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

Chika's answer was concise and clear, and she acted quickly. In no time, she fiddled with the octahedral ornament a few times, then put it in her pocket and used the power of her blessing to put the little thing into a small space of her own.

Rumbling--

The violent tremors could still be heard coming from the high seas in the distance.

While Kaguya and Chika successfully obtained the third core obsession item, Takami was still silently fighting on the front line, relying on various means and the assistance of the police officers to combat the two core obsessions.

With his core possession taken away, Mr. Du began to weaken, his aggression decreased, and his form became increasingly indistinct. Meanwhile, the zombie-like villagers of Zhangjia Village continued their frenzied attack, each one still lively and energetic despite having taken over ten thousand bullets, showing no signs of fatigue or injury.

"Huh...huh..."

Gao Hai's breathing rate had become visibly erratic.

He was very tired and exhausted.

After emerging from the hidden Liu Family Village and finally escaping from the Fox Queen, he had already exhausted a lot of physical and mental energy. Without resting for even a second, he tried every means to teleport over as soon as he discovered that Kaguya and the others were in trouble, and has been standing at the forefront ever since.

This feeling of fatigue is really unpleasant.

I felt an urge to fall asleep right then and there. How long has it been since I've been this tired?

Gao Hai sighed inwardly, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the stiff corpses that were still trying to rush towards him, and at the invisible threads that were hanging from a few pale fingers that had not yet completely died, trying to connect to him. The gunshots began to accelerate.

Rumble, rumble——

Amidst the violent tremors, Gao Hai even had the illusion that he had become a superhero, fighting three hundred rounds against villains in all sorts of bizarre costumes.

In reality, he was merely trying to slow down these strange creatures as much as possible, since no matter how he attacked or damaged them, they wouldn't actually be injured or die. His actions were simply an intervention, aimed at ensuring that the other players searching for the core object of obsession wouldn't be disturbed.

Good news has come from Kaguya and Chika.

However, things didn't go so smoothly for Chatchai. According to the communication through the temporary mental link, the other party had basically searched the entire abandoned village but had not been able to find any clues related to the core obsession object.

The core artifact of Mr. Du has been successfully retrieved. The only remaining missing item is the artifact of the Zhangjia Village zombie king that Goto Ichiri saw in the mass grave space. Hmm, speaking of which, did Li Ziyong use a small bell to control the corpses? Could that bell be the fourth core artifact? After all, based on the information Ichiri gathered at the end, the other party might be able to directly command and control the zombie king.

So, I guess I still have to find a way to get in touch with Li Ziyong? Tsk, it's a real shame I couldn't take him down in one go with the sacrifice in my third playthrough. It's already my fourth playthrough and this thing is still causing me trouble. It's so annoying.

{Let's prepare to retreat. Let's go back to the village first, and then think about how to obtain the last core artifact.}

Gao Hai spoke simultaneously in both the mental link and the temporary mental link.

No problem, Ahai.

{Yes, we can evacuate at any time.}

{Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Gao. Compared to you, we self-proclaimed Red Moon level players all seem like complete newbies...}

Chika and Kaguya were the first to respond in the mental link, followed by Tangyuan's reply in the temporary mental link. It seems that the three of them, who are in the ancestral hall of this abandoned village, should be fine for now and can retreat and leave smoothly.

But there was a problem with Chachai's side. He only had time to reply to Gao Hai with a "okay" before the connection suddenly dropped, and he lost signal in the temporary mental link network and disappeared.

Did Li Ziyong do something?

Because we're already at a significant disadvantage, are they planning to target someone on our side who's acting alone and doesn't seem particularly strong? I initially thought he might come after me, but instead he went after Chatchai? It seems that being stronger has its downsides; even when alone, he won't be chosen as a target by the enemy. Should I feel sorry about that?

While he was thinking, Gao Hai suddenly retreated, and with the double blessing of berserk mode and nothingness, he instantly escaped from the encirclement of the monsters.

The corpses stiffened and turned around, trying to catch up with Gao Hai and launch another attack. However, after Gao Hai retreated a distance, accompanied by a faint bell sound, the monsters stopped and then disappeared on the spot, their whereabouts unknown.

Activating Andres's teleportation blessing, Takami herself was first teleported to Shijou Maki's side, thus returning to the hidden village. Then, Kaguya and Chika, using the power of the teleportation blessing, arrived beside Takami and returned as well. Finally, Yuu could only try to return alone using a spatial artifact, almost teleporting elsewhere in the process. This player complained several times in the temporary mental link, clearly annoyed that her two teammates had disappeared together.

It seems that things have temporarily come to a halt here, and can be considered to have come to an end.

However, after all the players except for Chachai and Li Xiaoxiao successfully returned to the hidden village, Gao Hai's figure reappeared in the abandoned village. Before leaving this place, he deliberately found a corner to activate his blessing after retreating into the darkness, leaving a coordinate that was "unnoticed." Then, after returning to the hidden village, he used the blessing to teleport back again, thus returning to this place once more.

After such a short period of continuous exertion, Gao Hai's condition is getting worse and worse. If he could, he would like to stop and rest for a while to recover his strength before setting off again.

