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

Forget it, there's no point in thinking about it now.

We need to think of a way to avoid this problem in the next playthrough.

After I once again seized [Li Family Village] and severed the sacrificial rituals, what method can I use to establish a connection similar to that between the villagers and the mountain god? Even if it's unrealistic to match the connection the villagers built over hundreds or thousands of years, at least it would buy the mountain god more time to maintain the seal.

whoosh-

While thinking rapidly, Gao Hai had already stepped into the village ahead and was met by a young girl who was walking towards him, chatting and laughing.

Just before colliding with the other party, Gao Hai subconsciously slowed down to avoid a bloody scene where the collision would cause the other party to be blown to pieces.

But there is no tactile sensation.

Gao Hai rushed forward a distance without feeling any impact.

He walked straight through the young woman walking towards him, their bodies not touching at all, as if the woman were invisible, or perhaps Gao Hai was the ghost who had intruded into this place.

{Is there absolutely no perception whatsoever, no physical contact, and no mental connection either?}

Having sensed something from this encounter, Gao Hai turned to look at the villager who was still moving forward, only to see a blood-red figure emerging at the edge of the woods.

So fast? !

Just now, I clearly sensed that the other party was still a long distance away. How did this thing move?

Gao Hai turned around and ran away once again.

Meanwhile, in the village unknown to him, Chika stored the statue into a spatial artifact that could hold large objects. After Chachai and Tangyuan repeatedly entered and exited the well to find a relatively safe area, she took the lead in crossing the well. She was responsible for ensuring the safety of the key item that Gao Hai brought back.

What about those Night Elf level players? The notification has been sent out, what's the response?

The Empress, who was temporarily remaining at the rear, inquired through a temporary mental link.

All the Night-level players we have assigned have been evacuated; not a single one is missing. They should be there within two minutes.

The players from the "Slacking Off" faction responded quickly; these Red Moon level players were generally reliable and rarely made mistakes.

{My team has arrived, and there have been no casualties. We can evacuate immediately. Shijou-kun, you, Kaguya-san, and the others who arrived earlier should evacuate together. You don't need to wait for me to arrive.}

Hayasaka also replied from the other side. Because she was the only one who saw the "dawn" phenomenon, Hayasaka went to several of the open sky observation points to ensure the accuracy of the observation. After observing, she notified a group of players to come and evacuate.

Apart from the change in the sky, nothing unusual seemed to have happened.

There were no casualties, no one suddenly went mad, or any unusual phenomena occurred in the village. It's important to understand that [Li Family Village] is protected by the power of the mountain god of Xiaoheishan Mountain; theoretically, as long as the mountain god is alright, the village should be fine too.

Although that's what they said, Gao Hai firmly stated that they must retreat, and no one would object. After all, in such a dangerous instance, if something were to happen, no one could bear the consequences.

{It's alright, I'll wait for you to come... Hmm, that's true, I'll go downstairs now. Grandma, don't wait up for us, we'd better take turns.}

When Hayasaka asked the people gathered around the well to leave, Maki initially intended to refuse. However, remembering the pollution issue that Takami had mentioned earlier, the girl hesitated and decided it would be better to leave first.

{Maki-san, was it really necessary to go this far...? Okay, Hayasaka, are you sure you're alright? Hmm, fine then, I'll head down now.}

Kaguya hesitated for a moment, but after speaking with Hayasaka via a temporary mental link and seeing his resolute attitude, she stopped hesitating and jumped into the well with Maki, then moved to another place through the space portal stabilized by the historian.

Next, a few members of the "Fishing Gang" arrived with some players and quickly evacuated through the well.

Goto Ichiri is still staying behind, or rather, her clone is still staying behind, waiting for the last batch of players that Hayasaka will bring.

Five minutes later, Ichiri still hadn't seen Hayasaka appear, nor had she seen any other players.

{Hayasaka? What's going on? Why haven't you arrived yet after all this time?}

Kaguya asked through the temporary mental link, her voice slightly urgent.

no respond.

The temporary mental link was still working, and theoretically Hayasaka should have been able to receive the communication. However, Kaguya did not receive an immediate reply; the link remained completely silent.

{Haasaka? Hayasaka? ! }

Kaguya shouted once again in the mental link.

{■%＃■*■■@＆……}

This time, Kaguya heard the voice.

A muffled, slightly shrill sound, like some kind of noise, began to rang out hoarsely at that moment.

Hayasaka Ai's voice was mixed in, making it difficult to identify; one could only vaguely make out something like, "I'm searching for other players who haven't evacuated yet."

