Chapter Summaries

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Cheng and Shen Mengyun return to the warehouse to find clues about Wang Qi and Gao Yan's disappearance.
• They discover Wang Qi and Gao Yan's belongings scattered, suggesting they've been trapped.
• Jiang Cheng finds Xiao Lin's size 38 running shoes, realizing they don't match the corpse's size 40 shoes, leading him to suspect the missing girls never existed.
• They find Gao Yan's broken phone, indicating he and Wang Qi encountered trouble.
• The notebook, one of the five items, is missing.

Character Developments

• Jiang Cheng demonstrates calm, analytical thinking, and deductive reasoning, piecing together the mystery of the missing girls.
• Shen Mengyun shows concern for Wang Qi and Gao Yan's safety and is quick to notice details, like Gao Yan's phone.

Significant Themes

• The blurring of reality and illusion, as the strange tale world's bodies disappear upon returning to the real world.
• The search for truth and understanding, as Jiang Cheng unravels the mystery of the missing girls.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Cheng and Shen Mengyun work together to find clues, with Jiang Cheng providing insights and Shen Mengyun noticing key details.
• Jiang Cheng hints at his low opinion of Gao Yan, suggesting Wang Qi used him as insurance.
• The dynamic between Wang Qi, Gao Yan, and Jiang Cheng is hinted at, with Wang Qi potentially using Gao Yan for his own purposes.

Key Plot Points and Events

1. Jiang Cheng and Shen Mengyun discuss the missing girls' identities, theorizing they might be ghosts or entities from supernatural tales.
2. They encounter Wang Qi, who reveals that Gao Yan was separated from him during an attack by a ghost disguised as Shen Mengyun.
3. The group returns to the dorms, and Jiang Cheng shares the events that transpired at the warehouse.
4. They plan to meet Yuan Xiaoyi later at the Small Woods for more information.
5. Professor Wu calls Jiang Cheng, revealing that Gao Yan has been found at the School Infirmary.
6. Upon arrival, they find Gao Yan injured and two security guards arguing with him.

Character Developments

• Jiang Cheng: He continues to display his analytical skills and leadership, guiding the group and piecing together clues about the supernatural events.
• Shen Mengyun: She shows concern for Gao Yan's well-being and is more accepting of Jiang Cheng's theories about the supernatural.
• Wang Qi: Despite his disheveled appearance and strange behavior, he maintains a nonchalant attitude, questioning Shen Mengyun's involvement in the attack.
• Gao Yan: He is found injured at the School Infirmary, suggesting he survived the encounter with the ghost but may have crucial information.

Significant Themes

1. Supernatural Entities: The chapter explores the idea of ghosts and supernatural beings coexisting with humans, challenging the group's understanding of reality.
2. Trust and Betrayal: Wang Qi's suspicion of Shen Mengyun highlights the theme of trust and betrayal among the group, as they grapple with the possibility of an insider threat.
3. Investigation and Discovery: The group's ongoing investigation into the supernatural events at Jiangtan University drives the plot forward, with each revelation bringing them closer to understanding the truth.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Cheng and Shen Mengyun: They work together to piece together clues and theories about the supernatural events, with Shen Mengyun becoming more accepting of Jiang Cheng's ideas.
• Jiang Cheng and Wang Qi: Their interaction is tense, with Wang Qi questioning Shen Mengyun's involvement in the attack and Jiang Cheng defending her.
• The Group: Despite the tension between Wang Qi and the others, they agree to meet Yuan Xiaoyi for more information, demonstrating their commitment to solving the mystery together.
• Gao Yan and the Security Guards: Gao Yan's argument with the security guards suggests that he may have information that they find threatening or inconvenient, leading to his injury and detention at the infirmary.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Cheng and his friends encounter a woman looking for Gao Yan.
• They are taken to an office where the woman reveals that a student was found unconscious in a warehouse on the 4th floor of the Activity Center.
• The woman warns them to stay away from the warehouse due to strange incidents happening there.

Character Developments

• Jiang Cheng demonstrates his acting skills and quick thinking to gather information.
• The woman, initially stern, shows fear and concern when discussing the warehouse, hinting at a change of heart.

Significant Themes

• The power of rumors and their influence on people's behavior and beliefs.
• The fear of the unknown and the supernatural.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Cheng interacts with the woman, using his charm and acting skills to coax information out of her.
• Fatty and Huai Yi play along with Jiang Cheng's act, helping to provoke the woman into revealing more.
• The woman initially tries to keep a stern demeanor but eventually opens up to Jiang Cheng, showing vulnerability and concern for their safety.

