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Chapter 6

“Ah, my book!"

The little girl ran towards Tang Mo at a speed that humans couldn't reach, grabbing 'The Secret Behind the Mayan Civilization's Disappearance' and holding it to her chest. She held the large match in her left hand and a book in her right hand. After determining that it was the book she lost, she ran into the bookshelves to sit down and started to read.

"My mother will test me on the book tomorrow. I have to read it quickly."

In this large and spacious library, the sound of the little girl reading the book was loud.

The huckster's face became extremely pale and his lips turned blue as he stared at the mosaic girl with the book in her hand. It seemed like he had just been pulled from the water. In just a few minutes, the huckster's hair was soaked with sweat. He looked at Tang Mo and smiled bitterly. "It turned out to be that book. When did you figure it out?"

Tang Mo looked down at the huckster's right hand holding the stick. On the back of the hand, the white angel wing pattern gradually turned black and became demon wings.

Tang Mo's voice was very calm. "From the moment I saw you."

The huckster's eyes widened with disbelief. "How can that be?"

The little girl sat on the floor reading the book and didn't seem to hear any noises. The game ended so Tang Mo and the huckster headed to the reading area of the library and sat down in the chairs.

Tang Mo looked at the mosaic girl in the distance. In this whole library, she was probably the only one with the patience to read right now. The huckster's timid fear disappeared. He sat in front of Tang Mo and started talking about the truth of the matter. "I pulled you into this game."

This was surprising for Tang Mo.

The huckster said, "It was an accident that I sneaked into the library. I sneaked in before you entered the library. As you know, many of us unemployed people will spend time at the library. Once it is closing time, the security guards will find us and drive us out of the library. However, the security guards can also make mistakes. Your library is too close to the black tower. After the 'earth is online' message was issued, I chose to observe the tower from here. Then on the third day, I heard it speak to me while I was reading a book."

The huckster raised his eyes and looked at Tang Mo with a serious and fanatical expression. He seemed to be seeing a great existence instead of Tang Mo.

“It told me that the game was about to begin." The huckster looked obsessively at the air and repeated, "I was chosen by it!"

Tang Mo didn't chat with him.

All employees of the library knew that the huckster was just a crazy religious person, not neurotic. After a while, the huckster calmed down except for a slight flush on his face. He said, "The game selected for me was a 1 VS 1 game. I couldn't finish it alone. I was thinking about leaving the library and finding someone to start the game with. Then you came in. I knew you and after thinking for a moment, I deliberately made a sound to bring you over. Now I think that was the most wrong decision I've ever made."

Tang Mo asked him, "What is the penalty for failing the game? What is elimination?"

The huckster shook his head. "I don't know, it didn't say. The words you heard are the same as mine. It never said anything extra. It just told me that the game opponent is chosen by me while the game target is up to you. That’s fair. Before the game officially started, I didn’t know it was a book-hunting game. Perhaps it is because you are a librarian that the game chose a suitable identity.” Then the huckster paused and looked earnestly at Tang Mo. "How did you find me?"

In fact, this matter was very simple. "You aren't a madman nor a fool. Your reason for sneaking into the library wasn't very good and every performance after I met you was fearful. God…Mr. Chen, you are a fanatical religious person. The man who said to me that 'the black tower is God.’ I believe after three days, he wouldn't be panicked and fearful when selected by the black tower for a game. He would enjoy it instead."

The huckster's stick fell heavily onto the chair. "It was like this…"

Tang Mo continued, "It was just a suspicion. I couldn't be sure if that was how you would really react."

"Then how did you know it was me?"

"Because the game is fair."

The huckster looked at Tang Mo with confusion.

Tang Mo touched the angel wings on the back of his hand. "I also like to play games. A game I often play can be considered one of the fairest card games in the world. In the game of bridge, skills can be stronger than luck. Meanwhile, a game like stud is one where luck can be stronger than skills. But these games are equivalent in that they are absolutely fair to both sides of the game. After the game starts, luck can also be a type of strength. Both sides have no gaps in their strength, it depends on who has good luck or bad luck. The game itself is fair."

The huckster couldn't understand his words. "What does this have to do with our game?"

