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

Open the lectern drawer, tap the blackboard, and try writing various words on it.

The girl looked around very carefully, but her movements were not slow at all. In less than a few minutes, she had basically covered the entire classroom.

No valuable clues were found, but that was to be expected. After all, if it were that easy to find clues, Xiong Mi wouldn't have entered this classroom empty-handed. So, the reason Qian Hua is doing this now is actually just to cover her tracks.

After all, his current unusual behavior would definitely be observed by Takamagahara.

These guys, trapped in the dungeon for years, undoubtedly know far more than the players in this group. If there are indeed hidden observation points within the school building, [Takamagahara] couldn't possibly be unaware of them. It's even possible that these scumbags are able to observe every aspect of the dungeon precisely because of these hidden observation points within the school. If that's the case, perhaps their gaze is currently being watched through some unseen observation point.

So the question is, how do we find this observation point now, and how do we use this observation point to find the [observation ritual process] that has not yet been started, and ensure that Ahai can reproduce the operation and do it again as soon as possible in the next cycle?

Chika reached out and gently wiped away the chalk dust from the blackboard.

She slowly walked out of the classroom and into the next classroom, her gaze lingering on the wall separating the two classrooms, roughly determining the wall's thickness.

Well, with this thickness, unless there's a spatial distortion, it's impossible to provide researchers with hiding places like Fujika Junior High and Hayate Elementary School. Furthermore, that kind of simple and crude observation method is likely what Sato's group of researchers commonly use; the Etani group of researchers at Yoruyama Junior High probably don't use that method.

So, let's think outside the box and consider what alternative solutions there might be.

Is there anything that can continuously observe everything that happens in this school, no matter when or where?

In an era before computers were invented, what could these researchers rely on to observe Eriko Asamoto's every move and ensure that they always kept this experimental subject under their control?

There is only one answer.

The girl turned her head and looked around at the empty classroom.

No, the classroom is not empty.

Some students were still sitting in their seats, watching Chika intently as she arrived.

Although she couldn't see the students, Chika believed that there must be students watching them.

Following the teacher's instructions, observing everything around them, and reporting back regularly—this way, the students, who were themselves experimental subjects, could also act as observers, saving time and effort while achieving two goals at once. As for how to find sufficiently obedient students who could follow orders, that certainly wasn't a problem for researchers of that era. After all, those ugly and vile creatures were truly capable of anything for their own desires.

Drug control? Threats from family members?

Regardless of the specific methods used, the researchers must have left their "eyes" within the school. These special students, mingling among the ordinary students, seemingly just going with the flow, were actually acting as the eyes of the observers. Even after these students died for various reasons, they were transformed into some kind of strange entity under the researchers' control, and were then ordered by the researchers to provide various observations.

Chika felt that this conjecture was very close to the truth.

The problem now is, once a hypothesis is formed, how can it be proven? After all, if such special student-like anomalies truly exist, then given my current student status, I shouldn't be able to communicate with them.

Unless I become one of them.

The girl's eyes lit up.

{Fujiwara Chika: Umi, among the obsession items you robbed, were there any that could attract hidden monsters, or confirm the existence of special monsters? I have some conjectures that need to be verified. (Explains her thoughts)}

{Gao Hai: Let me see… I have a possession item, a white candle. When lit and held, it temporarily makes the surrounding monsters mistake it for one of their own, which can be used for protection or intelligence gathering. However, if used for too long, the user will gradually become one with the monster, undergoing a change in their very being. Also, don't let it burn out completely; if it burns out in one go, something bad will happen to the user.}

{Fujiwara Chika: Looks like we should really thank these fanatics who came into the dungeon to attack us. Give me this object of obsession, Akai.}

{Gao Hai: OK}

Because the two had already established a deep connection, Gao Hai quickly passed this object of his obsession to Qian Hua.

A small white candle, about 10 centimeters tall and as thick as a thumb, appeared in Chika's hand.

It feels a little cool, and I can faintly smell a foul odor. Hmm, this thing... could it be made from human fat?

Some discordant thoughts popped into Chika's mind, but she quickly dismissed them, lit the candle, and stood still holding the object.

Normally, after the broadcast, all the monster students should have gone to hunt down the players on the list. So even if I light this candle now, it's impossible for it to attract any monsters. Therefore, if my guess is wrong, then nothing will happen.

【Om—】

A piercing static noise came on the radio.

