Realizing something was wrong with the passage, Luo Shu tried again to step toward Room 302.
But once more, he found himself spun around, facing back into Site-CN-02.
Was he supposed to walk backward?
He tried. No luck.
It was like being trapped in a ghost loop—he couldn't leave.
No doubt, this was an anomalous lockdown mechanism, preventing D-class personnel or escaped anomalies from exiting.
His Anomaly Spotter Milestone had actually warned him earlier, but he'd assumed the alert was for the anomalous LCD TV in 302.
Now he realized his mistake.
This was deep underground, dozens of meters below the "Lord's Manor Resort." The Milestone couldn't detect anomalies that far away.
So the warning had to be for something else—another anomaly nearby.
But realizing this now was too late.
If he'd noticed earlier, he could've studied how to counteract the effect or simply waited to see how Foundation staff exited.
But now? He was out of time.
Less than 3 minutes of Unobservable State left.
Even if he sprinted at full speed, it'd take 2.5 minutes to get back to his room.
And in the remaining 30 seconds, no one appeared in the hallway—no chance to ask for help.
The only person he could see was the guard in 302, still glued to his drama.
Staring at the man for a few seconds, Luo Shu's eyes suddenly lit up.
Such a simple solution—why hadn't he thought of it?
He flipped to Page 1 of the Anomalous Item Compendium and activated—
Teleportation.
In the next instant, he appeared behind the guard's sofa.
Gone. He'd deal with the ghost loop later.
Panting, Luo Shu dashed back to his room just as Unobservable State expired.
Meanwhile, in Site-CN-02's Monitoring Room
The agent assigned to watch Luo Shu rubbed his temples, confused.
"What was that guy doing just now? I can't remember a thing."
His colleague frowned. "You were the one on watch. Why ask me?"
The agent chuckled awkwardly. "Guess I zoned out. No idea what he did for the past half hour."
"As long as he stays in his room, who cares?" the colleague shrugged. "But seriously—why's he holed up here? Not like this place is a vacation spot."
The agent mused, "Maybe he's a fugitive? Hiding where the cops won't look?"
"Could be. Worth checking."
Back in His Room
With nothing else to do, Luo Shu settled in.
He'd have to wait until past midnight to reactivate Unobservable State and return to Site-CN-02.
It had been four days since escaping Barbie in Tel Aviv.
Aside from golf course recon on Day 2, he'd barely left the hotel—highly suspicious behavior.
Who checked into an overpriced, remote hotel for no reason?
Not for work, not for tourism, not even for a fling.
Just to… exist?
Realizing this made him a prime target for scrutiny, Luo Shu decided to blend in.
That afternoon, he visited Wangfujing, Beijing's bustling shopping district, to stock up on daily essentials.
Living outside the Foundation meant no more free supplies—he'd forgotten even basic things like spare clothes.
His initial "arrive empty-handed" act had only deepened surveillance's suspicions.
Total fugitive vibes.
Which, to be fair, he was.
To both the New World and the Foundation, Luo Shu was now a wanted man.
The moment he'd gone missing, Barbie had issued a global alert.
His low profile had kept him hidden so far—neither she nor The Administrator had realized he'd slipped into China, right under the Foundation's nose.
But the SCP Foundation wouldn't mobilize worldwide for one rogue D-class—not unless he was classified as an Ekhi-class threat.
For now, they'd left it to local law enforcement.
Interpol, police agencies, even bounty hunters were hunting him across the Middle East, Europe, and the New World.
China, however, was different.
With its advanced surveillance—mobile payment tracking, facial recognition—staying hidden required flawless cover.
That's why Luo Shu had crafted the "He Tu" identity—clean, untraceable, utterly boring.
After a day of playing tourist, he returned to the hotel with shopping bags in tow, finally looking like a normal guest.
The surveillance team relaxed.
"See? Just a regular guy."