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

With a soft click, the watch hands landed at position [8].

Chapter 140: The Resolve Revealed in Blood City and the Beginning of the Final Cycle

A blood-red city.

I've returned to this place once again.

I've returned to this place that makes me feel at ease, a place I've come back to countless times.

However, this death was painless. After all, it was a suicide by a gunshot to the head.

Thinking this, Gao Hai lowered his head and looked at the black watch on his wrist.

The pointer is currently pointing to position [8].

There are three more squares: 9, 10, and 11, after which it will return to 0.

In other words, there are 4 reload opportunities left. No... it should be 3, because he must preserve Hayasaka Ai's memories during this reload. So when the fourth playthrough begins, the pointer will reach position [9], which is the most reload opportunities he has used in the dungeon so far.

I never expected that she would manage to find the [observation process] at the Bydos Research Institute even when she was all alone. But how can I ensure she can successfully initiate this process in the fourth playthrough? This is a bit troublesome, since they really can't commit enough personnel to Bydos. Hmm... it seems I'll have to wait until the start of the next playthrough to have a proper talk with Xiao Ai.

This damn watch's judgment system is really troublesome. Kaguya still isn't recognized by the watch and can't activate any of its connection functions. Hayasaka Ai's dependence on him isn't recognized by the watch as a "sufficiently close two-way emotional connection," so it can't activate any functions either. So far, only Maki, Chika, and Miko have been recognized as having a deep connection. Aren't the requirements a bit too high? Can't they lower the requirements a little?

The slight grumbling in his heart didn't last long. Takahashi walked over to where Miko, Maki, and Kaguya were lying down. First, he touched Kaguya's cheek to make sure he could feel its softness, no longer as cold as stone. Then he went to Maki and checked her face. After confirming, he lay down, rested his head on Maki's lap, used it as a pillow, and closed his eyes to rest.

He slept for at least six or seven hours, though Gao Hai wasn't sure exactly how long. In any case, he woke up feeling refreshed, and the fatigue from the third playthrough was completely gone.

Then the feeling of displeasure started to rise.

"A complete annihilation, leaving no one alive. After wiping out [Takamagahara], they still came knocking on my door, trying to cooperate with me. These bastards, pshaw, they don't even deserve to be called human. This group... I can't even think of a way to describe them."

At the time, he had just merged with the existence of Maki and Kaguya, and had also just suffered a complete annihilation, so his mental state wasn't very good. Now that he had recovered, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Why the hell did he just say a few harsh words and then commit suicide? Since he was going to die anyway, he should have given those bastards a good beating! Wait, dogs are so cute, these things don't deserve to be called bastards. What the hell should I use to refer to these bastards?

No matter what, I must kill these bastards in the new playthrough.

Although Gao Hai doesn't like to show kindness, he does have a strong sense of vengeance. Especially considering that Hirano Sosuke, Alice, and Hachiya Chiyo, who gave him their blessings, have all suffered at the hands of the masterminds behind Takamagahara, he wouldn't be a true citizen of China if he didn't take revenge and thoroughly cleanse Takamagahara!

Then, well, before leaving here, there's one more place I need to visit.

He gently rubbed the cheeks of Maki, Miko, and Kaguya, and took the opportunity to use Chiyo's blessing to erase the name that would bring death to Miko's memory. Takami stood up and walked from this corner of the square, bypassing the flames that kept emitting wails, and quickly walked to the [Writer] who was being pierced.

This thing still had a conscious mind; its eyes immediately turned around when Gao Hai arrived.

Uh... oh... lol...

Having been completely pierced, this thing was unable to speak, only able to utter indistinct sounds. However, the resentment and pleasure in its eyes were impossible to conceal; it seemed this creature had clearly foreseen the ending of Gao Hai's third time around.

"You're so smug."

Gao Hai smiled too.

"I've already solved all your puzzles, gathered all the clues, and obtained all the key items you needed. Yet you're still here with a smug look on your face. I really don't understand. Could it be that you're hiding some other puzzle? With so many layers of nested puzzles, if you can still pull off this, then I can only say you're really something else."

As Gao Hai spoke, a look of utter exhaustion appeared on his face, as if he had given up on himself.

Oh... lol...

The writer, naturally, remained speechless.

But the smugness in its expression became even more blatant, even carrying a hint of mockery, as if it had already foreseen Gao Hai's impending defeat.

Hmm, you can't tell from that expression that's fake at all. So we can probably conclude that there aren't any more hidden clues in [Nightfall Mountain Middle School] and [Baidos Research Institute]. This [writer] just thinks that I've failed so many times that I'm destined to never be able to complete the game.

Gao Hai’s attempt to probe was clumsy, but that’s exactly the kind of clumsiness he needed.

He believed the writer could sense his probing. For this foolish creature who only sought cruel and ruthless tragedy, lacking even the most basic self-respect as a creator, what it craved most was the feeling of being highly regarded. Therefore, in this state, it was difficult for this guy to hide his true thoughts.

