Chapter 2 Site Foundation Laying·Outpost Established
2452 Words
Site foundation laid and outpost established
When the D-class personnel carried the box downstairs, his legs were a little weak.
The shabby neighborhood was eerily quiet at night.
Several street lights were broken, and the ones that were on were dim.
The wind blew through the cracks in the building, making a whining sound.
Following Gongsun Qizhe's instructions, he went out through the back door of the building, walked around to the front, and then entered the opposite building.
The voice-activated lights in the corridor go on and off.
He climbed the shabby stairs to the third floor and found the room on the west side.
The door was ajar.
The D-class personnel pushed open the door.
The room was empty, obviously empty except for some household rubbish.
The potted flower was placed on the windowsill, glowing quietly.
Blue light illuminated half of the room, and the glowing moss on the walls had spread to the corners of the ceiling.
He approached slowly.
A floral fragrance wafted over, a smell he had never smelled before.
It's cold and a little sweet, like flowers blooming in the snow.
The fragrance of the flowers penetrated into the gap in the mask, refreshing him and making him feel less frightened.
He remembered Gongsun Qizhe's warning: Don't look directly at the heart of a flower.
So he turned his eyes away and looked at the flowerpot.
It was an ordinary clay flowerpot with black soil inside.
The flowers grow in the soil and the rhizomes are clearly visible.
Those luminous "blood vessels" extend from the center of the flower to the roots, and then penetrate deeply into the soil.
The D-class personnel took a deep breath, opened the box, and reached for the flowerpot with both hands.
The moment his fingertips touched the clay -
Buzz.
He heard the sound.
It's not something you hear with your ears, it's something that rings directly in your head.
It was like there were countless people nagging in his head, speaking in a language he didn't understand.
That kind of language is ancient, mysterious, and has a certain alluring rhythm.
In the whisper, he saw an illusion: an endless sea of blue flowers, with a towering tree in the center bearing luminous fruits. . .
"Don't look directly at the heart of a flower." Gongsun Qizhe's voice sounded in his memory.
The D-class personnel woke up with a start.
He had unconsciously moved his gaze to Hua Xin just now.
That light. . . The light was speaking to him, calling him, promising him eternal life and endless power. . .
He bit his tongue hard, the pain waking him up.
He closed his eyes, picked up the flower pot based on his feeling, and put it into the box.
The flower pot fell into the groove of the black cushion and fit perfectly.
Close the lid and press the circular switch on the top.
Click.
There was a slight sound of mechanical operation inside the box.
Then all the light, all the sound, all the fragrance of the flowers disappeared.
The box became an ordinary metal box and stayed in his hand.
The luminous moss on the walls began to dim and wither quickly the moment the flowers were contained, turning into ordinary gray dust that rustled down.
The D-class personnel held the box and turned to go downstairs.
His steps were much lighter than when he arrived.
Time: 0:23.
Gongsun Qizhe stood in the center of the room, watching the D-class personnel put the metal box on the ground.
"It's done." The D-class personnel's voice was a little trembling, whether it was fear or excitement.
"Tell me about the process." Gongsun Qizhe said calmly.
The D-class personnel described it truthfully, including the auditory hallucinations and hallucinations.
Gongsun Qizhe listened quietly, and after he finished speaking, he asked, "How do you feel now? Are there any abnormalities in your body? Are there any major mood swings?"
"No...no. I'm just a little tired."
Gongsun Qizhe nodded and pointed to the corner: "Sit there and rest. Don't take off your protective clothing and don't leave this room."
Then he walked to the box and squatted down, but instead of opening the box immediately, he first called up his system interface.
[Containment mission completed]
[Item has been confirmed for containment]
[Containment file is being generated. . . 】
The interface refreshed, and a standard format file was expanded:
Project number: SCP-CN-001
Object Level: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-CN-001 is to be kept in a standard plant containment cabinet with a constant temperature of 20°C and a humidity of 50%. 200ml of distilled water is required every week. No personnel are allowed to look directly into SCP-CN-001's philandering heart for more than three seconds. Wear basic protective equipment when in contact.
Description: SCP-CN-001 is a flowering plant approximately 25 cm tall. It looks similar to a blue hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla), but its petals are in the shape of translucent crystals and emit light blue bioluminescence. There is a continuously pulsating light source at the center of the flower. The pulsating frequency is similar to the resting heart rate of adult humans (about 72 beats/minute).
