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

[He's already escaped, quite clever. I reckon that person is the one corresponding to the fourth signature, the one named "Kusashi Satoshi." The pen nib being taken was probably intentional on his part. He deliberately wanted to kill the survivors who strayed into this place; he's a rather wicked player. However, he's very weak; I couldn't directly sense his presence. I guess he's only a Twilight-level player? Indeed, the proportion of antisocial individuals is the highest among Twilight-level players.]

While they were thinking, Gao Hai's voice rang out again, his tone still calm, as if the shooting that Liang and Hongxia had just suffered was not worth mentioning at all.

"So, that bastard just now was a person, not one of those monsters? He was a living, breathing person who shot Hongxia out of nowhere?!"

Xingge was so angry that she was gritting her teeth. If she didn't know that this place was still very dangerous and she couldn't act recklessly, she probably would have already rushed into the apartment building to settle accounts with the gunman.

Don't be impulsive. Even the lowest-level Twilight-rank player might have some kind of enhancement, easily surpassing the average person in physical abilities. Not to mention the opponent wielding a handgun, someone capable of easily killing. If you three naive fools were to confront them, you'd be certain death. My clone's abilities are limited; don't rely on me for everything. If you truly want revenge, bide your time, make thorough preparations, and then consider facing such an enemy.

Gao Hai's voice carried a hint of emotion, perhaps recalling a similar experience.

"I'm fine, sister. Don't get agitated. Mr. Gao Hai is right. We're still too weak right now. Even if we know there are enemies lying in ambush, it's difficult to fight back with our current capabilities. Let's focus on protecting ourselves first and slowly investigate this place to build up our advantages in all aspects."

Hearing these words, Hongxia quickly tried to calm Xingge down, hoping to soothe her hot-tempered older sister.

As for Yamada Ryo herself, she noticed that the corpse that had disappeared from the bushes had reappeared. Somewhat puzzled, she hesitated for a few moments before deciding to go back to the corpse to check on it again. Initially, she was hesitant to touch the corpse because she wasn't sure if Takami was there. Now that Takami was back, Ryo's confidence immediately rose, and she dared to investigate the corpse again.

Should we search this body?

Liang, somewhat clumsily using the temporary mental communication system established by Gao Hai, asked him a question. As long as Gao Hai dared to give a positive answer, even if it was a rotting, maggot-infested corpse, Liang would still act without hesitation.

No, now is not the time to do that.

However, Gao Hai clearly had other ideas, so after receiving a negative answer, Liang quickly retreated, left the grass, and returned to the small square.

So, is the key point "now"? In other words, has something else happened?

[What time is it now? Something's not right. I can vaguely sense that time isn't flowing correctly in this instance. I suspect that time is accelerating in the apartment you're in now. It might already be almost 10:30. Go back to the apartment, back to room 304, back to the room where you got the key. Be quick. Don't worry about encountering that player again on the way; I'm here now.]

Then, Gao Hai's words startled Liang slightly, and she subconsciously looked up at the sky, only to find that the sky was still gray, neither darkening nor showing any signs of brightening.

Don't pay too much attention to the changing light. The dungeon world isn't the real world, and there's no sunlight here. The so-called light is just a manifestation of supernatural forces. If you keep thinking about things according to normal real-world standards, you'll die soon enough.

Gao Hai's criticism then entered Liang's consciousness, causing the usually expressionless girl to collapse and sigh as she lowered her head.

"Let's go. We've investigated almost all the leads we could find here. Let's go back to the apartment and check room 304."

Of course, this dejected look after being criticized was just something Liang deliberately put on. She didn't even intend to act any longer. As soon as she lowered her head, she raised it again, returned to her usual expressionless state, and looked at Hongxia.

"Hmm, let's go back now? Okay, then, sister, let's go quickly."

Because of the temporary mental communication track established by Gao Hai, both Hongxia and Xingge could hear what Gao Hai said to Liang. Therefore, the two did not hesitate and quickly followed Liang back to the apartment corridor.

Click——

The moment Liang opened the door, she smelled the odor wafting from the corridor.

"Ugh, this taste is..."

"What does it smell like?"

