DIM Chapter 7

Translator: Abo Dammen

All individuals at the hospital had undergone memory wipes. What they had seen and heard today would be distorted into something more aligned with common sense.

For example, they would remember being infected with a virus, undergoing quarantine, disinfection, and checks before being released.

Under the memory wipe, their brains would quickly forget the events of the day. Even when family members asked which day they had gone to the hospital, the response would only be, “I can’t remember.”

However, such a large-scale type of anomaly couldn’t be completely concealed.

The sudden, widespread internet outage—where only government centers could still operate normally, while all private networks were suspended—was highly unusual. Something big must have happened.

Some tried to leave the city, only to find that all public transportation routes out of the city had been cut off.

They were trapped!

Realizing this, panic set in.

No internet, restricted movement—they were now like fish in a barrel, at the mercy of others. Even with high trust in the authorities, fear was inevitable.

Xinhai City had cut off the internet in time, but some cities were a step slower, leading to a flood of posts online.

[I was video-calling my partner when he suddenly started laughing uncontrollably, collapsed to the ground, and dropped his phone. Then I received a video from him. What’s going on?!]

[Is anyone in Xinhai? The OP disappeared after posting. Did something happen?]

[No idea. My colleague in Xinhai is also unreachable. Damn it, I need to submit the proposal tonight!]

[I can’t get through on the phone either!]

[Ahh! Runze City too! I was video-calling my dad, and suddenly the internet cut out!]

[Linquan City too!]

[Dong’an too!]

Ten minutes later, the post displayed a 404 error.

Soon, more questioning posts appeared, but they were quickly deleted. It was clear to anyone paying attention that something was wrong.

[My mom is still in Xinhai. I need to go find her!]

[Bro, did you find her? What’s going on?]

The OP never replied.

In reality, Xinhai City had become a one-way trap, drawing people in like a massive black hole.

On the streets, people walking by would suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter, startling their companions.

In schools, teachers lecturing would suddenly have students laughing.

“What’s so funny in class?!” the teacher yelled, throwing a piece of chalk.

But when the chalk hit the student’s forehead, the student collapsed to the ground, still laughing.

The class erupted in chaos.

The teacher, horrified, immediately called for an ambulance.

But before the ambulance arrived, another student began laughing uncontrollably.

The same scenes played out everywhere—hospitals, parks, restaurants, offices… Laughter filled the air, but it was drowned out by screams of terror.

Emergency lines were overwhelmed, and the city was pushed to its limits.

Outside the city, conspiracy theorists were having a field day.

[This must be a plot by the [redacted] forces!]

[Nonsense! Why is everything their fault? Shouldn’t we reflect on ourselves? Besides, this is clearly the work of superpowers!]

[Shocking! Why are strange things happening? Why are people laughing uncontrollably? This video has the answers you’re looking for! Click it!]

Xinhai activated its emergency protocols. Several anomalous items were unsealed, and a large number of D-rank personnel were mobilized to use these items and prevent further casualties.

Surrounding cities also sprang into action. Every second, countless messages flowed through internal systems.

The scale of the anomaly had even shaken the Investigation Bureau.

Xinhai had encountered memetic pollution¹ before, but internet-based memetic pollution was the hardest to detect and contain, especially in the current era. Fortunately, the timely internet shutdown had limited the anomaly to three provinces and a few cities. With precautions in place, nearly all cybersecurity personnel were deployed to delete the digital “trash.”

[Due to a malfunction in the information base stations, the networks in S Province, D Province, and E Province remain down. Technicians are working urgently to restore service, but the timeline is uncertain…

Citizens need not worry. While such a large-scale network anomaly was rare, we are confident our staff will restore normal service as soon as possible.

Additionally, this incident is suspected to be linked to a hacker organization. If you or anyone you know receives a 10-second video with a gray thumbnail:

DO NOT OPEN IT!

DO NOT OPEN IT!

DO NOT OPEN IT!

This video is a virus carrier. Opening it will immediately disable your device and may even cause an explosion! Several deaths have already been reported! Please exercise extreme caution!

Once again, if you encounter such a video, delete it immediately! If you cannot delete it, call 111000. Security officers will arrive on the scene immediately!]

Despite the government’s efforts to spread the warning through all available channels, the internet restrictions meant some people remained unaware. They unknowingly opened videos sent by friends or family.

“Honey! You’re finally talking to me. I’m sorry, okay? I’ll do whatever you ask! I’ll watch it right now!” A portly middle-aged man sat up at his desk.

“Professor, is this the new assignment? A video? Okay, I’ll look up the materials first,” a bespectacled college student said, opening the video on his phone.

…

Knock knock—

No one answered.

At the door, two fully armed security officers broke in and found a man on the floor, laughing so hard he couldn’t stand. They injected him with a syringe, and his laughter gradually subsided as he passed out.

The officers took him to the bureau, where they quickly prepared for the next rescue.

The scale of the operation had mobilized nearly all of Xinhai’s security forces. The city was in a state of wartime readiness.

However, a few places remained unaffected.

Lin Lin leaned on the counter, tapping it with his knuckles.

The front desk was greasy, and Lin Lin’s hand slipped slightly as he touched it.

Hearing the noise, the receptionist—a young man with dyed hair—looked up from his phone. “Oh, it’s you. Need to borrow the restroom again?”

