Is it really normal to contain these anomalies?

As expected, it saw the restless cell head again.

After the extraction work was completed, the extracted corpse had dried up and deformed, but the burning cell brain showed no intention of reducing the intensity.

Its single pupil was also fixed on the 'cell' in the plague doctor's hand. Perhaps it could not understand what it was because it had lost all its memories, but it knew that it was what it longed for.

"boom!"

Another black stick. 049 threw out another black stick for fixing and nailed it firmly to the wall of the containment room that had just been repaired.

The doctor doesn't care what this cell head is, he is just curious whether it contains a medical solution that can save all mankind.

And wait until the noisy sounds around quieted down.

Its dry eyes finally met the 'cell' in the bottle again, and the silk thread twisting like ripples in water seemed to want to tell it something.

The silk thread touched the glass wall, and more crimson silk threads painted on this non-flat surface.

And among them, 049 finally saw it.

An island, a war, a king, a disaster called "plague", an alchemist who worked alone in the plague... and finally, an antidote called "panacea".

Countless scenes and things passed by its eyes, but all were like a kaleidoscope, too fast and too blurry.

All 049 could carefully remember was the soil filled with the smell of plague and the despair of countless people wailing in pain.

However, this plague doctor, who had been searching for a way to end the plague for countless years, quickly extracted the alchemist's theory from these memory fragments.

It understands...

The Philosopher's Stone in its hand is incomplete, and the real 'panacea' is not the Philosopher's Stone as described in ancient books.

'That's really bad news.'

049 thought so in his heart, but under the bird-beak mask, the corners of his mouth were still slightly raised.

It has waited long enough in the endless years, and no progress is the norm most of the time.

But this time it was different. As a doctor, it finally found some hope.

"It's not enough... These fragments of memory are not enough..."

It whispered and slowly placed the conical flask in its hand on the desk.

To truly obtain the formula for the potion called "Elixir of Life," it needs more of these "cells," or at least to see the alchemist's complete theory...

"Everyone outside is so sick, almost dying... I don't have much time to waste."

049 became a little anxious and began pacing back and forth in the containment room.

As a doctor, his sense of morality could not let him turn a blind eye to the patients who died of the plague in the outside world. He waited anxiously for the human corpses provided every day. He needed to speed up the extraction process...

After the footsteps repeated in every corner of this not-so-big containment room, the gentle voice on the radio slowly appeared.

【Work has begun, please enter in an orderly manner.】

The two gates opened one after another, and as usual, a human corpse was lying on the cart at the door.

The only difference is that this time the number of people coming in to provide supplies exceeded four.

"The Reverse Kabbalah Counter has dropped again for no apparent reason..."

Comini looked at the instrument data next to the safety door that dropped to 1, and she couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

As the first abnormality she encountered outside of containment, SCP-049 remained one of her deepest fears.

But she still took a deep breath and walked straight in pushing the cart.

"G-01-12, this is what you asked for..."

"Thank you."

The doctor in front of her didn't say anything at all. He just quickly took the corpse from her hand and replaced it with the one on the wall.

It quickly took on its own work.

After all, this is for the welfare of the public, and there is not much time to waste. In this world, people are suffering from the plague every minute and every second.

However, this kind of behavior made Komini doubt whether the doctor still remembered her.

"Ms. Comini, are you at Lobotomy going to keep providing corpses to 049?" The agent's fingers were always on the lavender spray he was given, and he never relaxed from the moment he entered the containment room.

Chapter 180 Surgery

But in fact, the scene inside the containment room is not difficult to accept.

The wounds on these corpses were not particularly bloody for an MTF agent, and the plague doctor's calm demeanor should have eased his nervousness.

But even so, his intuition about containing anomalies still told him that SCP-049 was in a very dangerous state at the moment, even more exaggerated than what was shown in the video of 049 breaking out of containment when the Foundation trained them.

Needless to say....no one can disturb this doctor from doing his job.

Comini also felt this, so she just nodded slightly in response to the agent's doubts.

They stood there for a few seconds and watched the process of 049 installing G-08-45 on the corpse's head - the slightly rusty black rod cut through the civilian head cleanly and neatly, and on the exposed part of the spine, the cell's head was inserted like a building block.

The cell man who had obtained a new body moved again, but this time the attack was no longer just an act of revenge. More targets were projected onto the crimson cells placed on the table.

"How long are we going to wait here?"

The two D-class beside him had never seen such a scene before. Their bodies were trembling under their protective suits.

After all, they know nothing and they have to be given Class B amnestics every month.

"Until the work is done."

Komini said softly.

Generally speaking, after obtaining the corpse, the doctor will usually remain restrained towards the "patient" in front of him, and will not even communicate at all, but will only perform his work instinctively.

During this period, 049-2 would occasionally go berserk and cause dangerous situations, but based on the communication between 049 and its predecessors, it would ensure the safety of these people.

So now, it seems that both parties just need to wait, wait for their respective work to be completed before leaving...

