Translator-Rhapsodite
Editor-Pierce, Proofreader-adjective
After coming out of the hourglass cube, Ji Dong and the others went straight to Liange and rented a small conference room.
Once they were seated, Mo Tiangen could no longer wait to ask the Fan siblings what “SCP” meant.
In the arrangement of the [Peach Blossom Spring], occasionally there would be a [Film] set in the background of the “SCP Foundation” or a similar organization.
Fan Luming replied:
“Actually, in simple terms, ‘SCP’ stands for ‘Special Containment Procedures,’ which refers to various supernatural phenomena, anomalous objects, or beings. And the ‘SCP Foundation’ is an organization that controls, contains, and protects these anomalous phenomena, events, and individuals.”
He shrugged as he said this.
“Of course, in different [Films], SCP is sometimes not called SCP. The names of the organizations and agencies can vary, but essentially, they all serve the same purpose. As long as there is an organized effort to investigate and deal with these strange things in the [Film], they can be classified as the SCP.”
The younger brother then came up with a more specific analogy, “‘The X-Files.’ I’m sure you’ve seen it, right?”
He made a cross gesture with his hand and said, “Imagine yourselves as FOX agents and think of the SCP Foundation as a special department similar to the FBI but not under government control.”
Ji Dong and Mo Tiangen nodded together, indicating that they understood.
Teacher Dagen thought for a moment and said seriously, “So, if I understand correctly, we’re about to go after aliens or mutant monsters like FOX agents?”
“There’s no way it’s that simple!”
Fan Luming immediately retorted, “Do you know how terrifying the SCP universe is?”
Ji Dong and Mo Tiangen shook their heads again, repeating foolishly, “How terrifying is it?”
Fan Hemian took over for her younger brother and raised three fingers towards the two of them.
“According to the conclusions of many experienced participants, do you know the top three categories with the highest mortality rates among the various [Films]?”
Ji Dong pondered for a moment.
“Well, since you’re asking like that, the SCP must be one of them, right?”
Then he remembered the frantic reaction of the siblings during last month’s drawing. “And the others… I guess there must be a supernatural category?”
“That’s right.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Fan Hemian nodded:
“The high mortality rate of the supernatural category is well-known, especially for the type of unsolvable [Films] like Sadako and Kayako. Once you enter, it’s a guaranteed death and you’ll be wiped out in minutes.”
She made a “two” gesture. “So, the mortality rate of the supernatural category [Films] ranks second.”
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At this point, he looked at Ji Xiao’niao with a hint of resentment.
“But you managed to draw the second and third places in two consecutive [Films]. Your luck is truly unparalleled!”
Ji Dong pouted and didn’t dare to retort.
“Do you mind if I ask one more question?”
Mo Tiangen was still curious, “What is ranked first?”
Fan Hemian was more than happy to spend a few more minutes satisfying the curiosity of these new companions and, in the process, share some advanced knowledge about the [Peach Blossom Spring]:
“Currently, the most experienced participants believe that the most difficult category is mythology.”
Ji Dong and Mo Tiangen’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, like eager babies: “Mythology?”
“Yeah, this category involves the intervention of ‘deities’ in significant events of a [Film] like seeing Fuxi and Nuwa or the Earth Mother in a trailer. It has a very small chance of appearing in a S-level difficulty [Film].”
Fan Hemian explained, “When we first arrived in the [Peach Blossom Spring], there was a team of advanced participants who drew a [Film] called [Twilight of the Gods] while taking on an S-level mission. The trailer showed a fierce battle between two groups of deities in some cosmic dimension, and it hinted that they had to join one of the factions…”
She abruptly stopped speaking at this point.
Mo Tiangen avidly asked, “What happened after that?”
Fan Hemian shrugged, “Well, they were wiped out and never came back.”
Fan Luming nodded vigorously beside her, saying, “That was the only team that ever drew a mythological [Film.]”
He raised his index finger and made a “1” gesture, adding, “Because it was only that team, the wipeout rate was 100%.”
Ji Dong and Mo Tiangen both exclaimed, “Wow!” in amazement.
Even though they hadn’t experienced the legendary battles of the deities firsthand, they could still imagine the immense power depicted in movies and novels, where gods and Buddhas effortlessly destroy the heavens and earth. They felt that with their current limited fighting abilities, they wouldn’t even qualify as cannon fodder on the front lines.
“S-Class… Is it that difficult?”
In comparison, they thought that the challenges they faced in their previous [Films] were insignificant.
