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

It seems that Xiao Yili's previous guesses were even more extreme, which made Gao Hai feel somewhat uneasy. However, considering the series of actions and encounters that Hongxia and her group had made since entering the dungeon, even Gao Hai had to admit that they were extremely lucky to have survived until now. Who knows, if they had made a mistake in any step, they might have all perished.

"Um, Gao Hai... doesn't want me to go to the rescue, right?"

Yili then asked in a low voice, and it wasn't hard to tell from her somewhat dim eyes that she actually knew the answer to this question as well.

【I'm sorry, Ichiri, your abilities are too crucial. I think the front lines can't do without you. Please leave this matter to me. I'll find a way to rescue them and get the End Band back together completely.】

Gao Hai solemnly made the promise, while Yili, who had already anticipated this, simply nodded slightly, but the anxiety in his expression was hard to suppress.

To be honest, the reason Gao Hai didn't want Ichiri to know about Hongxia's situation too soon was because he knew it would affect the girl's state. But these kinds of things are hard to hide. Now that she had realized what was going on, Gao Hai couldn't allow himself to continue deceiving his girlfriend. So, all he could do was watch Ichiri's flustered expression and use his mental energy to conjure a hand and gently pat her head.

"Um, could you please take this in?"

Suddenly, the girl spoke again.

Gao Hai was slightly taken aback, looking at the object in the other person's outstretched palm. He then realized that Ichiri had taken off his own [Lucky Pendant]. This unassuming, ugly necklace, whose true nature was unclear, was actually a Red Moon-level artifact that had never been found to be out of control. And now Ichiri was simply giving it away like that?

[Should I bring this to Hongxia and the others? What about you then?]

Gao Hai was shocked by Yi Li's choice, but he would not ignore the current situation, so he immediately asked.

"I have no problem."

Ichiri gave a very firm answer.

"I'm stronger than before, so I'll be fine even without this item. Hongxia and the others are too weak right now, that's why they need this. Gao Hai, please."

It's clear that Goto Ichiri didn't leave any room for discussion on this issue.

This seems to be the first time I've seen her so assertive.

However, this assertive Pochi-chan has a unique charm, and there's no point in continuing the argument at this point.

"I understand, I'll find a way to pass it on. As for you, well, I have another assignment. The evacuation of the surrounding blocks is going poorly; it seems to be due to some kind of external interference. Are you ready to set off?"

Without getting bogged down in the issue of the object of desire with Ichiri, Takahashi took the [Lucky Pendant] and then steered the conversation toward a more serious topic.

"Okay, I understand. I'll be right there."

Goto Ichiri smiled gently, took a step forward, and a phantom of pure white wings appeared.

The next second, she jumped off the roof and flew swiftly through the air, defying gravity, towards the coordinates given by Gao Hai.

hum-

As the girl broke the sound barrier, the twisted monsters roaming the city streets seemed to sense something and turned their gazes to the sky, but they couldn't catch the fleeting pink light and shadow of the girl at all.

However, before Gao Hai could do anything else, bad news suddenly popped up.

This time, the source of the information is Chika Fujiwara.

As for what she discovered, it's quite simple: she found her home had been invaded by a strange creature. Her father, mother, and sisters had all vanished from the real world and been dragged into a dungeon world. As for why this happened even though the doors and windows were properly sealed, Gao Hai had already guessed the reason: the elusive, dismembered female ghost had appeared inside the house through the toilet. To escape this terrifying creature, Fujiwara Daichi had to flee with her family, only to be swept into the dungeon space.

Judging from the concentration of the eerie aura, this incident must have occurred about 5 minutes ago. To be honest, if Gao Hai had discovered it earlier, he might have been able to forcibly pull them back. However, the family has already ventured deep into the instance space, and under the influence of the [Hospital]'s power, the only option now is to try and send someone into the instance to rescue them.

{No, that's not the point, Ahai}

In the mental link, Chika spoke thoughtfully, trying to suppress the emotions fluctuating due to the disappearance of her family and communicating with Gao Hai as rationally as possible.