But the quiet atmosphere only lasted for ten minutes.

Ten minutes later, countless catheters were inserted again and the preparations for extraction were completed.

049 suddenly spoke casually.

"Well, long time no see, miss....you are very lucky."

A chill suddenly rose from Komini's heart, and she didn't know what was going on.

"Me?" she answered hesitantly.

"Yes... You've met a doctor, which makes you luckier than most patients," 049 sighed, "but just like before, the plague still plagues you. The doctor's treatment is effective, but unfortunately, the results are still poor..."

"What do you mean?" Komini's fingers gently grasped the bloody butcher knife at her waist.

G-01-12's Reverse Kabbalah Counter has inexplicably dropped to 1. If it drops any lower, it will breach containment...

Recalling the scene when SCP-049 broke out of containment last time and the corridors were full of 049-2, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

Fortunately, the doctor did not make any unnecessary movements. He just slowly turned the bird-beak mask towards her and spoke lightly.

"Don't be nervous. I'm just curious about the doctor's treatment... Where do you get all this energy?"

"vitality?"

"Yes," 049 felt a strong heartbeat emanating from her from the moment she entered, but it didn't belong to her. "What you're wearing is blocking some of the plague. It's very effective, even like my medical uniform..."

'Is it referring to the EGO I'm wearing?'

Komini finally understood what it meant. Feeling the scarlet scales on her body, she felt a sense of 'vitality', just as 049 had said.

"Sooner or later, the people here will fall prey to the plague...and our mission as doctors is to prevent this from happening...The more effective methods we have, the better."

Even if the other party didn't answer, 049 continued to speak on his own.

"Oh...you might not understand. What I mean is, I hope you can tell the doctor for me. I'm also curious about the source of this 'vitality'."

"..."

Everyone was silent.

Komini didn't know how to answer for a moment, and the people in the foundation were even more unable to understand their communication.

"I will."

"Very good," 049 nodded with satisfaction. It had never felt in a long time that the experiment was going so...smoothly.

If the semi-finished 'Philosopher's Stone' can be extracted...

The doctor fell into a brief silence for the next few minutes.

Looking at the empty collection bottle, this tranquility became particularly strange.

Komini looked at the wall to the side, where a small square was cast inside...

All staff can see the collected PE-BOX energy through it, which will make it easier for them to adjust their language and actions towards the abnormalities during work.

Can....

During these few minutes, they clearly had no communication at all. Apart from the three bars of green energy that had just risen, the red melting energy was accumulating rapidly!

'Why?!'

Komini took a deep breath, and more tension rose up in her heart.

She still clearly remembered the fourth item of the G-01-12 Management Instructions:

[When the work result is poor, SCP-049 will kill the current employee, and the reverse Kabbalah counter will decrease by one with a high probability.]

"No...that's not right...what went wrong..."

At this moment, the room was filled with 049's mumbling.

It seemed to be in the same deep confusion.

The experimental methods and materials are basically the same, so why doesn't the next "cell" like this appear?

It began to walk towards the cell man in front of it, pulled out the black rod used for fixation, placed it flat on the ground, and then performed "surgery" on the corpse.

This was also the first time that everyone saw the entire process of 049's "operation" so closely.

The skin and flesh were cut open by sharp scissors, the bone marrow and muscles were reconnected by nails and hammers, and more catheters were inserted. As unknown liquids were filled in, the corpse began to swell and become fuller... More human essence was squeezed out in this "operation".

The body in front of him, which had already been strengthened by the cell man, has now been upgraded to 049-2.

For ordinary people, this is a force that drains the pond to catch fish, but for this Dead Cell, it is just a long-lost feeling...

It began to drive its body to struggle, and this time even the black rod used to fix it began to tremble.

Chapter 181 Another Containment Breach

But 049 still showed no intention of stopping.

At this moment, it had only one thought in its mind - if this corpse still didn't work, then it would go find those terminally ill patients itself.

"Miss Cominny..." the agent whispered, his fingers already touching the thaumatological pistol and lavender spray.

"I know..."

Anyone in this situation would feel something was wrong.

Komini had also pulled out EGO. She had seen 049-2 and G-08-45 separately, but if these two were combined...

"Doctor, please stop the operation you are doing."

She stepped closer to the doctor in front of her, trying to resolve the problem with words, and if necessary, she would also try to chop off the burning cell head.

After all, they have nowhere to retreat. In this small containment room that will never be opened until the work is completed, they may only be able to leave safely after dealing with SCP-049-2 in front of them and then comforting SCP-049.

"Doctor, we..."

"Miss, do you understand how far you are from the plague?"

049 didn't look back, but seemed to sense her intention.

"No... you have no idea.... Except for the doctors, none of you can comprehend the horrors I have witnessed—the millions who have succumbed to the plague and been changed. I forgive your ignorance, but please do not mock the efforts of us healers."

The ground was now covered with dark blood flowing from the corpse's arteries.

During that bizarre operation, the corpse in front of him became more and more energetic.