Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Bai Fuling took flight using the aluminum bar, heading towards the library on the map. The scene left behind nothing but tales of angels scattered on the ground.

Although the police didn't find Bai Fuling, they impounded the red car—now that they had the car, the owner was bound to show up eventually. Moreover, they could track down the owner using the license plate number.

So, even if the owner had flown away, it didn't matter... but seriously, how could a person fly?!

If the police hadn't first tested the caller for drunk or drug driving, hearing this wild story would have made them suspect the reporter was drunk or high.

The police needed to find the car owner, partly to handle the fender bender and partly to recognize the heroism.

News reporters from the TV station had already rushed to the scene, quickly interviewing bystanders with microphones and voice recorders:

"Hello, as you can see, a serious traffic accident has occurred here. Ambulances, fire trucks, and police have already arrived. We heard that someone bravely stepped up during the crisis. Could you tell us more about the specific situation at the time?"

"Ah, yes. Several cars crashed into each other earlier, glass shards were scattered everywhere—it was so scary!" The interviewee patted his chest. "Actually, I thought about helping too, but I was afraid the cars could explode, so I didn't dare get too close."

"Then, someone stepped forward?" the reporter prompted.

"Yes, yes. A black-haired youth wearing an angel halo rushed over. The door of the accident car seemed to be jammed..."

"It seems the person used great strength to pull the car door open, ignoring the pain of his cut hands, just to rescue those inside," the reporter jumped in, his voice full of emotion.

"Oh no—uh, that person didn't use his hands. He actually bit it open."

Reporter: ?

"Hey! You don't know, that person clung to where the door met the frame and bit through it a few times like he was eating a watermelon, and chewed the door open!"

Reporter: ??

The reporter was silent for a beat, but his professionalism made him skip this strange detail and continue with practiced emotion:

"Alright, the brave individual managed to get the injured out of the car. Thanks to his actions before the explosion, everyone escaped unharmed."

"The scene must have been very dangerous. It's hard to imagine what would have happened if he had been even a moment later. Fortunately, that courageous youth acted just before the explosion—"

"It blew up right then," the interviewee said. "That person only had time to toss the injured person clear; he was still inside."

What?! The reporter was stunned upon hearing this: "That person sacrificed himself to save others at the last moment? Oh my, this..." He was already beginning to muster a tearful tone.

"But here's the thing—that person was completely unharmed!" the interviewee said, his voice rising with excitement. "The only thing that got blasted was the hamburger, turning it from a regular burger into a charred, blackened patty!"

The reporter struggled to keep up: "Sorry... what hamburger?"

"Later, he successfully sold that hamburger for hundreds of dollars! But maybe it was a miraculous burger. It's a shame I was completely stunned at the time and didn't manage to buy it," the interviewee lamented. "Otherwise, I could've taken it home and enshrined it. This isn't an ordinary hamburger; it's a hamburger that can absorb a million firepower!"

"..." The reporter silently cut his mic.

He felt he might have interviewed the wrong person—this guy seemed normal enough, so why did the latter half turn into utter nonsense???

The interviewee continued happily: "Now I have a story to tell for the rest of my life. I'm going back to tell my mom I met an angel!"

The reporter maintained a polite smile, nodded to end the conversation, and moved on to the next person for an interview.

The next person: "What? You're asking about what just happened? I'm not too sure either, but anyway, that person has already flown away."

The person after that: "Indeed, do good deeds and you ascend to heaven as an angel."

And the next one said: "No, that's not an angel; that's an armed helicopter!"

Reporter: ...?

After making the rounds, he realized the first person might have been the most serious one!

The reporter felt that just by arriving a little late, he'd already lost touch with reality... So, this is why news must be captured immediately.

His cameraman partner behind him mouthed:

"Still rolling. What do we do?"

The scene had completely gone off the rails, making it impossible to conduct a normal traffic accident report or commendation for bravery.

Their TV station wasn't a serious, official major network; its goal was to attract more viewers and boost ratings.

Now that an on-air disaster had occurred, they had to find a way to make up for it and salvage the ratings.

The reporter, with years of experience, clutched his mic and made a decision within three seconds.

He put on a new expression and faced the camera: "Hey there, folks! We are from the 'Approaching Science' program!"

"Do angels really exist in the world? Why can a person turn into an armed helicopter? What is this blast-proof burger? Follow along with me as we explore these mysteries together!"

—Since the scene had already descended into chaos, they might as well lean into it. Turn chaos into clicks!

Bai Fuling, whirling the aluminum bar from the dismantled stretcher, flew over the city river, crossed several streets, and finally saw the pixelated library sign.

=

He landed on the street outside the library, storing the aluminum bar in his backpack—an item this useful had to be saved for future use.

Ignoring the startled NPC passersby around him, Bai Fuling walked straight into the library.

It was a weekday during working hours, so there weren't many NPCs in the library. Upon entering, Bai Fuling looked around and saw rows upon rows of densely packed books.

It seemed every book could be interacted with.

In this case, the brute-force method wasn't the best option—because the targets were simply too many! Bai Fuling felt that even if he turned on auto-clicker, clicking on every single one would take an extremely long time.

So he stood still and reviewed the clues he had noted earlier.

Old newspaper from September 11th, 13 years ago;

Books on psychiatry related to Mr. Chen;

Guan Jiayue's home reading notes on mysticism and urban legends.

