14: dim light

Despairing screams pierced eardrums like sharp thorns, reaching deep into the soul. The makeshift barrier of tables and chairs at the library's main entrance groaned agonizingly under the impact of a terrifying external force, wood splinters flying, as if it would collapse completely in the next second. Twisted shadows flickered behind the door and window gaps, and a chilling aura, like a tangible cold wind, poured into the hall, almost freezing everyone's blood.

Lin Mo froze in place, his survival instinct to retreat to the basement battling fiercely with the impending tragedy before his eyes. He saw the fear etched on familiar and unfamiliar faces, saw Professor Wang's aging but resolute figure trying to stand tall, saw young people using their trembling bodies to brace the tottering barrier... Something far deeper than fear stirred in his nearly dry heart.

Go back and hide? Bury his head in the sand like an ostrich, then listen to the screams of his compatriots being slaughtered above, waiting for an unknown judgment in guilt? No! He couldn't do it! Not because of nobility, but because of a more primal urge—if the torch of civilization were to be extinguished completely at this moment, then what difference would it make if he survived alone in this ruin compared to the monsters outside the door?

His gaze fell back on the black jade slip in his hand. The editor interface was still dim, 0.01 units of energy and severely overdrawn mental power made him like a soldier holding an empty gun.

But... "Authority Ripple"!

Just now in the basement, he over-exerted his mental power to activate the jade slip, driving away that Low-Tier Cleanup Unit. Now, there was more than one outside, and his condition was even worse; the probability of success was minuscule, possibly even leading directly to mental collapse and death.

Gamble?

Gamble!

There was no time to hesitate! The barrier at the entrance emitted a loud cracking sound, and a thick door bolt twisted and flew out!

"Hold them!" Professor Wang yelled hoarsely, but his voice was full of powerlessness.

Just at this critical moment, Lin Mo suddenly rushed forward a few steps, pushing through the panicked crowd, and stood closest to the entrance. With his back to the terrified crowd, facing the entrance that was about to be breached, he raised the black jade slip high!

This action was exceptionally abrupt in the chaos; many people stared at him in astonishment.

"What is he doing?"

"What is that...?"

Lin Mo ignored the chatter behind him and the imminent crisis ahead. He closed his eyes, squeezing out all his remaining spirit, all his willpower, his desire for survival, his unwillingness to be destroyed, and even a faint, newly sprouted sense of responsibility not to live alone, pouring it all frantically into the jade slip pressed against his forehead, like wringing a dry sponge!

"Ugh ah ah ah—!" An indescribable pain erupted from the depths of his soul. He felt his head about to explode, his vision turned blood red, his ears buzzed, and he almost fainted instantly. This was even harder than in the basement; his mental power was already on the verge of exhaustion.

The jade slip began to heat up again, but this time, the reaction was much weaker and slower than before. The silver patterns on its surface barely lit up, the light flickering unsteadily, as if it could go out at any moment.

Not enough! Still not enough!

Lin Mo bit his lip, the metallic taste of blood and the pain stimulating his last nerves. He thought of his mother, his ordinary yet peaceful past, the homeless man he had saved... These images flashed by like a revolving lantern, transforming into a final, unyielding will!

"Get... out of my way!" He let out a hoarse, inhuman growl!

Buzz—!

A very faint tremor, almost like an illusion, emanated from the jade slip. A ripple, so faint it was almost invisible, spread out from the jade slip like a water wave, its range much smaller and its intensity much weaker than last time.

This "Authority Ripple" swept past the tottering barrier, penetrated the door cracks, and washed over the shadows outside.

The effect was immediate, but it wasn't a complete dispersal!

The pounding outside the door abruptly stopped! The distorted, flickering shadows seemed to be lashed by an invisible whip, letting out a chaotic, sharp hiss, full of confusion and rage! They did not retreat immediately like the individual in the basement, but fell into a brief state of confusion and hesitation, seemingly wary and enraged by this weak but "authoritative" fluctuation.

The pressure behind the barrier suddenly eased, and the young people bracing the obstacle with their bodies lost their footing, stumbling forward.

"What's going on?"

"They... stopped?"

The commotion in the crowd temporarily subsided. Everyone looked at the doorway in surprise and uncertainty, then at the young man holding the strange jade slip, his back swaying precariously.

Lin Mo could no longer stand. The jade slip slipped from his hand, and he collapsed backward like a puppet with cut strings. Fortunately, a quick-witted young man nearby caught him.

"Brother! Are you alright?" Professor Wang rushed forward, seeing Lin Mo's face as pale as paper, his breathing weak, and blood on the corner of his mouth, he was greatly alarmed.

"I... I'm fine..." Lin Mo spoke with difficulty, feeling the whole world spinning, his consciousness like a candle in the wind, "They... are temporarily... scared away... but... not for long... strengthen... the barrier..."

