The photo still depicted a building.
It was no longer just a single-story café but a two-story inn.
In front of the inn, there was a group photo of over fifty people.
There were both men and women, and all were bundled up, wearing thick down jackets. From the blurry surroundings and distant scenes, it seemed to be a cold mountainous area.
The fifty-plus individuals were arranged in two rows, one row crouching, the other standing.
At their feet lay hooks and other tools specifically used for snow mountain climbing. The people in the photo were happily looking at the camera, their fingers forming a V shape.
It looked like a photo of a hiking group in front of the inn, and there didn’t seem to be anything unusual about it.
However, considering the slightly eerie café photo earlier, Bai Lixin looked at this one more attentively.
To his surprise, when his gaze passed through the inn’s window, he suddenly saw a black figure flash by the otherwise still window.
“Swish.”
Even though Bai Lixin was somewhat mentally prepared, he was still startled.
He took a deep breath and, boldly continued to peer inside.
He looked for a while, but the shadow didn’t reappear.
However, Bai Lixin felt as if he was being stared at.
His eyes slowly moved from the window to the group photo below. Suddenly, his scalp tingled.
The eyes of the 50+ people in the photo, who had been happily posing, were looking directly at him.
They still maintained their smiles, and the dim yellow light above him and the faded color of the photo created an eerie atmosphere.
Under the peculiar atmosphere created by light and shadow and the aged photo, their smiles looked odd.
They were still smiling, yet they seemed like marionettes, their bodies stiff, their features passively crafting the semblance of a smile.
They weren’t heartfelt smiles- their facial features appeared distorted, seemingly like stiff bodies in the alternating light and shadows.
Could these photos be… dynamic?
An idea flashed through Bai Lixin’s mind. He stared at these people, but they remained unchanged and staring at him, as if he had flipped through a PowerPoint presentation and moved from the first slide to the second.
Bai Lixin blinked, and the hiking group in the photo turned back to the front, reverting to the appearance of the first slide.
He stared at the photo, pondered for two seconds, then intentionally blinked.
When he opened his eyes again, the photo had changed.
The hiking group had put away their smiles and even began packing their things.
Bai Lixin was stunned. The next moment, he tried blinking again.
Now the hiking group had turned around and seemed to be walking into the inn.
He hesitated for two seconds, and when he blinked again, the hiking group photo had returned to its initial state.
Regardless of how much he blinked after, the photo never changed again.
Moving away from the third photo, Bai Lixin moved to the next one.
It was still a group photo of a building and people. Judging by the photo’s quality, it seemed to have been taken later than the previous one.
The building in the photo was taller this time; it was a multi-story shopping mall.
This time, the photo was taken from above, and somehow, it captured the entire interior of the square-shaped mall from top to bottom.
There were more people inside the mall compared to the previous photo.
Seeing this photo, Bai Lixin remembered the previous ones. He seemed to remember something, hurried a few steps back and returned to the first photo.
The square metal box with intersecting lines on top.
If he wasn’t mistaken, these photos might be the development history of the game lobby.
It started as a simple square metal box, then became a café that could accommodate a dozen or so people.
Later, it transformed into a small inn, accommodating over fifty people, and then into a shopping mall, capable of housing hundreds, even thousands of people.
If each photo represented a stage of the Horror Game Lobby, then this lobby evolved rapidly throughout its development.
From a dozen people to over fifty, and later, to thousands.
Finally, it became what it is now, with hundreds of thousands of people.
So, was this square box the original game lobby?
Bai Lixin stared at the black and white photo.
Judging from the design of this metal box, it didn’t seem like something that belonged to Blue Star of this era. In his eyes, it looked more like something from a higher-dimensional civilization.
As for how high this dimension was, he wasn’t certain.
But one thing was clear: this thing wasn’t supposed to be here.
Later, Bai Lixin circled around the first-floor lobby, observing the photos that were hung up. Indeed, the buildings became progressively larger.
Until the last few pictures.
The shapes of the last few were similar, all towering cylindrical structures that seemed to reach into the clouds.
It was constantly upgrading.
From the initial square box to the current game lobby.
The library had a circular design. After walking around the first floor, he returned to his starting point.
To his right was the towering and cloud-piercing Horror Game Lobby of the final stage, and to his left was its initial form.
One beginning, one end.
Bai Lixin glanced at the photo on his left, then at the one on his right.
Even if it was a product of a higher dimension, it couldn’t defy the laws of development.
