"Be honest and explain yourself. Don't think you can just act cute and get away with it."
Haruto questioned sternly, though his tone carried a hint of helplessness.
Across from Haruto, there was only an empty chair. Nothing could be seen on it, and even infrared detection or collision volume detection yielded no results.
Outside the containment chamber, Foundation staff observed the scene. Rather than finding it absurd, they were merely intrigued.
At that moment, a voice emerged from within the containment chamber.
"I'm sorry. I deeply regret the damage I have caused, even though it was never my intention."
It was a soft female voice, sounding like someone between twenty and twenty-six years old.
Inside the containment chamber, various recording devices and soundwave detection equipment had been set up.
Yet, none of these high-tech instruments registered any response to the female voice.
The containment chamber itself was not soundproof.
Thus, the staff outside could clearly hear the gentle voice.
Seeing the completely flat detection data, they began documenting the anomaly.
From Haruto's perspective—
A beautiful woman with fair skin, as smooth as fine jade, was sitting in the chair opposite him. She had long black hair and deep, dark eyes, exuding an air of intelligence.
The most striking features were her long legs wrapped in white silk stockings and her delicate feet adorned with fiery red high heels.
She sat upright, looking sincerely apologetic.
[SCP-126: The Invisible Friend, Containment Level: Euclid]
[This anomaly manifests as a ghostly presence, undetectable by any instruments. It lacks physical form, having no collision volume, temperature, or mass—just like the ghosts of folklore. However, it can produce audible sounds, specifically the clicking of high heels and a female voice, which typically falls within the range of a twenty- to twenty-six-year-old woman.]
[Note: The entity is usually friendly and caring, seemingly a young woman with a love for literature.]
Clearly, this was the entity that had appeared at the previous containment site.
The anomalous antimemetic entity reported by Megumi and Mai, that entity was the very girl before him.
She was also the one who hacked into the Foundation's site, added undercover personnel records, and later, during the attack incident, unlocked the containment chamber of the Immortal Lizard.
Due to her anomalous traits, she was like a ghost, completely undetectable by any equipment.
Knowing the location of a Foundation site, she could easily follow other Foundation staff and slip inside unnoticed.
Although the site's elevator had countermeasures against invisible and antimemetic entities—such as weight sensors and infrared detection—
Even if employees couldn't see the target, the elevator would trigger an alarm and lock down upon detecting additional weight or an unfamiliar form entering. However, since the girl had no mass, even if she entered the elevator alongside staff, she wouldn't be detected.
But what puzzled Haruto was, how did she unlock the Foundation's mainframe security and the containment chamber of SCP-682?
The girl didn't possess such capabilities, nor did she seem like a god-tier hacker capable of infiltrating the Foundation's systems.
"So, how exactly did you unlock the mainframe and the containment chamber's security doors?"
Haruto questioned.
"With a key," the girl said, even making a hand gesture to illustrate a key shape.
Haruto: ?
Never mind whether the key could actually fit, the problem was that the Foundation didn't even use traditional keyholes!
The Foundation's mainframe required a triple-layered authentication process: ID card insertion, fingerprint scan, and iris recognition.
Only by inserting an authorized personnel's ID card and passing the authentication could someone access the system.
Moreover, access to different security levels varied, with personnel needing at least Level 4 clearance or specialized Level 3 management permissions to add personnel records.
As for unlocking a high-security containment chamber—there was no need to even mention the complexity of that.
"Can you describe that key in detail?"
Haruto already had a hunch.
That key had to be another anomalous containment object.
The Invisible Friend (SCP-126) carefully described the key.
According to her, it was an ornate golden key, resembling those mass-produced in the 1920s.
This key possessed a unique ability, it could easily unlock any kind of lock, whether mechanical or digital.
By inserting the key into the Foundation mainframe's ID card slot and turning it, the system would unlock, granting Level 4 access.
Likewise, inserting the key into SCP-682's containment chamber lock and turning it would immediately open the door.
Despite the high-tech security of the chamber, far beyond modern Earth's technological standards, it was clear this key was a powerful anomaly.
Haruto felt his head ache. Looking toward the staff outside the containment chamber, he gave a helpless order:
"Implement an additional security measure for all Foundation sites, including entrance elevators, mainframe systems, research facility doors, and containment locks. From now on, physical verification systems should only activate after an AI facial recognition scan."
The Foundation staff immediately set out to relay the order.
This was a massive undertaking.
With Foundation sites spread across the globe in unknown numbers—
And an uncountable number of devices involving 'locks'—
Ever since that key appeared, no lock could be considered reliable anymore.
Yet, removing physical verification entirely wasn't an option.
If security relied solely on digital authentication, a sufficiently advanced cyber-anomaly or virus could potentially cripple the entire Foundation.
At that point, the absence of physical authentication would lead to irreversible consequences.
Thankfully, adding an AI facial recognition step before enabling physical authentication could serve as a safeguard against the key's effects on Foundation sites.
"So, where is the key now?"
After handling Foundation security protocols, Haruto turned back to the girl.
She reached down to touch the hem of her dress, then shook her head.
"It's not on me. It's probably in their hands now."
'Their hands'—referring to the so-called Chaos Splitters.
It was with the help of the Chaos Splitters that the Church of the Broken God initiated their apotheosis project.
And the Invisible Friend (SCP-126) had also been manipulated by the Chaos Splitters.
According to available intelligence, the Chaos Splitters was a highly hostile organization toward the Foundation.
They labeled the Foundation as tyrants hoarding supernatural powers, painting them as enemies to be overthrown.
The leader of the Chaos Splitters possessed some kind of cognitive distortion ability.
Originally, the Invisible Friend (SCP-126) had merely been wandering around a bookstore.
But the Chaos Splitters noticed her presence and then altered the cognition of the entire bookstore.
This cognitive distortion wasn't high-level—anyone taking W-Class memory enhancement drugs could completely recover from it. However, unfortunately, this intelligent yet unseen girl was an innocent and kind-hearted individual.
Her cognitive resistance was low.
Thus, she was successfully brainwashed, turning into a tool of the Chaos Splitters.
This led directly to the attack on the Foundation site.
Once the apotheosis event was set in motion, the Chaos Splitters retreated, leaving behind SCP-126 to gather intelligence.
Clearly, the Chaos Splitters never truly expected the Church of the Broken God to succeed in reviving the deity and overthrowing the Foundation's "tyranny."
Moreover, they assumed that, due to SCP-126's anomalous traits, she could not be detected.
They specifically waited for Haruto to leave before dispatching SCP-126. Only for her to be caught red-handed when Haruto unexpectedly returned.
Her anomalous traits were ineffective against Haruto.
Because Haruto's cognitive perception could not be distorted, thanks to the Intelligence Fragment.
Upon his return, he immediately spotted a white-dressed intellectual girl curiously observing two Mobile Task Forces conducting containment operations.
She was arrested on the spot!
After being taken back to the Foundation site, she was administered W-Class memory enhancement drugs.
Her cognition fully recovered, and she confessed everything she had done.
Unfortunately, she did not know much about the Chaos Splitters.
She could only provide partial details on their leader's abilities, confirm that they possessed the key, and identify one of their bases.
A Mobile Task Force unit had already been dispatched to raid the location.
But Haruto wasn't optimistic.
Anyone bold enough to orchestrate an attack on a Foundation site wouldn't be foolish enough to sit around waiting for the MTF to arrive.
Just then—
A report from Mobile Task Force "Black Ball" came in.