Sci-Tech Library

Lightning lit up the curtain of rain, piercing through the transparent windows and making the library shelves flicker along with each flash. The mournful sound of rain drove away the stifling heat, adding a trace of coolness to this blank season.

Chen Mo moved between the library shelves, his eyes constantly searching for the book he wanted.

At a corner, Chen Mo suddenly felt a sharp pain in his nose. A faint fragrance drifted into his nostrils, making him pause in a daze.

Covering his nose, Chen Mo took several steps back before seeing clearly who he had bumped into—a girl.

Her blue-black hair was tied in a simple low ponytail, with two wisps of bangs hanging before her forehead, blending gentleness with elegance. A white T-shirt and denim shorts exposed her long, slender legs to the air. Combined with the faint wildness in her aura, she was impossible to tire of looking at.

Her eyes were bright and gentle, her skin fair. She could not be called breathtakingly beautiful, but she was definitely the most comfortable-looking girl he had ever seen.

Delicate.

That was the first thought that surfaced in Chen Mo's mind.

Realizing his thoughts had wandered, Chen Mo came back to himself. "Sorry."

"It's fine." The girl rubbed her forehead, gave Chen Mo a slight smile, and turned to leave.

After watching her retreating figure for a moment, Chen Mo rubbed his sore nose. Yet the faint fragrance lingering at its tip made the image of that girl rise uncontrollably in his mind.

Shaking his head, Chen Mo continued searching between the shelves. Before long, he saw the girl again.

They smiled at each other as they passed. The fragrant breeze that reached his nose made Chen Mo unable to resist turning back for another look at her.

Rumble! A massive bolt of lightning struck above the library, accompanied by waves of startled screams.

The girl was also startled by the sudden thunderous noise, and her body jolted violently. Chen Mo felt his heart twitch as well, his neck shrinking instinctively.

Just as the screams faded, a chaotic crash sounded from the shelves beside them.

Suddenly, Chen Mo's pupils contracted. He saw the shelf above her head slowly tilting down.

"Watch out!"

Without another word, Chen Mo rushed forward and threw himself at the girl.

Bang! Chen Mo only felt something slam viciously into his head. With both arms around the girl, he fell away, and that familiar fragrance reached his nose once more.

"Someone knocked over the bookshelf..."

"A student is trapped underneath it! Come help!"

"Call an ambulance!"

A swelling pain came from his head, making Chen Mo's consciousness blur. Before losing consciousness, he could still hear the clamor echoing through the library.

He did not know how long had passed before Chen Mo gradually regained consciousness.

The moment he raised his head, he saw a golden gate more than a hundred meters tall before him. All kinds of incomprehensible writing and symbols covered the entire gate. It was heavy and unadorned, yet in Chen Mo's eyes, it seemed utterly bizarre.

Hadn't he been hit by a bookshelf?

Where was this?

The gates of hell?

A string of questions filled his mind as Chen Mo stared blankly at the gate. The moment his hand touched it, it suddenly opened, streams of white light bursting out and engulfing him in endless radiance.

When the light faded, Chen Mo looked around.

Centered around him, bookshelves more than a hundred meters tall stood in layer upon layer. As far as the eye could see, there was no end to them. Books of varying thickness were neatly arranged on the shelves, vast as an ocean.

Looking at the towering shelves, Chen Mo's eyes were lost, like an ant that had wandered into the center of an enormous library.

Where was this? Was this the library of hell or the library of heaven?

Could it be that if someone was crushed to death in a library, they would appear in heaven's library?

Chen Mo thought miserably. Coming back to himself, he turned his attention to the enormous library. Even a library belonging to the Giant Race did not need to be this large.

"Is anyone there?"

Chen Mo called softly, but received no response.

"Is anyone there?" Gathering his courage, Chen Mo shouted into the library.

"Is anyone there?"..."Anyone?"...

No one answered. Only the fading echoes remained as his gaze fell upon the center of the library.

In the middle stood an ordinary redwood table, with a book placed upon it. Its cover was dark red, ancient, and weighty. On closer inspection, dense formulas, symbols, and letters were arranged into intricate dark patterns.

