Chapter 154: The tip of the iceberg

. &】If one says since the outbreak of the Apocalypse, humanity's greatest unsolved mystery is what?

Without a doubt.

That is:

Where does the zombie virus come from?

By what means were the first infected infected?

Why did the Doomsday Game appear?

Who was the voice that announced the start of the game?

Each question leaves people bewildered and confused.

Many attribute it to divine punishment, while others speculate whether it is an experiment by an extraterrestrial civilization.

All nations, forces, and even hegemonic strongmen will painstakingly ponder in the dead of night.

They will gaze at the night sky above, earnestly praying from the heart for the answer to the questions.

But the result is like a traveler in darkness.

No matter what price is paid...

they still know nothing about these questions.

But now.

Lin An seemed to see a faint light in the darkness.

He seemed to grasp the shadow of the problem, he seemed to see the truth hidden behind the Apocalypse.

Because it is unknown, therefore fear.

If one says the Meme feeds on fear and spreads through human thought as a carrier.

Then likewise.

The zombie virus is no different.

Every survivor is deeply shaken when first facing zombies.

Flesh rotting, resurrected dead, eating humans.

These directly strike the deepest fears of the human heart.

Therefore, the zombie virus is essentially the active source spreading fear.

The biggest difference from the Meme, perhaps, is that the virus must enter the body to take effect, unlike the Meme which can work directly through thought.

Lin An gave a bitter laugh; he even, after combining the marrow-sucking spider task, thought of more.

Ordinary people fear zombies.

But Awakened Ones do not.

If one were the zombie virus, what would one do?

Without a doubt, create mutants.

Awakened Ones, once they possess power, need not fear zombies, treating them as nothing.

Because zombies no longer pose a threat to them.

But when facing high-stage mutants, they still feel fear.

Especially mutants of the third and even fourth stage; any Awakened One facing these monsters will feel deep helplessness, despair, and fear from the heart.

In other words.

Zombies are a Meme spread targeting ordinary people.

While mutants are a Meme targeting Awakened Ones.

Lin An felt a chill in his heart.

The vehicle body swayed, as if he were in a stormy sea.

Could zombies really be... a kind of Meme?

Or perhaps each zombie is an incarnation of the Meme, like tens of billions of dolls distributed worldwide.

If that is the case, it could explain why there was a brief mental shock when the Doomsday Game opened.

(See Chapter Four)

Then, countless terrifying, heart-rending wails rose, pointing directly to people's deepest fears.

Essentially, it is the fear felt when inserting the 【source】.

The global mental shock actually simulates the fear Zhou Fengling felt when seeing her child being eaten.

Only the method is more sophisticated, a mental-level suggestion.

Since ancient times, human civilization has had a fear of corpses.

Huaxia civilization has legends of zombies; the West has tales of resurrected undead.

In modern civilization, numerous zombie-themed films, games, and novels have emerged.

Essentially, in thought, people have already been implanted with a part of the Meme.

And the global mental shock is like detonating and activating that part of the Meme.

Those with poor physical and mental qualities, after activation, turn into 【Meme-Zombie】; those who can resist fear are the survivors.

As for why being bitten or having the skin scratched leads to infection.

Lin An seriously suspects that it is to activate another layer of underlying thought related to fear.

People subconsciously associate it with: rabies, wound infection...

Even if humans manage to resist the initial fear after injury, they will subconsciously recall knowledge about these two.

Thus, after a short time, the fear buried deep in thought is activated, and they can no longer resist the transformation.

If that is the case, it can explain how the first survivors were infected.

Why does the virus erupt simultaneously, as if conscious, the moment the game starts?

Why, despite expending countless manpower and material resources, can human civilization not uncover even a hint of the zombie virus's secret?

Lin An took a deep breath.

If what I think is correct...

The Doomsday Game is essentially a catastrophe that runs through all of human civilization, burying countless thoughts, hints, religions, and cultures with fearsome landmines throughout history.

These "ways of thinking" subtly suggest to us, lying dormant until the day they detonate.

He had previously thought that the savior's mission gave him three antitoxin serums, and perhaps by analyzing the serum's components he could mass-produce antitoxin serums.

But now it seems unrealistic.

The only way to eliminate the Meme is to kill all infected individuals and ensure the remaining Survivors do not fear the Meme of Zombie transmission.

Otherwise, even if one day humanity kills all zombies, the virus will still exist.

Because it is a Meme, an unkillable monster!

As long as the survivors once again feel that related fear, zombies will reappear, never to rest.

(The infected lose their reason, so they cannot be saved by dispelling fear.)

But, if.

If I could uncover the truth behind it and then inform the world.

Let humanity no longer fear the unknown...

Could that fundamentally resolve the Apocalypse Meme?

But, is it really as I imagine?

Are zombies truly a type of Meme?

What about the mutated creatures? Where do the Demonic Beasts of YiKongjian come from?

Where is the Shen Yuan where the Black Dragon resides?

Even there is a civilization where the sand worms dwell?

Tangled thoughts twisted like poisonous snakes in Lin An's mind, as he frantically pondered, trying to connect the clues.

Each problem weighed on his heart like a heavy stone.

Like a drowning person who clearly grasps a lifesaving straw yet cannot escape the whirlpool of the deep sea.

"Brother Lin?"

"What's wrong with you?"

"Shang Cheng is just ahead..."

Gao Tian looked at Lin An with an uneasy expression, while Lin An, who was usually steady and seemingly always confident...

Something feels a bit off.

Since Lin An fell into contemplation, the overflowing mental power and aura pressed down on them like a thousand‑jin weight, making it hard to breathe.

The atmosphere grew oppressive, and even breathing became difficult.

A voice broke Lin An's train of thought.

His face turned pale as he slowly lifted his head.

Seeing the concern—and even some unease—in everyone's eyes inside the car, Lin An gave a bitter laugh.

He could not show weakness; he had to maintain absolute confidence before everyone at all times.

If even he were at a loss.

Then people's hearts would fall into chaos.

Suddenly, a loud voice rang out.

Zhang Tie leaned in beside Lin An, glaring, and gave Gao Tian a strange, rarely seen look.

"Captain Lin Dui must be thinking about base construction—he just loves doing that!"

Having said that, he imitated Lin An's pose of deep concentration.

His performance was spot‑on; who knows how long that Xiong Hanzi has been practicing in private.

The previously oppressive atmosphere instantly relaxed.

The people in the car became cheerful, and without realizing it, even though they had only just come into contact with Lin An...

But inexplicably, every move Lin An made tugged at their hearts.

In another corner of the car.

Liang Shaoguang stared agape, his eyes continually sizing up Lin An.

Zhang Tie's offhand remark just now struck his ears like a thunderclap.

"Captain Lin Dui!"

"Base!?"