No. It isn't a reference. It is literally them ;.;.
I consider references like saying (Time to give an eternal reference) "Hey there is a god of death" < Not an actual quote.
Now throwing a character in a story, is literally doing that.
Which he does, like 12 times.
At one point they even go into the world, (Where the super flu outbreak takes place) Whatever book that is.
SO
MANY
REFERENCES
MY EYES