8 Mastermo has to play alone

Zhihao put on his VR headset and logged into T.I.A.D. with the sole purpose of completing some E-ranked levels in order to gain a few T-points. Unlike other games where the virtual game currency could be bought with real money, T.I.A.D. didn't have such a function to buy T-points. The only way a player can collect T-points was by completing missions and gaining T-points as a reward.

Easy levels or also known as E-ranked levels would only give the player 100 T-points at the maximum, Whereas, Completing A-ranked levels could earn the players at least 300 T-points. The higher the levels, the more T-points it would give as rewards or to be more exact; three times that of the T-point gained from the previous lower-ranked level.

Last time, while playing the non-ranked level, Zhihao had exhausted all his T-points in buying equipment and health potions which could have been avoided if Li Ling had told him beforehand that it was useless.

The current T-points that appeared on Zhihao's screen were a pitiful triple-digit number of 143, Not even enough to trigger a 'transmigration' which needed at least 200 T-points. Thankfully, E-ranked levels didn't need T-points to enter, Only A-ranked levels and above required to pay T-points to enter each level.

The elimination Stage 1 was still not over and was completely separated from Stage Zero. Stage Zero was available for the players 24/7 while Stage 1 had a special opening time; basically, it could only be accessed at night around 8 p.m.; the stage would open and admit players who would be only thrown out of the stage if they completed a mission or in the off chance, failed a mission. Tonight the stage would be reopened once again and Zhihao would have to work together with Li Ling to complete the assigned mission they'll get. And if Zhihao doesn't refill his T-points now, he'll be hopeless when the time comes.

[Welcome back player, Mastermo! We have been long awaiting for you.]

[You have entered Stage Zero]

[Please click on the continue button to be Transmigrated into your randomly assigned level.]

Zhihao clicked on the button without reading the whole welcoming note.

[Logging in to E-ranked level 83: Help catch the thief]

[Collecting character data...]

As Zhihao read the title he felt relieved; If it was an E-ranked level that had anything to do with finding something? It was a piece of cake to him who was the master of mystery-solving games.

[Syncing player data]

[3...]

[2...]

[1...]

[Welcome to E-ranked level 83: Help catch the thief]

Zhihao looked around, He was standing in an old dusty library with a book in his hand.

His first thoughts on the place were; This place needed renovation, and he wasn't wrong in thinking that. If he brushed the top of the bookshelf with his hands; his hand would be covered in a thick layer of dust, If he were to open a book; He'll be in a coughing fit. The books were so dusty that one needed to pat it a few times in order to read the title clearly. The paint on the walls were too dull just like the lights that barely illuminated the place. The walls had cracks on them and looked so fragile as if they were ready to collapse at any given moment.

[You have now successfully entered London's oldest library: The scene of the crime.]

[This library was established in the eighteen hundreds and is home to one of the oldest and rarest of books that have now become antiques. Though selling these books may not earn an individual much; These books are still considered an important piece of history and provide knowledge to almost every single person that is interested in the historical writings of their country. A few days ago, a thief snuck inside the library and stole a 500-year-old literary novel based on an old mythical tale. The government released a notice to shut down the library for public use if the thief is not caught and the novel not recovered, All of these antiques storing amazing information would be closed off to the world. These books would lose their importance and eventually be forgotten.]

[Your mission is to work as a solo detective and catch the thief]

[We wish you all the best and hope you'll help recover the lost 500-year-old art]

Zhihao looked at the book in his hand that had clearly seen the ravages of time; not much could be deciphered. The book was too old and some words had already rubbed off, The corners were torn and some pages were missing. He closed the book to read the title but the front cover was blank, thinking that it was probably not a clue but at the same time could not be ruled out, he kept the closed book with him. He moved forward and tried to find any other clue that could further help him investigate the matter but just then; A voice of an old woman interrupted him, "It was kept right here. I don't know who'll do such a thing. Those damn thieves!"

[New character introduced: The old librarian]

Zhihao found it funny; Why did every story have an old librarian? Usually, they are the most suspicious yet turn out to be innocent in the end. The granny looked as old as the books that were placed on the shelves, so much so that Zhihao questioned if the books were older or the librarian?

"A book does seem to be missing from here," Zhihao mumbled as he looked at the empty place in the shelf which could easily be noticed due to the lack of dust in a perfectly rectangular shaped area but what he found weird was that there were no other clues, no fingerprints or other signs of theft. Looking for more clues, he asked, "What was the title of the book?"

"The title? Eh... It was a fictional piece of literature based on a mythical moon goddess.", The old lady replied as she pointed out the window. When Zhihao looked over, he found a beautiful glowing moon that was decorated in the sky. The light from the moon shined through the window and fell on the bookshelf that used to contain the stolen book in question, "That is the only window in this whole section. If a thief were to enter, it could only be through there."

