Chapter 95

It was actually a sealed room, locked down by multiple layers of reinforced concrete and steel plates.

On the outermost concrete wall, the Foundation’s emblem was prominently displayed, though several of the lights illuminating it were no longer working.

In the initial footage, everything was merely a facade fabricated by the Foundation, intended for the better containment of "SCP-082."

As the camera continued to move, the scene revealed several soldiers holding steel rifles without any protective gear, along with a few scattered researchers.

It seemed that this place was not held in high regard.

Otherwise, there would be no explanation for why the number of people here was so small, or why it appeared to be in such a state of decay.

Could it be that the Foundation's top brass were completely unafraid of the contained object here breaching containment?

"...It seems they really aren't afraid."

Arlan yawned, looking somewhat exhausted.

Last night, due to a sudden change in the celestial phenomena, he worried it was a signal that the Antimatter Legion was launching another attack.

He had been keeping watch not far from Station Master Asta's room, ready to enter battle at any moment.

As it turned out, just a moment ago, all the stars had returned to normal.

It was as if the world had encountered a bug, and after being patched, it even sang "Never Gonna Give You Up" to everyone.

Just then, a voice suddenly came from behind him:

"Is there anything I can help with?"

Arlan turned around and saw Bai Bai Xuan.

Although he had not yet formally interacted with Bai Bai Xuan, he had often heard the name "Bai Bai Xuan" from Station Master Asta.

It was said that he was the strongest combatant on the Astral Express, and also gentle toward others.

Furthermore, the other party had saved a significant number of staff members on the platform.

Based on this alone, Arlan had a very favorable impression of him, and his trust level was basically maxed out.

"The space station is currently pushing forward with the 'Revival Plan'; if possible, please come and help us."

Bai Bai Xuan adjusted his glasses and smiled slightly:

"Alright."

"The danger level of 'SCP-082' is far lower than you think; you can just treat it as a beast with great strength that eats people."

"Yes, I have repeatedly reviewed the documents provided by the Foundation. 'SCP-082' does not possess immortality, nor does it have any special abilities beyond its physical strength. Overall, the Foundation might have just given it some face and contained it symbolically."

"According to my understanding, there is no need for researchers here; there is nothing worth studying about it. So, I am now very confused about what the researchers here are actually doing."

Just at this moment.

The speed of the camera movement suddenly increased.

The scene passed through the soil, moving all the way upward, arriving at a vast, white world.

The sky was filled with dark clouds, the ground was covered in ice and snow, and blue ice sculptures were everywhere.

Isn't this the world where "SCP-009" appeared?

So the Foundation had long ago established a base underground on this planet!

However, looking at the dilapidated state of the base, I fear it has been a long time since they last made contact with Foundation headquarters.

Immediately, the camera stopped moving, and the screen locked onto an abandoned building.

Following that, a line of large text appeared on the screen.

[Rank 95: SCP-087, The Stairwell!]

This time, two contained objects appeared simultaneously!

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Upon learning that the abandoned building was also a contained object, everyone perked up, wanting to observe what was unusual about it.

Unfortunately, no one could see anything abnormal.

From the footage, it looked no different from an abandoned school building, except that it was covered in a thick layer of snow, and the entrance was locked with heavy iron chains.

Other than that, there were no noteworthy points.

However, the mere combination of a school and a contained object was enough to remind many viewers of numerous classic horror movie tropes.

"When I was in elementary school, there was a rumor that our school was built on a mass grave, and whenever the date changed, a large number of ghosts would wander through the teaching building."

"It feels like as long as a civilization retains the form of a school, no matter what form the civilization is in, there will always be this classic ghost story image of a school. Like us, there's a rumor that at night, the long-dead cleaning lady drags a mop made of human heads and mops the floor with blood."

"I am a Luofu Luofu Xianzhou native. When I was studying in a private school as a child, I heard classmates say that a Vidyadhara child was once killed for their bone marrow, and after that, he turned into a vengeful spirit, eating one child every day to appease the malice in his heart."

"Pretty much the same, things like the senior student who eats corpses, the little boy who plays with a human head like a ball, the female student killed because of an illicit affair, the endless classroom doors, the bottomless stairs, the old lady selling red clothes, and so on."

