After leaving Site-41, Luo Shu faced two choices:
Head straight to Cuba—where Anomalous Item-3125, "The Defender," awaited.
Return to Site-19—to interrogate Anomalous Item-116 (The Fragile Boy), Xi Juan's second projection.
Xi Juan, having returned from a higher dimension, likely knew more than Item-3125. But communicating with him was near-impossible—his fractured form could barely speak.
Meanwhile, finding Item-3125 in Cuba could take years. Marion Wheeler had spent 23 years searching, and even then, only with the help of 10,000 personnel across 400 organizations.
Luo Shu was alone.
The Decision
He chose Site-19. Geography dictated it.
Site-41 (Colorado) → Site-19 (East Coast) → Cuba formed a logical route.
The alternative—cutting diagonally across the continent to Florida—was riskier, given his recent clashes in El Paso and Albuquerque.
The 3,000-kilometer drive along Interstate 70 took 30 hours. Only his shape-shifting pickup truck's autopilot spared him exhaustion.
Reunion with Xi Juan
At Site-19, Xi Juan shut his eyes the moment Luo Shu entered.
"If I acknowledge him, I'll livestream in a dress," he vowed silently.
Luo Shu sighed. "I know you're a former Revealer of Truths. Let's talk."
No response.
Physical communication was torture for Xi Juan's fragile body.
Desperate Measures
Luo Shu flipped open the Archive to Page 15:
[Anomalous Item-035: Possessive Mask]
[Ability: Mental Enslavement]
"Sorry, buddy."
He activated the power—invading Xi Juan's mind.
Clash of Revealers
Inside Xi Juan's mental landscape, two Revealers stood face-to-face.
Xi Juan's consciousness was larger, more stable—untouched by his physical form's frailty.
"You dare enslave me?!" he roared.
Luo Shu grinned. "Look at you—finally talking!"
But the moment Xi Juan uttered "You're the most successful Revealer yet,"—
A violet lightning bolt struck him from the mental sky.
The impact left his form charred, smoke curling from his shoulders.
"No more questions!" Xi Juan hissed. "Next time, it'll scramble my mind!"
Luo Shu glanced upward. Ominous clouds churned, radiating malice.
Undeterred, he pressed: "Is there a higher narrative—"
A gale-force wind ejected him.
Aftermath
Luo Shu's physical body convulsed. Blood streamed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
His consciousness had been scorched by whatever governed their reality.
"Message received," he muttered, wiping his face. "No spoilers allowed."
Defeated, he staggered out of Xi Juan's cell.