原创故事丨身份之谜

本文系用户投稿，不代表机核网观点
【中文版】
身份之谜
书之神已死。
他的尸体（如果还能被称为尸体的话）是在早上被发现的。
图书馆员打开大门时，大厅的大理石地板上留有一小撮灰烬。书之神的手杖完好无损的平放在一旁的地上，一丝刮痕都没有。
“烧成灰了。”他低声说着，随后报了警。
临近中午，诸神被召唤至现场。
“这是自杀吗？一定能上今天的头条！”社交媒体之神惊呼道，随后掏出他的手机，开始拍照、录短视频，随后上传。
“这死法可够痛苦的。不过，现在还不能排除谋杀的可能性吧？”文学之神沉思道，脸上显露出悲伤的神色。在她朦胧的泪眼中，仍旧存有一丝疑虑。
“恕我直言，请各位看看自己身边，”技术之神抬起他干瘪的手，“这是世界上最后一座图书馆。早就没人阅读纸质书了。如今我们有太多新鲜的学习来方式，完全不必纠结于这些过时的故纸堆。我听说这间图书馆已经确定会被拆除，并在原地建起一座技术中心。说到底，这栋建筑也实在占了太大空间，真是毫无必要。说起来，昨天不是还在这儿举办了一场闭馆仪式吗？”
“这和他的死并无关系。”文学之神反唇相讥，“即便图书馆不复存在，这些书也会留存下来。说起来，难道这不会让你名列犯罪嫌疑人榜首吗？”
“太荒谬了。我没有任何理由犯案。”技术之神提高声调，“谁也不可能挡在进化之路上，期盼自己能永远存在，他这样的老家伙，更是如此。不论你喜欢与否，这些书早晚都会消失。你最好也提前想想自己的出路。”
“最后一个见到他的人是谁？”电子游戏之神突然打断两者。
“是我。”图书馆员上前一步。“典礼结束后，他一直留在这里，直到我锁门离开。”
“他一个人待在这里？他到底想干什么？”电子游戏之神眉头一皱。
“他说这里还有些工作要完成。于是我就留他和这些书在一起。”图书馆员努力回想，却终究徒劳无功，“他平时也经常在这里过夜，所以没什么特别的。说起来，我还惦记着早上会见到他呢。”
“‘书之神的密室谋杀案’显然是个更好的标题。”社交媒体之神自言自语道，只是声音稍微有点大。
“抱歉各位，我还有很多工作要忙，尤其是这栋建筑的重建方案。如果有什么新的进展，请随时告知。”技术之神挥了挥手，离开了图书馆。
空气中飘过一丝不同寻常的静寂。
“神也会死吗？我还以为我们是不朽的。”电子游戏之神问道。
“只要我们代表的东西仍然存在，我们就不会死去。”文学之神答道，“万物既有生，自有死。即便神也无法违逆这些规则。如果没人读书，书之神自然会消失。”
“所以，如果没人玩游戏了，我也会消失？”
“大抵如此。不论你怎么想，我一直都以为他会比我活得长。不过，如今却已经烧了个精光，还真是讽刺啊。”
“人们为什么不再读书了？”
“因为他们没时间读。”社交媒体之神答道，他的脑袋还埋在小小的手机屏幕前。“没人有时间和精力读书。人们的注意力持续时间越来越短，谁还能忍受那些大部头呢。当然，这都要归功于我咯。”
“我觉得事情没这么简单。”文学之神坚持道，“这件事我一定会查到底。”
“总是思虑过度，就是不能接受这世界的混沌本质。怪不得你是文学之神。”社交媒体之神长叹一声，举步离去，前往寻找下一个热点。
“即便没人读书了，他也没有自焚的理由。”电子游戏之神说道，“他可以消散于空气中，对吧？没理由像这样结束生命，对不对？”
“别慌，你是不会死在那些绝望而不负责任的家长手中的。”文学之神轻轻摇了摇头，“我从未亲眼见过任何神死去。但恐怕现在我们手上，是一桩谋杀案。”
“你怎么会如此确定？”图书馆员问道，“也许他只是失去了一切希望。图书馆即将关闭，这些书无处可去，人们也早就不再读纸质书了。还有什么坚持下去的理由吗？”
“如果他如此绝望，为什么不连这座图书馆也一起烧掉？”文学之神冷静地推论，“即便他年事已高，身体也大不如前，可他从来不曾疯癫。此外，我相信这世界上还有一些读者存在。”
“那是谁下的手？为什么？”电子游戏之神问道。
“我看不到争斗的痕迹，但没人能将他这样活活烧死。所以，我认为书之神在放火之前应该已经死去。这场火只是为了毁尸灭迹。”
“这意味着凶手要闯入上锁的图书馆、杀死书之神、将他烧成灰，随后在早上图书馆员到来之前离开此处。”文学之神总结道，“今天早上门锁情况如何？”
“和昨晚我离开时并无两样。”图书馆员确认。
“这座图书馆还有其他入口吗？”
“恐怕没了。典礼结束后，另一个出口已经被彻底封了起来。”
“既然如此，凶手要么能够凭空消失，要么就是在你昨夜离开时，就躲在图书馆内，直到今天早上你到来时，还仍在这里。说起来，你是什么时候到的？”文学之神突然转向电子游戏之神。
“我熬了一宿玩游戏，早上睡过头了，才没接到电话。”电子游戏之神耸耸肩，“所以我是最后一个到的。说实话，现在还有点晕头转向。”
“而我是第一个到的。”文学之神自言自语道，“你还记得另外两位什么时候到的吗？”
图书馆员想了一会儿，“抱歉，我只记得那位高个子是在你后面到的，至于那孩子，就好像凭空出现的一样。很难注意到这人，总感觉他的样子有点模模糊糊的。”