Fujiwara Chika frowned slightly, and then she noticed that one of the mental fragments that Takahashi had left in her consciousness to guard against contamination had suddenly shattered.

I'd almost forgotten about this fragment. After all, in the long-term assimilation process of this kind of instance, protective measures capable of instantly delivering high-intensity mental pollution are pretty useless. But that attack just now shouldn't have been from a monster, right? The one who acted at that exact moment—could it have been someone from [Takamagahara]?

[Buzz—Buzz—]

A continuous noise came from the radio, like something was making a mournful howl.

The mental fragments protecting Chika's consciousness began to shatter continuously. It was clear that under this constant and intense mental impact, it wouldn't be long before she lost her protection and her consciousness would be directly shattered in the impact, turning her into a demented person without a self.

It seems my guess was indeed correct.

Otherwise, there would be no need for such an intense attack on himself. Hmph, he's completely panicked now that he's about to lose the game.

Chika was already able to sense the aura that was gradually appearing around her.

She held up a white candle and turned to look around.

The students, pale-faced, with obvious stitches on their heads, covered in blood and grime, and bearing the marks of torture, stood around her.

These silent figures have always been here.

Their traces can be found in teaching buildings, dormitories, sports fields, and anywhere students are active.

However, no one pays attention to them, no one can see them, and even if a careful student occasionally notices something amiss, the researchers in charge of managing them will eliminate any potential hazards. After all, they are very important as observation points, so anything that might reduce their efficiency or interfere with their work will be quickly eliminated.

They were also among the earliest test subjects, used to test whether individuals capable of understanding certain instructions could be selected and who would continue to obey commands even after death. Therefore, even in death, they could not escape this hell, but could only become a part of it, continuing an endless cycle.

However, it has indeed been a long time since anyone has woken them up to continue their previous work reporting process.

It has been a very, very long time since any new Eriko Asamoto has been observed.

The flame of the white candle flickered gently.

Fujiwara Chika closed her eyes, feeling the rapidly increasing assimilation within her body and the gradually dissipating sense of self. In her final moments, she spoke through the mental link:

{Ahai, remember to draw me nicely!}

boom!

A bullet pierced the girl's skull, bringing her a painless rest in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, Gao Hai, who was in the underground base, had already drawn a portrait of Fujiwara Chika with the [Persistent Pen], and through this painting, he obtained information about the strange creatures that were synchronized with Chika and belonged to those [Observation Processes].

The startup instructions are in the broadcast...

Specific broadcast messages are needed to activate these strange entities from their dormant state, restarting the observation process that has been stagnant for decades. Hmm, the specific content of the message… the hidden coded messages concealed within normal broadcasts… I see, I understand completely now…

Gao Hai closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.

He has indeed obtained one of the last pieces of the puzzle, and there is not much left to prepare for the final resolution.

In order to prevent Chika from truly becoming one of those things and falling into the same grotesque state as them, Gao Hai decided, after obtaining the final information, to give her a quick death and leave her with no painful memories.

Although everything would have vanished after the rollback, so ignoring Chika wouldn't have been a problem. And being far away in the underground base, he couldn't actually hear or see Chika's suffering, but Takami still made this choice, deciding to end her suffering early.

As for why, he wasn't really sure; perhaps he just felt there was no need for her to suffer any more pain.

Thinking this, Takahashi looked ahead and saw the medical room door, still bearing the bloodstains of Morihara Koji, leading to it. He exchanged a glance with Kaguya beside him, then they both stepped forward, grabbed the doorknob, and pulled it open.

Chapter 133: Those Who Don't Follow the Script and the Bloodshed That Is No Longer Concealed

The main campus of Yeluoshan Middle School is now in complete chaos.

Nearly ten thousand strange students poured out from all directions, parading around the school's roads, running merrily on the grass, and darting through the bushes in the forest. Such a vibrant scene is undoubtedly quite rare in every sense.

As for the fanatics who are being chased by these strange creatures, jumping up and down and unable to shake them off no matter where they run, the only word to describe their feelings at this moment is probably "numbness".

numb.

Really numb.

"Why are they all chasing us? What's going on?! Damn it, was the previous 'divine revelation' just a trick on us?"

Miotiad roared furiously. He had thought he had received help from some secret being, but now his eyes were bloodshot, and he wanted nothing more than to find the guy who had promised to help him and tear him to pieces.

