The Meteor Shower Watchers’ forum was the first to establish a ranking and discussion platform for superpowered individuals after the global mega-disasters. The forum's power rankings are now divided into two factions: heroes and villains. It still holds an authoritative position in related discussions and is frequently cited by media outlets.
Many superheroes secretly search for their code names and related threads on the forum. Every day, numerous help-seeking posts are directly posted in the casual discussion section.
Since the authenticity of these posts is hard to verify, the forum rules explicitly forbid such posts, but the moderators often allow the articles to stay up for two or three hours before deleting them. During this time, enthusiastic netizens usually help back them up to other forums, advising the original posters to report to the police or even helping them file a report.
Some of forum members are law enforcement and legal professionals themselves, so when they have time, they verify the information and directly respond that it is fake news. These posts are quickly deleted.
There are even websites specifically collecting such help-seeking posts, some of which go as far as verifying their authenticity. Once a post is linked to a real event, traffic and ads quickly flood in.
Whether true or false, these posts seeking help from superheroes often have wildly imaginative content that is even more exciting than novels, and Nemo himself enjoys reading them.
"Nemo, do you want to check out this post? A Taiwanese person in New York reported that their friend went to New Orleans for an investigation and has been missing for a week. However, this post was made three days ago," Tolya said. Knowing that Nemo worked as a bodyguard in an area with limited internet access, he assumed Nemo probably missed many time-sensitive articles and threads. To help, Tolya made sure to save a few posts for him.
"I hadn't noticed. Everywhere these days, the Beelzebub Files and Bohai Sea Kaiju topics have been dominating the boards," Nemo took Tolya's phone and quickly browsed the post.
Tolya had been a firsthand witness to the victims of the New Orleans Swamp Factory, and he didn’t want to dwell on such a disgusting topic any longer. The Bohai Sea Kaiju incident had also left his homeland in an embarrassing light. To make matters worse, with Nemo absent, there was no one to discuss these things with. Even the most thrilling monster invasion stories had lost their appeal.Instead, Tolya focused on other topics in the vast sea of texts that he thought Nemo might find interesting, at least so he could show off his findings when Nemo returned.
"Due to the relentless bloodsucking mosquitoes, professional media outlets are reluctant to venture outdoors, and the capabilities of drones remain limited. If they approach sensitive areas, they get disabled and shot down. There's still a need for live humans to report news. So, a unique industry arose, much like our delivery jobs." Tolya sent Nemo a link to a website for escort services.
The difference was that the names on the files there didn’t seem real; some even used cartoon avatars or scenic photos. Only the star ratings and customer reviews were available.
"'Contract informants,' interesting," Nemo muttered.
"Also, I heard that there are many Taiwanese refugees working as informants. They're good at English, familiar with American culture, have local Chinese connections, and are sensitive to public issues. Some of them even worked as citizen journalists. Since mainstream media reporters can't go out, they pay these informants to investigate and then publish the findings in the form of interviews. I've met quite a few while delivering meals. While others are desperately sealing their doors and windows, these people are out running around taking pictures of the bloodsucking mosquitoes," Tolya added.
Nemo understood why his fellow Formosan would take on such dangerous gigs—not just for a living, but also as a rare opportunity to uphold their dignity and engage in justice-driven actions to uncover crimes or government cover-ups.
The use of pseudonyms was necessary because refugees couldn't legally work in the U.S., and using such informants in mainstream media could lead to accusations of exploiting refugees. Both sides had to conduct their dealings in the underground, dark information trade.
" I overheard a conversation at the city police department about refugee informants. Apparently, they turn a blind eye to them because they also rely on these special sources to track the bloodsucking mosquitoes and hidden infections. The same piece of information can be sold more than once," Tolya recalled.
He hadn't thought much about it at the time. The investigation into illegal drugs and contraband usually relied on informants paving the way. There were plenty of people in the U.S. living off the grey economy.
"Given the number of victims from the New Orleans Swamp Factory and similar bloodsucking mosquito breeding grounds, there must have been informants who noticed the infected individuals flooding into the Rust Belt in New Orleans before Salamander did... then they disappeared," Nemo said as he swiped through the contract informant website, quickly filtering out profiles that hadn't logged in for over a week.
"Right now, social work organizations and population departments are almost paralyzed. If there's no report, the person isn’t listed as missing. Refugees have always had an ambiguous status. Sometimes they’re accepted by third countries and leave, and sometimes the government sends them to other states. The website you’re looking at still follows the rules, requiring membership and basic background checks to take or offer assignments. More informants are subcontracted out, which is a grey area," Tolya added.
"So, a Taiwanese informant from New York is seeking help on the forum for a friend who went missing in New Orleans?" Nemo pondered. "But New Orleans should have a large number of military and police officers right now, thoroughly checking the bloodsucking mosquito breeding grounds. It depends on whether that person was lucky enough to hide in a corner or was unlucky enough to be caught and fed to the maggots. Have there been many missing persons in Lone Star City and Louisiana this half month?"