“我们是不是该立刻把他们叫回来？”电子游戏之神建议。
“即便叫回来，也不可能找到任何证据。”文学之神说道，“两人都有作案动机。技术之神想在我们脚下建起他宏伟的技术中心，社交媒体之神可不想让任何人重拾书本。书永远会对他构成威胁。无论如何，一切证据恐怕都已经被处理掉了。”
“所以没办法解开这个谜了？”图书馆员叹息道。
“还有一个办法可以找出真相。”文学之神说道。
“怎样找？”电子游戏之神似乎有点摸不着头脑。
“神与他们代表的东西紧密相连，他们的一生同样如此。换言之，如果书之神遭到谋杀，就一定会有本书讲述这件事。既然如今全世界的书都存在这座图书馆里。找出这本书，只是时间问题。”
“你是说，谋杀发生之后，这座图书馆里会凭空冒出一本书？”
“不。我认为早在谋杀发生之前，书就已经在这里了。即便我们这些神的命运，同样早已写就。”
“可怎么才能找到这本书？这里的书太多了。”
“这就要靠你了，”文学之神转向图书馆员，“我想你一定有办法找到这座图书馆最新收录的书。”
“这不算难。”图书馆员一脸喜悦地跑向最近的电脑。
“所以也存在一款游戏，内容是我的一生？”电子游戏之神问道。
“我猜有不止一款，就像有数不清的小说，讲的都是作者的缪斯。”
“就像在所有社交应用上都有我的账号一样。”社交媒体之神突然说道。
“嘿，我以为你已经走了。”电子游戏之神吃了一惊。
“其实，刚一离开这里，我就突然有种预感，下一个头条就在我鼻子底下。于是就回来看看你们有没有什么突破。调查得如何了？”
“我们还有机会破案。任何神的一生都与他们的根源紧密相关，只要找到那本预言他死亡的书，就能清楚真凶究竟是谁。”电子游戏之神口无遮拦地说道。
“听起来还挺新鲜。或许我也可以帮忙找找这本书？”说完，社交媒体之神径直走向电脑，开始帮助图书馆员。
“你认为文学有一天也会消失吗？电子游戏呢？”电子游戏之神似乎有些忧心忡忡。
“说实话，我也不知道。或许有一天，这世界上所有的故事都会被写完，人与人之间的情感都会被表达完毕，一切可能性都会被穷尽。到那时，或许我也会死吧。至于电子游戏，我想你还有很长一段人生路要走。”
她顿了一会儿，继续说道：“不过就像他说的，总会有全新的方式来讲故事，或是娱乐人类。新神会崛起，老神则会逝去。我们无计可施，只能享受现在。”
正当两人说话间，图书馆员和社交媒体之神手中端着两摞书走了过来。“最新的一批书是昨天到的。这也是这座图书馆收到的最后一批书。”
“看起来真相就藏在这些书之中。我猜应该是本侦探小说。”电子游戏之神从图书馆员手中接过半摞书，“我们开始吧。”
四人将书分好，各自翻阅。书的主题千奇百怪，有过时的技术书，网红指南，电子游戏的艺术设定集，等等。唯一缺席的类型，似乎是文学书籍。
彻查之后，他们却一无所获。
“或许这本书已经随书之神一同烧掉了？”社交媒体之神说道，“既然你知道这种事，其他神很可能也知道。我不认为他们会把这种证据留在犯罪现场。仔细想想，很可能就是你做的，对不对？”
他指向文学之神：“毕竟，你早就被视为他的接班人了，不是吗？”
文学之神轻笑一声，随后将手伸入裤袋，把裤兜翻了出来。“我建议我们翻翻自己的裤子。我们要找的这本书，应该就在某人的裤兜里。”
电子游戏之神的兜里只有一台小小的掌机，图书馆员的兜里则有几张图书借阅卡。社交媒体之神却面露难色。
“能否请你也像我们一样，翻翻自己的裤兜？毕竟，你是专程回来帮助我们解开这个谜的，对不对？”文学之神礼貌地问道。
社交媒体之神别无选择，将手伸入自己的裤袋，拿出了一本书。
书名是：《谋杀之谜》。
“这本书在最后这批书的清单里吗？”文学之神问图书馆员。
核对清单后，图书馆员确认道，“正是其中一本。我不太明白，这书本该和那堆书在一起才是。”
“有人借过这本书吗？尤其是这位男士。”她指向社交媒体之神。
“没有。昨天的典礼之后，图书馆就关门了，一本书都没借出去。”
“看起来凶手是谁，已经不言自明。”文学之神总结道，她指向社交媒体之神，“各位都同意吗？”
“等等，这是本老书。”社交媒体之神禁不住喊道，“里面什么都没有。什么也证明不了！”
“你说的不错。”文学之神答道，“这本书中的谋杀，和我们手头的案件并无关系。但你决定隐藏这本书的行为，恰恰是你的作案证据。这座图书馆中的任何一本书都有存档，既然这本书昨天才到，又没有被借出去，请你解释一下，它是何时何地进了你的口袋？”
“看来关于书的事，根本就是你编的。”社交媒体之神长叹一声。
“毕竟，我是文学之神，记得吗？”
凶案现场清理完毕后，图书馆员站在那堆灰烬所在之处。他望了这座宏伟的图书馆最后一眼，随后缓步走出大门，转身锁上。
日已西斜，他的背也显得有些佝偻，似乎一生最好的日子已经过去。他拄着那根手杖，缓步走向一条长凳。走到后，他坐下来，从口袋中掏出一本书，开始阅读。
书名依然是：《谋杀之谜》。
【英文版】
A Case of Identity