Tang Mo looked at him. "Don't you think this game is very unfair?"

"What?"

“There are only three rules in the game. First, violence is prohibited. This has a profound meaning but I won't talk about it right now. Second, the angels can get a hint during the day. Third, the demon can burn a bookshelf at night. It seems that the angel has to find a book among hundreds of thousands of books. That makes the game very hard. Meanwhile, the demon has a 3/23 chance of winning the game."

The huckster suddenly understood. "Do you mean that this game is unfair to the angels?"

"No." Tang Mo smiled and shook his head. "It isn't fair to the demon."

The huckster looked stunned.

"For angels, the game has a way of solving the problem. He just needs to find the book based on clues. But the demon can only do one thing. That is to burn the books. He doesn't get any hints to tell him where the book is. Then the game becomes like this. The angel is playing a puzzle game while the demon is making a pure gamble. The angel can rely on luck and skill to complete the game. The demon can only rely on luck."

The huckster argued, "But the probability of the angel finding the book is much lower than that of the demon."

"It can be said that after the game started, luck became a type of strength. The demon didn't burn the book and his luck is O. That is no different from the angel. There is also the 'violence is prohibited' rule of the game. This completely stops any possibility of the demon forcibly getting a clue. Then the demon will have to find clues from other places."

The huckster had a pale face and couldn't speak. After a long time, he gave a heavy sigh and helpless laughed. "I should play more games. Tang Mo, the bridge game that you play often should be fun. Maybe I should play it afterwards."

"If there is a chance then I will take you to play it together."

The huckster smiled and nodded.

Tang Mo's eyes narrowed. "If the person I was playing with was 'him', perhaps the outcome of this game would be completely rewritten."

"Who is he?"

Tang Mo smiled. "A friend I often play bridge with. He is very powerful. He would be able to think of all these things and then lie to me perfectly. At least, he wouldn't make the mistakes that you did."

The huckster didn't feel ashamed. Instead, he humbly sought advice. "What mistakes did I make? I thought I performed well. When I saw you, I thought you would find my loopholes and acted afraid. Afterwards, I took the opportunity to talk as little as possible, not doing much and just listening to your orders."

"But you still made mistakes. For example, when I said there was no one in the library except for us and that I don't know where the demon is, he said 'He is hiding.' There are two people in the angel team. A normal response is to subconsciously think there are two people on the demon team and to use they instead of he."

The huckster said, "I am suddenly very interested in this game of bridge."

“I thought I could expose you on the first night but I didn't expect the bookshelf to actually burn. I thought you had a partner. But that isn't realistic. The demon having two people and the angel having only one person is unfair to the angel."

Unless the black tower thought that two people added up to one of Tang Mo. Tang Mo coughed and didn't say those words. "I thought about it on the second day. Who really helped you set the fire? There were two possible answers. The first is that as long as you think about it, the bookshelf will catch fire. You don't need someone to help you control it. The second possibility is that someone helped you set the fire. The two of us and the little girl are the only ones in the library. She is the only one who can help you set the fire apart from the black tower."

The huckster said, "I didn't even know she would help me set it on fire."

"It is understandable. Don't forget, the little girl hates reading books. She would be willing to help if you want to burn the bookshelf. This reason is plausible. By the way, I looked at her hair when she came there. There was a bit of the tail that was burnt. Maybe it was accidentally burnt when setting the fire."

The huckster collapsed in the chair. "I am convinced of my loss."

Tang Mo originally wanted to say more, but he shook his head and smiled when he saw the huckster's appearance.

There were many things that the huckster didn't notice, such as how Tang Mo tricked the huckster into burning the H-type bookshelf. Another example was the little girl's three tips that long exposed the identity of the huckster.

The three tips contained a lot of nonsense, but there were three main points.

First, the demon would lie.

This was an indication for the angel: The demon will hide his identity and stay by your side.

Secondly, the angel knows this book.

This hint seemed useless because Tang Mo knew too many books. Even the ones he recently read, there were at least a few hundred.

Third, the demon knows the book.

This meant it was a book that both Tang Mo and the huckster knew.

The scope was still very wide.

