The Librarian

Rebecca's words made the situation in the school instance much clearer, and even pointed out a main thread to the deducers: choose a way of survival and then live on that path.

Their choices will inevitably affect subsequent evaluations, and even seemingly diverse options may only have one correct path, while the other two are traps.

"You can make your own decision. It's getting late, I need to go back and rest." Seeing that Xing and the other transfer students all looked thoughtful, Rebecca stood up, and Parey nodded in agreement, waving goodbye to them.

"You're in Class 4 of Grade 3. Don't forget to be on time for class this afternoon," Parey said. "It's better to take a nap at noon. You'll see how competitive and stressful this school is this afternoon; you'll definitely have trouble sleeping tonight."

The two quickly disappeared from everyone's sight, leaving the strategists looking at each other in bewilderment.

"They are indeed very enthusiastic students," Qu Xuanqing commented, "But how can we be sure that what they said is entirely true?"

"With so many students, if they lie, they'll be exposed quickly, so there's no need to waste time lying to us. It's better to treat it as fact," Wen Qinghuai said softly. "Besides, didn't we see the incident in the cafeteria? All the students stopped and silently recited the name of the girl named Mi Jia. That kind of conviction can't be faked."

Zhao Mou and Yu Xing exchanged a glance and Zhao Mou was the first to suggest, "If we really become very pressed for time later, today's noon is the best time for us to explore the school. While we're in good spirits now, and we still have about an hour and a half left at noon, let's walk around the school."

"Yeah, in case something unexpected happens, at least we can escape rather than wander around in a completely unfamiliar place. It's good to familiarize ourselves with the terrain beforehand." Yu Xing agreed, lazily looking up at the sky.

When I came out of the cafeteria, the rain had stopped, and the sky was overcast with a milky white hue.

Seeing this distinctive sky color, he knew that the school instance must be completely covered by the Dead Silent Island, because the layer of grayish-white clouds of unknown origin and purpose on the Dead Silent Island was too conspicuous, always giving a sticky illusion that made people feel very uncomfortable.

He lowered his head, still remembering the map included in the school rules handbook. He hadn't been warned against wandering around during lunch break, so the danger shouldn't be too great. He assigned five directions, letting everyone go their separate ways for maximum efficiency.

After everyone reached a consensus, they dispersed to the cafeteria, which was located in the very center of the school. Yu Xing pointed to the direction towards the back mountain, which was also the direction of the library mentioned in the pink love letter to An.

There's also a garbage room next to the library; this is all information he's already gathered, and now's the perfect time to verify it and get a clearer view of the details.

Along the way, a few students passed by Yu Xing sporadically, most of them heading towards their dormitories. Among them was a black-haired girl wearing a red armband, whose face surprisingly resembled that of a Chinese person.

Her gaze was as fierce as those of the red-armbanded students in the cafeteria, radiating a venomous ruthlessness. Sensing the direction she was walking in, she stopped and asked in a deep voice, "Where are you going?"

Yu Xing quickly glanced at the name tag on the girl's chest, which read "Class 2-1, Ji Jingyi".

Oh, it's a second-year junior. I saw her but couldn't bump into her for a while.

However, it really is a Chinese name.

In this instance's setting, there are no countries, only regions, so it's normal to have people with Asian features. In fact, the name "Li" in the pink envelope sounds like an abbreviation of a Chinese name.

Yu Xing raised an eyebrow. "Mind your own business, little sister. Go to your dorm and get some sleep, or you'll be sleepy in class this afternoon—that's really scary..."

The last sentence, spoken in a low, menacing voice, was incredibly sinister. Ji Jingyi glanced at him silently, a look of disgust flashing in her eyes. "At St. Johnis Middle School, being a good-for-nothing doesn't discriminate by grade. If you break the rules, even if I'm a little sister, I can still make you disappear completely."

