Once the library opened its doors at nine in the morning, the seven or eight people waiting entered, all of them with grey hair. Today was Monday. It was different from the weekends when many parents would bring their children to the city library to read. Usually only retired old people came to the library on working days.

Outside the library was a busy world. The library itself was quiet, with only the sound of pages being flipped.

...

At 10 o'clock, more people started coming to the library.

Tang Mo sat in front of the computer to help check out the books. His left hand tapped the keyboard and entered the serial number of the book. His right hand clicked on the mouse to confirm. After doing all of this, he looked up. "You have borrowed a book for nearly a month now. Haven't you finished reading it?"

The middle-aged woman in front of him smiled and shook her head. "No, my son is a slow reader. Is there a problem if the book isn't returned in a month?"

Tang Mo explained. "One month is the free period. After that, I need to collect the library fee of 1 yuan a day." He paused and added, "If you lose the book, you would have to compensate by paying the original price. This book is 82 yuan."

The woman's expression changed. "It is so expensive…okay, I will go home today and tell that boy to read the book quickly." She turned around and left.

Tang Mo looked at the woman striding away, his handsome face not showing much expression. He took the next person's library card and swiped it.

"Not finished? I think she lost the book." A crisp female voice rang out.

Tang Mo swiped while speaking, "Maybe."

There was disdain in the female voice. "A library card is 50 yuan and that book is 82 yuan. I don't think she will come here again."

"I also don't think she will come again." Director Wang, who was in charge of the reception work, came over and patted Tang Mo's shoulders. "Xiaotang, go and see what that huckster is doing. I just saw him go to the corner where there is no monitoring. Make sure he doesn't do anything." (TL: I chose huckster because it was an English translation that one dictionary site provided me, but it is more like a swindler who uses religion and superstitions to obtain illegal benefits)

Tang Mo nodded and walked to the corner.

The Suzhou City Library was located in the centre of the city and had a total of three floors. The third floor was mostly books on humanities and history. Tang Mo walked from the help desk to the southeast corner. He passed more than 30 bookshelves before finding the huckster.

In November, Suzhou was a bit chill and the winds howled outside the window. The window shook because of it, but the sunlight shining through the window was warm. The huckster sat cross-legged on the floor by the window. He had five or six books scattered around him in a haphazard manner. He wasn't even looking at a book as he placed his hands in his hair and made the messiness worse.

Tang Mo's lips pursed as he walked over and picked up a book. "Mr. Chen, our library has tables and chairs. You can read books over there."

"Read book… read books…what book am I reading?"

Tang Mo looked at the book he had just picked up. "'The Secret Behind the Mayan Civilization's Disappearance'?"

The huckster suddenly raised his head and looked at Tang Mo with bloodshot eyes, asking in horror, "Do you know the secret behind the Mayan civilization's disappearance?"

Tang Mo's lips curved upwards. "I don't know, do you?"

"I know, of course I know." The huckster got up and said, "They have offended God. Their religion is based on false gods, not the true god. They offended God, so they are all dead. God is the only eternal being. Offending him is death!"

Tang Mo had heard these words many times and didn't pay attention to them. The library was an open place and had seen many things. The huckster might be shocking, but he didn't have a mental illness. He was only fanatical about religion and they couldn't run him away because of that.

Tang Mo asked casually, "Where is the real God?"

The huckster's expression suddenly froze.

Tang Mo smiled, picked up the pile of books and turned to walk away.

He had asked the huckster this question many times. The huckster had started coming to this library a year ago. All day long, he would find a seat that he divined was lucky and babble. But once the staff members asked him the question about who God was, he would shut up and leave the library after a while.

Tang Mo held the books and prepared to leave. He had just turned his head when he heard a deep and mysterious voice behind him. "God is there."

Tang Mo's footsteps paused.

He turned to look.

The huckster was standing by the window, pointing at a giant black tower hovering over the city. He gave a fanatical smile and said, "God is coming."

Tang Mo, "…"

As long as he was happy.

The bus that Tang Mo took home from work every day passed through the city centre. He sat at the window seat and listened to music through earbuds. The song ended, allowing him to hear the conversation of two high school female students.

"The black tower! I'll take a photo."

"You are still taking photos? What is so good about this thing. No one wants to look at it now."

"I will send it around my friend circle. The title is A Day Trip to the Black Tower."