The huckster had been reading books for a year in the library. There were at least a thousand books that both him and Tang Mo knew. However, the difficulty of this game wasn't so large. If the game wasn't able to be passed, both players would end up eliminated. Therefore, the answer must be something that Tang Mo and the huckster could think of.

Tang Mo's first thought was 'The Secret Behind the Mayan Civilization's Disappearance.'

It was a book that Tang Mo and the huckster had talked about before the black tower incident. If both of them were asked which book was the most memorable, it was absolutely this book.

The huckster absolutely wasn't stupid. The fact that he could think to act fearful and his realistic performance was already very good.

Tang Mo suddenly thought that if this was Victor, Tang Mo's initiative would be taken away the moment both of them entered the game together. Victor would definitely not put himself in a weak position like the huckster. The huckster's actions were to make Tang Mo ignore him and to make less mistakes. However, this meant he lost the ability to reverse Tang Mo's ideas and mislead him.

If it was Victor, what would he do?

At the same time, in the distant capital, a tall and handsome man dressed in a striking military uniform strode into the meeting room. He took his seat in a corner of the conference table. His eyes were like an eagle's as he looked at the scientist who was speaking and the text on the big screen.

“Three days ago, the black tower was in a phantom state. We call this the type A mirage. In the past six months, we have done a variety of experiments to test the relevant data of the black tower…"

In the meeting room, the scientists discussed it fiercely. In the end, the chief speaker said, "Today is the third day. What conclusions have you come to?"

The scientists were all silent.

Fu Wenduo was the lowest ranked here and silently moved to look out the window.

In the dark sky, there was a large black tower, sharp like a knife, that hung on top of Beijing's 21.72 million people.

It was 3:42 a.m. on November 18th, 2017. There was 4 hours and 18 minutes until the three day elimination period ended.

The library.

The huckster sweated nervously in his chair, his shivering lips exposing his uneasy inner heart. Right now, no one knew what it meant to be eliminated. Maybe they might just lose the game, maybe something more.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps was heard from the depths of the bookshelf.

The little mosaic girl ran over to Tang Mo with her book. The two ponytails swung beautifully in the air. It was difficult to hide her joy and she handed the large match to Tang Mo.

“You are an angel. Since you found the book for me, I will give it to you."

Tang Mo didn't know if he should laugh or cry as he accepted the big match. He couldn't help asking, "Are you the little girl who sells matches?"

In a flash, the thick mosaic on the little girl's face showed a gap. Tang Mo's eyes widened as the mosaic over the little girl's eyes disappeared, revealed a pair of big eyes that were like a dead fish. The other places were still covered by a mosaic. It was only the eyes that were exposed.

Tang Mo held his breath, wary of this strange change.

The dead fish eyes glared at Tang Mo, filled with deep contempt.

"Uncle, you haven't grown up yet. Have you ever seen such a lovely little match girl?"

Tang Mo who turned from brother to uncle, "…"

She lost the mosaic just to express her contempt?!!!

The author has something to say:
Mosaic: You are the little girl who sells matches. Your family is the little girl who sells matches!

Tang Mo: My family only consists of me ^_^

Fu Wenduo who was about to enter the family, "…"

Chapter 7

As if she really was just expressing her contempt, the mosaic on the little girl's face returned to normal after finishing this sentence. She handed the giant match to Tang Mo and ran into the depths of the bookshelves. Her long ponytails swayed as she jumped and the little figure vanished into the shadows of the bookshelves.

“Ding dong!  The game 'Who stole my book?' has been completed."

“Calculating game clear rewards…"

"Player Tang Mo has won the game and obtained the rewards 'Giant Match' and 'Mosaic's Contempt'."

"Player Chen Fangzhi has failed the mission."

The clear child's voice echoed in the empty library and entered Tang Mo and the huckster's ears. Generally, games always had rewards. Even online card games gave some type of rewards. Tang Mo had already guessed that this big match was probably his prize.

But what was the 'Mosaic's Contempt?' Wasn't it a mission clue? It was actually a game reward?

Tang Mo's face paled and his heart became complicated. Compared with him, the huckster was worse.

The huckster was the loser of the game. Along with rewards, there were usually punishments. Losing in an ordinary game might cause a person to lose money. Nobody knew what would happen when losing in a black tower game.

