Deadly Game: Almighty Boss’s Guide to Making Money

Chapter 1215. The Book at Night (3)

A noise came from Guo Yuelang's side, like the sound of a wooden cabinet being pried open.

"Found it!" Guo Yuelang held up a blue book with a yellowed prescription tucked between its pages. "It says, 'Three qian of Pinellia ternata and five qian of Polygonum multiflorum, boil together and put into the medicine stove.'"

Lin Xi looked out the window; the thick darkness was like ink splashed all over the glass.

The lights in the library flickered a few times, and some went out completely, casting long shadows behind the bookshelves, as if something was wriggling in the darkness.

Bai Yueming looked ahead.

"Let's go find the medicine furnace now."

“There’s an old medicine furnace in the basement, which used to process medicinal herbs,” Banxia said, taking two steps forward with steady strides. “I’ll take you there.”

Lin Xi and the others looked at each other and decided to trust Banxia.

The group followed Banxia toward the stairwell.

Lin Xi paused for a moment as he passed those dark bookshelves.

I always felt like someone was watching me from behind, like the chilling atmosphere brought on by turning the pages of a book.

The basement door was a heavy iron door that creaked loudly when pushed open.

Sure enough, there was a rusty medicine furnace inside, like a huge iron pot embedded in the stone platform.

There were some dried medicinal herbs piled up by the stove, among which happened to be Pinellia ternata and Polygonum multiflorum.

"Looks like we'll have to follow the prescription." Bai picked up the herbs, weighing them in his hand. "Who's going to start the fire?"

Ouyang Xichen didn't speak, but simply took out a lighter from his pocket. With a "click," the flame lit up in the darkness, illuminating the light in his eyes.

His gaze was gentle.

If Huang Jingjing hadn't told Lin Xi beforehand that Ouyang Xichen was a high-risk individual, it would have been impossible to tell from his appearance alone.

Even Xiao Qin couldn't tell.

Unlike Bai Yueming.

When I first met Bai Yueming, he didn't seem like a good person.

Flames licked the bottom of the stove, and the dry wood crackled.

Lin Xi put the medicinal herbs into the copper pot on top of the stove, watching them slowly curl up and change color in the dim firelight.

After an unknown amount of time, wisps of white smoke rose from the pot, carrying a slightly bitter medicinal aroma.

Just then, a small drawer popped out from the side of the medicine furnace with a "click," revealing a copper key inside, shaped exactly like the lollipop key from before.

This time, however, the key wasn't engraved with the pattern of book pages, but with a small pinellia ternata.

"Found it!" Xiao Qin reached out to take it.

The moment my fingertips touched the key, the entire basement suddenly shook violently, and dust fell from the ceiling.

The cold, electronic voice sounded again: "Phase one mission complete, phase two begins—decipher three books of time-space codes before the night ends. Hint: The books are on the moving bookshelf."

Lin Xi steadied the swaying medicine furnace and looked towards the doorway. The bookshelves, which had been still, now seemed to come alive, moving slowly in the darkness and making dull friction sounds, as if they were weaving a giant net.

"It seems these 72 hours won't be easy." Bai Yueming's voice carried a hint of amusement, but couldn't hide his seriousness.

—Holy crap, two more live streams have disappeared.

--what happened?
—It seems someone has broken a taboo.

—There really are people who don't have the tools to counter the taboo!

Only a few people have it!

—Even if there were any, after so many dangerous dungeons, they've probably been used up almost all of them.

—After last week's dungeon, this dungeon is suddenly like this, and I'm actually a little unaccustomed to it. —Me too.

—Indeed, people cannot stay in a peaceful environment for too long, as they easily lose their fighting spirit.

—I don't think 123 and Teacher Huang have been affected much!

—The same goes for Xiaobai. Don't be fooled by his seemingly well-behaved appearance; once he enters the dungeon, he gets into full mode.

—As expected, if I were the player, I would surely die.

—Huh? There was no broadcast this time!

The tremors continued, and chunks of cement kept falling from above, hitting the ground with dull thuds.

Lin Xi gripped the edge of the medicine furnace tightly, his knuckles turning white, but his eyes were fixed on the iron door leading to the upper level.

Just a moment ago, the outline was still visible, but now it is mostly blocked by the swaying bookshelf, leaving only a narrow gap through which a little dim light from the upper level shines in.

“Get out first!”

Ouyang Xichen's voice was exceptionally clear amidst the roar. He grabbed the iron railing beside him with one hand and pulled hard, stabilizing the shaky railing.

"The bookshelf is blocking the way; if it gets any later, we'll be stuck here."

Bai Yueming had already rushed over first. He moved extremely fast, squeezing through the gaps between the bookshelves like a cat, and even reaching out his hand when he looked back.

"Xiao Qin, come here!"

Xiao Qin jumped up in response and landed steadily beside him.

Guo Yuelang followed closely behind, still holding the blue book with the prescription tucked inside, its pages rustling in the wind.

Bai also pulled Banxia towards the door.

Lin Xi immediately followed, with Huang Jingjing bringing up the rear.

Why didn't 123 use "Peach Blossom Spring"?
—I said the bookshelf would move, but after using Peach Blossom Spring to get out, I'm still in the same place, and the bookshelf is still moving. It's not really working!

What is Peach Blossom Spring?
— Something like a safe space.

After three peaceful instances, 123 probably wanted to seek some excitement.

—She will definitely use it when the time is right.

—By the way, this team is pretty strong; they probably don't need any special items.

As soon as the group rushed out the door, the basement entrance behind them was completely blocked by a bookshelf that collapsed with a crash, and the dust kicked up made them cough.

Lin Xi glanced back and saw only a dark outline, like a lurking beast, swallowing up the faint light from before.

"What do we do now?" Quan Quan covered her mouth and nose, her voice muffled. "The bookshelves are all messed up, and the path we were on is gone."

Lin Xi looked around, her heart suddenly clenching.

The once orderly library now resembles a chessboard disrupted by an invisible hand, with towering bookshelves standing haphazardly.

Some are leaning against the ceiling at an angle, while others are broken in half, revealing the hollow interlayer inside.

Even more bizarrely, these bookshelves were slowly moving, making a creaking sound as the wood rubbed against the ground, like they were performing an absurd dance.

“They’re surrounding us,” Ouyang Xichen said, pointing to a gap that was closing in the distance. “See? Every time they move, the space left for us gets smaller.”

Bai Yueming clicked his tongue and kicked away a book that had fallen to the ground beside him.

"The electronic voice said the 'moving bookshelf' hides a coded book. So this bookshelf isn't just for hiding things, it's also a potential killer?" He smiled, but his eyes turned cold. "Well, that's fine too, saves us the trouble of searching one by one. A bookshelf that can trap a person is probably where the books are hidden."

Lin Xi squatted down and picked up the book that Bai Yueming had kicked away.

The cover is dark brown, with no title, only a gold-stamped symbol that looks like an open eye.

She turned to the first page, where the handwriting was twisted like a snake, and only after careful examination could she make out the word "taboo".