Chapter 145: Meme: Death Doll

The yellow bus gradually slowed down, and Zhang Tie poked his head out to glance at the blocked intersection.

"Lin Dui, it looks like there's someone here!"

"A bunch of trucks are blocking the service area entrance! And there's a pile of sandbags."

He felt doubtful.

If there were people here, why couldn't he hear any sound?

The commotion from their three vehicles wasn't small; if there were survivors who had built such obstacles inside, they'd surely have someone posted on top.

It's a bit suspicious.

Lin An frowned slightly; his mental power could sense that there were still quite a few survivors inside.

Just like before at the academy, the earthen wall they built was to guard against a sudden zombie attack.

There would usually be some personnel assigned on top.

But for some reason, not only was there no one guarding the sandbags, the people inside seemed completely motionless.

"Judgment's Eye!"

His overwhelming mental power spread out like flowing water.

In an instant, the information was transmitted back.

"Beep, detected player count: 36 people."

"Beep, detected Awakened Ones count: 2 people."

"Beep, detected dangerous-level Meme: 1."

"Meme!?"

Lin An's pupils suddenly contracted.

The first two items weren't anything special.

But how could a Meme exist here!?

Without hesitation, Lin An got out of the car, his expression wary as he sized up the trucks blocking the intersection ahead.

"Captain Lin?"

"What's wrong?"

Zhang Tie knew him best; seeing Lin Dui's rare wary expression, he instantly grew tense as well.

The last time he saw Captain Lin like this was when facing a Stitcher.

"What's in there!?"

Zhang Tie couldn't help but ask, his nerves stretched tight.

Lin An waved his hand, indicating that now wasn't the time for explanations, and he commanded in a low voice:

"Everyone stay put; Awakened Ones, get out of the vehicle and follow me!"

Lin An didn't look back, merely straining to sense the Meme's location.

He took out two vials of medicine and a crab shell, tossing them straight into Zhang Tie's arms.

"Equip the shield; if necessary, use the medicine together with it."

Zhang Tie nodded heavily upon hearing that, then held the bluish‑iron, uniquely shaped shield across his chest.

Currently, there's hardly anyone in the team suited to equip a shield and bear the role of a meat shield.

Only Zhang Tie is barely suitable for it.

Lin An himself has a Stitcher's carcass to block damage, and besides, holding a shield would only hinder his own fighting style.

His heart felt heavy.

He didn't know what kind of Meme this was.

If it's the kind from his past life memories, even he would have nothing to do but flee.

Should we take a detour?

Although the next gas station is far away, now that they're speeding with no one to stop them, it wouldn't take long.

However, the system's notification dispelled that thought.

"Beep, a new system mission."

"Investigate the origin of the Meme-Doll and lift it."

"It's a compulsory mission; cannot be refused. Upon completion, gain 10 Prestige and unlock the Prestige Shop."

He frowned, not expecting a system mission to trigger now.

Carrying two systems is just this troublesome; they keep throwing out missions at the drop of a hat.

The Savior System is fine; its missions are high‑risk but high‑reward.

Like the universal system all players have, the missions it publishes are not only troublesome but also offer hardly any rewards.

Compulsory mission, unlocking the Prestige Shop.

Unlocking the permission is okay, but the reward of 10 Prestige is really insufficient compared to the mission.

Since they had to investigate the Meme, Lin An simply walked on, staying alert while quickly explaining to Zhang Tie, so as not to let that bear act recklessly.

"Be careful; the enemies inside might be a special kind of existence—a Meme."

"What? What's a Meme?"

Zhang Tie was completely baffled; he'd never even heard that word before.

Lin An closed his eyes to sense the interior, then stopped his steps.

"A Meme is the abbreviation of 'pattern (culture) gene'; it's a special phenomenon that spreads through information."

"The wording was awkward; seeing Zhang Tie's bewildered bear‑like face, Lin An simply explained it in plain terms:"

"For example, take a culture you're familiar with—if it suddenly came alive."

"For example, the fox-faced old woman, zombies, red embroidered shoes, and these folk tales and legends have all turned from stories into real phenomena."

"As long as one person knows this information, then the corresponding information may possibly appear in reality."

"Of course, not only these, but many unique 'things' have become concrete entities."

"Lin An's past life had little understanding of the Meme; he only knew that it was an extremely contradictory product that appeared after the Doomsday Game began."

"Extreme Meme—upon appearance it can kill hundreds of millions of people in an instant, even transforming the biology of an entire country into indescribable monsters."

"And some Memes can even be mastered and used by players, just like special props that come at a cost."

"Meme, Supernatural Incident, and Supernatural Incident are collectively called the three most terrifying Special Events after the Apocalypse outbreak."

"These things are not like zombies and mutants that can be solved by strength."

"Often, you can't even attack these things; even upon contact, you lose your life instantly without any warning."

"Especially Supernatural Incidents, which defy logic; even third-rank beings can die mysteriously within them."

"Zhang Tie thought hard for a moment, then suddenly understood."

"That's it—spirits! Fairies! Monsters! Things have become spirits!"

"Lin An's body stalled, and he helplessly nodded."

"Actually, that can also be said."

"Boom!"

"He took a deep breath; since the explanation was over, he no longer hesitated."

"He exerted his muscles, violently kicking open the blocked passage; a truck weighing several tens of tons was directly flipped over by a single kick."

"The vehicle's body deformed, and from the gap blown open, a bizarre scene inside was instantly revealed."

"On the concrete ground of the service area."

"Over thirty survivors stood stiffly in place, motionless."

"Everyone stared fixedly at the gap in the sandbags."

"Beside the sandbags."

"The corpse on the ground wore a dirty, old white shirt, its head twisted backward with eyes wide in terror."

"On the head sat a crudely made, paint-smeared doll, sitting quietly."

"Its large, white eyes stared lifelessly at the stiff crowd."

"3."

"A voice sounded."

"No one dared to move."

"After Lin An saw the doll clearly, his face changed instantly, and a chill rose."

"Danger-level 【Meme-Death Doll】!"