He was here mainly to check these leads!

Bai Fuling closed the clues tab and decided to first search for books on mysticism in this town. The most convenient way was to ask the librarian NPC about the location of such collections.

He turned his head and, coincidentally, spotted a familiar bespectacled NPC. It was Luo Qingyue, whom he had met before.

At that moment, Luo Qingyue was sorting books on a cart, separating returned books by category and stacking them together.

"Hey," Bai Fuling walked over and poked Luo Qingyue. "We meet again!"

Luo Qingyue instinctively looked up and, upon seeing Bai Fuling before him, let out a short, sharp yelp.

And because they were in the library, he immediately covered his mouth, stifled the sound, then whispered, "Y-you... didn't you jump down a well?! Were you rescued?"

His impression of Bai Fuling was still stuck on that late-night encounter from their last meeting. He had personally witnessed Bai Fuling speeding in a wheelchair, braking, then careening straight into a manhole.

"Oh, jumping down a well? That's nothing," Bai Fuling waved his hand modestly.

After a couple of seconds, he suddenly remembered the characteristics of the NPC Luo Qingyue, so he leaned sideways, half his body slumping against Luo Qingyue: "Aiyo, aiyo, I can't move, my leg's broken—I need a wheelchair."

Might as well try to scam him right off the bat! What if it works?

Luo Qingyue: "..."

Luo Qingyue, suddenly leaned on by Bai Fuling, stiffened, a string of ellipses appearing above his head. He sighed, put down the book in his hand, and pushed Bai Fuling away: "Alright. Uh, anyway, I'm just glad you're okay."

"I'm not okay, I'm not okay," Bai Fuling looked over with gleaming eyes, "so can you push me in a wheelchair?"

Currently, for the three modes—land, sea, and air—sea players can swim on their own, air can fly using the Aluminum Bar, land has the big dog mount but sometimes it can't be summoned, so he's still missing a land vehicle. Last time the player tried the wheelchair, and he was very satisfied with Luo Qingyue's wheelchair.

"Sorry, there isn't one here right now," Luo Qingyue reached out to pull Bai Fuling up and helped him onto the book cart. He said good-naturedly, "If there's no other way, I can push you like this. Where do you want to go?"

Bai Fuling sat on the cart half-filled with books, without a hint of politeness as he directed: "I want to look at books on the occult, like the Loch Ness Monster, small-town horror stories, that sort of thing. Where's the occult book section?"

With an NPC to guide him, why not use it? Why would a player bother with pleasantries for an AI?

He grabbed the handles of the cart with both hands, leaning sideways trying to study this cart.

Luo Qingyue pressed a hand on the shoulder of the squirming Bai Fuling: "Alright, Little Friend, don't wriggle around like a fidgety kid, okay? Be careful not to bump into the bookshelves around you."

Bai Fuling originally wanted to continue leaning over to investigate, but the prompt that had appeared before popped up on the screen again.

"His strength is great, you can't break free."

Alright, alright. Bai Fuling stopped struggling. Sitting in the cart, he thought this cart could also serve as transportation, so he said: "I'm a student, can I have this cart?"

Luo Qingyue freed one hand to adjust his glasses: "I'm a corporate slave, could you please not make things difficult for a corporate slave?"

Wow! This NPC actually has a deadpan humor reply now. Bai Fuling was slightly surprised. Sure enough, messing with the NPCs more, their AI really does level up.

By now, the two had gone a fair distance. Luo Qingyue's strength was great, so even pushing a cart loaded with books plus Bai Fuling, he could walk very fast.

It's just that the library was still too big, and the occult-related books seemed to be further in. They hadn't arrived yet.

Since he had nothing better to do during this time anyway, Bai Fuling picked up a book from the cart, looking at the option box that appeared.

→[Use]

→[Eat]

Since stones could be eaten and car doors could be eaten, the idea that books were edible didn't faze Bai Fuling. He was just a little curious: does eating this thing increase the health bar or decrease it?

Common sense would say, books aren't something meant to be put in your mouth.

But then again, isn't there the saying "you have to digest a book"!

Bai Fuling glanced at his stable health bar, then at the soft-cover book in his hand, thought for two seconds, and decided to try it.

Anyway, taste it first!

He clicked [Eat], stuffing the book into his mouth—the next moment, he saw a new line of prompt pop up on the screen.

"《100 Household Tips》has been recorded"

Huh? What? Bai Fuling blinked, delighted to find that a book icon had been added to his personal file. Clicking it opened the book he had just eaten.

—The library's books could actually be recorded into the player's personal side, turning into a portable library mode! Wow.

It was as if Bai Fuling had discovered a new continent. He eagerly picked up another book.

Luo Qingyue, who was pushing the cart, noticed Bai Fuling's actions. A huge exclamation mark appeared above his head as he hurriedly stopped him: "...Wait! No, no, no, Little Friend, what are you doing?! This isn't food... oh my god, wait, let go—"

Bai Fuling looked up and pointed at the sign next to him: "Doesn't this say, 'Bookworms Welcome Here'?" He lowered his head and took a bite of the book, "Hmm, I'm already a ten-year veteran bookworm."

Luo Qingyue: ...It's not the kind of bookworm that eats books that's welcome!!

Author's Note:

Player: Read a book a hundred times, and its meaning will reveal itself (×)

Player: Chew a book once, and its meaning will reveal itself (√)