Therefore, Gao Hai was able to deduce from the writer's even more clumsy performance that this ridiculous dungeon indeed didn't have any more nested maneuvers. Although he had collected enough clues and items, there would still be considerable difficulty in the actual execution. The writer probably didn't believe he could succeed on his first try, thinking that with only a few chances left, he was destined to fail halfway through.

Now that we've tested it out, let's add some more fuel to the fire and warm its heart.

Gao Hai's idea was quickly responded to; the pillar that ran through the "writer" burned even more intensely, bringing even more intense pain to the expelled KP.

The muffled wails gradually faded as Gao Hai's footsteps moved further away, while various props began to fall from the sky.

Evalist, Garisto, Heathcote, and Pusid—these fanatic names are so hard to pronounce… Anyway, Gao Hai has already stolen the items from four of them. There are still three Red Moon-level fanatic players whose equipment we haven't gotten yet. However, their numerical advantage has now been completely wiped out, and their threat level will decrease significantly at the start of the new playthrough. But we still need to be wary of them resorting to desperate measures; it would be bad if they pulled a big stunt because they ran out of items, so we need to be cautious.

To be honest, this dungeon yielded a truly abundant amount of items that players would normally obtain through obsession. While these fanatical players killed Gao Hai once in the first playthrough, they were practically benefactors showering him with money in the second and third playthroughs, making everyone incredibly grateful. The biggest challenge in building a harem for Gao Hai is the scarcity of items; he's really lacking in the obsession items that players desperately need. Even if you combined everything for Gao Hai's personal use, honestly, there aren't many items, and the variety isn't particularly rich.

However, with the sponsorship of these fanatical players, this biggest problem was immediately solved. Well, a minor issue remained: the functions of various items in Blood City weren't readily apparent, so Gao Hai didn't know much about these items and used them somewhat hesitantly. Therefore, even though he had quite a few items in his third playthrough, Gao Hai was still relatively cautious in using them, mainly to guard against items with overly powerful side effects or those extremely prone to going out of control.

However, this is not a particularly important issue, since most of the problems that were intercepting us ahead have already been investigated.

"Then first, I need to get Goto Ichiri to come with me and bring that guitar."

Gao Hai began to consider his next move.

This time we must succeed on the first try.

He has already spent enough time and energy on this complex, multi-layered puzzle, and there is no reason to stop now; it's time to end it all.

The first, second, and third core obsessions of Yeluoshan Middle School, and the second core obsession of Baidos, these four obsessions need to be resolved completely in one go. Among them, the three core obsessions of Yeluoshan Middle School are very closely connected. As long as Gao Hai's plan can proceed smoothly, he is confident that he can break through these three obsessions in one go.

Lord Urian on the Baydos side is a real problem; the biggest issue right now is manpower. Only the duo of Miko and Hayasaka are confident they can explore deeply, or more accurately, only Miko can move freely in Baydos, and only Hayasaka, with her zero-sensory abilities, can work with Miko to deal with the various high-risk traps that are fatal at the first touch. After all, the things the Baydos Research Institute is doing are truly terrifying; even Red Moon-level players would inevitably die if they triggered some of the things there. It's just that Ai-chan can see all that stuff and not feel anything at all.

In other words, all actions and plans are contingent upon Xiao Ai and Jian Zi successfully initiating the Baydos observation process. This is a crucial prerequisite; if this fails, all subsequent plans will be castles in the air.

Ha, he's clearly someone who relies on rollbacks and trial and error, but in the end, am I left with no choice but to "trust my teammates"?

Gao Hai chuckled helplessly, then his expression quickly calmed down.

In any case, I've made all the necessary preparations. Whether I'm filled with fear or acceptance, I have to walk this path to know the outcome.

So, it's time to set off.

when--

The bells have already rung.

Gao Hai also sensed the connection between himself and the girls.

when--

As the second bell rang, Gao Hai looked directly in the direction where Hayasaka Ai was, walked forward, reached out, and without hesitation grasped the fair hand of this tenacious yet adorable girl.

Click!

With a crisp click, the watch hands reached the number [9]. Thus, the black watch had reached three-quarters of its length for the first time, only two numbers away from returning to the zero position.

when--

After the final third chime, the blood-red city vanished without a trace.

Gao Hai's consciousness returned to the instance once again, back to the moment when everything had just begun.

He opened his eyes to find the same empty dormitory room under the dim red light he'd seen in his third playthrough. This situation, which had previously made him inwardly curse in the third playthrough, now evoked no reaction from Takahiro. He casually activated his berserk blessing, rolled out of bed, dodged the creepy hand reaching from under the bed, and then, while communicating with Maki through their mental link, quickly made his way upstairs to meet up with Miko.

Although the state of fusion with [nothingness] had disappeared with the rewind, Gao Hai vaguely felt that Kita Ikuyo, who was in a daze, was sitting in a lecture hall in the affiliated teaching building.

That was the first place Gao Hai planned to visit.

Chapter 141: The Final Act of the Campus Ghost Stories That Began Here

It feels... a little strange...

Shijo Maki covered her head with her hand and frowned.

Even though she had only been in the dungeon for a short time, she inexplicably began to feel as if she already had the memory of exploring it.

