The number of people in the parade kept growing, blocking the center of Suzhou. Among them were some opportunists trying to see if they could gain any benefit from the chaos. No matter how much the armed police warned and tried to disperse them, they refused to leave, relying on their numerical advantage, stubbornly surrounding the white wall, even showing signs of wanting to break through it.

Scenes like this were happening all over the world.

China was actually doing quite well; before the Black Tower incident, the country was very stable internally, with strong cohesion and control. In some poor and weak countries, especially those where the government had little deterrent power, the "Black Tower Danger Faction" occupied government offices on the very first day.

"Black Tower is God, it will lead us into a new century. The Black Tower Century is coming, my great and only Lord, please grant us the power of rebirth!"

"Grant us power!"

Tens of thousands of people knelt before the Black Tower, yearning for a beautiful new era.

Brian Carter knew nothing of this.

He gripped the black riot baton tightly in his hand. Even though he was wearing thin clothes, his forehead was already covered in fine sweat. That strange, clear child's voice sang the nursery rhyme; after he finished, the ethereal, high-pitched sound echoed in the empty library for a long time.

"Did you hear that?" Brian Carter almost ground out the words through clenched teeth.

The charlatan was already so frightened he had collapsed on the ground, his messy hair covering his eyes. When Brian Carter looked at him, all he could see was a pair of eyes trembling with fear. The charlatan was so scared he couldn't even speak, crawling backward in terror until he shrank into the corner, hugging his head and shivering as he muttered, "What is that... what is it..."

Brian Carter had no idea.

After the nursery rhyme ended, there was no more sound in the library.

Gradually, Brian Carter calmed down.

Some people become flustered and helpless when faced with major events, losing their composure. Brian Carter was the exact opposite.

Brian Carter was born an extremely rational person. Five years ago, his parents died together in a car accident. At that time, he had just started college; others might have collapsed, but Brian Carter handled both funerals in an orderly manner. Only after everything was over did he secretly cry alone, then began to consider his own future.

Moreover, ever since his heart started racing and he began feeling anxious two days ago, he found himself even calmer than before.

Brian Carter held the riot baton in his right hand, took a thick, heavy book from the G-section bookshelf to use as a shield, and walked to the window.

Outside the window was an endless expanse of white.

This was the window on the east side of the library. Normally, looking out from here, you could see the main street of Suzhou and several famous classical gardens.

Brian Carter's grip on the riot baton tightened even more. He appeared calm, but was constantly alert to any movement around him, ready to react at any moment as he passed each bookshelf.

He checked all the windows on the east, south, west, and north sides of the third floor of the library, then returned to his original spot.

"We're not in Suzhou anymore."

The charlatan sat in the corner, looking at Brian Carter in terror.

Brian Carter really didn't want to say this, but forced himself to: "We're now surrounded by a blank void, but this is definitely the library. It's as if the library was moved into a huge empty room. I've worked here for a year. When I passed the service desk just now, I saw my colleague's water cup still on the table, exactly the same as the library."

After all, he wasn't alone. The charlatan, having heard a lot from Brian Carter, mustered up the courage to stand up. He looked around and suddenly said, "Ah, that's the book I secretly put here last week!"

Brian Carter followed the direction of his finger.

"I was afraid someone would borrow this book, so I hid it in the gap between these two bookshelves."

Brian Carter: "..."

So that was all your doing!

Brian Carter was the library administrator, and the charlatan was a regular visitor. Both confirmed that this was indeed the library, so there was no doubt.

Brian Carter took the charlatan to the security locker and got another riot baton. Everything was unknown now, so letting the charlatan have a baton would help him protect himself, and if they encountered any danger, it would mean one more person to help.

The two had just reached the service desk when suddenly, a series of rapid footsteps came from the depths of the third-floor bookshelves.

The charlatan's eyes widened in fear, and Brian Carter broke out in a cold sweat down his back.

He had just checked there—there was absolutely no one! Whose footsteps were those?

Both of them gripped their riot batons tightly, cautiously watching ahead, their backs pressed against the wall. The sound came closer and closer, irregular, like a child hopping and skipping on the floor. Thirty seconds later, a small black shadow appeared from deep within the bookshelves. It was a little girl with twin ponytails, wearing a red dress in the deep autumn of November, and shiny red leather shoes.

The rapid tapping sound just now was the sound of her shoes on the floor.

"Ghost... ghost! Ghost!"

The charlatan shrank behind Brian Carter in terror.

But Brian Carter was scared too!

...This isn't even a matter of being calm or not—what the hell is with a mosaic running over here!