Key Plot Points and Events

• A woman shares her knowledge about a haunted warehouse on campus, where strange occurrences led to a male teacher's breakdown.
• Jiang Cheng and his friends learn about the warehouse's history and the male teacher's experience.
• They deduce that the warehouse is haunted by a "trailing ghost" that leaves water stains.
• A security guard visits, suspicious of Jiang Cheng's group's involvement with Gao Yan's incident.
• The group visits Gao Yan, who reveals he lost the notebook containing crucial clues about the ghost.

Character Developments

• Jiang Cheng: Shows empathy and understanding towards the woman sharing the story, and cleverly deflects suspicion from his group.
• Gao Yan: Admits to hoarding the notebook for himself, leading to his current state. He reveals the notebook is lost due to the ghost's interference.

Significant Themes

• Supernatural Elements: The chapter introduces the "trailing ghost" and its haunting of the warehouse, adding a layer of mystery and fear.
• Secrecy and Cover-up: The school's attempts to hide the warehouse's problems and the male teacher's incident highlight the theme of secrecy and the consequences of covering up issues.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Cheng and the Woman: Jiang Cheng shows understanding and empathy towards the woman sharing the story, leading to a respectful interaction.
• Jiang Cheng's Group and Gao Yan: The group visits Gao Yan, who reveals his role in the notebook's loss, leading to a tense and honest conversation.
• Security Guard and Jiang Cheng's Group: The security guard's suspicion and attempt to gather information from the group create a tense interaction.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The group realizes the "stalking ghost" won't let them uncover the truth about the missing girls.
• They discuss the possibility that the old lady's granddaughter might be a phantom rather than a human.
• Gao Yan reveals a coded note that fell from the notebook, which they suspect is a library book code.
• They deduce that the notebook's contents are related to a book in the library, and the corresponding strange tale belongs to Xiao Hui, one of the missing girls.
• They plan to go to the library to find the book.
• Gao Yan shares his experience when the security guards found him, revealing they returned the bag of things to the shelf.

Character Developments

• Fatty shows analytical thinking and insight when he suggests the old lady's granddaughter might be a phantom.
• Gao Yan demonstrates cunning by pretending to be unconscious and overhearing the security guards' conversation.

Significant Themes

• The search for the truth about the missing girls and the ghost's motives.
• The blurring line between reality and the supernatural, with the possibility of phantoms existing.

Character Interactions

• The group works together to analyze and discuss their findings, leading to a new line of thought.
• Jiang Cheng expresses his distrust of Gao Yan, hinting at his desire to keep Gao Yan close.
• Gao Yan shares his experience with the security guards, creating a sense of mystery and intrigue.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Security personnel clean up scattered items from the bag, indicating the school was aware of the situation.
• Jiang Cheng receives a call from Professor Wu, who asks about Gao Yan's condition and invites them to his office.
• Jiang Cheng, Wang Qi, Shen Mengyun, and Gao Yan help Professor Wu with tasks in his office.
• Jiang Cheng completes his identity information form on the professor's computer.
• The female teacher forces Wang Qi, Shen Mengyun, and Gao Yan to attend class, leaving Jiang Cheng alone.
• Jiang Cheng decides to go to the library, taking Fatty with him, while Huai Yi stays behind.
• On the way, they encounter a professor who chases them, highlighting another mission restriction.

Character Developments

• Jiang Cheng demonstrates leadership and decisiveness, taking charge of the situation and making decisions for the group.
• Gao Yan shows vulnerability after his near-death experience, not wanting to stay alone in the hospital.
• Fatty's agility and endurance are revealed, hinting at unusual abilities or conditions.

Significant Themes

• The theme of time running out is emphasized, as daylight shortens and the mission's urgency increases.
• The theme of facing fears and dangers is explored, as Jiang Cheng and Fatty venture into the library despite potential risks.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Cheng and Gao Yan's relationship deepens, with Jiang Cheng showing concern for Gao Yan's well-being.
• Jiang Cheng and Huai Yi share a moment of understanding and trust, as Huai Yi allows Jiang Cheng to go to the library with Fatty.
• Jiang Cheng and Fatty's bond strengthens, as they face a dangerous situation together and Fatty expresses his trust in Jiang Cheng's schemes.
• The professor's interaction with Jiang Cheng and Fatty highlights another mission restriction and the potential danger of encountering professors on campus.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Cheng and Fatty visit an old, eerie library on campus to find a book using a mysterious code.
• The library is poorly lit, maze-like, and has a history predating Jiangtan University.
• The librarian, Wu Qing, initially refuses to help, stating the code isn't from their library.
• Curator Zhou, the library's curator, arrives and recognizes the code as old but can't guarantee the book's existence due to its age.