Next, Hongxia and Xingge behind her also smelled the scent, but neither of them immediately realized what it was. Only Liang, whose family runs a private hospital, reacted the moment she smelled it, freezing on the spot and stopping in her tracks as she was about to step into the corridor.

[The smell of blood... is it that strong...? Something must have happened on 109. Hondou Haruka was definitely up to something. Let's hurry back to 304. Or are you planning to go over there and see if there's anything we can do?]

Gao Hai's voice rang out again, explaining calmly to Hong Xia and Xing Ge, who were still confused about the situation, and then posed the question to the three people present.

"If we choose to meddle, will you... still continue to help us?"

Liang's voice sounded somewhat hoarse, and it seemed quite difficult for her to say such words, to the point that her pronunciation trembled slightly.

Gao Hai could sense the unease in the girl's heart. He guessed that she probably wanted to help Shizuko Ogiyama and Mami Torio, who were in great danger, out of her kind heart, but she was worried that this behavior, which was not conducive to her own survival, would displease him. She was afraid that he would ask her to mind her own business or even leave her, causing him to lose his help.

"Has something happened to Miss Ogiyama? She helped us before. Um, Mr. Takami, could we go check on her and see if there's anything we can do to help..."

After realizing the possible situation, Hongxia anxiously spoke up. Unlike Liang, she didn't think too much; she just instinctively wanted to help Ogiyama Shizuko, who had helped her before. Although she was anxious, Hongxia didn't lose her basic reasoning ability, so she stood still and tried to persuade her instead of rushing out.

"Go ahead, I'm here, you'll be fine. But if I tell you to leave, you have to obey. Sometimes you can't judge a person's chances of survival by appearances alone. When I tell you to stop, it means there's no other way, understand?"

Gao Hai calmly gave his answer, and Hong Xia and the other two breathed a sigh of relief after receiving his reply, and quickened their pace as they ran down the corridor.

The pungent smell of blood was getting stronger and stronger.

As you round the corner of the corridor, a suppressed sobbing sound comes from ahead, intermittent and unclear, but you can't see the source of the sound.

"It's Miss Birdtail's voice."

Hongxia recognized the source of the voice and said in a slightly nervous whisper.

"I'll go first. You two, don't get too close to me. Keep a little distance so that if something happens, all three of you will be in trouble."

At this moment, Xingge rushed forward, passing Hongxia and Liang, picked up a broom that someone had left in the corridor, pressed it down with her hand and pushed it with her knee, and snapped the broom in two with a "crack". She then continued to rush forward with only a wooden stick in her hand.

zizi——

The dim lights flickered slightly, as if they might go out at any moment.

Ahead, the door to room 109 was visible, half-open, with trails of blood extending from the door into the room, and several torn and ripped fingernails.

[Waaaaah... Waaaah...]

The sobbing became clearer and clearer, and it was confirmed that it was coming from behind the door.

Xingge was the first to walk to the door. She tried to look inside from the doorway, but found that the lights were off and she couldn't see anything. So she took out a flashlight, exchanged glances with Liang and Hongxia to confirm their plan, and then kicked the door open, turned on the flashlight, and stepped into the house first.

Nothing at all.

Under the cold light of the flashlight and the dark red glow of the computer, the trailing blood disappeared without a trace once it reached the interior, and there was no sign of the monster in the quiet living room.

How could there be nothing?

Xingge, who had prepared herself to witness all sorts of gruesome death threads, was stunned and stood there dumbfounded.

No, it's not just that we can't see people.

Even the strong smell of blood from before was no longer there.

"It seems... there's nothing there?"

Hongxia, who followed Xingge in, carefully observed her surroundings and asked in a low voice with some doubt.

"It might be in another room. Should we search it carefully?"

Liang didn't go straight inside, but instead stood guard at the door to prevent it from suddenly closing and cutting off their escape route. At this moment, she talked and discussed countermeasures while glancing at the wall clock on the side of the door to check the time.

22:02

There were less than 20 minutes left until the curfew started at 10:30.

I remember the time I saw when I first came in was around 7 o'clock, right? This clock is definitely faulty; it's hard to say whether those 20 minutes were converted to less than two minutes.