"I actually experienced a classmate appearing in my dream once. After graduation, my classmate's family took an interstellar express to travel to another star, but they had an accident and died tragically in space. That same night, I dreamed of a crossroads, and he was running wildly in the opposite direction of me. No matter how much I called him, he didn't react, until the next day, when I received news of his death."

"My roommate used to dream about a beautiful girl he had never met before, doing it with her in his dreams every day, until a few days ago, when he found out that the girl had been raped and killed in that building over twenty years ago, but the female ghost ended up playing some even more intense games with him because of it."

"Your roommate is the stronger one now."

Amidst the discussion, the complete file was displayed.

[Contained Object: The Stairwell]

[Item Number: SCP-087]

[Danger Level: Euclid]

[Item Description: "SCP-087" is an unlit platform staircase, with 13 steps per flight, descending at a 38-degree angle. Between floors is a semi-circular platform with a diameter of approximately 3 meters; after each platform, the direction of descent rotates 180 degrees.]

[Due to the design of "SCP-087" limiting the visual range to about 1.5 flights of stairs, and the absence of any lights or windows inside, any subject exploring "SCP-087" must carry a light source.]

[Light sources exceeding 75 watts have proven to be ineffective, as "SCP-087" appears to absorb excess light.]

[Subject reports and recordings confirm the presence of painful cries inside, presumed to be emitted by children between the ages of █ and ██. The source of the cries for help is estimated to be 200 meters below the first platform.]

[However, any attempt to descend the stairs does not bring the subject closer to the source of the sound. The depth calculated from the deepest exploration far exceeds the structural depth possible for the building and its geological environment. To this day, it remains unknown whether "SCP-087" has an end.]

["SCP-087" has had 4 exploration videos recorded by D-class personnel to date, and every subject who conducted an exploration encountered "SCP-087-1," which is a face without pupils, nostrils, or a mouth.]

[The nature of "SCP-087-1" is completely unknown, but it has been determined that it is not the source of the cries for help. When facing "SCP-087-1," exploration personnel exhibit intense fear and terror, but it is difficult to determine if this feeling is anomalous or merely a natural reaction.]

Attached to the file were two photos.

One of them was a stairwell with only a portion of the wall illuminated, the steps extending downward, seemingly without end.

The clarity of this photo was not high; although it looked somewhat eerie and dark, taking a similar photo of any staircase leading underground would yield no different results.

The other photo showed a grayish-white face occupying the entire frame. Although its face was captured, it appeared to have no pupils, and even the iris color was white.

Incredibly eerie.

With the release of the new file, the viewers could also feel that this stairwell was indeed haunted.

"Unbelievable, could it be that ghosts really exist in this world?"

"Who knows? It's either that there are ghosts inside, or it's some kind of peculiar rule. Either way, it will have an impact on the existing worldview of most people."

"So, is this just a simple introduction to the fact that the Foundation preserves these contained objects?"

"It feels like it. The entire base here feels less valuable than a single Foundation starship, and the two contained objects have even less utility."

Herta Space Station, Main Control Zone.

Asta held her coffee, feeling a headache at this moment.

This headache was a real one, a physiological pain caused by lack of sufficient rest and high pressure.

As it turned out, the Foundation wasn't playing interesting documentaries, but had returned to traditional horror and eerie content.

This made her unable to hold it together, so she had to continue with today's work.

She had also once felt that such days were boring and had tried to escape, but the results were not good.

Aside from piling two days' worth of work into one, there was no benefit.

It was just like writing; if you suddenly have no inspiration in the morning and can't write, it only puts pressure on yourself in the afternoon, or on yourself in the early hours of the next day.

At this moment, footsteps approached from afar.

She looked up and saw Bai Bai Xuan, dressed in a long black robe that seemed somewhat out of place with the style of the entire space station, slowly walking over.

"Good morning, Station Master Asta."

He looked like a wizard or magician who had walked out of a magical fantasy story, full of mystery.

Seeing that he was alone and the other members of the train crew had not appeared, Asta was somewhat curious: