The familiar figure of Dr. Clef appeared before everyone's eyes.
He casually spoke, his tone indifferent:
"SCP-239 is a Level 4 reality bender. Although their range of effect is small, objects within their range of effect can be shaped almost completely by her."
"They can create humans or anomalous objects at will with little to no harm, can make humans disappear and reappear, can turn the entire Site-17 into #51..."
Gulp...
Someone in the crowd undoubtably swallowed their saliva, and the sound seemed loud in the hushed room.
At that moment, everyone froze, staring at the large screen in front of them. Nick Fury looked bewildered as he turned around to glance at the display in the sky, muttering:
"SCP-239 is a Level 4 reality bender..."
The murmurs grew louder, eventually erupting into a chorus of disbelief:
"You call a Level 4 reality bender a containment low-risk humanoid entity?"
In an instant, the agents, who had thought that James could expect peaceful days ahead, became disheartened.
The extraordinary heroes reacted quicker than the average audience.
At that moment, in the extraordinary chat group:
[Steve]: "So, James finally doesn't have to worry about being on the front lines anymore."
[Tony]: "Damn it, JARVIS just reminded me that 239 is the Level 4 reality bender Dr. Clef mentioned before..."
[Natasha Romanoff]: "He deliberately grouped 239 with several other containment objects. Doesn't that mean... the others are just as dangerous as 239?"
[Deadpool]: "Wow, that's terrible!"
[Hulk]: "Well, it seems like the cause of the research isn't so simple."
The images on the screen continued playing.
As low-level researchers who had just joined the Foundation, James and the others didn't fully grasp the horror of the containment objects Dr. Clef mentioned.
The man in the white coat seemed uninterested in the lack of reaction, sighing with boredom before continuing:
"Since Site-17 primarily focuses on the containment and research of low-risk humanoid entities, the permanent staff here includes a dozen medical and psychological professors."
As he said that, everyone had reached the door of an office.
"Knock knock knock! Boss, the person has been brought here!"
The door to the office swung open.
However, when the audience in the live broadcast room saw who it was, everyone was momentarily stunned.
It was none other than Dr. Kondraki!
Still dressed in his signature off-white windbreaker, a baseball cap perched on his head, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, and a scruffy beard...
The live broadcast room erupted in surprise.
"What? It's him?"
"Shit! It was this guy who caused James to die in the Death Gate!"
"Damn it, we're back to Site-17."
"Speaking of which, this guy won't recognize us, right?"
"..."
Surprisingly, Dr. Kondraki seemed unfazed by seeing James.
He merely glanced at the three of them with mild indifference, before saying casually:
"Very good. Site-17 is short-staffed at the moment, so I have three jobs for you to choose from."
The audience, who had expected to see something more formal, was stunned.
"What boss lets their employees choose their own jobs?"
But on the screen, the energetic young boy appeared thrilled.
"The first job is organizing documents... Hmm? No one chose the safest job?"
Dr. Kondraki seemed surprised at this, his eyebrow raising slightly.
"Well, the second job is field work!"
"And..."
As soon as he finished speaking, the boy stood up, winking at James and the others, almost as if begging them to pick another job, hoping they wouldn't steal it from him.
He whispered, "I'll treat you all to dinner later."
Dr. Kondraki shrugged and replied: "Fine, the second job is yours."
"Oh! Thank you so much!"
Ignoring the boy who was busy collecting his "treasures," Dr. Kondraki turned to face James and the others:
"The last job is contacting the containment objects, including daily records, psychological evaluations... Anyway, you know what I mean."
Unexpectedly, the girl hesitated for a moment. She did have an interest in anomalous entities, but there was only one she was particularly fascinated by — SCP-408, the Fantasy Butterfly.
With a sigh, she spoke up: "Then I'll choose the first one."
Dr. Kondraki snapped his fingers and shrugged, gesturing toward James: "Ladies first, the third job is yours."
James nodded calmly.
At this point, James, the junior researcher, officially became part of Site-17. He now had an unreliable boss and an equally questionable job.
Meanwhile, SHIELD was in an uproar.
Although they didn't know much about the Foundation's containment objects, they certainly understood the risks!
"Damn, is this guy crazy?" Natasha Romanoff exclaimed in frustration. "Or has he just had enough of life?"
"Yeah, that's a Level 4 Reality Bender!" someone else chimed in.
"Maybe there's even more dangerous ones in the mix! Who knows if the others are worse?"
The agents echoed in disbelief.
Before anyone could respond, the scene shifted.
"Congratulations to everyone on your successful employment! Cheers!"
Three glasses clinked together.
No one expected that Lois, the eccentric member of the previous trio, would be the one to treat them to dinner. It was just in the cafeteria inside the base, with whiskey as the drink of choice.
"Hiss Damn it, the Foundation doesn't even provide alcohol to low-level researchers! This is total discrimination!" Lois complained, slamming his glass down as he looked at his two colleagues.
"Zyn, I have to say, your choice was right," Lois continued, looking somewhat condescending. "Paperwork is boring, but as Dr. Kondraki said, at least it's safe."
Unexpectedly, Zyn sighed and spoke, "I actually wanted to study the containment objects, especially 408."
"408?" Lois raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Who doesn't know that 408 is Dr. Kondraki's personal collection in Site-17?"
Zyn took another sip of whiskey, appearing downcast, and fell silent.
Lois then turned to James, his eyes filled with sympathy. "Brother, if I were you, I'd immediately apply for a job transfer or even a station transfer!"
James just looked at him, saying nothing.
Lois shrugged, not concerned. "The guy who brought us here in the white coat didn't have good intentions. 073, 105, 239, 343, 600, 1915 — these are some of the most dangerous containment objects in the Foundation! Especially 343, that's…"
His expression suddenly turned pale as he took a large gulp of whiskey to calm himself.
"Anyway, whoever deals with it will die!" Lois finished, his tone now heavy with foreboding.
The audience watching the live broadcast was in complete chaos.
"F**k! I told you, the white coats in the Foundation are no good!"
"Hell, I even felt a little relieved for James, but now he's the Joker?"
"He should apply for a transfer as soon as possible!" the audience collectively urged.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
The agents were all still talking, but Natasha Romanoff folded her arms, pouting:
"Listen to advice? If James had listened to advice, he might still be a D-class personnel by now!"
After so long, the agents had gained a deeper understanding of James's character: He was bold, but methodical and thoughtful.
As expected, in the face of Lois' urgent warnings, James just smiled and gave a calm response.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade James, Lois gave up. "Forget it, good luck anyway!"
Lois paused in the middle of his speech, and the audience in the live broadcast room was beyond anxious.
What exactly was 343? Why was it so scary? Why couldn't Lois finish his explanation?
Everyone clenched their teeth, wishing they could dive into the screen and force Lois to reveal more.
Nick Fury's expression grew increasingly serious.
This man obviously knew a lot about the containment objects at Site-17, but why did he specifically focus on 343?
Could it be that SCP-343 was even more terrifying than the Level 4 Reality Bender, SCP-239?
Suddenly, the screen changed.
James was now wearing the familiar white coat.
Just when the audience was on edge, wondering what James's first task would be, they were not prepared for what came next.
"James, Dr. Kondraki is calling you," Zyn said, approaching James's workstation with a file in hand, clearly frustrated.
Soon, James arrived at Dr. Kondraki's office. The first sentence he heard was:
"Do you have time? The researcher in charge of 343 has asked for leave, and I need you to take over his job temporarily."
At these words, the live broadcast room exploded.
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents also tensed up.
Nobody expected that James would be the first researcher to deal with such a dangerous containment object.
Of course, it was 343, the very object everyone feared!
75.....
"This guy is crazy!" Natasha Romanoff hissed, frustrated.
"How long has James been a researcher? And he's already exposed to such a dangerous containment object!"
Nick Fury sighed deeply. "This is Dr. Kondraki..."
Everyone went silent.
They had all witnessed his insanity... after all, he was the man who dared to ride SCP-682!
Back in the scene, despite being warned by Lois beforehand, James seemed unfazed.
"OK," James responded nonchalantly.
Once he confirmed his agreement, Dr. Kondraki handed him a file and, in a much more satisfied tone, continued:
"You may have heard rumors about 343, but it's
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