"No one will like it. Hey, the man sitting by the window is very handsome. If you take a photo of him then many people will praise it and your popularity will shoot up. You should call it…Bus Brother! You have to take a photo!"

As the next song played, Tang Mo raised his right hand to block his face and turned to look out the window, not caring about the two girls. His eyes lifted and he looked at the black tower suspended over Suzhou.

The black tower stood in the air among the city's tall buildings. The tower was in a quadrangular pyramid, similar to the Egyptian pyramids. However, it was black. not gold. Its base spanned the entire city centre of Suzhou, almost cover the city. The cold moonlight passed through the black tower and shone on the ground without any hindrance.

Six months ago, the tower suddenly appeared in the centre of Suzhou. Tang Mo had headed to the library for work. He had hastily left in the morning without watching the news. But once he was on the streets, all of Suzhou was abuzz.

The buses couldn't be seen and the taxis wouldn't stop.

All the cars were driving to the city centre in a frenzy. Tang Mo had just woken up and couldn't figure things out. Then he looked up and saw the huge black tower.

All of his sleepiness disappeared in an instant.

Tang Mo almost thought it was 2012 and this was the end of the world.

How could there be such a big thing?

He didn't see it when he got off work last night. How could it suddenly appear here?

At first, Tang Mo thought it was something the country constructed. People on the Internet often boasted that the country's infrastructure was very good. They could build an overpass overnight, making the foreigners feel envy. He didn't realize until he finally got a taxi and arrived in the city centre, looking up with the crowd. The tower was actually completely suspended in mid-air!

Completely suspended! At least 100 meters from the ground!

How could humans make a castle in the air?

The big LED screen in the city centre broadcasted the news. "At 8 o'clock in the morning, 1,021 strange towers appeared in our major cities and seas. It is also reported that at the same time, the black towers appeared on a large scale around the world. Please don't panic. The country has set up relevant departments to investigate this black tower incident. We invited Professor Luo, of the Physics Department of Peking University, to explain the issues related to the black tower incident. We are now connected with Professor Luo…"

World! End! Day!

Everyone panicked. Tang Mo couldn't go to work for two days. Many people drove to the countryside, trying to get as far away from the black tower as possible. However, the state maintained a very good social organization. Three days later, Tang Mo received a notice to return to work. After a week, many people came back after seeing that the black tower showed no movements.

Now it was six months later and the black towers had become tourist attractions.

In the first few months, people wearing white research uniforms came to the bottom of the black tower every day. They moved some large instruments and checked for unknown things. Now they only came to check once every three days, and the stores near the black tower resumed their operations.

Tang Mo supported his chin with a hand and looked calmly at the black tower. The bus turned a corner, leaving the black tower behind. It was no longer visible.

That evening, Tang Mo casually ate a meal before opening his computer and logging into QQ. Then a chat box popped up.

[Victor: I'm sorry. I've been busy these days and might not have time to play together. ]

Tang Mo looked at the chat window. The news he sent last week only got a reply today. It seemed he really was very busy.

[ Grinding Sugar: Never mind. We will play together when you are free. ]

After sending the message, Tang Mo opened the bridge game software. But at this time, Victor actually came online and replied quickly.

[ Victor: Come play a game. I have a little bit of time. ]

[ Grinding Sugar: Good [Smiley] ]

Tang Mo invited Victor into the room and the game soon began.

Tang Mo had been playing bridge for five years. When he was a freshman, he had a roommate who was obsessed with bridge, stating that it was a IQ test game. However, less than one month later, the roommate had moved onto other things while Tang Mo quietly continued to play bridge for five years.

In the middle of the game, Tang Mo found a chance to take the contract. His eyes flashed and he hadn't played the card yet when he saw that Victor suddenly pulled out a K of clubs. Tang Mo's mind became blank. Victor's card killed his chance of making a contract.

Had Victor made a mistake?

Bridge was a 2V2 game. Tang Mo had met Victor on the Internet a year ago. The two people played together and had a tacit understanding. In addition, Victor's skill was much better than Tang Mo's. But Victor had been busy for the past six months and hadn't played at all for two months. It wasn't impossible that his skills were rusty.

Tang Mo once again looked at both sides of the table and suddenly realized, "Does he want a grand slam?"

His lips curved into a smile and Tang Mo calmly played a card.

Half an hour later, the game ended and Tang Mo opened QQ.

