The details were unclear—to both Luoshu and Barbie.
In this world, everyone's perspective was limited.
To be truly omniscient? That was the domain of Supreme Beings or Over-Narrators.
Did this world have such entities?
The author shrugged: "I'm no Over-Narrator—just a courier of inspiration and words."
Unaware of the specifics, Luoshu nervously monitored Omega-12's movements via his surveillance drones, ensuring they wouldn't trace him back.
Equally in the dark, Barbie paced the main road in frustration, unable to relocate the trail of Jianjia's water.
Her operatives had failed—Aiolos bungled it, Jianjia missed her shot, and the others, while combat-capable, lacked tracking finesse.
How could they catch the reality bender now?
Camp out in SCP-939's unit every night?
Even a fool wouldn't walk into that trap twice—and Luoshu was no fool.
(He'd sworn off revisiting SCP-939, no matter what Omega-12 prepared.)
Under Barbie's orders, Omega-12 scoured Area-14 in their Humvees, hunting for stray droplets of Jianjia's water.
They even passed Hammer Down's barracks, but Luoshu's cart was dry, and the diluted water in the drains registered as normal Hume fluctuations.
By dawn, Omega-12 admitted defeat.
"Get some sleep. We'll regroup later," Barbie grumbled.
Breakfast Encounter
The next morning, Luoshu spotted Omega-12 in the cafeteria.
(Previously, their schedules never overlapped—he rose early; they slept past noon.)
But last night's fruitless search had left Barbie exhausted, and today, their paths finally crossed.
Luoshu's eyes lit up.
Perfect timing.
He'd been itching to approach Jianjia—now was his chance.
Carrying his tray, he slid into the seat opposite her.
"Hey there! First time seeing you—you're Chinese too? Rare around here!"
Jianjia glanced around—indeed, no other Chinese in sight—then corrected:
"Not the first time. Technically, it's the second."
Luoshu's heart skipped.
Did she remember last night?
Unlikely. If she had, she'd have exposed him then.
Probably bluffing.
Keeping cool, he feigned ignorance: "Really? I don't recall."
Jianjia teased: "Guess I'm too plain to leave an impression."
Noting her Omega-12 uniform, Luoshu played along:
"Wait—you were with the team that inspected my unit, right? That's where I 'saw' you?"
"Smart. But you still forgot me. Heartbreaking." She clutched her chest dramatically.
(So much for the poised classical beauty—overseas Chinese camaraderie had shattered the facade.)
Luoshu, ever the actor, grinned:
"Can't blame me. Your squad marched in like a swarm, all in uniform. Besides, your boss Barbie was... distracting."
He mimed muscular arms.
Jianjia stifled a laugh. "Careful—she'll pummel you. But yeah, she's... memorable."
Seeing her amiable, Luoshu pressed further.
"If I'd noticed you that day, I'd never forget. Who could ignore someone so pretty?"
"Pretty?" Jianjia blinked. "No one in Omega-12 thinks so. They prefer blondes with curves. I'm the 'ugly duckling.'"
(Western tastes—no appreciation for classical Eastern beauty.)
Seizing the moment, Luoshu extended his left wrist—his Personal Tactical Terminal.
"Let's add each other."
Jianjia arched a brow. "Oh? Trying to chase me?"
(Cough—no, just 'adding a friend.')
But denying it would insult her.
"Friends first is fine," he hedged.
Jianjia chuckled but tapped her terminal against his.
Contact added.
Luoshu pretended to check her profile while mentally flipping open the Anomalous Item Compendium:
[Page: 45]
[Item #: Omega-12-C-032]
[Name: Jianjia]
[Class: Euclid]
[...]
[Ability: Lush Reeds]
"Lush reeds, frost-touched dew; the one I long for is beyond the water. Through the misty marsh, are you sure that's a beauty? Might be 'Sister Joebell'! Online love is risky—meetups riskier! This ability is an environmental filter, reversing Hume erosion by reality benders—like a beauty filter for reality."
[Status: Successfully Contained]
[O: x2 (Anomalous Friends activations remaining: 0)]
Luoshu nearly choked.
Was her face a filter?!
He scrutinized her—no signs of digital enhancement.
(Even if 'chasing her' was a joke, he'd hate for her to be a catfish.)