Infinite Terror: Infinite Reversal

Chapter 68 Meme Hypothesis
We returned here at dusk, and although it took nearly nine hours, no one was impatient. Arriving in a strange place—even if this is a completely unfamiliar world—always takes a lot of time to handle these interpersonal matters.

When he returned at midnight, Zhang Jie cheerfully took the bag from his hand, then jokingly scolded him for running away. This cold-blooded killer and the retired soldier Zhang Jie had a rather amicable relationship; with a faint smile, he handed over two stacks of cards.

Mu Xiang took it and glanced at it; it contained a credit card and forged identification. Japan doesn't have real ID cards, so forging documents to check into hotels is quite easy.

He handed the item to Chu Xuan, but Chu Xuan waved his hand and said, "You keep it."

At midnight, Ling Dian took out another stack of maps and handed them to Chu Xuan. These were various local maps, including administrative maps and tourist maps, all available. Chu Xuan took them, nodded, and then gave them to Mu Xiang as well.

Getting things done at midnight is so reliable.

After putting everything away, Mu Xiang looked up at the sky and clapped his hands, saying, "Then... let's find a hotel to stay in."

"Have you decided which hotel to choose?" Zheng Zha asked, standing up.

"Don't worry, it'll definitely be the most comfortable place to stay..." Before Mu Xiang could finish this joke, Chu Xuan glanced at him.

Chu Xuan said calmly, "That's secondary... My suggestion is to choose this one."

Everyone looked at the electronic screen in his hand, which showed a hotel that was far from the city center and surrounded by a newly built commercial center.

"If my guess is correct... this kind of place is the most suitable." Chu Xuan adjusted his glasses.

Mu Xiang peeled a lemon candy: "Is this how it is?" He didn't say the second half of the sentence. Chu Xuan's plan seemed to be much more aggressive than his... Fortune favors the bold and risky or to live a safe and stable life are two different approaches, and Chu Xuan has placed both factors in a neutral position.

The others couldn't understand the intricacies of the situation, but seeing that Mu Xiang and Chu Xuan had no disagreement, they set off together.

It was getting dark, and although the Ju-on's attacks were unrelated to day or night, it was still unsettling. The group rented three cars and headed to the chosen hotel.

The journey was uneventful, which put everyone at ease. After checking into the hotel, the Zhongzhou team booked an entire floor, so they could look after each other and avoid being disturbed by ordinary people in case of any trouble.

This way, there will be no disputes when assigning rooms. Those who want to stay alone—like Zhao Yingkong—can stay alone, of course; those who want to stay in suites together can also get their wish.

Zhao Yingkong was the only one who wanted to live alone, which surprised not only the other newcomers but also the veterans like Zheng Zha.

Mu Xiang didn't say much, just briefly told her not to wander off and to come obediently when it was time to assemble, and then gave her a pistol loaded with anti-spirit bullets. Chu Xuan, on the other hand, gave her a communicator he had made himself.

Zhao Ying left without looking back, leaving everyone staring at each other in bewilderment.

Mu Xiang, however, didn't care: "Alright, two suites, enough for twelve people. Everyone can choose whichever they want to sleep in." With that, he punched through the wall between the two suites.

Seeing the strange looks from everyone, Mu Xiang scratched his head: "Why are you looking at me like that? I want to be comfortable and have efficient support, isn't that the best way?"

"Um...you scared the newcomer," Zheng Zha said weakly.

In the subsequent allocation of everyone's belongings, Zheng Zha and Zero Point took four newcomers to one room, while the rest of the group and Arno shared another. After all, in terms of spiritual abilities, Zheng Zha was undoubtedly the strongest; Mu Xiang estimated that his Ripple would have no effect on spirits, and he could only rely on the Seven Kills Technique to compensate, but it lacked offensive capabilities.

Therefore, having Zhan Lan living with them not only allows them to have a private channel with Chu Xuan, but also enables them to deal with ghosts immediately using her psionic abilities. After all, the others can't always be carrying guns... This is where the advantage of one's bloodline over psionic abilities becomes apparent.

Before leaving, Zheng Zha patted Mu Xiang on the shoulder and asked, "That little girl... is it alright for her to live alone?"

"Don't worry about her... she's at least unlocked the first stage of her genetic potential." Mu Xiang chuckled.

"How is this possible?!" Zheng Zha exclaimed in surprise.

Mu Xiang shrugged: "Didn't I test her on purpose back then? I'm still pretty sure of that feeling. But you, you little lolicon, don't get any ideas about her..."

"How could that be?!" Zheng Zha repeated, looking at Mu Xiang incredulously. "Do I look like that kind of person?"

Upon hearing this, the other senior members looked at him incredulously... You don't seem to have the right to say such things.

Once in his suite, Mu Xiang asked Zhan Lan to connect his consciousness with Chu Xuan's. Then, he said in his mind, "Do you have any clues about Ju-on? I've thought of something."

"Oh?" Chu Xuan didn't answer his question. "What is it?"

“Memes,” Mu Xiang said. “I previously exchanged a lot of books and materials that interested me from the Main God… They were all very cheap. For example, the materials about memes came from a world view that is strongly related to them.”

Then he took out a booklet from the oath and handed it to Chu Xuan: "This booklet has a classification of memes... You can just jump to the ghost and curse category to take a look. Ju-on is very similar to this kind of thing... There is an original thing, and then under certain conditions, it triggers the ghost to kill people, and the dead become new ghosts after death. Of course, I'm just saying it's similar, it may not be the same thing."

“You seem quite certain about the reliability of this.” Chu Xuan flipped through the booklet. “At least in the real world, there’s no such thing… My research on this is practically zero. But there’s one thing I agree with.”

Chu Xuan's reaction didn't surprise Mu Xiang. The booklet wasn't some authoritative material produced by the main god, but rather research data from another plane. In other words, it was someone else's research result. Many parts were ridiculously wrong in Mu Xiang's eyes, having read the novel, and it certainly didn't contain any claims like "memes are disordered innate spiritual treasures," a conclusion exclusive to the infinite universe.

"Which point? The origin?" Mu Xiang thought to himself as he unpacked a bag of snacks.

Chu Xuan's voice echoed in his mind: "That's right... You should have noticed the main god's task, 'Kill the main body of Ju-on, Kayako, once'... Does that mean it can be killed more than once? In my opinion, the possibility is over 70%."

Mu Xiang nodded: "I agree... but there should be some limitations. It's not that killing too many people will solve the problem, but simply killing Kayako won't solve the problem at its root."

Chu Xuan tossed the booklet back to Mu Xiang: "I've finished reading it... The explanation of the ghost and monster memes has merit, and it roughly matches my thoughts."

Mu Xiang sighed inwardly: "So, should we visit all the temples here tomorrow, or go directly to verify this idea?"

“It can be done simultaneously…” Chu Xuan said. “We only have three days, no, we only have two and a half days now. Verifying ideas also takes time, otherwise we won’t have enough time to incorporate them into the setup, and the effect will be greatly reduced.”

Mu Xiang shook his head: "I object. I need to be more cautious... otherwise, we might suffer casualties before the battle even begins. It wouldn't take half a day to visit all the temples, so why divide our forces? Zheng Zha must stay here to protect everyone, and your spiritual abilities are even worse than mine. I'd rather be cautious and preserve our fighting strength."

"Is it a safe bet..." Chu Xuan adjusted his glasses, silently gazing at the night sky outside the window. "A safe bet means mediocrity. But if you insist on sticking to it..."

(End of this chapter)