[ Grinding Sugar: GJ, you are just as good as before. ]

[ Victor: GJ. ]

[ Grinding Sugar: [Smiley] ]

Victor didn't answer for a long time. Tang Mo guessed he was busy and didn't send another message. Instead, he opened another game of bridge. When he came back, he saw that Victor had sent a message: [ I remember you once said that there is a black tower next to where you work? ]

[ Grinding Sugar: Yes, it is around 200 metres away. What's wrong? ]

[ Victor:Recently, it seems like there may be some problems. ]

Tang Mo saw this sentence and suddenly remembered the huckster pointing to the black tower and saying 'God is coming.' Victor and the huckster…

Tang Mo couldn't help laughing. He laughed for a long time before sending a message back:[ Do you also below to the black tower is dangerous faction? However, I work in that area and can't avoid it. ]

Victor didn't continue the topic. He said a few more words before suddenly stating he was busy. The two people said goodbye and he went offline.

The next day at work, the huckster didn't come. Director Wang was very surprised and asked Tang Mo, "The huckster didn't come today? I think he is here more often than I am. What happened?"

Tang Mo replied, "Perhaps he is busy with his family."

Director Wang waved his hand. "Eh, it is better that he didn't come. Otherwise, we would have to look after him. Xiaotang, Xiaozhao, you worked hard today. Please find time to sort the G-category books."

Sorting books was something the librarians had to do on a daily basis and wasn't as leisurely as outsiders thought. Xiaozhao was going on a blind date that night. The young girl looked helpless at Tang Mo, making him say, "You go back first. I'll do it alone."

Xiaozhao thanked him. "Thank you Tang Mo. Next time, I will help you by working overtime."

Tang Mo nodded lightly and didn't say anything.

He worked overtime until 10 in the evening. Then Tang Mo left the library and sat on the last bus.

There were few people on the last bus. Apart from the driver, there was only Tang Mo and a middle-aged uncle. The uncle was soundly sleeping in his seat and Tang Mo's phone was dead. He braced his chin and looked out the window in a bored manner.

Many shopping malls in the centre of the city were closed at this time. November nights were very cold, so there were few people on the street. The moonlight shone down coldly. Tang Mo looked at the flashing neon signs and the bus turned a corner. The huge black tower suddenly appeared in view.

After watching it for a whole six months, Tang Mo wasn't interested in the tower anymore, just like many people. He just looked at it calmly.

Suddenly, he saw a small bug or maybe a bird. It was too far away to see clearly. In the moonlight, the dark little thing shone as it flew through the air towards the black tower. Tang Mo watched careless as the small thing foolishly flew forward and plunged towards the black tower.

Then it seemed to hit something and fell to the ground.

Tang Mo watched until the bus turned another corner and the black tower disappeared.

The name of the next stop rang out through the bus. Tang Mo was still stared outside the window, wondering what to eat tonight. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he turned his head quickly, wanting to see the black tower again. However, the bus had long gone and it was impossible to see the black tower behind the bus.

Tang Mo's heart beat very quickly, as if it was about to jump out of his throat. After a long time, he calmed his heart.

"…Did I see wrong? The black tower is an optical illusion caused by pollution. It isn't actually solid."

This was the current mainstream view of society. Many people didn't believe the black tower was real. It could be seen but not touched.

Tang Mo closed his eyes, wanting to forget that scene just now. But the scene kept playing over and over in his mind, giving him insomnia. He only managed to fall asleep in the middle of the night.

The next morning, he woke up at 7.30. Tang Mo hurriedly got up and brushed his teeth. He had to catch the 8 o'clock bus. He dressed quickly, picked up his backpack and left. The moment his hand had touched the doorknob, a melodious music was suddenly heard.

"Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bells…"

Tang Mo was startled and turned his head, but he couldn't find the source of the sound in the room. The song 'Jingle Bells' kept playing. There were no lyrics but everyone knew the song.

Tang Mo listened carefully and couldn't find the source. It seemed to be coming from all directions.

The next moment, Tang Mo's body froze. He ran at a speed he never achieved before to the window and looked at the distant giant tower in the centre of Suzhou. Colourful lights were flashing from the tower and the melody of the song was constantly changing. Once the last note fell, the lights disappeared and everything became dark again.

A child-like voice spoke afterwards, in the unique high-pitched, sharp and loud tone of a child.

