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

That means they haven't come up with anything!

I couldn't figure out any patterns or logic at all; puzzle games really aren't for me.

Having reached this final conclusion, the girl walked along the corridor, which reeked of grease, and reached its end after about half a minute. This time, instead of a fork in the road, she found herself facing a rather plain-looking room door.

I could smell a very distinct aroma of food.

Xiao Hua, who had barely eaten anything since waking up in the rainy night, suddenly felt hungry upon smelling this aroma. Even though she knew she couldn't eat anything from the monster world and had to be vigilant at all times, she still felt incredibly hungry, and her mouth was practically watering.

Ugh... Could there be something delicious inside? I'm so hungry! Why did I have to find food in a place like this? I really want to eat it! But can I even eat it? What if I can't? What if, like the gods said, I'd never be able to get out after eating it? Ugh, but I'm still so hungry and want to eat something...

Swallow your saliva.

Take a deep breath.

Finally, I gently patted my chest to calm myself down, even though no matter how much I patted, I could only pat away at the fat.

Reaching out and grasping the doorknob, the girl finally steadied herself and gently opened the door.

The next moment, what appeared in her sight was a dining room that looked very warm and beautiful, decorated with a particularly family-like atmosphere.

A transparent vase sat beside the dining table, which was covered with a cute tablecloth. Inside were a few white flowers that Xiaohua didn't recognize. A crystal chandelier cast a soft light, as if draping the room in a thin veil. Four chairs were pulled out, and four sets of bowls and chopsticks were placed on the table. All the furniture around was covered with a white cloth. Only the dining table under the light had plates of various sizes and food inside.

Eel rice, tempura, potato pancakes, hamburger patties, grilled meat, pan-fried dumplings, boiled green peppers, eggplant in vinegar, cucumber salad...

All sorts of delicious food were laid out on the table, some with meat, some with vegetables, some with snacks, and some with main dishes, all emitting an aroma that whetted the appetite.

"Gu..."

Xiao Hua, who was already very hungry, couldn't help but swallow again and desperately told herself not to eat anything. She barely managed to hold back and stood still.

Is there nothing else in this room besides this food?

Thinking this, Xiaohua looked around the room again, and then she saw a 1.2-meter-tall child doll standing in the corner not far away, with one hand covering its eyes and the other pointing at Xiaohua.

Hey?

The sudden reappearance of the doll startled Xiaohua.

Then, she noticed that the doll's outstretched finger twitched slightly, as if it were pointing towards Xiaohua's head.

The top of my head?

The next second, a cold touch approached from above.

Before the girl could even raise her head to see what it was, a hoarse voice rang in her ears:

"Child, why aren't you eating?"

Did you not like today's food?

Chapter Thirteen: Eat, eat, eat! I'm going to just eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat!!!

Tick-tick-tick-

A viscous liquid dripped onto the ground and slowly spread.

A dark shadow hung down from above, enveloping Xiaohua completely.

The temperature in the room seemed to have dropped significantly, and a silent chill spread, as if to freeze the girl's breath.

The stench emanating from that thing was just like the smell that permeated the rotten corridor before; after only a few sniffs, Xiao Hua felt an intense nausea that made her want to vomit.

Has it finally appeared?

The girl was now fully aware that she was in close proximity to a real monster.

Born from the resentment and obsession of the living, combined with non-human power, it is an immortal and indestructible monster that acts only according to mechanical rules and has no emotions.

The long-necked monster from before was merely a victim transformed by the power of the evil entity; the thing appearing beside him now is the true culprit. To return to the old mansion and find a relatively safe place to hide, he must find a way to banish this monster.

So, what should we do now?

Feeling the chilling presence beside him, Xiao Hua swallowed hard, his mind racing as he recalled the survivor's code he had seen before.

She is safe in the food room; as long as she doesn't waste food or make negative comments about it, this thing doesn't seem to harm her.

However, although it won't harm anyone, judging from what this thing just said, it seems determined to make people eat the food here. According to its rules, I should currently be appearing as a "child." Children can't be picky eaters, and they can't waste food—these rules are reflected in real life. Therefore, not eating the food here would probably be a wrong choice as well. After all, if a child doesn't eat properly and instead plays, it's unacceptable behavior for parents.

This rule wasn't written in the record Xiaohua found, but she could understand why it wasn't. After all, for survivors who had accidentally wandered into this place, it was impossible to survive for long without food, especially since the food displayed in the room looked incredibly appetizing. Even with the protection of her mental fragments, her willpower was far stronger than usual, and she still couldn't resist the urge to eat. What would happen to an ordinary person who accidentally entered this place? The answer was obvious.