"...Let's look around. We'll...we'll just search the house. Liang, you stay by the door. Once we've searched the whole place, we'll come back upstairs."

Hongxia hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at the clock, gritted her teeth, picked up her laptop, and stepped directly into the pitch-black room.

"Hongxia, don't rush off later."

Xingge, who was standing to the side, was almost left behind by Hongxia, so she quickly grabbed a flashlight and followed. So Liang was left alone at the door. At this moment, watching the hands of the clock slowly move, the girl's expression showed a complicated meaning. After thinking for a moment, she looked down at the plush toy hanging around her neck, only to see that the squirrel plush toy was also looking up at her.

Are you worried that I will criticize this behavior as detrimental to survival, or that I will think this risky behavior is wrong?

Gao Hai's voice immediately rang in Liang's mind.

"can you?"

Liang lowered her eyes and asked softly.

[If I were just a Twilight-level player, I might indeed have had those thoughts, since I wasn't capable enough to protect so many people back then. In that situation, even if they were my saviors, I wasn't confident I could have done anything on the spot. Of course, I have other ways to make amends afterward, but that's not something I can discuss here. But at least for now, I won't make any negative comments about your choices.]

Gao Hai's tone was very relaxed, as if he and Liang were actually watching a performance and chatting under the stars, rather than in a dangerous apartment building haunted by eerie creatures.

"Is this so..."

Liang nodded gently, without saying anything more.

Okay, let's leave the casual conversation here. Now it's time to learn how to face danger: turn around, and the other person might be coming for you.

However, Gao Hai's next sentence made Liang, who had relaxed a little, tense up again.

There was something next to her.

By the time I realized it, the strong smell of blood and stench had already filled my entire nasal cavity.

Liang suddenly turned around, looking to her side and towards the end of the dark corridor.

Before anyone knew it, Torio Mami's corpse, lying on the ground with bloodied fingers, appeared before them, while Hondou Haruka stood to the side with her back to Ryo, her head slightly tilted to one side, then slowly swaying to the other, accompanied by a strange, gurgling sound like liquid flowing.

There was no way to make a shout.

In the confined indoor environment, feeling the intense aura of the eerie creature at such close range, Liang felt as if she could hardly breathe. Her mind was buzzing and in a jumbled mess, and her hands and feet were numb and weak, making it impossible for her to organize her thoughts clearly to deal with the situation before her.

Hey hey, you're their leader, right? They seem to listen to you a lot, so we'll choose you then~

Then, Ryo heard Hondou Haruka's extremely distorted, strange tone, which no longer seemed to be uttered by a human.

【You all owe me, you deserve to pay me back, you who look down on me, hehe, hehehehe, you all deserve to die, hehehehe~】

Amidst the distorted laughter, the shadow appeared before Liang in less than the blink of an eye.

Amidst the fluttering of her long hair, her pale and distorted face, almost unrecognizable as Hondou Haruka's, grinned at Ryo.

It was only at this moment that Ryo noticed that Hondou Haruka's head wasn't actually facing away from her; her hair was just loose. As for why her body was facing away from her, but her head could face her directly, the reason was simple: her head had been turned 180 degrees and was now facing away from her.

Hehehehehehaha~

The piercing laughter continued to amplify in my ears, to the point that it almost shattered my eardrums.

The biting cold instantly assaulted every cell in my body, and every tremor of my muscles and nerves seemed to be accompanied by pain.

We must get moving.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment; in the infinitely slowed-down state of mind, even the sounds of heartbeat and breathing could not be heard.

I have to get moving!

The ugly face, with black, foul blood seeping from the corners of its mouth and emitting a stench as if it had been dead for a long time, revealed a terrifying smile that seemed to tear its mouth apart.

I need to get moving right now!!!

At that moment, Liang's body suddenly leaned back and twisted to the side, his legs pushing off with them.

Driven by instinct and subconscious impulse, she propelled her body to lunge to the side, managing to avoid the creature's sudden attack on her face.

Boom!

With a dull thud, Liang's back slammed heavily onto the ground, making it hard for him to breathe.