The High-Dimensional Laughter
"Hmm. The Pioneer Headquarters Director? The one who came to donate a book to our library? Honestly, I couldn't quite make sense of what he was saying. From the way he spoke, it sounded like he'd died to carry out the Restoration Protocol."
"⋯⋯The Pioneer Headquarters Director, you say?" Veronica asked, clearly doubting her own ears. But the male employee's answer remained the same.
"Yes. By fulfilling the 'contract' to secure the path between the multidimensional observatory and Earth—the core of the Restoration Protocol—she is currently protecting that route from the High-dimensional Laughter now engulfing the planet."
"Ah⋯⋯." So she really had sacrificed herself. Her energy had always felt different from the other Bureau staff; I'd assumed she'd survive longer than most. Yet it seemed she'd offered herself up to safeguard the Restoration Protocol.
"As a result, the Anomaly Pioneer Headquarters is now executing the multidimensional observatory and the Protocol based on the contract the Director fulfilled."
"I see⋯. Understood." With that, the man led the three of us deeper into the futuristic building. Inside, far more staff than we'd seen outside were bustling about in focused activity. After he tapped something on his terminal, a middle-aged man approached us. A scar ran across his face like a blade wound, giving him a rather intimidating appearance.
"Inquisitor Veronica, Father Andre. I'm Kim Shin-hyung, deputy head of field response at the Anomaly Processing Headquarters. From now on, you'll be speaking with me."
He must have decided the previous employee wasn't equipped to handle us. Field response, though? That was the same department as the visitors we'd dealt with before—specifically, the one containing that Chief Kim Cheol-won I'd erased once as a warning and then restored. Judging by the lack of a team designation, this man was likely his superior.
"Hello. I caught a bit of the earlier conversation. You're running something called the Restoration Protocol. Does that mean we just wait for it to finish?"
Kim Shin-hyung shook his head. "We're planning to attempt containment simultaneously with the Restoration Protocol. At present, there's a high chance the anomaly won't be eliminated even if the Protocol succeeds."
"Hmm⋯. In that case, would it help if we assisted with the containment effort?"
"It would. The Director of the Anomaly Processing Headquarters and the entire department are currently preparing for the subjugation operation."
The Director of the Anomaly Processing Headquarters. That person likely possessed power on par with the Pioneer Headquarters Director. More importantly—if they were preparing a subjugation, did that mean they knew where the creature was? That was the only way any of this made sense. Without knowing its location and, more crucially, how to reach it, containment would be impossible.
"Would it be possible to share the relevant information?"
"Understood." At Kim Shin-hyung's gesture, an employee approached carrying a terminal. Even in this collapsing world and inside this unfamiliar space, the Bureau's equipment continued to function without issue.
Beep.
The terminal hummed to life and displayed a lengthy report on its screen. I quietly shifted behind the seated Veronica to peek at it.
Anomaly Name: High-dimensional Laughter
Form: Composite
Danger Rank: World Destruction
Management Rank: Impossible
Details: A global anomaly complex composed of various laughter-related anomaly forms. It has been confirmed to affect not only Earth's three-dimensional space but also nearby dimensions based on Earth's coordinates. The internal procedure 'Restoration Protocol' is currently in progress at the relatively less-affected multidimensional observatory.
Record 1: 20XX, XX Month, XX Day — Meme-like content related to the 'High-dimensional Laughter' began trending simultaneously across global communications and media. Prior to the meme outbreak, some eyewitness accounts mentioned encountering a masked man, though the entity's existence could not be confirmed. Several Bureau employees commuting to work were also infected by the meme, leading to the main control center entering lockdown procedures.
Record 2: As the meme began infecting those nearby, physical forms started manifesting. Some city buildings and people began transforming into grotesque shapes. Cities worldwide were confirmed to be isolated within circular zones, with a transparent substance blocking escape from the outer edges. Standard methods cannot destroy it.
Record 3: Additional anomaly forms began manifesting inside the cities, each developing unique rules. For example, in the case of [Anomaly Phenomenon: Carousel], vehicles caught in roundabouts become impaled by metal pillars and forced into endless rotation. The presence of anomaly entities that stain surrounding space with 'laughter' was also confirmed; these entities were identified as corrupted civilians.