But this shouldn't be happening.

We had already counted the number of people. Hayasaka's group was the last one. Unless there was a problem of people getting separated along the way, it's impossible for there to be people who haven't evacuated. Besides, if someone really didn't catch up, it's impossible to go back and look for them. Who knows what they would find if they went back?

Kaguya grew anxious, wanting to say something more through the temporary mental link. But suddenly, the mental link was severed. Kaguya paused, then turned around, only to find that Maki had severed the temporary link through her artifact, cutting off her communication with Hayasaka.

"Hey……"

{Oh, what's wrong? Auntie, aren't you usually so sharp-witted? Why have you suddenly become so dense? There's clearly something wrong with Hayasaka-san. In this situation, we must cut off contact immediately and stop communicating with her. Have you forgotten what Kai-kun said? If it really is "that thing," we have absolutely no way to resist it, okay?}

Maki sighed softly and, through the temporary mental link, bluntly berated Kaguya. She then signaled Tangyuan to disconnect the well's passage stabilization measures, preventing the remaining players from [Li Family Village] from reaching this area even via the well. This approach was somewhat inhumane, as the exact problem Hayasaka was facing was still unknown; disconnecting the connection was tantamount to abandoning these players. However, Maki had no better choice at this moment. She needed to ensure the safety of the group carrying the statue and guarantee enough time to continue research and figure out what this flesh-and-blood rock statue was.

However, after thinking about it, she still told Takahashi through the mental link, "Hayasaka-san's evacuation failed. Something unexpected happened to her, and we can't know her exact condition right now." Then she pulled Kaguya, who was still a little at a loss, away from the well area.

Meanwhile, inside a dark village, Hayasaka stopped and turned to look around, somewhat puzzled.

Something seems wrong.

She remembered that she had brought a group of weaker Night-level players and sent them to the well so they could evacuate.

Then... she went to find other players who hadn't evacuated yet, to confirm whether everyone had evacuated.

Is this action necessary?

Are there really people who haven't had time to evacuate?

Only now do I vaguely sense that something is not right. It seems that I stayed in this village without any hesitation, and it seems that... I just casually came up with a completely illogical reason to convince myself to stay.

Have all the others... already left?

The girl took steps in the darkness, slowly walking towards the courtyard where the well was located.

tread--

Amidst the clear sound of footsteps, shadows flickered around me.

It seems like something is following me.

There was nothing to see or feel but barely perceptible movement, one sound after another.

wrong!

Hayasaka abruptly stopped, his breathing momentarily erratic, before slowly turning around to look behind him.

Then, she saw a wriggling, dark red color, and from the depths of darkness, branches slowly stretched out toward her.

Chapter 100: The Love and Rejection Confessed Among Crimson Flowers

who are you?

It was as if I heard someone whispering a question to me, as if I heard someone gently whispering words in my ear.

What's your name?

It felt like someone's fingers were gently stroking my body, and I was being gently embraced in their arms, while they softly asked me questions.

Can I get a little closer?

It felt as if the other person was holding my hand, like an adult leading a child, and I was being pulled little by little towards a certain place.

……

Little by little, I recovered from the state of confusion.

But it seems that I can't really wake up, and I always feel like I haven't been able to wake up yet.

Am I dreaming?

Am I dreaming right now?

There is no way to know where you are.

There is no way to clearly perceive the surrounding environment.

Consciousness felt as if it had sunk into deep water; no matter where one looked, all one could see was darkness, and all one could feel was intense nothingness.

What's wrong with me?

If this really is a dream, it must be a nightmare, right?

Why am I trapped in this nightmare and can't seem to escape it?

I tried to open my eyes and look around, but all I could see was pitch black covering everything; there was nothing else.

I tried to move, but my body was completely immobile, as if it were tightly wrapped up and I couldn't muster any strength.

Or perhaps, it is oneself... being embraced?

There's no way to tell.

I can't be sure if I'm awake or still dreaming.

However, I instinctively felt that this couldn't continue any longer.

This situation cannot continue any longer.

If we let this go unchecked and do nothing, something bad will happen.

But what should I do... what should I do to get out of this situation and leave this place?

struggle.

Struggling almost instinctively.

Despite having almost no strength left in her body and a muddled mind, she still managed to struggle with all her might.

We cannot stay here any longer.

I don't know why, but if things continue like this, something really bad will definitely happen...

Therefore...we absolutely cannot... continue like this...

"Woo...Woo..."