Did Haijun retain my memories? No, if that were the case, I should have retained very clear memories, but now the feeling is very vague, yet it seems to be gradually becoming clearer... Hmm, this feels so strange, what is going on?

The same thing happened to Kaguya Shinomiya. After waking up in her dormitory, the girl began to experience a strange sense of déjà vu, with various memories gradually returning. However, because Kaguya had never had her memories preserved by the black watch, this feeling was completely unfamiliar to her, leaving her somewhat at a loss.

As for Hayasaka Ai, because Takami used the function of the black watch to directly retain her memories, her memories are very clear. From the moment she woke up, she was aware of the current situation and knew what she should do.

In the morning sunlight, the school looks like a very ordinary school.

And just like in the second and third playthroughs, there are always players who retain what they knew from the previous playthrough, and this time there are even more. Therefore, these monster students have completely clear faces from the start, and can talk to each other and perform various actions like living people.

Of course, Gao Hai had also taken comprehensive precautions against the spatial stratification that could disrupt cognition. He had adjusted the memories of both Maki and Kaguya, sealing off portions of them to ensure they wouldn't fall into the deeper layers like he and Miko did at the start. As for why Miko's memories weren't sealed, well, there was no way around it; she knew too much and too deeply, making it difficult to manipulate. Moreover, once the remaining memories reached a certain level, simply sealing them wouldn't work; the memories would have to be completely erased, which clearly didn't align with the team's objectives.

"Everyone, come down and gather somewhere secluded. We have important arrangements to make. Also, don't reveal your names outside of the mental link, and don't call out your own or your companions' names to anyone."

After communicating with Maki and Kaguya, Xiongmi quickly contacted the other team members to begin their operation.

Nothing unexpected happened during the process, which was quite normal. Without the "writer"—someone unaffected by the black watch and manipulating things behind the scenes—and with the dungeon's mechanics largely understood, unexpected events leading to failure shouldn't have occurred. The only problem was that several players in the team were somewhat confused, not understanding why Gao Hai had disappeared at the start, while his girlfriends seemed to know everything, as if they had been in the dungeon for quite some time.

Next, Gao Hai himself successfully took Miko back to the surface from the deeper area via elevator. This time, he completely avoided Kita Ikuyo, and wasn't ambushed by her as before. After everyone had successfully reunited, Gao Hai didn't immediately explain the situation. Instead, he had Kuma create a mental communication network encompassing everyone's consciousness, and then he activated Hachiya Chiyo's Crimson Domain. Only after securing this double protection did he speak through the mental link.

{Gao Hai: I've basically met all the requirements to clear the game. The first, second, and third core obsessions of Nightfall Mountain Middle School, and one of the core obsessions of the Bydos Research Institute, can all be released at once. I've also found the dollhouse where the bound players are kept; it's inside [Takamagahara]. We can't reach it directly; I believe it's only accessible after liberating Nightfall Mountain Middle School and the Bydos Research Institute.}

{Gao Hai: I've basically confirmed all the conditions are met. Xiong Mi, I need you to operate the broadcasting room and play some specific audio. I'll tell you the details of these audios through a separate memory transfer. Make sure the audio plays correctly within the main teaching building. Xiao Ai and Jian Zi, I don't think I need to explain what you need to do, but you'll receive almost no support, so this time you need to bring as many necessary items as possible to ensure your survival. The rest of you stay on standby within the campus, making sure there's a door nearby for spatial teleportation to provide support.}

{Takashi: Ah, and one more thing. Ms. Goto needs to stay with me as a pair. We need to head to the underground base area immediately. Anyway, as long as Aimiko's group successfully completes their mission, everything else will proceed smoothly, and we can clear the dungeon and go home.}

{Kenta Hayashibe:? }

{Seven Rivers Lotus: ?}

{Aoyama Nanami: ? }

{Goto Ichiri: Huh?}

{Xiong Mi: ...I understand, the broadcasting room? Jianbing and I will handle it there.}

{Jianbing: ...Although I don't quite understand what's going on, I'm fine. I'll work with the boss to take control of that room.}

{Shijo Maki: Kai-kun, you really don't even bother to hide it!}

{Hayasaka Ai: I only need to take the last step; I've basically completed the entire startup process.}

{Yotsuya Miko: Although I can't remember what I saw that caused it to disappear, well... I'll do my best.}

{Kaguya Shinomiya: Hayasaka and Yotsuya... So it seems we can only leave that area to the two of them...}

{Gao Hai: That's roughly the situation. By the way, I've sent you all the information about those fanatics in the forest area. Also, the threat level for [Takamagahara] needs to be increased. These bastards may be rotten, but in a critical moment, they're fully capable of taking us all down with them. So we need to act like we have no idea how to deal with them. If we're going to fight, we have to crush them in one fell swoop; we can't give them the chance to play the suicide game.}

Gao Hai: Oh, and these are the hierarchical structure diagrams of Yeluoshan Middle School. Depending on the depth of our information, we will be gradually differentiated into different levels. I've already sent you the general rules related to this. That's roughly the situation. Any further questions?

{Kenta Hayashibe: ...Are you some kind of prophet?}