As the final truth drew near, Luo Shu couldn't help but confront the void in his own origins.
It wasn't as critical as uncovering the world's secrets, yet it nagged like a fishbone lodged in his throat—impossible to ignore.
His memories bore the hallmarks of artificial implantation: broad strokes without detail. Like recalling life's milestones but none of the mundane moments that gave them weight.
A life without trivialities isn't a life at all.
Joy, sorrow, irritation, warmth—these were the flesh upon memory's bones. But Luo Shu had only the skeleton.
For a reckless moment, he considered taking the Class-Z Mnestic Enhancer to dredge up every buried second, from birth onward.
The Diary's Final Secret
Before leaving S041-B30-000, Luo Shu grabbed the century-old diary—only to discover an inscription on its back cover:
"This diary is itself an anti-meme. If you're reading this, I'm dead."
"Do me a favor: evacuate Site-41, then burn it—with my body inside."
"May you end this war."
"P.S. There's a Class-Z pill in my desk. Use it if you dare."
"—Marion Wheeler's last words"
The Anti-Memetics Director had anticipated everything.
Tucking the diary away, Luo Shu stepped out—and immediately forgot everything that had transpired inside.
Not even his W-class mnestic resistance could withstand the room's effect.
No matter. The diary remained in his pocket. A reread would suffice.
Back in Marion's office, he found the pill: a vacuum-sealed crimson tablet.
Class-Z Mnestic Enhancer acquired.
The Suicide Pill
He nearly ingested it—until the Archive's entry gave him pause:
[Page: 127]
[Item Name: Class-Z Mnestic Enhancer]
[Class: Safe]
[Description: Upon ingestion, your brain will feel aflame. Every memory, unearthed.]
[Pharmacology: A compound of ███ and ████, inducing 1000x normal acetylcholine (ACh) production in the hippocampus and neocortex. Forces total memory recall.]
[Dosage: One tablet per lifetime. (Because one is all you'll need.)]
[Ability: Photographic memory. Using it is suicide. Save it for when you're ready to die.]
As a triple-major in sciences, Luo Shu understood:
ACh overload = accelerated cellular metabolism = telomere depletion = rapid aging.
Cardiac effects: Bradycardia → arrest.
Secondary horrors: Nausea, incontinence, organ failure.
No amount of Anomalous Item-500 (Panacea) could reverse this. Only Item-006 (Fountain of Youth) might offset the damage—if taken in tandem.
Not worth the risk.
A Pyre for the Past
The elevator ascended. Marion's final request echoed:
Burn Site-41.
With the diary secured and Anomalous Item-3211 neutralized, the facility had served its purpose.
He ordered "Reminiscence" to broadcast an alert:
"Keter-class anti-meme breach. Nuclear detonation in 15 minutes. Evacuate."
Then he carried Marion's body back to S041-B30-000 and lit the match.
The Last Exodus
Site-41's staff—all octogenarians preserved by O5-8's Fountain of Youth—stumbled into the night.
They'd lived here since the Cuban Crisis, their faces untouched by time, their home an island against the world.
Now alarms screamed them into the cold. Some wept. Others stared at the flames, uncomprehending.
Site-167 gone.
Site-41 burning.
Marion Wheeler dead.
The Anti-Memetics Division was now legend.
Luo Shu didn't look back as he walked into the dark. Behind him, the inferno painted the Rockies gold.
"Farewell, Anti-Memetics Division."