The university library’s basement was a tomb of forgotten knowledge, a subterranean labyrinth where the air was thick with the scent of damp concrete, rotting paper, and the cold, metallic tang of industrial pipes. At 9 PM, the silence here was absolute, heavy enough to make your ears ring, broken only by the distant, rhythmic hum of the building’s ventilation system. The fluorescent lights overhead flickered with a dying buzz, casting long, jagged shadows that seemed to dance against the stained walls.