"Ding dong! November 15th, 2017. The earth is online."

The world.

At this moment, all humans stopped and looked at the black tower closest to them.

...

They had never felt that the black tower was so huge. No matter how far away they were from the tower, they could clearly see a blue dot of light that appeared on it. The blue dots flashed and formed a string of characters, like an old computer crashing. Then a row of blue words appeared in the centre of the black tower—

"Ding dong! In three days, all players are asked to eliminate any player. This is including, but not limited to games."

The clear child's voice was heard at the same time.

Tang Mo stood on a balcony and stared without blinking at the black tower. The cold autumn wind blew against his cheeks and a large drop of sweat slid down his forehead. He fixed his gaze on the black tower, but the black tower had returned to its calm state. The blue words and child's voice disappeared.

Half an hour later, Tang Mo arrived at the entrance of the library. Countless people were crowded near the black tower, even managing to block the road to the library.

The noisy crowd blocked the city center. Tang Mo watched for a moment before walking into the library.

10 minutes later, Director Wang came to the help desk and ordered, "There is no need to work today. Go home and wait for a notice."

Xiao Zhao excitedly looked up and couldn't help asking, "Director, is it related to the black tower? The black tower made a noise this morning. You must've heard it. What is going on? Where did this thing come from? Is it really the end of the world?"

Director Wang immediately made a cold expression. "What end of the world nonsense? As a young person, don't talk nonsense all day and look at your mess."

Xiao Zhao was the youngest worker in the library, a girl born in 1996. There was a hint of fear in her round eyes, but there was more surprise and curiosity. After Director Wang left, she said, "Tang Mo, you heard it. The black tower spoke. What does it mean by online and eliminated?"

Tang Mo was packing up his things to go home. He felt annoyed and spoke in a short manner, "I didn't pay attention."

"Do you think this is the end of the world? I don't think it is the end of the world where there are zombies. The black tower told us to eliminate players. Wouldn't that turn us into zombies? This must by a conspiracy of the country…ah, that isn't right. The Internet said that all the black towers in the world spoke. Which country would be able to do that? I don't think the United States would do it."

Tang Mo wasn't in the mood to discuss such things. He didn't know why, but after he heard the black tower and say the words that appeared, his heart started to race quickly.

A normal adult heartbeat was between 60 to 100. Tang Mo had been counting his heartbeat while Xiao Zhao was talking.

He now had a heartbeat of 130 per minute.

He didn't feel any discomfort. He just felt panicked, as if something was wrong.

Tang Mo looked to the left and right. The borrowing desk was in the middle of the room and the bookshelves were all around them. The left contained the humanities book while the right contained the historical books. He didn't know what he was looking for. From his line of sight, the sun shone through the window and small pieces of dust floated in the air.

"Tang Mo!" The loud female voice woke Tang Mo up. Xiao Zhao's voice contained some dissatisfaction. "I just spoke to you several times. What happened? What are you thinking about that you won't talk?"

Tang Mo wiped his face with his hand and found that his palms were wet with sweat. He turned to look at his colleague. "…It doesn't matter."

His heart was beating faster.

Xiao Zhao picked up her bag. "I want to see the black tower. Would you like to come with me? As I was entering the library, I saw that a lot of people were there. Should we drop by there together?"

Tang Mo quickly shook his head. "I'm going home."

Xiao Zhao didn't seem happy as she waved and left the library first.

But Xiao Zhao failed to visit the black tower. Tang Mo saw a group of police officers escorting the crowd around the black tower as he left the library. They surrounded the black tower with white plastic. The white plastic wall started from the library doorway and blocked the black tower tightly, not letting people in.

Many people were standing outside the wall and using their phones to take photos of the black tower.

Tang Mo took a photo and grabbed a taxi to go home.

On the Internet, the black tower incident had become the world's hottest headline.

Tang Mo laid in bed and checked his friends circle. Students studying in Japan and the United States sent photographs of the black tower, with the text in Japanese and English instead of Chinese.

Tang Mo didn't speak, but the students studying in the United States replied to several people in the friends circle.

