Chapter 771

In the "Foundation Grand Game," watching "SCP-049" process one corpse after another.

Watching the "Plague Doctor" disembowel the corpses, perform unspeakable operations with surgical instruments, and then inject substances of unknown composition to resurrect the hideous monsters...

Moreover, it wasn't just herself and Bai Xuan.

March 7th and "Stelle" were fine...

But why was Ms. Herta also... no, why was Ms. Herta in love?!

On any day before today, no matter who told her that Herta had a crush, she would only take it as pure fantasy and laugh it off.

In her heart, Herta had long ago dedicated her entire body and mind to science, and for the rest of her life, she would have only one goal—to explore the unknown and expand the boundaries of science.

"Herta has fallen for someone..."

Even if such a thing were announced to the public, it would only be treated as third-rate media trying to gain traffic, making wild guesses, and spreading rumors.

Herta, who was being tangled with by Asta, didn't have such exciting psychological activities; instead, she stood beside Bai Xuan and chatted with "Stelle" about this and that:

"We're all family now, so you should come to the space station to sit for a while when you're free, and by the way, let me study what kind of state you and the 'Stellaron' are actually in."

March 7th shifted her gaze to look at Herta, her expression showing no surprise at all:

"Herta, you said 'we're all family now,' so isn't it a bit bad to treat 'Stelle' as a research subject?"

"Stelle" nodded affirmatively: "Mm-hmm."

"This is different from the previous kind of research," Herta said, hands on her hips, defending herself. "Let me think, right, this is a physical examination to monitor the changes in various data of your bodies."

"In case there really is any change in the 'Stellaron' inside her, we can discover it in advance and find a way to deal with it."

"That seems to make some sense," March 7th pinched her chin, being won over by Herta in a few words, her tone also slightly hesitant. "... How about we listen to Herta?"

"Then let's include Little Bai too," "Stelle" said lightly, her golden eyes reflecting the boy's figure. "Everyone together."

Before today, she and March had already prepared for the possibility that the family members would increase by two at any time—Asta and Miss Tingyun.

But they hadn't expected this day to come so quickly; in a game, that thin layer of window paper had been poked through one after another.

Nor had they expected that the genius Herta, who hung high above all living beings like a star, would confess earlier than Asta, and even catch Bai Xuan when he was alone, catching them off guard.

She blinked her eyes, very calm, just like March 7th, who was chatting and laughing beside Asta.

If it were the first few days of meeting, she might have been anxious about gains and losses, worrying that Bai Xuan's attention to her would decrease accordingly.

——Human life is limited, and the weight it can carry is also limited.

This kind of thinking, after she personally experienced infinity and witnessed what true infinity was, dissolved like mist after sunrise.

No matter how you divide infinity, the result will still be infinity; the time they spend together in joy has long exceeded the limits of any calendar.

The deepest parts of their souls have also tightly merged; all the small conflicts and all the twists and turns are just fun in this infinitely long time of companionship.

It is so now, and it will be so in the future.

"It's not that it's impossible." Herta looked at "Stelle," always feeling that the other party was somewhat different from the ignorant "kid" in her impression, faintly having the illusion of facing a long-lived species.

... Is it because of "time stop"?

Herta guessed silently; the secrets on Bai Xuan were far more than she had imagined, and manipulating "Aha" was only the simplest and most plain part of his power.

For the living beings of the galaxy, manipulating space and playing with time is undoubtedly a divine power that only exists in fantasy and stays in stories.

Even Aeons have never truly involved the power of time and space; only the legendary "Terminus" might be related to time.

"It's just right to let the medical department establish health records... however, the permissions must be adjusted to the highest." Herta muttered, "If we have to give birth to offspring later, it will also be much more convenient."

"Offspring or something, isn't that a bit too early..." Asta couldn't help but complain at Herta, her tone a mix of blame and anticipation. "And there's a whole bunch of trouble after that."

"Seems so." Herta shrugged; such topics were still a bit too early for young girls in their prime.

Moreover, she suddenly realized that, inadvertently, she seemed to have ignored a quite important premise.

The tree of life continues the bloodline of the species in its own unique way; from a biological point of view, reproduction is the basis of species survival and the stage for natural selection and genetics.

For beings with limited life, giving birth to offspring and raising them is both continuing genes and continuing the species, and it is also a disguised continuation of one's own life—at the genetic level.