Ji Xiao’niao and Teacher Dagen listened attentively, unaware of the subtle change in Ren Jianmo’s expression.
In those few sentences from the twins, there seemed to be one or more keywords that triggered a faint, residual fragment in his long-lost memory.
However, no matter how hard Ren Jianmo tried to grasp that elusive fragment, he couldn’t truly remember even a slightly clearer scene…
…
“…Mr. Ren?”
It was surprising to see Ren Jianmo lost in thought while in the presence of others.
It was only when Ji Dong noticed his abnormality and gently tugged at his sleeve that Ren Jianmo snapped out of his bewildered daydream.
Ren Jianmo smiled at Ji Dong and reassured him softly, “It’s okay.”
Ji Dong’s gaze lingered on Ren Jianmo’s face for a full two seconds before he looked away.
“Alright, let’s get back to the main topic.”
He looked at the Fan siblings.
“Why is the danger level so high in a SCP themed [Film]?”
“Because this type of [Film] cannot be judged by common sense.”
Answering him was Fan Luming.
Dr. Lu, the academic prodigy, has a great memory and also enjoys reading various miscellaneous information in his free time.
Having spent nearly a year in the [Peach Blossom Spring], he had become a small mobile library in a way.
So, the younger brother went on and explained to his three companions in one breath how those special items contained by the Foundation in the SCP universe defied common sense and were beyond comprehension.
Fan Luming gave several examples.
For example, there was this never-ending staircase that you could never reach the bottom of and an endless maze with no exit. There was also an ink that could contaminate any liquid, seeping through the pores of the body and assimilating with someone’s entire bloodstream. And there was a microwave that could accelerate the passage of time, making the contents experience billions of years in just a short period. Oh, and there was also a certain fish species that would dig nests in the continental shelf of the United States during breeding season, causing the entire Gold Coast to sink to the bottom of the sea, and so on.
Some of these items may sound insignificant at first, but once you break down their danger levels and analyze them, you would realize that they could cause catastrophic accidents that could destroy human civilization.
As Ji Dong and Mo Tiangen listened, their expressions grew more severe.
“These things are indeed extremely difficult to deal with…”
As a biology teacher, Mo Tiangen has always considered himself a realist. But ever since entering the [Peach Blossom Spring], he had been driven almost to the point of madness by one unconventional [Film] after another.
Now he finally understood why the death rate in SCP-like [Films] ranked third.
Unlike the other [Films] that largely tested the combat abilities of the participants, in the SCP world, whether they could fight or not was not the most important thing.
Because when faced with countless creatures that simply didn’t listen to reason, you may not even have a chance to fight back.
Ji Dong also figured out the trick:
“So, in this type of world, if you want to clear it, you must correctly understand the containment procedures for a certain target item, and then quickly and effectively contain it, right?”
Fan Hemian and Fan Luming nodded together, “Exactly, that’s the key to deciphering SCP-like [Films]’.”
Mo Tiangen raised another crucial question:
“But how can we know what SCP item we will be facing?”
“The trailer gave us an SCP item number, but I don’t think it’s of much use.”
Fan Hemian was sensitive to numbers, and she distinctly remembered hearing the number “104” in the trailer.
“Although the basic settings of the Foundation are common in many [Films], each [Film] has its own SCP item numbering system… Just from the trailer, I can’t be sure what that thing is.”
Fan Luming also agreed with his sister’s statement.
“And also, compared to that SCP item…”
The girl spoke, raising her hand to touch her forehead, “What’s even more dangerous is that in the trailer, Site 7 had a serious containment breach.”
As she spoke, her gaze scanned the faces of her companion, and she said with emphasis, “Have any of you thought about the possibility that when we arrive in that [Film], we might end up in that containment facility, and it coincides with a massive containment failure…”
Everyone gasped in shock.
——Yeah, that would be incredibly dangerous!
Whenever Ji Dong thought about the trailer, with a bunch of eerie creatures and unidentified objects chasing people around, and the workers in the facility meeting gruesome fates, it was like a terrifying scene straight out of “The Cabin in the Woods.” It gave him the chills.
If it’s really as the sister guessed, let alone trying to contain a specific target SCP item later, just the fact that they all have to escape from a group of monsters in a sealed building was already a matter of life and death!
“Alright then…”
Ji Dong chuckled bitterly and said, “Let’s mentally prepare ourselves and start in that [Film] with a deadly sprint!”
