**Zheng Zha:** *"If you ever need help, I'd consider reaching out to the SCP Foundation. The containment items he's got are pretty effective."*
Zheng Zha dropped that one message and vanished back into silence, same as always.
And just like that, the pressure shifted squarely onto Linray.
Zheng Zha had returned SCP-Y — the bulletproof raincoat — which was fine. But now everyone knew Linray had useful gear, and the Apocalyptic Cultivator was in deep trouble.
"Right!"
He pulled up the console. "Red Queen — are there any other beneficial containment items I haven't found yet?"
"Due to energy constraints, only a portion of Site-Ω is currently accessible," Red Queen replied. "However, at the bottom of the storage shelf, there is one additional usable item."
The bottom of the shelf?
Linray frowned. He'd searched those shelves top to bottom already. He hadn't noticed anything else.
Following Red Queen's guidance, he crouched at the edge of the shelf and started feeling around the lowest section. His fingers brushed against something hard.
"The Concealment Stone."
It was about the size of an egg, smooth and flat in his palm. The moment he touched it, it became visible — but when he set it down, it simply... wasn't there. You couldn't feel it, couldn't see it. Only direct contact revealed it existed.
The surface was polished and delicate, cool to the touch — like a river stone smoothed over centuries.
"SCP-091-S," Red Queen began. "The Concealment Stone was discovered by accident. One of our Level 03 personnel was on vacation in his hometown."
"His town had an old superstition — the creek behind the hills was off-limits. Locals said things lived in the water. Creatures that could pull you under and keep you."
"Every summer, children would wander to the creek to play and vanish for days without explanation. But after the townspeople performed a ritual by the water, the children would reappear — returned to their families as if nothing happened."
"One day, the Level 03 agent was fishing by that same creek when a snake caught his attention. It was swimming through the sunlit water, clearly visible — and then it passed through a certain section and simply vanished."
"The snake had bitten his bait, causing enough commotion for him to pinpoint the anomaly. After clearing the debris from that section of the creek, he discovered SCP-091-S."
Red Queen's tone shifted to clinical briefing mode.
"Properties: any object that touches SCP-091-S enters a short-term hidden state. Most detection instruments cannot identify concealed objects. However, thermal imaging systems can detect them with ease."
"Sustained contact allows for prolonged concealment. But SCP-091-S has a critical flaw — if held for longer than one hour, the holder vanishes from the world entirely."
"Whether they are destroyed or transported to another dimension remains unverified."
Linray set the stone down carefully.
"Red Queen, how many beneficial items are left in Site-Ω total?"
"At 10 units of energy, with full access to Site-Ω's storage, there are three additional beneficial containment items remaining."
He nodded, then picked up the Concealment Stone again. It was sitting right there on the conference table — he'd placed it himself — but the moment he let go, it was invisible. Only when his fingers found it again did it reappear.
The strangest part: SCP-091-S couldn't be marked. You couldn't tag it, paint it, stick a tracker on it. Thermal imaging was useless — it was just a rock. A rock that made things disappear.
Linray grabbed it and held on.
In an instant, he vanished.
But wherever he moved, Red Queen's eyes tracked him perfectly.
"You can see me?"
From his own perspective, Linray couldn't even see his body. He should've been completely invisible.
"Dynamic camouflage technology is simply a matter of spectral overlap and refraction," Red Queen said flatly. "So yes — I can see you."
"Overseer, your ability is comparable to a chameleon's color-shifting mechanism. While it provides a degree of concealment, I would advise against placing excessive trust in it."
Linray sat back down, slightly deflated. He'd hoped the Concealment Stone would outclass the Pipe Nightmare, but Red Queen's casual dismissal made it clear — the Pipe Nightmare was still the better tool.
He glanced at the chat group. The Apocalyptic Cultivator had been @-ing him, and it looked like the situation was genuinely bad.
**Minor Deity:** *"@SCP Foundation — Zheng Zha already said you're sitting on a pile of treasure. How about tossing me a couple of two-way foils or something?"*
**SCP Foundation:** *"Sure thing. Bring enough energy to trade and I'll get you whatever you want. Forget two-way foils — I'll get you a ten-way foil if the price is right."*
**Minor Deity:** *"Well... I don't exactly have..."*
**Apocalyptic Cultivator:** *"SCP Foundation? I'm being hunted right now. Is there anything you can do to save me?"*
*"If you can save my life, I swear I'll follow your lead from now on!"*
Linray thought about it for a moment.
**SCP Foundation:** *"I've got something that can help you escape. But I'm not a charity — and 'I'll follow your lead' doesn't pay the bills."*
*"If you have any energy-type items, we can trade. And just so we're clear — I'm lending this to you. You're giving it back."*
**Minor Deity:** *"That's not fair! This kind of deal screws the other person over!"*
**Lu Bu:** *"If the terms are laid out honestly, there's no such thing as 'screwing someone over.' It's a willing exchange — take it or leave it."*
**Valkyrie:** *"If the trouble can be resolved quickly, this kind of arrangement is practically charity already."*
**I Am The Protagonist:** *"Oh, the Foundation's a real business genius — though of course, still way behind me."*
**Flame Pillar:** *"Mm, a trade seems perfectly reasonable. Though of course, giving freely to one another would be even better."*
**Sun Wukong:** *"Hah! This old monkey just takes what he wants and leaves. 'Trade'? What's that?"*
**Apocalyptic Cultivator:** *"No problem. I happen to have an energy crystal on me — pure energy source. That should work as payment."*
**SCP Foundation:** *"Deal. But I need to warn you: you can only hold this item for one hour max. After that, there are... side effects."*
*"Also — energy items are single-use. What I'm giving you is permanent and reusable. So think of this less as a trade and more like a rental."*
*"Ding. SCP Foundation sent an exclusive gift to Apocalyptic Cultivator."*
*"Ding. Apocalyptic Cultivator sent an exclusive gift to SCP Foundation."*
**Minor Deity:** *"Tch — he's barely been here and the Foundation's already closed TWO deals. Disgusting."*
**I Am The Protagonist:** *"Haha, Minor Deity, if you want to do business you totally can! Aren't you an all-knowing, all-powerful god? Just pull something out of thin air and trade it."*
**Lu Bu:** *"I agree. Surely a god's power is beyond our imagination."*
---
In her room, Minor Deity — petite and beautiful, sprawled across an oversized bed — was practically shaking with rage.
"These people are definitely mocking me!"
"Damn that Foundation — stealing my spotlight!"
"I need to make a deal too, or my whole 'god' act falls apart!"
She turned back to the chat, composing herself.
**Minor Deity:** *"Does a god even NEED to trade? I lack nothing. I need nothing. There is no reason for me to engage in commerce."*
Tough words. But they were nothing but a bluff to save face — and she knew it.