"Forget about that now, let's figure out a way to escape. Damn it... why are these things blocking our escape route through the forest? This can't be something these monsters did on their own; someone must be directing it from behind the scenes!"

A young man named Maseru, who was following Miotiad, roared indignantly, glancing back every now and then at the strange creatures chasing after them.

"No, this won't do. We're not going to escape at all. How can there be so many strange creatures at Nightfall Mountain Middle School? Why have we never seen anything like this in our previous exploration records? Is this really Nightfall Mountain Middle School?!"

Zoma, who was running on the other side, was on the verge of a mental breakdown. He had just tried to use several objects of his obsession, but without exception, they were like water droplets falling into the ocean, having no effect whatsoever.

Too much.

There are just too many ghosts.

This densely packed, eerie mountain and sea of ​​creatures surrounded us from all directions, a sea of ​​heads stretching as far as the eye could see. If humans, gathered in such numbers, might still have to worry about the danger of being trampled, then these undead monsters were like the zombie horde from "World War Z," but an invincible horde, surging and surging with the same passionate energy as a cafeteria opening for lunch.

Faced with monsters of this magnitude, especially those from a Red Moon-level dungeon, the three fanatics simply couldn't muster any will to fight. Ultimately, these individuals were merely people lost in their own supernatural powers, falling into a kind of religious fanaticism, and were not on the same level as true martyrs who were so fanatical in their faith that they lost all reason and the ability to think for themselves. Therefore, faced with a hopeless reality from which there was no way to resist, all the three players could do was desperately try to escape.

"You bastard, you can't hide outside, get inside! Over there, go that way!"

Forced by the terrifying number of strange creatures, the three fanatics eventually rushed into the indoor stadium, intending to use the complex indoor environment to shake them off.

Regardless of whether their frantic escape will yield any successful results, at the same time, in some unknown corner of Takamagahara, which was secretly observing everything, things were also in a state of chaos.

[How could this be?! How were these guys able to counter the broadcast?! How could they have been lying in wait in the broadcast room beforehand?! This is completely illogical! Absolutely illogical!!!]

Someone let out an incredulous cry, their voice filled with venomous resentment.

[That player who's almost completely assimilated—could she be the one who sent the message? Is it some kind of telepathic communication ability? If so, we shouldn't have missed it, right?]

[And why would someone who was assimilated into a student, even if she became a monster, be at the very bottom of the hierarchy, to obtain this kind of information and gain the approval of other students? This is completely abnormal!]

[Damn Sato, is there something wrong with the information Etani left behind? How come we've never seen anything like this before?! You bastard, are you hiding something? Are you pulling strings behind the scenes?!]

Other voices rose and fell, each filled with intense negative emotions, each voice brimming with an uncontrollable madness. These things had been relatively rational when they communicated with Gao Hai earlier, but now they all seemed to be on the verge of losing their minds.

However, such a phenomenon is normal. These people, who have survived for many years and refused to die peacefully, have already begun to lose their human self-awareness and physical form after being corrupted by strange forces for a considerable period of time. Not long ago, someone was pulled in by them and performed a brutal act for them, so now these people are on the verge of their limits and are about to completely lose their human selves.

fear.

Everyone is afraid.

The more exaggerated, violent, and frantic the roar, the stronger the fear of death and the trembling of losing everything became.

The people trapped in this dark place are all in high positions, and each of them once held a prominent status. They can easily decide the life and death of others with a single word, and can do whatever they want according to their own preferences. No force can stop them.

But as the war ended in defeat and the trial drew ever closer, those who knew they couldn't escape their fate, while professing loyalty and vowing to die for their cause, fled one by one into the still unfinished "Takamagahara," abandoning everything and becoming ghosts hiding in this twisted, deadly realm. Yes, these guys actually entered "Takamagahara" after Sato. At that time, the Hayate Elementary School plan had completely failed, and Sato, pursued by the monster-like Chiyo Hachiya, was the first to escape into "Takamagahara." These high-ranking individuals initially considered Sato a loser and didn't intend to use "Takamagahara." However, after the two mature mushrooms were planted, they rushed into "Takamagahara," with almost none remaining outside.

Thus, to the world, these murderers who should have faced trial vanished without a trace. Later, the strange forces began to exert a cognitive blockade on ordinary people, and those hiding in the alternate world were completely forgotten; no one remembered their existence anymore.

They do not want this kind of life to continue.