Before Lin Lin could respond, Zhong Renbao pointed inside. “Restroom’s over there.”

Lin Lin put his arm down and pulled out his ID. “Security Bureau. Here to investigate.”

When working outside, the Special Investigation Bureau often used the Security Bureau’s identity for convenience.

Zhong Renbao’s hand twitched, causing him to lose his 10-win streak in his mobile game.

“Officer… what’s this about?” he asked cautiously, glancing at the ID.

So, this was someone from the capital, probably here for a major case. Had he been too casual earlier?

But the man didn’t seem to mind. His white hair framed his slightly lowered eyes, and his tone was casual. “Do you recognize me?”

Zhong Renbao blinked. “You borrowed the restroom a couple of days ago…”

“Did I? I don’t remember.”

Zhong Renbao didn’t know how to respond and awkwardly laughed.

“Do you remember the person sent to the hospital a couple of days ago?”

Zhong Renbao stiffened. “Yes! He wasn’t a guest at our hotel!”

After sending the man to the hospital, he had double-checked the guest list and found no record of him.

Could he have been a fugitive who snuck in?

Zhong Renbao shuddered.

“Show me the surveillance footage from that day.”

The hallway cameras had a small issue. After Ruan Zhou’s room, it was a blind spot.

“Strange. The cameras were working fine a couple of days ago,” Zhong Renbao said, scratching his head.

Lin Lin asked, “What about the stairs?”

The footage showed a man in a white uniform half-running, half-crawling, losing his balance, and tumbling down the stairs.

At this point, he could no longer maintain his disguise. It was the Special Investigation Bureau’s controlled guard.

Lin Lin replayed the footage of the fall multiple times.

Zhong Renbao watched his expression. “Officer, is there a problem?”

Lin Lin pointed at the screen. “Check the rooms on the second floor. Bring the spare keys.”

Zhong Renbao didn’t dare ask if they had a search warrant. He obediently led the way upstairs.

As they walked, Lin Lin asked, “Have there been any unusual incidents recently?”

Zhong Renbao hesitated. “What do you mean?”

Lin Lin glanced at him. “For example, people laughing themselves to death.”

Laughing… to death?

Can people even die from laughing?

Zhong Renbao suddenly remembered something. His face paled. “How could anyone laugh themselves to death? You must be joking. Everything here is normal. All our guests are safe. Nothing unusual has happened.”

Lin Lin nodded. “That’s good.”

Zhong Renbao couldn’t read him and simply kept his head down as they walked.

The first room they checked was next to Ruan Zhou’s—the room where Zhong Renbao’s uncle had stayed.

“This room is empty,” Zhong Renbao said, pushing the door open.

A fishy smell hit them.

Both men noticed the unusual odor in a hotel room.

Lin Lin’s black ring trembled slightly.

He looked toward the bathroom, pausing for a moment. “Do you have a seafood-themed room?”

Zhong Renbao, ???

Did he mean a sea-view room?

Before he could respond, Lin Lin reached for the bathroom door handle, his ringed hand lifting slightly.

Zhong Renbao’s hair stood on end. Why did he suddenly feel a sense of danger?

Click!

The door opened, and a strong fishy smell wafted out, accompanied by the sound of running water.

Zhong Renbao’s palms were sweaty.

He had moved the fish.

His uncle had left at some point, and the room’s layout was poor, so he had moved the fish from Ruan Zhou’s room to this one to avoid disturbing Ruan Zhou’s rest.

“Officer—” Zhong Renbao called out.

In the large bathtub, a black carp swam alongside several smaller fish. The visitors’ presence seemed to startle them, and they darted around frantically.

“Just some fish,” Lin Lin said, his ringed hand dropping naturally. His expression returned to its usual lazy demeanor.

He turned to Zhong Renbao. “Who stayed here before?”

“My uncle, but he’s gone home now,” Zhong Renbao said cautiously. “Is it illegal to keep fish in a bathtub?”

“Not at all,” Lin Lin said with a smile, and the earlier sense of danger vanished.

Zhong Renbao relaxed.

After they left, the carp in the bathtub calmed down, as if it too had breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Lin made his rounds, registering all guest information, especially details about Zhong Renbao’s uncle.

When he reached the neighboring room, he paused. “I see signs of someone staying here. Why isn’t it registered?”

Zhong Renbao chuckled nervously. “To be honest, I sometimes stay here myself. I slept here yesterday and haven’t cleaned up yet.”

Ruan Zhou didn’t have a proper identity, so Zhong Renbao naturally couldn’t reveal his presence.

Lin Lin looked at Zhong Renbao, a faint smile on his face. “Are you sure?”

Zhong Renbao straightened up. “Yes.”

Lin Lin wrote out a ticket. “Failing to register guest information is a violation. Pay the fine at the Security Bureau.”

Zhong Renbao looked at the ticket—500 yuan. His face twisted into a bitter expression. Damn, he’d been caught.

But at least it was just a fine. Ruan Zhou’s situation hadn’t been exposed, and he secretly felt relieved.

“By the way,” Lin Lin added, “clean up more often. Keeping fish in a bathtub is unsanitary.”

Zhong Renbao immediately put on a smile. “Got it. Thanks for the reminder.”

After leaving the hotel, Lin Lin stood silently, finishing a cigarette. He took out his phone, opened the internal app, and began drafting a request.

“Application for a permanent transfer to Xinhai City…”