Chapter 12 Library 4 End

The rules state that professors will not appear in the library, but that does not mean that "professors" and library staff are adversaries.

In a larger school setting, they are colleagues, and may even be friends.

They are locals, not mindless sausages or beer from a pipe.

You feel like you've vaguely grasped the root of the conflict between the identities of "locals" and you "outsiders".

But you don't have time to think about this right now.

Even though you've already smashed your glasses and thrown away your lab coat, your hair still stands on end, and a certain spot between your eyebrows on your forehead remains itchy, almost like a nerve ache.

Danger, danger, danger.

The old lady sat still, yet she seemed to grow larger and larger in your field of vision.

"Buzz—Buzz—"

Your phone keeps vibrating with notification messages.

I glanced at it briefly; it's Sister Y.

Does she have some method?

But this old lady is watching you!

It's all doomed anyway, so screw it.

You shake your head vigorously, trying to break free from the numbing sensation as if you've been electrocuted, and grab your phone.

"She's a professor in the chemistry department! Don't go with her."

"Hey, are you okay? Please say something, don't just die like this."

"Professors go straight home after get off work. It's not normal for them to be anywhere on campus. They might be looking for laborers. You need to be on your guard."

…

Thank you for the explanation, Y-jie, but it's too late.

The old lady let out an angry howl, spouting off in a completely incomprehensible, rapid-fire tone, and lunged at you with outstretched arms.

It's all because you don't work properly in front of her and just play on your phone!

cell phone.

You've come up with a solution.

Do we really have to do that?

The doubts you had about yourself lasted less than half a second before your hand moved on to the next step.

You turned on the camera.

Make a stiff smile, turn your body around, and include the old lady in the picture.

One, two.

With each picture, the old lady looked even further away from you with a disgusted expression.

Then you switched to the rear camera and turned on the video.

"Tears streaming down my face, Noti hum." You explained that it was to record life, but you only pointed the camera at the old lady.

You search out all the words and phrases in your head, and while recording a video, you utter them one by one.

Terms like "professor," "internet celebrity," and "follower" are used.

"Hey, no! No!" the old lady kept shouting, covering her face with her hands, resisting being on camera.

Finally, after you persistently recorded videos for her and made it look like they would be posted online, she gave you a resentful and cold look and disappeared on the spot.

That tingling sensation that seemed to emanate from deep within my bones was finally gone.

It's hilarious! You just thought that every time you see those bloggers with cameras around their necks claiming to be recording their lives, there would be other people leaving comments saying it's disrespectful, that professors don't like it, etc. You never expected it would actually work.

But judging from her expression, you can't help but feel that this matter isn't over yet.

The computer is still on, turn it off immediately. If you look at that ridiculous software for even a second longer, you'll feel like your head is about to fall off.

If you want to leave as soon as possible, before you do, carefully tidy up the computer room and restore it to a state where no one has entered before you close the door with peace of mind.

You are still shaken by the incident with the old lady and are constantly on guard against any possible unforeseen events.

The university library has very good fire prevention and soundproofing measures, resulting in doors inside doors on even one floor, dividing the corridors.

Many study booths are scattered in the corridor. Every time you pass a door, you will stop and wait at a booth to make sure that the floor functions are correct before continuing to walk out.

A few minutes later, you sneakily returned to floor 0.

The receptionist saw you and gave you an expression that wasn't exactly malicious, but rather quite enigmatic.

Avoiding her gaze, you meticulously translate every single word, translating everything perfectly, and successfully activate the machine to borrow the book.

Put the small basket back, and humming a lighthearted tune, you open your locker.

Thud.

The metal cabinet door popped open automatically, and a blue windbreaker was placed over your backpack.

The logo of Jack Wolfskin, a national brand in Germany, is prominently printed on it.

The cheerful tune abruptly stopped, and you silently cursed a lot of swear words that you had never said aloud.

The rules clearly warn: if you see someone wearing a Jack Wolfskin coat, run away immediately. But now, the jacket has appeared in your locker, as if it had been waiting for you for a long time.

Is this a trap or some kind of warning? Your brain is racing, trying to figure out what's going on.

In that instant, you noticed that the cuff of your jacket seemed to move slightly. The slight tremor was like a breeze. But there was no wind in the library!

Your gaze is fixed on the jacket when you suddenly notice a blurry face reflected on the dark inner wall of the closet, silently pressed against your back.

A chill spreads from your feet to your whole body like a tide, and you feel a sense of suffocation.

Leave immediately!

Leave immediately?

Rule 1: Running is prohibited.

You want to turn around and see what that shadow on your shoulder is, but all the lights suddenly go out, and even the occasional sounds of people moving around are hidden away.

There is only one beam of light overhead, which will always follow you no matter how slight your movements are.

