The Underwhelming 173!
On the other end of the phone, the person reporting didn't answer Pierce's question directly, as they were unaware of the specifics.
"Apologies, Leader. We don't know the exact details, but we've learned that the Foundation did indeed successfully contain SCP-096. Coulson is already leveraging S.H.I.E.L.D.'s connections to handle the aftermath there, so I believe this intelligence is accurate."
Pierce: "..."
After quietly hanging up the phone, Pierce stared blankly at Dr. Zola's image on the screen.
How could this happen? I was supposed to be the luckiest one, on the verge of success...
How did things turn out this way?
Wasn't SCP-096 supposed to be invincible?
Why did it suddenly get contained?
Usually composed, Pierce couldn't help but curse out loud, "Damn it! And here I thought 096 was invincible—yet it still fell into human hands!"
Dr. Zola, observing the situation, silently sighed in relief.
Without SCP-096, perhaps Pierce's intelligence would return to normal?
"It seems the SCP-096 weapon plan has fallen through. What about the Insight plan? Do you want to call that off as well?" Dr. Zola inquired with a hint of schadenfreude.
"The Insight plan will proceed!" Pierce barked, leaving the room with a dark expression.
The humiliation had come too quickly, and he couldn't bear to linger in Dr. Zola's presence any longer. However, Pierce was not someone who gave up easily on his plans.
"The Foundation...
So what if it's been contained? As long as I can destroy the Foundation and take over everything they have, SCP-096 will still be my weapon!
It's far too early to determine the victor!"
Pierce's resolve hardened as he made his way out.
This was a common trait among villains: relentless determination, willing to sacrifice everything for their ultimate goal.
Pierce had already made up his mind—once back, he would mobilize all of HYDRA's resources to execute the Parasite Plan created by Fury. Pierce firmly believed that as long as he didn't deliberately hinder S.H.I.E.L.D., a united S.H.I.E.L.D. would surely crush the Foundation!
After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. was an immense organization backed by the combined forces of every nation on Earth!
…
Back at the villa, Ethan instructed the butler to prepare a guest room for Skye.
After ensuring everything was settled, Ethan locked himself in his bedroom to assess the rewards he had earned that day.
Among all the rewards, the 'Affection Boost Card' piqued his interest the most. He needed to understand how it worked.
A card that randomly increases a containment entity's affection?
"System, does the Affection Boost Card work on those higher-dimensional, supreme divine beings?" Ethan asked cautiously.
Ding! "Yes! However, the more powerful the entity, the weaker the card's effect!"
As long as it works, thought Ethan with relief.
Simultaneously, a plan began forming in his mind.
First, he would focus on amassing a large number of Affection Boost Cards. Once he had accumulated several thousand, or even tens of thousands of them, he would summon a supreme divine entity from a higher dimension and use the cards to max out their affection.
There's no way that, after maxing out their affection, he wouldn't be able to persuade such a being to voluntarily be contained!
After finishing his rewards inventory, Ethan felt tempted by the remaining legendary points.
Since it wasn't enough to summon SCP-662—The Butler's Hand Bell—perhaps he should try another random draw?
After all, both SCP-173 and SCP-096 were soon to be contained, leaving him with some spare time.
After pondering for a while, Ethan decided to take a two-day break to unwind.
The stress from dealing with SCP-096 had left him feeling somewhat on edge; a short break would help him reset his mindset.
…
After a night of playing cards with Natasha, Ethan woke up the next day feeling surprisingly refreshed. Just as he was about to start his day, the system notification chimed.
Ding! "Congratulations to the host for successfully containing SCP-173—The Sculpture—The Original Version!"
Ding! "Congratulations to the host for obtaining control over SCP-173—The Sculpture—The Original Version!"
Ding! "Congratulations to the host for acquiring 1 Affection Boost Card!"
...
"That's it?" Ethan frowned.
It was bad enough that SCP-173 was slow at generating legendary points—after all, it was just a statue, and expecting it to go out and cause trouble to harvest emotions was unrealistic.
But this meager containment reward? That was too much.
Both SCP-096 and SCP-307 had yielded rewards with four or more items when contained. But for SCP-173? Just two.
If it hadn't been for the additional Affection Boost Card, Ethan would have argued with the system today.
After venting his frustration about the rewards, Ethan remembered another important detail.
It seemed that the system's definition of successful containment wasn't just about putting an entity into the containment space but also about maintaining long-term control over it.
This was good news.
After all, many higher-dimensional, supreme divine beings might not be willing to enter the containment space. Reaching an agreement with them might still count as successful containment.
As Ethan's thoughts wandered, a pair of delicate arms wrapped around him from behind.
"President, I think you need some special training. It's fortunate that I'm physically stronger than the average woman. Otherwise, I might have gotten hurt last night," Natasha whispered cautiously.