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

pat-

The sound, coming from afar and gradually approaching, finally stopped right in front of me.

"It's cold, it's cold, wake up quickly."

The next moment, the voice became familiar.

"Well……"

Slowly opening her eyes from her drowsy state, the first thing Liang saw was Hongxia's worried face.

It's cold.

When I breathe, it feels like I'm inhaling a lot of ice crystals into my lungs, and each breath brings an extremely intense pain.

"Uh-huh..."

Liang jerked up abruptly from the pain, gasping for breath before she could adjust to the excessive cold.

Where am I right now?

Looking up, I could confirm that I was in a street, a very deserted street with concrete buildings at least five or six stories high on both sides, and almost all of the buildings were dark.

The only light source was a street lamp ahead of the road, illuminating the walls covered with various small advertisements, the old signs, and the traffic light in the middle of the intersection, which was currently flashing red.

You can see signs written in Chinese next to the sidewalk on the highway that read, "Slow down before school."

The shops along the roadside clearly displayed signs in neon, and the shops themselves also showed a distinct neon style.

Further away, there were faintly visible warning signs in English and areas blocked off by sealing tape, as well as buildings and various signs whose language and style were indistinguishable.

This place... doesn't seem to be within Japan? No, it doesn't seem entirely like that either. What's going on?

Liang wasn't quite sure where she was. What she could feel was a strong, jarring sense of eclectic mix. It was as if different places from around the world had been forcibly pieced together, a chaotic mix without any regard for style. And on top of that, everything mixed in had an undeniable sense of nostalgia, filled with a rough, old, dirty, and strangely retro style that seemed to belong to the last century or even earlier.

"You're awake? If you're awake, let's get ready to leave. I feel like this place is getting weirder and weirder, and staying here won't lead to anything good."

At that moment, Ijichi Hoshika's voice rang out from not far away. Ryo turned his head and saw this woman in her twenties standing against the wall, holding a rusty metal water pipe in her hand. It was the kind of heavy water pipe that could break a person's bones with one blow. He had no idea where she got it from.

Have I passed out?

With her senses returning somewhat, she stood up with Hongxia's help and asked softly.

"We all passed out. I think we passed out right after we passed through that gap. I don't remember the exact time. Some parts of my memory are a bit blurry. My sister woke up the first, and I woke up the second, but we only woke up about two or three minutes earlier than you."

Hongxia quickly answered Liang. At that moment, Liang noticed that Hongxia was exhaling white breath as she spoke, and similarly, Xingge, not far away, also had faint white breath floating on her face. Clearly, this empty street was colder than it looked. The three of them were all more or less soaked, and none of them were wearing shoes or socks. They felt the cold growing stronger, and they figured that if they didn't find a way to keep warm soon, they would suffer from hypothermia before the monsters attacked them.

Is this what they call the dungeon world?

"...Let's go. We really can't stay here too long. We need to find a place to stay."

As she spoke, Liang, shivering slightly from the cold, turned her gaze behind her, towards the area away from the streetlights.

Yes, there was a wall behind us, a wall so high that you couldn't see the end of it, seemingly sewn together from gauze, sheets, and other things. It was hard to imagine how it could stand up.

The wall stood in the middle of the road, blatantly cutting off the block and preventing the three people in the area from finding any way around it.

"The wall was there when we woke up. My sister tried to get close to it and found that although it looked soft, it was actually very sturdy. When we hit it with a water pipe, it didn't make a sound, and it was so slippery that we couldn't climb it at all."

Having roughly guessed some of her friend's thoughts, Hongxia spoke earnestly to her.

"In that case, we really have no choice but to move forward."

Liang didn't say much about it. Although she had a slight urge to try going in a different direction at the start of the game, like some video games, she realized that the developers had deliberately blocked that possibility. She didn't necessarily want to risk it.

But what lies ahead?

Liang looked around, searching for the direction of the surveillance cameras, but found nothing.

She tried to observe the surrounding houses using the dim light of the distant streetlights and the red glow of the computer, but all she could confirm was that the houses were very different in style, and all of them were locked up and closed. They didn't look like they could be broken into by brute force, nor was it likely that she could climb to the top floor. The houses were all tightly packed together, with no alleyways between them. Therefore, she had no idea what lay behind the houses; all she could confirm was this block of streets.

Of course, this only applies to three women whose actual physical abilities are at or below the average level of humans. Ryo thinks that if it were Takahashi... no, that's an exception. Let's say it were Pochi-chan. With the physical abilities she demonstrated during the previous attack, she could probably jump to the height of five or six stories with a single leap and then run away from there by scaling walls.