No matter how many things were added on its surface, its core size always remained the same.
In other words, hidden in this seemingly powerful Horror Game Lobby was the original square box.
And this square box was probably the core of everything.
Or more precisely, it was what the escape system often mentioned—the main brain.
Bai Lixin stared at the photos for a while before leaving the first floor and heading to the second floor.
The second floor was similar to an ordinary library; it was the book storage area.
At the entrance of the second floor, there were several NPCs responsible for assisting players. Bai Lixin’s gaze swept over these NPCs, and suddenly he thought of Chi Yan, who had been transformed into an “NPC.”
Chi Yan was the only person he knew of who had turned from a player into an NPC. Was he an exception, or had other players also become NPCs?
If he was an NPC now, what was his current state? Was he alive or dead?
Although he had spent a long time with Chi Yan inside the Eternal Diamond Mountain, they hadn’t added each other as friends because the system was unavailable.
However, someone must have Chi Yan as a friend.
Bai Lixin opened the private chat window and clicked on Sun Ning’s chat box: [Sun Ning, are you there?]
Sun Ning took nearly a minute to reply.
Sun Ning: [I’m here, what’s up?]
Bai Lixin: [What are you busy with?]
Sun Ning: [I’m dealing with some guild matters. You might not believe it, but the high-ranking members of the guild who once pushed me out have now rebelled against the guild.]
Bai Lixin: [What happened?]
Sun Ning: [Our guild has a shared storage room where we sometimes store things. It’s more like an offering place than a storage room because staying in the guild requires fulfilling certain conditions, which include submitting something every month. It could be props, points, and so on. Each time we make an offering, we receive a certain amount of guild points, which we can then exchange for the items we need.]
[Of course, even with this system, guild members get more benefits from the guild than from making offerings. For example, many props are not available in the mall and can only be obtained through the guild.]
[And the things they offer in exchange are all stored in the storage room.]
[This is a regular storage room; within the guild, there is a high-level storage room accessible only to higher-ups. It houses top-tier props, a special privilege for the high-ranking members. These top tier props can even save lives. Hence, they only take them out when going into copies; if the items are not used during the copy, they need to be returned.]
[However, something strange happened recently. The props in the high-level storage room suddenly disappeared.]
[During that period, I happened to be with all of you inside the copy, so I was immediately ruled out as a suspect. Others weren’t as fortunate; they hadn’t gone into any copies yet everyone denied taking the props. Now, those so-called close friends have fallen out, neglecting even the guild’s affairs. Members of the guild complained, and they turned to me, so I’ve been busy these past few days.]
Upon hearing Sun Ning’s account, Bai Lixin immediately thought that this might be the work of Chi Yan.
He paused and asked Sun Ning:[You seemed distressed on the commercial Street that day. Did you feel better after clearing the copy?]
Sun Ning:[Much better. This copy gave me a lot of insights, and I learned a great deal from you and Li Cancan. I appeared calm on the surface, but internally, I hadn’t really moved on, so I was getting stuck in my thoughts.]
Bai Lixin:[Did you go to find Chi Yan again?]
Sun Ning:[I did, but I couldn’t find him.]
Bai Lixin:[Let me ask you a question. You should be friends with Chi Yan, right? What color is his avatar?]
Sun Ning remained silent for a long time before sending a message:[It’s gray.]
Bai Lixin:[… So who was the person we saw that day?]
Sun Ning:[I’ve thought about it. Maybe it was just someone who looks like him. Although the system glitches sometimes, it has never made a mistake in displaying deaths. It’s not just me who made a mistake; you did too, didn’t you?]
Bai Lixin:[Yes, you’re right. It must be that way.]
Sun Ning:[You’re acting a bit strange. Did you come to me just to ask about Chi Yan’s avatar color?]
Bai Lixin felt his scalp tingling.[No, I just wanted to check on your situation. I noticed you weren’t feeling well before, and I was worried you might do something rash. I happened to remember Chi Yan’s situation and asked you about it.]
He knew Sun Ning was sensitive, but he hadn’t expected her to be this sensitive.
One could say she was hitting the nail on the head.
Sun Ning:[Oh, is that so?]
Bai Lixin forced a smile:[What else could it be?]
Sun Ning:[Fine then.]
Bai Lixin:[…I’ll get going then.]
He could almost imagine the wise look in Sun Ning’s eyes.
After ending the private chat with Sun Ning, Bai Lixin pondered the messages exchanged between him and Sun Ning.