The exit was right next to you, and you were already prepared to leave your backpack behind, but those few meters seemed impossibly far away.

Leaving directly is clearly not the solution. Could the answer lie in the riddle itself?

I took out my phone; it still had a signal, great. I searched for the brand "Jack Wolfskin."

What special meaning or symbol does it have that makes it a terrifying symbol, trapping you here?

Adventure, resilience, and coexistence with nature.

This is the brand's belief.

But what does this have to do with the current situation? And it has absolutely nothing to do with the library!

The clothes appeared in the closet.

Yes, why would you enter a dangerous situation when no one else is wearing it?

Or perhaps the "man in Jack Wolfskin" in the rules doesn't refer to a specific person, but rather... a part of yourself that represents your inner fears.

You take a deep breath and muster your courage to turn around. As you expected, there's nothing eerie. Just a silent darkness.

Is that really the case?

You slowly turn to face the locker, your hand trembling as you reach out and gently stroke the blue Jack Wolfskin jacket.

The moment you touch the jacket, you feel an unprecedented power.

You resolutely put on the jacket, as if donning an indestructible suit of armor.

A miracle happened.

The strange phenomenon in the library began to fade away. You stuffed all the borrowed books into your bag and, taking three steps at a time, finally left the library.

Even though you got through it, you still felt something was off.

Everything that happens in the computer room and the lab coat that inexplicably appears on your body seem to suggest that death is not the greatest danger; being assimilated and losing your sense of self is the real disaster.

The locals will either kill you outright or turn you into one of them!

While this windbreaker makes you feel brave inside, a feeling that you're not yourself is slowly growing in the corners of your body.

Moreover, it's obtained in a way that's like fishing bait, waiting for you to put it on yourself.

And yet, even with your mind so clearly processing all this, you can't help but be unable to take off your Jack Wolfskin raincoat. You want to take it home, you want to wear it forever.

How comfortable and warm it is! From now on, I won't even need an umbrella if I just wear this hat.

no.

You pinched yourself, gritted your teeth, tore off your windbreaker, crumpled it up, and threw it into the nearest trash can.

Without giving yourself any chance to regret it, you quickly leave.

Find something else to do to distract yourself before you talk about it.

Actually, you're already exhausted, but more than the new possible "bank rules," you're afraid that you'll inexplicably run back to the library entrance and pick up that windbreaker and take it home.

Fortunately, the trip to the bank went relatively smoothly.

The setting was simple, and the staff were very warm and attentive, engaging in a pleasant back-and-forth conversation with you using a translator.

This does not mean that a bank is a safe place. While you are waiting in line to ask for advice at the counter, you may see an outsider enter the bank twice.

He probably had other business to attend to, and under the guidance of the lobby manager (or perhaps a security guard; this is just a reasonable guess based on the situation in China), he walked deep into the bank, and then started all over again with a pale face.

However, whatever its rules may be, at least for you, you don't need to deal with them today.

The only thing that bothers you is that your purpose is to change your bank card password, but the staff tells you that they cannot help you change it.

The only solution is to mail you a new card, and then you should make sure to receive the email with the initial PIN for the bank card.

How long will it take? Type it out for her.

One month.

You should be able to finish the dungeon and leave this place in a month.

The receptionist has offered you a new solution. Since you only need the money, why not withdraw cash? You can do it directly at the front desk.

That's great, you readily agree. After filling out and signing the withdrawal form, just as you're about to take out your ID, she's already processed it on the computer and given you 1000 gu.

No matter how nice her attitude is, you still feel this is too dangerous.

This is a dungeon world, and the money isn't real. But if in the real world you don't need any documents and can just withdraw money with a card that has your name on it but no password, wouldn't it be like you can just pick up a card and start doing whatever you want?

On your way home, you vent this to Sister Y.

Yes, you accepted Sister Y's kindness and even had a pleasant chat with her.

You are indeed wary of her, but her enthusiasm doesn't seem fake. Besides, her previous warnings to you genuinely helped you come up with a solution.

In that case, what's wrong with having such a friend?

"Ah, let me tell you, they just looked at your face and thought you looked innocent and not a bad person. Plus, your name sounds like you're from the Flower Kingdom, so they skipped all the necessary steps."

"That's how it is here. A lot of times, people don't follow the procedures, they just look at personal relationships. But of course, if it really is a case of card fraud, then she has to pay for the cardholder's losses herself, so it's her own personal behavior." Sister Y is really experienced.

You're chatting with Sister Y while eating your potatoes when someone knocks on your door.

As usual, you play dead first, and only open the door to check after the people outside have left.

Your kind roommate brought the package up for you.

But when you open the package, inside is that Jack Wolfskin windbreaker.

A note from the author:

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Ahhh, I woke up and yesterday's already over. I'll just post this chapter now to avoid any mistakes today. Good night! (?)