[ Yes, it was in English, not Chinese! I was scared to death. My school stopped classes and many people are marching in front of the White House, asking the government to give a statement. ]

[ Right now, it is too hard to buy a ticket at the airport. I can't buy a ticket back home. My roommate is rich and will return home in the afternoon. ]

[ When it spoke, it was evening here. There was also a nursery rhyme. My friend has a video and I uploaded it. ]

Tang Mo opened the video that this person posted. A familiar black tower was suspended over the Lincoln Memorial. It flashed with a colourful light and was particularly eye-catching. The song wasn't 'Jingle Bells' but was clearly a nursery rhyme. After the song finished, the same high and clear child's voice was spoken in English.

『 Ding dong. November 15th, 2017. The earth is online. 』

What the hell was this?

Tang Mo anxiously dropped his phone onto his bed.

The authorities hadn't disclosed information about the black tower. However, there were too many of these towers and it couldn't be hidden. People had already sent out information on the Internet. On average, every 10,000 square kilometres of land would have a black tower.

There were even countless black towers on the ocean.

Tang Mo stood up and walked around the room irritably. His heart wasn't calm, beating so quickly that it was like his heart was jumping out of his chest. Tang Mo was on his 160th time around his room when he suddenly stopped.

…This wasn't like him!

Why was he upset all of a sudden?

Tang Mo walked to the bathroom and placed his head under the faucet. Rather than worrying about a cold, he directly turned on the cold water and let it pour over his head. He felt calmer and returned to his room, pouring a glass of cold water. Then he turned on the computer and opened the bridge software.

He needed to be calm.

This sudden sense of anxiety wasn't under his control.

Maybe it was because his heartbeat was so fast that it affected his judgment? Just now, it should've reached 150 times per minute.

Tang Mo looked indifferently at the computer screen. There were too few people who wanted to play games at this time, probably due to the big event. He waited for 10 minutes before entering a room and opening a handful of cards. The game progressed and his brain turned quickly. Tang Mo's heart gradually calmly down, just beating as fast.

He played from day to night, until he was too sleep and fell asleep in his bed.

The next day, that irresistible sense of anxiety came again. Tang Mo reopened the bridge software and continued to play cards. He played all day like this and his condition became the worst. His eyes were bloodshot and his brain was too tired. He could sleep just by closing his eyes.

Then there was the sound of the QQ prompt.

[ Victor: Have you been playing all day? ]

Tang Mo rubbed his eyes and replied, [ Yes, I was feeling a bit uncomfortable. ]

[ Victor: It must be uncomfortable to play for so long. Rest early. ]

[ Grinding Sugar: Yes. ]

[ Victor: Stay away from the black tower. ]

Tang Mo had already fallen asleep at the computer table.

He woke up the next morning and saw Victor's message. He hurried to reply, but Victor had already gone offline. Tang Mo stretched and felt much better. His heartbeat was still fast but the strands of anxiety had disappeared without a trace.

The black tower event was still being discussed online.

The government didn't give any specific explanations but strongly suppressed public opinion. Many netizens could only discuss information relevant to the black tower in private. The discussions were also useless, as sensitive vocabulary couldn't be sent in succession.

Tang Mo opened a few posts that speculated about the black tower. Most people thought that they black tower was the result of some research. A small number of people thought it was the end of the world. However, their tone was joking so their posts weren't deleted. These people were just casually posting nonsense.

In the afternoon, Director Wang made an announcement in the library group chat.

[ Director Wang: Emergency notice! The day after tomorrow, the library will be requisitioned as a temporary research centre. Please take away any personal belongings today or tomorrow. I'll say it once again. The day after tomorrow, the library will be requisitioned… ]

The group blew up.

Several old employees asked why the library was being requisitioned and where they would work. There were a few young employees who joked: [ The world is ending. What job? ]

Tang Mo looked up at the black tower in the distance. Then he picked up his bag and took the bus to the library.

He had to admit that China was doing a good job with social stability. Apart from the people who were too close to the black tower and had to go home, the other public facilities were running as smoothly as usual.

But once he got on the bus, Tang Mo saw that there was an ashtray in front of the driver who was smoking.

A middle-aged woman complained, "Mister, how can you smoke while driving?"

"It is annoying. I don't want to drive if I can't smoke. Or do you want to drive?"

"Hey, how can you speak like this? Isn't smoking on the bus against the bus company's regulations? Do you think that people won't say anything if you are smoking?"

The driver and the woman kept arguing and the two female university students sitting near Tang Mo rushed to intervene. Finally, they were persuaded and the two girls sat back in their seats. One of them said, "Today is the third day?"