The black tower didn't talk about the punishment. The huckster paused for a long time before slowly turning to look at Tang Mo. "…I will die?"

Tang Mo didn't have an answer to this question. He spoke comforting words. "It shouldn't be that serious."

The huckster suddenly gained confidence. "I believe you. You are so smart and your words make sense. God wouldn't be so cruel. He will bring hope and rebirth, that is my god…"

Tang Mo held the giant match and looked calmly at the huckster who was muttering madly.

Not knowing the punishment for the first game made Tang Mo uneasy. It was like the calm before the storm. This type of behaviour didn't conform to the common sense of games and often represented a more fearful and unpredictable result. However, Tang Mo inwardly comforted himself. If the punishment for failing the game was really death, wouldn't half the people on this world die?

How could billions of people die?

It should be impossible. It was impossible…

The game was over but the library still hadn't returned to normal. Tang Mo and the huckster tried but they still couldn't go downstairs. At the same time, the outside of the third floor windows were still blank space.

They haven’t returned to Suzhou yet.

Time passed and Tang Mo and the huckster were trapped on the third floor of the library.

The clock on the wall had just passed 6 o'clock when Tang Mo's body suddenly tensed. An unknown panic swept over his mind.

His heart starting beating quickly again.

His pounding heart seemed like it would fly out of his chest. Tang Mo held onto a bookshelf but his body wasn't stable and he ended up slumped on the ground. The huckster hurried over from a distance. "What happened?"

The too fast flow of blood caused Tang Mo's face to become red in a minute. Every inch of his skin was a scary red, as if he was a cooked crab. The huckster took a step back with fright and horror. Then he plucked up his courage and walked to Tang Mo's side. "Are you okay? You are so red and your face is hot…do you have a fever?"

Tang Mo's heartbeat was too fast but his mind was still awake. He tried to speak. "Heart…"

The huckster immediately knew and touched Tang Mo's chest. "Why is your heart beating so fast? This is 200 per minute…no, it is 300!"

Tang Mo was unable to speak, otherwise he would correct it to 394.

They couldn't get out of the library and there were only two people inside, Tang Mo and the huckster. Tang Mo had suddenly become like this and the huckster was helpless. He could only push all the things off the help desk and place Tang Mo lying down on it. After this, the huckster ran to the bathroom, dipped the toiler paper in water and placed it on Tang Mo's forehead, hoping it would help.

Tang Mo's heartbeat had now reached 532 beats per minute. He didn't know how fast the human heart could reach but he felt like his heart might explode at any second. For some reason, his heart acted inconsistently with medical knowledge and persisted tenaciously.

The huckster kept running to the bathroom, grabbing wet toiler paper and placing it on every inch of Tang Mo's bare skin.

Tang Mo could feel that this type of behaviour didn't help, yet he was grateful that the huckster was trying to help him. He couldn't speak. He could only watch the sweating huckster with red eyes.

After a full hour, Tang Mo counted his heartbeats and found that his heart rate had actually dropped.

The huckster thought the cold was effectively and quickly ran a few more times, placing wet toiler paper on Tang Mo's eyelids.

Tang Mo didn't know how long it was before he could move again. He took off the wet toilet paper and got off the table with trembling hands.

The huckster had just left the bathroom and saw this scene. He came running and asked, "How are you?"

Tang Mo opened his mouth and found that his throat was dry. He swallowed his saliva a few times before nodding with a smile. "Good, it seems to be better."

“That’s good. I was scared to death." The huckster sighed with relief.

Tang Mo looked at the huckster seriously. "Thank you."

The huckster shook his head. "It's okay. I couldn't just leave you lying there."

The relationship between the two of them was very confusing. On the one hand, the huckster pulled Tang Mo into an unknown game, causing him to fall into uncertain danger. At this point, the two people should be distant and wary of each other. On the other hand, the game was over and it was just like playing an ordinary game. Tang Mo's body suddenly became like that and the huckster didn't ignore it. It might not have actually helped but Tang Mo couldn't be ungrateful.

After this incident, the relationship between the two people became closer.

The huckster asked, "Why did your heartbeat suddenly become so fast? My father is a doctor and that isn't normal. For a normal person, once their heart rate reaches 250, the heart can't supply blood and the person will die within minutes."

