Foundation Exusiai, Containment Breach!

She poked her head out and took a look.

The room was lit with a cold light. Its four walls were reinforced with heavy metal layers, but at its center stood a massive transparent protective glass wall, dividing the entire space in two.

Behind the glass floated a ghostly blue portal as tall as a person.

It pulsed slowly like some living creature, its edges constantly twisting, contracting, and breathing.

Inside the portal was not pure darkness, but the occasional flash of several blurry silhouettes.

Even Xiao Huasheng could not make out what it was.

Shattered bones lay scattered at the base of the glass. Some resembled human finger bones, while others clearly belonged to no known creature.

Twisted joints, sharp bone spurs, and even several fragments covered in black scorch marks. On those fragments, the vague outline of an eagle insignia could be seen.

These things had been crushed to pieces and scattered around the portal.

And amid those fragments lay a fully enclosed helmet in silence.

Its visor was smooth and cold, without a single gap to look through. Only two narrow viewing slits had been carved where its eyes should have been, their interiors pitch-black.

Several deep dents marred the blue helmet's surface, as though it had been struck by immense force. One of them had nearly pierced straight through it.

It lay quietly atop the pile of bones, silently recounting some warrior's final fate.

"Hmm..."

After one look, Xiao Huasheng shut the door behind her.

This was no help to her escape.

Still, it had satisfied her curiosity.

So this containment facility held things like this. Xiao Huasheng suddenly knew where she was.

Could this be the Foundation's world? If so, everything made sense.

But she did not know much about the Foundation...

Just as she thought that, the ground suddenly trembled violently again.

"What now?" She raised her head in alarm.

Were earthquakes this frequent here?!

Luckily, she took advantage of the quake to slip away in a flash.

She quickly blended into the crowd outside and moved along with them.

"The Reality Stabilization Anchor has been used again. She is still here. She did not get out..."

A cool voice interrupted his thoughts.

"I saw her. She is here."

Secretary Ku Tang beckoned Jin Li over expressionlessly.

Jin Li hurried forward and, sure enough, spotted Xiao Huasheng among one of the streams of people.

After Ku Tang's reminder.

Jin Li immediately notified the nearest task force personnel.

On the surveillance feed, following the instructions.

A field agent was staring intently at the female guard with a faint glow above her head amid the crowd.

The discovery made Jin Li suck in a sharp breath.

The target's rate of intelligent adaptation far exceeded expectations.

If left alone, she would successfully blend out of the facility before long.

Fortunately, Ku Tang's insight was far beyond that of an ordinary person, allowing her to find the target.

But worse still, another urgent communication came immediately after.

Jin Li received the radio message with his left hand.

"Report: Immortal Lizard is showing signs of abnormal activity."

"Should we try making these two fight? Lead her over there?" Ku Tang asked softly, her expressionless eyes fixed on Jin Li.

But Jin Li immediately rejected the overly risky proposal and shook his head.

"You still have much to learn, B45. You need to consider the worst-case scenario. If the two of them join forces and breach containment, we will be powerless to stop them."

In the end, he issued a compromise order.

"Guide her away from SCP-682's location. At the same time, send some guards to suppress SCP-682's agitation."

At this moment.

Xiao Huasheng, who was mixed into the crowd, was suddenly tapped on the shoulder by a guard again.

"You, Number 54. Come with us to that damn lizard's containment chamber. There is a situation over there."

Before she could react, the team swept her away with them.

Seeing this, Jin Li froze.

What Do You Mean, You Stinking Lizard?

Item Number: 641

Object Class: Safe

Description: The target is a set of Russian nesting dolls. Once someone begins taking them apart, it becomes difficult to divert their attention. If interrupted, the person taking them apart will become extremely angry. Its effects on people are significant, though afterward, the person will only feel mild anger.

Addendum: On April 4, **, during the SCP-173-1 containment breach, use this entity to draw SCP-682's attention.

This is ineffective against SCP-173-1.

(Site Director, A-**: Unbelievable. SCP-641 actually works on SCP-682.)

(Site Director's Assistant, B45: You did not know whether it worked?)

(The director has been imprisoned by the Foundation for two months.)

"Take this inside."

The guard stuffed a Russian nesting doll into Xiao Huasheng's hands.

She examined the toy in confusion, completely unable to understand its purpose.

"Put it inside, then open it. Keep it that way." The guard patted her on the back as a reminder.

Xiao Huasheng keenly sensed that there was something unusual about the nesting doll.

The doll in her hand immediately piqued her interest.

"What is this thing for?" She suddenly turned around and asked, startling the guard into stumbling.

"Good lord!" the guard escorting her cried out. At the same time, he jabbed her in the waist with his elbow. "Are you new here or something? No, you are not. We have all been here so long, so why are you acting like a rookie?"

"Foundation stuff. Do not ask questions. Just do as you are told."

In the monitoring room, the director howled with an ashen face.

"Bro!"

"Easy!"

"Hey! That is an entity!"

"Are you insane?! Why did you elbow her?! What if one elbow made the whole facility breach containment?!"

After shouting, his state of extreme rationality vanished as well.

Then Jin Li screamed, clutched his fingers, and rolled around on the ground.

"It hurts like hell! Who the fuck hit me?! You knocked my fingers right off?!"

Secretary Ku Tang watched the scene expressionlessly, reattaching his fingers while also watching the monitor.

At this point, they could only let things take their course.

Their top priority was making sure the other party did not notice anything wrong.

Over there.

Seeing the guard elbow Xiao Huasheng.

The task force agent beside them was scared out of his wits.

But all he dared do was tug that suicidal guard away and pull him to the other side.

"You come over here. Let her go in alone."

"That is against regulations..." Before the guard could finish, he saw the task force agent's nearly murderous glare and could only change his tune.

"Be careful. Looks like you will have to go in by yourself." The guard waved at Xiao Huasheng.

"You are actually pretty nice."

Xiao Huasheng looked at the guard and said.

After that.

The heavy isolation door slowly closed.

The fully armed field team rapidly assembled, but none of them had any confidence—putting two high-risk entities in the same room, who knew what would happen.

The director had reattached his fingers. He slumped in his chair, his face deathly pale.

Now he could only pray that the worst would not happen...

Inside the room, Xiao Huasheng held the nesting doll and looked around.

Under the glaring lights, a massive pool of corrosive liquid gleamed ominously.

"And then? What am I supposed to do?" she shouted into the communicator.

No one answered.

Bored out of her mind, she sat cross-legged and placed the nesting doll on the ground.

"Is this enough? Can you let me out now?"

There was still no response.

Gurgle, gurgle.

Confused, Xiao Huasheng walked toward the corner of the strange room.

The vague, strange pool suddenly began to churn.

In a flash, a gigantic lizard burst from the water, its gaping maw snapping straight for Xiao Huasheng's head!

And deep within the lizard's mouth was an eyeball.

It was as though it had been specifically designed to gank her, directly restricting her ability.

Under that gaze, she could not even teleport.

At the speed of an ordinary person, there was no way she could evade such a sudden attack.

Naturally.

The lizard's jaws snapped shut with a crunch around her neck, swallowing Xiao Huasheng's entire head into its mouth.

Then it swiftly dragged her down into the "pool."

Only a Russian nesting doll remained above.