Just as Luo Shu was debating whether to team up with Cain to take down "Him," he overheard their conversation.
"Cain, do you remember the 'Revealer of Truth'?"
"I do, and I don't. Why? Did you cross paths with him?"
"Remember Luo Shu? He's the one!"
"Oh, right."
"Remember when I said he was with the Chaos Insurgency, and you insisted he was Foundation? Bet that stings now!" (Author's note: See Chapter 79.)
"Who said the 'Revealer of Truth' has to be with Chaos? Which side he's on depends entirely on your attitude!"
"My attitude? My attitude is that the 'Revealer of Truth' and Chaos are in cahoots! They all deserve to die!"
"Heh, so you're the one who drove him to the other side."
"Enough. Just answer me this—if I fight him, will you help me?"
"No. And if you attack him in front of me, I might even help him instead."
"You—! Fine, I won't do it in front of you. But would you help him attack me ?"
"Probably not. I'll stay neutral if I can."
This exchange dashed Luo Shu's unrealistic hopes.
Cain and "Him" were clearly on good terms—after all, they'd been neighbors for years.
Luo Shu was the outsider here.
Even with the Anomalous Ally milestone's memetic effect forcing Cain to protect him, that didn't mean he could treat Cain like an attack dog.
Cain's stance was clear: as long as "Him" didn't attack Luo Shu in front of him, he'd remain neutral.
Since Cain wouldn't help, Luo Shu decided not to embarrass himself.
"Him" wasn't so easy to kill—he was always protected by a spatial barrier, had high mental resistance, and was a reality bender himself.
Among Luo Shu's current abilities, none were effective enough to deal with "Him."
His priority now was to lure "Him" away from the containment chamber door so he could access the spatial tunnel hidden inside the Unit.
To do this, he'd need help from his new AI believer.
At Luo Shu's direction, the AI broadcast a system-wide alert:
"Warning! Warning! Unknown intrusion in the main server room! Access controls breached! Intruder attempting system infiltration!"
"Him" shot to his feet. "It's Anomalous Item-126! When it escaped Site-19, it took Anomalous Item-005 (The Key) with it!"
With that, he vanished into thin air, teleporting away.
Cain, though slower to react, also hurried upstairs—whether to help or just spectate, Luo Shu couldn't tell.
Mentally, Luo Shu apologized to IR1901 (wherever he was):
"Sorry, buddy. You're taking the blame again!"
Then he opened the door to Anomalous Item-343's Unit and stepped inside.
Activating his ability, he confirmed his suspicion—a spatial tunnel leading straight to the castle appeared inside the chamber.
After crossing through, Luo Shu contacted the Site-17 AI believer to pinpoint Anomalous Item-196's exact location.
The AI informed him that Anomalous Item-196 was currently in the castle's basement, though the precise spot was unclear.
Luo Shu would have to search himself.
Luckily, "Him" was still busy with Luo Shu's diversion, helping Site-17 security lock down the server room in search of the nonexistent Anomalous Item-126.
He wouldn't be returning to the castle anytime soon.
Using his enhanced calculation and analytical abilities, Luo Shu began exploring the castle.
Thirty minutes later, after navigating multiple security layers, he finally reached the dungeon.
But Anomalous Item-196 wasn't there!
According to the AI's tracking data, Luo Shu was less than 5 meters away from the target.
Given the distance, Anomalous Item-196 should be behind the dungeon wall.
But Luo Shu had already scoured the area—there were no other rooms beyond the dungeon.
Only one explanation made sense: the wall itself was the hiding place.
A hidden compartment!
Luo Shu searched for secret doors or mechanisms, but after fifteen minutes, he still couldn't find an entrance.
"Him" might not be as intelligent as Luo Shu, but he was old and cunning, with unpredictable tricks up his sleeve.
Luo Shu tried to think like "Him."
If I were him, I'd hide Anomalous Item-196 where no one could reach it.
This castle's security was nowhere near Site-17's level—conventional methods wouldn't stop a determined intruder.
The safest solution? Make it so that only "Him" could enter!
That was it!
There was a space behind the dungeon wall—but no door led to it!
Only "Him", with his spatial teleportation, could come and go freely.
Realizing this, Luo Shu knocked on the wall, using subtle sound variations to pinpoint the hidden chamber's location.
Then he flipped open the Anomalous Item Catalog and activated his ability.
Silicon-Based Intelligence—granted to the wall!
The dungeon wall began to warp, morphing into a stone humanoid that stepped away, leaving behind a gaping hole in its place.
Beyond it lay the secret room "Him" had concealed.
Inside, a middle-aged Black man lay motionless on a bed.
An electronic IV drip fed into his veins, while a catheter drained urine directly into a floor drain.
Luo Shu tried to wake him—no response.
A quick medical assessment confirmed the truth:
Anomalous Item-196 was in a vegetative state.
"Him" hadn't killed him outright—likely to avoid unnecessary complications.
Relocate. Conceal. Silence.
Whatever secret Anomalous Item-196 held, it was important enough for "Him" to go to such lengths.
If Luo Shu wanted that secret, he had two options:
Recontain him.
Befriend him.
Befriend a vegetable?
That might be harder than making friends with SCP-173.
As for recontainment, that would mean dragging him back to Site-17's Unit—but in his current state, moving him might kill him outright.
Whether that would trigger a time paradox was unclear, but more importantly—it didn't serve Luo Shu's interests.
His goal wasn't to steal Anomalous Item-196's abilities but to keep him alive and make him talk.