Tang Mo thought about it and decided to tell the huckster. "Your heartbeat hasn't accelerated in the past few days?"

The huckster shook his head. "No."

Tang Mo frowned and explained. "It started three days ago. My heartbeat suddenly became fast. It wasn't as fast as today, but it did reach 300 beats per minute. At the same time, I became very annoyed. This irritability might be because of the black tower. I am not in the 'black tower is dangerous' faction but I'm not someone who thinks the black tower isn't a big deal. I can understand the irritability. However, I can't understand the heartbeat."

"Do you have an illness?"

"It happened after the black tower event and I haven't been to the hospital to check."

The huckster thought about it. "Then you should go see a doctor. I've never heard of this illness. Not dying after your heartbeat goes over 300 beats per minute, I am afraid you are the only one in the world." The huckster joked, "Perhaps you might be recruited by the country and used as a research mouse. Maybe it is better that you don't go to the hospital."

Tang Mo smiled.

Click.

In the silent library, the sound of the door opening was suddenly heard.

Tang Mo and the huckster exchanged a glance. This was the sound of the door on the first floor of the library opening!

The two people quickly ran downstairs, with the force keeping them on the third floor of the library completely gone. They used their fastest speed to run to the mahogany door of the library's main entrance.

The key turned in the lock and the door was pushed open. Long-lost sunshine shone through the crack in the door, shining on Tang Mo and the huckster's face. This warm feeling was the real sun, not the fake one during the 'daytime' of the game.

Tang Mo blinked as the warm temperature soothed his body.

“Tang Mo, how are you here?" A bright female voice was heard. "Did you come early to get your things?"

Tang Mo's eyes widened. "Xiao Zhao?"

Tang Mo remembered that he came to the library yesterday to collect his things because Director Wang said the library would be requisitioned by the government. It took him a few seconds to organize his thoughts. "Did you come to get your things?"

Xiao Zhao smiled. “Yes. My parents think this black tower thing is too bizarre and plan to go to our hometown to avoid it. We will leave at 10 o'clock, so I came to collect something. Eh, didn't I ask you first? Why did you come so early? What are you holding in your hand, a match? The huckster…cough, why is he here?"

Xiao Zhao looked at the huckster, who swallowed nervously.

Tang Mo calmly explained, "I met him when I came to get a few things and we chatted for a bit."

"You had a conversation with him…" Xiao Zhao muttered. She looked up and said, "Then I will go in to get my things. I won't chat with you." The young girl said this and took a step to enter.

Just as one of her legs was about to enter through the door, Tang Mo's eyes widened and his pupils trembled.

"Zhao Yan!"

Zhao Yan was Xiao Zhao's name. She had come to work at this library six months ago and few people would shout this name. Now Tang Mo shouted it loudly, causing Xiao Zhao to look at him strangely. "What is it?"

Tang Mo's lips opened slightly but he couldn't say anything. He just looked at Xiao Zhao's lower body with a strange expression. Xiao Zhao looked down and clearly saw it. She fell to the ground, moving her hands.

“What is this, what is this? My legs! My legs!!!"

Tears overflowed in an instant.

She was a young girl born in 1996 who just graduated from university. She touched her lower body with both hands but there was nothing there.

In Tang Mo's eyes, there was an invisible line at Xiao Zhao's thighs that was rising to her upper body. Wherever this line approached, everything would disappear. It was like something was erasing Xiao Zhao from this world.

He didn't know when this line had appeared but Xiao Zhao's calf was already gone when he discovered it. She was totally ignorant and still standing while talking to Tang Mo.

Tears and snot dripped down Xiao Zhao's face as her waist disappeared. She moved towards Tang Mo and grabbed his trousers with both hands. She cried out, "Help me Brother Tang, help me! What’s wrong with me? Brother Tang, help me!"

Tang Mo stretched out his hand and took Xiao Zhao's hand. However, he had just held it for two seconds when the line reached Xiao Zhao's arms and her hand disappeared.

The transparent line came to Xiao Zhao’s neck.

Her head lay on the ground, looking up at Tang Mo with tearful eyes. It was strange and scary.

