After convincing SCP-100-1, the Autobots ceased their attack on Mobile Task Force (MTF) Epsilon-11 ("Nine-Tailed Fox"). One by one, they marched out of the containment zone's fence—only to lose their mobility the moment they crossed the boundary, freezing into towering Transformer figurines.
At first, the MTF operatives were baffled. Had the Autobots gone berserk? Were they launching a counterattack?
Then they saw Luo Shu—wearing the standard Foundation clerical uniform—strolling out of Jamaican Joe's Scrap Carnival's front gate.
Understanding dawned.
Big Beard Jack puffed out his chest, casting smug glances at the other squads as if to say, "That's my guy!"
Even the Red Right Hand leader looked impressed.
Luo Shu approached the two. "Mission accomplished, sirs."
Jack couldn't wait. "How the hell did you pull this off?"
Luo Shu gave a sanitized version of his negotiation, framing the "Transformer model business" as SCP-100-1's idea.
The Red Right Hand commander was satisfied—except for the "business agreement" part.
"No. SCP-100 is too dangerous. It surrenders unconditionally. We don't negotiate with anomalies!"
Luo Shu glanced at the Anomaly Catalog. Page 30 hadn't appeared yet. Containment was still incomplete.
The business deal was secondary. But after all this effort, failing to secure containment? Unacceptable.
His persuasion skill's duration was running out. He had to act fast.
"Sir, SCP-100 isn't a threat—it's just a greedy merchant. Outside the fence, its creations are harmless. Calling it 'world-ending' is an overstatement."
The logic was airtight. The Red Right Hand leader hesitated.
Luo Shu pressed on. "The Chaos Insurgency exploited SCP-100 because we suppressed it too harshly before. It rebelled out of resentment."
The leader's jaw tightened. His men had died to those Autobots. "That doesn't mean we indulge it!"
Time to play hardball.
"Our mission is Secure, Contain, Protect—not destroy. SCP-100-1's requests are reasonable. We should guide it, not crush it."
The leader flushed, chastised by Luo Shu's righteous tone.
The candy in Luo Shu's mouth was fading—his persuasion window closing. He delivered the final blow:
"And this 'business' benefits the Foundation. SCP-100-1 turns scrap into profit. As its sole distributor, we keep the surplus."
The unspoken truth hung in the air: The Foundation could markup the "deactivated" Transformer models. Easy money.
The leader finally relented. "Fine. I'll report this to the O5 Council. The final decision is theirs."
That was as good as a yes.
Luo Shu knew the O5s would approve. To them, MTF casualties were statistics. Destroying a useful anomaly over a few deaths? Not their style.
As expected, the Anomaly Catalog updated.
[Page: 30]
[Item #: SCP-100]
[Designation: Jamaican Joe's Scrap Carnival]
[Object Class: Euclid]
[Description: …]
[Special Containment Procedures: …]
[Anomalous Properties: Mechanical Animation. You can imbue a mechanical object with autonomous mobility. This effect ceases if the object moves beyond 100 meters from you. "Decepticons, transform!" (Note: Reference to Transformers' iconic catchphrase.)]
[Status: Successfully Contained]
[Interaction Log: Click to Play]
[O]
The Mechanical Animation ability was a game-changer for Luo Shu.
Unlike mental domination—which left corpses and loose ends—animating machines was cleaner. No traces. No cleanup. Just distance.
And the applications? Endless.
But the surprises didn't stop there.
The catalog's title page updated:
[Milestone Unlocked: Friend of the Anomalies]
[Tier: 1]
[Effects:]
Alliance: SCP-100 will aid and protect you.
Ability Mimicry: You may activate SCP-100's known abilities once per day.
The second effect mirrored his Anomaly Namer perk. But the first? How exactly would "aid" work?
He'd need to test it.
Then—trouble.
Hostile glares surrounded him.
In persuading the Red Right Hand leader, Luo Shu had alienated the MTF operatives.
To them, he was the guy who saved the thing that killed their comrades.
Only Big Beard Jack still beamed with pride. The others? Their stares promised payback.
Human nature.
Just as Luo Shu braced for fallout, the Red Right Hand leader's phone rang. His face paled.
Something was wrong.