SCP International

Guo ██: Tell me what you know.

PoI-90125: … (Silence) Fine, let's talk. What do you want to know?

Guo ██: Don't play dumb. Your Manna Charitable Foundation always claims to be a humanitarian organization. Even I believed that once—

PoI-90125: And then?

Guo ██: And then? You're all a bunch of lunatics. Look at this— (Hands a file to PoI-90125) A truly unexpected answer.

PoI-90125: Oh, this… (Silent for a few seconds, then nods) No need to repeat this kind of thing… Ah, I see. Go on.

Guo ██: You're all insane. An anomaly that subjects the dead to endless suffering, and this is your way of saving the world?

PoI-90125: Yes.

Guo ██: All these years. How many people have you tortured to death to maintain its existence?

PoI-90125: I've lost count— do you think that's a valuable question? The human flesh and blood simply cannot harness such power— if it weren't for… (Shakes head) Forget it, forget I fucking said anything.

Guo ██: (Pounds the table) And you have the nerve to ask me? You beasts. Does it feel satisfying to watch people suffer, to torture them to death? To spread this thing and make everyone in the world suffer endlessly after death, is that satisfying too? A Charitable Foundation, huh? You're truly a bunch of clichéd American-conspiracy-theory bastards.

PoI-90125: Doctor. Listen carefully, that's serious slander. Our purpose has never changed— we have always worked to save the world, never changed. We didn't do this to satisfy some perverted desire of ours. Rather than this, I think you should focus on doing your own job properly first.

Guo ██: And what do you think I'm doing here right now? Shooting the breeze with you?

PoI-90125: (Bitter laugh) If you had sufficient clearance to know the answer to that question, you wouldn't have brought me here so easily. After all, how do you know your Foundation wasn't involved?

SCP-CN-2470

Unauthorized access is strictly prohibited. Violators will be located and dealt with according to protocol.

Guo ██: What joke is this?

PoI-90125: No offense, Doctor. But mind if I know your clearance level?

Guo ██: Enough to judge you, the rest is none of your business.

PoI-90125: Have you ever… uh… communicated with your Foundation's O5 Council?

Guo ██: That's none of your business.

PoI-90125: (Laughs) Do I need to say more? I wouldn't mind giving you a hand, but I must first clarify the consequences.

Guo ██: What?

PoI-90125: This is beyond your clearance. If you find out, those thirteen old bastards will immediately send their lackeys in to execute you, maybe I'll get a bullet too— of course, I don't care. It's up to you, after all, specially made bullets are quite expensive these days.

Guo ██: (Wipes sweat from forehead with hand) I have Dammerung-class clearance. I am authorized to investigate SCP-2718. The O5 Council isn't watching me. Okay, you can continue.

PoI-90125: Really? They might just be playing you. Maybe they hid the document about this matter in the branch database precisely to avoid people like you. — Oh, sorry, I forgot, you've never read that document, right? You probably don't have the clearance, otherwise you wouldn't be asking me these questions. Clearly, some people want as few people as possible to notice this document.

Guo ██: I don't know what document you're talking about. But I think it's more likely you're messing with me.

PoI-90125: You know… (Pauses) Our MCF's operating principle is to save anyone we can save. But to be honest, I'm tired, I'm wavering, I want to find release for myself.

Guo ██: What are you trying to say?

PoI-90125: Me? Heh, I don't want to say anything, too tired. We've worked so hard for so long, what was it all for, was it really useful? What do you think? We have a mission we've never abandoned, for which we've given up even a single person, completely disregarding your useless accusations, but that's fucking only because we are the Manna Charitable Foundation. I'm not that noble and tireless myself. You Foundation creates all the mess and then dumps the task on us, how can you have the nerve! You should be asking yourself!

PoI-90125: (Silence) Sorry, I forgot you don't even know what I'm scolding, my apologies.

Guo ██: You can tell me, I think I have the clearance.

PoI-90125: (Laughs) Then what would you say if I made a request to kill you?