However, he felt that he probably didn't have much time left.

The crimson flower has remained completely still.

Despite his own efforts to uncover the final secrets left by the local deities, such as the Mountain God and the Fox Goddess, this deity remained silent and still, unmoved even when Gao Hai called out its name. This silence made Gao Hai restless, and the unease and fear in his heart grew stronger and stronger.

Something really, really bad is brewing.

If this situation cannot be resolved quickly, then perhaps nothing can be salvaged.

Gao Hai wasn't sure if he was being overly pessimistic, but he knew that in the face of such a situation, any wishful thinking was unacceptable. Therefore, even if he wasn't in good condition, he had to push himself to the limit and not stop to rest for even a second before he truly collapsed.

Alice, can you tell me about Li Ziyong now?

However, upon returning to this dark and desolate place filled with intense mental pollution, Gao Hai did not immediately take action. He first used his mental power to inquire of the mountain god with whom he had established a connection and who had been given the false personality of Alice. Then, he simultaneously released his mental power to carefully perceive his surroundings, and began to walk slowly, as if taking a stroll.

【Of course, that's not allowed. The villagers of Li Family Village are also believers in the Mountain God. Even if you, Teacher, have a very close connection with the Mountain God now, Alice will not show favoritism in this matter.】

Alice's answer was not unexpected by Gao Hai; seeking underhanded tactics was indeed not so easy.

However, Gao Hai didn't need this fake Alice to do anything. He was just trying to awaken the connection, to draw upon the mountain god's aura through communication with Alice, and simply to show this scene to someone.

Hmm, Kita's mental state seems a bit unstable too. I wonder if she'll wake up soon. She expended too much energy trying to dodge the Fox Queen's attacks, and as a result, this girl actively linked her mental energy with mine, causing her to be completely drained and fall unconscious. It's quite embarrassing.

As Gao Hai was thinking this, he then sensed an incredibly venomous gaze, which also carried a hint of disbelief.

"You...can communicate with the mountain god?!"

Li Ziyong's voice, tinged with shock, rang out in the darkness.

“That’s right, no one understands the mountain god of Little Black Mountain better than me, not even your Li family can compare.”

Gao Hai smiled and replied calmly.

Chapter 137: The Incomprehensible Nature of Non-Rewinders and the Tests and Traps by Both Sides

For Li Ziyong, today is perhaps the biggest nightmare of his life.

Originally, the whole village would gather together, eagerly awaiting the arrival of offerings so they could hold a ceremony, offering new flesh and blood to the mountain god, and hoping to prolong their own lives—a win-win situation for everyone.

But in the blink of an eye, everyone suddenly disappeared without a trace. The mountain god's condition also changed abnormally, and the land deeds that originally ensured the Li family's control over the village were also stolen. Then Li Ziyong realized that he had lost control of Li Family Village.

It was like a wealthy tycoon who, after living most of his life, woke up one day to find himself actually a lowly, struggling laborer, all his wealth and power merely a figment of his imagination. This drastic change left Li Ziyong bewildered and nearly driven mad. He couldn't understand why such a bizarre thing had happened, why the mountain god had suddenly started acting up, or why what should have been a beautiful day had turned into such a miserable state.

Filled with fear and rage, he fled the village and ran to a secret passage inside the mountain god's temple to retrieve a crucial item he was obsessed with. He should have been able to take everything, but unexpectedly, because he had lost his position as village chief, the puppet old woman only allowed him to take one item. This was incredibly infuriating, but having no other choice, he could only comply.

Fortunately, a certain idiot who thought he was in a cooperative relationship with him quickly found out. That fool also seemed to be in trouble; according to him, all his companions who were supposed to enter the instance with him had disappeared. Li Ziyong didn't pay much attention to the guy's words. In his view, apart from himself and the villagers of Li Family Village, everyone else who looked human was just livestock in human skin. They could occasionally be amused and feigned friendliness, but there was no need to continue the act in such a dangerous situation.

Therefore, he didn't hesitate to capture and modify the other party to ensure that they would obey his commands. Afterwards, when Kaguya and the others returned to the surface space to investigate clues related to Zhangjia Village, Li Ziyong took action, following Kaguya and the others into the abandoned Yingti Village in a stable state, and then the events that had happened before.

Li Ziyong knew that Gao Hai had taken everything from the secret passage of the Mountain God Temple, including the puppet old woman. Although he hadn't gone down to investigate after Gao Hai left, he had stood at the entrance to confirm the situation inside and was certain that Gao Hai hadn't left anything for anyone who came after him. Something had also been dug up from the bottom of the water by Gao Hai's men. Li Ziyong didn't know what it was, but he had heard Mr. Du mention that it was closely related to the Mountain God and the Fox Goddess.