Character Developments

• Jiang Cheng: Shows determination and persistence in finding the book, using his charm and politeness to try and persuade the librarians.
• Fatty: Reveals his unease and superstition in the old library, sticking close to Jiang Cheng for comfort.

Significant Themes

• The passage of time and loss of history, as seen in the old library and its books.
• Persistence and determination in pursuing a goal, as shown by Jiang Cheng.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Cheng and Fatty: Jiang Cheng leads the way, while Fatty follows nervously, seeking comfort from Jiang Cheng.
• Jiang Cheng and Wu Qing: Jiang Cheng tries to charm Wu Qing into helping, but she remains unmoved.
• Jiang Cheng and Curator Zhou: Jiang Cheng pleads with Curator Zhou, who shows empathy but can't guarantee the book's existence.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Cheng and Fatty meet Curator Zhou, who recognizes Jiang Cheng as Professor Wu's student.
• Curator Zhou reveals that the library was originally a Folk Museum, operated by a foreigner who refused to leave.
• The foreigner was eventually forced out, but he became unconscious after an altercation and was hospitalized.
• The library was quickly established in the former museum's location.

Character Developments

• Jiang Cheng shows respect and seriousness when listening to Curator Zhou's story.
• Fatty initially seems nervous but later understands the situation and relaxes.
• Curator Zhou reveals his regret in choosing the library's location.

Significant Themes

• The theme of the past influencing the present is emphasized, as the library's history is revealed.
• The idea of regret and wishing to change past decisions is explored through Curator Zhou's words.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Cheng and Fatty interact with Curator Zhou, who shares the library's history with them.
• Wu Qing is polite but firm in refusing Jiang Cheng's offer of bubble tea, showing her independence.
• Fatty timidly asks Wu Qing to buy him bubble tea, showing his shyness and politeness.

Key Plot Points and Events

• A secret room is discovered during the renovation of a building, containing a peculiar candelabra, a hexagram, four chairs, and a large mirror.
• The room also houses dozens of infant corpses preserved in glass jars, which were illegally obtained from a nearby hospital.
• The foreigner who owned the secret room is found dead in the same position as Xiao Ting and Xiao Lin, with a silver crucifix on his abdomen, and strange text written near the mirror.
• A group of people in black trench coats arrives, counts the workers, and finds several missing.

Character Developments

• Jiang Cheng: Becomes more determined and curious about the strange events.
• Fatty: Shows fear and disbelief at the revelations, and accidentally reveals knowledge about the previous deaths.

Significant Themes

• The supernatural: The strange deaths and the secret room's contents suggest a supernatural element.
• Investigation and discovery: Jiang Cheng's curiosity drives the plot forward as he uncovers more about the mysterious events.
• The unknown: The foreigner's true identity and the meaning behind the secret room's setup remain unclear.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Cheng and Fatty: Jiang Cheng protects Fatty when he accidentally reveals knowledge about the previous deaths.
• Curator Zhou and Jiang Cheng: Curator Zhou shares crucial information with Jiang Cheng, treating him with increasing respect and trust.
• The group in black trench coats: Their arrival and actions suggest they have a connection to the secret room and the missing workers.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Workers at the museum construction site went missing, suspected to be the Night Watch, a supernatural entity.
• 10 bodies were found, including missing workers and men in black (possibly feng shui masters).
• A blueprint was left by the men in black, and the construction was completed under police supervision.
• The museum's feng shui was altered, which may have incurred retribution.
• Jiang Cheng learns about a man who died in the museum, leaving behind exhibits and a cryptic message on a mirror.

Character Developments

• Jiang Cheng: Shows curiosity and determination in unraveling the mystery. He becomes grim and focused when he realizes the significance of the milk tea and the message.
• Fatty: Initially concerned about a trap, he becomes more involved and frightened as the mystery deepens.

