Volume One (Prequel): The Seventh Reader - Chapter 9: Death Borrowing Library Card
Fang Mu was not a detective enthusiast, but he had to admit that he was more concerned about these several murder cases on campus than anyone else.
That morning, Fang Mu also followed the crowd to the playground to witness the bizarre deaths of Song Bo and Jia Feifei. While the crowd was venting their anger at the incompetence of the public security bureau, he was surrounded by an indescribable feeling. When the students went to the administrative building to demonstrate, Fang Mu returned to the dormitory alone, lying on the bed, finally understanding what that feeling was.
Fear.
Fang Mu didn't know why he felt afraid, or rather, why he felt a different kind of fear from everyone else. Every person on this campus felt scared because a demon lurked in this campus, having taken four lives. In every corner, whether in light or in darkness, it seemed that there were always eyes watching the vibrant life on this campus, choosing the next lamb according to the demon's rules. No one was safe; that was the terror.
And Fang Mu was often chilled by his own thoughts.
Because he felt that he was the demon.
Why, why, why?
Could I be sleepwalking?
Could I be someone else?
Could the evil in my heart really materialize into a physical form?
He began to force himself not to fall asleep.
When he really couldn't hold on, he secretly tied his hands to the bedpost.
He started asking everyone in the dorm if he talked in his sleep.
He began to suspect if he was a schizophrenic.
When various tests finally confirmed that he was either awake or asleep in his own bed every night, he felt a little relieved.
And the answer gradually became clear in those flipping, twisting, and crazy thoughts: he had unknowingly speculated about the thoughts of that demon.
As if he were hidden in the shadow of that figure, flowing through the demon's brain with the demon's blood, every time it surged, Fang Mu struggled to turn back and see what kind of ending was hidden in the most secluded corner.
In the deep of night a few days later, Fang Mu suddenly woke from his sleep. He gasped, drenched in sweat, listening to the rhythmic snoring of his roommates in the dark dormitory.
He felt happy.
Fang Mu fumbled for his glasses, slowly straightening out his thoughts.
Just now, he suddenly had a thought in his sleep: he, the demon, had begun to find pleasure in this game.
The first victim was strangled in the bathroom.
The second victim was pushed downstairs and died from the fall.
The third victim was bound naked to the flagpole and froze to death, the snow turning the once warm body into a lifeless sculpture. When Fang Mu saw the body, his first feeling was surprisingly: so beautiful.
The fourth victim was impaled by the falling icicle on the wall. What precise calculation and judgment that took.
Each victim died more bizarrely than the previous, each death—creative.
He began to find pleasure in the killings.
Artistic killings.
So, this game would not end.
Fang Mu consciously began to look for books on criminology and criminal psychology to read. His late return that day was because he had lingered in the library for too long.
Fang Mu found it difficult to explain why he did this; curiosity alone seemed insufficient to describe it. Revenge? It didn't seem necessary. Except for a slight fondness for Zhou Jun, the other victims were just lives that had once existed to Fang Mu.
Since it couldn't be explained, why did it need to be explained?
Teacher Zhao at the library was very kind to Fang Mu, always giving him the green light when borrowing books. Some books were not allowed to be taken out of the library, but she allowed Fang Mu to take them, as long as he returned them the next day.
When Fang Mu went to return the books that afternoon, Teacher Zhao was busy organizing the books, and the floor was littered with books and messy library cards. After completing the return procedure, Fang Mu saw Teacher Zhao sweating and offered to help. Teacher Zhao readily agreed.
The workload was large but simple, just changing the library cards.
The borrowing rules at the University Library were: after selecting the book to borrow, remove the library card inserted in the back cover, fill in your name, department, and student ID number in the designated position, and then hand the library card to the administrator to take the book. When returning the book, after the administrator registers it, insert the library card back into the book. If a book has been borrowed many times, the library card quickly fills up and needs to be replaced regularly.
Fang Mu's task was to open every book on two shelves. If the library card was full or only had one or two empty spaces left, he would replace it with a blank card.
As Fang Mu busied himself, he chatted casually with Teacher Zhao. After about an hour, one bookshelf was finished. Fang Mu stood up straight and walked to the next bookshelf.
The books on this shelf were mainly English originals, not borrowed by many people, so Fang Mu quickly organized most of the shelf. At this point, Teacher Zhao, who was handling the library cards, looked at the clock. "Oh, it's almost four o'clock. Fang Mu, you can go back now. Dinner will be served soon."
