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

Jianzi quickly felt a distinct dent, like a line spreading along one side of his head, as if something had sliced ​​his skull open horizontally and then pieced it back together.

"Woo..."

In the instant she realized she had undergone brain surgery, the girl saw something deeper and more profound.

It was a base hidden deep underground.

That was an organization that has disappeared into history.

They discovered something from ancient times, and they began to study it. The research institute that went deep underground was named "Baydos".

"Huh...huh..."

The girl's breathing was becoming increasingly rapid.

She was already aware that what she was perceiving was extremely dangerous and that she shouldn't continue watching, at least not while she was alone and without anyone to protect her.

Under normal circumstances, even players with strong perception wouldn't be able to use a ghost story mechanic to perceive it in return. However, setting aside Miko's unprecedented perceptive abilities, she was already at a depth that ordinary players couldn't reach, and in fact, she had already gained an understanding of the cognitive blocking mechanism through Gao Hai's explanation. The result of these coincidences was that her perception was extremely successful at this moment, and she saw the things of [Baidos] in the blink of an eye.

There is no way to control this perception.

By the time the girl realized it, she had already seen the figures standing in the darkness.

This research institute is nearing its capacity to continue its research. With the increasing number of test subjects dying and the resulting proliferation of strange tales, over two-thirds of the research area has had to be sealed off, and the remaining third is at risk of being corrupted by some eerie force. We can proceed to the next step now. Following instructions from higher-ups, we will continue our research in a new, enclosed location.

Someone asked in a low voice.

"Hmm, I know that place. It's Jonathan's university, right? He named it Bythos too. Heh, I bet he really doesn't want to see me here, but things are different now. It's not so easy to stay out of the loop these days."

Someone was sighing, their voice carrying a hint of helplessness, yet also a hint of expectation.

So what should we do with this research institute? If we just leave it unattended, it could cause serious problems, especially since there are traces of the "■■ Hotel" here. Japan has already begun to utilize those technologies extensively, and as a monitoring station, this place will inevitably be affected. Don't forget, nearly one-fifth of the researchers' faces are already unrecognizable; those substances could very well spread.

Someone else spoke up to warn them, their voice filled with worry.

[…Seal it off, use poison gas…no, no poison gas, just seal the gate, give them instructions to hold the base until new orders arrive, and then leave it alone. As long as the understanding that “the gate can only be opened after receiving new orders” exists in the minds of those inside the research institute, even if they die, the gate will not be opened.]

The person who was expressing his feelings turned around and prepared to leave.

What about the "monitors" themselves? Don't forget, they exist both here and in Japan. Simply sealing off our research institute won't contain them. They... no, they've already broken free from physical constraints to some extent. What if something goes wrong...?

Some people are still hesitating.

[Failure on the Japanese side is inevitable; it makes no difference. If things really go wrong in the end, it's God's judgment on our blasphemous acts. Since we dared to dabble in such inhuman power, we must be prepared to fail. Alright, there's no need to continue discussing this. Our current research direction has failed, and my path... has also failed...]

With a sigh, the old man with gray hair, whose face gradually became clearer from its blurry state, spoke as he left without looking back.

The sound of bullets being chambered rang out one after another.

Jianzi saw those figures stepping into the bottomless darkness one after another, and saw the door slowly closing.

She also saw herself, standing inside that door, about to be locked inside as the only door connecting to the ground gradually closed.

Is this... the Baydos Academy, one of the four major areas of [Campus Ghost Stories]?

No, that's not right, this isn't the Bydos Academy.

This is the end of the very first [Baidos], before the existence of the Baydos Academy, when they truly began to study some unknown supernatural power and embarked on this cruel, terrifying, and bloody path.

So this is ah.

Therefore, the [Baidos Academy] area is unsolvable. No matter how many players come and explore it, they will not be able to find a way to break the core obsession. Even if they later managed to remove one of the core obsession objects, it would only lead the dungeon to a more twisted and terrifying state, making this dungeon area even more unsolvable.

