After weighing the pros and cons, Luoshu ultimately chose to return to China.
This wasn't out of nostalgia for his homeland, but because it was the more efficient option.
He was 15 entries short of upgrading his Containment Specialist Milestone to Level 2.
In the New Continent, he only knew the exact locations of three facilities: Site-19, Site-17, and Area-14.
Of these, Site-19 and Area-14 had already been mostly swept clean, with only one or two unlogged anomalies remaining.
Site-17 had slightly more unrecorded entries, but it was "God's" territory—Luoshu wasn't ready for a direct confrontation yet.
By comparison, raiding Site-CN-06 was clearly the optimal choice.
Besides, the spatial tunnel was right there—traveling back and forth would be easy.
But before leaving, he had one last task.
Luoshu glanced at the sealed bag in his hand. In addition to retrieving his belongings from Marion Wheeler, he'd also swiped SCP-005 (The Key) from Site-19's custody.
Since SCP-126's containment breach would be exposed tomorrow anyway, he might as well pin the key's disappearance on IR1901 too.
The Chaos Insurgency wanted to help? They could help by taking the blame.
But the real question was: where to stash these items?
Luoshu was constantly on the move, dodging Foundation pursuit. Carrying everything with him risked loss or theft.
He needed a secure storage location.
SCP-055's chamber was no longer an option.
As for Marion Wheeler—while she might seem like an ally, trusting her would be a fatal mistake.
She was still a Foundation Director. Her cooperation was purely self-serving. Once her goals were met, she'd betray him without hesitation.
Luoshu saw no harm in assuming the worst intentions from every Foundation member.
That ruled out any Foundation-affiliated location.
So where then?
Somewhere guarded by a trustworthy friend.
Luoshu flipped open The SCP Field Guide to the Anomalous Friends Milestone on the title page.
The dropdown menu listed 16 entries—proof of how many intelligent anomalies he'd befriended over the past months.
More friends, smoother roads. This was a good thing.
Soon, he identified the perfect hiding spot.
With his destination set, Luoshu returned to Capitol Hill to utilize the spatial tunnel.
True to "God's" pretentious nature, the tunnel entrance was placed at the highest point of the dome—atop the 6-meter bronze Statue of Freedom, 40 meters above ground level.
Most couldn't reach it, but Vertical Ascent made it trivial for Luoshu.
Passing through the tunnel from the dome, he reappeared at "God's" private estate by Lake Erie.
This was the hub connecting spatial tunnels worldwide. "God" used it as a transit center—now Luoshu was benefiting too.
He noted the estate was equipped with Scranton Reality Anchors to counteract the tunnels' destabilizing effects.
Removing them might cause spatial collapse from tunnel density, potentially destroying the Earth.
"God's" so-called containment unit at Site-17 was just a tunnel leading here.
This was his true lair!
Normally, the old bastard loitered around Site-17, playing life coach and dispensing hollow wisdom.
One day, I'll scour this place properly—see what else "God" is hiding.
But for now, time was short. Luoshu reopened the spatial tunnel, selected his target from the hundreds available, and stepped through.
The moment Luoshu left, an elderly figure materialized on the hall's throne, glaring murderously at where he'd vanished.
Had Luoshu not exhausted his Thousand-Mile Tracking uses today, he might've sensed "God" lurking here all along.
"God" observed the tunnel Luoshu had taken but didn't follow. Instead, he opened a different tunnel and entered.
An instant later, he stood atop the gilded pinnacle of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.
Without pause, he activated yet another tunnel—one whose destination would've shocked Luoshu.
It led straight to SCP-CN-722-5's bedroom.
In the next second, "God" loomed over the child laborer, his expression twisted with fury.
"What have you done? How does Luo Shu possess spatial tunneling?!"
SCP-CN-722-5 startled, immediately kneeling. "Respected God! What are your commands?"
"Don't deflect! Answer me!"
Confused, SCP-CN-722-5 honestly recounted her interactions with Luoshu—how they'd become friends.
"God's" face darkened with each word until he finally cut her off.
"So. You befriended Luo Shu."
She nodded, bewildered by his rage. Wasn't Luoshu "one of us"?
"Friends! First Jianjia, now you! And now he's stolen your abilities!"
The pieces clicked. "God" finally grasped part of Luoshu's power.
Seeing SCP-CN-722-5's genuine confusion, he realized she'd been duped.
Suppressing his wrath, he growled, "Listen carefully. Luo Shu is an enemy. You cannot be his friend."
SCP-CN-722-5's face contorted in pain. "God… I can't! He was the first to visit me, to treat me kindly. I won't betray him!"
"He deceived you! Can't you see?!"
"Forgive me… but in my heart, he's my friend forever!"
This was unmistakably the memetic effect of The SCP Field Guide's Anomalous Friends Milestone.
"God" recognized the brainwashing.
"Last chance. Renounce him, or face purification."
"He's my friend. Always."
"God" smiled—a terrible, mirthless thing. "Then die."
As the words left his mouth, SCP-CN-722-5's body rotted from her facial wound outward, collapsing into a pile of bones within seconds...