“I don’t want to die…I don’t want to die. I haven't talked about love yet or liked anyone. I want to go back to watch cartoons. I haven't finished the novel I read yesterday. Mom…Dad…I don't want to die, I don't want to die. Brother Tang, help…"

Her mouth was gone.

The wet eyes stared at Tang Mo until this person disappeared.

Within a minute, a living person disappeared.

Tang Mo’s brain was blank. At this moment, the thing that scared him the most was how incredibly calm he was. He looked at the place where Xiao Zhao disappeared for half a minute. Then he suddenly thought of something and turned to look at the huckster behind him.

In the dark library, the area below the huckster's thighs had disappeared. He looked at Tang Mo with a pale face, revealing a fearful and miserable smile. "Tang…Tang Mo, this is the penalty for failing the game…"

"Huckster!"

Bang!

The huckster's stick fell to the ground.

Tang Mo immediately rushed up and held the huckster's hands.

The huckster wept, tears flowing down his face and snot sticking to his lips.  He clung to Tang Mo's hand and like Xiao Zhao, he repeated over and over, "I don't want to die, I don't want to die…Tang Mo, help me, I don't want to die…"

Tang Mo was powerless. He pressed his hand on the areas that hadn't disappeared. But once the line crossed it, the area disappeared and he was only touching air.

There was only the upper body left.

Tang Mo cried out, "Don't be afraid. There must be a way."

The huckster cried. "There is no way. I don't want to die, I really don't want to die…Tang Mo, you save me! You are the one who eliminated me, so save me! Help me!"

Tang Mo couldn't say anything.

The huckster no longer spoke. He just kept crying and crying. Time became extremely slow. As his chest was about to disappear, he suddenly gripped Tang Mo's hands and looked at him with bloodshot eyes. He hissed out, "I have a daughter. She is in Shanghai and her mother and I are divorced. Help me by checking to see if she is still alive. Her name is Shanshan, Chen Shanshan. She must live, she must be alive! Help me by looking for her!"

The huckster's hand disappeared.

"Help me Tang Mo. I beg you, please help me. She must be alive!"

Tang Mo asked, "Where does she live?"

“She lives in the Jing'an District and and is studying at the Beili School in the first grade. She…"

The huckster's mouth was gone.

His eyes were fixed on Tang Mo.

The transparent line reached his ears and he stared at Tang Mo without blinking. His eyes were frightening, as if he had exhausted all the strength in his body.

"I will find her and she will surely be alive."

The line had completely erased the huckster's ears, but his eyes suddenly relaxed. He was still crying without any words. He only looked at Tang Mo and blinked before his eyes disappeared. A tear fell to the ground.

Tang Mo was kneeling in the library entrance. Xiao Zhao had disappeared outside the door while the huckster disappeared inside the door.

The bell for 8 o'clock rang through the library and Tang Mo was still kneeling on the ground with the 8th gong rang.

“Sleep, sleep, my dear baby. Mother's hands are gently shaking you…"

A gentle and kind female voice was heard throughout Suzhou.

Tang Mo turned his head stiffly and looked at the black tower 200 metres away from the library.

Colourful lights flashed on the black tower. One day ago, there were thousands of people around the tower. Now, only seven or eight people were sitting on the ground like Tang Mo. They looked up blankly and watched the black tower sing the lullaby.

Once the female voice finished, a group of children's voices sang with the female voice.

“Sleep, sleep, my dear baby.

Mother's hands are gently shaking you.

The cradle shakes and you quickly fall asleep.

The night is quiet and warm…"

The voice sang over and over again. The wind blew over the Earth, bringing this song to distant places.

Once the song finished, the familiar child's voice rang out.

"Ding dong! 498.16 million players successfully loaded the game…"

“Game saved…"

“The game data is loading…"

“Players information is loading…"

"Save is successful…"

"Loaded successfully…"

"Loaded successfully…"

“Ding dong! November 19th, 2017. I welcome all players into the game."

“Announcing the three iron-clad rules of the black tower—"

“First, everything is explained by the black tower.”

“Second, 6 o'clock to 18 o'clock is the game time."

"Third, all players please attack the tower."

“Ding dong! Happy games!"

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