Because the origin of Bydos is not in that school at all. The so-called school is just the final result, while the real Bydos, which is the cause, is hidden in a location that is almost impossible for players to reach.

It's like a deliberately designed, malicious death game that leaves no way out from the very beginning, full of misleading and erroneous elements.

No wonder Baydos is described by players as a place of certain death; in such a situation, there's practically no chance of survival. Even those who can repeatedly revive and rewind time would likely struggle to find a way out if thrown into Baydos Academy.

But now all players who enter this instance have the potential to break the deadlock.

Because all players in this instance were inexplicably given a special identity, one called the "Monitor".

Players holding this identity essentially exist simultaneously in both the Bydos Underground Research Institute and Nightfall Mountain High School. Their existence is established in both places at the same time, thus granting them the qualification to explore the origins of Bydos from the outset. Although, under normal circumstances, this qualification might only become apparent after exploring Nightfall Mountain High School to a considerable extent and obtaining very in-depth information.

However, Miko skipped this process. After first experiencing the cognitive blocking mechanism and realizing through touch that she had undergone "brain surgery," she immediately triggered the perception of related information.

But that wasn't the biggest gain.

Despite obtaining information that Gao Hai had failed to acquire in two consecutive cycles, in Miko's view, the most important thing she saw in that instant was not the identity of the monitor.

"Alas……"

However, she couldn't voluntarily stop her senses.

The surroundings were beginning to grow cold and gloomy.

Something is slowly eroding the room, dragging Miko herself away to another place.

She saw the color of the walls gradually change, various German signs gradually appear, and the walls gradually changed from white paint to cold cement gray stone walls. She also saw iron railings and chains, and some things gradually emerged from the shadows.

No... I still can't stop...

If this continues... they... will see me...

The increasingly distressed girl collapsed to the ground, curling up as she struggled to breathe. More and more obvious stitches began to appear on her head, and various injuries began to appear on her body.

Gao Hai: Calm down, see your son, stay calm.

A familiar voice rang out from the deepest part of my heart in the next moment.

The sense of security transmitted through the spiritual connection, along with the blessing power, allowed Miko's confused thoughts to return to normal at that moment.

She took a deep breath, then coughed, got up, and spat out several mouthfuls of black, foul-smelling blood.

The distorted and frantic voice in her mind gradually subsided, and Miko's consciousness was no longer suffering any further damage due to the vomiting she had just experienced.

{Gao Hai: How are things now? I've temporarily isolated you because I sensed something. You should still be in the archives, right? Don't leave that place, and don't listen to, look at, or pay attention to anything unusual around you. Until I figure out a way to get you out of there, you need to do your best—}

{Yotsuya Miko: I've seen the second core obsession of Baidos. When it was alive, it was the director of the [Baidos Underground Research Institute], the one who truly began researching a certain mysterious ghost story product, even before Yoruyama Middle School, Fujika Middle School, and Hayate Elementary School. It is one of the two core obsessions that constitute [Baidos], the second core obsession that all the players involved in Baidos have been unable to find. And its obsession is to create a truly meaningful [third life that merges ghost stories and humanity]}

{Gao Hai:? ? ? }

Without the slightest hesitation, Jianzi transmitted the most crucial information he had gleaned from his perception.

She knew that although her willpower was not bad, her ability to protect herself was extremely poor. If the core obsession she sensed had a counter-rule, then she would have no chance of surviving the strange tales.

Therefore, I must tell the relevant information to my seniors as soon as possible before I die.

With this in mind, Jianzi dropped a bombshell on Gao Hai, leaving him speechless and unsure of what to say.

However, it seems that no attacks have occurred.

Jianzi had prepared herself to die a heroic death before she could finish speaking, but after waiting anxiously for a while, she did not see any hideous or terrifying monster suddenly appear in front of her to take her life.

She only heard a sound from not far away.

The voice that rang out outside the archives room seemed to be that of a young girl, a voice I felt I'd heard somewhere before.

Please don't open the door for me!

Along with that sound came more subtle sounds, like the laughter and chatter of many students, and indistinct roars and howls that seemed to be blocked by something.