Zhihao moved closer to the window and looked out and as he did he thought this granny was talking nonsense, after all, they were standing on the fifth floor. It was almost impossible for someone to climb up here without making any noise and alerting the guards. "Not ruling out the possibility tho.", Zhihao mumbled but he knew it was not a possibility because there were no fingerprints on the window sill.

"This book about a moon goddess, Can you tell me more about it?"

"I don't remember much of it. It's been more than 20 years since I read it. The general story was about a worshiper who was infatuated with the beauty of the moon and every night, he would paint it as a woman of his dreams but he was never satisfied with his paintings, always complaining that something was missing. I don't remember much but it ended with the painter disappearing and the last thing I remember is that he got to meet the real Moon goddess and painted his most favorite portrait of her but the people of that time refused to believe in such a goddess so they burned his paintings."

As Zhihao heard this, he asked, "Was it a popular book?"

"Popular? It was indeed still popular when I was a kid but as I grew up, the story grew older as well and not many fans who enjoyed literary writings were left."

"Any possible suspects in your mind that could want to steal the novel?"

"Suspects? Not that I can think of. Nobody ever showed interest in that book except for..... Ah! There is one young man who used to come here around evening time, almost every day to read that book but he's an honest and kind gentleman. Can't really expect him to steal the book."

Zhihao thought about it and answered, "We can't rule out any possible suspects. Somebody stole the book and left behind such a clean crime scene, I'm afraid we are dealing with someone who knows this library inside-out." Of course, there was one more thing in Zhihao's mind that he would never tell the old granny; The fact that she was also a suspect at this moment.

"I don't understand your detective ways but I trust Henry. He would never steal from the library." The old lady spoke.

"His name is Henry?"

"Ah! Yes! the name really suits him." She beamed

Zhihao narrowed his eyes, "By any chance, Does this Henry happen to be a really handsome youth?"

"Yes! Yes! How did you know? Not only is he really handsome but he's always kind and friendly with us, old workers here." The old lady answered enthusiastically.

In Zhihao's mind, he scoffed; I knew it! In most stories, old ladies like this would be biased towards young handsome men.

"I had a hunch. Could you give me his contact details?"

"He said he recently changed his phone number but I bet you can find his address in the library records."

"Then I'll have to trouble you with that." Zhihao bowed

The old librarian seemed to like how well-mannered and handsome Zhihao was so she delightfully helped him with everything he asked for.

Zhihao headed straight to Henry's address which was around the neighborhood, Just a few blocks away. Henry was indeed a really cheerful handsome man who invited Zhihao inside his home and even gave him a cup of coffee to show his hospitality. For this perfect young man to be the culprit? Didn't it make perfect sense? He would fill the stereotypical wolf in sheep's clothing.

Zhihao interrogated him in a friendly tone so as to make him feel comfortable, "I heard you used to be really interested in the book that was stolen?"

"Well of course. The grammar, The characters, The story; they were all my favorite. My mother used to love that novel and naturally I'm really attached to it as well."

"Would you by any chance have been interested in stealing it?"

"That's really... Straightforward. But I am completely innocent. I would never do such a thing." Henry laughed.

"Then do you suspect anybody?"

"Umm..." Henry had something to say but he was contemplating whether to say it or not but in the end, he ended up speaking with an absent mind, "The old librarian... Ah! Don't get me wrong. I'm not accusing her of anything. In fact, she is really nice to me but..."

"But?" Zhihao questioned with suspicion.

"I don't think it's anything worth mentioning. It's probably unrelated to the theft but... She is kinda over-obsessive about the library. She hates people coming to the library, says that they make a mess of it."

Zhihao also had somewhat the same idea. The old librarian would be the perfect thief and if what Henry said was true, she'll also have a great reason for committing the theft since it would force the library to close its doors to the public. But Henry was still not out in the clear. Zhihao was a pro-gamer who learned it the hard way that no character could be blindly trusted and so he questioned further "Did she show a particularly keen interest towards the book that was stolen?"

"I don't think I've noticed anything like that. As far as I know, only I used to go down there daily in order to read that book."

"And that is what makes you a prime suspect? You do know that, right?"

"I'm aware but I'm not afraid. I'm completely innocent so what do I have to fear?"

Zhihao smiled, "You are right. As long as you have nothing to hide. I'm here to prove your innocence and catch the real thief."

"I hope you do. If you need my help, do not shy away from asking me. I want to help find the culprit as well." Henry responded with a sincere smile.

Young man, right now you are the most suspicious suspect.