The main abnormal property of SCP-CN-001 is "life information proliferation". When exposed to the open environment, it continuously releases an as-yet-unresolved microscopic spore. These spores can attach to and germinate on most solid surfaces, forming a glowing moss-like symbiont. The symbiont itself is harmless, but it slowly changes the material structure of the surrounding environment, making it gradually "animate" - that is, it acquires biological-like metabolic characteristics.
Experiments have shown that inorganic substances exposed to the influence of SCP-CN-001 for a long time will gradually acquire the following characteristics:
• Slight self-healing ability
• Absorption and slow release of energy
• Inert response to external stimuli
The above process is partially reversible upon removal of SCP-CN-001. Current theories suggest that SCP-CN-001 may be a "life-form dispersal device" whose purpose is to transform a non-living environment into an ecological basis suitable for the survival of a specific life form.
Addendum CN-001-1: When contained, the subject exhibited a slight consciousness-disrupting effect, causing hallucinations in close observers, usually with an "idealized picture of life." This effect disappears after containment.
Addendum CN-001-2: DNA sequencing shows that SCP-CN-001's genetic material does not match any known plant on Earth, but is 13.7% similar to samples from ███-███-████. Further investigation is required.
Gongsun Qizhe's eyes paused on the last line for a few seconds.
Sample of ███-███-████.
That was the number he had seen in the foundation's database in the original world.
A sample recovered from a broken, abandoned parallel dimension, numbered under the "Archived - Dimension Disaster" classification.
"So..." Gongsun Qizhe whispered to himself, "In this world, there are also 'fragments' from other dimensions?"
He closed the file and looked at the box on the floor.
Now, a line of words automatically appeared in the originally blank label area on the side of the box:
SCP-CN-001
Safe
life proliferating plants
Containment date: 2026/01/09
"System." Gongsun Qizhe said in his heart, "What are the rewards for completing the containment?"
[First containment completed]
[Rewards are being distributed. . . 】
[Obtain: Containment Point × 100]
[Obtain: D-level personnel permanent quota × 1 (current personnel can be converted to permanent)]
[Obtain: Basic material supply × 1 (including food, water, and basic medicines for seven days)]
[Obtain: Site construction permission unlocked]
A series of reminders flashed through.
Gongsun Qizhe focused on the last item.
"Site construction authority?"
[As a member of the O5 Council, you have the right to establish a foundation site in any plane]
[Currently available for construction: Small Outpost (Site-Outpost)]
[Construction needs to meet: at least 1 Safe-level project, at least 1 D-level personnel, and a fixed site]
[It is detected that your current location meets the requirements of ‘fixed site’. Do you want to build this place as Site-CN-01? 】
Gongsun Qizhe looked around at this small single room of fifteen square meters.
Outpost?
The corners of his mouth twitched.
But in the next second, reason overcame this sense of absurdity.
The foundation's website never cares about appearance, only about functionality.
Site-19 is still an abandoned factory on the surface.
"What is needed for construction?"
[It requires 50 containment point points and takes 6 hours]
[During construction, the site will automatically generate basic containment units, monitoring systems, air filtration systems, and primary defense measures]
[Note: The construction process will produce observable physical changes, so it is recommended to do it when no one is disturbing you]
Gongsun Qizhe glanced at the clock on the wall.
It's 0:35.
"D-114514." He turned to look at the bald man in the corner.
The man stood up immediately: "Yes! Sir!"
"Now I give you a second option." Gongsun Qizhe said, "Become a permanent D-class personnel of the Foundation. The job content includes assisting in containment, testing anomalies, and maintaining the site. The reward is that you will receive permanent life support, and..." He paused, "After serving for ten years without major mistakes, you will have the opportunity to be free and start a new life under the supervision of the Foundation."
The man's eyes widened.
free? The word was too far away for him.
"I...I do!"
[D-class personnel D-114514 has accepted permanent employment]
[File is being created. . . 】
[Name: Temporary number D-114514]
【Age: 33】
[Skills: No special skills]
[Status: Healthy]
[Loyalty: 61 (Basic)]
And loyalty?
Gongsun Qizhe raised his eyebrows.
This system is quite fancy.
"Very good." He nodded, "Now, I have to renovate this room. It will take about six hours. What you need to do-" He pointed to the door, "Guard the door and don't let anyone in. If someone breaks in..."
He took out something from the "basic material supplies" just issued by the system.
It was an ordinary-looking stun gun, but it had the Foundation's logo on it, a black arrow pointing to a circle in the center.