"Don't just focus on the first post! I’ve saved several related articles. What’s interesting is the stuff that the New York informant is investigating," Tolya said, knowing that Nemo was now genuinely interested. He subconsciously shared his thoughts as they came to him.
Yes! Now this is the kind of tense, suspenseful atmosphere gossip should have! Tolya had even threatened his hacker friend to help dig up dirt on the original poster.
Never underestimate how boring it can get for a service worker stuck in a hospital room!
Following Tolya's suggestion, Nemo moved on to the second post, which was not a help-seeking post but rather a nearly completed investigation report draft, seemingly retrieved from someone's personal computer or an online account. The curly-haired young man glanced up at the Russian and said, "Looks like your IT support really loves you."
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"Pah pah, stop with the nonsense. we just got the inspiration from the time bank. If he's being hunted, I can hide him for 24 hours, but if he can't find anything decent in a day, after the protection period ends, I'll deal with him myself. It's a fair trade," Tolya said, giving two thumbs up.
"As long as you're happy," Nemo said, focusing on reading the investigation report.
The New York informant was investigating the East Coast Kaiju incident, specifically focusing on the tourists who had come into contact with kaiju blood-seawater and their subsequent medical treatments.
At the time, the media estimated that around 350 people had been exposed to the kaiju blood, but after reviewing a large number of aerial photos of the site, emergency room data, and discussions on Twitter and other social media, the informant concluded that the actual number of infections was likely ten times higher.
Most of the surviving tourists, who were either uninjured or only lightly injured, had gone home to shower and take anti-inflammatory medication. After all, nearby hospitals and clinics were overcrowded and wouldn't take in those who had merely been exposed to contaminated seawater.
"I remember the mayor of New York personally announced that seawater contaminated with kaiju blood could cause allergic reactions and other unknown symptoms. He urged the public to register at hospitals and provide blood samples for future tracking. But the citizens of New York hate government invasions of privacy and completely ignored the mayor and CDC's calls. There were even conspiracy theories suggesting that this was just an attempt to grab people and use them as lab rats," Nemo said.
"The CDC always gets wiped out in zombie and infectious disease movies. It's like the place where all the experts die off at the beginning," Tolya commented, understanding why people didn’t trust the CDC.
On the day of the East Coast Kaiju invasion, Nemo had been camping in the mountains, busy escaping from a kidnapping gang with the world’s richest person. He didn't have time to follow the U.S. headlines.
Meanwhile, the crowd at Westlake Restaurant gathered around the TV and felt that the New York mayor's statement was quite reasonable. After all, kaiju blood-seawater had turned fluorescent green, which was too bizarre. No one knew what kind of bacteria, viruses, or radioactive substances might be in it, so of course, blood tests were necessary to track the results. This was a matter of cultural difference.
Those who didn’t listen to evacuation orders or register for treatment in time later returned to the hospital, and common symptoms included fever, fatigue, small blisters on mucous membranes, throat inflammation, and skin rashes with patches. A few even experienced mental disorders and hallucinations.
The contaminated seawater was overshadowed by the more horrific death toll and collapsing buildings caused by the East Coast Kaiju, and after a few scattered follow-up reports, it faded from the public eye. Unlike other victims' families who formed protest groups and held rallies, the final news focus shifted to the federal government’s emergency funding, stating that they would take responsibility for treating the skin diseases and long-term mental and physical symptoms caused by exposure to the contaminated seawater. This compensation was much better than the coronavirus payouts. At least the public thought the fluorescent seawater issue would be over.
However, Tolya’s informant report indicated that New York City secretly moved a large number of “the Greens” (a nickname for those infected with kaiju blood-contaminated seawater) under the cover of night, transporting them in bulk by long-distance buses.
The informant had interviewed family members, and the standard response was that the New York City hospitals were overwhelmed, and the decision was made to consolidate the victims of the East Coast Kaiju attack for treatment. They believed the government would handle the patients properly, and there was no better alternative.
The reality was that the Greens were becoming increasingly irritable and violent, causing immense pressure on their cohabitants and neighbors. Unfortunately, neither they nor their families could afford detailed medical checks or hospital fees. Some individuals refused to cooperate with government measures, and when forced into medical treatment, they were still placed in the same circumstances.
After the outbreak of the New Orleans Swamp Factory incident, the Greens were placed under mandatory home isolation, prohibited from leaving their homes beyond a certain distance or duration. This measure caused widespread resentment in various communities, especially among the Greens and healthy residents who had to coexist with them.
Given the growing number of victims whose conditions were deteriorating, the New York City government and the military collaborated to secretly house these patients in military-operated Meteor Shower Event treatment bases. These facilities, spread across the U.S. and vast in size, were primarily dedicated to treating those affected by supernatural disasters, including injured veterans and their families.
Anyone participating in the housing program, or their legal guardians, had to sign a confidentiality agreement, as the treatment process might involve experimental drugs and therapies, which were considered commercial defense secrets.
