[Ability: Self-Deception]
"Honesty is a virtue—for children. Lying is a skill; how can an adult survive without it? But the pinnacle of deception is self-deception. If you can make yourself believe a lie, others will too. I'm so good at lying that I even fool myself!"
Reading this, Luoshu felt a sudden clarity.
Did you really think our "king" was just a gullible fool?
Wrong.
Fernand was a genius.
Think about it—why did he believe himself to be a king and not a beggar?
If you were permanently confined by the Foundation, would you rather be treated like trash or live in a gold-plated palace with D-class personnel serving you?
Now you see how brilliant SCP-082 really was.
Fernand had used his ability to make the Foundation believe he was easy to manipulate, securing himself the best treatment as a mere Euclid-class anomaly.
Compare that to internet scammers—could they ever scam their way into royal accommodations?
Fernand's title might be fake, but his benefits were very real.
How many humanoid anomalies in Site-19 or Site-17 got this kind of luxury?
Even "God" only had a 20×20-foot cell.
Call Fernand stupid again, and you're the real idiot.
At first glance, Self-Deception seemed similar to SCP-3329 (Rainbow Lollipop)'s persuasion ability, but the mechanics were different.
Persuasion warped the target's logic, requiring dialogue.
Self-Deception subtly altered others' perceptions—they had to choose to believe the lie themselves.
For example:
If Luoshu truly believed "I have never betrayed the Foundation," others would naturally share that belief.
But there was a catch—you had to deceive yourself first.
If Luoshu tried to make the Foundation believe he was loyal, it wouldn't work unless he genuinely believed it himself.
Testing the Ability
After confirming he had acquired Self-Deception, Luoshu quietly left Fontainebleau before his antimemetic effect wore off.
By the time he was gone, Fernand and the "servants" had already forgotten his visit.
The "king" stared blankly at the extra set of tableware.
"Where did my guest go? Did I... eat him again?"
He smacked his lips, muttered an apology, and continued his meal.
Back at Hammer Down's barracks, Luoshu began experimenting.
According to the ability's description, it didn't target specific people—it started with self-delusion.
To test it, he:
Clicked the "O" button while convincing himself:
"I have never betrayed the Foundation!"
→ [O: x1 (Anomalous Friends Milestone activations remaining: 0)]
The ability had been used once.
Clicked again, this time convincing himself:
"I am not affiliated with the Chaos Insurgency!"
→ Daily uses exhausted.
The only downside? He couldn't easily verify the effects.
He couldn't just grab someone and ask:
"Hey, do you think I betrayed the Foundation? Am I Chaos Insurgency?"
That would make him look insane.
Unexpected Verification
The next morning, Area-14's Security Director personally visited the dice-rolling chamber.
Luoshu tensed—had last night's excursion been discovered?
But the director simply said:
"I'm here to inspect your work."
(Right, this was standard procedure for new containment units.)
Relieved, Luoshu seized the chance to test Self-Deception.
Some questions were too suspicious to ask casually—but perfectly normal coming from a supervisor.
"How's my work? Do you still suspect me of wrongdoing?"
The director glanced at the 250 automated dice machines, humming smoothly.
"Excellent. I believe you've done nothing against the Foundation. The recent containment breach had nothing to do with you."
Luoshu kept a straight face, but internally, he was celebrating.
It worked!
The director continued:
"I'm lifting your observation status. You may return to Site-19... or consider joining Hammer Down. Take your time to decide."
Luoshu played it cool.
"Let me finish this project first. I want to see if the new measures hold during a breach."
"Fair enough. Report to Security when you've made your decision."
As the director left, Luoshu smirked.
Perfect. Now I have a reason to enter the Security Department's building.
Area-14's mainframe is within reach.
(Wait—does manipulating the Foundation count as betrayal?)
No!
I'm just protecting myself! If "God" hadn't tried to kill me repeatedly, I wouldn't need to do this!
I truly believe I've done nothing wrong.
Luoshu's greatest strength wasn't his IQ or his silver tongue—it was his unshakable conviction.
Once he believed something, nothing could sway him.
Next Target: SCP-939
With SCP-082 secured, Luoshu spent two days expanding his surveillance network.
His next destination?
SCP-939 - "With Many Voices."
This would be his first voluntary encounter with a Keter-class anomaly in Area-14.