Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Under the influence of "Dream Devour," countless eerie creatures, conjured in Shi Jiaer's mind, materialized into reality.

The abandoned library was filled with chilling drafts as the Dream Devour-constructed creatures encircled Jiang Bingzhu, their chaotic murmurs echoing through the deathly quiet space.

Shi Jiaer withdrew his hand and slipped his headphones back on.

He could easily imagine Jiang Bingzhu's reaction: screaming in terror, or trembling speechless, then, once he regained his senses, bolting without a second thought, yelling foolish things like "There's a ghost!"

They might go to the principal, but the school would be utterly helpless in such matters. Shi Jiaer thought arrogantly; his superpower had long since been perfected—what could ordinary people possibly uncover, no matter how much they investigated? Even if they did find something amiss, what could they do to him?

This wasn't the eerie continent; in the entire human world, only those long-established superhuman families in the capital were worthy of his caution.

Jiang Bingzhu's mental resistance was utterly ordinary—just like all the other transfer students before him.

Shi Jiaer was quite pleased with his mental image, a smirk even tugging at his lips.

With his superpower already in effect, he had no intention of lingering in the dark library. Leaving Jiang Bingzhu to the simulated eerie creatures, he took out his phone and headed out casually.

He opened WeChat, where the A-class group was still betting on how long it would take him to drive away the transfer student with "Dream Devour."

They were really doubting his skills!

Shi Jiaer immediately sent a message to the group.

"12: Who are you looking down on? [Angry][Angry]"

"12: The new kid's so scared he's already packing to leave. Don’t believe me? Come to the old library and see!"

As he typed, he scrolled through his collection of aggressive memes, ready to engage in a three-hundred-round battle with anyone who dared to challenge him.

But the replies he expected never showed up.

Strange, were they all offline?

Shi Jiaer was puzzled for a moment but then dismissed it as a coincidence.

Since returning from the eerie world, A-class students often went "off-grid" for periods to practice their superpowers, fully dedicating themselves to combat preparation. With Clayton College recently experiencing frequent eerie incidents, the remaining students were scattered and busy dealing with eerie creatures, which made perfect sense.

Still, no one replying was just kind of boring.

Annoyed, Shi Jiaer shoved his phone into his pocket and decided to leave the area to find his twin brother, planning to return in a few hours.

Then again, he reconsidered—he should come back within an hour to avoid scaring the transfer student too badly.

Shi Jiaer picked up his pace toward the exit, tightening his coat as he went. But just as he reached the end of the corridor, he inexplicably shivered.

An icy draft swept past him from behind, raising goosebumps on the back of his hand.

Since when does it get windy in here?

The library had been abandoned for years, shut down by the college with locked doors and windows, and even the vents blocked. There shouldn’t be any wind at all.

Shi Jiaer froze for a second, instinctively turning around.

Behind him was no one, only a dead, quiet darkness.

Shi Jiaer took a deep breath to calm himself.

It must be something to do with "Dream Devour," he reasoned, though even convincing himself felt somewhat forced.

"Sh... shhh..."

A rhythmic sound suddenly echoed from the distance.

It was the sound of pages rustling against each other, as if someone were sitting deep in the library, slowly, heavily turning pages.

This wasn’t a sound "Dream Devour" would produce, and aside from him and the transfer student, there was no third person here!

Wait, no...

Shi Jiaer's heart suddenly raced.

There was no third person, but there was that sealed Book Ghost!

The next second, a bolt of electricity crackled in the air!

—Before the rows of shelves, a spherical space gradually materialized in reality. Electric arcs danced in the air, their silvery-blue light shimmering like water, illuminating the dark room as bright as day.

Under the sudden impact, Shi Jiaer jumped back quickly but bumped into something with his shoulder.

He shuddered, all his hairs standing on end, and turned sharply to see the transfer student’s calm, harmless face.

Shi Jiaer: "..."

He almost choked on his surprise and blurted out, "What're you doing here?!"

Jiang Bingzhu rubbed his sore arm and simply said, "There’s light here."

Shi Jiaer: "."

Right.

The library was completely dark; it was only natural to head toward the light.

The only problem was, the light ahead wasn’t an ordinary source—it was the seal trapping the Book Ghost!

In just a few seconds, the turbulence within the light sphere intensified, as if something inside was fighting desperately, even cracking the seal!

