1. The Quantum Whistle Effect
The referee corps' judgment devices operated on terrifyingly precise mechanisms:
Whistle Physics Breakdown
0.68Hz Paralysis Tone:
Not sound, but compressed time loops
Each toot contained 13 micro-edits to victim's motor memory
Left targets remembering movement while physically frozen
Eyebeam Penalty Clauses
Projected text:
Visible: Standard rule violations
Invisible (to non-referees):
"§7.3: All play must conclude before enlightenment"
"§13.1: Laughter exceeding 68.3dB requires permit"
Compliance Prod Backfire
When used on:
Lin Feng's scar: Released mother's protest hymns
Bai Yu's throat: Produced golden static that:
Erased 2 referee memory sectors per cough
Formed anti-compliance graffiti on nearby surfaces
2. Nursery 0's Hidden Coordinates
The mother's blood-doodle map revealed:
Encrypted Landmarks
X Marks: Scabs from cradle bolt removal
Squiggles: Paths of emergency diaper changes (improvised escape routes)
Stick Figures: Depicted 13 children carrying microscopic tools
7th's Decryption
Using hopscotch math:
Located beneath current Frost Moon barracks
Accessible only when:
68% of referees are distracted
Moon is in exact position from Cycle 7
Someone sings the scar lullaby backward
Polka-Dot Contagion
Infected referees:
Developed impulse to play tag
Their stripes twisted into game instructions
Began unconsciously humming Bai Yu's satire viruses
3. Comedy's Heavy Price
Bai Yu's eroding laughter manifested physically:
Memory-Loss Mapping
Each vanished laugh left:
Gold-rimmed voids in his neural pathways
That sang when touched (Xiao Qi's voice)
And bled when ignored (primer fluid)
Mechanical Voice Progression
Timeline:
Hour 1: Slight metallic echo
Hour 3: Words occasionally printed in air
Hour 7: Sentences formed visible gear mechanisms
The Last Joke Reservoir
Scan showed only 13 genuine laughs remaining:
5 from pre-facility childhood
3 from Xiao Qi's antics
2 from the 7th's first words
3 unknown source (labeled "Cycle 191")
4. Debt Mirroring Mechanics
The 7th's sideways jump triggered:
Netherworld's System Shock
All red squares inverted to credit
Collectors became debtors to their own victims
Bai Yu clones multiplied exponentially:
Each teaching laughter judo
Using pain-to-comedy conversion algorithms
Mirror Physics Anomalies
Time flowed toward laughter
Rules became negotiable if rhymed
Memories could be borrowed but not stolen
Critical Warning
The 7th found cracks where:
Original debt contracts leaked through
Forming black squares that:
Charged interest on interest
Enforced retroactive penalties
5. The System's Learning Curve
The 191st projection adapted too perfectly:
Referee Evolution Analysis
Cycle 45 Models:
Copied Bai Yu's timing but not context
Result: Punishments became punchline setups
Cycle 90 Prototypes:
Absorbed mother's protest patterns
But implemented them as new compliance metrics
Cycle 191 Perfect Form:
Had no mouth (to prevent satire infection)
Eyes were self-editing rulebooks
Hands played both sides of every game
Lin Feng's Scar Interface
The choice options rewrote themselves:
Destroy: Now showed 68.3% chance of becoming new core
Reprogram: Required sacrificing 7th's voice
Retreat: Revealed would erase tear-garden history
Cliffhanger
As the whistle freeze hit 0.67 seconds:
The polka-dots on nearby referees detonated
Releasing mother's last recorded words:
"They need rebellion...
...to perfect control."
Just as Bai Yu's final laugh left his lips...
...and his voice turned fully mechanical