Chi Yan had become an NPC, and his avatar had turned gray.
Did that mean people with gray avatars weren’t necessarily all dead but rather a portion had been extracted from death and turned into NPCs?
It probably wasn’t that all NPCs were players, some NPCs were players.
Bai Lixin continued to think as he walked and eventually found himself in a corner of the library.
The library wasn’t crowded; players seemed to prefer exchanging information on online forums, digitalization had diluted many traditional print industries, and this pattern was not exempt here.
In this vast library, there were only a few individuals.
Making a place that was rarely visited did not feel like a service to the players but more like a showcase of the game lobby’s creations and achievements.
As he walked here, his eyes occasionally glanced at the books on either side. The books’ content varied, and he casually picked up one that looked like a novel.
He read quickly, almost flipping through the pages to finish the book’s content.
At the beginning, he thought it was just an ordinary novel. However, as he flipped through, he frowned.
This seemingly light and simple novel contained hidden messages.
It cleverly integrated the game lobby into the novel and used a lot of space to describe how people got help in the game lobby and how they yearned for the game lobby.
This was a subtle form of psychological suggestion, also known as cultural infiltration.
People with weak willpower could easily be influenced and swayed if they engaged with this kind of content for an extended period.
Gradually, they come to believe that the game lobby represents justice, that it’s their ally. Over time, their wariness towards the game lobby transforms into affection and closeness.
But this was just the beginning. Later on, if the game lobby subtly hints or even manipulates this person into doing something, they would readily accept.
Bai Lixin shoved the book back in place.
Then he pulled out another one.
This was a reference book, focusing not on on the game lobby but was also a travel guides.
Within the travel guide were some accompanying photos. He was very familiar with one of the photos because it was from a copy he had once explored.
The [Affectionate Blood Clan] copy.
It displayed a vast rose garden behind the castle, describing it with various splendid phrases, painting it as a paradise on Earth.
If he hadn’t experienced this copy firsthand, he might have longed for it upon seeing the words combined with the photo.
Longing for a copy that threatens players’ lives?
There was a hint of mockery in Bai Lixin’s smile.
It’s quite impressive. As expected of the system that toys with people’s emotions, it did it again.
No wonder few people come here. Who wouldn’t exclaim “What the fuck?” after seeing this?
So, were these books meant for players to read, or was the game lobby keeping them here to flaunt its achievements?
Players find these books disgusting because they stand on the side of the victims.
But as the perpetrator, it doesn’t feel that way.
So, is there a possibility that these books are, in fact, a self-portrayal of the game lobby?
As the game lobby, it probably thinks the scenery here is excellent.
Well, if one were just admiring the scenery, the places listed in this book are indeed quite nice.
But players won’t merely appreciate these views. Those who can do so are either from the game lobby that is on the benefiting side, or those copy bosses.
Those copy bosses don’t have the ability to produce such a book.
That leaves the game lobby.
Bai Lixin’s previously disgusted expression suddenly became subtle.
The output of words can unintentionally reveal emotions. By placing so many books here, the game lobby seemed to be showcasing its trophies, but in fact, it was unknowingly exposing its inner thoughts to them.
Only, it doesn’t know.
And very few of them could realize this.
As Bai Lixin was considering this, his interest in reading suddenly returned.
He raised his hand, ready to randomly pick a book. Just as he was lifting his arm, a hand emerged from his side without warning.
A white shirt sleev stretched out from under the long sleeves of a well-tailored pure black suit.
At the sleeve’s end, a pair of pure white gloves, signifying purity, enveloped the distinct and slender palm.
That hand reached over, forcefully pressing down on Bai Lixin’s hand. Fingers intertwined, pinning Bai Lixin’s hand against the bookshelf.
Behind him, a broad, firm, and imposing figure suddenly approached.
While Bai Lixin was hesitating, a leg squeezed between his own, slipping through his legs and pressing against the bookshelf in front of him, wedging him between the bookshelf and the man.
The unbearable pressure enveloped him and Bai Lixin’s heart skipped a beat, then his breathing became involuntarily rapid.
The man’s long arm stretched from behind, firmly gripping Bai Lixin’s waist and effectively trapping him.
The man lifted his leg slightly, and Bai Lixin instantly felt weak all over, almost collapsing to the ground.
A soft gasp escaped, sounding exceptionally abrupt in the silent library.
Bai Lixin glanced back; it was a man with a demon mask.
“Hey,” he lowered his voice, glaring at the demon mask, “this is a library.”
