Luo Shu didn't take Anomalous Item-196 (Jack) back to Site-17. Instead, he escorted him to the New World's capital and handed him over to Waiter for safekeeping.
After settling Jack, Luo Shu returned alone to Site-17 to reunite with his Transformer pickup truck.
By now, a full hour had passed since the "intrusion" by Anomalous Item-126 into the server room.
After a fruitless search, "Him" was slowly making his way back with Cain when—
Boom.
A spatial distortion rippled right beside them.
Without hesitation, "Him" abandoned Cain and teleported straight to his Unit, where he saw the open door and the spatial tunnel leading to his castle.
After a frantic search turned up no intruder, "Him" rushed into the tunnel, returning to his castle in a panic.
By now, he realized he'd fallen for Luo Shu's diversion tactic—and was desperate to check on Anomalous Item-196.
Watching "Him" leave, Luo Shu let out a sigh of relief.
That had been too close.
He'd just stepped out of the spatial tunnel when "Him" suddenly appeared in front of him. For a heart-stopping moment, Luo Shu thought he'd been caught.
Just as he was about to slip away, a hand clamped onto his shoulder from behind.
"Luo Shu! I know you're here!"
His scalp prickling, Luo Shu turned to see Cain—and immediately relaxed.
With his "Enemy of Life" ability, Cain was essentially a living radar, so sensing Luo Shu wasn't surprising.
In fact, Cain had noticed him earlier when Luo Shu was eavesdropping on his conversation with "Him"—he just hadn't called him out.
"Hey, old friend! Long time no see!" Luo Shu greeted awkwardly.
The awkwardness stemmed from the fact that, as a "friend," he'd been about to leave without a word.
Though Cain's status in the Foundation wasn't as high as "Him's", he was still far from insignificant.
He was essentially the Foundation's walking hard drive, with an unparalleled memory retrieval ability—his mind held backups of everything.
In terms of classified knowledge, Cain rivaled even the O5 Council.
Luo Shu genuinely didn't know how to face him—hence the attempted discreet exit.
Luckily, Cain didn't mind.
"Heard you've teamed up with Chaos?"
"Not at all. Just borrowing their resources," Luo Shu denied firmly.
Cain chuckled. "Suit yourself. I trust you have your reasons. 'Him' is just too stubborn—can't tolerate a single grain of sand in his eye."
"Wish 'Him' was as reasonable as you," Luo Shu sighed.
After that, he found himself at a loss for words.
He certainly couldn't say, "Oh, by the way, I recently fought your brother Abel."
Abel was a taboo subject for Cain—even "Him" avoided mentioning him.
An awkward silence stretched between them.
Then, the spatial tunnel in Anomalous Item-343's Unit reactivated.
"Him" stormed into view from the castle side, fury etched across his face.
Clearly, he'd discovered Anomalous Item-196's disappearance.
Cain, ever understanding, said, "Looks like you've got urgent business. You'd better go."
Luo Shu nodded hastily. "Right! I'll get going then! See you around!"
"Don't worry—we'll meet again soon enough," Cain replied cryptically.
Not daring to ask what he meant, Luo Shu beat a hasty retreat.
Back on the street, the Transformer pickup appeared as promised at the crossroads, picking him up.
Before heading to Area-13, Luo Shu decided to return to the Anomalous Item-100 underground base first.
He needed time to process the night's shocks—and more importantly, the pickup truck needed an upgrade.
Anomalous Item-100 was in the southeastern New World, while Area-13 lay in the west—a straight-line distance of over 4,000 km.
Driving nonstop would take more than a day, which was far too exhausting.
So Luo Shu made a small request to his Transformer:
"Learn to fly."
In the original Transformers, the Autobots couldn't fly.
And giving a car flight capabilities defied basic aerodynamics—its shape generated downforce, not lift.
But this pickup truck had evolution abilities. If it couldn't fly, it'd be wasting its Silicon-Based Intelligence.
After studying aircraft aerodynamics, Luo Shu personally designed its second-stage transformation.
The front grille morphed into a boat-like slope to generate lift.
The truck bed's tailgate split open into wings.
The wheel hubs flipped outward, their spokes becoming turbine blades for propulsion.
With the blueprint in hand, the truck began self-modifying.
After a day of evolution, it finally gained flight capabilities.
Though it still looked nothing like a real plane, it could now stay airborne.
Luo Shu's design prioritized ground-effect flight—while it couldn't reach high altitudes, it was a competent ekranoplan.
Ground-effect vehicles leveraged the wing-in-ground effect for enhanced lift, allowing low-altitude flight with minimal thrust.
They also evaded most ground radar, making them perfect for stealth travel.
Tests showed the Transformer pickup could hit 500 km/h, reaching Area-13 in just 8 hours.
Once everything was ready, Luo Shu set off to meet Anomalous Item-682—the "special anomaly" Jack had hinted at.
To avoid drawing attention (a flying pickup truck would raise eyebrows), Luo Shu planned a stealthy route:
Entered Unobservability mode, driving across the Florida Peninsula into the Gulf of Mexico.
Followed the coastline east, then cut through Mexico.
Headed north through Arizona into Nevada.
The entire journey took 10 hours.
By nightfall, they arrived at Homey Airport (Area 51).
The Transformer reverted to truck form, approaching the entrance to Area-51.
The hidden tunnel beneath Groom Lake could only be opened from inside—but that was no obstacle for Luo Shu.
The local mainframe system had been his first AI convert. Ordering it to open a door was child's play.
Area-14, I'm back!
Anomalous Item-682, here I come!