Chapter 35: Chapter 35: The Library
The setting sun bathed everything in its light, gilding the distant chimneys in red. But Zhang Wenda had no time to appreciate the view; he was still processing what Ouyang had told him.
’The library has the clues I’m looking for, so I have to go. But it’s dangerous, so I need to be prepared. No, wait. I need to get home first. I’ll go after 6 o’clock.’
As Zhang Wenda muttered to himself, his gaze shifted to the scowling Song Jianguo.
"Today’s earnings." Song Jianguo handed over some bills and coins with her calloused hand.
"Three-sixty? How come it’s so little? Were you slacking off today?" Zhang Wenda asked in surprise.
Hearing this, a fire ignited in Song Jianguo’s heart. She practically snarled through gritted teeth, "Rats are animals! They’re living creatures! When they sense danger, they run! They hide! With so many cats out yesterday, the rats and sparrows aren’t complete idiots!"
"There you go again, getting all worked up. I wasn’t blaming you."
Zhang Wenda casually tossed his backpack to her. "Take the night off. You’re coming out with me."
"I wasn’t planning on working tonight anyway!!" Seeing that Song Jianguo was practically overflowing with resentment, Zhang Wenda grabbed her and pulled her toward a small diner next to the school.
Soon, two bowls of fried rice, a bowl of braised pork, and a bowl of vegetable soup were brought to their table.
Song Jianguo was obviously famished. She picked up her bowl and began to wolf down the food.
The cats, however, weren’t hungry. They had been eating rats all day.
"Use your chopsticks, use your chopsticks! And get your feet down," Zhang Wenda repeated patiently.
"Tonight, bring all your gear. Including those junk traps of yours."
Her mouth stuffed with food, Song Jianguo shot him a glance and continued to scarf everything down.
"Is that enough? Want me to order more?" Zhang Wenda asked with concern. ’She’s my main muscle for what’s coming,’ he thought. ’She needs a full stomach to work properly.’
"Is it dangerous?"
"Not at all."
"If it’s not dangerous, you could just go by yourself. Why are you dragging me along?" Song Jianguo said, as if she could see right through him.
"Hey. If you give this your all tonight, I’ll give you one day off a week."
Her interest was piqued. "You said it, not me."
After taking Song Jianguo back to the treehouse to grab their supplies, Zhang Wenda made sure they got home right at 6 o’clock.
Once it was past six, he tentatively led Song Jianguo a few steps outside. After confirming there were no issues, he finally headed for the school.
The pitch-black school felt eerie. Even though Zhang Wenda knew the concrete-and-steel building was perfectly normal, his heart still hammered in his chest.
"You go first," Zhang Wenda said casually to Song Jianguo.
Hiding carefully behind Song Jianguo, Zhang Wenda moved forward slowly, chanting in his mind, ’Library, library.’
As time ticked by, the moon climbed high into the sky.
Just as Zhang Wenda began to wonder if Ouyang had been telling the truth, a door slowly materialized on the flat floor.
"Found it! Look, the library!" Song Jianguo pointed to the sign on the door with her sharp nails.
Zhang Wenda looked at Song Jianguo in surprise. "Well, what do you know. I didn’t realize you could read."
Seeing Song Jianguo trembling with rage, Zhang Wenda reached out and patted her on the head. "Okay, okay, settle down. Time to get serious. We’re going in."
With that, Zhang Wenda took out a flashlight. He crouched down and carefully pushed open the door on the floor. With a CREAK, a vast, book-filled space appeared before him, hanging upside-down.
Clutching a rope formed from the Black Cats, Zhang Wenda and Song Jianguo carefully climbed inside.
The moment Zhang Wenda entered the space, gravity flipped. The door that had been on the floor was now instantly the ceiling.
Clinging to the cat-rope, Zhang Wenda gazed down at the vast space below. It was densely packed with bookshelves and bookcases, and even the floor was covered in papercrafts. As far as the eye could see, it was an ocean of books.
Seeing so many books, Zhang Wenda was momentarily stumped. ’With this many books, how am I supposed to find the one I need?’
"Hey! Are you going down or not?" Song Jianguo urged from the ceiling above.
As Zhang Wenda’s feet touched the soft, paper-covered floor, he realized he was stepping into waist-deep clear water. All the paper he had seen from above was actually submerged.
"What the hell is this place?" Song Jianguo stood with her feet in the water, discontentedly shaking out her soaked sleeve protectors.
"Cut the chatter. Have all your cats spread out. I want an alarm at the first sign of danger." At Zhang Wenda’s command, the Black Cats craned their necks and paddled away in all directions.
Gazing at the surreal environment, Zhang Wenda thought for a moment and decided to use the method Ouyang had mentioned to find the book he was looking for.
’A book that explains the rules, a book that explains the rules...’ Zhang Wenda chanted in his head, continuing to walk forward while hiding behind Song Jianguo.
They walked for nearly half an hour with no result, and Zhang Wenda started to grow anxious.
As he continued forward, his gaze was suddenly caught by a book on a nearby shelf. "Advanced Superpowers: Analysis and Comprehension."
Just as he was about to reach for it, Ouyang’s warning suddenly exploded in his mind: "You’ll turn into an adult."
A cold sweat broke out on Zhang Wenda’s skin, and he stumbled back several steps. ’What’s wrong with me? It’s like I was possessed.’
Still shaken, he scanned his surroundings again. In his eyes, the quiet library had instantly transformed into a hostile environment. This place was definitely not as harmless as it appeared.
Just as Zhang Wenda was hesitating on whether to continue, he saw a small cat leap from a nearby bookshelf toward Song Jianguo.
Song Jianguo caught the cat with one hand and let out two soft meows in reply. She turned her head to Zhang Wenda. "There’s an adult not far to our left."
"An adult? Are you sure?" Zhang Wenda froze. ’I remember Ouyang saying adults aren’t supposed to be able to see this place. How can one be here?’
Zhang Wenda thought for a moment. Using the rabbit as a mental benchmark, he estimated their respective strengths to ensure they had a chance to retreat. Then, he began to cautiously approach.
’Even if these so-called ’adults’ are monsters, they should at least be monsters you can communicate with. And even if it tries to attack, I’m not exactly helpless.’
As they drew closer, Zhang Wenda sensed a tremor, like the faint aftershock of a subway passing deep underground.
But when he focused, he couldn’t spot anything unusual. He frowned and shook his head, trying to dispel the faint, unsettling feeling.
"Haozi, something feels wrong." The cat-like fur on Song Jianguo’s ears stood on end.
"Have your cats form a screen in front of us. We’re going to check it out. If things look bad, we retreat immediately." Gripping his flashlight tightly, Zhang Wenda continued forward.
Gradually, the vibration was no longer an occasional, vague pulse, but a low, almost imperceptible hum. The water at their feet began to ripple with concentric circles so fine they were nearly invisible.
Zhang Wenda held his breath, moving forward slowly with his body crouched so low he was almost prone in the water.
After ten long minutes, peering between several bookcases, Zhang Wenda finally saw it: a massive, writhing creature dozens of meters away. Each of its heavy breaths was like a physical wave, generating that low hum.
The instant he saw the thing, he lowered his voice to a bare whisper. "Jianguo, pull your cats back. We need to leave, now! That’s not an adult. That’s... an elder!"
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