After this incident, the relationship between the two grew a bit closer.

Logan Reed: "What happened to you just now? Your heart was suddenly beating so fast. My dad is a doctor, and even he says that if a normal person's heart rate reaches 250, the heart can't supply blood, and they would die within minutes, let alone your heart rate."

Brian Carter thought for a moment and decided to tell Logan Reed the truth: "Have you had any episodes of rapid heartbeat these past few days?"

Logan Reed shook his head. "No."

Brian Carter frowned and patiently explained, "Three days ago, my heart suddenly started beating faster. It wasn't as fast as today before, but it was still over 300 beats per minute. At the same time, I felt very irritable. The irritability might be because of the Black Tower incident. I'm not a 'Black Tower Danger Faction,' but I'm not completely a 'Black Tower Optimist' either. With such a big incident at the Black Tower, it's understandable that I'd feel agitated. But as for the heart rate, I really don't get it."

"Are you sick or something?"

"With everything going on with the Black Tower these days, I haven't been to the hospital."

Logan Reed thought for a moment. "You'd better go see a doctor soon. I've never heard of an illness like yours—heart rate over 300 and still alive. You might be the only one in the world. Maybe the government will recruit you as a lab rat for research. Hey, in that case, maybe you shouldn't go see a doctor after all."

Brian Carter laughed.

"Click—"

In the silent library, the sound of a door opening suddenly echoed.

Brian Carter and Logan Reed exchanged glances: that was the sound of the main entrance on the first floor of the library being opened!

The two of them rushed downstairs at top speed. The force that had been preventing them from leaving the third floor of the library had vanished at some point, and they ran to the tall mahogany doors of the library faster than they ever had in their lives.

The key turned gently in the lock, and with a creak, the door was pushed open a crack. Sunlight, long absent, streamed through the narrow gap, shining on the faces of Brian Carter and Logan Reed. That warm feeling didn't belong to the "angel's daytime" in the game—it was the real sun.

Brian Carter squinted, the warm temperature relaxing every pore in his body.

"Hey, Brian Carter, what are you doing here?" a clear female voice rang out. "You came so early to pick up your things?"

Brian Carter opened his eyes. "Little Scott?"

Only then did Brian Carter remember that he had come to the library yesterday evening to pick something up because Director Smith said the library was going to be requisitioned by the government. He took a few seconds to gather his thoughts. "You came to get your things?"

Little Scott smiled. "Yeah. My parents think the Black Tower thing is too weird, so we're planning to go back to our hometown for a while. We're leaving at ten, so I came to grab something. Hey, wasn't I supposed to ask you first? You actually came this early? What's that in your hand, matches? Ah, Logan Reed... cough, cough, why is he here too?"

Little Scott saw Logan Reed, and Logan Reed nervously swallowed.

Brian Carter calmly explained, "I ran into him while picking up my things, so we chatted for a bit."

"You even have things to talk about with him..." Little Scott muttered a couple of words. She looked up and said, "I'm just going to grab something, so I won't chat with you." With that, the young woman stepped forward to enter.

Just as one of her legs was about to step inside, Brian Carter's eyes widened, his pupils trembling.

"Grace Scott!"

Grace Scott was Little Scott's name. She had been coming to the library for half a year, and very few people ever called her by that name. Brian Carter suddenly shouted it loudly, and Little Scott looked at him in confusion. "What is it?"

Brian Carter's lips parted, but he couldn't utter a single word. He just stared at Little Scott's lower body with a strange expression. Little Scott followed his gaze and looked down. When she saw what was happening, she suddenly collapsed to the ground, scrambling backward with both hands.

"What is this, what is this... Where are my legs! Where are my legs!!!"

Tears instantly overflowed from her eyes.

She was just a young woman who had graduated from college in 1996, and now she was wailing, sobbing uncontrollably as she kept feeling her lower body with both hands, but there was nothing there—just empty space.

In Brian Carter's eyes, an invisible line was spreading from the base of Little Scott's thighs up toward her torso. Everything the line touched vanished, as if something was erasing Little Scott from this world.

He didn't know when the line had appeared. By the time he noticed it, Little Scott's lower legs were already gone. She herself was completely unaware, still standing there talking to Brian Carter.

Tears and snot streamed down her face. Little Scott's waist had already disappeared. She crawled to Brian Carter's legs, grabbing his pant leg with both hands, crying out in agony, "Help me, Brother Brian, help me! What's happening to me, what's wrong with me! Brother Brian, save me!"

Brian Carter reached out and held Little Scott's hand, but just two seconds after he grasped it, the line reached Little Scott's arms, and her hands disappeared.

The invisible line reached Little Scott's neck.

All that was left was her head lying on the ground, eyes brimming with tears, looking at Brian Carter, both terrifying and bizarre.

"I don't want to die... I don't want to die. I've never even been in love, I've never liked anyone. I want to go back and watch cartoons, the novel I was reading yesterday isn't finished yet... Dad... Mom... I don't want to die, I don't want to die. Brother Brian, Tang..."

Her mouth disappeared too.