The photo still depicted a building.
It was no longer just a single-story café but a two-story inn.
In front of the inn, there was a group photo of over fifty people.
There were both men and women, and all were bundled up, wearing thick down jackets. From the blurry surroundings and distant scenes, it seemed to be a cold mountainous area.
The fifty-plus individuals were arranged in two rows, one row crouching, the other standing.
At their feet lay hooks and other tools specifically used for snow mountain climbing. The people in the photo were happily looking at the camera, their fingers forming a V shape.
It looked like a photo of a hiking group in front of the inn, and there didn’t seem to be anything unusual about it.
However, considering the slightly eerie café photo earlier, Bai Lixin looked at this one more attentively.
To his surprise, when his gaze passed through the inn’s window, he suddenly saw a black figure flash by the otherwise still window.
“Swish.”
Even though Bai Lixin was somewhat mentally prepared, he was still startled.
He took a deep breath and, boldly continued to peer inside.
He looked for a while, but the shadow didn’t reappear.
However, Bai Lixin felt as if he was being stared at.
His eyes slowly moved from the window to the group photo below. Suddenly, his scalp tingled.
The eyes of the 50+ people in the photo, who had been happily posing, were looking directly at him.
They still maintained their smiles, and the dim yellow light above him and the faded color of the photo created an eerie atmosphere.
Under the peculiar atmosphere created by light and shadow and the aged photo, their smiles looked odd.
They were still smiling, yet they seemed like marionettes, their bodies stiff, their features passively crafting the semblance of a smile.
They weren’t heartfelt smiles- their facial features appeared distorted, seemingly like stiff bodies in the alternating light and shadows.
Could these photos be… dynamic?
An idea flashed through Bai Lixin’s mind. He stared at these people, but they remained unchanged and staring at him, as if he had flipped through a PowerPoint presentation and moved from the first slide to the second.
Bai Lixin blinked, and the hiking group in the photo turned back to the front, reverting to the appearance of the first slide.
He stared at the photo, pondered for two seconds, then intentionally blinked.
When he opened his eyes again, the photo had changed.
The hiking group had put away their smiles and even began packing their things.
Bai Lixin was stunned. The next moment, he tried blinking again.
Now the hiking group had turned around and seemed to be walking into the inn.
He hesitated for two seconds, and when he blinked again, the hiking group photo had returned to its initial state.
Regardless of how much he blinked after, the photo never changed again.
Moving away from the third photo, Bai Lixin moved to the next one.
It was still a group photo of a building and people. Judging by the photo’s quality, it seemed to have been taken later than the previous one.
The building in the photo was taller this time; it was a multi-story shopping mall.
This time, the photo was taken from above, and somehow, it captured the entire interior of the square-shaped mall from top to bottom.
There were more people inside the mall compared to the previous photo.
Seeing this photo, Bai Lixin remembered the previous ones. He seemed to remember something, hurried a few steps back and returned to the first photo.
The square metal box with intersecting lines on top.
If he wasn’t mistaken, these photos might be the development history of the game lobby.
It started as a simple square metal box, then became a café that could accommodate a dozen or so people.
Later, it transformed into a small inn, accommodating over fifty people, and then into a shopping mall, capable of housing hundreds, even thousands of people.
If each photo represented a stage of the Horror Game Lobby, then this lobby evolved rapidly throughout its development.
From a dozen people to over fifty, and later, to thousands.
Finally, it became what it is now, with hundreds of thousands of people.
So, was this square box the original game lobby?
Bai Lixin stared at the black and white photo.
Judging from the design of this metal box, it didn’t seem like something that belonged to Blue Star of this era. In his eyes, it looked more like something from a higher-dimensional civilization.
As for how high this dimension was, he wasn’t certain.
But one thing was clear: this thing wasn’t supposed to be here.
Later, Bai Lixin circled around the first-floor lobby, observing the photos that were hung up. Indeed, the buildings became progressively larger.
Until the last few pictures.
The shapes of the last few were similar, all towering cylindrical structures that seemed to reach into the clouds.
It was constantly upgrading.
From the initial square box to the current game lobby.
The library had a circular design. After walking around the first floor, he returned to his starting point.
To his right was the towering and cloud-piercing Horror Game Lobby of the final stage, and to his left was its initial form.
One beginning, one end.
Bai Lixin glanced at the photo on his left, then at the one on his right.
Even if it was a product of a higher dimension, it couldn’t defy the laws of development.