"Little sister, you can talk tough?" Yu Xing looked at her with a somewhat amused expression, waving her hand as if shooing away a fly. "Senior is going to the library to study. I'd rather sacrifice my lunch break to read. Don't block my way, or you'll be a sinner."

Ji Jingyi was somewhat unwilling, probably because no one had spoken to her like that for a long time since she put on the red armband. The fear of the red armband among ordinary students in the school was evident in the cafeteria, not to mention talking back and mocking.

Her gaze swept over them, then suddenly her eyes lit up, and she asked with a mixture of excitement and cruelty, "Where's your name tag?"

"School rules stipulate that students must wear name tags when walking on campus. You've violated the rule." Ji Jingyi grinned, revealing strips of bright red flesh peeking out from between her front teeth. "You've violated the rule and need to be punished."

"Don't be so happy, little sister. I'm a transfer student, and my name tag will be given to me by my homeroom teacher this afternoon. So, it's something all the teachers approve of me not wearing it. I haven't broken any rules. And if you keep blocking my way..." Yu Xing narrowed her eyes, "I'll tell the teacher that on my first day here, I encountered someone blocking my way to the library. That person's name is Ji Jingyi."

"A transfer student?" Ji Jingyi's excitement faded, replaced by regret. "You'd better be. I'll check when I get back. I've memorized your face. If I find out you lied to me, not wearing your name tag and deceiving me will be enough to make you suffer."

"Deception is a bad quality, isn't it?" Yu Xing tilted her head.

"You know that much." Ji Jingyi sneered. To be fair, her every move was much more agile than the boy who grabbed Mi Jia in the cafeteria, and the blond boy with a red armband who sat next to Yu Xing and six female classmates. Although she had also been infected by the abnormality, she was still a long way from being neither human nor ghost.

"Deception is bad, and neither are intimidation and threats good qualities. As a student wearing a red armband who helps teachers manage the school, you should be more mindful of your words and actions. Don't let your presence become a stain on the teachers' reputation, making them regret choosing you as their helper." Yu Xing was never one to back down in a verbal battle. After saying this, he swaggered away amidst Ji Jingyi's unpleasant expression.

"Who cares... who cares if those teachers have any blemishes?" Watching Yu Xing figure, Ji Jingyi suddenly gritted her teeth, her nails digging into her palms. "What does it matter to me whether they regret it or not? It's already like this..."

She was certain that no one would hear her voice at this distance, but as the deducer, and as someone whose physical constitution was different from ordinary people, Yu Xing, with her back to her, unexpectedly let out a soft "Oh!"

This red armband student named Ji Jingyi doesn't seem to have any strong sense of loyalty to the teachers. Is it because she hasn't been harmed enough, or is it that all the red armband students and the teachers actually only have a mutually exploitative relationship?

These two differences are significant, affecting how he should utilize these two relationships to cause trouble.

But this was just a minor incident. After remembering this, Yu Xing walked for another two minutes and saw the library in the distance along the tree-lined path.

The library's exterior walls are a deep yellow with a hint of orange-red. It has three floors and the walls are smooth and clean. It doesn't look like a very old building, but rather like a newly renovated one, just like their dormitory building.

The library is of medium size; if divided up, it would be only about a third the size of a teaching building. The magnificent gate occupies three-quarters of the height of the first floor. The gate is unlocked, half open and half closed, and the faint light of day seems unable to penetrate it. From the outside, Yu Xing can only see a dark mass of air.

He walked a few more steps, not rushing into the library, but instead circling around the side of the library, but he couldn't find the garbage dump mentioned in the letter.

"Interesting. Was it demolished, or is it hidden away so I haven't seen it yet?" Yu Xing flexed her wrists and, just in case, circled around from the side again to make sure there were no other small buildings around and she couldn't smell the garbage.

There's a path lined with maple leaves near the library entrance; the leaves are lightly carpeted, and I didn't see anyone cleaning it.

He memorized the detailed terrain around him before cautiously approaching the library door. He knocked on the half-open door and asked, "Is anyone here?"