"Ah, it is as you said. It really is the third day."

The girls spoke while playing with their phones. "What does it mean by eliminating players isn't limited to game mode? It has been three days and nothing happened. What is a game? Is it talking about a game of rock paper scissors?"

"Hehe, do you want to try it?"

"Rock paper scissors!"

"Ah, I lost. Then am I eliminated by you?"

The two girls looked at each other and laughed.

The people on the bus continued their daily lives without caring much about the black tower incident. Once Tang Mo arrived at the library, he saw thousands of people holding signs and confronting the armed police. They were people who were very concerned about the black tower incident and who really thought the black towers would bring about the end of the world.

Tang Mo detoured around the library to the back door. It seemed that only he was anxious to come and pick up his things. There was no other person in the empty library. The shouts of the crowd outside the door echoed in the library. Tang Mo found his cabinet and took out several books.

He was about to leave when he heard a dull voice from the southeast corner.

Tang Mo stopped moving and looked there. A moment later, he took out a black explosion-proof stick from the security cabinet and tiptoed gingerly towards the corner.

"Who's there?"

There was no answer.

He could vaguely hear the sound of someone around the corner. The other person was putting a book back on the shelf and pulled out another book.

Tang Mo walked around the corner and shouted, "Who's there?"

An ordinary young man with messy hair looked at Tang Mo in a panicked manner while holding a book in his hand.

Tang Mo relaxed his grip on the explosion-proof stick and looked surprised. "Huckster…I mean, Mr. Chen? What are you doing here?"

The huckster looked stiffly at Tang Mo before giving a hollow laugh and placing the book back on the shelf.

Tang Mo frowned. "How did you get in?"

"There is a window in the east that isn't closed… I just came in to see…"

Tang Mo recalled that there was a window on the east side of the library. But the window was attached to the ground and connected to the basement. It was mainly for ventilation. How did this huckster get in? Did he really climb through the window?

Tang Mo reprimanded him "Mr. Chen, this is very difficult behaviour. It is considered as stealing."

"I'm not stealing anything!" The huckster hastily denied it.

Tang Mo looked him up and down, holding the explosion-proof stick tightly in his hand. He walked to the bookshelf in front of the huckster and looked carefully.

There were indeed no fewer books than there was when he left three days ago.

"Then what do you want by entering…"

"Ding dong! The game 'Who stole my book?' has been triggered. At 17:52 on November 17, 2017, players Tang Mo and Chen Fangzhi have safely entered the game. The players have entered the sandbox, the game map is completed, the data is loaded…"

In an instant, all the noisy chanting from outside the library disappeared.

In the empty library, a clear child's voice was heard in thin air, singing an unknown nursery rhyme.

"La la la, la la La.

The stick moves gently,

Two players entered the house.

Don't speak for three days and three nights,

The angel and demon wants it.

Hehe…who stole my book?"

People who didn't believe in the black tower just watched it from beginning to end. They believed this was the result of the government's high-tech research and wouldn't do any harm to them. It was impossible for the government to harm the people. Even if something really happened, they had their leaders. As long as the top leaders were there, they didn't have to do anything, even if they sky collapsed.

Those who believed in the black tower felt extreme fear on the third day.

...

"What is a game? What is elimination? We need a statement!"

"Statement! Explain!"

"There needs to be an explanation!"

More and more people marched, blocking the city centre of Suzhou. There were also some who tried to see if they could get any benefits from this. Despite the armed police warning them off, they used the advantage in numbers and refused to leave. They would cling to the white wall and even break it.

Such scenarios occurred all over the world.

China was very good. Before the black tower incident, the country was very stable and had strong cohesion and control. In some poor and weak countries, especially those where the government deterrence was very week, the 'black tower is a danger' group occupied the government on the first day.

"The black tower is God and it will lead us to a new century. The time of the black tower is coming. My great and only master, please give us the strength of new life!"

"Grant us strength!"

Thousands of people knelt in front of the black tower, yearning for a new and better century.

Tang Mo didn't know these things.

He held a black explosion-proof stick in his hand. Despite his clothes being very thin, his forehead was covered with fine sweat. The clear voice of the child sang the nursery rhyme. Once it finished, the loud and ethereal voice echoed in the empty library for a long time.

"Did you hear it?" Tang Mo barely spoke the words through gritted teeth.

