/
Fei and Mu Jiashi approach the bank.
He Shujün points to the glass exterior, saying, “look, they’re all dead inside; it looks like they killed each other, while still holding cash in their hands. Was it some sort of dispute over money?”
“But why would the staff of the bank be killing each other for cash?” The male Missiontaker of the couple asks. He has a neat buzz cut that makes him look sharp and intimidating.
His girlfriend is quite petite in contrast, and she appears to be quite introverted and speaks very little. She has let Buzzcut speak the entire time.
They call themselves a couple, but their relationship status remains questionable; very few Missiontakers are able to maintain close relationships over time in the Tower.
He Shujün shrugs, saying,, “who knows. That was a meaningless question in the first place.”
Buzzcut doesn’t seem offended, he smiles but doesn’t speak anymore.
The Missiontakers check out the bloody, chaotic scene in the bank for a bit, seeing that there aren’t anymore people alive within and the doors are locked, so checking inside is impossible. This scene, and the prosperous void surrounding them, has cast a shadow on the Missiontakers’ minds.
The Nightmare looks peaceful and even nostalgic on the surface, but it might just as well be deadly.
Fei glances at Mu Jiashi, and mulls for a bit, before saying, “let’s split up to explore? We can assemble back at the library.”
Buzzcut asks, “are we not going to explore the library now?”
The male Missiontaker seems to be pretty proactive since entering the Nightmare; he probably does treat it as a pretty serious matter.
Fei is hesitant, but asks, “we should, of course, so does anyone want to go to the library?”
Mu Jiashi glances at her but doesn’t tell them what he knows. He checks out his surroundings again, surrounded by his own, unknowable thoughts.
Finally, the couple, plus Lin Qin and Wu Jian, the four of them have elected to go to the library.
When Lin Qin speaks up to say he’d go to the library as well, the rest of the Missiontakers all look at him, surprised. They’ve never heard of the crownless King of the bottom floor being this proactive himself.
Wu Jian reflexively blurts out, “dalao, looking for your lover?”
Lin Qin gives him a nondescript glance.
The rest of the Missiontakers are giving Wu Jian cold stares, for how thoughtless, blunt and ridiculous he was.
Wu Jian quickly shuts his mouth, but he feels wronged inside.
The viewers in the stream are uproarious, believing they know the truth.
“but like he’s right!”
“hahaha Beibei! does the little apple know you’re here?”
“must be couples’ instinct [doge emoji]”
“this is amazing, the last nightmare the little apple said he heard noises on the 16th floor and came for Beibei directly, which kinda made sense, but now… hes coming to the library straight on? this is already romance novel territory!”
XĂź Beijin, with a stoic face, wants to reply, what romance novel?
Clearly, since XĂź Beijin is a bookstore owner in the Tower, his identity in the Nightmare would quite often relate to books or being an owner of some kind of establishment.
When you put such a prominent library here, given Lin Qin’s instinct intelligence, he would of course make a beeline for it.
Speaking of, Xü Beijin can’t help but wonder if Lin Qin’s sharp senses are based on some inexplicable primal instinct, or… could it be thought processes that take place so quickly that the self cannot even realise?
The wisest would appear dumb?
Since he has realised how Lin Qin built a strawman to avoid the possibility of his confession being rejected, XĂź Beijin has eyed the little apple with suspicion.
Is there actually a possibility, that Lin Qin is merely acting dumb or useless like protagonists of face-slapping novels?
XĂź Beijin watches Lin Qin on the stream doubtfully.
Right now, XĂź Beijin is already outside of his office, and is on the ground floor lobby of the library.
It is completely deserted right now. In contrast, when everything is normal, it should at least have many visitors, if not packed. From people coming to check out the catalogue, borrowing, reading on site, or having booked a room for some meeting or activity; people should have filled this place up quite a lot, instead of this.
Well, perhaps there are people here, but XĂź Beijin just has yet to run into them.
He checks out the list of many locations listed under the Library. He believes that, of these locations that are waiting to be explored, many must contain clues, possibly even relating to the Nightmare itself.
Not that XĂź Beijin feels like checking them out one by one on his own.
‘Hey, aren’t there free labour in the form of the Missiontakers lying around anyway?’ He thinks.
He ignored the locations along his way, as he descended from the large, circular hallway that linked the ground and second floors of the library, and arrived at the side of the entrance to the library on the ground floor. This is the information desk of the library, serving to answer any questions a visitor to the library may have.
For example, on what shelves can I find books relating to this?
XĂź Beijin feels more at home at this location.
When he plops down on the chair of the information desk, the four Missiontakers have also made it into the library. Almost immediately, they could see the man sitting upright on the information desk.
Lin Qin’s eyes are practically glowing as he walks straight over, and says with this happy tone, “you really are here.”
The couple and Wu Jian follow closely behind, the former seem confused, while the latter is screaming in his mind, see, see, see?! His guess was spot-on! The dalao really is here for his man!
Oh, the hubris of youth! So laments Wu Jian, in his mind.
He looks at the self-proclaimed Missiontaker couple by his side, who looks distinctly without a hint of love between them.
Well, would you look at these posers right here? He thinks some more.
Then, looking back at Xü Beijin and Lin Qin, he concludes – yes, this is what a couple should look like.
Xü Beijin hasn’t the faintest idea of Wu Jian’s delusions, or he would probably have chased them out the library altogether instead of communicating.
Though, look at the trouble Lin Qin has brought along! Since when has he been leered at with such inquisitive eyes!
XĂź Beijin cusses inside, glancing at the three Missiontakers.
But he has adjusted his attitude soon enough. When the three Missiontakers are over at this desk as well, his usual warmth and gentleness when talking to Lin Qin in private is gone, as he asks with a somewhat business-like tone, “can I help you?”
Lin Qin says nothing, as expected.
While the woman among the couple, who has never spoken since entering the Nightmare, seems especially worried, and even fearful when XĂź Beijin looks closely. Buzzcut is looking at XĂź Beijin with a somewhat confused expression.
Since no one else is speaking, poor Wu Jian can only take over and ask, like the good tool-person he is, “we want to know what happened outside. Why is there nobody else around?”
Xü Beijin glances over outside, before asking in turn, “you didn’t know?”
Wu Jian doesn’t look like he knows.
“People have gone mad,” replies Xü Beijin, “the madness spread in a very short time. A lot of the people went mad instantly, while some fortunately didn’t, but they would much rather avoid the madmen altogether. So, those that remained sane have gone into hiding.”
Wu Jian’s jaws drop further and further hearing Xü Beijin’s description.
Um… does it sound familiar to anyone else?
Why is it that what is happening in this Nightmare, sounds so utterly like the last Nightmare, with the building full of mad people?
Well, at least, in terms of the people going mad.
The city in this Nightmare hasn’t started burning yet.
The similarities are already striking enough, though, especially the part with ‘the madness spread quickly, and people split into the mad ones and the sane ones.’ It makes Wu Jian feel ominous instantly.