*Zheng Zha signed in. Reward: 15 points.*
*Lu Bu signed in. Reward: 15 points.*
*Minor Deity signed in. Reward: 8 points.*
*Flame Pillar signed in. Reward: 20 points.*
*Valkyrie signed in. Reward: 20 points.*
*I Am The Protagonist signed in. Reward: 12 points.*
*Sun Wukong signed in. Reward: 30 points.*
Compared to everyone else's scores, Linray's 100 points were in a completely different league.
"So sign-in points are based on status and power?"
"Does that mean I'm the strongest person in this group?"
"No way." He shook his head. "Zheng Zha, Sun Wukong — those two alone are on a completely different level. There's no way I'm stronger."
Linray thought it over. The points weren't about raw strength — they were probably tied to status and role. That's why Sun Wukong, Flame Pillar, and Valkyrie had the highest rewards.
They just hadn't figured that out yet.
...
**Valkyrie:** *"Everyone, what exactly are these points for?"*
**SCP Foundation:** *"Points can be exchanged for items in the Group Store — but the store is currently being upgraded, so exchanges aren't available yet."*
Linray's sudden message caught everyone off guard.
**Minor Deity:** *"@SCP Foundation — so you CAN talk! Why'd you steal what I was about to say?"*
Linray didn't have much choice. Everyone had been calling him out. If he stayed silent any longer, he'd get labeled as antisocial — or worse, piss everyone off.
**SCP Foundation:** *"Sorry. I just finished reading the rules and it slipped out."*
**Minor Deity:** *"Haha, no worries. You saved me the trouble of explaining, honestly. But that name of yours — SCP Foundation? What even is that?"*
**I Am The Protagonist:** *"+1"*
**Sun Wukong:** *"+1"*
**Flame Pillar:** *"+1"*
**Lu Bu:** *"+1"*
**Zheng Zha:** *"Hey — are you guys just a bunch of copy-paste bots? 😂"*
After Linray finally spoke up, everyone's curiosity zeroed in on the SCP Foundation.
**SCP Foundation:** *"The SCP Foundation's doctrine is simple: Secure. Contain. Protect. We maintain order across all dimensions... protecting you from things you never even know exist. There's a saying — the best protection is the kind you never realize is there. You get it?"*
Linray was bullshitting through his teeth. None of them knew any better, so he could say whatever he wanted.
**Zheng Zha:** *"He's telling the truth. The SCP Foundation is an incredibly powerful covert organization. My world actually has a lot of records about them. They're protectors of the world!"*
Linray nearly jumped out of his chair — metaphorically, anyway. THIS was a god-tier teammate. He hadn't even needed to sell it himself, and Zheng Zha just went ahead and backed him up!
Classic Zheng Zha. Good guy through and through. Absolutely worth keeping close.
**Minor Deity:** *"Wow, so you're actually strong!? Boss, I bow to you. Group ranking −1. 🙇"*
**Lu Bu:** *"We are grateful for such protection! You have our respect!"*
**Sun Wukong:** *"This old monkey still has much to learn about this world. I must train harder."*
**I Am The Protagonist:** *"This SCP Foundation sounds way more exciting than the Battle Academy! I can already smell the adventure!"*
**Valkyrie:** *"If that is so, then your order surpasses even the Valkyries. May the glory of the War God shine upon you."*
**Flame Pillar:** *"I don't fully understand the situation, but it sounds like you and the Demon Slayer Corps are alike — respectable warriors!"*
Linray let out a quiet breath of relief as he scrolled through the responses.
But the real problems were still ahead. Who in this group could he actually trade with? And how was he supposed to get more energy for Site-Ω?
"It always comes back to Zheng Zha, doesn't it? He's the first one I need to approach."
Linray opened a DM window.
---
**SCP Foundation:** *"Zheng Zha, you there?"*
**Zheng Zha:** *"What's up, SCP Foundation?"*
**SCP Foundation:** *"I'll cut to the chase — I need energy. Badly."*
**Zheng Zha:** *"Energy?"*
**SCP Foundation:** *"Do you have access to a stable hydrogen fusion reactor? If so, I can trade you SCP containment objects or sign-in points for it."*
**Zheng Zha:** *"You sound just like that kid. Talking in riddles."*
**SCP Foundation:** *"That kid? You don't mean..."*
Linray's heart nearly stopped. *That kid* — it had to be Chu Xuan.
The man hailed as the greatest strategic mind in *Infinite Terror*. A genius with almost inhuman intelligence.
> TL: No idea who this guy is. Neither does your translator. We're in this together.
**Zheng Zha:** *"I don't have what you're asking for. That kind of thing costs a fortune in reward points, and I don't have nearly enough."*
**SCP Foundation:** *"That's fine. By the way — what's the next horror movie?"*
**Zheng Zha:** *"??? You know about the God Space?!"*
**SCP Foundation:** *"It's complicated. Just tell me — what stage are you at?"*
It clicked for Linray. The current Zheng Zha wasn't the unstoppable force he'd eventually become. He was still early — still the struggling survivor who'd just started getting thrown into horror movies.
"My theory was right. Sign-in points are tied to power and status. And right now... I'm actually the strongest person in this group?"
**Zheng Zha:** *"Alien just ended. I only recently... recovered my body. Otherwise I wouldn't even have time to chat."*
**SCP Foundation:** *"That's incredible. Wait — are we in the same world?"*
Linray frowned. Based on what he knew of the plot, Chu Xuan had only just appeared. And what came next was the fallout — Zheng Zha and Chu Xuan's relationship was about to fracture.
**SCP Foundation:** *"Zheng Zha — no matter what happens, you have to trust Chu Xuan. He won't be wrong. Please. You HAVE to believe in him. Don't let him die..."*
**Zheng Zha:** *"Chu Xuan, huh... That guy always has this cold, unapproachable look on his face. He's brilliant, sure, but he's almost impossible to deal with... By the way — it's unbelievable that you know about the God Space. Should I tell the others about this?"*
**SCP Foundation:** *"No. Absolutely not. Don't tell ANYONE about the chat group. And especially — do NOT let Chu Xuan find out."*
A cold sweat broke out across Linray's forehead. If Chu Xuan learned about the Interdimensional Chat Group, there was no telling how he'd exploit it. The man would probably find a way to reverse-engineer the entire system through the God Space.
He might even use it against Linray himself. Chu Xuan was reliable, sure — but he was also a devil. The kind of person who'd sacrifice anyone and anything if the math checked out.
Dealing with a devil like that was too dangerous. One wrong move and you'd end up as a pawn in his calculations.
> TL: The glazing is real. The author REALLY wants you to know Chu Xuan is smart.
**SCP Foundation:** *"I'll stop here for now. Hang tight."*
He closed the DM and leaned back.
"What comes next is going to be hell for Zheng Zha. Chu Xuan's about to do things that'll push him to the breaking point. The guy can't communicate to save his life — walks around with a poker face 24/7. Anyone would lose their patience."
"And Zheng Zha has one of the best temperaments out there. Even HE gets driven crazy by Chu Xuan. Anyone else would've snapped by now."
"There's no way in hell I'm dealing with Chu Xuan directly. I'll use Zheng Zha as a buffer. Let him handle the communication."
"I've warned Zheng Zha, at least. But I need to find a way to help him too."
Linray's gaze drifted back to Site-Ω's interior. In the dim light, he scanned the shelves, searching for any SCP objects that might still be usable.