Luoshu had overlooked one crucial detail—SCP-CN-722-5 worked for the "God."
This meant that while SCP-CN-722-5 was Luoshu's target, Luoshu was also her target.
Just like when he had entered SCP-CN-722's containment unit earlier, the child laborers had all rushed to attack him the moment they sensed him.
SCP-CN-722-5 was no different.
The moment she detected the "mark of the God's enemy" on Luoshu, she had tunneled through space from her nest to ambush him.
Now, his heart was in her grasp.
This was SCP-CN-722-5's signature move—in her nest, the Foundation had found a jar of human hearts, all ripped fresh from their victims.
According to her, those men were all "heartbreakers" who deserved to die!
But Luoshu knew the truth—it was transference.
Foundation investigations suggested that SCP-CN-722-5 had likely been a young girl murdered by a cheating lover in her past life.
After being "revived" by the "God," she began viewing all of the God's enemies as heartbreakers, ripping out their hearts to see what color they were.
And now, she was about to do the same to Luoshu.
The moment Luoshu felt the stabbing pain in his chest, he knew SCP-CN-722-5 had struck.
He couldn't even turn around—he couldn't see his attacker.
Worse, he was out of abilities—most of his useful powers had been used up earlier in the night. They wouldn't recharge until past midnight.
Mind Control? No uses left.
Neck-Snap Teleportation? No uses left.
Cult Leader Charisma? No uses left.
Unobservable State? No uses left.
What did he have left?
Martyr's Light?
Luoshu didn't dare use it.
Any sudden move might provoke SCP-CN-722-5, and the moment she squeezed his heart, it'd be game over.
With no time to think, Luoshu activated the only ability he could—
Persuasion.
"Hey, hey—calm down! We're on the same side!"
The words "same side" made SCP-CN-722-5 pause, her grip loosening slightly.
But she wasn't convinced. "You bear the God's mark. You can't be one of us!"
That damned "God"—Luoshu had no idea when the old bastard had branded him, but now every child laborer saw him as an enemy.
His only hope was to double down on the lie.
"It's true! Ask your friends! I'm a spy sent by the God. That's why I have this mark!"
SCP-CN-722-5 hesitated, her spectral hand still buried in Luoshu's back but frozen in uncertainty.
Her fear of the "God's wrath", already amplified by the Anomaly Slayer Milestone's psychological pressure, made her reluctant to act.
"So… they all know, but I don't?" she asked suspiciously.
Luoshu pressed on. "Exactly! Go ask them right now if you don't believe me!"
After a moment's thought, SCP-CN-722-5 nodded. "Fine. We'll go see them."
The spatial tunnel behind her shifted—her bedroom vanished, replaced by the containment unit in Site-CN-02 where the other child laborers were held.
She yanked Luoshu into the tunnel, and in an instant, they stood before the other four child laborers.
"Sister! You're here!"
"Master! You've come!" (This discordant voice came from SCP-CN-722-6.)
SCP-CN-722-5 fired off questions. "What's going on? Why are two missing? This guy says he's one of us—is it true?"
SCP-CN-722-2 opened his mouth to speak—
"Number Two was—"
But before he could finish, he clutched his chest in agony, doubling over.
Luoshu immediately understood—this child laborer had been about to expose him as the killer of SCP-CN-722-3, but Cupid's Arrow's curse prevented him from speaking.
SCP-CN-722-6 quickly covered for him. "Number Two and Number Six were killed! It was the work of Achilles' Heel!"
(The child laborers ranked themselves by age at death, unrelated to their Foundation designations.)
"Number Two" was the one Luoshu had neck-snapped, while "Number Six" was SCP-CN-722-4, torn apart by Heracles.
With SCP-CN-722-2 still writhing in pain, SCP-CN-722-5 turned to the other two for confirmation.
SCP-CN-722-7, under Luoshu's Mind Control, nodded emphatically.
SCP-CN-722-1, bound by the Anomaly Ally Milestone's memetic effect, was programmed to protect Luoshu at all costs and would never betray him.
So among the remaining child laborers—one abstained, three voted in favor.
Luoshu was officially "one of them."
At this point, SCP-CN-722-5 had no choice but to believe it. She slowly withdrew her hand from Luoshu's back.
Miraculously, no wound remained.
Luoshu exhaled in relief and pressed his advantage while she was still confused.
"See? I won't hold your attack against me. What are friends for, right?"
"Friends?" SCP-CN-722-5 hadn't expected Luoshu to push the narrative this far, and she faltered.
But when she looked at him again, her expression darkened.
"Friends… male friends… boyfriends? NO! Heartbreakers!"
Luoshu waved his hands frantically. "No, no—just regular friends! Not boyfriends!"
"There's no such thing as real friendship between men and women! I don't want male friends!"
Clearly, SCP-CN-722-5's trauma ran deep—she distrusted all adult men.
Should he just give up?
Luoshu couldn't let this chance slip.
Even if he waited until past midnight for his abilities to reset, convincing SCP-CN-722-5 to become an ally would still require overcoming this hurdle.
Gritting his teeth, Luoshu made a desperate gamble—
"Actually… I'm a girl."
"You? A girl?"
Didn't believe him?
Fine. For the sake of power, I'll go all out.
Luoshu activated Self-Deception.
"I'm really a girl…"