But the premise of limited life does not apply to the few people present.

When death is no longer inevitable, this driving force based on the instinct of life will be greatly weakened.

Even, the current Bai Xuan, March 7th, and "Stelle" only have human appearances in form; their essence has long undergone earth-shaking changes.

Are they reality benders in the Foundation's classification?

Or higher—divinity?

She had no way of knowing for the time being.

However, it was only for the time being.

She already knew what was going to happen next.

Regarding this, she was not resistant at all, and was even rarely in high spirits, just like encountering an interesting anomaly, opening a far-reaching topic.

It's just that this time, one of the materials put into the experiment was herself.

Infinite time... such a description, just hearing it made her heart surge, hard to endure.

She believed that Bai Xuan would bring her, and bring Asta, an unforgettable experience today, making them forget time, forget reality, and sink into eternity.

As the cow corpse was resurrected in a strange, biologically inconsistent posture, it was quickly processed by the agents and thrown into the incinerator.

The outing of Bai Xuan and his group came to a temporary end.

Pressing the 【Exit Game】 button, the screen before them suddenly paused and stretched toward infinity.

Various colors and lines blended with each other, indistinguishable, until pure white light filled their vision, and an infinitely vast lawn quickly emerged.

Leaving the "Plague Doctor's" crime scene, they stood in this virtual space full of vitality and vigor.

That final oppression also dissipated completely.

Regarding the game experience, the frozen amnesiac girl, March 7th, evaluated it as follows:

"The game is a good game, suitable for team building, suitable for adventure, just not suitable as a part of a date."

Asta expressed deep apologies for her mistake, only Herta was still asking, "What exactly is 'the plague'?"

"Ms. Herta..." Looking at Herta, who was asking questions, Asta subconsciously wanted to use an honorific, but immediately changed the address. "Herta has always been like this."

"Understandable." "Stelle" nodded, just about to say something, when she saw several pop-up windows unfold before her.

【Game progress saved】

【Archive unlock level for "SCP-049" has exceeded 50%】

【Anomaly: Plague Doctor】

【Item #: SCP-049】

【Danger Level: Euclid】

【Special Containment Procedures:】

【"SCP-049" is contained in a standard secure humanoid containment cell in Research Sector-02 of Site-19.】

【SCP-049 must be sedated prior to any attempt at transport.】

【During transport, SCP-049 must be restrained in a Class III humanoid restraint harness and monitored by at least two armed guards.】

【Although SCP-049 is generally cooperative with most Foundation personnel, outbursts or sudden changes in behavior must be met with increased force.】

【Under no circumstances should any personnel have direct contact with SCP-049 during an outburst.】

【If SCP-049 exhibits aggression, the sedative effects of lavender may be applied to control it.】

【Once sedated, SCP-049 generally becomes docile and will return to containment with almost no resistance.】

【To facilitate the continued containment of SCP-049, a recently deceased animal corpse should be provided to the entity every two weeks for research.】

【Corpses that become SCP-049-2 entities will be removed from SCP-049's containment cell and incinerated.】

【SCP-049 is no longer permitted to interact with human subjects, and requests for human subjects should be denied.】

【Description:】

【"SCP-049" is a humanoid entity, 1.9 meters tall, whose appearance matches that of a medieval plague doctor.】

【Although SCP-049 appears to be wearing thick robes and a ceramic mask that indicates its profession, these garments seem to have grown from SCP-049's body over time, and it is now almost impossible to distinguish the clothing from the body beneath it.】

【Nevertheless, X-ray examinations indicate that there is indeed a human skeletal structure beneath SCP-049's surface.】

【SCP-049 is capable of speaking in multiple languages. Although SCP-049 is generally cordial and willing to cooperate with Foundation personnel, it becomes irritable and even highly aggressive if it senses the presence of what it calls "the plague."】

【Although Foundation researchers are currently unsure of the exact nature of this plague, it appears to be a matter of great concern to SCP-049.】

【SCP-049 exhibits hostility toward human individuals it deems to be affected by the plague, often to the point of requiring containment.】

【If left unchecked, SCP-049 will usually attempt to kill the human individual; SCP-049 is capable of stopping all physiological functions of a biological organism through direct skin contact.】

【Locked】

【Surgery often results in the emergence of "SCP-049-2," but it is not always "successful."】