"October 22, 1962"
"I finally found Anomalous Item-3125 in Cuba. I don't know what it is—it's even harder to describe than Anomalous Item-055. The most powerful anti-meme I've ever encountered!"
"It told me it's 'The Defender,' though I've officially documented it as 'The Fugitive.' You understand—for both professional and personal reasons, I can't write its true name."
"First, I don't want the Foundation to truly comprehend this anomaly. Second, if ordinary people see its real name, they'll inevitably draw its attention!"
"I asked what it defends. 'The truth,' it said. As for what that truth is? 'You're unworthy of knowing.'"
"But to me, Anomalous Item-3125 is a Pandora's Box."
"Leave it unopened, and it's harmless. Had the Foundation never researched anti-memes, nothing would've happened."
"But by leading the Anti-Memetics Division to study it, I unsealed it. Now, over 40,000 people across 400 organizations are dead. Site-167 is gone..."
"No—not just them. Their families in Cuba, friends, the entire nation. Wiped out. A once-prosperous Cuba, erased. Forgotten."
"Only I survived. It spared me because I bear the Anomalous Item Archive's mark—the scent of anti-memes. 'You're one of us.'"
"This is all my fault! I forgot my original purpose was just to help Hughes find Item-3125—not contain it for the Foundation."
"Forgetting is agony. I've forgotten who Hughes was, why I sought Item-3125, what to do after finding it..."
"Only when I return here, reading this diary, do I remember."
"When will the Archive's next holder appear?"
"I can't bear this weight anymore!"
"I don't want more colleagues dead because of me!"
"But I can't betray Hughes' trust..."
"Maybe I should surrender to The Administrator. But the moment I leave this room, I'll forget again."
"Now Cuba's a global flashpoint. The Administrator will reset the world again. What excuse this time?"
"One thing's certain: to prevent more from encountering Item-3125, Cuba will be quarantined. At least it's small—fewer casualties."
"About Item-3125 itself: it's in Cuba, but I can't recall or describe its location. Archive-holder, if you're reading this, find it yourself."
"It will show you the world's truth!"
"P.S. After taking a W-class mnestic, I remembered something else. It called this 'the war between memes and anti-memes.' I'm just a bystander—'unworthy to intervene.'"
Luo Shu's Realization
This confirmed his suspicions.
If this was a war between memes and anti-memes:
The Revealers of Truth (anti-meme faction) vs. "The God" (meme faction).
The God's SMS meme plague was proof.
Billions suffered for their conflict.
Luo Shu acknowledged his role—had he let The God kill him, the meme catastrophe might've been avoided.
But would that end the war? No.
Another Revealer would emerge. The cycle would continue.
This was a war The God couldn't win. Anti-memes inherently countered memes—especially with Luo Shu's anti-meme sealing abilities.
The God's only advantages:
Control over time/space.
Mobilization of memetic weapons.
But with Item-3125's location hinted (Cuba, a small island nation—smaller than Colorado), victory was near.
First, he needed to finish the diary.
"June 13, 1976"
"The Administrator's on the move again—massacring in Northern China. Probably hunting the current Revealer."
"Pathetic. This one died too quickly."
"Another reset incoming. Archive, choose someone stronger next time! I can't wait forever!"
"July 28, 1976"
"Reports say 250,000 died in a Northern China earthquake today. Flipping back, I see: another mini-reset."
"Anomalous Item-2000 ran at full capacity for 45 days, replenishing 4.5 million lives. With the 'earthquake victims,' ~5 million died for this failed Revealer."
"Just took a W-class mnestic. Remembered a clue: this Revealer's name was Xi Juan."
"I'll forget him—proof he had anti-memetic traits. A true Revealer."
"He emerged near Site-CN-06. The God slaughtered Tianjin and Tangshan to erase him..."
Xi Juan.
The name struck Luo Shu like a tidal wave.