Guo ██: You'd better assess the current situation. This is an interrogation, don't joke—

PoI-90125: Then kill me (laughs)—

PoI-90125: If you really want to know, then I'll tell you. Death is not a bad thing, Doctor. At least not now. If you had known what I'm about to tell you earlier, you probably would have chosen to end yourself already. But I have no right to change your mind— unless you change it yourself.

Guo ██: No matter how painful our lives are now, it's still much better than suffering after death. If it weren't for you, SCP-2718 would have been eliminated by us long ago— why would we be in this state?

PoI-90125: (Sneers) You're proud of that, aren't you?

Unknown Male Voice 1: I see. So, [Redacted] is a conserved quantity.

Unknown Male Voice 2: Yes… Aaron, this result isn't right. But we've used all available methods. We repeatedly tested with keywords in different languages, different logics, we even thought of calculating separately. I vouch for the accuracy of this result with my reputation.

Unknown Male Voice 1: What?

Unknown Female Voice 1: Uh… Aaron. Do you think there are enough disasters in the world to digest all this [Redacted]?

Unknown Male Voice 1: … I don't know. All-Seeing Eye, is that so?

Mechanical Voice: If we calculate everyone's value separately and then sum them, it's roughly [Redacted].

Unknown Female Voice 2: Off by three orders of magnitude on the exponent.

Unknown Male Voice 2: In our previous experiments, the maximum single-person, single-instance value observed was only 1806. We used every torture we could on that D-class. Waterboarding, hanging upside down, branding irons, pulling nails, things the Ethics Committee strictly forbade, we used them all once.

Unknown Male Voice 1: This doesn't make sense. Even if— even if everyone in the world had this value, then—

Unknown Female Voice 1: Which means the extra value is hidden somewhere unknown?

Unknown Male Voice 2: Look on the bright side, maybe this value is just the theoretical upper limit.

Unknown Male Voice 1: Let's hope so. I don't think anyone could actually withstand something like that.

Unknown Female Voice 2: Wait. Have you tested it with [Redacted]?

Unknown Male Voice 1: … (Silence) You mean?

(Silence)

Unknown Male Voice 2: No. We never considered that possibility.

Unknown Male Voice 1: No, let me calm down, let me think about this possibility carefully.

Unknown Male Voice 2: I can't easily deny it. This explanation is unexpectedly reasonable, and—

Unknown Male Voice 1: Are you suggesting it's because of Him?

Unknown Male Voice 2: It shouldn't be, but but you and I have to admit, after the Twilight Operation was executed— (Silence) No, or rather, after we executed Him, the average values we observed did start to…

Unknown Male Voice 1: …

Unknown Female Voice 2: Is there no way back for us?

[Signal Interrupted]

Guo ██: Back then, our plan almost succeeded.

PoI-90125: (Shakes head) So you did know… Do you know what a great sin you committed?

Guo ██: Sin? What sin have I committed? Are you accusing me?

PoI-90125: The Foundation always boasts about not interfering with normality. Before accusing us, better think about whether you yourselves are a huge joke. What is more disruptive to normality than the end of death?

Guo ██: (Pounds the table with fist) Listen. This is fucking the evil consequence of your actions. Thanks to your good work, that thing has now spread on a large scale. We are maintaining normality. The end of death happening was completely an accident, but even such a normality is far better than endless suffering after death!

PoI-90125: … (Sighs) How much do you know about that plan?

Guo ██: That's none of your business.

PoI-90125: Then let me rephrase the question—

PoI-90125: —Do you know how they executed that plan back then? Or rather, how did they intend to neutralize SCP-2718 in its execution?

Guo ██: … I must admit, that's beyond my clearance. I only know their plan included "making all humans difficult to kill". How they intended to achieve that, I'm not actually clear on.

PoI-90125: Hmm… (Sighs) To execute based on just that little information, you're quite bold.

Guo ██: I don't see any problem with that approach. Besides, we must carry out the O5 Council's directives.

