A viral online scare about a suspected Chinese operative at Taipei Main Station ended as a false alarm, harmless for the man involved but a sign of how jumpy Taiwan has become.

• A social media post claimed a man on the Bannan Line platform was acting suspiciously with a laptop showing the odd code "2nd War Zone Photosynthesis System."
• Users reported him to the police, the criminal investigation bureau, the Mainland Affairs Council, immigration and the justice ministry, saying he was monitoring public opinion for China.
• Police set up a task force overnight, pulled security camera footage and tracked down the 48-year-old man by morning.
• He is Taiwanese, was waiting for a friend, and was listening on headphones to a Chinese livestreamed investing course — the strange code was just the instructor's handle.
• He handed over his course and investment materials, which matched his account, and police closed the case as a misunderstanding.

Outlook: Expect more of these false alarms as public anxiety over Chinese infiltration keeps turning ordinary behavior into security tip-offs.