In Virtual Reality 73 ☆ The Library of Eternal Life (7/10)

"Don't move!" Fang Wen Wen's voice quivered with fear as she urgently halted Tian Si De's movement, her gaze fixed on the entity lurking behind him. She recognized it all too well.

They had encountered the same thing a few months earlier at the Morphy Amusement Park's haunted house - that crazed dog-like creature that had pursued them relentlessly for three gruelling kilometres! Was this a friend? Seriously?!

Caked in mud, Zhang Huai clung to Tian Si De's back, his left hand clasping his shoulder while his right hand reached out as if to grab his face. How had they not noticed his arrival? Fang Wen Wen had been tailing Tian Si De the entire time, yet he had appeared out of nowhere.

Watching in horror as the filthy hand approached her boyfriend's face, Fang Wen Wen sprang into action. She carefully reached out and quickly seized a clump of Zhang Huai's hair plastered in the mud.

Her grip was firm, stronger than Zhang Huai had expected. With her slender, taut arm muscles flexing, Fang Wen Wen plunged her other hand into the mud, teeth clenched, and barked, "Move forward!"

Unaware, Zhang Huai had failed to get a solid grip on Tian Si De's shoulder and throat, and he was ripped away like a cowhide sticker from the boy's back.

Tian Si De felt lifted off the ground again, his shirt clenched tightly by the grinning figure in front of him, and then gently placed back down once his feet had touched the earth.

Dazed, Tian Si De turned his head and witnessed his girlfriend viciously kicking the muddy ghost on the ground. Zhang Huai, hit in the face, howled in anger, flailing his arms wildly and splattering mud everywhere.

"Stop." These words issued forth from the hooded figure behind Tian Si De, the once-cheerful voice now frigid and sharp as an ice pick.

After hearing the command, Zhang Huai furiously shoved Fang Wen Wen aside and let out a piercing scream, "Ah-ah-ah - Ugh!"

From the cracks in the ground, a layer of mud in varying hues rose and encircled Zhang Huai's neck, causing the anguished ghost to thrash futilely, akin to a fish on a chopping block. The glossy, black liquid congealed into a serpent, ravenous and poised to consume Zhang Huai whole.

Silence spoke for the first time, devoid of all emotion, "I said stop."

Tian Si De sprang to Fang Wen Wen's side and held her tightly, keeping a wary eye on the puddle of liquid and the figure before them.

Though they didn't know to whom the command was directed, Zhang Huai's struggles ceased. The inky python devoured him whole, leaving no trace save for a new addition to the ground - a book.

Fang Wen Wen emerged from her boyfriend's embrace, her gaze fixated on the book's title: «Screaming Haunted House in Paper Maker Village.»

Rising from a crouch, Silence lifted the book with a hand dangling at their side. The coldness in their countenance gave way to a familiar smile as they flipped through the pages with eagerness.

For a moment, the scene was silent.

Tian Si De held Fang Wen Wen close, and the two shared an unspoken moment of understanding.

Summoning his courage, Tian Si De whispered, "Silence?"

"Hm," the pink hoodie looked up from his book and replied with a sound, then beamed at the couple, "Long time no see~" their white fingertips indicated Tian Si De and then Fang Wen Wen, "Si De and...Wen Wen~."

It was indeed Silence!

Grateful for the confirmation, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

Fang Wen Wen queried, "What are you doing here?" while studying Silence's pink outfit and noticing the blue and white work badge around their neck. She glanced at it surreptitiously. "Librarian?"

Silence picked up their badge with two fingers, smiling. "You mean this? I started today."

**

The game website's Library of Eternal Life stored users' personal information etched into the corner of the game details page. So when NPC Tian Si De called "Silence," Xu Jin Yi was not taken aback.

She felt a sense of nostalgia wash over her as she saw the familiar interactive NPCs. It was as if she were meeting old friends from the past, so she chatted with them as a tourist would.

"Long time no see," NPC Tian Si De said as he adjusted his new glasses. His old ones had been lost in the well, and he had now embraced a completely different style. "I thought you..." he paused, expressing a complicated mix of emotions. "I thought you died in there."

Xu Jin Yi was taken aback for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Didn't I escape with you guys?"

"But we didn't see you outside the haunted house," Fang Wen Wen complained. "The police asked us many questions, and that's when we realized that we didn't enter a simple haunted house, but a 'Spirit Shenanigans Event'!"

**

"Spirit Shenanigans?" Silence repeated in confusion, seeming to pause in front. "What Spirit Shenanigans?"

"That haunted house!" Fang Wen Wen's brows furrowed. "Don't you know?"

Did Silence not report to the police after leaving the haunted house? Did they still think it was just a simple haunted house? She shook her head at the thought. How naive could someone be?

"Wen Wen," Tian Si De suddenly spoke up, pulling his girlfriend back as she was about to pounce on the hoodie.

Fang Wen Wen was taken aback, seeming to realize that something was amiss. She obediently followed the force on her hand and walked behind Tian Si De.

The atmosphere the air suddenly turned tense.