PoI-90125: Do you remember Felix Carter?

Guo ██: Oh? That former O5-13 who was executed for treason. I've heard the name in the bulletin.

PoI-90125: That was just a false name. The one who held the O5-13 seat back then wasn't that old white man— he was just a placeholder shell. He had another real name—

Guo ██: What?

PoI-90125: (Silence)—

PoI-90125: The DeathGrim reaper.

To All Participants of the Project Dammerung:

Existing intelligence indicates that the successful implementation of the Project Dammerung will lead to unforeseen severe consequences.

The O5 Council has decided to permanently suspend this project effective immediately. The original MTF Rho-01 "Ksitigarbha" will be disbanded, with members awaiting further notification for assignment to other departments.

Following the suspension of this operation, the Foundation will no longer attempt to neutralize SCP-2718. Concurrently, the effects expected to be achieved by the Project Dammerung are to be incorporated into the Foundation database for containment and management, and every effort will be made to prevent that scenario from occurring.

PoI-90125: How much do you understand about the nature of SCP-2718?

Guo ██: An infohazard. Once known, it causes endless suffering after death.

PoI-90125: More than that. Have you heard the legend? Whatever afterlife you believe in, that's the world you enter after death.

Guo ██: Isn't that how SCP-2718 works?

PoI-90125: … What happens after wasn't actually created recently. It is part of death, born together with death. Before SCP-2718 formally came into being, people's fear of death came from religious hells and underworlds. Since then, a weaker version of the "What happens after" had already spread across the world with religion. What you call SCP-2718 is just the most terrifying and violent solution among them.

Guo ██: But this still doesn't justify your deliberate propagation of SCP-2718. You know, it's much more terrifying than those previous afterlives— how long have you been doing this?

PoI-90125: (Silence) Very, very long. Even before the Manna Charitable Foundation was established, its predecessor organizations had already started doing this— I think, around the time of the Second Industrial Revolution.

PoI-90125: Because during that period, the Foundation did something—

Aaron Siegel: Tell me what you know.

PoI-90125: I think it's better if you speak first.

Aaron Siegel: I know Felix told you some things before he was executed. —Some things we didn't know. Related to SCP-2718. We know he had connections with you long ago, and spreading SCP-2718 was done under his orders.

PoI-90125: (Sneers) Heh heh heh… You have the nerve to ask me that.

Aaron Siegel: I know we made some mistakes.

PoI-90125: Is that your attitude? You think "eliminating death" was just "some mistakes" you made?

Aaron Siegel: Now is not the time to blame me, Mu Ciji. You know what kind of problem we're facing now. You are the only ones who can save the world now, you are part of normality.

PoI-90125: The Death had given you countless warnings before. What happens after— or, in your words, "SCP-2718"— don't touch it. You were the ones who insisted on having your own way. I won't forget how your Rho-01 tortured our members back then, not to mention— since that day, do you know how many people we have sacrificed to maintain death? Do you know how much pain they endured?

Aaron Siegel: We didn't expect it to be like this back then. We just…

PoI-90125: I can't even imagine how He felt, under the pressure from you twelve, casting opposing votes twice in a row. … You know, He was moved by the determination you showed back then, trusted you so much. To help you fulfill your duties, He made a contract with you, protecting you from death forever, helping you resist anomalies, even betraying His own responsibility as the Death.

PoI-90125: And then, complete annihilation— from concept, divinity, to physical body— that was the repayment you gave Him.

Aaron Siegel: … I just want to ask you, is there any way for us to make amends?

PoI-90125: (Silence) No. There hasn't been since the moment you "killed Death". The disappearance of death is irreversible. Even if every single person in the MCF sacrificed themselves after enduring extreme torture to perform that ritual, a second Death could not be born.

Aaron Siegel: But we all see you are maintaining the concept of death, and the existence of SCP-2718.

