CHAPTER 5- WHO STOLE MY BOOK?(3)

The mosaic girl bounced away after leaving that strange tip.

Tang Mo took a deep breath and endured his desire to kill the little mosaic girl.

It was now ‘daytime’. The demon had disappeared and the angels could walk freely. Now that they had been in this strange place for a few hours, Tang Mo and the huckster were no longer so nervous. The two people took their sticks and walked to the burnt down bookcase. Tang Mo squatted down and looked at the bookshelf that had been burnt to ashes.

There were 23 bookshelves on the third floor of the library. The one that burnt this time was the ninth shelf from the help desk.

It was the category I bookshelf, with most of the books being about domestic and foreign travel, geography and some religion books. Now they were all burned to ashes. The wooden bookshelf was pieces of black charcoal on the ground while the books were small piles of black and grey ash. Tang Mo reached out and touched the black ash.

“It isn’t hot.”

The huckster looked at him. “It isn’t hot?”

Tang Mo nodded. “According to the child’s voice, the bookshelf burned all night so it is plausible that it isn’t hot. But based on our own time flow, it was only half an hour ago. Not to mention how such a large bookcase and more than 10,000 books could be burned cleanly without an hour...this can’t be explained with the common sense of humanity.”

The huckster thought it was obvious. “This is burned by the demon. Of course it can’t be explained by science.”

The things happening to them were beyond the scope of theoretical science. A few more occurrences and they wouldn’t be afraid of itching lice anymore.

The huckster was obviously more concerned with the problem of finding the book. He gulped fearfully. “Didn’t the little girl say that the angels know the book she lost? Tang Mo, do you know any books?” The huckster paused before adding. “I know too many books. I have been reading in this library for one year and don’t know what books I’ve looked at.”

Tang Mo wasn’t very anxious. “I have been responsible for the book entry project on the third floor. I certainly must know more books than you.”

The huckster stared at him and started sweating. “Then what do we do? It is the second day.”

Tang Mo didn’t answer ans he walked around the pile of black ash. The huckster kept speaking. He roughly recalled what the little girl said when she appeared but couldn’t find any conclusive evidence. Thus, he urgently cried out, “Tang Mo, what do we do?”

“Don’t worry.” Tang Mo squatted in front of the ashes and looked up at the huckster. The ‘sunshine’ from outside the window shone on his face. He smiled slightly and said, “The most important thing now is...why did the demon burn down the bookshelf?”

The huckster suddenly froze.

There were 23 bookshelves. According to common sense, the probability that the demon would burn the book was 3/23. The premise was that the angel didn’t find the book in advance.

The huckster thought about it and explained. “The child said that the demon couldn’t remember which bookshelf he hid the book on. Thus, he should be burning it randomly.”

“Perhaps.”

The huckster ran his hands thought his hair. “We have to hurry and find the book. If we can’t find it, we will be finished. The books I read recently are on this bookshelf and...” The huckster’s face being a bit ugly. “The burned bookshelf as well. Tang Mo, what about you?”

Tang Mo stood up. “I see too many books. Every day, I have to sort the books.”

The huckster looked dignified. He looked at the books on the shelf next to him and the ashes on the ground. He seemed really nervous as he kept repeated what the little girl had said.

In fact, if other normal people encountered such a situation where they saw ghosts and other strange things, it was also possible for them to be forced into this strange mental state.

Tang Mo reached out and grabbed a handful of ashes. He glanced at the huckster walking back and forth and suddenly remembered. “I recently organized a book shelf. Around three days ago, the director asked be to tidy up the H-type bookshelf.”

The footsteps of the huckster stopped at once as he looked at Tang Mo. “Three days ago? The timing is so close, maybe it is here?”

The two people went to the H-type bookshelf and made a dumbfounded expression.

“There are more than 12,000 books on the H-type bookshelf.” Tang Mo stated a number.

The huckster spoke calmly, “What is considered finding the book? If we take out all the books on the H-type shelf and find the correct one, does that count as finding the book?”

The rules of the game didn’t mention it. The game only said that angels would get a hint during the day and demons would burn the book at night. If they found the correct book for the mosaic girl, it would be counted as completing the task. Would it be a success if they simply took the right book out of the bookshelf?

Tang Mo didn’t think of this. He said, “If we hurry up, we can probably take out all of the books within two hours.”

They did as he said.

The huckster excitedly pulled out books while Tang Mo also honestly grabbed them. They split into two and completed the task from both sides of the bookshelf. Time passed quickly. Tang Mo had been taking out a book on the Qing Dynasty when night came. He wanted to touch the next book but found he couldn’t remove the book from the shelf.

It was dark and the huckster spoke in a horrified manner. “I can’t get the books out.”

Tang Mo muttered, “I also can’t get it out.”

The two people left the bookshelf and headed back to the help desk. They turned on the only lamp that could be lit.

In the dim light, Tang Mo and the huckster leaned against the table, intently staring at the H bookshelf. They couldn’t see anything in the darkness, but they knew that a bookshelf would be burned within two hours. Once the flames were blazing, they would be able to clearly see everything in the library.