Li Ziyong had no way of knowing what was happening inside the hidden space, as it was something the Li family *didn't want to see again*. But since the other side dared to move to the hidden area on such a large scale, they must have discovered something there. The only things Li Ziyong could think of that could be considered crucial were either information about Liu Family Village or extraordinary items. Add to that the divine artifact that had just been taken from *Mr. Du*. These outsiders had only been here for a few hours, yet they had so easily and seemingly divinely protected them, seizing important items and wantonly destroying his home. He simply couldn't tolerate this, and he couldn't understand how they could do such a thing.

But now, he feels he might have the answer.

Such an aura—without a doubt—meant this man was a believer favored by the mountain god. This connection was so strong that it was comparable to that of the villagers of Li Family Village.

But why? They were able to establish a deep connection with the mountain god through daily sacrifices, taking hundreds of years to slowly reach this point, thereby gaining immortality and the authority to use various extraordinary powers.

How could a kid who looks no older than 30, who hasn't even lived to a fraction of his age, establish such a profound connection with the mountain god?

Could it be that he sacrificed all the villagers of the Li family to strengthen their bond? Impossible, absolutely impossible! The mountain god belongs to the Li family; such a thing is impossible. He must have used some despicable means to achieve this; he deceived the mountain god!

"You seem a little vulnerable, Li Ziyong."

Gao Hai's calm voice reached Li Ziyong's ears, which were twisted by jealousy.

Who exactly are you? What do you know? What did the Li family do to offend you that you're making things so difficult for us?!

Unable to contain his rage, Li Ziyong gritted his teeth, yet he was also afraid of the strange power that Gao Hai had inexplicably used to launch his attack. Therefore, he simply continued to hide in the darkness and question and shout.

"Has your Li family offended too few people? If you wanted to wipe out the entire Li family, the line of people would be so long you couldn't see the end of it."

Gao Hai, who seemed quite relaxed, answered calmly as he strolled slowly through the dark, ruined village.

【Absolutely not! No one who has ever opposed the Li family has ever survived. We'd even kill a baby in the womb! We will never allow any enemy to grow up, not a single one! Furthermore, the Li family has always acted with integrity and uprightness. We are always the ones who offend others; we never provoke others. Don't try to fool me with such lies, and don't try to smear the Li family!!!】

However, somewhat unexpectedly, Gao Hai's casual remark seemed to provoke Li Ziyong, prompting a very vehement rebuttal. Well, although the rebuttal was utterly absurd in every way, it truly opened Gao Hai's eyes.

Could it be that all of these guys are mentally ill?

Hearing Li Ziyong's unwavering and righteous accusations, Gao Hai truly didn't know how to respond.

If at first he only thought the Li family was a bit too anthropomorphic, now he genuinely began to suspect that something was wrong with these villagers. Their cognition seemed fundamentally distorted, making them practically a group of born antisocial lunatics. But if that were the case, they shouldn't have been able to form a village of over a thousand people, which was truly perplexing.

Regardless of the truth, Gao Hai's resolve to wipe them out remains unchanged. And indeed, he has already destroyed the entire Li family, leaving only Li Ziyong, a survivor, waiting for him to kill him.

"A guy hiding in the shadows, afraid to show himself, dares to call himself upright and honorable? You've got some nerve. But speaking of which, I just remembered, you have two companions in your hands, right? If you return them, I'll have a proper talk with you, and maybe I can let you go. What do you say?"

Gao Hai yawned and asked in a very casual tone.

[Ha, ha ha, so you outsiders actually care about your fellow countrymen? If you want them dead, return what you stole from the Li family, then kneel down and kowtow a few times! Otherwise, I'll first pull out their fingernails, then chop off their fingers, and finally skin them alive!]

This time, Li Ziyong immediately straightened up, laughing heartily and speaking fiercely.

It sounded like this guy thought he had finally found Gao Hai's weakness and knew how to deal with him. Moreover, when talking about chopping off hands and skinning, Gao Hai could actually detect a hint of pride in his voice, as if doing such things was not only not cruel to Li Ziyong, but also brought him a sense of honor.

So why are there so many anthropomorphic creatures in the [Sacrifice Game] dungeons? Seeing too much of this kind of twisted stuff can have a very bad influence on children. It's more environmentally friendly to get rid of them as soon as possible and burn them for firewood to generate electricity.

On the edge of darkness, a faint mist was drifting by.

Gao Hai could already sense that subtle change, knowing that the arrangements he had made in advance were beginning to take effect.

After wasting so much time communicating with this anthropomorphic thing, are we finally getting some direction?

"After all that talk, why don't you pull one out and let me see it?"

Having confirmed certain clues, Gao Hai waved his hand casually.

【Hmm? Aren't you afraid I'll just kill your companions?】

Seeing that Gao Hai's attitude was a bit strange, Li Ziyong couldn't help but ask again.

"You haven't killed him yet, how would I know if it's true or false?"

Gao Hai chuckled and continued.

【You think I'm just talking? Do you know how many passing merchants I've skinned alive? This skill is nothing more than a basic ability that the Li family has to master since childhood. We're not as weak as you outsiders!】

Li Ziyong's voice became even more ferocious, and Gao Hai could even smell a faint scent of blood in the air.

"I do not believe."

But his answer remained completely devoid of emotion, his expression even filled with mockery.

whoosh-