The huckster was lying scared on the ground, his messy hair blocking his eyes. When he looked up, Tang Mo could only see a pair of eyes trembling with fear. The huckster was so frightened that he couldn't even speak. He got up and shrank back into a wall, holding his head with trembling hands and saying, "What…what is that thing…?"

Tang Mo didn't know.

There was no sound in the library after the nursery rhyme ended.

Tang Mo gradually calmed down.

Some people would be at a loss when encountering big events and panic. Tang Mo was the opposite.

Tang Mo was an extremely sensible person. Five years ago, his parents were in a car accident and died. This was when he had just entered university and someone else might've broken down. Tang Mo managed the two people's funeral in an orderly manner. It was only after everything was handled that he secretly cried and began to consider his future.

Despite his quick heartbeat and feeling of anxiety in the past two days, he now found himself calmer than ever.

Tang Mo held the stick in his right hand and used a thick book from the G shelf as a shield. Then he approached the window.

Outside the window was just white.

This was a window on the east side of the library. Normally, he could see the main street of Suzhou and several famous ancient gardens from here.

Tang Mo gripped the stick even tighter. He seemed calm but he was always alert to everything around him. Every time he passed a bookshelf, he was ready to fight back.

He looked at the windows on the southeast and northwest of the third floor of the library before returning to his original spot.

"We aren't in Suzhou anymore."

The huckster huddled in the wall corner and looked at Tang Mo with horror.

Tang Mo didn't want to explain. However, he bitterly said, "We are surrounded by a blank space, but this really is the library. It is probably similar to the library being moved to a big blank room. I have been working here for a year year and looked at the help desk. My colleague's glass of water is still on the table, exactly like the library."

The huckster seemed to realize he wasn't alone after Tang Mo's words and found the courage to stand up. He looked around and suddenly said, "Ah, this is the book I hid in here last week!"

Tang Mo followed the direction of his finger.

"I was afraid the book would be borrowed and hid it in the gap between two bookshelves."

Tang Mo, "…"

He was the one who originally did it!

In any case, Tang Mo was a librarian in this library and the huckster was a regular visitor. If both people confirmed that this was the library, it was certainly true.

Tang Mo took the huckster to the security cabinet and pulled out another explosion-proof stick. Right now, everything was unknown. The stick would help the huckster protect himself and he could also be a helper if the two people encountered any danger.

The two men had just arrived at the help desk when the sound of footsteps was heard from the bookshelves deep on the third floor.

The huckster's eyes widened with fright while Tang Mo also started sweating.

He had just been there and seen no one! Who did these footsteps belong to?

The two men clutched the security sticks and stared carefully in front of them, their backs against the wall. The sound got closer and it was very irregular. It was like a child skipping on the ground. 30 seconds later, a small shadow appeared from between a bookshelf. It was a little girl with double ponytails. Despite it being later November, she was wearing a red dress and a pair of shiny red leather shoes.

The noise they heard was the sound of her shoes hitting the ground.

"G…Ghost! A ghost!"

The huckster shrank behing Tang Mo.

But Tang Mo was also afraid!

…This wasn't a matter of being calm and dispassionate. What was with this special mosaic?

The little girl in the red dressed looked around seven or eight years old. She wore a delicate small skirt, small shoes and the school schoolbag on her back was modeled after the Disney pink Minnie Mouse. It was extremely detailed and she looked no different from a real person. It was just that her face was covered in a thick layer of mosaic.

There were no eyebrows, no eyes, no nose, no mouth.

Only mosaic.

Tang Mo gritted his teeth and suppressed the desire to knock this girl out with the stick.

"Brother, have you seen my book?"

No matter how clear and beautiful the voice, Tang Mo could only feel horrified when he saw this face.

Tang Mo stared at the girl with a cold face and didn't answer.

The little girl asked again, "Brother, have you seen my book?"

The little girl looked very weak and it should be easy for Tang Mo to subdue her. However, this place was too strange and the girl with the mosaic face clearly wasn't a real person. Tang Mo didn't dare move casually and could only cooperate. He licked his lips and tried to show a king smile. "Little friend, what book are you missing?"

"Brother, your smile is so ugly."

Tang Mo, "…"

The little girl spoke. "My book is gone. Brother, can you help me find it? Mother is very annoying. I hate reading but she bought me so many books. These books are ugly but Mother will be very angry if I lose them. Mother will kill me if the book is gone. Brother, can you help me find the book?"

