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

But in the end, she took another deep breath, took a step, and limped into the house.

Click!

Turning around, Xiaohua locked the door with a slight tremor but firm resolve.

Then, in the dim red light of her phone, she turned around again, picked up her phone, and shone it into the shadows deep in the corridor.

At that moment, a pale, blood-stained woman's face peeked out from around the corner at the end of the corridor, looking in the direction the girl was.

Chapter Four: The Girl's Exploration and Investigation in the Dark Mansion

Thump—thump—

Xiaohua could clearly hear her own heartbeat, so intense it felt like it was about to jump out of her chest.

From the dim red light emanating from the phone screen, something slowly approached from the depths of the chaotic corridor, accompanied by suppressed breathing.

She didn't know what it was. From the dim red light, she could only make out that it had a very ugly, round face. It looked like a middle-aged woman, but its entire face was twisted and deformed, to the point that its eyeballs bulged out, making it look like a fish's face.

I can't see where that thing's body is.

Because of the dim lighting, Xiaohua couldn't immediately tell if it was a flying human head or something else. It wasn't until it got closer that she finally noticed an incredibly long neck attached to its back. The neck stretched out all the way to the corner of the corridor before turning, its end unknown. However, Xiaohua had no intention of going to look for it.

After all, the other party has already come looking for us.

Are there...guests...coming...?

A very pleasant, singing voice came from that terrifying face.

The pale-faced woman grinned, revealing her teeth, and approached Xiaohua with a stiff smile. Her bulging eyes darted around as if she were observing and searching for something.

If Xiaohua hadn't been able to see what this thing looked like, she probably would never have believed that someone with such a pleasant voice would have such a terrifying and deformed face. But she didn't have the mind to think about that now; just standing still was already a severe test of the girl's willpower.

"Huh...huh..."

Even under the crimson glow of her phone, Xiaohua could feel her fear being significantly suppressed, and she was in an unusually calm state. But after witnessing such a terrifying monster with her own eyes, she still couldn't stop trembling, her heartbeat and breathing becoming completely erratic.

However, it was not attacked.

Although the creature's head kept probing towards him, at one point the distance between them was less than ten centimeters, to the point that Xiao Hua almost vomited from the stench of decay and blood emanating from it, it didn't actually attack him, and its gaze never even truly fell upon him.

This monster... can't it see me?

Why is this happening? Is there something special about me? Or is this red light protecting me, preventing it from detecting me?

Xiaohua couldn't come up with the right answer. All she could do was try to maintain her composure and stood there trembling until the thing turned around and went back to the corner of the corridor.

It was only when this thing turned its head that Xiao Hua realized that there was another face behind its head. However, unlike the smiling face in front, this equally deformed and twisted face was extremely ferocious. The blood vessels on its face were all bulging, and even its teeth had turned into fangs like those of a wild beast. It kept opening and closing its mouth repeatedly, to the point that its upper and lower lips were torn apart by the fangs and turned into a pile of rotten flesh.

For no reason, Xiao Hua suddenly had a feeling that this two-faced monster with a long, snake-like neck might be human, or perhaps it used to be human.

The door to this dark house was opened, preventing it from being completely sealed off, so something entered. The original inhabitants, those who were originally normal, were transformed into this state.

Will it be so?

Xiaohua swallowed hard. She didn't know the correct answer; in fact, she felt her mind was still foggy. Her sudden inspiration was less a conclusion she had reached through her own thinking and more an effect of some unknown, mysterious force. It was as if some invisible spiritual power had been injected into her mind, protecting her consciousness from falling into extreme emotions while also enhancing her basic abilities in various aspects, allowing her to temporarily perform some skills she couldn't normally do. For example, getting up and walking despite a broken ankle, or guessing the origin of the monster she had just encountered.

Regardless, one thing is certain: this house is not safe.

The exact situation regarding what's outside is currently unknown, but with her broken bones and soaking wet, Xiaohua simply cannot go outside again. Therefore, her current task is to find a way to survive in this house, a way to survive in a mansion already inhabited by monsters.

"Huff...huff...calm down, oh, calm down, calm down..."

The girl was on the verge of tears.

In fact, if it weren't for a mysterious force maintaining her sanity, she estimated she would have already collapsed. No, she probably wouldn't have even stepped into the house; just turning around at the door and seeing that group of things following her would have likely caused her to break down.

But no, we must calm down; it's far from safe to do so.

"The house...the house...pfft, calm down, I'm inside the house, I'm already indoors. So, so next, next we need to...lock this place down?"

All doors and windows must be closed; the entire mansion must be placed in a "closed state." In other words, she must now check every room in the house to ensure all doors and windows are properly closed. Otherwise, once the red light fades, those things outside will enter, find her, and transform her into something similar to the monster from before.

Xiao Hua really didn't want to experience that ugly and terrifying sight firsthand.

Therefore, she had to take action.

"Well……"

Dragging her fractured left leg, the girl gritted her teeth and took a step onto the indoor floor.

crunch--

The footsteps were exceptionally clear on the wooden floor.

But that thing wasn't attracted.

The monster that appeared so quickly when the door was closed earlier is now completely silent.

It's now confirmed that, protected by the power of the phone's red light, sounds I directly trigger—including footsteps and voices—will not be detected by the monster. However, indirect sounds, such as opening and closing doors and windows, or accidentally knocking over something like a teacup or chair, will definitely be heard by the monster.

It's like an adventure game.

After gaining a general understanding of the monsters' behavior, Xiao Hua took a deep breath, and the fear in her heart lessened slightly.

