I will burn books and slay gods.

When Chen Ye returned to Morning Star Hospital, Lin Su and Wang Xiaoming were already in the underground briefing room.

Lin Su's ponytail was a little messy, and there was a small burn on her cheek—it was from her own flames that she had accidentally brushed against.

Wang Xiaoming's condition was even more obvious: he didn't wear the glow stickers today, but his presence was more stable than before, although his face was pale, as if he had just finished running a marathon.

"How's it going on your end?" Chen Ye sat down and took the water Lin Su handed him.

"The trending topic ghost is more troublesome than expected," Lin Su said succinctly. "It doesn't attack directly, but parasitizes a popular post on a local forum. The post is titled 'Searching for the woman in the red dress,' and claims she's a lost mental patient in need of help. In reality, there's no such person."

Wang Xiaoming picked up the conversation, his voice a bit stronger than before: "But the post got noticed and became a trending topic... it was shared over five thousand times."

"Everyone who shares, likes, or comments on this post is subconsciously starting to 'search for the red dress'..."

"They will unconsciously look around when they walk on the street, become distracted at work, and in severe cases, even hallucinate and actually believe that they are seeing it."

"The scale of the infection?" Chen Ye asked.

"When we arrived, we estimated that more than 300 people had been deeply affected, and thousands had been superficially affected."

Lin Su said, "I burned the service node that posted the message, but the ghost moved to another backup site and replicated itself like a virus."

Wang Xiaoming nodded: "In the end, I used the causal line... to forcibly connect the 'cause' of the thought of 'finding the red dress' to the unrelated 'effect' of 'seeing the blue car'."

Chen Ye didn't fully understand.

"Simply put," Wang Xiaoming explained, "I made the infected person's eyes automatically look at the blue car whenever they thought of looking for the red dress. The two thoughts were fighting in their minds, causing cognitive conflict... and thus the ghost's instructions were interfered with."

"What's the price?" Chen Ye asked, looking at Wang Xiaoming's still pale face.

"I... must remember these three hundred-plus temporary causal connections."

Wang Xiaoming smiled wryly, "As long as I remember, the connections are effective. If I forget any pair, that pair of connections will backfire, and that person might experience even more confused cognitive dissonance. So my brain right now... is like a warehouse full of things; it can't be messed up."

Chen Ye could imagine that burden.

He only processes one concept node at a time, while Wang Xiaoming processes hundreds simultaneously.

"Did you also receive any messages?" Chen Ye asked.

Lin Su and Wang Xiaoming exchanged a glance and nodded.

Lin Su pulled up her phone; the screen displayed a photo: as she burned the server, flame-like text suddenly appeared on the server room wall, reading: "Purification efficiency assessment: Excellent. Flame control precision: Good+."

Wang Xiaoming found an extra line on the last page of his notebook, which he used to record causal connections: "Causal load test: Passed. Recommendation: Optimize memory storage structure. — Short circuit."

"It's scoring us," Chen Ye said.

"It's not just about scoring." Instructor Gui Chi pushed open the door, holding a tablet computer. "Lu Yuan analyzed the residual data streams from three incident sites—the loop ramp, the trending topic ghost, and your previous planetarium incident. He discovered a pattern."

She placed the tablet on the table and brought up a city map.

There are three flashing red dots on the map: the West City Ramp, the South City Commercial District (where the popular Ghost Forum server is located), and the East City Planetarium.

"These three points form a near-perfect equilateral triangle on the map."

The instructor, using a ruler, drew a line with his finger, saying, "The center point of the triangle is here—"

She zoomed in on the center of the map.

That's the city's main traffic signal control center.

An unassuming gray building that controls the traffic lights at more than 3,000 intersections throughout the city.

"The cult is testing three different conceptual attack models."

The instructor continued, "The loop ramp is a 'space-time complex,' targeting individuals and small groups. The trending ghost is an 'information-cognition complex,' utilizing modern media for dissemination. The planetarium's 'planet projector' is an 'environment-atmosphere transformation,' subtly altering cognition within a large space."

She looked at the three of them: "These three modes all require a central control system to coordinate them. And the transportation hub—it controls the flow of the city. If the cult controls it, they can combine the three modes and launch a city-wide attack..."

"Conceptual blitzkrieg," Chen Ye replied.

"Yes." Instructor Gui Chi's expression was grim. "Lu Yuan has simulated the worst-case scenario: if the cult simultaneously activates the abnormal cycle of traffic lights throughout the city, releases a large-scale cognitive virus on social media, and creates environmental anomalies at key landmarks... the rational structure of this city may collapse within twenty-four days."

Silence fell over the briefing room.

"Then let's go straight to the signal control center and strike first," Lin Su said.

"That's the problem." Instructor Guidance pulled up another document. "The signal center was closed three days ago under the pretext of 'system upgrade,' leaving only a few technicians inside. We applied for a search permit, but the process takes time. And—"

It zoomed in on the surveillance footage from the building's exterior: "The cult has likely already deployed defenses. A direct assault would alert them, and if they desperately try to launch their plan prematurely, we won't have time to stop them."

"We need to infiltrate," Wang Xiaoming said.

"Yes. But conventional infiltration won't work; the cult definitely has conceptual-level precautions." Instructor Ruler looked at Chen Ye. "Your cognitive abilities might be able to fool those precautions."

Chen Ye was taken aback: "Me?"

"Didn't you just prove that you can break the cycle with 'first memory'?" Instructor Ruler said. "The cult's vigilance system is likely also based on some kind of 'pattern recognition'—identifying whether an intruder conforms to a regular behavioral pattern."

"If you can use your cognitive abilities to make yourself and your teammates 'look' like you're in a completely different system, maybe you can sneak in."

Chen Ye pondered this possibility.

Cognitive blueprints can indeed be used to redefine "one's own image in the system," but only if one has a sufficient understanding of the system's recognition logic.

"I need the signal center's architectural blueprints, personnel rosters, and information on the security systems they might use," Chen Ye said.

"Lu Yuan is already preparing," Instructor Gui said, "but time is running out. The weather forecast indicates a large-scale thunderstorm is coming in 72 hours."

"Thunderstorms generate strong electromagnetic interference and collective psychological pressure—that's the perfect window for the cult to launch an attack."

Seventy-two hours.

"How is an infiltration team formed?" Lin Su asked.

"Four people. Chen Ye is in charge of cognitive camouflage, you are in charge of dealing with sudden combat, Wang Xiaoming is in charge of jamming electronic systems and sensory alert, and I am in charge of space support and evacuation."

The instructor, Gui Chi, said, "Lu Yuan and 'Blinds' provide intelligence and city-level surveillance from the perimeter."

She stood up: "Go prepare now. We'll move out at four o'clock tomorrow morning."