"Use this." Gongsun Qizhe said, "It's not fatal, but it's enough for a person to sleep for eight hours."
The D-class personnel took the stun gun, his hands were shaking a little, but his eyes were firm: "Understood!"
"Get out. In six hours, I'll let you in and you can come in again."
After the D-class personnel closed the door, Gongsun Qizhe brought up the system interface again.
"Start construction of Site-CN-01."
[Instruction confirmation]
[Consumption point consumption: 50]
[Current containment point: 50]
[Site construction started. . . 】
The room begins to change.
First there are the walls.
The original mottled wall skin melted like wax and peeled off, revealing the silver-gray metal base underneath.
The metal surface is smooth and glows coldly.
At the four corners of the wall, tiny vents open silently and the air inside begins to circulate.
The floors are changing too.
The old ceramic tiles sink, and the new composite flooring rises, seamlessly splicing.
The ceiling is lowered and recessed lighting panels illuminate with soft white light.
The size of the room has not changed, but the space utilization has been re-planned: a workbench has been raised against the wall, with basic analytical instruments on it; a standing cabinet has appeared on the other side, which is empty and is obviously used to store storage items.
The most eye-catching thing is the center of the room, where a cylindrical transparent containment cabin rises, just the size to fit the box of SCP-CN-001.
The containment cabin is connected to many pipelines, extending into the wall, which should be energy and monitoring lines.
The entire renovation process was quiet, fast, and methodical.
There is no loud noise, no dazzling light effects, only matter being reshaped and reorganized under a certain force.
For six hours, Gongsun Qizhe stood in the middle of the room, watching everything quietly.
He watched this fifteen-square-meter rental house transform into a standard, foundation-style outpost.
He looked at the wall above the workbench, and the site's logo automatically appeared:
Site-CN-01
outpost
Status: In operation
Containment Items: 1
Personnel: 2
Security level: Safe
Then, below the logo, a line of small words appeared:
Webmaster: O5-13 (Gongsun Qizhe)
When the last panel was in place, the system's prompt sounded:
[Site-CN-01 construction completed]
[Basic functions have been activated:]
【-Environmental monitoring (radius 100 meters)】
【-Air Filtration and Circulation】
[-Basic defense (electric fence, hypnotic gas release)]
【- Connect to main system database (limited)】
Gongsun Qizhe walked to the workbench and touched the screen.
The screen lit up, showing the site's floor plan, the status of the contained objects, and the status of the personnel.
In the Contained Items column, the icon of SCP-CN-001 quietly lights up green.
He clicked it and the detailed file popped up.
It is the same as what the system displays, but with additional real-time monitoring data: temperature 20.1°C, humidity 49.8%, and the project status is stable.
Gongsun Qizhe turned off the interface and walked to the window.
It's almost dawn, and the sky in the east is turning white.
The old community is still sleeping, and no one knows that an ordinary rental house here has become the core of an "abnormal" containment site.
He turned around and looked at the containment cabin and the metal box inside.
Then he said to the air:
"System, scan the surrounding area. Are there any other abnormal signals?"
【Scanning. . . 】
[Range: radius 500 meters]
[Abnormal signal found: 1]
[Coordinates: 121.48° east longitude, 31.24° north latitude, 2.1 meters vertical height]
[Energy characteristics: cognitive hazard, safety level: Euclid]
[Distance: about 430 meters]
Gongsun Qizhe's pupils shrank.
Euclid class.
One level higher than Safe means the item is potentially dangerous or the containment conditions are more complex.
Moreover, it is a cognitohazardous type.
This means that the thing can directly affect people's thinking, memory, and perception. Damn, this is the most annoying thing.
"Exact location?" he asked.
[Location corresponding to the coordinates: Haidu City No. 7 Middle School, near the basement entrance of the old library]
[Signal strength: medium and increasing]
[Recommendation: Investigate as soon as possible, but be fully prepared. Cognitohazardous anomalies are extremely dangerous to untrained personnel. 】
Gongsun Qizhe was silent for a few seconds.
Then he walked to the workbench and opened the supplies inventory.
In addition to the stun gun, the system also provides upgrade modules for the basic protective suit, a handheld energy detector, several tranquilizers, and - a gun.
Not a stun gun.
It was a live pistol with two magazines beside it.
A line of small words is engraved on the side of the gun: "Foundation standard pistol-P type, for use by O5 Council members only."
- Writer