"What's wrong?" The smile on Silence's face faded, their expression becoming expressionless once again.

"Did you not report to the police?" Tian Si De asked.

"Report to the police?" Silence seemed perplexed.

Tian Si De closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again. "Do you remember how we got out?"

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"Running away from Zhang Huai." Silence's face remained impassive.

"No," The bespectacled young man in front of them clenched his teeth, nervously fidgeting with his glasses' legs. "Did anything strange happen in the end?" he asked.

Silence pondered momentarily before tentatively responding to the increasingly desperate young man, "You mean when I kicked you out?"

The tension in the room dissipated at their words, and the man and woman across from them visibly relaxed.

"Seriously?" The woman laughed, playfully teasing the two with a wink. "You're still holding a grudge?"

Tian Si De felt awkward, but once he confirmed that the person before him was indeed the one they were searching for, he smiled again. "After we left the haunted house, we didn't see you outside. Later, the police who were staking out the haunted house said that Wen Wen and I had been missing for three days, but we didn't realize that time had passed so quickly. We told the police about you, but they didn't find any evidence of you entering or leaving the haunted house in the surveillance footage from those three days."

Fang Wen Wen stuck out her tongue. "I almost thought we were hallucinating!"

Her boyfriend patted her head to comfort her.

"But now it seems that you also escaped safely," Tian Si De said with a smile, though he was slightly puzzled. "Did you not report to the police when you got out?"

"Re...port... to the police...?" Silence in front of them repeated slowly, with an expression of surprise. "Why would I report to the police? It was just a game, after all."

**

The rain came down in a furious thunder, pounding the earth with each drop. Cao Wei Min drove his old car to the spot where the locator signal had vanished, sputtering and coughing with every turn of the key. Once he arrived, he killed the engine and emerged from the car into the deluge. The rural dog in the back seat barked and wagged its tail, gazing at Cao Wei Min with a pleading expression.

Cao Wei Min paused as he was about to close the door. He had brought Wheatley along for two reasons: Firstly, he did not trust leaving the dog at home, fearing that Wang Jin Long might suddenly return and harm it. Secondly, Wheatley was more familiar with Zhang Rou Rou's scent and could warn Cao Wei Min of anything suspicious. Yet, the stormy weather made it difficult for Wheatley to detect anything beyond the rain and thunder. Although it was impressive that the dog could smell that Zhang Rou Rou had been there, the locator had already provided that information. It was better for Wheatley's safety to leave him in the car. He had even opened the back window slightly to allow the dog to breathe easily in case he spent too long investigating. He ruffled Wheatley's head and tried to soothe him, saying, "Good boy, stay here; I'll find Zhang Rou Rou inside."

Wheatley barked and bit his sleeve, whimpering and sobbing twice, his moist puppy eyes staring unblinkingly at Cao Wei Min. Cao Wei Min felt troubled. He couldn't ignore the dog's pleading eyes and leave him alone in the car. He feared that Wheatley might start howling when he closed the car window, causing passersby to report him for animal abuse. But, if he brought Wheatley inside, they might get kicked as the store ahead might not take kindly to a wet dog wandering through its aisles.

"Woof! Woof woof woof!" Wheatley let go of his sleeve and barked a few more times before restlessly circling in the back seat. Eventually, he hit his head on the soft seat and let out a pitiful sob.

Cao Wei Min remarked, "Don't play dead on me."

He glanced at the small shop nearby, the glass door obscured by water vapour, making it challenging to see inside. However, as he looked up at the sign, he realized it was a bookstore. He retrieved his phone and made one last attempt to call Zhang Rou Rou, but there was still no answer.

"I'll take you in; just be quiet," he said, pocketing his phone before opening the car's back door. "If we get thrown out, you get back in the car."

Wheatley jumped up, his eyes excitedly bright, and his tail wagged like a propeller. Cao Wei Min double-checked the leash before hoisting the hefty dog into his arms with the ease of someone who's done it many times before. Wheatley whimpered, confused.

"Don't move," he told the dog, juggling the umbrella in his other hand as he tried to find the perfect vantage point to keep them both dry. "If we get drenched, we won't make it inside."

With the dog safely tucked under his arm, he made his way towards the bookstore, cautiously navigating the slick, rain-slicked pavement. Cao Wei Min veered to the side as they approached the entrance, leaning under the awning instead of risking the drops falling from the eaves. He took a few measured steps, feeling the rain pattering down on his back but grateful that Wheatley remained snug and dry.

The dog remained still and obedient, watching as Cao Wei Min took a deep breath and spoke again. "Stand over there, under the shelter. Wait for me to stash the umbrella and open the door, okay?"

Wheatley whined, uncertain.

Cao Wei Min bent down slightly, his voice a low murmur. "3...2...1...go."

Just as they reached the threshold, the door swung open, startling Wheatley, who lept, knocking Cao Wei Min sprawling. The man landed in a heap, momentarily disoriented by the blur of fur.

Cao Wei Min groaned, trying to untangle himself from Wheatley's leash. "Damn it."

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