At first, it was mostly the individuals themselves who signed the confidentiality papers. But as things got worse, with the mental issues and violent behaviors linked to the kaiju blood-seawater becoming more intense, it started being more common for family members to sign those papers instead. And believe it or not, even the family members who lived with the Greens and had a lot of contact with them started showing weird symptoms. Before long, entire families were heading to treatment bases together.
"So far, although this would provoke some conspiracy theories and opposition from human rights activists, the general public would actually agree and strongly hope that the government would step in to wrap things up. To put it simply, most people wouldn't want to share a hospital room or be treated by the same nurses as those Greens, right? It would be best if they didn’t even share the same hospital! But of course, they would protest against New York City for disrespecting the civil rights of the green people!" Nemo wasn’t surprised, considering the refugee policies.
"When we were watching the live broadcast of the East Coast Kaiju battle with the superheroes, we already knew that anyone who came into contact with that fluorescent green stuff would definitely be in trouble! Who would have thought so many people would want to win a Darwin Award?" Tolya commented again.
Americans’ enthusiasm for documenting supernatural events is no less than Russians' traditional custom of jumping off rooftops.
Nemo continued reading the investigation report, his expression darkening.
"Without the federal government's approval, New York City couldn’t make such an agreement with the U.S. military to transfer these patients. So, this informant is investigating a secret long-term plan, one so high-level that it was agreed upon by the president and both parties in Congress. The Greens, or any similar entities, cannot be exposed because such a public relations crisis would damage the reputation of superheroes—especially the former heroes led by Leviathan. Compared to the next monster invasion crisis, dealing with the Greens is a trivial cost," the report stated.
"Then there are the surviving patients with the bloodsucking mosquito larvae, but to anti-government groups, this kind of operation is like a giant candy. Ordinary citizens don’t care where the funding comes from. They believe that if they cast their vote for you, you should fix everything. Americans and Taiwanese are alike in this—it's all about that sacred vote," Tolya said, lounging in his bed with his arms crossed behind his head, propping up his legs in a relaxed manner.
"Direct 'neutralization*' would be politically too costly for the U.S. government. Compared to the Civil War, locking up patients for experiments is a win-win—I'd win twice. If the families cooperate, history will quickly forget this chapter. After all, over 40,000 lobotomies were performed in the U.S., and it even won a Nobel Prize in Medicine," Nemo said.
"But the place New York City sent the Greens and their families isn't one of the existing Meteor Shower Event treatment bases. That’s interesting. During the large-scale search triggered by the New Orleans Swamp Factory incident, there was an old military-controlled community that wasn’t included in the search," Tolya eagerly wanted to share this gossip.
While the authorities were supposedly hunting bloodsucking mosquitoes, something strange had slipped through, and the public media hadn’t reported it. Only the informant had leaked the information on forums, asking for help.
"Currently, the edges of this community are surrounded by electrified barbed wire. The media had always thought—or promoted—that it was the meteor impact site sealed off during the Meteor Shower Event. But in fact, the population of that now desolate community was mostly gone two months ago, although there were still a few locals living there at the time. There were no signs of any lockdown then. Now it has become a military zone," Tolya added, "Nemo, your fellow investigator went missing while investigating this place."
"The New York informant who posted the missing person help on the forum had a bold hypothesis and hoped that superheroes would verify it. He wanted to know what had become of the Greens. But before he could post his second help request, he disappeared. What you’re reading now is just the backup file of his existence in the cloud," the Russian said in a somber tone.
"Actually, if you really want to shut someone up, just give them a green card, a fresh identity, and enough cash to buy a house. That way, no one else will step in to post for them. It’s not as bad as you think," Nemo said casually, shrugging off the government’s secret moves as long as they worked. After all, plenty of policies that started out great ended up as a shit—and still stuck around.
Tolya was radiating smugness. "You know, New Orleans isn’t far from Lone Star City. The transportation is smooth, and it’s the first choice for bloodsucking mosquito breeding grounds. Damn, after all this, I feel like Batman!"
"You are merely lying in a hospital bed, browsing forums, and making threats toward your hacker friend," Nemo stated bluntly, leaving no room for denial.
* This refers to the term "無害化處理," a specific phrase employed by the Chinese government during the COVID-19 pandemic, which covered both infected individuals and all items they came into contact with.
When the author first encountered this term, it caused prolonged confusion, as it clashed with the typical language used in Chinese when discussing pandemics and patient care. Over time, however, the author became deeply disturbed by its implications. In the Chinese cultural context, "無害化處理" is a term that should not be linked with human beings, nor should it be used for animals. Unless used in a military context to refer to "eliminating living forces" (消滅有生力量), it implies treating the target as non-human.
Early reports emerging from China during the pandemic highlighted hasty and secretive cremations of bodies, and the patient’s pet cats and dogs were forced into the house by quarantine personnel and beaten to death.