"Child, why aren't you eating?"

A gentle voice asked again in my ear.

From the changing shadows under the light, Xiaohua could sense that the other person had bent down and was gradually getting closer to her.

She could feel the stench growing stronger, the place growing colder, and some twisted power gradually manifesting itself, reacting more and more strongly to the girl's actions. If she didn't act soon, this place would likely become something else entirely.

There's no other way; a decision must be made.

After a brief silence, the girl took a step forward.

Pick up a plate and gently pinch the tail of a fried shrimp.

Without further hesitation, Xiao Hua ate it in one bite.

“…Hmm?!”

delicious.

It could even be said to be the best fried shrimp I've ever eaten in my life.

The crispy shell and tender shrimp meat, combined with the aroma of oil and the deliciousness of seafood, create a powerful sensation on the taste buds.

Looking down at her phone in her pocket, Xiaohua confirmed that the red light emanating from it hadn't changed. She then felt reassured that the food itself was probably fine and began to eat heartily.

Click—click click—

The crispy fried shrimp made one crunching sound after another.

In less than a minute, Xiaohua finished off the dozen or so fried shrimp on the plate in one go.

The temperature in the room seemed to have risen considerably.

The shadow that had enveloped him seemed to have faded somewhat.

That's right, this approach was indeed the correct one.

"call……"

Xiaohua took a deep breath, and the hunger in her stomach became even stronger at that moment. Without hesitation, she took the eel rice from the table, grabbed a pair of chopsticks, and quickly started eating.

"Mmm...mmm..."

This time, Xiaohua finished her eel sauce rice in four or five minutes.

The room temperature has returned to a normal range, neither too hot nor too cold.

Although Xiaohua herself did not comment on the food, it seemed that she was enjoying it very much, so the strange creature standing behind her did not make any move, but just silently watched her, and the shadow on the ground became fainter.

Xiao Hua didn't notice this.

At this moment, her attention was completely focused on herself, not on her surroundings.

She could clearly perceive the food she ate and feel the pleasure of her stomach being filled.

But compared to that, Xiaohua found another feeling that was stronger, clearer, and even more distinct than ever before.

Still want to eat.

It wasn't a feeling of pure hunger, but rather a pure urge to continue eating and enjoying food.

It's as if every cell in your body is shouting at you, begging you to eat more.

This feeling is very unfamiliar.

Although she has always had a big appetite, this is the first time Xiaohua has ever felt such a strong yet stable desire to eat.

At first, she was a little scared and didn't quite understand why she felt that way.

But soon, with a vague heat rising in her body, the girl began to understand that she seemed to have vaguely touched the threshold of something.

Yes, she remembered. This was something Mr. Gao Hai had told her. She was different from ordinary people; she possessed a special talent, a talent that had not yet truly manifested itself and had not yet been truly awakened.

If she hadn't been involved in these dangerous events, this talent might never have truly manifested itself in her entire life. But she did encounter such an opportunity, and whether she wanted to accept it or not, she was already here. What Gao Hai did was activate her talent and maximize its strength to ensure she could use it more effectively.

Xiaohua didn't quite understand what this power was or how to use it, since she hadn't really felt any changes in her body.

But now, she vaguely sensed something, something she couldn't clearly judge yet, but she could already sense the general direction and knew what she should do now. And that thing was very simple: eat, ...

"I'm gonna start now."

Having made his decision, Xiao Hua looked at the dining table and said that there were enough dishes to feed at least five or six people, revealing a look of resignation.

The next second, she began to pick up the food plate by plate.

“Ahhh—ahhh—”

Aside from a few brief moments of catching her breath, the girl ate the food in large mouthfuls without giving herself any time to spare.

Delicious meat dishes are often devoured in just a few bites, while Xiaohua also readily accepts vegetarian dishes, which are relatively less flavorful. Each plate is full when picked up but empty when put down, with only a few oil stains remaining.

The chill in the room has completely disappeared.

The foul odor was completely gone.

Xiao Hua didn't pay attention to any of this.

Right now, she's not thinking about those things at all; she's just focused on the present, on what she needs to do right now, and that means eating! Keep eating! Keep eating with all your might!

"Awoo—Awoooooo—"

More than a dozen empty plates were already piled up on one side of the dining table.

Xiao Hua's movements showed no sign of slowing down.

I didn't feel full at all.

She could feel that the food she ate wasn't stuck in her stomach or intestines, but was being digested and transformed into something else at an extremely fast speed, so that not even a residue was left. In fact, after eating so much, Xiaohua's stomach was still empty.

You can still eat.

The body is still craving more food.