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Fang Mu looked at the small remaining half of the shelf. "It's okay, there's not much left to organize. I'll finish it quickly."
Teacher Zhao smiled. "Alright, I'll treat you to dinner at the staff canteen later."
Fang Mu also smiled and said, "Okay," reaching for a book on the shelf.
The book looked somewhat familiar, and the library card had 5 or 6 empty spaces left, so Fang Mu closed the book, ready to return it to the shelf. In that instant, a name flashed vaguely in his mind, causing him to quickly open the book again.
Among the string of names in the borrower's name section of the library card was Liu Weili's name.
Fang Mu instinctively flipped the library card over, and his heart began to race.
In the names of the borrowers on the other side, he saw Zhou Jun and Jia Feifei.
He closed the book. It was an English original titled "International Economics and International Economic Policy."
Fang Mu looked at Teacher Zhao, who was busy with a surprised look. "Teacher Zhao, I'd like to borrow this book."
Teacher Zhao looked up. "Sure. Why, are you leaving? I'll treat you to dinner."
"No need." Fang Mu quickly filled out the library card and left the library, leaving Teacher Zhao in surprise.
Walking among the bustling crowd on campus, Fang Mu's mind went blank for a while. He sat down on a bench, sorting out his thoughts.
The names of three victims all appeared on this library card, and now this book lay in his bag.
Was it a coincidence?
If not, what did it mean?
Groups of men and women walked by, clattering their food trays and chatting loudly. In this world, there were still people so concerned about eating.
If the game really hadn't ended, did it mean that every person on this library card had to die?
Fang Mu began to shiver.
His own name was also on that library card.
After a long time, Fang Mu struggled to stand up and the bookbag felt so heavy. He tightly held the book as if it might suddenly spring out and bite his throat.
He needed to talk to someone, especially the people on that library card.
Fang Mu, Wu Han, and Zhu Lao Si sat around the desk in the dormitory, with the book and the notebook recording the contents of the library card on the table.
None of the three spoke, and their expressions were surprisingly consistent.
Fear.
After a long time, Zhu Lao Si spoke slowly, "So, all the deceased had borrowed this book?"
"Yes," Fang Mu pointed to his notebook.
"What does that mean?" Wu Han asked, his voice trembling.
"I don't know, but I feel that this book must be related to these murders," Fang Mu licked his dry lips and mustered up the courage to say, "Perhaps the readers of this book are the targets of the killer."
"Are you saying that anyone who has borrowed this book will die, including the three of us? No, the three of us?" Zhu Lao Si's face turned frighteningly pale.
Fang Mu remained silent for a long time. "I don't know."
Wu Han looked at the notebook, checking quietly, "Eleven, twelve, thirteen, a total of fourteen people." He looked up at Fang Mu, his eyes filled with horror. "So, ten more people have to die? Oh, wait." He looked back at the list, "There's one missing."
Fang Mu and Zhu Lao Si said in unison, "What?"
"The guy from the Economics Department, the one who was impaled, what was his name? It's not on here."
"Song Bo," Fang Mu took the notebook and looked at it repeatedly. Indeed, when he saw Zhou Jun, Liu Weili, and Jia Feifei's names in the library, his first feeling was that the library card must have had a problem, and he hadn't noticed that Song Bo's name was not on it.
"It's really not here," Fang Mu put down the notebook.
Zhu Lao Si's complexion recovered a little. "I think it's just a coincidence, right?" He looked at Wu Han and Fang Mu.
Wu Han shrugged and turned to look at Fang Mu.
Fang Mu felt a little relieved in his heart, but also a little discouraged. Song Bo hadn't borrowed this book, and perhaps it was really just a coincidence. He, Zhu Lao Si, and Wu Han, as well as the other people on the library card, perhaps were not the next targets of the killer, which made him feel a little more at ease. However, he had just felt that he was getting closer to that demon again, as if he had caught a glimpse of the corner of his black robe and was about to reach out and grab it, but it slipped away.
Zhu Lao Si stood up, stretched, and then lay heavily back on the bed.
"You two, don't overthink it. It's just a coincidence. If you have time, go check out the other books in the library. There must be other books that they all borrowed."
Wu Han looked down at the notebook for a while, then picked up the book, flipped through it, and thought for a while.
"I don't think it's that simple," he looked up at Fang Mu, "Lao Liu, I think we should hand this over to the police."