In times of such stress, time passed by extremely slowly.

The huckster’s eyes were bloodshot and he looked like a homeless man who hadn’t slept for three days. He had chapped lips and snow-like dandruff in his hair. Only his hands were very clean and his nails trimmed well, as if to preserve the owner’s last dignity.

The second night happened at 23:52 and the next day would come at 1:52. The clock on the library rang as the hour hand reached zero.

“We’ve known each other for a year.”

The huckster had turned his head like a frightened animal when the ringing sound occurred.

After a long time, the huckster relaxed. He seemed to be thinking something as he looked down at the ground illuminated by the light and said softly. “It is more than 30 days, it is a year.”

Tang Mo was still staring into the darkness as his lips curved. “Your library card has a one year deadline. But looking at the currently situation, perhaps you won’t need it later. Still, you should’ve finished reading all the occult and religion book on the third floor of the library.”

“I would’ve finished them in two days.”

“That is a pity.”

Neither of them spoke again.

A long time passed before the huckster said, “I know you often say behind my back that I am neurotic. There are really many things in this world that can’t be explained by science. You didn’t believe me before and thought that the words I said every day were crazy. But the things we encountered today, can you explain it with science?”

Tang Mo was silent for a moment. “I can’t explain it.”

The huckster agreed. “Yes. God had really come. The age of God has come. Our prophet, our holy master, he hadn’t forsaken us. The black towers that came to Earth, they are the true manifestations of God. You and I have been chosen by it. It was once Jesus, once Buddha and now it appears as the black tower. We have the opportunity to be one of the twelve apostles and then we can get true salvation.”

Tang Mo smiled. “Then why are you afraid of it?”

The huckster, “...”

They were talking about death.

Why was the huckster afraid if he thought that the black tower was a display from God? He should be willing.

The two people didn’t chat again. Fortunately, this ‘night’ wasn’t long. In the last 10 minutes of the night, there was a loud boom and a bookshelf was lit on fire, the ceiling reflecting the red light.

Tang Mo’s eyes narrowed.

The huckster suddenly jumped up from the ground in a panicked manner. “This is the H bookshelf! The H bookshelf!”

The third day, the little girl running out from the bookshelves had changed into a black skirt. She didn’t carry a small schoolbag this time. Instead, she had a small basket that contained a variety of delicious food. She didn’t even look at the two burned bookshelves as she walked passed them, running straight to Tang Mo and the huckster.

The mosaic muttered angrily, “Where is my book?”

Tang Mo asked another question instead of replying. “You don’t have to go to school today?”

The little girl’s expression was hidden under the thick mosaic, but her cheerful voice revealed her excitement. “Today is the autumn outing. I like the autumn outing the most. There are small sheep, white rabbits and wallabies. They are so big, so big.” The little girl stretched out her arms to try and show the size. She swallowed the saliva in her mouth. “The small sheep’s thighs are the best to eat while the white rabbit’s eyes are like sugar balls. The wallabies are hard to eat but my mother likes them. I will help her by bringing one back.”

The huckster was pale and shivered with fear as he listened to the little girl.

Tang Mo turned to look at him. “Mr. Chen, it seems that you aren’t in very good spirits?”

The huckster asked him, “Aren’t you afraid? The demon knows what we are doing during the day. He deliberately burned the H-type bookshelf. Luckily the book wasn’t on that shelf or we might’ve failed.”

The little girl’s face suddenly changed. “My book!”

Tang Mo looked at her. “Do you remember anything about the book today?”

The little girl didn’t start the ‘mosaic’s contempt again.’ She directly used the eyes hidden by the mosaic to look at Tang Mo like he was a fool.

“Why is the angel as stupid as the demon? I know. In fact, you want my book right? The evil demon, he knew the book. He knew that it was worth a lot of money! That is the present my mother bought me for my birthday and he deliberately stole it! He knew that the book was given by my mother and that my mother would be angry. Are you helping me find my book?”

The little girl suddenly pulled out a huge match from the basket.

“You don’t want to help me find my book!”

“Ding dong! The angel received the third ‘Is my friend not looking for the book? You are going to die!’ hint.

The little girl threw her basket away fiercely and held the match that was the size of her head. She stepped towards Tang Mo and the huckster.

Tang Mo looked down at her, waiting for her to come closer before saying in a strange tone, “I dislike children, especially mischievous children.”

The little girl’s footsteps suddenly stopped, as if she had been stabbed in the feet. She hurriedly said, “I never did any mischief! I hate pranks! Who said I was mischievous? I would never do any mischief. I am an obedient and sensible little girl!”

Tang Mo didn’t answer.

The huckster looked at him nervously. “Tang Mo?”

Why was he provoking her?

The little girl repeated to herself 10 times, “I never do any mischief. I am a good girl.” Then she raised her mosaic face and lifted the large match. “You aren’t helping me find my book!”

Tang Mo had walked to a bookshelf while she had been saying these words. He took out a book from the G-type bookshelf and looked at the little girl. “Yes, you never cause mischief. You just burn things and kill people.”