The god of book is dead.
His body (if you could call it that) was discovered in the morning.
When the librarian opened the door, there’s this pile of ash lying on the marble floor of the library hall. Only the walking stick was left intact on the side, without a single scratch.
“Burned to a crisp”, he murmured, then called it in.
Near noon, several gods were summoned to the scene.
“Is it suicide? That would make today’s headline!” the god of social media suggested, then took out his phone, began taking pictures, recording short videos & uploading them immediately.
“That would be a painful way to die if I may say. Besides, we can’t rule out murder, now can we?” the god of literature pondered, apparently lost in her own sorrow. There’s a glimmer of disbelief in her misty eyes.
“With all due respect, would you look around please,” the god of  technology raised his bony hands, “This is the last library on earth. Nobody read printed books anymore. We have so many brand new ways to learn, there’s no need to resort to these obsolete old stuff. I heard this library was already decided to be demolished in favor of another tech center. This place unnecessarily took up way more space after all. Actually, wasn't there a closing ceremony here just yesterday?”
“That has nothing to do with his death.” the god of literature talked back, “Even if this library is gone, those books remains. And to be honest, that would put you on the top of the suspect list.”
“That is absurd. I would have absolutely zero reason to do that.” the god of technology raised his voice, “No one can stand against evolution and expect to last forever, especially someone as old as him. Whether you like it or not, all these books must be gone sooner or later. Better get ready to jump ship yourself.”
“Who’s the last person to see him?” the god of video game interrupted.
“I am.” The librarian stepped forward. “After the ceremony, he stayed here after I locked the door.”
“He stayed here alone? What’s he up to?” the god of video game raised an eyebrow.
