Chapter 17: Do Snakes Also Like to Read Books?

The administrator was baffled and asked the security guard on duty outside.

"You were on night shift yesterday; while patrolling inside the library, did you see anyone?"

The security guards exchanged bewildered looks, also finding it strange; after thinking carefully, one said: "Yesterday there was no suspicious personnel. Moreover, the locks on the main door and windows were all fine; it would be hard for anyone to sneak in."

They patrolled both the first and second halves of the night, hearing nothing; moreover, the library is relatively remote, with few visitors even during the day, let alone at night.

"That's strange, then—who could it be?"

After several people investigated to no avail and found no clues, they originally wanted to check the surveillance, but that spot was a blind spot, so the cameras couldn't cover it.

It seems the person behind this, perhaps for that reason, acted so arrogantly, provoking repeatedly.

The administrator made a quick decision and installed a camera there.

"No matter what monster or demon you are, you won't be able to hide this time!"

However, when they came the next day,

The books were still scattered on the floor in their original positions, as if provoking something; the administrator, furious, dragged the security guard straight to the surveillance room.

"What a bold fellow, truly thick‑headed—didn't you see the camera? I'd like to see who's so bored."

He was determined to find out who was pulling the prank.

However, after watching the surveillance all day, not a person—indeed, not even a ghostly shadow—approached.

Because that spot is relatively remote and deep inside, the books placed there are mostly miscellaneous or rarely borrowed; over the course of a day, no one passed by.

Watching the surveillance feed showing an empty room, while outside the sun blazed brightly, the administrator felt an inexplicable chill rise from his feet.

Even those few security guards showed fear, unable to help saying: "We've been watching this for most of the day—could it really be a ghost?"

The administrator forced himself to stay calm: "What nonsense are you talking? There's no way ghosts exist in this world; it must be human."

"He can't act in the daytime; he must be active at night."

This possibility is still quite likely, since the books are found open—surely even a ghost wouldn't enjoy reading?

"Maybe someone sneaks in after I finish work, when the library is empty, taking advantage of your lapse."

Several people continued to watch the surveillance; the unchanging footage made them drowsy, and they kept yawning.

It was already around eight o'clock in the evening.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, a muffled sound came from the surveillance, instantly drawing their attention.

But after they clearly saw the image on the screen, they felt a chill run through their bodies.

A book simply fell out of thin air, with all doors and windows closed and no wind, yet it seemed as if some unseen force was at work.

The security guard, already elderly, had thought the library job would be easy and safe; having never seen such a scene, he felt like quitting immediately.

"This, this place is haunted—there's clearly no wind, so how did the book fall?"

The speaking guard's teeth were chattering; being old, he still somewhat believed this—while earning money from work is important, his own life matters more.

"Don't spout nonsense here; maybe the book wasn't placed properly and just fell by accident."

Although the administrator was also a little afraid, he didn't believe in such gods and ghosts, and he mustered his courage to keep watching.

Soon a dark silhouette appeared beneath the camera.

"Huh, what is that——"

The administrator quickly paused the footage and then kept zooming in.

That turned out to be a small black snake!

How did this little black snake get in?

"How could there possibly be a snake here?"

The following footage was even more unheard of, beyond reason.

The administrator and the security guard couldn't help but widen their eyes; although they were somewhat afraid, a bit of curiosity drove them to keep watching.

They saw the snake curl its tail around a corner of a page and actually flip the book open with remarkable agility!

The security guard, who had originally wanted to quit, now felt his brain short‑circuit; he exchanged bewildered looks with the administrator, even rubbing his eyes, thinking he might be hallucinating.

"I—I didn't missee that, did I? It just looked like the snake was turning a page?"

His companion beside him also wore a face of disbelief.

The administrator went back again, watched it once more, and sure enough, it was the snake turning the page; then the little snake coiled atop the book, looking as if——

—it was reading!

At the same time, by slowing the playback, he finally captured a frame of the moment the book fell.

In the instant before the book would fall, a pointed snake head could be faintly seen behind it—meaning the book didn't drop on its own; it was pushed down by this snake.

Everyone stared at each other speechless; if they hadn't seen it themselves, they'd hardly believe such an absurd scene could unfold before their eyes.

A snake pushed the book down from the shelf and then began to read.

Even such an operation exists!

That was the shared thought that sprang into everyone's mind.

The security guard couldn't help muttering, "Could it be that the books that fell over the past few days were all due to this snake?"

The administrator added, "Moreover, although the books that fall each day differ, their category is the same—they're all classical Chinese texts, ancient works."

"Like the River Chart and Luo Book, the Muscle/Tendon Change Classic—people can't understand them; could a snake possibly comprehend them?"

It's simply preposterous.

Everyone stared at the scene before them, unable to regain their composure for a long time.

Now everything has come to light—it's not a ghost; the troublemaker is a snake.

Yet this fact is harder for them to accept than believing that ghosts exist in the world.

How could a snake possibly go read books? One couldn't say it had become a spirit, could one?

That night the manager didn't go back, but instead he and the security guard ambushed here, wanting to see if that snake would come again.

Unfortunately, by the next morning, that little black snake hadn't appeared again, as if the previous few times were just a whim.

"Maybe, this snake just came over at night to find a place to rest; it just looks like it's reading."

The manager forced an explanation, but his expression still showed doubt.

But there are still many mysteries here, for example why the snake went to all that trouble, knocking those books over, and how to explain using its tail to flip pages.

Upon further thought, this explanation simply doesn't hold water.

But they also couldn't figure out what exactly attracted this snake to behave so abnormally.

Even in the entire biological world, such a situation cannot be seen.

Unable to figure it out, the manager simply stopped thinking about it; anyway, after that, the snake never appeared again.

Everything was just treated as idle gossip, and no one would really keep this matter in mind; after all, the daily necessities of life, the human world's hustle and bustle, are the norm.

The library once again returned to tranquility, and this matter was gradually forgotten by everyone, taken as just a strange tale, even doubting whether they had hallucinated at the time.

Only that segment of surveillance footage recorded everything extraordinary.

(End of chapter)