Chapter 23: Yet another meme

On the eighty-fifth day of living together, Lin Xia felt that her shoulder no longer hurt.

When she got up that morning, she tried moving it around a bit.

Raising her arm.

Rotating it.

Nothing felt restricted anymore.

She glanced at herself in the mirror.

The bruise on her face had mostly faded too, leaving only a faint mark that would probably disappear completely in another couple of days.

Lin Xia peeled off the bandage and washed her face.

Yin Qi was already in the living room.

She was leaning against the sofa, her phone resting screen-up on her knees, but her eyes were fixed on the window as she stared outside in a daze.

“I think I’m almost fully recovered.”

“Mm.”

Yin Qi didn’t move her gaze from the window.

“I can tell.”

“And how exactly can you tell this time?”

“I can just feel it.”

“Your emotions seem pretty relaxed today.”

***

Around ten in the morning, Lin Xia received a mission notification.

The location was an old residential complex.

Residents had reported that objects had been mysteriously changing positions over the past two days.

No one had been injured so far, but the affected area was gradually expanding, and it was suspected that a meme was active in the area.

The preliminary rating was D-Class.

It was currently considered neutral.

The organization dispatched a two-person team to investigate.

Lin Xia and another agent.

She slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked to the door.

“I’m heading out on a mission.”

She spoke to Yin Qi.

“I’ll probably be back this afternoon.”

“Mm. Be careful.”

“Don’t worry.”

Lin Xia said,

“It’s only D-Class, and it’s neutral.”

“You should still be careful.”

“…Got it.”

Lin Xia left.

***

Her partner this time was Shen Yun.

The moment they met, they recognized each other.

The two of them met at the entrance to the residential complex.

Shen Yun had arrived earlier and was currently speaking with the property manager.

“Lin Xia?”

She nodded when she saw her approach.

“Perfect timing. We were just getting to the important part.”

The property manager’s surname was Chen.

He looked to be in his fifties.

Looking at the two young women, he seemed hesitant, but he still explained the situation.

The first incident had happened two days ago.

A resident couldn’t find their car keys in the parking lot between Buildings Two and Three.

Later, the keys were discovered sitting on top of the car.

Then yesterday, a package waiting inside a parcel locker somehow ended up on top of the locker unit itself.

This morning, someone found an unfamiliar shirt hanging neatly on their drying rack.

“Was anything damaged?”

Lin Xia asked.

“No.”

The manager shook his head.

“Everything was intact. They were just in strange places.”

“Did any residents see anything unusual?”

“No.”

“Let’s go take a look.”

Shen Yun said to Lin Xia.

***

Shen Yun spent a while in one of the building hallways.

She swept the area repeatedly with her equipment.

So far, this was the only location in the entire complex where the instrument had shown a significant response.

But there was nothing here except a white wall and an old bookshelf that nobody seemed to own.

The shelves were stacked with dusty books.

“It doesn’t seem like its area of influence is very large.”

Shen Yun said.

“The instrument only reacts within this small section, and the readings aren’t very high.”

Lin Xia looked at the bookshelf.

The books were stacked very neatly.

“When you got here earlier,” she asked,

“were the books already arranged this neatly?”

“Huh…”

Shen Yun thought for a moment.

“I think the book on the top shelf was tilted before.”

Lin Xia considered this.

Then she slowly approached the bookshelf.

In a low voice, she said,

“Can you understand what we’re saying?”

The hallway fell silent.

Then one of the books on the bottom shelf slowly slid forward.

Just a little.

As if something was cautiously peeking out.

When Shen Yun saw that, she immediately focused on the instrument.

The reading stabilized within the C-Class range.

One level higher than the organization had predicted.

At that moment, Lin Xia’s QQ special-notification tone sounded.

…Yes.

She had set Yin Qi as a special contact.

Even she couldn’t really explain why.

The message read:

“Don’t scare it.”

It was from Yin Qi.

After reading it, Lin Xia slipped her phone back into her pocket.

She crouched down until her eye level matched the bookshelf.

Looking inside, she noticed a narrow gap behind the back panel.

Something appeared to be moving inside.

Very slightly.

But definitely moving.

“If you can understand me…”

“Please don’t be afraid, okay?”

“Would you be willing to come out?”

Another few seconds of silence passed.

Then the book that had slid out slowly moved back into place.

Lin Xia thought for a moment.

She stood up, walked over, and took a small voice recorder out of her bag.

She placed it on the second shelf.

Half a minute later, the recorder was pushed toward the edge.

It was almost about to fall.

Lin Xia was about to catch it.

But suddenly it was pulled back.

It returned to its original position.

Only now it was lined up more neatly than before.

Beside her, Shen Yun whispered,

“I think it’s organizing your stuff for you.”

“Maybe.”

Lin Xia said.

“So… does that mean it understood what I said?”

“Mm…”

Shen Yun hesitated.

“Not necessarily.”

“The way it’s acting doesn’t really seem like it understood.”

“Do you like organizing things?”

Lin Xia asked.

“Were you the one moving all those objects?”

There was still no response from the bookshelf.

“I’m not blaming you.”

“I just want to know if it was you.”

“We don’t mean any harm.”

After several more seconds of silence, a magazine on the top shelf shifted slightly.

“Does that count as a response?”

Shen Yun whispered.

“Maybe…”

***

In the end, the two of them submitted a full report.

They recommended against containment for the time being.

Instead, they suggested continued observation.

They also recommended classifying it as friendly.

Lin Xia and Shen Yun waited in the hallway for another thirty minutes.

Nothing else happened near the bookshelf.

Before leaving, Lin Xia returned to retrieve her voice recorder.

Then she left a piece of candy there.

It was the kind of mint candy she liked carrying around in her bag.

Shen Yun watched from the side without saying anything.

“That’s technically against protocol.”

“When you write the report, don’t mention the candy.”

“But… does it even have a mouth?”

“If it doesn’t, what exactly is it supposed to do with the candy?”

***

When Lin Xia returned home, she saw Yin Qi sitting in the chair by the window.

Yin Qi lifted her eyes and glanced at her.

“Did it go smoothly?”

“Pretty smoothly.”

Lin Xia sat down on the sofa.

“It turned out to be C-Class after testing.”

“Friendly too.”

“It was hiding on a bookshelf in a hallway the whole time.”

“What did you think of it?”

“It seemed nice.”

“Before I left, I even left it a piece of candy.”

“Candy…”

Yin Qi repeated the word.

The corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

“It might not be able to eat it.”

“I know.”

Lin Xia said.

“It was more of a symbolic gesture.”

“Su Xin.”

Lin Xia spoke.

“Mm?”

“How did you sense it this time?”

“The same way as before.”

“Because it’s a meme.”

“So it stands out pretty clearly to me.”

“Is that your ability, then?”

“Emotion sensing and stuff like that?”

Yin Qi was silent for a moment before answering.

“No.”

“My real ability has been sealed by your organization.”

“I can’t use it.”

Lin Xia frowned skeptically.

But she didn’t press further.

“What kind of candy did you leave?”

“Mint candy.”

Lin Xia answered.

“Why?”

“Nothing.”

Yin Qi said.

“That’s nice.”

Lin Xia couldn’t figure out what that “that’s nice” was supposed to mean.

Outside the window, the wind gently swayed a tree downstairs.

Several white-bulbuls fluttered out from its branches and disappeared into the sky.