PoI-90125: It cannot last. All these years, the Death diligently used what you call SCP-2718 to seal that demon. To spare you such suffering, He mercifully exempted you from the possibility of experiencing that pain. Now there's no chance— that demon is part of the laws of the universe. No mortal can replace Him in sealing this calamity, no one can fulfill that duty.

Aaron Siegel: … (Silence) Based on the current situation, how long can death last?

PoI-90125: We are already planning to stop.

Aaron Siegel: … Why?

PoI-90125: The entire Manna Foundation has less than ten people left who meet the criteria for performing the ritual. Each person can roughly maintain the concept of death's existence for about a week. That's the reality.

Aaron Siegel: Hmm… How about we cooperate, or… make a deal.

PoI-90125: First, we both know this ritual cannot be performed within the Foundation. He would not choose you.

Aaron Siegel: Correct. But we have things you don't, you know. We have sufficient resources, we have enough D-class personnel… Or, I believe you might need this. (Hands the file to PoI-90125)

PoI-90125: (Flips through it) … Perhaps. An endless supply of humans as vessels for the ritual doesn't sound like a bad idea. So, what do you want from us in return?

Aaron Siegel: Secrecy, and [Indiscernible]

PoI-90125: Quite the steep demand, but it's fine. However, I must remind you of one thing.

Aaron Siegel: What?

PoI-90125: Numbers aren't everything. As you can see, as I said— those chosen to perform the ritual can play the role of Death at most, they do not have the true divinity of Death, nor can they truly become Death. Such powerful ability will constantly torment them, eventually crushing them. Their power is also insufficient to maintain the existence of death, to reverse the death of death itself— the concept of death is continuously weakening itself. Even if we had an infinite population to execute this ritual, death will eventually meet its end one day.

Aaron Siegel: How long until that day arrives?

PoI-90125: Under the best circumstances, … less than thirty years.

Aaron Siegel: After that… what will happen?

PoI-90125: Look at your own discoveries. I believe you will understand.

PoI-90125: Back then, the O5 Council, to escape death, made a contract with the Death at the cost of Felix Carter, thus the Death became the Thirteenth Overseer.

Guo ██: … I've heard a little about that.

PoI-90125: Yeah… In the end, it was just because of their cowardice, their fear of death.

Guo ██: But what does that have to do with… what we're discussing today?

PoI-90125: Have you ever thought about it. If SCP-2718 is so terrifying, why didn't the Death just abolish it? SCP-2718 is essentially part of the Death's authority, it's within His power.

Guo ██: I don't understand.

PoI-90125: The Death is a god, He knows things neither you nor I, nor the Foundation knew back then. His actions, including why He— whether by His own action or by ordering us— spread SCP-2718, were all only for the living to have a better life, one could even say it was to protect those twelve people, after all others will always die— and then, the twelve people He protected ultimately voted to execute Him. How ironic— (sneers)

Guo ██: What?

PoI-90125: Under the Death's orders, SCP-2718 was rapidly spread to every corner of the world. Even the dead were no exception— they were within the Death's domain, it was not difficult for the Death to use His power to replace the afterlife, to make SCP-2718 take effect on them. For those who only knew the surface of SCP-2718, it was indeed terrifying— just like those "clever" people in the O5 Council back then, they noticed it too.

Guo ██: No, no need to repeat. I know this history well. This is precisely why we took action.

PoI-90125: But at that time, they— perhaps including you— only saw the widespread propagation of SCP-2718, their vision was blinded by a so-called sense of mission. They believed SCP-2718 was a terrifying anomaly, and as jailers of normality, they naturally needed to stop the spread of anomalies. This was the beginning of everything. Since SCP-2718 is "something that happens after death", then as long as death ends, the problem disappears—

Guo ██: Wait, wasn't that an accident? I thought they didn't originally intend for death to disappear, even the O5 Council wasn't aware?

PoI-90125: Not aware? (Sneers) That was just their excuse. A murder perfectly disguised as an operational accident. Before actually doing it, they even held two votes with the Death present. You know, as an O5 Council member, the Death could not resist the collective resolution of the O5 Council.

