?"
"The 'Awakening Protocol' is necessary! We won't stop!"
Fundamental incompatibility.
Luo Shu discreetly activated SCP-100 on the phone, attempting to trace the call.
The result:
"Signal fragmented. Broadcast via random cell towers. Only decipherable with this device."
A dead end.
But now, he had their direct line.
"I'm returning to Site-19," he told IR1901. "Head down after your 'shift.'"
Back in Sublevel-1, the MTF squad slept soundly.
With hours until lunch, Luo Shu pondered his next move.
Tomorrow, SCP-126's powers would be off-limits.
Best use them today.
He strode to the atrium elevator—the one that had once baffled him—and grinned.
Time for exploration.