They aren't entirely irrational. Although their specific principles are unknown, their actions are constrained by various rules. So, as long as I can make good use of these rules, I can outmaneuver them and survive!

While encouraging herself in her heart, the girl took a step and quickly chose the stairs of the building.

Before entering the house, she had noticed it was a three-story detached building, so she needed to check all the windows from the first to the third floor. With her fractured ankle and increasingly abrasions from walking, Xiaohua felt it best to check each floor from the top down. This was partly to avoid the monster on the first floor, and partly because she worried that if she wasted too much time, she would become increasingly unable to walk, and it would be troublesome if she couldn't climb the stairs and check the second and third floors.

[Be obedient...you must...be obedient...]

In the darkness, the monster's voice could be faintly heard from around the corner of the corridor, accompanied by sounds like something being struck.

Clenching her teeth, Xiao Hua gripped the stair railing and struggled to move up the stairs, slowly making her way from the first floor to the second floor, and then to the third floor.

It hurts so much! My foot is hurting more and more. How am I going to get downstairs like this? Ugh, where are you, Xiaojianzi? Why do I have to face this terrible situation alone?

Xiaohua really wanted to cry.

But her reason, maintained by the mysterious force, reminded her that crying was pointless now, and even crying had its limits. If she couldn't resolve the issue before the red light disappeared, she wouldn't be able to cry anymore. So she gritted her teeth and continued forward, limping as she opened the doors to the rooms on the third floor to check the windows.

Fortunately, there were only two storage rooms and one empty room on the third floor, and all the windows were closed and locked.

And probably because of the heavy rain, the monster that was wandering on the first floor couldn't hear the door opening on the third floor. Xiao Hua even carefully opened and closed the door for a while to test it, and only felt relieved after confirming that the thing really hadn't heard it.

Next was the second floor, which had a living room, two bedrooms, and a toilet. The toilet had no windows, only an exhaust fan. The living room window was visible as soon as you came down. After Xiaohua checked that the window was locked, she slowly moved towards the hallway where the bedrooms were located.

[Sizzle…]

The red light emanating from the phone screen began to flash again.

A strong sense of crisis made the girl stop in her tracks, almost stopping her breathing.

After about half a minute, when the red light stabilized and became dimmer, Xiao Hua, who was almost unable to breathe, finally breathed a sigh of relief and continued to move forward slowly.

"Hey?"

Ahead, one of the two bedrooms was closed, obscuring the view inside, while the other bedroom was open, with a faint red light emanating from it.

Realizing what was happening, Xiao Hua became excited and quickened her pace, hopping and skipping to the door. She carefully pushed it open, then checked to make sure the thing on the first floor hadn't followed her before going inside.

slam-la-

The open window swayed violently in the torrential rain and strong winds.

This small, seemingly simple bedroom is now a mess. The bed, tables, and chairs have been almost completely torn to shreds, and fresh bloodstains are scattered on the walls and floor. Some suspicious pieces of flesh can also be seen on the floor.

Xiao Hua didn't think about what had happened here, or what those pieces of meat on the ground were.

Her gaze locked onto a smartphone lying in the pool of blood, just like the one in her hand—clearly broken. This phone was even worse; it was almost completely split in two, held together only by a thin edge. Despite its condition, the screen still glowed a blood-red light, radiating a chilling, heavy aura.

[Sizzle…]

The phone in the girl's hand was clearly nearing its limit and started flashing again.

She didn't care about anything else, stumbling and rushing to the phone on the ground, even falling to her knees because she couldn't stop in time. But even so, Xiaohua rolled to the phone, knelt down and picked it up, placing the two phones, both emitting a red glow, together.

hum-

Almost immediately, the crimson light in the broken phone that Xiaohua had just picked up began to change, as if it had transformed into something tangible, and it poured out of the phone and seeped into the phone that Xiaohua was carrying.

squeak-

The previously dim red light became vibrant again.

At that moment, the girl clearly felt the power of the red light increase and realized that her life safety was now more secure. She almost cried with joy.

Tap tap—tap—

But it was at this moment that she noticed the footsteps approaching from behind that she had ignored.

【hello……?】

A gentle, childlike voice greeted them.

Xiao Hua turned around.

And then, that cold, smiling face pressed against her forehead.

Chapter Five: The Girl in Peril Alone and Her Words from Xiong Mi

The girl had to admit that her heart probably raced more times tonight than it had in the past ten years combined.

The moment that doll-like, blank face pressed against hers, the instant that icy touch touched her skin, Xiaohua felt an overwhelming fear, as if her soul was about to leave her body. She couldn't even stand up and collapsed to the ground, completely paralyzed with fear.

However, she was not attacked by the other party.

Like the long-necked monster roaming the first floor, this eerie creature, whose head seemed to have turned into a porcelain doll, couldn't detect the sounds Xiaohua made. Enveloped in the red glow of her replenished phone, Xiaohua's presence was completely concealed; neither her voice nor her movements would be detected by these monsters. However, Xiaohua wasn't sure if she could maintain this concealment if the monster directly touched her. Therefore, upon realizing this, she immediately scrambled backward, even though her legs were too weak to stand, desperately trying to create distance until the monster turned and left the house, at which point she breathed a sigh of relief.

How terrifying! These monsters are so scary!

Am I supposed to stay in this house and be neighbors with two monsters?

The girl was on the verge of a breakdown; the continuous shocks and the immense pressure had brought her to the brink of tears. But a strange sense of calm quickly entered her mind, gradually calming her intense emotions and allowing her thoughts to settle. After catching her breath for a while, she gritted her teeth, stood up, and turned to close the open window of the small room.

Click——