If only I had that ability. Right now, I'm cowering and slowly making my way through this gloomy street, constantly on edge, worried that something might run out. The difference in gaming experience is just too great.

The pressure is immense, extremely immense.

Just thinking about the current situation makes Yamada Ryo feel like he can't breathe.

"You two stay close to me, don't stray too far."

Xingge, who was walking at the front, turned around and saw that Liang, who was being supported by Hongxia, was moving slowly. So she slowed down as well and whispered some instructions to the two of them.

Unlike Hongxia and Xingge, who were able to move freely as soon as they woke up, Liang seemed to still be stiff because of the attack by that pale, eerie creature. He couldn't even walk a little faster, let alone run.

If they were to encounter a monster in this state, Ryo couldn't even imagine what it would be like. However, unlike before, she seemed to be able to better understand her strange premonition now, so Ryo was vaguely certain that the three of them were relatively safe and shouldn't need to worry about monster attacks for the time being.

Incidentally, the computer that emits a red light is currently in Ryo's hands. It was actually Nijika who was holding it before, but she gave it to Ryo temporarily because she needed to support Ryo, whose limbs were stiff. Compared to the metal water pipe on the Star Singer's deck, which was essentially just for psychological comfort, this red-glowing laptop was the real tool that could protect the three of them, so Ryo held on tightly, afraid it might accidentally fall and break.

Tread - Tread -

The intersection ahead is getting closer.

This is a T-shaped intersection. Ahead is a straight road, and on the other side is another intersection leading to another place.

Both roads led to completely dark streets, making it impossible to discern their exact appearance. However, unlike the streets the three had entered from, faint light sources could be seen at the ends of these two dark streets. Even though the distance made it impossible to determine what was at the source of the light with the naked eye, Liang had a vague premonition that these two light sources were likely where the strange creatures in this instance were active.

"Don't cross the road yet, don't cross when the light is red, something might happen."

As they moved forward, Liang, feeling somewhat regaining her mobility, gestured to Hongxia that she no longer needed to support her, and then spoke to Xingge, who was walking ahead and had already approached the zebra crossing.

"...Won't another car suddenly dart out and hit someone?"

Upon hearing this, Xingge immediately stopped in her tracks. Knowing that this place was very strange, she naturally wouldn't do anything reckless. However, she was a little confused about what Liang meant by "something happened." At the same time, she wanted to liven up the quiet atmosphere a bit, so she spoke in a deliberately relaxed tone.

whoosh-

A truck sped past the intersection the next second, at a speed far beyond what one would expect on a city road. Just watching it rampage like that, the three of them involuntarily took a step back. But in the blink of an eye, the truck vanished without a trace, leaving no trace of its existence.

"...Manager, you should be careful what you say here, something might actually come out."

After hesitating for a moment, Liang still spoke up to Xingge, whose whole body was stiff, and tried to persuade her.

"Tsk, really... really... tsk, never mind."

Xingge opened her mouth as if she wanted to say "This is really a ghost," but then she was afraid that if she actually said it, something would come out and ask her something like "Why did you see me?" So she could only swallow her words with an annoyed look.

"How should we get out of here, Liang? Do you have any ideas? Which way should we go next? Should we cross the street to the other side? Or should we take the other side of the road?"

Hongxia was also quite frightened by the truck that suddenly appeared and disappeared, but she remained relatively calm for the moment. She turned to Ryo and asked her seriously. After the previous supernatural incident in the store, Hongxia was certain that Ryo would be able to handle such situations more calmly than she was, so she decided to leave the matter to Ryo's opinion.

"Don't rush to decide which way to go."

Liang shook his head, looked around, and quickly locked his gaze on the bulletin board next to a closed newsstand on one side of the intersection.

Searching for and gathering information was the first clue Gao Hai gave Liang during that bizarre hallucination.

In the dungeon world, it is necessary to collect information. Regardless of whether the information is true or false or biased, it can reflect some intelligence information within the dungeon. It is just that players need to figure out how to interpret it.

The bulletin board was covered with densely packed documents, most of which were clearly glued on. Later posters, finding them difficult to remove, simply pasted new documents on top, resulting in a massive, yellowed, and tattered pile of papers. Most of these documents were barely legible; even the few lines of relatively clear writing offered no valuable information. Therefore, Yamada Ryo quickly identified three relatively intact documents that could be read clearly from beginning to end.