Significant Themes

• Supernatural occurrences and their consequences.
• The alteration of feng shui and its potential repercussions.
• The urgency of time in solving the mystery.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Cheng and Curator Zhou: They share information and insights about the museum's history and the mysterious events.
• Jiang Cheng and Fatty: They discuss and theorize about the ritual, the Stalker Ghost, and the Heart-Corroding Demon.
• Wu Qing's behavior is noted as strange, potentially indicating her involvement in the mystery.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Cheng and Fatty learn about the "Heart-Eating Demon," a ghost-like entity brought from the West by a foreigner who tried to seal it but failed.
• They deduce that Yuan Xiaoyi's actions were influenced by a book left behind by the foreigner, which might contain information on how to deal with the demon.
• The group decides to find the book in the library to understand the demon better.

Character Developments

• Fatty shows curiosity and courage in facing the unknown, initially comparing the demon to a fantasy movie villain.
• Jiang Cheng demonstrates analytical skills, connecting the dots between the foreigner, the demon, and Yuan Xiaoyi's actions.
• Gao Yan shows concern for Jiang Cheng's safety but declines to accompany him to find Yuan Xiaoyi.

Significant Themes

• The origin and nature of the supernatural entity, its connection to the West, and the foreigner's role as an exorcist.
• The group's determination to find the book containing information about the demon to protect themselves and the school.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Cheng and Fatty work together to piece together information about the demon.
• Gao Yan expresses concern for Jiang Cheng's safety but also declines to accompany him, showing a mix of protectiveness and respect for Jiang Cheng's capabilities.
• The senior student in the infirmary shows familiarity with Jiang Cheng, suggesting they have interacted before.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Cheng skips class to visit the school infirmary, bringing milk tea for the senior student on duty.
• He confesses his previous wrongdoing and expresses his concern for her.
• The senior student reveals she's helping several teachers with their work due to an old professor's absence.
• Jiang Cheng offers to help with the work, impressing the senior student with his exceptional handwriting and knowledge of psychology.
• He subtly switches their milk tea cups, making the senior student drink from his cup.

Character Developments

• Jiang Cheng: Shows remorse for his past actions, displays concern for the senior student's well-being, and reveals his exceptional writing and psychological knowledge, hinting at his family's medical background.
• Senior Student: Initially displeased with Jiang Cheng's class-skipping, she warms up to him after his apology and is impressed by his skills, showing a mix of surprise, respect, and awkwardness.

Significant Themes

• Remorse and redemption: Jiang Cheng seeks to make amends for his past actions.
• Hidden talents: Jiang Cheng's unexpected skills in psychology and calligraphy are revealed.
• Manipulation: Jiang Cheng subtly switches their drinks, showing his cunning side.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Cheng and the Senior Student: Their interaction starts awkwardly but improves as Jiang Cheng apologizes and shows his skills, leading to a more friendly dynamic. The senior student is initially surprised and impressed by Jiang Cheng's abilities, while Jiang Cheng manipulates the situation to his advantage.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Cheng and the senior drink milk tea together, with Jiang Cheng helping her fill out documents.
• Jiang Cheng reveals his friends' disbelief in the senior's claims about the warehouse, worrying her.
• The senior shows Jiang Cheng photos of the warehouse, revealing Yuan Xiaoyi's similar experience to Gao Yan.
• The senior explains that Yuan Xiaoyi has a rare personality disorder, manifesting as multiple personalities, each corresponding to a chair in the warehouse.

Character Developments

• Jiang Cheng: Becomes more involved with the senior, helping her and showing concern for her. He also demonstrates empathy for Yuan Xiaoyi's condition.
• The Senior: Reveals more about her past and her knowledge of Yuan Xiaoyi's condition, showing vulnerability and concern for Jiang Cheng's understanding.

Significant Themes

• Trust and Belief: The senior's concern about Jiang Cheng's friends not believing her, and Jiang Cheng's willingness to listen and understand her perspective.
• Mental Health: The exploration of Yuan Xiaoyi's rare personality disorder, highlighting the lack of understanding and support for mental health issues.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Cheng and the Senior: Their interaction deepens as they share more personal information, with Jiang Cheng showing empathy and the senior trusting him with her knowledge.
• Jiang Cheng and Yuan Xiaoyi: Though not directly interacting, Jiang Cheng's concern for Yuan Xiaoyi's well-being is evident, showing his growing investment in the situation.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Cheng discovers a loophole in the senior's explanation about Yuan Xiaoyi's multiple personalities.
• The senior reveals that a psychology professor, Chen Zeqing, was interested in Yuan Xiaoyi due to her unique case.
• Chen Zeqing found something that could potentially break through Yuan Xiaoyi's personality barriers.
• A seventh chair, representing an unknown personality, is discovered in the warehouse where Yuan Xiaoyi's personalities manifested.
• This unknown personality causes fear and paranoia in Yuan Xiaoyi and her friends.
• Professor Chen Zeqing is now in a coma after an unknown accident.

