Why is my journey to the world of anime a strange tale of rules?

Two hundred children, two hundred families, but fewer than fifty researchers are responsible for the surveillance. Twenty of those are leaders who aren't working on the front lines—of course, Sato is a leader too. Half of the remaining twenty-odd researchers have other responsibilities, meaning only a dozen or so can truly dedicate themselves fully to the surveillance work.

[How is it possible for a dozen people to be responsible for recording every single word spoken by two hundred elementary school students and their families every single day?]

[—Day 709]

The plan to request personnel from the military was rejected. Those guys claimed the situation at the front was urgent and they couldn't spare any manpower to help us. Didn't they say the war was going smoothly? They even said America's most powerful ship, the Enterprise, had been completely sunk, and that victory was advancing steadily. How come they can't even spare some manpower to help?

[Sato still approved the plan. He said it was all or nothing now. Damn it, I don't want to die here!]

[—The 723rd day]

As expected, there was a management mess from the start; our staff simply couldn't control these students.

Sato built a kennel on the first floor and hired a guy who liked to eat dog meat as an assistant. He seemed to intend to use a simple and crude method to add some kind of concept to "Darkness," using bloody and cruel visuals to increase "Darkness's" aggressiveness, ensuring that a monster that would satisfy the military could be created.

And yet, I still haven't been able to escape this awful place... I think I probably won't be able to leave here safely.

[—Day 759]

A student has gone missing, but no monitoring record was left. Something's not right. Why don't we have this student's monitoring record?

[—Day 898]

More than 10 students have gone missing. Their disappearances are unusual, and we have been unable to determine the cause.

[—Ninth ■■■■■ (Time records begin to become blurred)]

[Sato locked up a suspected student, who was an orphan, chosen because of [someone's] actions (the record is further obscured)]

They were wrong.

[■■■End■]

【■■■】

【Do you want to see it?】

I can no longer leave this place.

But perhaps, I can still be friends with you.

Or perhaps I've always been your friend, you just haven't remembered.

My name is Atsuko Kamiki. I'm a teacher at Hayate Elementary School and your friend. Do you remember me? You've never forgotten me, have you?

Yes, that's right, that's right, we've always lived here, haven't we? Do you remember when we ate together in the cafeteria? I told you, the boy in my class who was keeping an eye on things always hid snacks in his drawer, thinking no one else had noticed.

You said you really wanted to go somewhere quiet, and that you hadn't been out for a long time.

It's okay, we have plenty of time now, don't we?

Since we're free right now, let's go explore the surrounding area together.

Anyway, Sato and those annoying superiors are nowhere to be found, so they probably won't suddenly appear to monitor our words and actions, right?

So, what do you all think?

Mr. Gao, oh, and Mr. Gao's student, Xiao Sigong, but it's best not to bring your dog to school.

How about we go outside for a walk? Staying in this classroom all the time is pretty boring, isn't it?

Oh, you agreed! That's great, let's go then.

I've actually been wanting to talk to you guys about the past, how long we wasted in this godforsaken place, and the fact that we ultimately achieved nothing.

step-step-

Why do you have such a strange expression? Mr. Gao, aren't we friends? You mentioned footsteps? Maybe it's just other people coming this way. It's nothing serious, no need to worry about it.

You asked me the child's name?

[What child? I'm not quite sure. Hmm? The name of the child Mr. Sato has his eye on?]

[What a strange question...]

step-step-

You're saying I must know? Because I'm your friend, so I must know?

That's a strange thing to say... uh, I...

"Alright, alright, discovering that child's problem is indeed quite difficult. Of course, if we investigate seriously, we can definitely succeed. How could a child possibly hide anything from us? Remember when we investigated together? We... uh, you only want the name? Mr. Gao, aren't you being a bit too hasty? It's probably better not to talk to your friends like that."

Tap—tap—click—

[Ah, someone's knocking at the door, so—hey, Mr. Gao, are you really that concerned about that name?]

