Chapter 28: Not Yet the Right Time

Chen Feng came to speak with Lin Xia.

It was a routine periodic evaluation.

Every monitor underwent one every three months.

Lin Xia had been employed for six months now.

This was her second evaluation.

The location was the same small meeting room in the branch office.

Chen Feng closed the door behind him, sat down across from Lin Xia, and pushed a folder toward her.

“These are the summaries of your records from this period.”

Lin Xia opened it.

Inside were report summaries from the past few months, mission records, and an evaluation from her supervisors.

The wording was very formal.

The general conclusion was that her field adaptability had improved and her judgment was accurate.

However, there were occasional cases where the source of reported information was unclear.

“‘Source of reported information unclear’…”

Lin Xia read the line once.

“What exactly does that mean?”

“It probably means that sometimes you report strange pieces of information.”

Chen Feng said, “Even though none of them have ever been wrong, whenever you summarize things afterward, you become vague about where they came from.”

Lin Xia closed the folder and set it on the table without speaking.

“I’m not trying to hold you accountable for anything.”

Chen Feng said, “I’m just reminding you.”

“…Understood.”

Lin Xia replied.

“Also, keep a closer eye on the meme you’re responsible for.”

“After the suppressor fell off her last time, the organization concluded there were no abnormalities.”

“But they also said that if something similar happens again, they may reevaluate the handling plan.”

“Understood.”

Chen Feng collected the folder and leaned back in his chair.

His tone relaxed slightly.

“You’ve been living with it for about three months now, right?”

“Tell me.”

“What’s your impression?”

Lin Xia thought for a moment.

“For a humanoid meme, she’s pretty well-behaved.”

“There haven’t been any major problems.”

“And any minor problems?”

“…Yes.”

Lin Xia said, “She likes teasing people.”

Chen Feng nodded.

“Mhm.”

“But…”

Lin Xia continued, “She’s never done anything dangerous.”

“She’s never tried to resist anything.”

“In fact, she often helps me with things.”

“It’s just…”

“Her personality is hard to figure out.”

“The fact that an E-Class Meme can display this level of complexity is already noteworthy in itself.”

Chen Feng said, “Professor Fang has also been thinking about making time to visit.”

“Mhm. I know.”

“Speaking of which, has she shown any unusual behavior lately?”

Lin Xia paused.

She thought about how often Yin Qi had been opening the windows lately.

She thought about the things she had said.

She thought about the bird.

…No, better not mention that.

“Maybe a little.”

She said, “But I can’t really pinpoint what it is.”

“Mhm.”

Chen Feng stood up and pushed his chair back.

“Just keep paying attention.”

“If anything unusual happens, report it immediately.”

“Okay.”

Lin Xia picked up the folder and headed toward the door.

At the doorway, she stopped.

“Team Leader Chen.”

“Hm?”

“It’s about those notices the branch has been issuing lately…”

“The ones regarding abnormal meme activity.”

Lin Xia said, “Do you know anything about it?”

Chen Feng glanced at her.

“Not yet.”

“But headquarters is compiling and analyzing data from branches across different regions.”

“Then if there are any updates…”

“You’ll be informed.”

Chen Feng said, “For now, just continue your normal work.”

Lin Xia nodded and left.

***

When she returned home, she saw Yin Qi standing on the balcony.

The window was open a crack.

One hand rested on the windowsill as she looked outside.

Lin Xia changed into her slippers and walked in.

Setting her bag down, she said,

“…I got lectured a little.”

“What happened?”

“They said I report information without explaining where it came from…”

Lin Xia puffed out her cheeks and sat down on the couch.

“Heh…”

“Sorry for causing you trouble.”

“What does that have to do with you…”

“Next time I sense something, I’ll help you make up an explanation while I’m at it.”

“…Do whatever you want.”

“I guarantee it’ll be foolproof.”

The two sat in silence for a while.

Out of habit, Lin Xia checked her phone.

There were no new messages.

“Chen Feng also asked whether you’ve been acting strangely lately.”

“I told him maybe.”

“Not bad.”

Lin Xia set her phone down and looked at her.

“Did you discover anything today?”

“A little.”

Yin Qi replied.

“But I’m not sure whether it counts as any real progress.”

“You mean…?”

“Those bits of ‘noise’ I’ve been hearing.”

Yin Qi said, “A lot of them come from the same target.”

“And what do you think that means?”

Yin Qi thought for a moment.

“People who do bad things usually have a boss.”

“That’s pretty normal.”

Lin Xia considered that for a while before speaking.

“Su Xin.”

“Hm?”

“Keep watching carefully.”

“If anything unusual happens…”

“I want you to tell me first.”

“…Okay.”

“And you can’t just tell me the parts that won’t scare me.”

“Tell me everything you know.”

“…I’ll do my best.”

‘Of course I won’t.’

‘At least not right now.’

‘Now isn’t the right time for you to know what my real abilities are.’

‘That passive sensing ability is only a side effect.’

‘If I actually told you that every single thing I can perceive only needs a sufficiently specific concept in my mind before I can regard it as a kind of meme…’

‘And then alter it, erase it, or even create it from nothing…’

‘And that all of those abilities come without prerequisites or costs…’

‘What would you think?’

‘How would you look at me?’

‘So at least…’

‘Now is not the time to tell you the truth.’

***

The city lights outside the window gradually began to brighten.

A cool breeze slipped through the crack in the balcony window.

Lin Xia sat at the table reading a response manual.

Yin Qi sat quietly nearby, watching her without interrupting.

After about forty minutes, Lin Xia closed the manual and rubbed her eyes.

“I’m going to take a shower.”

“Mhm.”

Carrying her pajamas, Lin Xia walked into the bathroom.

She slid the glass door shut.

Hung up the clothes she had taken off.

And turned on the hot water.

Standing beneath the showerhead, Lin Xia replayed the events of the day in her mind.

Chen Feng’s words.

Su Xin’s words.

The sound of running water drowned out the noises around her.

But her thoughts were unusually calm.