Extra 19 Library

The heavy iron door trembled violently behind them, and the groaning sound of the door latch mixed with the crazy banging and roaring of the inhuman being outside the door, beating on the nerves of the four people in the stairwell who were on the verge of collapse.

The cold air, smelling of earth and mold, was inhaled into the lungs, temporarily suppressing the sweet decay, but bringing another kind of chill from the underground.

"Are we safe...for now?" Zhao Sha slumped down on the cold concrete steps, her voice trembling.

"Safety?"

Gao Meng leaned against the violently vibrating iron gate, feeling the terrible force coming from behind, and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"How long can this broken door hold? That thing outside..."

Li Mu didn't say anything. He forced himself to stand up on his weak legs and looked down.

The concrete stairs spiraled down into deep darkness, with only a few broken wall lamps providing extremely weak, flickering light, barely illuminating the dusty and cobweb-covered steps underfoot.

It is unknown where this passage leads to.

Wang Ke curled up in the corner, hugging his knees, his body still shaking, but a little calmer than before.

He glanced at Li Mu secretly, his eyes complicated, and whispered:

"...This passage...is rarely used...'It' doesn't pay much attention to this place...but it may not be safe down there..."

"Where is absolutely safe?"

Li Mu continued to ask, his tone a little anxious.

"The library? I remember the rules saying the library is safe."

Wang Ke hesitated for a moment, nodded, and then quickly shook his head:

"The rules... the rules say so... but the library has its own... rules. And... the administrator..."

He seemed to have thought of something terrible, shuddered, and dared not say anything more.

"I can't care less!"

Gao Meng was breathing heavily.

"It's better than waiting here for that thing outside to break in. Where is the library? How do I get there?"

Wang Ke pointed downwards:

"...at the bottom of the passage...leading to the boiler room...there's a utility corridor...go to the end...turn left...and that's the back door of the library..."

At this moment, the crazy banging and roaring outside the door suddenly stopped.

The deathly silence that suddenly descended was even more eerie than the noise that had preceded it.

The four of them held their breath and stared at the iron door nervously.

After a few seconds, a new voice sounded.

It was the sound of fingernails...or something hard and sharp, scratching the door panel extremely slowly, one by one...

“Sizzle…sizzle…”

The sound was not loud, but it was sharp enough to make one's scalp tingle, as if it was scraping directly on the bones.

Along with this sound, there was an extremely subtle wet swallowing sound and the sound of countless tiny teeth rubbing against each other coming from under the crack of the door.

The presence outside the door did not leave.

It changed its strategy, declaring its patience and... killing intent in a more nerve-wracking way.

"Go, go now!"

Li Mu no longer hesitated and gave the order in a low voice.

The four of them tiptoed down the narrow, cold stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible.

Every subtle sound of their footsteps on the dusty steps made them jump with fear, fearing that they would arouse the monster outside the door.

The stairs were longer than I had imagined, and seemed to have no end.

The light from the wall lamp was pitifully dim, and darkness enveloped them like a substance.

Out of the corner of their eyes, they seemed to catch a glimpse of something rapidly crawling through the dark cracks in the pipe on the side.

There was a very slight sound above my head, like dust falling, but when I looked up, there was only darkness.

Finally, the ground beneath my feet became flat.

They reached the bottom floor.

In front of me is an even narrower and lower corridor, piled with abandoned desks and chairs, and broken sports equipment.

The air was filled with a stronger smell of dust and rust.

At the end of the corridor, an ordinary wooden door can be vaguely seen.

Following Wang Ke's instructions, they carefully walked through the debris and came to the wooden door.

There was no sign on the door, but Wang Ke nodded affirmatively.

Li Mu gently turned the doorknob - the door was not locked.

He pushed open a gap.

Behind the door was a short and dim corridor. After turning the corner, a heavy double wooden door inlaid with frosted glass appeared in front of us.

Above the glass door, there was an old wooden sign that read "Library".

A steady, soft, yellowish light shone from the door, completely different from the pale lights in the dormitories and teaching buildings.

A sense of...peace emanated from within the door.

But with previous experience, no one dared to let their guard down.

Li Mu took a deep breath and took the lead in pushing open the heavy door of the library.

The unique smell of old paper, dry wood and light ink rushed into the nose, making people feel unexpectedly peaceful.

The interior of the library is more spacious and ancient than imagined. The towering bookshelves are like silent giants, arranged in rows of deep corridors, with the tops submerged in shadows.

The light came from an old chandelier with a green lampshade hanging from the ceiling. The light was soft, but it cast large, unsettling shadows between the bookshelves.

Extremely quiet.

It wasn't a dead silence, but a strictly maintained, almost sacred silence.

All that could be heard was the extremely slight rustling of pages turning and the occasional suppressed cough coming from a corner in the distance.

Looking around, you can see a few students sitting at the long reading table or curled up on chairs deep in the bookshelf, concentrating on reading.

The expression is one of immersive concentration, or even numb silence.

The atmosphere here is incompatible with the crazy and weird world outside. It is like a forgotten, stagnant island of peace.

The four of them subconsciously slowed down their footsteps and even restrained their breathing.

Rule 4:

The library is completely safe. You can only stay there for a maximum of two hours at a time. You must remain quiet in the library, or you will be punished by the administrator.

Is it safe…?

They walked carefully towards the nearest row of reading tables, trying not to attract any attention.

The students who were reading quietly did not react to their arrival and did not even raise their eyelids.

After sitting down nearby, Li Mu immediately signaled everyone with his eyes to disperse and look for clues.

Gao Meng and Zhao Sha nodded nervously, stood up and pretended to look for books, but their eyes were scanning the surroundings vigilantly.

Wang Ke seemed more familiar. He whispered quickly:

"…zoning rules…posted at the end of the bookshelves in each section…and…don't go to the 'restricted section'…"

After saying that, he quickly slipped into a corner filled with magazines, as if he wanted to hide himself.

Li Mu forced himself to calm down and glanced across the table.

Each reading table was covered with a transparent plastic mat, and underneath was a piece of paper with the printed "Library Reading Instructions":

【Library Reading Guide】