Chapter 21: The Escort

With his doubts resolved, Xia Shou felt much more at ease; he was the type of person who simply could not leave a mystery that piqued his interest unsolved.

"I didn't expect the Bureau of Control to use the term 'antimeme' as well."

Antimemes existed in Xia Shou’s original world too, where they were a popular trope in speculative fiction. An antimeme is a concept with self-shielding properties—a concept that, by its very nature, prevents or hinders others from disseminating it.

Ordinary antimemes exist in reality, though they lack the property of "absolute shielding." Examples include bank passwords, dark secrets, or a murderer's memories of their crimes; these are pieces of information the parties involved are unwilling to share, thus fulfilling the definition of preventing dissemination.

However, in the context of the supernatural, antimemes generally possess more absolute qualities. It is not that one is subjectively unwilling to spread them, but rather that, objectively, one is physically unable to perform the act of spreading them.

Su Weiyu’s ability, however, clearly went beyond the simple definition of an antimeme. Xia Shou had already noticed that as they sat on the grass, chatting openly in front of everyone, not a single person glanced their way, nor did anyone find their presence strange.

"Your ability isn't just an antimeme; people are completely unable to perceive your existence. It’s as if information about you is blocked at the very source of dissemination," Xia Shou analyzed.

"Mhm, though it doesn't work on you! By the way, are you living at the Bureau now?" Su Weiyu asked, sounding slightly excited.

"Yeah, I'm staying in the staff dorms," Xia Shou replied nonchalantly, his mind already occupied with his survival strategy at the Bureau. Beside him, Su Weiyu wore a look of relief and satisfaction, as if she had made up her mind about something.

Before long, the Bureau’s support convoy arrived. Doors opened one after another, and medical, investigative, and detention teams poured out from over a dozen vehicles. The medical team immediately began suturing the wounds of the heavily injured Execution Squad members. This was the first time Xia Shou had seen how the Bureau handled emergency medical treatment.

A woman in a white coat, cigarette dangling from her lips, stepped out of a vehicle, pulled up a chair, and sat in the center of the clearing. Behind her, a massive teddy bear-like Contracted Spirit slowly manifested. Its head was covered in hundreds of dense, spider-like compound eyes.

Upon seeing the injured executioners, it bared its teeth in an exaggerated grin, floated over to them, and the zipper on its back slid open automatically. Dozens of slender, multi-jointed spider-like arms reached out from within the bear, picked up the severed limbs from the ground, and began stitching them back onto the wounds. The "Doctor Bear" performed ultra-precise sterilization while suturing the flesh.

The female doctor sat on her stool, dark circles under her eyes, looking at the injured men with confusion. "Hey, why are you lot in such a sorry state? Who cut your arms off? Was it that kid?" She pointed her cigarette toward Xia Shou, who was sitting not far away.

The Execution Squad captain shook his head. "Not him. They just... came off."

"What kind of answer is that? I’m asking *how* they came off."

"No, how else do you expect me to put it? They just came off. What do you want me to say?"

The captain looked at the doctor, perplexed, as if she had asked him a question as absurd as "Why does 1+1 equal 2?"

Hearing this reply, the doctor did not press further. She seemed to understand something, pulled a small notebook from her breast pocket, and jotted something down. As she took notes, the Doctor Bear continued its work diligently. Its suturing speed was countless times faster than any human surgeon; to the naked eye, Xia Shou couldn't even track its movements.

He only saw dozens of arms flickering like afterimages, the needle and thread weaving through the wounds like a sewing machine. Before he knew it, the severed limbs had been perfectly reattached. Once the suturing was complete, the executioners stood up and stretched their arms casually, even swinging them around to perform some strenuous movements.

"That's insane!" Xia Shou exclaimed.

"Haven't you seen it before? But this treatment is limited to Transcendents. Since the sutures are made of condensed curse power, the patient must possess their own curse power to maintain the existence of the stitches. That’s why ordinary people can't undergo this procedure. However, regular medical equipment works fine for normal people; although it can't achieve this level of precision, it’s still much better than the top human surgeons," Su Weiyu explained patiently.

While the doctor treated the wounded, the investigative team sent people with instruments into the House of the Blood Demon. The once-quiet woodland suddenly became bustling with the chattering of walkie-talkies and the constant beeping of detectors.

"The anomaly of the House of the Blood Demon itself is beginning to dissipate. Awaiting further instructions," a voice crackled through Zhang Zhengde's radio.

Zhang Zhengde pondered for a moment. "Secure the perimeter and conduct a maximum-range search of the House. Target: Edward!"

"Understood!"

While the investigative team worked, the detention team approached Xia Shou. A man spoke up, "Specialist Xia Shou, are you willing to cooperate with us?"

"Uh... sure." Xia Shou turned to Su Weiyu. "Is the Bureau always this polite when arresting people?"

Su Weiyu shook her head. "No. Some ability triggers act like contracts and require the other party's consent. Don't worry, I'm here."

The man then took a marker and wrote a number on the back of Xia Shou's hand. Once finished, he recited in a rote manner, "Your status is 'Person Under Investigation.' During transport, you are not permitted to leave the transport officer without authorization, and you may not—"

After listing a long string of rules, the man added, "In the event of an emergency, you are free to act as you see fit, provided you comply with the Bureau's protocols. During transport, I will do my utmost to ensure your safety. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

"Excellent. Please come with me to the vehicle. I assume you haven't had dinner yet? We have a late-night snack prepared for you."

A late-night snack? Is this how suspects are treated?

He stepped into the largest transport vehicle. He could stand upright inside, and it was equipped with a narrow cot with a partition, a small table and chairs, and a thermal container. Further inside, there was even a shower room!

"Wait for me, I'm coming too," Su Weiyu said, hopping into the detention vehicle right after Xia Shou.

"Are prisoners at the Bureau treated this well?"

"Of course not. Your primary status right now is an employee who completed a mission; you're only a suspect with potential risks secondarily. Your treatment won't be bad." As she finished speaking, Su Weiyu’s stomach let out a loud growl.

She lowered her head, scratched it nonchalantly, and said breezily, "Looks like I'm hungry! Let's find a five-star hotel for a snack on the way back. Oh, and no need to pay."

"Why don't you have this first?" Xia Shou opened the thermal container and handed a burger to Su Weiyu.

Su Weiyu stared at the burger, her expression becoming agitated. She opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't get the words out. This demeanor was a stark contrast to her lively personality earlier.

"R-really? For me?" Her tone sounded as if she were about to receive a massive favor.

*Are you serious? Is she really that easy to move?*

Xia Shou hadn't expected to meet a beautiful girl who could be satisfied by a single burger. It was even more ridiculous than the cliché tropes in novels where a girl's heart is won over by a roasted goose. At least in those stories, the goose was handcrafted with secret spices; his burger was just fast-food takeout... and a work meal provided by the organization at that.

Xia Shou looked at the remaining bucket of fried chicken in the thermal container and said naturally, "Uh... the leadership is quite thoughtful. They prepared so much; I'd burst if I ate all of this."

Hearing this, Su Weiyu, who had been retracting her hand, reached out again and took the burger.

"You're the first one," Su Weiyu whispered.

"Huh? What was that?"

"No, it's nothing."