"Here we go again..." Vale chuckled smugly, his confidence written all over his face.
This time was different from the last. Previously, they only had one superhuman, him. Now, they had two. One was more than enough to handle the 'Plague Doctor' zombie minions. With two, they felt unstoppable.
The elevator hummed to life. Despite the tension, none of the five seemed particularly nervous. Their experience showed. Everything had been planned, as long as nothing unexpected happened, getting through this area should be easy.
They had all chosen to descend together because the 'Plague Doctor' could randomly select any elevator to enter the area, so splitting up was too risky. If the teammates left behind encountered the doctor, things could turn deadly fast. Even Vale and RT weren't confident they could survive a direct touch from the 'Plague Doctor'.
The elevator jolted slightly, and then the doors opened with a chime. The familiar circular corridor stretched before them.
"Let's move quickly this time. Grab the items and get out immediately," Brit said in a serious tone as he slid on his super night vision goggles and moved forward.
Naturally, Vale and the others followed suit, donning their goggles and trailing Brit. The events followed a predictable pattern now. First came the sudden power outage in the area, then the team split off to restore the power and followed by waves of zombies emerging from the passageways.
That was Vale and RT's cue. Without hesitation, the two charged into the fray while Brit, Kiwo, and Plumbella slipped into the room to locate the Level 4 keycard.
"Got it!" Brit called once he had the card. He and the others quickly regrouped in the central hallway of the zone.
Meanwhile, Vale and RT made short work of the zombie horde. Once the coast was clear, Vale sprinted to the room with the elevator power switch and flipped it back on. With everything set, the two split up again, heading for separate elevators on either side. Then...
"I swear to god! The doctor's coming down on my side!" RT shouted.
Hearing this, Brit, Kiwo, and Plumbella, who had just reached the middle corridor, instantly turned and ran in the opposite direction. Vale also bolted. The 'Plague Doctor' had barely arrived before all five had vanished from sight. Thanks to his enhanced agility, RT easily outpaced the doctor, who couldn't catch up.
And just like that, the team made it safely to the opposite elevator and escaped the zone before the 'Plague Doctor' could reach them. He was left staring blankly at an empty shaft, visibly dazed.
The group wasted no time. After exiting, they threw on their masks and dashed away at top speed, empowered by infinite stamina. Their movement was smooth and effortless as if gliding. Once they'd cleared several passageways, they finally stopped to catch their breath. Vale was the first to burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! That 'Plague Doctor' must be so confused. Everyone vanished in a blink!"
Kiwo doubled over with laughter. "That was awesome! No danger at all this time!"
RT and Plumbella were beaming with pride.
Brit simply shook his head, impressed. "Good thing we planned this out beforehand. With two superhuman, it went off without a hitch."
And he was right. They had strategized the whole run, and each step went according to plan. The 'Plague Doctor' didn't even catch a glimpse of them; he'd only seen RT, and even then, couldn't keep up. Now, his zombie minions were sprawled out on the ground, useless. The mental image of that chaotic scene brought a smile to Brit's face.
"Alright, let's keep going. Our next target is 'The Old Man' containment zone. We need to secure the Level 5 keycard." After a short laugh and some banter, Brit led the group forward.
They were now in a thick concrete corridor, dimly lit by a pair of emergency lights overhead. Because they hadn't fully explored the area in the last game, they stayed on alert. Any door they opened could reveal a new, dangerous entity.
The five advanced cautiously. At the corridor's end, Brit pulled out the super navigator. After checking the layout, he unlocked the next heavy metal door, and it led into a large hall. A metal door stood directly ahead, and to the right, there was a branching hallway.
"We go right this time," Brit whispered.
The others nodded. They entered the side corridor and were soon surprised to find a stairway descending.
"Do you think this leads to another new SCP?" Plumbella asked nervously.
"Very likely," Brit replied with a nod.
But turning back wasn't an option. They paused briefly, then continued down the stairs. After a few steps, they spotted something posted on the wall, a familiar warning symbol. The experienced team members knew what that meant: a new SCP. They huddled around to inspect it.
"SCP-079?" Kiwo read aloud, confused. The rest of the team shared her uncertainty.
Displayed on the sign was basic info:
[ Item #: SCP-079 ]
[ Object Class: Euclid ]
But what drew their attention most was the image. It wasn't a monster, ot even a strange humanoid, it was an old-looking computer.
That's right, SCP-079 was a computer. This unexpected revelation left everyone puzzled, and even the viewers in the stream room descended into discussion. No one had expected a computer to be classified as an SCP.