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墨書 Inktalez
Horror Chapter
The sky gradually darkened, and the streetlights along the school road flickered to life.
Jiang Liu stood in front of the library, staring at the open door. A strange feeling surged within him. He couldn't quite understand why he felt this way, but as he gazed at the library, an instinct told him that Xu Ya had likely disappeared from here.
This feeling was inexplicable yet so clear.
A strong sense of unease emanated from within the library, enveloping him. Deep in his mind, a severe warning urged him to leave quickly.
He hesitated at the entrance of the library, unsure whether to step inside. However, his curiosity soon overpowered his fear. He needed to uncover the truth behind everything; Xu Ya's disappearance felt like a warning, signaling that something was amiss.
The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became. Deciding not to dwell on it any longer, he took a deep breath and stepped into the library.
As soon as he entered, he noticed an elderly man sitting alone behind the counter. The old man wore reading glasses and squinted at a book in his hands under the light from the flower panel. Jiang Liu couldn't make out the title but guessed it was some sort of biography.
Seeing someone in the library gave Jiang Liu a slight sense of safety. He approached and asked, "Excuse me, sir."
The old man lifted his head at Jiang Liu's voice, scrutinizing him with his cloudy eyes. After a few seconds of examination, he finally spoke, his voice filled with a sense of life's hardships and perhaps a hint of resignation. Jiang Liu was puzzled by how much emotion he could detect in the old man's tone.
"Is there something you need?"
"Yes," Jiang Liu replied. "I wanted to ask if you saw a girl about my age come here around this time yesterday?"
"Yesterday?"
"Yes!" Jiang Liu nodded.
"I'll think about it," the old man said after a moment of contemplation. "I don't remember."
"Grandpa, please think harder. Did you really not see a girl come here?" Jiang Liu asked persistently.
"There are many girls around your age, how would I know which one you're talking about?" The old man shifted his gaze from Jiang Liu to the book in his hands, carefully absorbing the language and culture within its pages.
Hearing this, Jiang Liu was taken aback, thinking: Right! This is a school, and so many people come to the library; how could the old man possibly know which one I mean?
With that thought, Jiang Liu recalled the clothes Xu Ya had sent her and said, "Grandpa, the girl I'm looking for came here around this time yesterday. She was wearing a white shirt and blue jeans. Oh, and her hair was in a ponytail. Do you remember her?"
"Yesterday at this time, huh?"
"Yes, white shirt, blue jeans, with a ponytail. Do you have any impression of her?"
"Wait a moment; I think I might remember something."
The old man took off his reading glasses, slowly closed the book, and placed it on the counter. He looked at Jiang Liu and said, "There was indeed a student who came to the library yesterday. Since she was a new face, I remember her quite well."
Jiang Liu's heart leaped with joy; she had found the right place! She hurriedly continued to ask, "Do you know when she left?"
"I didn't see," the old man shook his head and added, "I dozed off for a bit and missed when that girl left. However, I usually check around the library before closing at nine o'clock. I didn't see her during my rounds, so she probably left while I was napping."
"Do you know where she was reading before that?" Jiang Liu asked unwilling to give up.
"Um, let me think... I believe it was over there," the old man pointed in a direction.
Following the old man's finger, Jiang Liu discovered that he was pointing towards a corner of the library, a place where one could read without being noticed.
"I saw him reading there for a while, and then it seemed like he went upstairs," the old man said, gesturing towards the staircase leading to the second floor.
Jiang Liu looked at the staircase, which was brightly lit. Despite the illumination, perhaps due to his previous experience in the Haunted Building, Jiang Liu felt an unusual sensation about the stairs. It wasn't fear exactly, but whenever it was dark or particularly quiet, an uncomfortable feeling would rise within him.
After observing for a moment, Jiang Liu turned to the old man and asked, "Sir, may I go upstairs to take a look?"
"Yes, but I’ll be closing soon, so keep an eye on the time," the old man replied.
With that, he ignored Jiang Liu and put on his reading glasses again, opening his book to continue reading under the light.
Jiang Liu said his thanks and headed towards the second floor. Perhaps due to the silence, his footsteps echoed loudly on the stairs, causing him to feel anxious and heightening his focus.
Once he reached the second floor without incident, Jiang Liu let out a sigh of relief and began to direct his attention to the library up there.
The second floor had a distinctly charming atmosphere. Each bookshelf was arranged neatly with about two meters of space between them, not much different from downstairs. However, the shelves obstructed Jiang Liu's view of the layout on this floor, forcing him to move further inside.
After passing several bookshelves, Jiang Liu sensed something was off. He glanced around but saw nothing unusual; confusion settled in as he tried to pinpoint what felt strange.
"Clop, clop."
The sound of footsteps echoed in the library on the second floor; each step resonated like a drumbeat, making him increasingly uncomfortable.
As he approached one of the bookshelves deeper inside, he caught a glimpse of something lying on the ground out of the corner of his eye. This discovery made him stop in his tracks. Slowly, he walked towards the shelf and took a few steps closer. With the light above illuminating his path, he finally saw what was on the ground.
It turned out to be a book!
Jiang Liu crouched down to pick up a book, discovering it was a Historical Book. He flipped through the pages but found nothing of interest after several nights. He thought it was probably left behind by some careless student.
As he contemplated putting the book back on the shelf, he noticed something peculiar!
The shelf was categorized under Horror, and he glanced down at the Historical Book in his hands, feeling a twinge of confusion. After pondering for a long time without any answers, he decided to find the shelf designated for Historical Books and returned the one he held.
He took another look around the second-floor library but found no clues, so he turned and headed down the stairs.
As he descended, he noticed that the front desk was unattended, causing him to feel a jolt of surprise. Just as he was about to call out, an old man's voice echoed from a corner of the library.
"Student, are you leaving?"
It turned out the old man had been on patrol. Jiang Liu let out a sigh of relief. "Yes, Grandpa, I'm leaving now."
"Alright, I will be closing soon."
"Goodbye, Grandpa!"
Once Jiang Liu stepped out of the library, the discomfort that had been weighing on him finally lifted. He glanced back at the library before heading toward the dormitory building.
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