I, Lin Yi, am a digital heritage appraiser.
That rainy night, I was ordered to evaluate a century-old library - "Qiwu Library". The bulldozer was right outside the door, just waiting for me to sign the "Demolition Agree" report.
But I couldn't go out.
The demolition team activated the signal jammer, accidentally triggering the library's defense mechanism. The strange beasts of "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" rushed out of the pages, the typeface in the literature area turned into a storm, and the whole library was like a giant beast that had been awakened.
I fell down in the confusion and pressed my palm on an ancient book.
The moment the pages of the book were stained with blood, the contract was established.
I became a night watchman - no choice, no escape.
From then on, I could see the book spirits in my left eye - those living, crying and laughing sparks of civilization.
This library is no ordinary library.
It is the last refuge of paper civilization.
Every book is a book spirit that is on the verge of disappearing, and my duty is to guard them.
But things are not peaceful inside the library.
Someone deliberately creates a "cavitary eclipse" to devour the spirituality of the book spirit; someone quietly places a monitor behind the bookshelf; and there is a book with a dark red cover hiding in the dark, feeding all this chaos.
What shocked me even more was that I found a line of words - "The last night watchman was named Lin Yuanshan."
That's my father's name.
Ten years ago, he died in a mysterious fire, which everyone said was an accident.
Now, this library tells me: No.
The demolition crews will be back any minute. Traitors hide in the shadows. Cavitation is expanding.
And my left eye is turning into paper little by little.
I don't know how much longer I can hold on.
But the text message said: Stay there and you will know the truth.
Can't leave.
Then, don't leave.