Five gilded characters were printed on the cover: Sci-Tech Library.

Sci-Tech Library?

Chen Mo hesitated for a moment before opening the book to its title page. It was completely blank.

Buzz...

Just as Chen Mo was about to investigate further, a curtain of light descended from above the library, and a figure appeared in the open space behind him.

An old man stood there, dressed in a gray robe. His hair was grizzled, his face lined with wrinkles, and wisdom shone in his eyes. He wore a warm, kindly smile, like a grandfather from next door.

"Sir, hello. Where is this?" Chen Mo hesitated before asking. The old man did not seem like a bad person.

"Isn't it written right there, lucky child?" The old man smiled at Chen Mo.

"The Sci-Tech Library?" Chen Mo pointed to the book's cover.

"That's right. Countless civilizations' technologies are stored here, so it is called the Sci-Tech Library." The old man looked toward the endless shelves behind them.

Chen Mo hesitantly walked toward the shelves. When he saw the books on them, disbelief flashed through his eyes.

"Quantum Teleportation Portal," "Super Alloy," "Gene Editing and Artificial Human," "Artificial Intelligence," "Superdimensional Mathematics," "Antimatter Extraction Technology," "God Particle Stabilization and Utilization Technology," "Human Potential Development Potion," "Superpower Awakening Method and Technology"...

The hundred-meter-high shelves were filled with books on all kinds of technologies. They covered every high-tech field, including physics, chemistry, biology, computers, mathematics, information, medicine, and Military Industry.

Every book here represented a kind of technology. Any technology he saw, if brought into reality, would undoubtedly bring both fame and fortune. Endless wealth would be within easy reach.

How many technological advancements were hidden within this Sci-Tech Library? Chen Mo turned to look into the depths of the library, which stretched beyond sight, and his heart trembled with shock.

Coming back to himself, Chen Mo reached for a book, but his hand grasped nothing. Only then did he realize that these bookshelves seemed not to exist within his spacetime. He could not touch them.

He tried grabbing at them several more times, but still caught nothing.

No matter how hard he tried, he could not touch any of the shelves. His hand could only pass through them.

"Sir, am I dreaming? Why can't I take these books?"

Chen Mo gave a bitter smile. A mountain of gold stood before him, yet he could only look at it and not take it. There was no greater distance in the world than that.

"Child, this is not a dream." The old man pointed at the dark red book on the table. "Write your name in it, and you will become the next owner of the Sci-Tech Library."

Chen Mo returned to the table. After hesitating for several seconds, he picked up the black quill beside the book and wrote his full name on the title page.

The moment he finished writing his name, the handwriting flashed with golden light before dimming again.

"Chen Mo."

A resounding voice echoed above the library. Chen Mo instinctively looked upward, only to find nothing there.

"Stop looking. The library is verifying your identity." Seeing Chen Mo's reaction, the old man smiled slightly. "From now on, you are the owner of the library."

The old man's words brought a smile to Chen Mo's face. He realized that he might truly have encountered a miraculous opportunity.

"Sir, how should I address you?" Chen Mo asked.

"I am the keeper of the Sci-Tech Library. I have no name. You may call me Administrator, or whatever else you wish." The old man looked at Chen Mo with growing satisfaction.

"That won't do. You're the Administrator here, so you must be well-read. Books are like Shu, so I'll call you Old Shu."

"I never expected to have a name too." The old man laughed heartily. "As you wish."

"Old Shu, now that I'm the library's owner, can I take the books?" Chen Mo eagerly walked over to the shelves.

"Try it." Old Shu smiled.

Chen Mo reached for the shelf, and his expression immediately turned gloomy. He still could not take anything.

"Why can't I take these books yet?"

"Your permissions are insufficient." Old Shu shook his head. "You have only just acquired the library, so your permissions are merely probationary. You cannot take high-level technologies."

"So I can take low-level ones?" Chen Mo immediately seized on the key point.

"You can. Your permissions are probationary. Each month, you may randomly choose only one probationary-level book here. This is the beginning, so you may freely choose one."

"Which ones are probationary-level?"

"They're in the book. See for yourself." Old Shu pointed at the dark red book on the table.