“He said there’s still some work left to do. So I left him with the books.” The librarian tried hard to recall but to no avail, “He usually stay late in the library anyway. So there’s nothing special about it. In fact, I’m looking forward to meet him in the morning.”
“‘The closed chamber murder of the god of book’ will make a significantly better headline.” the god of social media talked to himself, just a bit out loud for his own good.
“If you’ll excuse me, there’s lots of work ahead of me, especially the rebuilding plan of this monument. If there’s anything new, just let me know.” the god of technology waved his hands, then left the library.
There’s a bit of silence in the air.
“Can gods die? I thought we were eternal.” the god of video game asked.
“We’re alive as long as what we present is alive.” the god of literature answered, “Just as there’s the birth of everything, there’s also the death of everything. Even us gods are bound by these rules. If no one read books, the god of book will be gone for good.”
“So if no one play video games anymore, I’ll be a goner as well?”
“You’re probably right. And believe it or not, I always thought he’ll outlive me. However, here we are. All burned up, how ironic.”
“Why do people stop reading books?”
“Because they don’t get the time.” the god of social media answered without looking up, his head buried in his little phone. “Nobody got the time or the energy anymore. People’s attention span became shorter and shorter these days. No one can stand those tomes anyway. Well, thanks to me, I guess.”
“I still think there’s more to it than meets the eye.” the god of literature insisted, “I’ll look into it myself.”
“Always so overthinking, never accept the chaos as it is. No wonder you’re the god of literature.” the god of social media sighed before left for the next hotspot.
“Even if nobody read books anymore, there’s still no reason for him to burn himself to death.” the god of video game said, “He should just vanish into thin air, right? It doesn’t have to be this way, right?”
“Don’t panic, it’s not like you’re going to be butchered by the hands of desperate & irresponsible parents.” the god of literature shook her head slightly, “I hadn’t seen any god died by my own eyes before either. But I’m afraid what we had on our hands right now is a murder case.”
“How can you be so sure?” asked the librarian, “Maybe he just lost all hope. The library is shutting down, the books have nowhere to go, and people stopped reading printed books anyway. What’s the point of keeping on?”
“If he’s that desperate, then why didn’t he burned the whole library with him?” the god of literature calmly deduced, “Even though he’s rather old, also so much weaker these days, he’s never a maniac. Besides, I think there’s still some readers out there.”
“Then who did this to him? And why?” the god of video game asked.
“There’s no sigh of struggling, but no one could burn him alive just like that. So I think the god of book was already dead before the burning. All this mess was just done to cover the traces.”
“That means the murderer have to break into the locked library, kill the god of book, burn him to ashes, then get out again before the librarian came in the morning.” the god of literature concludes, “Is the lock secure in the morning?”
“It’s exactly the same way I left it last night.” the librarian assured her.
“Is there any other entrance to the library?”
“I’m afraid not. After the ceremony, the other exit was sealed off throughly.”
“Then either the murderer can phase into thin air, or it’s still in the library when you left last night, and remained here when you came in this morning. Say, when did you came in?” the god of literature turned to the god of video game.
“I stayed up almost all night playing, so I’m still sleeping when I got the call.” the god of video game shrugged his shoulders, “So I’m the last one here. Actually, I’m still feeling a little dizzy now.”
“And I’m the first one to come.” the god of literature said to herself, “Did you remember when the other two arrived?”
The librarian thought for a while, “Sorry, I vaguely remember the tall guy’s here behind you, but the kid seemed to appear out of nowhere. He’s really not an easy one to notice, always feel like a blur to me.”
“Shouldn’t we call them back here immediately?” the god of video game suggested.
“Even if they came back, there’ll be no evidence to pin them down.” the god of literature murmured, “both of them have the motivation. The god of technology want to build his grand tech center right under our feet, and the god of social media didn’t want anybody to return to reading. Books will always be a threat to him. However, any remaining evidence must have been dealt with by now.”
“So there’s no way to solve this mystery?” the librarian sighed.
“There’s still one way to find out the truth.” the god of literature said.
“How?” the god of video game seems a bit lost.
“Since gods are related to the very thing they represent, so are their lives. In other words, if the god of book was murdered. There must be a book about this incident. Considering all the books in this world are currently kept in this library. It’s just a matter of time before we find it out.”
“So you’re saying after the murder, a book will emerge out of nowhere in this library?”
“No. I think it’s already there, right before the murder happened. Even for us gods, destiny was written in stone.”