[Okay, okay, don't do this, don't do this. I know, I do know that person's name—why are you doing this—okay, okay, don't get agitated, don't get agitated.]

The girl's name was Bee House.

Click!

tread--

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Shattered Moment of Death and the Last Things Seen

Consciousness became confused and unclear once again.

I vaguely remember drawing a pistol and pulling the trigger at something.

I can't remember when or where the shooting happened.

I can't remember what I encountered, or what happened after that encounter.

How many shots did he fire?

One shot... no, it seems like two shots?

When I fired the first shot, I could still feel that I was holding the gun in my hand.

When the second shot was fired... something seemed to change; in that instant, an unexpected change occurred.

He was unable to fire a third shot.

In fact, the gun seemed to have fallen from his hand before the second shot was even fully fired. Only because his consciousness remained connected to the gun was he able to control it and complete the second firing.

By the time he tried to fire the third shot, it was too late.

Two suppressive rounds were not enough to suppress the thing's movements; they only slowed it down slightly, for less than a tenth of a second, so short that even the shooter himself did not feel the extremely brief delay.

Then, he was unable to hold the gun or convey his intention to fire.

What the hell does this happen?

What exactly is that thing...?

No... wait... where am I...?

I felt my body being dragged.

I felt the rope wrap around my feet.

I felt myself being suspended upside down in the air.

Sizzling——sizzling——

The bloodstained blade is being sharpened on the whetstone.

The firefighter had already fallen to the ground nearby, his body quickly dissipating and disappearing without a trace.

The stench was spreading in all directions.

That was the smell of blood, the smell of decay, a nauseating stench mixed with excrement and putrid swill.

My vision seems to be recovering little by little, and my senses are gradually returning to normal from a state of being unable to function.

Then I saw footsteps approaching me.

Gao Hai couldn't make out what the thing looked like.

It may not have originally been like this. When this thing was still alive, before it became like this, it may have been an ordinary person, someone with some hobbies that were a little different from ordinary people, but not a bad person at heart, living its own ordinary life.

But that has nothing to do with it now.

A heavy darkness enveloped the thing, and filthy bloodstains and dirty marks covered its burly body, which was wearing an apron.

A stench permeated the area around the monster. Looking closely, one could almost see a slight visual distortion on its body and clothing, which would quickly return to normal, as if it were all just an illusion.

Whispers arose all around, echoing from the massive body, like children muttering something under their breath, or like the curses emanating from a non-human, malevolent creature. Whatever they were, they were now deeply intertwined with this monstrous thing, shaping its current form.

Where the creature's face should have been was now covered by black, graffiti-like lines. These lines, like snakes, were densely coiled around its face. Although the graffiti lines themselves were visually two-dimensional, they completely obscured its head and appearance from any angle, revealing only a few tangled gray-black hairs.

At that moment, Gao Hai understood the essence of this thing.

It is a bizarre creature with hybrid properties.

It, which once lived in this world as a human, has died and transformed into a strange creature.

It, the fictional creature in the children's imagination, is still alive, and has also been transformed into a strange entity.

These two distinct individuals have now merged together in a mixed manner, forming the strange creature we know today.

Simply interpreting the rules of one individual is ineffective. Both sources of this complex must be analyzed, and their historical origins and rule structures must be clarified in order to unleash the maximum power of the suppression bomb and ensure that they are suppressed and sealed in one fell swoop.

Gao Hai only came to understand this matter now.

Unfortunately, it's probably too late now.

puff--

The blade pierced his body.

The chaotic and blurry consciousness suddenly became clear at this moment.

Gao Hai felt the blade pierce through his fur, slowly cutting a long, bloody gash.

Those large, grimy hands, wearing rubber gloves, reached out, slipped through the wound, grabbed the skin on both sides, and then tore it open.

The color of blood quickly blurred Gao Hai's vision.

Amidst the intense pain, he could vaguely see the tall figure tearing a scruffy dog ​​skin off his body.

A scruffy dog ​​skin... Is that me?

If I were to become a dog a second time, would it turn out like this? Or is there some mechanism I still don't understand...?