Chapter 59: A Battle of Gods Based on Core Obsessions and the Disruptive Intruders

This……

Subconsciously widened her eyes

What on earth is this...

At this moment, his facial expression control completely failed, and he couldn't help but reveal a shocked look.

What the hell is going on here?!

Xiong Mi thought she had made sufficient preparations, but now she has to admit that she still lacks experience.

Before even stepping into the affiliated teaching building, Xiong Mi had already prepared herself for a fierce and unpredictable encounter when she observed the unusual changes inside the building.

Upon entering the first floor and sensing the increasingly eerie atmosphere spreading throughout the building, Xiong Mi was already prepared for a fierce battle.

As Xiong Mi ascended the stairs to the second floor, the terrifying aura surrounding him grew increasingly intense. He was prepared to advance at all costs, determined to reunite with the player in the archives on the second floor and relay the information he had witnessed.

But when she actually arrived on the second floor, she found that it was not at all what she had expected.

The wall was torn apart.

The ground was violently twisting.

The students' figures flickered and wavered, as if there was a bad signal, and they could not be seen in their entirety.

The broadcast emitted a constant stream of shrill static, accompanied by sounds like someone screaming and screaming, as if it was trying to convey something but was unable to make a normal sound due to some strong interference.

The toilet was completely distorted, like a scene reflected in a funhouse mirror, and blood was flowing out incessantly. From inside, a sound like someone singing could be heard.

It was like the bizarre and distorted hallucinations described by those who survived eating unknown Yunnan mushrooms, then filtered with blood and horror. At this moment, the entire second floor of the affiliated teaching building seemed to be torn into countless pieces and then reassembled, torn apart again, and reassembled again, so distorted that it was impossible to see what it originally looked like.

However, if that were all, Xiong Mi wouldn't think there was much to say. Having experienced countless dungeon missions over the past two years, she had seen far more terrifying and bizarre scenes than this; this level of childishness was hardly enough to cause her to lose sanity or get injured.

The problem is that, in addition to these things, there are some things on the second floor that shouldn't be there.

Rusty metal railings lined up one by one, seemingly appearing out of thin air on a section of wall.

The floor tiles disappeared abruptly after extending for a distance, turning into a pure gray cement floor with some signs that looked like German.

Some figures dressed in completely black, clearly adults, mingled among the students, flickering like phantoms alongside the eerie students. These things didn't seem like locals from Nightfall Mountain Middle School at all; they looked more like strange creatures that had popped out of some other instance.

And, most importantly...

"Don't get agitated. She's not the person you know now. Don't get close to her lightly."

He reached out and stopped Goto Ichiri, who was already somewhat agitated, from behind.

Xiong Mi's gaze was fixed on the red-haired girl standing at the end of the completely distorted corridor, in front of a door, her body swaying slightly.

Kita Ikuyo.

She once formed a three-person Red Moon-level player team with Goto Ichiri and Aoyama Nanami. They had entered and exited several high-difficulty Dark Night and Red Moon-level dungeons. Although she was not particularly outstanding compared to the other two members, there was no doubt that her strength had definitely reached the Red Moon level.

However, all of this ended when Kita Ikuyo was critically injured by the power of the ghost stories at Yoruyama Middle School in the [School Ghost Stories] instance, and then possessed by the obsession of the unknown third core. Her family forgot about Kita Ikuyo, her bandmates who had worked hard with her forgot her existence, and only Goto Ichiri, the player, could not forget her and still wanted to save her friend.

According to the information about Kita Ikuyo that Takami released after passing through Fujika Junior High School, although it can be confirmed that this unfortunate girl still retains some degree of self-awareness, the ghost story that possesses her has undoubtedly and almost completely controlled her, basically allowing her to kill and cause destruction at will through Kita without any restraint.

At this moment, the half-human, half-ghost girl stood on one side of the corridor, with a somewhat dazed and silly smile on her face. She would occasionally reach out and knock on the door, muttering things like, "Don't open the door for me~".