In the official SCP Foundation documentation, SCP-035 (The Possession Mask) was described as far more dangerous than what Luo Shu had witnessed in this world.
At first, he had wondered—if the mask just needs a glass container replaced every two weeks, how is it Keter-class?
In the Foundation, for an anomaly to be classified as Keter, it must meet two criteria:
Lethality – Even if an anomaly is impossible to contain, it won't be Keter unless it's actively harmful.
Example: SCP-343 ("God") is uncontainable and immensely powerful, yet rated Safe—because it poses no threat.
Containment Difficulty – Keter means extremely difficult to reliably contain, often requiring large-scale, complex procedures.
By those standards, SCP-035's previous behavior should've been Euclid.
Its containment unit wasn't large or complex.
The mask had no legs, no spatial abilities—it couldn't escape unless someone let it possess them.
But now, Luo Shu understood.
The moment the original personality awoke, the mask's true horror revealed itself.
If not for his sensory isolation (blocking touch, sound, and perception), the bloody hands crawling from the floor would've dragged him under.
Earlier, he had disabled sound isolation to talk to Big Beard Jack—that's how the mask detected him.
Now, with full isolation, it couldn't perceive him.
But a normal Foundation staff member?
Dead.
The mask would easily possess someone, turn them into a new host, and walk out.
That's why it's Keter.
Before, it hadn't done so because:
The core personality was dormant.
The four fractured alters were too busy fighting each other.
Yet even with sensory isolation, Luo Shu couldn't fully block the whispers.
The mental corrosion was stronger now—his head throbbed, his nose bled.
Wait…
According to Foundation files, these whispers were constant in this unit.
So why hadn't he heard them earlier?
Right—SCP-148 (The "Telepathy Killer") had been shielding him.
But that protection had expired during his mental battle.
He'd been exposed.
Hurriedly, he flipped open the Anomaly Compendium to Page 15 and reactivated SCP-148's mental shielding.
The whispers vanished, leaving only the writhing blood-hands.
Which meant—
Luo Shu had survived unshielded in SCP-035's chamber for minutes, with only minor nosebleeds.
Compare that to last time:
When the mask breached containment on Sublevel-4, its whispers drove Big Beard Jack to nearly shoot himself.
Luo Shu had almost wrestled the gun away to kill himself too.
Only a misfire (from their struggle) had snapped them out of it.
And that was a close call.
In a normal containment breach, the Foundation wouldn't use SCP-2000 (Deus Ex Machina) to revive them.
Jack? Maybe.
Luo Shu? Not even in an XK-class apocalypse.
And even if they did—would the "new" Luo Shu still be him?
Would he still have the Anomaly Compendium?
No point dwelling on that.
Back to the present.
Why was he so much more resistant now?
Was it just the 10% suppression from the Abnormality Buster Milestone?
No way.
Foundation personnel assigned to SCP-035 underwent mental resistance screening.
Though not officially documented, Site-19 rumors had details:
Resistance Index (RI) needed to handle SCP-035: ≥50
Average human RI: 24
Luo Shu's previous RI: ~24 (normal human)
Now?
He'd just eaten lunch while bathed in mind-shattering whispers.
The 10% boost would only raise his RI to 26.5—nowhere near enough.
Conclusion:
His mental resistance had genuinely improved.
Surviving the mental battlefield had strengthened his psyche.
Does this count as "Awakening"?
Was Project Awakening meant to unlock his mental potential?
Maybe…
He'd ask IR1901's superiors later.
But first—he had to escape.
Big Beard Jack was fooled for now.
Lunch was handled.
But the door was still locked.
If he stayed here two weeks (until the next container swap), the Foundation would declare him missing.
Worse—a deserter.
As a D-class, no benefit of the doubt.
Solution?
Force a containment breach.
But that would summon Mobile Task Force Epsilon-11 ("Nine-Tailed Fox")—and as their containment specialist, Luo Shu would be expected on-site.
Last time, I was the one who re-contained it.
Site Director and Jack would definitely call me.
Talk about self-sabotage.
So…
How the hell does he get out?