The first document appears to be a notice issued by the police department; it is a curfew notice.

[■■City Temporary Curfew Management Regulations:]

[This is a notice to all citizens: Due to a recent series of nighttime attacks on pedestrians and home invasions in the city, in order to strengthen security management, protect the personal safety of citizens, and apprehend criminals as soon as possible, a temporary citywide curfew is now in effect. The following regulations for behavior during the curfew period are hereby issued. Please read them carefully and cooperate with our work. Thank you for your support and understanding.]

[1. The curfew is from 22:30 to 7:00 the next day. During the curfew, people are prohibited from going out. If you need to go out in case of emergency, please contact the police station to report it first, and go out only after our patrol officers arrive and confirm your request. Our escort personnel will escort you throughout the process to ensure your safety.]

2. During the curfew, please lock your doors and windows. If your doors and windows are not securely protected, please contact the police or government departments. We will send someone to assist you as soon as possible in installing security bars, security doors, or other similar equipment to ensure your safety.

3. Residents with the means can install automatic alarm devices in their communities or homes. These devices will generate a loud noise when pedestrians pass by, thus waking up homeowners and neighbors, and also alerting patrol officers to arrive quickly.

4. The city is rapidly deploying 24-hour intelligent surveillance equipment, which is expected to be completed within 60 days. At that time, major intersections and residential areas throughout the city will be under the protection of this equipment. This will greatly improve the city's security environment and effectively deter criminals. We hope all citizens will actively cooperate with the installation of the surveillance equipment.

5. During curfew, if a stranger knocks on your door attempting to enter, do not open the door directly. Contact the police station to request patrol officers to verify the identity of the person knocking. According to intelligence, the perpetrators of indiscriminate attacks currently operating in the city possess voice-changing abilities and can disguise their voices. Opening the door rashly could result in an attack.

[6. This curfew is expected to last for 14 days, and will not exceed 28 days at most. Please cooperate with the police during the curfew period.]

It looks quite normal, but judging from the curfew rules, is there a criminal in this place who indiscriminately attacks passersby at night, and even breaks into people's homes to commit murder?

While thinking, Liang looked at the second announcement. This notice was not from a government department, but from a company.

[Temporary Duty Roster System for XX Company During Curfew]

In response to the "Provisional Curfew Management Regulations of [City Name]", and to ensure the normal production order of our company, a 48-hour shift system will be implemented during the curfew period. Employees' meals and accommodation during their shifts will be arranged by the company. Employees are not allowed to leave the company during their shifts.

The notice was simple, but in the blank spaces, there were densely packed offensive words in different handwriting, such as "Go to hell," "You should just go bankrupt," and "You bloodsucking bastard."

I don't really understand companies and businesses... Does this 48-hour shift system mean employees have to stay at the company for two days at a time? Or does it mean working 48 consecutive hours? No, no, no, that's outrageous! No one could possibly withstand that kind of work pace. It should only be that you can leave after working a total of 48 hours, right?

Liang frowned and turned her gaze to the third notice.

Ah, no, this isn't a notice, it's a primary school student's... essay? It looks like an essay.

【■■Excellent Elementary School Essay - Grade 2】

When I woke up this morning, I saw the sun. I greeted the sun, and it shone warmly on me.

I met a kitten on the street. I greeted it, and it told me not to be late!

I met a little sparrow at school. I greeted it, and it chirped around me.

I met a little dog on my way to the cafeteria. I greeted the dog, and it barked at me.

I met a little squirrel in a tree next to the playground. I greeted the squirrel, and it said to me that I was very polite.

I met a little ant on my way home from school. I greeted it, and the little ant crawled along the ground, moving its nest.

On my way home, I encountered a swallow. I greeted it, and it flew back to its nest to feed its babies insects, chirping away.

When I got home, I met a little duck at home. I greeted it, and the little duck said to me, "Shh, I'm playing hide-and-seek."

Ah, how happy I am today! Ah, how joyful I am today!

[After I wake up tomorrow morning, I want to continue greeting everyone, and I want to greet even more people.]

Is this an excellent example of a second-grade essay?

Perhaps it's because so much time has passed since elementary school, but Liang feels she simply can't associate this kind of writing with the word "excellent."

"This composition is quite interesting. I would never have thought of writing something like this when I was in elementary school."

Hongxia, standing to the side, clearly had a different opinion, and sighed as she looked at the essay.

Xingge, who was behind her, was also looking at these announcements, but she only glanced at them and didn't think there was anything particularly important in them.