Book Spirit

The huge black tin house was pitch black inside; you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

As soon as Bai Zhi stepped through the door, the iron gate behind him slammed shut again with a loud bang.

Bai Zhi paused slightly before continuing forward.

Once the arrow is drawn, there's no turning back; one must brave even the most dangerous places.

At first it was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, but after walking several dozen steps, it suddenly opened up into a bright and spacious area.

However, upon seeing the situation clearly, Bai Zhi couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly.

Before him lay a rather spacious hall.

The hall was surrounded by Light Screen of all sizes, each displaying various images at double speed. There were tens of thousands of these Light Screen.

In the very center of the hall, nine significantly larger Light Screen were arranged in a row. The image on one of the Light Screen was fixed on a Girl wearing Protective Suit hands clasped together in prayer.

"..."

Slightly narrowing his eyes, Bai Zhi walked to the nine Light Screen in the center.

The images projected on these nine Light Screen clearly depict the nine Player currently in the Dungeon.

Some of the Light Screen were black, presumably indicating that the opposing team had failed and returned to the pure white room to continue exchanging information and preparing for the next Walkthrough. The other screens, however, were displaying images at approximately five times the normal speed.

In the images projected onto these Light Screen, Bai Zhi saw the figures of other people.

For example, Lin Xiaoyi, who poisoned the food when no one was looking; Ling Xiaoyi, who sneaked into the ammunition room to plant the fuse when no one was looking; and the Campus Belle beauty, who was setting fire to the Wolf Gang's place under the cover of night... Could they be the system's designated suspects?

Looking at the Campus Belle on the Light Screen who seemed extremely skilled at this kind of thing, Bai Zhi's expression couldn't help but become quite strange.

He remembered that the other party had mentioned before that they could wipe out the Wolf Gang by poisoning the cubes. At the time, he thought the other party was just saying it casually, but now it seemed that the other party had clearly done it several times.

--As the saying goes, practice makes perfect; there's no other way than practice makes perfect.

"... Does being a petty thug bring any advantages?"

Bai Zhi reached up and touched his chin, looking thoughtful.

Each of the identities offered in the options has its own function.

If you're just trying to get by from the start, you should be in the Wolf Gang from the beginning, which avoids the biggest problem of infiltrating.

As for the others, Bai Zhi did catch a glimpse of the Instant when they were locked in a fierce battle with the Monster in the Underground Base, but judging from their condition, they were probably only a few minutes away from being defeated... well, only a few seconds away.

It seems the other person is about to have a rather unique experience.

"You really were the first one to arrive here."

Just as Bai Zhi was about to look at the other Light Screen, a voice rang out, and a figure appeared out of nowhere in front of him.

"... Hitomi?"

Upon seeing the figure appear before him, Bai Zhi couldn't help but frown slightly.

"No, you can call me the Book Spirit."

The other person shook their head.

"We chatted before. Now that you're here, please complete the final step."

"What's the meaning?"

Looking at the so-called Book Spirit in front of him, whose appearance was exactly the same as Tong's, Bai Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly.

"It's simple, just kill her and fulfill her wish."

The Book Spirit's face remained expressionless.

"Being able to push open that door means you've gained her Trust. Only someone she Trust most could kill her under these circumstances."

"Is that so? Let's get back to our previous topic."

Bai Zhi shrugged slightly, his expression noncommittal.

"For example, who are you, what is that Grand Library where you were born, what exactly is the Eden, and what is Hitomi's current situation... After you finish telling us these things, how about we move on to the next part of our conversation?"

"Can."

Unlike before, this time the other party agreed quite readily.

What do you want to know?

"Will it be this quick and easy this time...?"

Looking at the other person with a slightly strange expression, Bai Zhi thought for a moment and then tentatively asked.

"What exactly is that Grand Library where you were born?"

"Have no idea."

"So insincere? Is this how you answer a question?"

Bai Zhi rolled his eyes, slightly speechless.

"My self-awareness only emerged after I left that place; I only have a vague visual record of it, that's all."

The Book Spirit answered calmly.

"Tch... then what about the Eden?"

"Evil God."

Why did that thing target Tong?

Looking at the other person, Bai Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly.

You should know the reason, right?

"Pure Soul have always been the favorites of Evil God, for reasons unknown."

Book Spirit looked up at him. Because of their height difference, this was the only thing she could do.

"Those beings who actively choose to become Retainer in order to gain Strength cannot actually be called Retainer. They are merely expendable resources used by the Evil God to bestow their Strength. Only those beings chosen by the Evil God can be called their true Retainer."

"Really? These guys are shameless..."

Suddenly realizing something, Bai Zhi's expression darkened slightly.

In [Eden], it's somewhat understandable to seduce Hitomi when she's already in despair. But the [Doll Princess] is a bit unethical. Anna was only a few years old when she went into someone's dream and tricked them into signing a contract... How utterly depraved must someone be to do something like that?

That's absolutely shameless...

"Then what about Experiment Zero? The real Experiment Zero shouldn't just be this big black iron house, right?"

"It was eaten by Tong."

"... eat?"

"It's just a disposable item that can be discarded at any time. Is there a problem with throwing it away when it's no longer useful?"

Throughout the entire process, the expression on Book Spirit's face remained unchanged.

"This book has already been largely corrupted by the Strength of [Eden]. I can't hold on much longer. In a little while, she will be completely drawn into [Eden], and by then, it will truly be too late."

What exactly is the [Eden]?

Bai Zhi frowned slightly.

"It's both heaven and Hell. There, all your dreams can come true, and anyone who falls in can never return; they become an integral part of Eden."

The Book Spirit looked at him calmly.

"All the beautiful things imaginable in the world can be found there. No one can leave that place, because Eden can fulfill all your desires, and leaving it is also your desire, even destroying Eden is your desire. Once you enter Eden, no one can return."

"... So you're just going to do this?"

Squinting, Bai Zhi looked at the thousands upon thousands of Light Screen surrounding the hall.

Aside from the nine Light Screen featuring the nine Player, the remaining Light Screen, where they didn't intrude, repeatedly showed the dark three days with Tong as the Protagonist.

"These painful experiences might prevent her from losing her way, but it's probably only equivalent to having Nightmare in the Eden."

Looking up at him, Book Spirit spoke calmly.

"Otherwise, she would have already been completely immersed in it."