Tang Mo no longer made a false smile. "Who is your mother?"

"Mother is Mother. Brother, you are very strange."

The huckster spoke in a trembling voice from behind. "If you can't find the book, your mother… your mother will kill you?"

"Yes, Mother will be very angry. Mother is terrible when angry."

The huckster added, "Surely she wouldn't kill people?"

The little girl tilted her head and her right ponytail fell on her mosaic face. Tang Mo didn't know why but he felt like if it wasn't for this mosaic, the girl would be laughing right now. She looked at Tang Mo and the huckster with the dark line over her eyes. "Oh, but if Brother doesn't help me find the book, I will kill Brother."

It was like a bucket of ice water was poured over them. Tang Mo stared at the mosaic little girl with tight lips.

A moment later, he asked lightly, "Do you remember what book it is? I'll find it for you."

"Um…" The little girl shook her head and her ponytail swayed. She seemed to be thinking hard. She made a 'um' sound for a long time before crying out, "I can't remember!"

Tang Mo had long guessed that would be the answer.

Suddenly, the girl hastily said, "Ah, I have to go to school. The teacher will kill me if I'm late. I'll go first. Brother, you have to help me find the book." She lifted her schoolbag and ran into the bookshelves again.

The little girl disappeared and this bizarre game officially started.

Tang Mo and the huckster had originally hidden themselves behind the help desk, not going out when they talked to the girl. The moment that the little girl disappeared, the computer belonging to Tang Mo on the help desk suddenly lit up and the two people walked over.

On the blue computer background, a piece of text emerged. It was obviously a dairy.

Tang Mo read it aloud. "November 15th, clear. I lost my mother's book! Mother is going to kill me!"

The huckster exclaimed, "It changed! The words changed! November 16th, overcast. I passed by my mother and she still doesn't know the book is gone. Where is the book, where is the book? Mother is going to kill me!"

The text on the computer screen changed again.

Tang Mo read it. "November 17th, overcast. Mother seems to have found out. Did she find out?" The words changed and he continued reading. "November 18th, rain. Hehehe…Mother really will kill me."

Tang Mo and the huckster fell silent.

"…Are we really going to die?" The huckster muttered to himself.

Tang Mo looked at the huckster.

Working in the library was very boring. Every day, he had to help people. During the break, they would occasionally talk about the wonderful things they had seen today. The huckster was one of these wonderful things. He didn't seem to go to work, just coming to the library every day to read books. Xiao Zhao said that the huckster was dumped by his girlfriend and his mental state became like this.

In the hearts of the staff members, the huckster was a very strange person, but also funny and pitiful.

Now the huckster really looked pathetic to Tang Mo.

Tang Mo looked at him with no fear. In fact, he was also afraid. However, this wasn't the time to feel fear. Tang Mo thought about it for a moment and honestly answered. "Maybe we really will die."

The huckster stared in despair.

Tang Mo said, "Wait a minute, the text on the computer changed again. The mosaic girl is sensible and obedient…" Tang Mo's expression twisted as he continued to read. "There is only one drawback to the mosaic girl. She doesn't like reading. Her mother hates little girls who don't like to read, especially little girls who throw out their book and lie about it being stolen. However, her mother doesn't know that the mosaic girl isn't lying. She didn't throw away the book. The demon stole it."

Tang Mo frowned at the word 'demon.'

"The demon hates books the most. Demons are illiterate. Why should they want to read? Only those birds with wings can read? The evil demon stole the book and was discovered by the angel. He didn't burn the book and hid it secretly in a library. But the library shelves look exactly the same. After the angel left, the foolish demon couldn't find it against and let out an angry roar—"

"This damn book!"

Once Tang Mo finished the paragraph, the clear child's voice rang out in the library.

"Ding dong! The game 'Who stole my book?' has officially started. During the game—"

"First, violence is prohibited."

"Second, angels can get information about the book in the daytime.

"Third, the demon can burn any bookshelf at night."

"Clever and kind angel, the mosaic girl will be killed by her angry mother in three days. Do you have the heart to watch such a lovely little girl die?"

Tang Mo, "…"

"Cute" my a***** !

——————-

The author has something to say:

Black Tower: Do you have the heart to watch such a lovely little girl die?

Tang Mo: I can bear it!

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