Character Developments

• Jiang Cheng demonstrates his understanding of Dissociative Identity Disorder and his analytical skills.
• The senior shows hesitation in revealing information about Professor Chen Zeqing and his findings.
• Professor Chen Zeqing is portrayed as a dedicated and talent-appreciating individual.

Significant Themes

• The exploration of the human mind and its complexities, particularly multiple personalities.
• The fear and paranoia caused by the unknown and the unexplained.
• The pursuit of knowledge and its potential consequences.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Cheng and the senior have a productive conversation, with Jiang Cheng subtly questioning the senior's initial explanation.
• The senior reveals personal experiences and insights about Professor Chen Zeqing to Jiang Cheng.
• The senior expresses regret and concern about Professor Chen Zeqing's condition.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The senior student recounts Professor Chen's accident, revealing that Yuan Xiaoyi called him, sounding agitated and different from her usual timid self.
• Professor Chen rushed out, leaving his scarf behind, which the senior student chased after him to give. He then instructed her to stay behind and deal with any calls or visitors.
• The senior student finds Professor Chen unconscious at the bottom of the stairs, with water stains on the steps, and his phone with a text message from Yuan Xiaoyi, saying she found a way to get rid of the stalker.
• Jiang Cheng pieces together the mission's details: Yuan Xiaoyi's five friends are dissociative personalities, the stalker is a Western ghost called the Heart-Eating Demon, and the demon can only act at night.
• He deduces that Yuan Xiaoyi performed a ritual in the warehouse using information from a book borrowed by Xiao Hui, one of her personalities.

Character Developments

• The senior student is shown to be kind, helpful, and observant, acting as Professor Chen's assistant.
• Jiang Cheng demonstrates his analytical skills and ability to connect seemingly unrelated events and information.

Significant Themes

• The theme of multiple personalities (dissociative identity disorder) is further explored, with Yuan Xiaoyi's five friends being revealed as her dissociative personalities.
• The theme of the supernatural and the struggle against it continues, with the Heart-Eating Demon being a Western ghost.

Character Interactions

• The senior student interacts with Professor Chen, showing concern and assistance towards him.
• Jiang Cheng interacts with the senior student, gathering information and comforting her.
• The text message from Yuan Xiaoyi to Professor Chen shows a level of trust and communication between them, despite her mental state.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Cheng discovers a photograph from the warehouse scene, showing Yuan Xiaoyi's main personality's chair fallen and an empty chair nearby, sparking a theory about Yuan Xiaoyi's possession by a Heart-Corroding Demon.
• Jiang Cheng confronts Yuan Xiaoyi in Small Woods, revealing his knowledge of her friend Xiao Lin's demise and expressing remorse.
• Yuan Xiaoyi shares a vision of Xiao Hui, who is trapped in a library-like exhibition hall filled with strange items and terrifying presences, with no circulation desk on the fourth floor.

Character Developments

• Jiang Cheng: Realizes the truth about Yuan Xiaoyi's possession, becomes more determined to help, and maintains a facade of concern and responsibility.
• Yuan Xiaoyi: Continues to act as the possessed girl, sharing visions of Xiao Hui's plight, and subtly hints at the library's anomaly.

Significant Themes

• Possession and identity: Yuan Xiaoyi's multiple personalities and the Heart-Corroding Demon's possession raise questions about identity and control.
• Trust and deception: Jiang Cheng and Yuan Xiaoyi maintain a facade of trust while harboring secrets and suspicions.
• The power of knowledge: Jiang Cheng's understanding of the photograph and the library's anomaly drives the plot forward.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Cheng and Yuan Xiaoyi: Their interaction is tense and guarded, with Jiang Cheng trying to extract information while comforting Yuan Xiaoyi, and Yuan Xiaoyi subtly revealing clues while maintaining her act.
• Xiao Hui and Yuan Xiaoyi: Through Yuan Xiaoyi's vision, Xiao Hui's desperate situation is conveyed, and her interaction with Yuan Xiaoyi hints at the library's anomaly.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Cheng learns about the strange occurrences and history of Jiangtan University's library from Yuan Xiaoyi.
• The library has an abandoned fourth floor due to a case from several decades ago when the building was first established.
• The fourth floor previously stored obscure books, including unofficial history and thick, heavy foreign language books with black covers, possibly related to 'occultism'.

