"Is there really a memetic virus?"
Fu Zhu had casually grabbed a monkey from the roadside. As he met its gaze, he felt that the Slumbernana Monkey's eyes were far too "intelligent"—a few more seconds of eye contact felt like an insult to his own intelligence.
Outwardly, Fu Zhu couldn't see anything strange about it. However, the status bar of the Slumbernana Monkey did indeed show a BUFF called [Memetic Virus]. The duration was extremely long, but its effects were unknown.
Having confirmed that the memetic virus was real, Fu Zhu finally released Changye Yue from his hypnotic suggestion.
Changye Yue grunted, clutching her head, and immediately glared at Fu Zhu with a hint of anger.
"How dare you use such a trick on me? Aren't you afraid I'll get angry when I find out?"
Fu Zhu crossed his arms and sneered.
"You're a body snatcher. Did you really expect me to treat you gently? Dream on."
Seeing Fu Zhu's continued hostility, Changye Yue sighed softly, a trace of resentment coloring her gaze.
"I've told you so many times, yet you still refuse to believe me."
Fu Zhu just gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes and said nothing in return. Wasn't his distrust obvious enough?
Seeing that Fu Zhu and Changye Yue were about to argue for some time, Sunday hesitated for a moment before interjecting in a low voice.
"Fu Zhu, could I first investigate what's going on with this memetic virus? I don't want to leave such a dangerous thing behind in Penacony after I depart."
Fu Zhu turned and nodded at him. As a Nameless, now that they'd encountered it, he couldn't possibly ignore a memetic virus.
"Together. And of course, that includes you."
Fu Zhu directed the last part at Changye Yue. He couldn't let her act alone; her current body belonged to March 7th, after all.
Changye Yue chuckled and shook her head.
"I don't like showing my face in public. Since you all know about the virus's existence, there's no point in me sticking around. Protect her well."
With that, the red glow on Changye Yue's body began to fade. Before the eyes of the three men, she transformed back into a closed-eyed March 7th.
March 7th's eyes fluttered open. Seeing Fu Zhu, Sunday, and Vanwick all staring at her, she rubbed the back of her head in confusion. "Why are you all looking at me? Is there something on my face?"
Fu Zhu shook his head, a wave of relief washing over him.
Changye Yue's willing withdrawal could be seen as a gesture of goodwill. Combined with what he'd gleaned using the Clockwork Trick, it seemed Changye Yue was indeed protecting March 7th. However, he had forgotten to ask about her origins just now. He'd have to find another time to question her.
As long as Changye Yue's origins remained unclear, he couldn't be at ease.
"Let's go. First, let's see who the hell is behind this memetic virus."
Fu Zhu took March 7th's hand and led the way onto the campus, with Sunday and Vanwick following close behind.
Suddenly having her hand held and hearing the words "memetic virus" from Fu Zhu's lips, March 7th couldn't help but tilt her head in confusion.
"What's a memetic virus? What's wrong with you all? You're all acting so strange all of a sudden."
Fu Zhu glanced at her. It seemed March had no memory of what happened while Changye Yue was in control. He rephrased the situation for her.
"While you were spacing out just now, Sunday discovered that these Slumbernana Monkeys are all infected with a memetic virus. It's very likely that someone is trying to harm Penacony from the shadows. As Nameless, we can't just stand by and do nothing."
Although March 7th didn't understand what a memetic virus was, the word "virus" was definitely not a good thing. She immediately grew timid and pressed closer to Fu Zhu, not daring to interact with the cute-looking Slumbernana Monkeys around them.
---o---
While leading March 7th, Fu Zhu turned to Sunday and asked, "Do you have any idea where the source of this memetic virus might be?"
Sunday shook his head regretfully. He currently lacked the ability to trace the source.
"Although I don't know, I haven't seen any Slumbernana Monkeys outside of Paperfold University. This indicates that the source of the virus must be within the university. To spread it logically and without raising suspicion, the culprit must hold a very high position here. We should start by investigating the professors."
Fu Zhu found his reasoning sound. Just as they were passing by, they overheard some students saying that the principal would be giving a speech on the stage in the plaza shortly. They could go and check it out.
If the principal was the problem, they could just take him down directly. If not, they could ask for his help in the investigation.
The four of them arrived at the plaza stage just as the principal's speech was about to begin. They found a spot near the front of the crowd and had just settled in when they looked up and saw the principal, wearing a monkey mask and a white coat, walking slowly onto the stage with his hands behind his back.
"Students of Paperfold University..."
The principal had just begun to speak when his eyes caught sight of Fu Zhu in the audience. The expression hidden beneath the monkey mask changed instantly, and he suddenly clutched his stomach.
"Excuse me, I have a bit of an urgent matter. I'll have to leave you for a moment. I'll let the other 'Assista-nanas' announce this semester's new regulations!"
After saying this, the principal scurried off the stage.
The four of them exchanged a look. Anyone with eyes could see that something was wrong with the principal. Naturally, they weren't going to let him get away so easily.
"Follow him."
To uncover more, Fu Zhu chose not to apprehend the principal immediately. Instead, he led the other three, trailing him into an office building.
However, upon entering the building, the four discovered that it was now filled with television monsters with legs. They were lined up neatly in two rows down the hallway. When they saw Fu Zhu's group enter, they turned in unison, and their screens suddenly began to play a video of a group of Slumbernana Monkeys singing.
"Nana nana nana nana..."
The "nana" sound was incessant. At first, it sounded a bit strange, but after listening for a while, it had a strangely hypnotic quality.
After listening for a moment, March 7th immediately recalled the song she had heard when she entered the dream.
"Fu Zhu! This is that weird scene I told you about from my dream! But... it's actually kinda catchy... hehe."
March 7th's expression shifted from initial alertness to gradual delight, and she even started tapping her foot to the beat.
"March?"
Fu Zhu immediately checked March 7th's status bar. Sure enough, a [Memetic Virus] status had appeared. He instantly pulled out a bucket of milk and forced her to drink it.
Just as he finished dealing with March's problem, Vanwick, who was standing beside Sunday, also began to show signs.
Vanwick's eyes glazed over, and he actually started humming along.
Fu Zhu immediately raised a fist and slammed it into his head. The sharp pain instantly jolted Vanwick back to his senses.
Having come to, Vanwick clutched his head and pointed at the television monsters.
"Hiss... There's something wrong with this song!"
"Anyone can see that. But... it's not a big problem."
Fu Zhu drew the Yamato and aimed it at the monsters.
"Just kill them all."