Luo Shu had always relied on Unobservable State to avoid direct targeting, letting him waltz in and out of Units with impunity.
But today, luck wasn't on his side.
First, SCP-CN-602 ("Carter's Heart") hit him with its sorrow field—thankfully mitigated by his Anomaly Buster Milestone's 10% resistance.
Then came SCP-CN-1925 ("The Epitaph"), where the zombie could sense life regardless of Unobservable. Only his ceiling perch saved him.
And now—this little nightmare.
The real threat of SCP-CN-874 ("Playful Drawer") wasn't the head itself, but its three "friends"—SCP-CN-874-3.
These were the boys who'd been with it in its final moments.
Back when it was still alive, this little troublemaker had stuck his head into a desk drawer—and got stuck.
His three equally reckless friends grabbed his body and yanked hard—
Result?
One decapitated brat.
From there, tragedy morphed into horror.
The head became SCP-CN-874, forever nesting in drawers.
The three friends vanished within 27 days, reappearing as SCP-CN-874-3—its eternal guardians.
A quartet of careless kids turned lethal anomaly.
Most victims had no choice but to play along—or die.
Luo Shu hadn't expected the brat to summon its enforcers so fast.
SCP-CN-874-3 couldn't lock onto him directly, but their attacks were AOE—indiscriminate swings.
Their serpentine necks lashed out, coiling around his limbs with bone-crushing force.
Luo Shu gasped—this was lethal.
Activating Persuasion, he forced a grin.
"Hey, kid! Don't cry! I'll play with you!"
The brat's tears vanished. "Yay! Let's play house!"
The Nanny Entities disappeared.
Rubbing his sore limbs, Luo Shu resigned himself to playing pretend.
He checked the Compendium—no new page.
This little monster's stubborn.
Forcing a 140-IQ genius into make-believe tea parties was torture.
But arguing with a supernatural brat was pointless.
After what felt like hours (but was probably 15 minutes), Luo Shu tried again:
"We've played so long—surely we're friends now?"
The brat glared. "Mom says real friends don't keep score! You're not sincere!"
Damn. Even Persuasion failed against child logic.
Kids saw through adult hypocrisy like glass.
Luo Shu sighed. Fine. Sincerity it is.
But time was running out. His plan to clear Safe Containment tonight was ruined.
With no other choice, he flipped to Page 42.
Self-Deception.
"I truly want to be SCP-CN-874's best friend!"
Believe your own lie, and others will too.
The brat's eyes lit up. "You mean it?! We're best friends forever!"
[Page 57]
[Item #: SCP-CN-874]
[Designation: Playful Drawer]
[Object Class: Safe]
[Anomalous Property: "Play With Me." Find a friend, keep a friend—or lose your head. Pull hard, pull fast—hey ho, it won't come loose!"]
Finally.
Luo Shu vowed to cherish this hard-won friendship—not just treat it as a tool.
The Call
Back in his room, Luo Shu dug out his long-dormant tactical terminal.
Hesitating, he powered it on and called Jianjia.
Of all his anomalous allies, she was the one he'd wronged most.
Had she been recontained? Demoted?
The call failed.
"Recipient's device is offline."
It was 9 PM in Greece—too early for bed.
Only one explanation: Her terminal was confiscated.
With no way to check on her, Luo Shu shut his device down—
Unaware that Barbie, halfway across the world, had just received an alert.
"Luo Shu's terminal just pinged."
"Location?"
"Beijing, China."