CHAPTER 404: 403

Without a doubt, this was not normal. Before Wang Congshan’s narration, Li Ang’s memory of that day was almost nonexistent, but after listening to her recount, the details of that day became vivid in his mind. He remembered it should have been autumn. Wang Congshan was wearing a pink butterfly-shaped hair clip, a blue turtleneck underneath, and a white jacket over it. When they were on duty together, a pleasant scent of milk-flavored body wash emanated from her.

Li Ang was a natural genius, not a pervert; he wouldn’t remember Wang Congshan’s specific attire from so long ago, nor her scent.

Memories that appeared out of nowhere?

While Li Ang’s face maintained a comforting smile for the Class President, his brain was whirring at top speed, considering all possibilities.

A man-made Cognitive Bias Curse?

Meme Pollution caused by supernatural items?

A massive mystical Ritual track?

"Um... didn’t the Special Affairs Bureau issue a notice about this?"

Wang Congshan said hesitantly, "It said if you encounter any unexpected situation, you can call the Special Affairs Bureau hotline or leave a message on the official website to report it."

Li Ang pretended to consider for a moment. "This post has been up on the internet for so long without being deleted, so it should be fine, right? But just to be safe, why don’t you contact your cousin?"

Wang Congshan’s cousin was the artist Wei Linglan. After Li Ang had tricked her, she had somewhat reluctantly joined the Special Affairs Bureau and become an agent. It was said she had recently passed her probation and been promoted.

"Okay."

Wang Congshan nodded, picked up her phone, and called Wei Linglan.

"Hello? Cousin, it’s me."

"Shan Shan, wait a moment for me, it’s noisy here; I’ll step outside."

The other end of the phone erupted with a barrage of gunfire, seemingly from a shooting range.

Wang Congshan hummed in acknowledgment. After a short while, the cacophony of gunfire on the other side of the line quieted down.

"Okay, I’m ready. What’s up?"

Wei Linglan’s voice carried a hint of teasing. "Ah, right, you were supposed to go to the zoo with your boyfriend today, weren’t you? Did he upset you? Or did he confess to you? Or did something thrilling, utterly romantic, and filled with the hues of young love occur, and now you’re seeking my advice?"

Wang Congshan rolled her eyes. "Please, you go on over twenty blind dates a year and haven’t even been in a serious relationship. What advice could you possibly give? ’One Hundred Ways to Cook a Single Dog’?"

Offended, Wei Linglan retorted through the phone, "Hey, you cheeky girl! Just because I haven’t eaten pork, does that mean I’ve never seen a pig run? Theory, you know, theory is more important than practice. It’s like they say, ’Those directly involved are often muddled, while bystanders see clearly...’"

"Alright, alright, I’ve got serious business."

Wang Congshan quickly interrupted Wei Linglan’s rambling and explained in detail about the strange post she saw on the forum and her own peculiar memories.

After listening to Wang Congshan, Wei Linglan’s tone suddenly turned grave, and she said seriously, "Got it. Where are you now?"

"Still at the zoo, with... cough, Li Ang."

"Good. Stay where you are and don’t move. I’ll report this right away. I’ll contact you soon."

"Okay." Wang Congshan nodded, hung up the phone, and locked eyes with Li Ang.

Soon, the phone rang again. Wei Linglan spoke with some confusion, "Uh, the Special Affairs Bureau has also taken notice of this situation. Colleagues have already gone over to investigate. It seems there was an anomalous event that accidentally caused the forum’s webpages to be contaminated with some Meme that can alter cognition."

"Meme..."

Wang Congshan’s brows furrowed slightly, while Li Ang remained silent.

The so-called Meme, simply put, is a basic unit of culture, transmitted non-genetically, especially through imitation. Any cultural concept created by humans is a Meme: tea ceremonies, movies, music, or even more abstract concepts like freedom, justice, truth, and holidays.

The manifestation of Memes is very common. For example, people might search for a song because everyone around them is discussing it. They might copy and forward a silly image macro from a QQ group to other groups, or during online chats, they might copy-paste witty banter, becoming a "repeater."

In short, in the real world, a Meme is an idea that can infect others and change their behavior.

But in the realm of the supernatural, Memes, especially anomalous Memes, hold much more terrifying power.

A single exposure—a word, a piece of music, a poem, a movie—can all serve as carriers of anomalous Memes, infecting the minds of ordinary people.

For instance, in the movie *The Ring*, just watching Sadako’s videotape meant certain death.

The Cognitive Bias Curse released by the Radical Faction of the Whale Song is also a form of anomalous Meme.

Long ago, the demon Zou Zhengze told Li Ang that knowing "the truth of the Soul’s reincarnation inevitably leads to no escape" was also an extreme form of an anomalous Meme, though its veracity was unknown.

The official website of the Special Affairs Bureau has many records on anomalous Memes. The official recommendation to the public is not to be overly curious about supernatural matters, as any proactive exploration or inquiry into anomalous events could result in infection by an anomalous Meme, leading to the loss of independent thought.

The Special Affairs Bureau previously conducted a large-scale awareness campaign, emphasizing many important points to be aware of, and Wang Congshan was very clear about what a Meme is.

A psychological aberration—invisible and intangible—is always the most horrifying.

Seemingly sensing Wang Congshan’s unease, Wei Linglan hurriedly said, "That webpage does contain an anomalous Meme, but after investigation, it’s found to be harmless to the average person affected; it’s not harmful in nature at all. Once the webpage is fixed, the problem should be resolved. Refresh the page first and see if you can still find it."

Wang Congshan nodded and, while keeping the call active, tapped on her phone screen.

In just that short while, the post had been removed from the anonymous forum. It was unsearchable, and refreshing the old page only displayed an "Error Message" notification.

Li Ang, sitting across the table, also tried but with the same result: he couldn’t open it.

"Cousin, the post can’t be found anymore."

"Hmm, that’s good."

"Uh, is that really enough?"

Frowning, Wang Congshan said, "Just deleting the webpage and such... it feels kind of strange... Those memories that appeared in my mind, are they fake? Why do they feel clearer and clearer? Could they be related somehow..."