Chapter 29: It’s Planning Something Big

The noise of tires rolling across the road drifted up from below the building in intermittent waves.

Somewhere in the distance, an ambulance siren suddenly cut through the night.

A moment later, it disappeared back into the city’s constant low hum.

Lin Xia folded her hands on her knees.

Her thumbs pressed against each other, circling several times before she finally looked up at Yin Qi.

“So what you’re saying is that thing isn’t just probing you.”

“It might also be actively contacting other unregistered memes?”

“That’s right.”

“It… how is it doing that?”

“Newly born memes appear in different locations.”

“They don’t have any communication channels between them.”

“Could it be gathering them somewhere before our monitoring systems detect them?”

“It searches for them one by one.”

Yin Qi said,

“Whenever it finds a target, it uses some method of its own to shield it from your organization’s perception.”

“Then it leaves behind a single sentence.”

“No hidden meaning.”

“No political stance.”

“It simply tells those memes that have just emerged from the currents of information:”

“‘If you’re discovered, they’ll put a label on you.'”

Lin Xia reviewed everything Yin Qi had suddenly told her today.

She didn’t ask how Yin Qi knew these things.

Even if she did ask, Yin Qi probably wouldn’t answer.

The conclusion Lin Xia reached sent a chill down her spine.

It was recruiting.

Its targets weren’t humans.

Nor were they agents.

It was targeting newly born memes.

Unregistered ones.

Memes that knew absolutely nothing about the world.

Su Xin wasn’t the only meme born with a connection to the information field.

But that trait was indeed unique to certain special memes.

Most memes didn’t even know what the GMRA was when they first came into existence.

They certainly wouldn’t understand the difference between cooperation and containment.

“Su Xin.”

“This…”

“I have to report it.”

“Okay.”

Yin Qi flopped backward onto the couch and casually lifted her legs.

“But there’s something you need to think through first.”

“How are you going to explain to your superiors how you learned all of this?”

“I…”

“I know I said I’d help you come up with an excuse.”

“But this time the situation is a little more difficult.”

“Let me think of something.”

Lin Xia fell silent.

The last report had already made Sister Gu suspicious.

If she submitted even more detailed intelligence this time while remaining vague about the source, the branch office might genuinely begin suspecting her.

But if she didn’t report it, that thing would continue operating in the shadows.

And if it gathered enough allies, the situation could become uncontrollable.

“Then just report the signal activity.”

Yin Qi said, “Didn’t your branch issue telemetry devices to everyone?”

“Just say you found some suspicious data points in your observation logs.”

“Report the times and coordinates.”

“But what if there aren’t actually any anomalies in the data?”

Lin Xia asked miserably.

“There are.”

“I checked.”

“There are a few small peaks.”

“You can explain it away by saying you’re particularly sensitive to the data or something.”

“It’ll be easy enough.”

“As for that warehouse I told you about…”

“Don’t include it.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s probably its base of operations.”

“If your organization launches a major investigation right now, it’ll definitely run.”

“At the moment, it doesn’t know I can pinpoint its location this accurately.”

“It only knows that someone noticed it.”

“It doesn’t know I can narrow it down this precisely.”

“If we lose that advantage now, keeping track of it next time won’t be nearly as easy.”

“Are you…”

“Hm?”

“You want us to wait until we completely understand it first.”

“Then move in and wipe everything out at once.”

Yin Qi didn’t answer directly.

The curve of her lips returned to that familiar, unreadable smile.

“Know your enemy and know yourself.”

“You can’t go wrong with that.”

***

After submitting the report, Lin Xia didn’t receive any substantial response.

Only a brief reply:

[Acknowledged. The signal characteristics match records previously collected by multiple monitoring stations. Personnel are currently coordinating comparative analysis of signals from the relevant directions. Please continue observation.]

The wording was standard.

Completely emotionless.

However, the phrase “Please continue observation” confirmed one thing for Lin Xia.

Her report had not been dismissed as equipment error.

***

Three nights later, Yin Qi sat on her bed.

The emotions drifting through the city were as noisy as ever.

Someone was working overtime late into the night.

Someone else was lying awake unable to sleep.

A newly born meme was trying to reduce its presence somewhere in a forgotten corner.

…Then suddenly, that signal appeared again.

This time was different from every previous encounter.

Before, it would probe in her direction briefly before retreating.

This time, it didn’t withdraw.

Yin Qi focused her awareness toward it.

The surrounding noise seemed denser than before.

Not human emotions.

Not meme fluctuations.

It felt like something…

Something was gathering strength in a deeply unsettling way.

She withdrew her awareness.

Picking up her phone, she sent Lin Xia a message.

“Be extra careful over the next few days.”

After sending it, she set her phone aside and lay down.

Pulling the blanket high enough to cover her mouth, she went to sleep.

***

At the meeting the next day, Chen Feng said: “There may be an operation within the next few days.”

“Remain on standby at all times.”

Lin Xia thought about it for a while after hearing those words.

Her intuition told her that this time…

Things might be different from the previous incidents.

***

That evening, when Lin Xia returned home, Yin Qi was sitting on the couch playing with her phone.

“Team Leader Chen said there might be an operation within the next few days.”

“Mhm.”

“…Su Xin.”

“What is it?”

“The warehouse you mentioned last night…”

“How is it now?”

“Hmm…”

Yin Qi thought for a moment.

“It seems…”

“It’s still building up strength.”