The fissure was dim at first, and the air was thick with the acrid smell of moldy paper and dust.
But after he walked a dozen meters farther in, light gradually came into view.
Once he had passed through the narrow fissure, Su Ye emerged into a hall that looked long abandoned but was still remarkably spacious.
Although a large hole gaped in the domed ceiling, it could still barely provide shelter from the wind and rain.
Countless bookshelves lay toppled every which way, with books scattered all over the floor. Their yellowed pages were covered in grime, making the place look filthy and chaotic.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
Just then, a jumble of dull footsteps sounded from deep within the hall.
Su Ye looked up and saw more than twenty Zombie-like figures shambling out of the shadows.
They wore ragged clothes and reeked of decay, their skin an ashen gray. Some even had stark white bones exposed on their arms and cheeks.
Yet the man walking at the head of these Zombies looked completely out of place.
He wore an exquisitely tailored vintage robe and a gold-rimmed monocle, his hair meticulously combed. He had the air of an elegant yet eerie scholar.
Su Ye raised an eyebrow, his guard rising.
Wasn't everyone in this Instance supposed to be from Great Xia's military? Why were there Zombies here?
"Hello, Comrade Su Ye. My name is Sun Yi. This is our first time meeting."
The man with the monocle stopped, gave him a gentle smile, and shook his hand.
Then Sun Yi adjusted his monocle and glanced back at the twenty-odd hideous Zombies behind him, letting out a helpless sigh.
"They're all from Great Xia too."
Sun Yi explained, "It's just that, in this Instance's backstory, the Library Curator went mad. In