School libraries are usually staffed with librarians, especially in Western-style schools like this one. He could already picture a middle-aged or elderly woman with glasses, looking like a scholar.

"Come in."

He was right; the voice coming from inside was that of a woman, and judging from its deep tone, she was probably in her forties.

As the woman finished speaking, a soft bang was heard at the library door, followed by the flickering of a light that dispelled the darkness.

Yu Xing stepped inside, glancing around. The first floor of the library had many bookshelves, filled with all sorts of books, most of which looked quite heavy.

The bookshelves were arranged quite densely, and through the gaps between them, one could see a large open space opposite, furnished with tables and chairs, presumably set up for students to study there.

Yu Xing didn't see the woman who made the sound. He looked down and searched around, then looked up again and scanned the ceiling, seemingly unaware of how outrageous his actions were.

"I rarely see students come here at lunchtime. What are you looking for, stranger?"

The high heels clicked crisply and rhythmically on the floor. Yu Xing's eyes sharpened, realizing that the woman making the sound was behind him, even though there was no one behind him when he walked in.

He turned his head and almost kissed a pale face. The woman's face was right behind his head, at the same height as him, so close that it was less than a centimeter.

Yu Xing controlled her body muscles to prevent an overreaction, then trembled as if frightened and hurriedly shrank back.

"I'm sorry to have startled you, strange child." The pale face finally moved away from him, giving him a chance to properly examine what was on that face.

She had a human appearance, a very ordinary human, just as he expected, around 40 years old, with a thin face, high cheekbones and brow bones, which gave her a stern and dignified air despite her thinness.

What's strange is that this woman's face is unbelievably pale, like a whitewashed wall, even several shades paler than Yu Xing's skin. Yet, there's a thick layer of black under her eyes, probably dark circles, so severe it looks like she's wearing smoky eye makeup.

"Yes, you scared me, this... teacher." Yu Xing glanced at her fearfully, and instinctively took a step back.

This gesture triggered the librarian's compassion as a woman, and she said with apparent pity, "Oh dear, look at our poor bird, you don't seem to be used to your new cage yet, you're so easily frightened."

As she spoke, she stretched out her hands, and then, with her tall figure, easily over 1.85 meters, clad in high heels, she walked gracefully closer. Her slanted eyes looked extremely stern and intimidating. She reached out her hand to Yu Xing's head, seemingly intending to touch the pitiful "bird."

"How did you know I'm new here?" Yu Xing asked, trying to make conversation while cleverly tilting her head curiously to avoid the pale woman's touch.

"You're obviously a new student. Almost every student here has been to the library, and I remember them if they have. But you're a new face, and you're not wearing a name tag yet." The woman didn't seem too insistent on patting his head, and shook her head and sighed as she explained when she heard his question.

"Bird... no, strange child, what do you want to borrow here? Or do you want to study here?"

"I... I just transferred here. I heard everyone at St. Johnis Middle School is very academically gifted, and I'm worried I might fall behind, so I came early to check out how many textbooks and supplementary materials the library has," Yu Xing stammered. "I even met a classmate wearing a red armband on the way, and she gave me directions, otherwise I might have gotten lost. The library's location is so remote, it's so close to the back mountain!"

"Yes, those who love learning are all good kids. I believe that as a transfer student, you will be able to quickly integrate into this loving group, study hard, and change your destiny." The female librarian acted as if she hadn't heard the topic about the library's location, ignoring Yu Xing's question. She took two more steps, and this time Yu Xing finally saw how she walked. The sound of her high heels approached from behind, but it was nowhere near touching his back. Yet, when he turned around, he almost bumped into the female librarian. Something seemed off.

The female administrator walked with a very stiff gait, her legs lifting high as if fitted with some kind of machine, then landing heavily, her sharp high heels stomping down as if she were stomping on something.

Even more strangely, at this moment, Yu Xing smelled a faint stench of decay, like a pile of garbage.