No matter how many things were added on its surface, its core size always remained the same.
In other words, hidden in this seemingly powerful Horror Game Lobby was the original square box.
And this square box was probably the core of everything.
Or more precisely, it was what the escape system often mentioned—the main brain.
Bai Lixin stared at the photos for a while before leaving the first floor and heading to the second floor.
The second floor was similar to an ordinary library; it was the book storage area.
At the entrance of the second floor, there were several NPCs responsible for assisting players. Bai Lixin’s gaze swept over these NPCs, and suddenly he thought of Chi Yan, who had been transformed into an “NPC.”
Chi Yan was the only person he knew of who had turned from a player into an NPC. Was he an exception, or had other players also become NPCs?
If he was an NPC now, what was his current state? Was he alive or dead?
Although he had spent a long time with Chi Yan inside the Eternal Diamond Mountain, they hadn’t added each other as friends because the system was unavailable.
However, someone must have Chi Yan as a friend.
Bai Lixin opened the private chat window and clicked on Sun Ning’s chat box: [Sun Ning, are you there?]
Sun Ning took nearly a minute to reply.
Sun Ning: [I’m here, what’s up?]
Bai Lixin: [What are you busy with?]
Sun Ning: [I’m dealing with some guild matters. You might not believe it, but the high-ranking members of the guild who once pushed me out have now rebelled against the guild.]
Bai Lixin: [What happened?]
Sun Ning: [Our guild has a shared storage room where we sometimes store things. It’s more like an offering place than a storage room because staying in the guild requires fulfilling certain conditions, which include submitting something every month. It could be props, points, and so on. Each time we make an offering, we receive a certain amount of guild points, which we can then exchange for the items we need.]
[Of course, even with this system, guild members get more benefits from the guild than from making offerings. For example, many props are not available in the mall and can only be obtained through the guild.]
[And the things they offer in exchange are all stored in the storage room.]
[This is a regular storage room; within the guild, there is a high-level storage room accessible only to higher-ups. It houses top-tier props, a special privilege for the high-ranking members. These top tier props can even save lives. Hence, they only take them out when going into copies; if the items are not used during the copy, they need to be returned.]
[However, something strange happened recently. The props in the high-level storage room suddenly disappeared.]
[During that period, I happened to be with all of you inside the copy, so I was immediately ruled out as a suspect. Others weren’t as fortunate; they hadn’t gone into any copies yet everyone denied taking the props. Now, those so-called close friends have fallen out, neglecting even the guild’s affairs. Members of the guild complained, and they turned to me, so I’ve been busy these past few days.]
Upon hearing Sun Ning’s account, Bai Lixin immediately thought that this might be the work of Chi Yan.
He paused and asked Sun Ning:[You seemed distressed on the commercial Street that day. Did you feel better after clearing the copy?]
Sun Ning:[Much better. This copy gave me a lot of insights, and I learned a great deal from you and Li Cancan. I appeared calm on the surface, but internally, I hadn’t really moved on, so I was getting stuck in my thoughts.]
Bai Lixin:[Did you go to find Chi Yan again?]
Sun Ning:[I did, but I couldn’t find him.]
Bai Lixin:[Let me ask you a question. You should be friends with Chi Yan, right? What color is his avatar?]
Sun Ning remained silent for a long time before sending a message:[It’s gray.]
Bai Lixin:[… So who was the person we saw that day?]
Sun Ning:[I’ve thought about it. Maybe it was just someone who looks like him. Although the system glitches sometimes, it has never made a mistake in displaying deaths. It’s not just me who made a mistake; you did too, didn’t you?]
Bai Lixin:[Yes, you’re right. It must be that way.]
Sun Ning:[You’re acting a bit strange. Did you come to me just to ask about Chi Yan’s avatar color?]
Bai Lixin felt his scalp tingling.[No, I just wanted to check on your situation. I noticed you weren’t feeling well before, and I was worried you might do something rash. I happened to remember Chi Yan’s situation and asked you about it.]
He knew Sun Ning was sensitive, but he hadn’t expected her to be this sensitive.
One could say she was hitting the nail on the head.
Sun Ning:[Oh, is that so?]
Bai Lixin forced a smile:[What else could it be?]
Sun Ning:[Fine then.]
Bai Lixin:[…I’ll get going then.]
He could almost imagine the wise look in Sun Ning’s eyes.
After ending the private chat with Sun Ning, Bai Lixin pondered the messages exchanged between him and Sun Ning.
