It wasn't surprising that Waiter could guess Luo Shu's connection to SCP-100.
The Chaos Insurgency had been monitoring Luo Shu's every move—far more closely than "The Administrator" ever had.
From the beginning, the Insurgency had pegged Luo Shu as the "Revealer of Truth," making him a focal point of their attention.
In contrast, "The Administrator" initially saw him as just another rogue Insurgency agent—someone to eliminate as a matter of routine.
As the Foundation's supreme leader, "The Administrator" couldn't afford to focus solely on Luo Shu. His duty was maintaining global stability.
During that time, the Chaos Insurgency had been executing their "Awakening Plan," stirring up incidents worldwide—both to provoke Luo Shu and to divert the Foundation's attention.
By the time Luo Shu unleashed "The Soundless Roar" and finally drew "The Administrator's" serious attention, critical intelligence had already slipped through the cracks.
Moreover, Luo Shu's connection to SCP-100 predated his first encounter with "The Administrator."
That incident had happened months ago.
Back then, the Chaos Insurgency had provided SCP-100 with transformer-building technology, triggering a containment breach.
If not for Luo Shu's intervention, Mobile Task Force Alpha-1 ("Red Right Hand") would have nuked SCP-100 off the map.
Something that big? Waiter definitely knew about it.
Now, with Luo Shu requesting delivery to South Carolina, Waiter would have to be an idiot not to realize the Scranton Reality Anchors (SRAs) were destined for SCP-100.
Where else would Luo Shu install them?
"Ahem!" Luo Shu coughed awkwardly but saw no point in hiding it. "Yeah, that's the place. But you guys shouldn't get too close—I'll handle it myself."
Denying it would only make the Insurgency investigate on their own, potentially alerting the Foundation. Better to be upfront.
Waiter took the hint. "Don't worry, we won't tip them off! But while we can't approach directly, we can provide SCP-100 with tunnel-boring machine (TBM) blueprints."
Now that was useful.
TBMs were specialized equipment for digging underground tunnels—exactly what SCP-100 needed to speed up its secret base construction.
After settling the basics, Luo Shu hung up.
The Insurgency would later covertly transmit the TBM schematics to SCP-100 via secure channels—no further input from Luo Shu required.
Right now, his priority was Jianjia.
As soon as "Athena" sent over the map data pack, Luo Shu eagerly opened it, pinpointing Jianjia's containment unit.
But Athena didn't just send maps—it included detailed containment specs and live surveillance feeds.
The so-called "reality bender containment chambers" in Area-13 were essentially solitary confinement cells.
Unless special measures were required, most were sparsely furnished:
A bed
A small table
A sink
A toilet
A 1-square-meter transparent shower stall
And, of course, 24/7 surveillance cameras
No privacy. No freedom. No sunlight.
Even bathing and using the toilet were monitored—Athena's archives contained hours of uncensored footage.
Compared to this, Luo Shu's time in San Quentin's death row had been luxurious—at least he'd gotten yard time and brief interactions with other inmates.
But in Area-13, all non-Omega-12 reality benders were considered threats.
No recreation. No socialization.
Two reality benders together? Their combined power would be greater than the sum of its parts, making containment exponentially harder.
The Foundation couldn't allow that—hence the extreme isolation.
The live feed showed Jianjia curled up on her bed, trembling intermittently from nightmares.
The sight filled Luo Shu with guilt.
Because of one sentence from him, Jianjia had become an Anomalous Friend—risking everything to help him in his darkest hour.
Worse, due to the memetic effect of the Anomalous Friends (Milestone Lv.2), she couldn't even sever ties with him if she wanted to.
To the Foundation, she was an incorrigible rebel. That she hadn't been executed outright was only because Barbie still had some lingering sympathy.
If "The Administrator" had made the call, Jianjia would already be a pile of ashes.
Luo Shu clenched his fists. "This time, I'm taking her with me."
Reunion
With Athena's help, Luo Shu and Aiolos avoided all patrols, heading straight for Sublevel-3.
Every camera along their path looped old footage, rendering them invisible to security.
They didn't even need stealth—just walked openly through the halls.
Since Jianjia's abilities couldn't help her escape, no guards were posted outside her unit.
Aiolos stayed in the corridor as lookout—though Athena was the real sentry. He just didn't want to third-wheel.
Luo Shu gave him a wry look. "Jianjia and I are just friends. You don't have to avoid us."
Aiolos shrugged wordlessly.
Resigned, Luo Shu entered the unit alone.
Jianjia was asleep but restless—brows furrowed, tear tracks staining her cheeks.
After a moment's hesitation, Luo Shu gently shook her awake.
"Jianjia! Wake up! It's me—Luo Shu!"
She stirred, murmuring drowsily, "Dreaming again…"
"Not a dream. I'm really here—in Area-13!" He spoke louder.
Jianjia jolted awake, her eyes darting to the ceiling-mounted camera in panic before she tried to push Luo Shu away.
Even now, as an Anomalous Friend, her first instinct was to protect him over herself.
"Relax, they can't see us," Luo Shu reassured her.
Only then did she throw herself into his arms, clinging tightly as if afraid he'd vanish again.
"Long time no see."
"Yeah… long time no see."