“But how could we find this book? There’s so many here.”
“That’s where you came in,” the god of literature turned to the librarian, “I believe you have a way to find the newest entry in this library.”
“Actually, I do.” the librarian looked delighted as he ran through to the nearest terminal.
“So there’s a game about my life as a god too?” the god of video game asked.
“I bet there’re several games, just as there should be lots of novels about the author’s muse.”
“Just as there’s an account for me across all the apps available.” the god of social media suddenly suggested.
“Hey, I thought you already left.” the god of video game was surprised.
“Actually, after leaving here, I suddenly had a gut feeling the next headline could be right here under my nose. So I returned to check out whether you guys had any breakthrough. How’s the investigation going?”
“We might still have a chance. Since the life of any god is tightly connected to its root, as soon as we find the one book foretelling his death, we’ll discover the culprit right away.” the god of video game swiftly answered.
“Well that sounds new to me. Maybe I can help find this book?” after saying that, the god of social media went straight to the terminal and helped the librarian.
“Do you think literature will disappear some day? What about video games?” the god of video game seems a bit worried.
“In fact, I didn’t know the answer to that. Maybe one day, all the stories in the world will be written, all the emotions between people will be expressed, all the possibilities will be exhausted. Then, maybe I will die too. As for video game, I think you still have a long life ahead of you.”
She paused for a moment, then continued: “But one day, just like that man said, there’ll be all these new ways to tell stories, to entertain people. New gods will rise, old gods will fade. There’s nothing you can do, except enjoy the ride.”
As they were talking, the librarian & the god of social media returned with two large stacks of books in their hands. “The newest entry happened to be delivered yesterday. That should be the last batch we received.”
“Looks like the truth should be among them. I bet it’s a detective story.” the god of video game took over half the books from the librarian, “Let’s find out.”
The four of them divided the books and began checking. The topics of these books varied a lot, there’re books about outdated technology, guidance to be an internet celebrity, concept art books for video games, and so on. The only genre missing out seems to be literature.
After checking the books throughly, they still couldn’t find the   one they’re looking for.
“Maybe the book was burned along with the god of book?” the god of social media suggested, “Since you knew these type of things, the other gods have a fat chance of knowing it too. And I don’t think they would have left such an important evidence in the crime scene. Come to think of it, you might be just the one to do it, right?”
He pointed his finger to the god of literature: “After all, you’re expected to succeed him, am I right?”
The god of literature smiled, then reached into her trouser pockets and turned it inside out. “I suggest we emptied our pockets now. I believe the book we’re looking for resides in one pocket among us.”
The god of video game apparently only had a small handheld in his pockets, while the librarian had some library cards in his pockets. But the god of social media looked a bit awkward.
“Well, would you be so kind to empty your pockets, just like us? After all, you’ve come to help us solve the mystery, ain’t that right?” the god of literature asked politely.
With no other choice, the god of social media reached into his pockets, and took out a book.
The name of the book is: Murder Mystery.
“Is this book in the list of the last batch?” the god of literature asked the librarian.
After checking the list, the librarian confirmed, “This is one of them. I’m not sure why it’s not in the batch.”
“Had it been borrowed by anyone yet? Especially this gentleman here.” she referred to the god of social media.
“Not yet. The library closed right after the ceremony, not a single book was lent out.”
“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a murderer at hand.” the god of literature concluded, pointing to the god of social media, “Are we all agreed?”
“Wait, wait, the book isn’t a new one.” the god of social media can’t help but yelled, “There’s nothing in it. It can prove nothing!”
“You’re right about one thing.” the god of literature replied, “The murder in this book has nothing to do with our case. But the fact that you’re trying to hide this book, is exactly the proof we need to pin you down. Every book is catalogued in the library, since this one only came in yesterday, and nobody had borrowed it yet. Please explain to me, how and when did it end up in your pocket?”
“So the whole book thing is made up by you.” the god of social media let out a sigh.
“After all, I’m the god of literature, remember?”
After the crime scene was cleared, the librarian stood before where the ash was. He took one last look at the library in all its glory, then stepped back slowly to the door, locked it and turned around.
The sun is setting, his back seemed a little bent, as if the best days of his life had gone. He took out the walking stick, began moving slowly toward a long bench. Once there, he sat down, took out a book from his pocket and began reading.
The title of the book remains the same: Murder Mystery.