Although the Book Ghost was tough to kill, it was supposed to be a relatively calm eerie creature and had been sitting quietly in the seal. Why had it suddenly become so ferocious, as if it had gone mad?

The situation was very wrong, but Shi Jiaer had no time to overthink it. His body reacted instinctively, and he grabbed the new kid beside him and pulled him into a run.

Jiang Bingzhu: "?"

"Go! I’ll explain later," Shi Jiaer said in a rush, "A monster has gone mad. Once you’re out, run to the teaching building, find the other A-class members, and tell them to come here immediately! The sooner the better!"

Jiang Bingzhu followed behind him: "But what about you?"

"I have to stay here," Shi Jiaer said seriously, "If that monster really breaks out... I’ll hold it back and prevent it from getting outside."

Although his mental-type superpower wasn’t suited for direct combat, for the sake of the other students in the school and for their continent, he had to stay.

This was the responsibility of a superhuman. From the day he returned from the other world, he had been prepared.

Besides, it wasn’t the apocalypse yet. Shi Jiaer gritted his teeth, thinking he just needed to hold on until the A-class members arrived!

But now his phone had completely lost signal, and all other means of communication were thoroughly jammed by the Book Ghost.

The transfer student he had looked down on had now become his only hope.

But with Jiang Bingzhu's physical condition, it seemed he could hardly run. Could he really make it…?

Crack.

An ominous sound came from behind. Shi Jiaer’s heart went cold. He turned around and saw a lanky humanoid shadow slamming itself against the seal again and again. It repeated the motion mechanically, relentlessly, as if it couldn’t feel pain, crushing its bloody, mangled body against the barrier.

The seal shuddered under the assault, covered in a web of cracks.

Shi Jiaer realized, and his pupils shrank sharply.

The next instant—

A dried-up, blackened, bony hand tore through a crack and reached out through the seal!

The seal was broken!

Blood and ink surged out from the fissures, and swirling dust churned through the library. At the center of the storm, a lanky shadow straightened up, poised to give chase.

It was going for the kill!

At that moment, the two human students were under fifty meters from the library exit.

If he could just buy some time—if he could just get Jiang Bingzhu out—if they could just reach that place—

In a flash, Shi Jiaer made a decision.

He stepped in front of Jiang Bingzhu, shoved him back with all his strength, and shouted, "Run!"

At the same time, a dark glow flashed in his palm. A net woven from countless nightmares materialized and swept toward the Book Ghost.

This was the strongest attack he could muster against the Book Ghost, using every last ounce of his power.

At its maximum power, Dream Devour could briefly interfere with the psyches of eerie creatures, disrupting their behavior and buying him time.

Shi Jiaer twisted the Book Ghost’s perception of "strength" and "weakness."

Under the influence of Dream Devour, the more powerful a being was, the more the Book Ghost would perceive it as fragile and insignificant. Conversely, those it originally saw as weak—like Jiang Bingzhu, an ordinary person—would seem "strong" in its eyes. This would make it hesitate for a moment during pursuit, achieving the delay he needed!

Dream Devour struck the Book Ghost, and the superpower took effect immediately.

Now, Jiang Bingzhu would definitely have a chance to escape!

Shi Jiaer collapsed to his knees, nearly spent, but he felt a wave of relief.

But the next moment, a storm of black ink exploded upward from the ground!

A sharp ripping sound and a terrifying shriek whipped past his ears, heading straight for Jiang Bingzhu!

Shi Jiaer: "???"

How could this be?!

Dream Devour had taken effect. The Book Ghost should have mistaken the transfer student for a powerful being and hesitated. Why was it doing the exact opposite?

What had gone wrong?

To make matters worse, Jiang Bingzhu seemed frozen in fear, standing still instead of running.

You fool, run—!

Shi Jiaer screamed inwardly, but the earlier attack had exhausted all his energy. Before he could do anything, his vision went black, and he fell to the ground unconscious.

The library exit was right in front of him, just one step away from escape. Yet Jiang Bingzhu stopped.

He stood still, turned around slowly, and glanced at the Book Ghost—its will distorted, charging toward him—then at Shi Jiaer, who lay unconscious on the ground.

...Everyone’s so busy, but who knows what they’re busy with.

Well, at least it made things easier for him.

Jiang Bingzhu waved innocently and smiled at the Book Ghost now right in front of him.

"Hi."