Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 560 - 558

"Forget it. I’m still in quarantine; no need to trouble him."

Wang Congshan scratched her head. "After all, this meme is pretty contagious. It’s still dangerous."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Wei Linglan pouted, a hint of jealousy in her voice. "So considerate of him, huh? I’m talking to you through glass right now, and you’re not even worried if *I* might get infected." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Cousin, you’re a Player."

Wang Congshan rolled her eyes. "He might be capable, but he’s still an ordinary person. How can he compare to you?"

"Oh, absolutely."

Wei Linglan crossed her arms, her tone laced with sarcasm. "Sigh, it’s so tough being a Player. Not only do we constantly face life-and-death situations, but we don’t even get any concern from others. After all, as Players, we’re expected to shoulder more responsibility. Sigh, you used to call me Sister Lan, but now that the new has replaced the old, I’m just ’cousin’ to you."

She clicked her tongue repeatedly, her expression animated, completely shedding her usual aloof goddess persona.

"Alright, I’ll stop teasing you."

Having sufficiently enjoyed Wang Congshan’s flustered state, Wei Linglan’s expression turned serious. She picked up a tablet and tapped it a few times.

Immediately, a wall tile in the isolation room flipped upward, revealing a hollow conduit.

A transparent, sealed bag containing a mobile phone slid out from it.

"We’ve confiscated your old phone," Wei Linglan explained. "This new one is provided by the Meme Control Center and is suitable for use during the meme infection observation period. It can only receive information, not upload any. This means you can browse most apps, except for social media platforms, but you won’t be able to interact socially or leave any interactive traces. Otherwise, its functions are similar to a regular phone; you can use it to watch videos, read novels, take online classes, and the like."

As a front-line member of the Mobile Detachment, Wei Linglan wasn’t very familiar with the research and development department. However, she knew that the Meme Control Center, being newly established, was brimming with innovative ideas and contingency plans.

For instance, they were concerned that hostile forces might, in the future, create a deadly meme. This meme could spread via the internet, disguised as ordinary images—like reaction images, funny pictures, or GKD images—proliferating widely before suddenly activating. It would be just like Sadako from *The Ring*, killing everyone who had shared the image in one fell swoop.

To prevent such scenarios, they were developing a system called the "Electronic Encapsulation System." This system could be integrated into most internet social platforms. As soon as a user uploaded and shared an image, audio, or video, the Electronic Encapsulation System would swiftly intervene. It would minutely alter the electronic information of the image or audio, causing any meme it carried to change and lose its replicability. This would, in turn, halt the large-scale spread of deadly memes.

Beyond that, they also envisioned an extreme scenario. Perhaps in the future, a deadly meme could be transmitted through a short spoken phrase. Simply uttering it would instantly kill everyone within hearing range.

It would be as though every ordinary person had a nuclear launch button in their grasp.

Everyone would become wary of other humans. People would be forced to stay at home, never venturing out. They would rely solely on delivery personnel in special protective suits—capable of blocking meme transmission—and drones to deliver essential supplies to each household.

Compared to that envisioned extreme scenario, the current King of Shengnan meme wasn’t so terrible. At least the situation was under control, and the anomalous entity itself had been contained.

Wang Congshan tore open the transparent sealed bag, tipped out the new phone, and eagerly began to explore it. "Right, about my parents..."

"I’ve already called them." Wei Linglan nodded. Looking seriously through the small window in the isolation room door, she added, "Your parents are quite worried about you. However, due to regulations, they can’t visit you just yet. They’ll have to wait until your quarantine is over."

"Ah, okay then..."

Wang Congshan sighed, retreated a few steps, and flopped back onto the single bed in her isolation room. She hugged a blue shark plushie with one hand and scrolled through her new phone with the other. "Aaargh! This is so annoying, so annoying, so annoying!"

"Hey, hey, hey! That’s my shark plushie! Don’t you ruin it!"

Wei Linglan’s eye twitched. She tapped on the isolation room door and said, "You just stay put here, okay? I’m heading home after work. If you need anything, use the button on the wall to talk to my colleague. Dinner will also come through that delivery hatch. It’s from the stronghold canteen, and it tastes pretty good. Just put the tray back in the hatch after you’ve finished eating."

Wang Congshan, lying sideways on the bed, pressed against the shark plushie while playing with her phone, mumbled, "Got it, got it!"

"..."

Wei Linglan pursed her lips, shook her head helplessly, and left the isolation room.

As a front-line operative of the Mobile Detachment, Wei Linglan’s family had previously moved into the Special Affairs Bureau’s employee dormitories, which were very close to the stronghold.

It happened to be the weekend, a rare break for front-line operatives. Since it was already dinnertime, Wei Linglan decided against going to the crowded canteen and chose to head home instead.

Firstly, the food at home was much better. Secondly, she also needed to explain Wang Congshan’s situation to her parents. The two families were now living together, and the elders were extremely worried about Wang Congshan.

Wei Linglan navigated the corridors, greeting colleagues she passed along the way. She swiped her personal ID tag at an access point scanner, exited the stronghold, and began her walk home.