Luo Shu knew exactly what SCP-CN-1451 was—he'd dredged the details from his memory.
As its name suggested, it was a game boot stone.
When a human with Type O Rh-positive blood and a heart rate exceeding 100 BPM approached within a 5.14-meter spherical radius, SCP-CN-1451-α would trigger.
The affected individual (SCP-CN-1451-1) would then touch the anomaly and vanish, transported into the game world.
Unfortunately, Luo Shu was Type O Rh-positive.
And the moment he recognized the anomaly and panicked, his heart rate spiked past 100 BPM.
Now, he was no longer in Site-CN-02.
The banner before him confirmed his new status as SCP-CN-1451-1:
"Welcome to the Closed Beta Test of Romance Adventure Game: This is My World's End!"
Before he could process the words, another wave of disorientation hit.
When it passed, he stood in the ruins of a city.
This was the game's setting. From now on, everything was unknown.
The Foundation's documentation on SCP-CN-1451 was sparse—this was an open-world game, and he'd have to explore it himself.
But he knew the primary objective:
Ensure the survival of both himself and the game's heroine while completing all tasks.
If either died, it would equate to real-world death.
To the outside world, the anomaly's only risk was an SK-Class Dominance Shift Scenario—where another species or civilization usurped humanity's dominant position.
In this case, if SCP-CN-1451-1 died in-game, the anomaly would generate a replacement (SCP-CN-1451-2) to assume their life in reality.
Enough replacements, and humanity could be overthrown.
Thankfully, the Foundation contained these doppelgängers preemptively, minimizing the threat.
But for Luo Shu? This was his personal apocalypse.
Only one person had ever cleared the game and survived: Researcher Eule "N" Lau.
With his 140 IQ and dozens of anomalous abilities, Luo Shu might not die here.
But—
According to records, Eule "N" Lau took 18 days to clear the game.
Meaning Luo Shu would be missing for over two weeks.
If he'd vanished elsewhere, it might not matter.
But disappearing from Site-CN-02?
By morning, the hotel would notice his absence. Security footage would show no record of him leaving.
A man vanishing under the Foundation's nose? That screamed anomaly.
His "He Tu" identity was compromised.
His only hope was that the Foundation wouldn't discover his secret passage or his nightly infiltrations.
Worst-case scenario? They'd realize he'd become SCP-CN-1451-1 and ambush him at the game's exit.
But survival came first. He had to clear the game.
A voice echoed in his ears:
"Tutorial Mission: Rescue the Survivor. Follow the ground markers to the destination. Explore the rest on your own."
This was, as Eule "N" Lau described, the only guided quest in the entire game. Everything else required blind exploration.
Scanning the ruins, Luo Shu spotted glowing markers leading deeper into the devastation.
From that direction came sporadic gunfire.
This was a lawless world.
The government had retreated south. Armed gangs ruled the ruins, fighting over worthless territory.
A true apocalypse—where a stray bullet could end anyone's life at any moment.
And Luo Shu, despite his many abilities, lacked immortality or even enhanced regeneration.
One gunshot could kill him.
Hugging the walls, he followed the markers cautiously, avoiding potential crossfire.
Eule "N" Lau had been a surgeon—Luo Shu wasn't.
After ~1 km, the markers ended at a small clearing.
The shootout had moved on, leaving behind corpses swarming with flies, their stench of blood and decay thick in the air.
Gritting his teeth, Luo Shu searched the bodies for weapons or supplies.
But they'd already been looted. Nothing remained.
Eule "N" Lau said you could find bullets here!
Liar.
Maybe he'd taken them all. No respawns.
The third "corpse" groaned.
A living man—but barely.
A gaping wound ran from his shoulder to his abdomen, intestines spilling out.
Luo Shu recognized him: the heroine's brother.
Only he knew the heroine's location. If the gangs found her first—Game Over.
But this man was too far gone, delirious from blood loss.
Eule "N" Lau, as a doctor, had morphine to stabilize him.
Luo Shu had nothing.
Terrible luck.
Stuck at the first hurdle.