His words were broken, but the meaning was clear.

Professor Wang immediately understood. He looked deeply at Lin Mo, his eyes filled with shock, gratitude, and indescribable complex emotions. He immediately turned around and shouted in as calm a voice as possible: "Quick! While we have the chance! Pile up everything you can move! Reinforce the door! Hurry!"

The instinct for survival drove the survivors to action. Tables, chairs, bookshelves, even thick carpets—everything they could find was frantically piled against the entrance, sealing off the breach more solidly than before.

The hissing and scratching sounds outside the door resumed, but their intensity seemed to have lessened, carrying a tentative aggression rather than the desperate impact from before. That faint "Authority Ripple" had clearly worked; though it didn't drive away the enemy, it successfully bought valuable time for the people inside and seemed to have a certain deterrent effect on the monsters.

A strange calm temporarily settled in the hall, broken only by the continuous harassment outside the door and people's heavy breathing. Everyone's gaze involuntarily focused on the young man who had been helped to a corner, slumped on the ground, and was in a semi-conscious state.

The miraculous scene just now was beyond their comprehension. That glowing jade slip, that invisible fluctuation, and the monsters' reaction outside... Who exactly was this usually quiet librarian?

Fear still existed, but a faint spark of "hope" quietly ignited in some hearts. Perhaps... they weren't just waiting to die.

In his stupor, Lin Mo felt someone feeding him water. The cool liquid slid down his parched throat, bringing a hint of comfort. He couldn't think, only instinctively circulated that faint trace of qi sensation, trying to repair his severely damaged mental state. The editor interface was still dim, but perhaps due to the host's strong will to survive and his "heroic act" just now, the 0.01 units of energy stubbornly did not drop to zero, and the interface itself did not completely collapse.

He didn't know how much time had passed, perhaps an hour, perhaps longer, before Lin Mo's consciousness slowly emerged from the deep darkness. The severe headache persisted, but the feeling of exhaustion from his soul being drained had lessened. He slowly opened his eyes and found himself still leaning against the wall, covered by someone's jacket. Professor Wang sat not far from him, eyes closed in rest, but his brows were tightly furrowed. The hall was quiet; most people were curled up resting, with only a few vigilantly monitoring the blocked entrance.

Outside the door, the unsettling scratching and hissing sounds still existed, but they seemed to maintain a relatively "gentle" level of harassment, without launching another strong attack.

Seeing him wake up, Professor Wang immediately opened his eyes, moved closer, and asked in a hushed voice, "Lin Mo, how are you feeling?" He called him by name directly, his tone carrying an unprecedented solemnity.

"A little... better." Lin Mo's voice was hoarse. He glanced at the tightly blocked entrance. "Outside..."

"Still there, but much quieter. Thanks to you." Professor Wang's gaze fell on the jade slip Lin Mo still clutched in his hand, he hesitated, then finally asked cautiously, "That... just now... was?"

Lin Mo was silent for a moment. He knew he couldn't hide everything completely, but he also couldn't reveal the full truth. He fabricated a half-truth explanation: "It's a family heirloom... an ancient artifact, said to have some... evil-suppressing and calming effects. I didn't expect... it would actually work a little." His voice was weak and uncertain.

Professor Wang, being an academic, was instinctively skeptical of supernatural phenomena, but the facts he had just witnessed firsthand made it impossible for him to refute. He nodded, not pressing for details, only stating solemnly: "Regardless, you saved everyone. We will remember this kindness."

At this moment, the staff member with the broken glasses also came over, offering Lin Mo half a compressed biscuit and a small bottle of water: "Eat something, Lin Mo. You've expended too much."

The few awake people around also cast grateful and curious glances.

Lin Mo did not refuse; he desperately needed energy now. He slowly ate the biscuit and drank the water, feeling his strength gradually return. He noticed that the atmosphere in the hall seemed to have undergone some subtle changes. Before, it was pure panic and despair; now, although fear still lingered, there was a sense of... cohesion? A fragile order formed around a faint hope. And he, inadvertently, had been pushed to the core edge of this temporary group.

He glanced at the editor interface; the energy reserve was still 0.01 units, but after the 【Severe Mental Exhaustion】 prompt in the status bar, the words (Slowly recovering) had appeared.

He was still alive, and it seemed... he had found a slightly different way to survive in this wasteland world, besides hiding alone.

But the crisis was far from over. The monsters outside were only temporarily deterred, and a greater threat still loomed over the city. And the consequences of his overdrawn mental power, as well as the potential attention from higher-level entities that using the "Authority Ripple" might attract, were all swords hanging over his head.

He tightened his grip on the jade slip. A faint light had been ignited, but whether it could illuminate the path ahead was still an unknown.