Chapter 4 (1/2)

Tang Mo looked around. There was no one else in the quiet library, with no signs of the so-called angel and demon.

“Mr. Chen, can you help me turn off the computer? I want to see if I can remove a book from the bookshelf.”

The huckster nodded and clicked the mouse to shut down the computer.

Tang Mo stared intently at the right hand of the huckster that was holding the mouse. Then he strode over to a bookshelf, pulled out a book and put it back. “We can still remove books from the bookshelves. Then I would like to confirm… Mr. Chen, did you hear that voice?”

The huckster asked in a confused manner. “Do you mean the voice that told us to help the little girl find the book or she will die?”

Tang Mo nodded and the two people sat behind the help desk. He said, “It seems that we belong to the angel camp.” Tang Mo stretched out his right hand as he spoke. The huckster saw it and reacted at once. He hastily stretched out his right hand, which also had the patter of angel wings on the back.

“Ah, I also have this.”

The moment that the child’s voice said the word ‘angel’, Tang Mo discovered that he had this pattern on the back of his right hand. The intention was obvious. Tang Mo belonged to the angel camp. Most people in China were right-handers. He asked the huckster to turn off the computer in order to determine the huckster’s camp without arousing suspicion.

However, since the huckster was an angel, the problem became more serious.

The huckster apparently also thought about this as he asked, “We are both angels. Then who is the demon?”

The library was exactly the same as the one where Tang Mo worked. Tang Mo opened his drawer and took out a piece of chewing gum. He chewed the gum slowly and frowned at the huckster, his fingers striking the table rhythmically.

“The first possibility is that the demon isn’t like us. Demons aren’t humans. That voice should be related to the black tower and we should assume that this is a ‘game’ that the black tower mentioned three days ago. There are unknown creatures in the black tower. Like the black tower, the demon isn’t human. It is an opponent set up by the black tower.”

Now the huckster could completely understand. “So, the reason that there isn’t anybody else in the library is because the demon doesn’t exist.”

Tang Mo nodded. “Yes, that might be the case. But there is a better situation. The second possibility is that the demon is a human.”

The huckster nervously gripped his stick. “He is hiding?”

Tang Mo watched the huckster’s hand that was holding the stick. Then he smiled and said, “It is possible.”

An unknown opponent was always more dangerous than the known danger.

Tang Mo and the huckster split up. The huckster was larger and more solid than Tang Mo. He would look for the demon who might be hiding in the library. Tang Mo would go down to the first and second floor of the library to check.

Originally, the huckster was very afraid to do this type of thing alone. However, Tang Mo said, “The voice said that violence is prohibited.”

The huckster was still scared despite this. His legs trembled when looking for someone and his grip on the stick was unstable.

But Tang Mo returned in minutes. He spoke with an ugly expression, “I can’t get down the stairs.”

“Oh?”

“There are two ways to go down from the third floor. The first is to take the staff elevator and the second is to go down the stairs. I tried to take the stairs but there was an invisible wall at the entrance stopping me. Then I went to the staff elevator and it wouldn’t start. There is no way to go down.”

The huckster started thinking. “This means we can only move freely on the third floor. Then the book we are looking for is on the third floor?”

Tang Mo also thought so. But if the scope of the books was limited to the third floor…

The huckster’s face suddenly became very ugly. He stiffened and his voice trembled slightly. “How many bookshelves are there on the third floor?”

“There are 23.”

The huckster’s eyes widened. “Why so little?”

Tang Mo also felt helpless.

Was it his decision?

A few months ago, it was unknown what Director Wang was smoking. He suddenly said he would learn from the western modern library experience and would transform his library. He started from the third floor. The Suzhou Library had decades of history. Like other small city libraries, the facilities were old. After Director Wang renovated the third floor, he replaced the original 100+ shelves and bough 23 large bookshelves connected together.

Many readers complained that the shelves were inconvenient to move around and Director Wang already decided to change the shelves again next year. Unfortunately, people weren’t as good as the sky. Director Wang would probably never have the opportunity to change the bookshelves again in his life.

It was good for Tang Mo and the huckster if the scope of the books was limited to the third floor od the library. Tang Mo was a library staff member who mostly worked on the third floor. The huckster liked to read books on the occult and religion, and these books were all on the third floor. Both of them were most familiar with the third floor of the library.

However, the fewer shelves made it easier for the demon to burn the books. The probability of the book being burnt increased greatly.

Both of them were feeling worried when familiar footsteps sounded from among the bookshelves. Tang Mo really didn’t know where the mosaic girl came from. The little girl was holding a small rice bowl in her hands and had a bib with a pig drawn on it tied around her neck.

“How you found my book?”

The huckster shook his head in dismay. “We haven’t started looking yet.”

The little girl cried out angrily, “You haven’t looked yet? I managed to sneak out during meal time when the teacher wasn’t paying attention. The first day is almost over. Once the afternoon class ends, I will go home and it is over if Mother finds out.”

Tang Mo asked, “Do you have any clues? Do you remember anything about the contents of the book?”

The little girl shook her ponytails. “I can’t remember.”

The huckster hurriedly said, “Aren’t you going to give us any clues?”

The little girl suddenly made a sound. “Ah, I remember. I found this feather in my room this morning. Yes, it is the demon’s feather! I knew that I wasn’t the one who lost the book. It was the damned demon, he stole my book! Demons are liars. I hate demons the most. That evil demon! I must seize him, cut off his wings, put him in the popcorn machine and turn him into my favourite popcorn!”

The little girl placed a black feather in Tang Mo’s hands and walked away.

“Ding dong! The angel has received the ‘demon’s feather’ hint.”

Tang Mo, “…”