As Anomalous Item-2830-3 was sealed away, the clock struck midnight.
Luo Shu quickly reactivated all his expended abilities, preparing to document the remaining anomalies on Sublevel 3 before calling it a night.
If the memes he'd encountered earlier were merely mild appetizers, what awaited him now were the far more aggressive Mad Memes.
The reason Site-33 employed so many psychologists was precisely because these anomalies had severe psychological effects on personnel.
The first mad meme Luo Shu faced was Anomalous Item-2142—"Just Clap Your Hands at Times Like These."
This anomaly consisted of a collection of memetic music—over 1,800 different songs.
Contained within Site-33 were the physical carriers of these songs: CDs, vinyl records, cassette tapes, and more.
Anyone who listened to these tracks would suffer nightmares upon falling asleep.
No matter how long they slept, the same type of nightmare would inevitably occur.
Hand-chewing nightmares.
And not just any hands—their own hands.
This phenomenon was dubbed "Lavinia Syndrome," requiring psychological evaluation and treatment from Site-33's specialists.
To Luo Shu, Anomalous Item-2142 didn't seem particularly terrifying.
It also had a notable weakness—or, from a human perspective, an advantage: the meme wasn't contagious.
That was why it had been classified as Safe.
For an anomaly like this, Luo Shu wasn't content with mere documentation. If he was going to engage, he'd go all in.
He decided to infect himself with the meme, experience Lavinia Syndrome firsthand, and then suppress it.
This, too, was a crucial part of his mental tempering.
From the thousands of CDs in the containment unit, he selected one titled "The Lonesome Crowded West."
According to official records, this album was an ideal vector for Anomalous Item-2142—100% infection rate for Lavinia Syndrome.
After listening to one track, Luo Shu turned off the CD player and camped out right there in the containment unit.
He wasn't worried about Site-33 staff patrolling at night.
The reason was simple: This was the Sunset Empire. Overtime didn't exist here.
The moment the clock struck quitting time, offices emptied faster than a sinking ship—not even a rat would linger.
That was also why, when Luo Shu had deployed the Workaholic's Bagged Coffee, Site-33 immediately suspected Land Rover of anomalous activity.
Right now, even if Luo Shu snored loud enough to shake the walls, no one would check on him.
After all, Anomalous Item-2142 was just a meme. If containment failed, a few night-shift guards wouldn't be able to stop it anyway.
Aside from the front-gate security, no one patrolled the containment areas at night.
During his time on Sublevel 2, Luo Shu hadn't encountered a single soul—using Anti-Meme abilities there would've been a waste.
Before lying down, Luo Shu set an alarm for one hour.
Victims of Lavinia Syndrome didn't need to wait 90 minutes for REM sleep—the nightmares came instantly.
Sure enough, shortly after dozing off, the dream began.
In it, Luo Shu was happily munching on a spicy chicken foot—until he realized it was a human hand.
When he looked down at his arms, he saw his own hands were missing.
Confirmed infection.
But Luo Shu didn't panic or force himself awake. Instead, he entered his mental realm while still asleep.
There, he found a smaller version of himself gnawing on its own hands—the meme's manifestation.
Rather than attacking it, Luo Shu searched for the root of the infection.
Just like how the SMS Meme had left mental vortices to devour consciousness, Anomalous Item-2142 must have left a mark.
The mental realm was sparse—only his own consciousness existed. So he quickly spotted it.
On his hands, a tattoo-like sigil had appeared: a human figure chewing its own limbs.
The meme's mark.
With a thought, Luo Shu purged the sigil using his mental energy. The smaller version of himself vanished instantly.
The meme had been expelled.
He opened the Anomalous Item Compendium to the newly updated page.
[Page: 159]
[Item No.: Anomalous Item-2142]
[Item Name: "Just Clap Your Hands at Times Like These"]
[Class: Safe]
[Image: …]
[Description: …]
[Special Containment Procedures: …]
[Abilities: Hand-Chewing Nightmares. This meme stems from a common childhood habit—nail-biting. The root cause is anxiety and stress. But once it evolves into a meme, it amplifies those very emotions. Just lighten up. Aren't spicy chicken feet delicious?]
[Status: Suppressed]
[Interaction Log: Click to Play]
[O]
Safe-class was Safe-class—no challenge at all.
Luo Shu woke himself from the mental realm and checked his watch. Only half an hour had passed.
He turned off the alarm and moved to the next anomaly.
Anomalous Item-2737: "The Dead Lamprey"
Lampreys were disgusting to begin with—jawless, eel-like creatures with circular mouths lined with razor teeth.
Just looking at one could trigger trypophobia in the weak-willed.
Many sci-fi films based their giant sandworms on these abominations.
And when such a creature became a memetic anomaly?
Even worse.
Anyone aware of Anomalous Item-2737 would develop symptoms upon hearing the phrase:
"The lamprey is dead."
Symptoms included:
Heightened empathy
Severe depression
Death anxiety
Belief in collective consciousness and interconnected life
Those with religious inclinations would obsess over theodicy, immortality, transcendence, and negentropy.
Clearly, this meme was far more deranged than Anomalous Item-2142.
But after easily conquering the last anomaly, Luo Shu was ready to test Anomalous Item-2737's limits.
So he let it infect him.
And then—
He began to weep uncontrollably…