PoI-90125: But, it wasn't until after the Death had been eliminated and everything was irreversible that they finally discovered for themselves what the Death had already discovered back then. Hidden in the Chinese Branch database, item number, if I remember correctly, is SCP-CN-2470—

PoI-90125: Although, by then it was already too late. What you call the "Project Dammerung" had, in fact, been completed due to the Death's demise, with no chance for regret left.

To All Foundation Personnel:

All current members of the Foundation's O5 Council were found deceased in the Site-01 conference room early this morning.

More information is under investigation. No related containment breaches or anomalous activity events have been detected at this time. Hostile group involvement has been ruled out.

In accordance with Foundation statutes, a new O5 Council will be formed immediately.

Please stay tuned for further notices regarding other matters.

PoI-90125: "Suffering", this abstract concept, can actually be measured, quantified—

PoI-90125: —and the total amount of human suffering is conserved. In other words, a portion of suffering, if not borne by the dead, then…

PoI-90125: It transfers to the living.

To All Foundation Personnel:

Based on the current situation, the Foundation assesses that a ΨK-class ("Death's Fatigue") scenario has occurred.

Under this scenario, biological death in the physiological sense will become exceptionally difficult. Based on current intelligence, this scenario is presumed to be a precursor to an ΩK-class ("End-of-Death") scenario. The world is projected to fully transition from the current ΨK-class scenario to an ΩK-class scenario within 30 years.

During this event, the Foundation will continue its various original operations as usual. The general public will be informed that the occurrence of the ΨK-class scenario is a normal event; the Foundation has revised normalcy documents and incorporated the ΨK-class scenario into the scope of normalcy.

Note: It has been confirmed that the ΨK-class scenario has no other known negative effects. Further research and response to the ΨK-class scenario are currently unnecessary.

Guo ██: So you mean, after SCP-2718 fails, all living people will?

PoI-90125: Those already dead— after the Death disappears, all afterlives— including SCP-2718— will also disappear. They will become like true dead, losing all sensation, fading into nothingness. In such a world, without any sensation, how could there be pain? This also means— they will no longer bear suffering for the living.

PoI-90125: One more thing. SCP-2718 failing means death itself is dying. After the end of death comes, the living will never die.

Guo ██: After that, what will happen?

PoI-90125: Approximately 110 billion people have ever lived on Earth, and there are 7 billion people now. … Hmm, not that many, it's just that each person will have to endure about 16 times the horror of SCP-2718.

PoI-90125: You can try sticking a bamboo skewer under your fingernail, stirring violently, and then pouring salt water into it. Imagine every inch of surface area inside your body, every molecule and atom-sized area enduring pain of that level— in that case, you might be touching one ten-trillionth of the pain you will have to endure then.

PoI-90125: Every molecule on your body's surface vibrating thermally will bring you such tearing pain. You will feel every impact of air molecules on your skin. Your body will feel the constant gnawing of bacteria in your mouth and intestines on your tissues, the violent friction of every cell in your blood against the blood vessel walls. Your skin will become extremely sensitive. All surfaces will feel like red-hot branding irons to you, touching static electricity will make you feel pain equivalent to being struck by lightning millions of times simultaneously compared to now. As for the mental aspect…

Guo ██: … Stop talking.

PoI-90125: Really? That level is just the relaxation you'd be lucky to experience once in your lifetime then. Any attempt you make to alleviate this pain will be ineffective, because you can't even die— of course, since no one will ever die, after a while, the pain you endure will become weaker than the original SCP-2718… it's just that for such a massive amount of pain, this reduction is utterly insignificant.

Guo ██: Wait, the bulletin the Foundation sent us clearly stated "the ΨK-class scenario has no other known negative effects"?

PoI-90125: Think again about why they emphasized that sentence.

Guo ██: You mean, the higher-ups are lying to us.