Record 4: [Anomaly Entity: Clown Cloud] appeared. Rescue of civilians in areas where this cloud manifested has become impossible. Buildings have been confirmed to have transformed into [Anomaly Space: Comedy Building]. Field Response Teams 1 and 3 entered but are now missing and out of contact. [Anomaly Entity: Subway Roller Coaster], [Anomaly Entity: Laughing Animal], [Anomaly Phenomenon: Smile Sun], and others continue to appear. The frequency and timing of these anomalies vary by city.
Record 5: Observations from Branch N of the multidimensional observatory in another dimension confirmed that dimensions near Earth's coordinates have also been affected by this anomaly complex. The anomaly name was changed to 'High-dimensional Laughter.' However, the Pioneer Headquarters Director was confirmed to be unaffected by the 'contract.' The activation procedure for the '1-Light-Year Earth Telescope,' the multidimensional observatory's 'Restoration Protocol,' has begun. If successful, Earth will be overwritten with an image captured one year prior.
Record 6: Detailed data required for the 'Restoration Protocol' is being transmitted from the servers of the main control center, which has entered lockdown. Internal management team records indicate no living staff remain inside the main control center. As a result, some anomalies previously contained there have escaped, and some have been confirmed infected by the 'High-dimensional Laughter.'
Record 7: Data from multiple branches of the multidimensional observatory has identified the center of the 'High-dimensional Laughter.' A subjugation operation plan centered on the Anomaly Processing Headquarters is now underway. Recording in progress⋯
Thanks to this, we'd obtained a great deal of information. The report Veronica was studying contained several sub-documents. Given that the classification was 'anomaly complex,' they were likely reports on the additional anomalies mentioned.
While the details were intriguing, I doubted we'd gain any particularly useful information from them in the current situation. It seems the Anomaly Management Bureau has grasped the extent of its influence to some degree. It was nearly identical to what the pastor and his congregation had revealed through possession before. This wasn't merely exerting power over Earth's three-dimensional space—it was a powerful anomaly capable of interfering with nearby dimensions as well.
However, it didn't appear the Bureau had fully understood the anomaly. There was the masked man mentioned in the first record, for instance. That entity had appeared in our library twice already. And there's almost no information on the existence of the Laugh Encyclopedia, or on the main body that possessed people directly. Still, I had no intention of sharing this information with the Anomaly Management Bureau. It would only cause unnecessary complications, and handing over information they couldn't possibly handle would only add to the chaos.
"Hmm⋯." As I reviewed the Bureau's data, a plausible theory formed in my mind.
"Jijong." Flutter.
"⋯⋯Don't you think this thing is similar to you, in a way?" Flutter?
"In the way its influence spreads through transmission." What I'd focused on was the initial meme propagation. The phrase 'laughter is contagious' had been used before. When an absurd joke or hearty laugh echoes through a space, those nearby gradually begin laughing as well. This entity is laughter. Not a specific lifeform symbolizing laughter, but the very concept of laughter itself. And how does such a concept gain tremendous power? The answer is simple: expand its influence so that many can perceive its concept. When a single lighthearted joke turns a silent library into a sea of laughter, the power of laughter grows to match the library's scale. Likewise, the reason this entity has become so powerful is because humanity has been engulfed in a global sea of laughter through the meme's spread.
Then what would happen if that laughter's influence were erased? "It said so itself. Even within holiness, laughter can exist. Jijong, if that's true, then the reverse should also be possible, right?" Faith can exist even in despair. Then surely, within something as light as laughter, faith can naturally exist as well?
⋯Flutter. Jijong slowly sent a signal of affirmation. I didn't know how the Anomaly Management Bureau planned to deal with it, but if things continued this way, their defeat was certain. And the reality was that neither Jijong nor I could handle this alone in the current situation. That left only one thing to do.
I turned and walked out of the Anomaly Management Bureau building. It was time to end the journey I'd shared with Veronica and Andre. Now was the moment to forcibly awaken the faith buried deep in the hearts of humanity, submerged as they were in this sea of laughter. Even while their mouths stretched ear to ear in grins, it was time to make them drop whatever they were doing and fall to their knees or prostrate themselves in worship.
Shhhk. Jijong unfolded itself, revealing a specific page. It contained knowledge of every religion that had ever existed in history, gathered in one place. Each sentence, each word, held the faith of all humanity—those who had lived and those who had died. Buddhism. Christianity. Hinduism. Islam. And countless others buried in the past. It was time to speak them aloud and return Earth to a planet overflowing with faith.