Chi Yan had become an NPC, and his avatar had turned gray.
Did that mean people with gray avatars weren’t necessarily all dead but rather a portion had been extracted from death and turned into NPCs?
It probably wasn’t that all NPCs were players, some NPCs were players.
Bai Lixin continued to think as he walked and eventually found himself in a corner of the library.
The library wasn’t crowded; players seemed to prefer exchanging information on online forums, digitalization had diluted many traditional print industries, and this pattern was not exempt here.
In this vast library, there were only a few individuals.
Making a place that was rarely visited did not feel like a service to the players but more like a showcase of the game lobby’s creations and achievements.
As he walked here, his eyes occasionally glanced at the books on either side. The books’ content varied, and he casually picked up one that looked like a novel.
He read quickly, almost flipping through the pages to finish the book’s content.
At the beginning, he thought it was just an ordinary novel. However, as he flipped through, he frowned.
This seemingly light and simple novel contained hidden messages.
It cleverly integrated the game lobby into the novel and used a lot of space to describe how people got help in the game lobby and how they yearned for the game lobby.
This was a subtle form of psychological suggestion, also known as cultural infiltration.
People with weak willpower could easily be influenced and swayed if they engaged with this kind of content for an extended period.
Gradually, they come to believe that the game lobby represents justice, that it’s their ally. Over time, their wariness towards the game lobby transforms into affection and closeness.
But this was just the beginning. Later on, if the game lobby subtly hints or even manipulates this person into doing something, they would readily accept.
Bai Lixin shoved the book back in place.
Then he pulled out another one.
This was a reference book, focusing not on on the game lobby but was also a travel guides.
Within the travel guide were some accompanying photos. He was very familiar with one of the photos because it was from a copy he had once explored.
The [Affectionate Blood Clan] copy.
It displayed a vast rose garden behind the castle, describing it with various splendid phrases, painting it as a paradise on Earth.
If he hadn’t experienced this copy firsthand, he might have longed for it upon seeing the words combined with the photo.
Longing for a copy that threatens players’ lives?
There was a hint of mockery in Bai Lixin’s smile.
It’s quite impressive. As expected of the system that toys with people’s emotions, it did it again.
No wonder few people come here. Who wouldn’t exclaim “What the fuck?” after seeing this?
So, were these books meant for players to read, or was the game lobby keeping them here to flaunt its achievements?
Players find these books disgusting because they stand on the side of the victims.
But as the perpetrator, it doesn’t feel that way.
So, is there a possibility that these books are, in fact, a self-portrayal of the game lobby?
As the game lobby, it probably thinks the scenery here is excellent.
Well, if one were just admiring the scenery, the places listed in this book are indeed quite nice.
But players won’t merely appreciate these views. Those who can do so are either from the game lobby that is on the benefiting side, or those copy bosses.
Those copy bosses don’t have the ability to produce such a book.
That leaves the game lobby.
Bai Lixin’s previously disgusted expression suddenly became subtle.
The output of words can unintentionally reveal emotions. By placing so many books here, the game lobby seemed to be showcasing its trophies, but in fact, it was unknowingly exposing its inner thoughts to them.
Only, it doesn’t know.
And very few of them could realize this.
As Bai Lixin was considering this, his interest in reading suddenly returned.
He raised his hand, ready to randomly pick a book. Just as he was lifting his arm, a hand emerged from his side without warning.
A white shirt sleev stretched out from under the long sleeves of a well-tailored pure black suit.
At the sleeve’s end, a pair of pure white gloves, signifying purity, enveloped the distinct and slender palm.
That hand reached over, forcefully pressing down on Bai Lixin’s hand. Fingers intertwined, pinning Bai Lixin’s hand against the bookshelf.
Behind him, a broad, firm, and imposing figure suddenly approached.
While Bai Lixin was hesitating, a leg squeezed between his own, slipping through his legs and pressing against the bookshelf in front of him, wedging him between the bookshelf and the man.
The unbearable pressure enveloped him and Bai Lixin’s heart skipped a beat, then his breathing became involuntarily rapid.
The man’s long arm stretched from behind, firmly gripping Bai Lixin’s waist and effectively trapping him.
The man lifted his leg slightly, and Bai Lixin instantly felt weak all over, almost collapsing to the ground.
A soft gasp escaped, sounding exceptionally abrupt in the silent library.
Bai Lixin glanced back; it was a man with a demon mask.
“Hey,” he lowered his voice, glaring at the demon mask, “this is a library.”