PoI-90125: They lied to everyone. Death can exist for at most thirty more years. Even now, death has become a luxury; thirty years from now, what do you think those who know the truth will do to the Foundation? What will the informed within the Foundation itself do?

To All CN-5/2470 Clearance Holders:

Containment procedures related to SCP-CN-2470 have been updated based on the current situation. Partial adjustments are as follows:

• All intelligence regarding SCP-CN-2470 will be encrypted by the CN-2470-Pythagoras Protocol; all Foundation personnel are considered participants of this protocol. When unauthorized personnel obtain classified intelligence regarding SCP-CN-2470, all Foundation staff are authorized to execute the relevant personnel to prevent potential further information leakage.

• Normalcy documents will be revised according to the situation.

• If necessary, The Ennui Protocol can be used to erase all information related to death, SCP-2718, and SCP-CN-2470. Specific execution standards are based on the current version of normalcy documents.

• Minimizing the per capita value of SCP-CN-2470 under the ΩK-class scenario has now become the Foundation's primary task and R&D focus. All departments should allocate main resources to address this.

This containment protocol revision takes effect immediately upon release.

Guo ██: … I still cannot fully believe what you're saying.

PoI-90125: Trying to maintain the existence of SCP-2718 isn't just us. At the beginning of our conversation, you accused us of abusing many people to maintain SCP-2718's existence— that's true, those people were provided by you.

Guo ██: What?

PoI-90125: It's really ironic. The O5-1 at the time, Aaron, exchanged access to your big human replicator for two things from us. First, was for us to keep their secret— of course, since I'm pretty sure you're about to die, I guess telling you now doesn't violate the rules. You won't have a chance to tell anyone about this conversation.

Guo ██: You mean you can use—

PoI-90125: Second, was hoping we would provide technology that could easily kill people even after Death's Fatigue set in. They used this technology to manufacture special bullets that could kill people. By the way, the first thing those bastards on the O5 Council did after getting the bullets was to put the gun in their mouths and fire the bullet into their own brain stems.

Guo ██: Wait, that incident. Wasn't that… an accident, or a premeditated murder…?

PoI-90125: (Shrugs) Just a bunch of cowards deserting their posts.

Guo ██: … They…

Guo ██: (Silence) … Then what about us? Do we have any way out now?

PoI-90125: Oh… Forgot to tell you, this technology seems quite widespread now. The bullet loaded in that pistol on your right, I suspect, is one.

Guo ██: …

PoI-90125: If only I could evade the problem as decisively as you, that would be great— (Shakes head) I don't know how much longer I have to keep up this futile effort.

Guo ██: …

PoI-90125: Bullets are expensive, use them sparingly.

Document reading complete. Log out system? (Y/N)

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No operation for 120 consecutive seconds, automatically logged out.

Ye ██: Tell me what you know.

PoI-90125: … What do you want to know?

Ye ██: Guo ██'s death. You were there. He's dead, you're alive.

PoI-90125: (Bitter laugh) … How nice, to find release so easily. He was a lucky one. Not like me, although knowing how to die, but trapped in this world by the futile and useless "mission of the Charitable Foundation"—

Ye ██: I don't care about your mission. You witnessed Guo ██'s death, right. What did you do?

PoI-90125: Just told him some things.

Ye ██: What intelligence?

PoI-90125: Your clearance level, mind if I know it?

Ye ██: Sorry, you are not qualified to know my clearance level.

PoI-90125: Oh, I see.

Ye ██: If you refuse to answer, I can simply retrieve the surveillance footage from the day of your conversation. Playing the threat card with me here is useless.

PoI-90125: I won't threaten you, Doctor. You can do whatever you want. If you wish, I can even tell you everything myself—

PoI-90125: But regardless, before your curiosity leads to any consequences you haven't anticipated, I must remind you.

Ye ██: What?

PoI-90125: This is beyond your clearance. If you find out, those thirteen old bastards will immediately send their lackeys in to execute you, maybe I'll get a bullet too— of course, I don't care. It's up to you, after all, specially made bullets are quite expensive these days.