Start getting stronger by modifying your breathing method

Chapter 538 Strange Tales of Rules? My Words Are the Rules! [Part Three]

In the instant the eye burst.

A piercing scream followed.

Within the gap in the bookshelf, that pale face contorted for a moment before vanishing without a trace.

The overhead lights, which had dimmed for some unknown reason, regained their previous brightness.

At the same time, the feeling of being spied on disappeared.

"No values ​​were modified?"

Hu Qi's eyes flickered.

Somewhat disappointed.

Whether it was the Qingyuan Hotel before, the pillow in the dormitory, or this one in front of me.

They didn't provide him with even the slightest modification value.

Although he didn't care about this small change.

But he's gotten used to this feeling.

Now that no modified values ​​are recorded, he always has the illusion that he's not getting paid for his work.

It felt like they had lost out.

shook his head.

Hu Qi turned his gaze to the book in his hand.

After that ghost story about obsessive voyeurism was destroyed.

The words on the pages are being erased bit by bit by an invisible eraser.

In the end, the entire book vanished into thin air.

Clearly, the existence of these ghost stories is inextricably linked to books.

Or rather, books are the very essence of ghost stories; it is only due to some mysterious force that these ghost stories, which should have existed only in the realm of illusion, are brought to life in reality.

However, he clearly remembered that the employee handbook he had seen before did not mention any rule against opening books.

However, it turns out that once opened, one will be targeted by ghost stories. Is this a hidden rule, or is it that the staff in the library will not be harmed by the ghost stories in the books?

These thoughts flashed through his mind.

Think about this.

Hu Qi's gaze swept over the bookshelf.

But then again.

Could the source be hidden in one of the books on these bookshelves?
After all, sometimes the most unlikely place is the most likely.

Think of this.

Hu Qi reached out and picked up another book.

As a library employee, checking books is a normal thing, isn't it?

This time, it's a strange tale about a two-headed old man covered in purplish-blue bruises.

Sure enough, not long after Hu Qi opened the book...

Then that thing appeared, clinging to the ceiling like a spider.

It was a monster forcibly glued together from two withered, skeletal bodies, its four arms and four legs twisted in opposite directions at bizarre angles, silently clinging to the ceiling as it crawled.

As it appeared, fine spider webs spread from the corners of the walls and between the bookshelves.

It subtly envelops the entire space, like hunting prey caught in a spider web.

Both heads turned towards Hu Qi at the same time, their distorted faces revealing naked malice.

However, it had only just appeared and hadn't even had a chance to make a move yet.

Its entire body was like a water balloon being squeezed and burst, letting out only a shrill scream before its entire body exploded.

They followed in the footsteps of the previous ghost story.

The shattered pieces of the body fell to one side and quickly faded away.

Hu Qi ignored him.

These strange tales were as fragile as bubbles to him, easily bursting with a gentle poke, posing no threat whatsoever.

……

downstairs.

I could hear the piercing screams coming from upstairs.

Ji Chang's expression was somewhat strange.

Wang Min looked somewhat puzzled; it was normal for screams to be heard here.

This is because it usually means that the employee has violated the rules, and not all rules are written in the employee handbook.

Some rules you need to figure out yourself.

These rules can be broadly divided into two types: instantaneous and non-instantaneous.

The meaning is very simple.

Instant death type; if violated, death will result.

It is not an instant death type; there will be a certain buffer time, and you can save yourself in some ways.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be the only employee.

Facing this circumstances.

At first, Wang Min would offer advice to the newcomers, but gradually, he witnessed too much of the dark side of human nature and became numb to it.

No matter how long you stay here, you can't leave; it's like a prison.

For him, watching the newcomers was frightening and apprehensive.

The subsequent struggle and death due to violating the rules has become one of the few twisted forms of pleasure.

The longer one stays here, the more severe this morbid mentality becomes.

He himself was unaware of this.

"Um, should we go up and check if Lin Sheng is in trouble? I hear a lot of screams."

Ma Shuo asked a question.

"Really? I didn't hear it. Why don't you go up and check for yourself!"

Beside him, Wang Min sneered and pointed to the stairs.

"Hehe, maybe I'm just imagining things!"

Ma Shuo scratched his head.

It was not mentioned again.

Just kidding, ever since that weird situation in the dorm, he's become a nervous wreck.

The above is clearly abnormal; it would be fine if they were all together.

Isn't he just asking for death by going up there alone?
Besides, he wasn't familiar with Lin Sheng, so there was no need for him to risk his life to go there.

He had already made up his mind to find a way to build a good relationship with Wang Min. The other party had lived here for so long, so he must know more than he did. Listening to the other party was always the right thing to do.

Wang Min witnessed this scene.

A mocking smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

He was already used to the selfishness of human nature.

I was just about to say something more.

Drip!

Just then, an electronic beeping sound rang out.

Wang Min glanced at the wall clock.

"It's almost time, let's open for business."

Say it.

Ignoring the screams that kept coming from above, he turned on all the lights in the library and then went to open the door.

By this time, it was already dark outside.

The rain continued to fall softly.

Unlike during the day.

