Seeing Barbie teetering on the brink of Level 5, the members of Achilles' Heel panicked.
"Boss! Calm down!"
"We're on a plane! You'll tear it apart!"
"Someone hold her back! Killing Luo Shu isn't worth going nuclear over!"
Just then, the pilot's voice crackled over the intercom:
"We've received clearance for takeoff. Proceeding to the taxiway. All passengers, please remain seated with seatbelts fastened."
But Barbie was beyond reason.
"NO! I'll KILL HIM! I HAVE TO!"
If she didn't vent her rage, her personal Hume levels would spiral out of control.
At this rate, it wouldn't just be the Gulfstream G700—Ben Gurion Airport (and possibly all of Tel Aviv) would be reduced to rubble.
Luo Shu had to die.
That was the grim consensus—even Jianjia believed it.
But this very belief pushed the Anomalous Friends milestone's memetic influence past her rationality threshold.
"Boss, you leave me no choice. Forgive me."
Jianjia's expression hardened.
In an instant, the Gulfstream's cabin transformed into a marshland.
Reeds erupted from the carpet, the seats, even the ceiling. Water pooled across the floor.
"Jianjia's Marsh."
The reeds ensnared every reality bender on board—even Barbie.
The other MTF operatives, though powerful, were caught off-guard and completely immobilized.
To make matters worse, the Gulfstream was equipped with a miniature Scranton Reality Anchor to stabilize Hume levels during flights.
This suppressed reality bending even further—except for Jianjia's own powers.
The reeds coiled around Barbie like serpents.
Barbie, however, was stronger and more physically imposing.
She tore through the reeds, roaring in fury.
But Jianjia didn't relent.
Fresh reeds surged forward, replacing every severed strand.
The stalemate dragged on, and with the environmental Hume levels rising, Barbie's rampage finally began to subside.
The pilot's voice returned, frantic:
"Ladies, are you trying to disassemble this plane mid-air?! If this keeps up, we're grounded indefinitely!"
Hearing this, Barbie forced herself to calm down.
"Jianjia… stop. I won't kill him."
Only then did Jianjia release her hold.
But the damage was done.
The Gulfstream's luxury interior was ruined—leather seats shredded, carpets waterlogged.
Barbie shot Jianjia a venomous glare.
"You'll answer for this later."
Then—
"BOSS! LUO SHU'S GONE!"
Barbie whirled around.
No sign of Luo Shu.
She turned back to Jianjia.
Did she help him escape?
Impossible.
Jianjia's abilities couldn't teleport people.
So how—?
The Great Escape
Rewind 30 seconds.
The moment Jianjia unleashed Jianjia's Marsh, only she and Luo Shu remained untouched.
Not by design—Luo Shu, still handcuffed, was powerless, so the reeds ignored him.
With everyone focused on Barbie and Jianjia, no one noticed Luo Shu edging toward the Greek agent.
In the chaos, he swiped the handcuff key from the man's belt.
Even if the agent had noticed, he couldn't have stopped it—he was bundled up like a mummy.
The moment the cuffs clicked open, the Anomalous Entity Catalog's abilities reactivated.
Luo Shu immediately activated:
- Unobservable Antimemetics (SCP-055)
- Instantaneous Translocation (SCP-173)
Peering out the window, he spotted an Airbus A330 accelerating down the main runway.
Through the windows, he saw rows of passengers.
No hesitation.
He vanished from the Gulfstream—
And reappeared in an empty seat aboard the A330.
Thanks to pandemic-era seating restrictions, the plane had plenty of vacant spots.
And thanks to antimemetics, no one noticed the stowaway.
Meanwhile, aboard the Gulfstream G700, confusion reigned.
Barbie canceled the flight, turning the jet upside down in a futile search.
They scoured the airport, reviewed every security feed—
Nothing.
Their lack of intel on Luo Shu's abilities, their ignorance of the Catalog, left them utterly baffled.
They never imagined he was already miles above the Mediterranean.
Then, the A330's intercom chimed.
"Welcome aboard Hainan Airlines Flight HU7958, bound for Beijing Capital International Airport. Estimated flight time: 10 hours. We wish you a pleasant journey."
The plane banked north, skirting hostile Arab airspace, then turned east—
Over the Pamirs.
Straight to China.
Luo Shu couldn't believe his luck.
A random teleport had landed him on a flight back to the motherland—a place he hadn't seen in a lifetime.
Perfect.
His only regret?
I hope Jianjia doesn't suffer for this.
But for now—
Freedom.
And a long-overdue homecoming.