Chapter One: The Boss Vanishes on the Spot

That was not language a social platform should use. He made a new post: “The last post was a joke. The boss did not disappear.” The Send button grayed out for two seconds, then accepted it. No image appeared. He had just begun to breathe when the phone vibrated repeatedly. The original meme jumped out beneath his denial on its own. This time the suited man was entirely gone, leaving only an empty chair. Tiny red letters had appeared in the corner: DENIAL COUNTS AS DISTRIBUTION. The repost count rose from thirteen thousand to sixteen thousand. Footsteps sounded beyond the fire door. Lin Mo pocketed the phone just as the finance director entered with a stack of payment forms.