The streetlights on both sides of the road were extremely dim, as if there was a thin veil between them, only able to illuminate an area of ​​about one or two meters around them, but unable to reach any further.

Only a few figures could be seen walking by on the street.

Wang Min picked up a takeout bag from one side of the door.

This was the takeout he had ordered in advance.

"Everything is normal outside the library, but only during the day. If you want to eat, you'll have to order in advance! Otherwise, you'll go hungry all day!"
Don't order takeout at night, because you never know what you'll get!

Wang Min glanced at the two of them.

However, the two of them clearly didn't want to eat.

As a weapon user, Ji Chang could go without food for several days without any problems.

Ma Shuo simply has no appetite at the moment.

"I work at the bar, registering customers who borrow or purchase books."

The rest involved inspecting the reading area and replenishing the books in the underground library.

You two can choose between these two jobs.

Wang Min turned to look at Ji Chang and Ma Shuo.

"I'll go to the underground library to get the book!"

Ji Chang's eyes flickered slightly, and she took the initiative to speak.

Hear the words.

A grateful look immediately fell upon them from the side.

It was Ma Shuo.

In his view, going to the library alone would definitely be more dangerous than staying here.

As for the other person's gaze.

Ji Chang ignored it.

She entered the underground library with her own purpose, of course.

She didn't come here voluntarily just to work here.

Rather, it was to solve the ghost stories, understand the ghost stories, and provide more information for headquarters to deal with them.

Doing this will give me a chance to explore the underground level.

You can also take advantage of the opportunity to give away books.

I'll meet that person on the second floor later.

As for Hu Qi, he may have been killed by the ghost story.

She didn't believe it; after all, the other party's strength was undeniable.

She believed more that the screams of those ghost stories before they died than the actual death of the person.

The tragic state of the entire Qingyuan Hotel was still fresh in everyone's mind.

The hotel in the ghost story was destroyed with a single blow.

How could such a formidable person die so easily?

"Great, this is my list of missing books."

Also, Ma Shuo, you'll be in charge of compiling the list of missing books tomorrow. Make sure to write it down while you're at work so you don't waste time looking it up later.

Regarding Ji Chang's choice.

Wang Min did not interfere.

In the six months since he entered this library.

I've seen far too many employees.

But all of those people were already dead.

Of these, only a small number can become full-time employees.

But so far, he is the only one who has survived.

It's questionable whether these people can even last through the three-day probation period.

He was too lazy to care.

The reason he has lived so long is that he never deliberately courts death, is cautious enough in any situation, and always prioritizes protecting himself.

drop!
suddenly.

A voice came from the doorway.

The glass door was pushed open from the outside.

Two figures walked in.

"welcome!"

Wang Min turned his head, and a near-perfect smile immediately appeared on his face.

His attitude was completely opposite to that he had towards Ma Shuo and the others.

Rule 17: When serving readers, staff should do their best to meet the readers' reasonable needs, while adhering to the library's regulations.

Although the rules do not state that you must smile.

But Wang Min always adhered to strict rules and strived to do his best. "When do you close?"

At this moment, the man among the two spoke up and asked.

"Our store is open at night, until 7 a.m. the next morning!"

Wang Min explained.

"That's great! Let's take shelter from the rain here for a while and read some books!"

The man said to the girl next to him.

"Okay!"

The girl nodded.

The two then walked straight into the library.

Ji Chang glanced at the two people who came in.

This is a very ordinary young couple.

Just by looking at their appearance, they are not much different from normal people.

However, upon closer inspection, some anomalies will be observed.

The two men had a bluish complexion and walked with stiff, unnatural movements.

The more important point is.

It's raining outside right now.

Neither of them had an umbrella, and there wasn't a drop of water on them.

Furthermore, the piercing screams from upstairs were still echoing intermittently, and just listening to them was chilling.

A normal person would probably ask an extra question if they encountered this situation.

The two people acted as if they hadn't heard anything.

Obviously not right.

However, considering that the people and things in ghost stories cannot be judged by common sense.

This situation is quite reasonable.

These readers are clearly not ordinary humans.

These thoughts flashed through her mind quickly, and then...

Without saying a word, she took the key and the list of missing books and headed towards the library on the basement floor.

……

The library on the basement level.

The location is not hard to find.

There were signs on the door. Pushing open the heavy iron door, a downward staircase suddenly appeared before our eyes.

The passageway was lined with silver-white fluorescent lights that emitted a soft glow.

A blast of cold air hit me, as if the door of a cold storage room had been opened.

However, for a weapon user with a superhuman physique, such a temperature is still within their tolerance range.

It didn't make her feel too uncomfortable.

Ji Chang slowly descended the stairs and soon arrived at the basement level.

It was called a library, but it was quite different from what I had imagined.

The vast space was empty; not a single book could be seen.

Only a green conveyor belt lay quietly in the center.

At the other end of the conveyor belt was a dark, gaping opening.

Her gaze shifted slightly, landing on a pillar next to the conveyor belt.

A blank sheet of paper was neatly pasted onto the column, with a short message written in black printed font.

Please write the required book number on the paper, place the paper on the conveyor belt, and then press the red button.