Character Developments

• Jiang Cheng: Shows concern for the students' safety and determination to uncover the truth behind the library's secrets.
• Yuan Xiaoyi: Becomes more open about sharing information after seeing Jiang Cheng's genuine concern.

Significant Themes

• The power of knowledge and its potential dangers (implied by the 'occultism' books).
• The consequences of neglecting the past (the delayed renovation of the library's fourth floor).

Character Interactions

• Jiang Cheng and Yuan Xiaoyi: Their conversation reveals shared interests in the library's secrets and a growing trust between them.
• Jiang Cheng's slip-up about the books hints at his hidden knowledge, which Yuan Xiaoyi picks up on, testing him.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yuan Xiaoyi recounts a true urban legend about Jiangtan University's library.
• Xiao Yao, a student, volunteers at a book donation event and later returns to the library after dinner to retrieve her missing notebook.
• She encounters strange occurrences in the library: lights turning off, cold wind, and eerie sounds.
• Xiao Yao discovers an old lending area on the third floor, where several people in old-fashioned attire are silently reading, and she joins them.

Character Developments

• Xiao Yao: Initially portrayed as a responsible and determined student, she becomes increasingly frightened and helpless as she encounters the supernatural events in the library.
• Yuan Xiaoyi: She shows concern for her friend Xiao Hui and is willing to help investigate the urban legend.

Significant Themes

• Supernatural and the Occult: The chapter explores the theme of the supernatural, with the library being haunted by ghostly figures.
• The Power of Belief: The urban legend is presented as a true story, suggesting the power of belief in shaping reality.
• Isolation and Fear: Xiao Yao's experience in the library highlights the themes of isolation and fear in the face of the unknown.

Character Interactions

• Yuan Xiaoyi and Jiang Cheng: They interact as friends, with Jiang Cheng encouraging Yuan Xiaoyi to recount the story.
• Xiao Yao and the Ghostly Figures: Xiao Yao's interaction with the ghostly figures is one-sided, as they do not respond to her and compel her to join them in reading.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Yao, a high school student, is paralyzed and senses an unclean presence in the library.
• She hears a chair scraping and heavy footsteps, indicating someone's presence.
• A tall, unseen entity with a burnt, acrid smell approaches Xiao Yao's table.
• A young man in a black trench coat with a golden emblem on his sleeve saves Xiao Yao by pulling her under the table.
• The entity burns the young man and several other students alive, while Xiao Yao faints from the horror.
• Xiao Yao wakes up the next day in the school infirmary, having been found in the third-floor storage room.

Character Developments

• Xiao Yao: Initially naive and fearful, she becomes determined to survive and later struggles in a semi-conscious state, recounting the event.
• The Young Man: He risks his life to save Xiao Yao, revealing the golden emblem on his sleeve before being burned alive.

Significant Themes

• Fear and survival: Xiao Yao's struggle against an unseen, terrifying entity highlights the theme of survival against overwhelming odds.
• The unknown: The entity's true nature and appearance remain unknown, emphasizing the fear of the unknown.
• Sacrifice: The young man's selfless act to save Xiao Yao underscores the theme of sacrifice for others.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Yao and the Young Man: The young man's timely intervention saves Xiao Yao, forming a brief but crucial bond between them.
• Xiao Yao and the Entity: Xiao Yao's terror and desperation contrast with the entity's malevolent presence, creating a tense dynamic.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Yao's notebook is found with a mysterious, burnt handprint.
• A psychology professor tries to communicate with Xiao Yao about her experience and draws a picture based on her description.
• The drawing matches the layout of the closed fourth floor of the school library.
• An old Curator reveals that the fourth floor had been closed due to strange incidents years ago, culminating in a fire that killed an elderly teacher on duty.

Character Developments

• Xiao Yao: Her credibility is taken more seriously after her detailed description matches the layout of the closed library floor.
• Psychology Professor: He becomes more involved in the case, trying to understand Xiao Yao's experience and seeking the old Curator's help.
• Old Curator: He reveals the library's past secrets and the tragic incident that led to the fourth floor's closure.

Significant Themes

• Fear and the supernatural: The story explores the characters' fear and the possibility of supernatural events.
• Truth and credibility: The narrative delves into the struggle to believe and accept Xiao Yao's experiences.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Cheng and Yuan Xiaoyi: They discuss the case, with Jiang Cheng subtly trying to gain Yuan Xiaoyi's trust while she shares her knowledge about the library's past.
• Psychology Professor and Old Curator: They discuss the library's secrets, with the professor trying to understand the old man's reluctance to talk about the past.