Rule 1: Do not make any unnecessary noise. Take the book and leave immediately. Do not turn around if you hear any noise.

Rule 2: Do not approach the conveyor belt opening.

Below the paper, there is a conspicuous red button.

Upon seeing this, Ji Chang did not delay and placed the paper on it.

Reach out and press the button.

next second.

The transmission started working.

The paper entered the hole.

At this time.

A pungent smell of blood filled the air.

The smell was coming from the direction of the cave entrance.

Furthermore, a rustling sound came from it, as if something was crawling along the opening of the hole.

Ji Shang's heart tightened, but she remained standing in place.

There was no movement.

soon.

The conveyor belt rolls outwards.

A pile of packaged books was placed in a basket.

A quick glance reveals at least thirty books.

Books are heavy to begin with.

There are so many, it would be quite a challenge for an ordinary person to carry them all.

However, Ji Chang simply lifted it up with one hand, then turned around and went up the stairs without looking back.

The reason for this was that the rustling sound coming from the cave entrance was getting closer and closer.

Something followed the book out from behind the conveyor belt.

……

In the outside world, as time goes by.

Readers entered the library in twos and threes.

They appeared ordinary, yet they all exuded an indescribable eeriness.

Some people looked ashen-faced, some had a livid complexion, and others were swollen all over, resembling floating corpses that had been soaking in water.

Yet these 'people' continued to chat and laugh as if nothing had happened.

Ma Shuo stared intently at the scene, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

He then took a deep breath.

Try to calm yourself down.

Holding a pen, I began to record the missing books, while also tidying up the irregularly arranged ones.

In Ma Shuo's view, compared to others.

His job is relatively easy.

There's no need to go to the basement library, nor to be alone on the second floor.

All you need to do is walk around and inspect the area.

……

"Um, could I borrow your pen and paper for a moment?"

Suddenly, a cold female voice rang out in my ears.

Ma Shuo shuddered, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

The readers in the reading room all had strange expressions, their faces as pale as corpses in a morgue.

He even deliberately chose the most secluded corner spot, keeping the furthest distance from those 'people'.

So now, who is talking to him?
Thinking of this, his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, and he slowly turned his head away.

Just a few steps away.

Beneath the shadow of the bookshelf stood a woman with long, flowing hair, wearing a brown dress.

She looked to be no more than twenty years old, with a gentle and graceful air about her.

But that face was excessively white, with an eerie luster like fine white porcelain.

However, compared to other readers, this person at least seems normal.

"Excuse me, what did you say? I didn't hear you!"

Think of this.

Ma Shuo forced a smile.

Upon hearing this, the woman repeated what she had just said.

Seemingly afraid that Ma Shuo might be unwilling, he continued.

"I'll just use it for a bit, I'll return it right away! You wouldn't be so unwilling to do even such a small favor, would you?"

As the woman spoke, water droplets dripped continuously from her body, and her face grew increasingly pale.

Several bluish-purple lines even appeared around his eyes.

Ma Shuo paused for a moment.

There was no immediate response.

He recalled the rules he had seen before.

It only says not to lend a pen to the cleaner wearing red.

Then the readers should have no problem.

Furthermore, the employee handbook also states that, within the bounds of the rules, we should try our best to meet the needs of our readers.

Think of this.

He glanced again at the woman's chest, as if confirming something.

Rule 1: All library staff will wear name tags.

Everyone here should include the cleaners.

He did not find any employee badge on the other person.

"No way, please use it first!"

He took two steps forward, stopped in front of the woman, and handed her the paper and pen.

Sudden.

His movements froze in mid-air.

His gaze was fixed on the hem of the other person's skirt.

Just now, the other party was in a dimly lit area in the shadows, the brightness of the incandescent bulb was greatly reduced, and the red light reflected from the skirt fabric was almost gone.

In addition, they were several steps apart.

Only now, up close, did he realize with a start that it wasn't a brown dress at all.

Instead, it was a dark, almost black, deep red.

"Thank you for your pen."

A cold hand suddenly took the paper and pen, and a chill ran up my spine from the fingertips.

"Unfortunately, we cleaners don't need pens."

The woman grinned, a smile that looked as if it had been carved out with a knife—smooth and eerie.

"Impossible! How could you be a cleaner? You don't even have an employee badge..."

Zhang Shuo's face turned deathly pale instantly.

However, before he could finish speaking, the second half of his sentence caught in his throat.

The woman reached out and brushed her long hair aside, revealing one side of her face.

There are three crooked, bloody characters on it, which look like they were slashed with a knife.

Cleaner

"grass!"

Ma Shuo's chubby face jiggled.

At that moment, his mind was unusually sharp.

I remembered the rules I had seen before.

Rule 6 states that if you encounter a child, you need to turn your name tag around.

However, rule one specifies an employee ID card.

This is a complete word trap.

This leads most people to instinctively assume that the word 'employee badge' is a name tag when they see it.

However, in reality, the so-called employee badge is not necessarily the same as a name tag.

It might be a line of writing etched on the skin.

This rule is so insidious it's outrageous.

(End of this chapter)