{I just heard that the band members from Xiao Yi Li were also captured by that dismembered female ghost. And from what you're saying, Ahai, they encountered other survivors who accidentally wandered into the dungeon world, right? Considering what happened at my house, it's clear this dismembered female ghost is roaming the entire Tokyo sewer system. It's different from other ghosts; although its level is only Dark Night, it attacks living people incredibly fast and frequently, and it just so happens to have exploited a loophole in the rules of the house you created, Ahai. This is very unusual.}

{I believe there must be some higher-level force behind this dismembered female ghost, something is manipulating it from the shadows, causing this special creature to continuously cause destruction at a rate far exceeding that of a Dark Night-level ghost. Perhaps... it's trying to undermine the rule-based defense system you've built, Ah Hai. I think this dismembered female ghost must be defeated as soon as possible, otherwise, there will definitely be serious problems!}

Qianhua quickly began to speculate that if the dismembered female ghost continued her activities, many survivors who had initially avoided the enemy would be drawn into the instance world. If this continued, the number of deaths would increase, and the enemy would likely use this opportunity to suppress the defenses of Gao Hai's "Rules of the Household," trying to exploit the deaths to sow suspicion among ordinary people and gradually dismantle the defensive line Gao Hai had built.

[What are you going to do? 】

Since Chika herself was positioned as a strategist, Gao Hai didn't waste any words and went straight to asking about her plans.

{We need someone strong enough to manage this instance. I know that if we were to enter that Dark Night level instance in our true form, it would definitely attract rejection. It might even trigger some kind of violent reaction as soon as we enter, thus drawing the attention of the [Hospital].}

{But Ah Hai, you've already found a way to bypass it, haven't you? You projected your mental energy into the instance, influencing it in a clever way, right?}

Standing in the messy living room, Chika tried her best to keep her tone calm, but her hands still clenched into fists involuntarily.

[You wish to merge your blessing power with my mental power to gain the ability to interfere within the instance. In other words, you want me to use my mental power to create a temporary clone for you within the instance, is that something like that?]

Gao Hai quickly understood Qian Hua's thoughts.

"Well, we'll have to go in and see for ourselves what's really going on inside. Ah Hai, exploring with a few newbies is too slow; we need experienced players. Unlike Xiao Yili, my abilities aren't as strong or versatile as hers, making it difficult to rescue survivors on a large scale. So, I'll be in charge of investigating this unusual dungeon related to the dismembered female ghost. What do you think, Ah Hai?"

Qianhua's voice didn't reveal much emotion, but Gao Hai knew her true state perfectly well. He figured even if he refused, she would still try everything to get into the dungeon world. After all, her family was all trapped inside, unlike Hongxia who had Gao Hai protecting her. As players, everyone knew how dangerous the Dark Night level dungeons were, and the perilous situation of Qianhua's family was self-evident.

Okay, then choose your own home as your base. Remember to close the doors and windows and restore the rule protection, so you don't hurt yourself.

Without hesitation, Gao Hai used his reality distortion ability in conjunction with Qian Hua's mental power to quickly create a clone that was exactly the same as Qian Hua herself, but whose physical strength was controlled at the Dark Night level, and which was directly remotely controlled by Qian Hua herself.

Through this clone, the pink-haired girl entered the instance space directly through the still-open passage in the toilet, accelerating her descent into the darkness.

[I've sent you all the information gathered by the survivors in the early stages. Another team of Night-level players is attempting to enter the instance. Try to find them and rendezvous with them. Don't act alone; this situation is truly extraordinary.]

During this process, Gao Hai continued to communicate with Qian Hua through their mental link. In fact, he was simultaneously communicating with Qian Hua and the Dark Night-level player team he had mentioned.

Yes, while everyone else was scrambling around, a player team from China called [Minghuijian] had successfully located the dormitory building where Shizuko Ogiyama and the others lived. They confirmed that there were no survivors left in the entire building; the vast majority of people had been killed by the dismembered female ghost, and the few who might have entered the instance were now difficult to determine in terms of fate.

"[Bright and Dark] Captain Yan Hui reports: It has been confirmed that the dormitory building, which originally housed more than 50 survivors, has been emptied, and no survivors have been found so far."

"Multiple entrances to the instance were found in the toilets of different dormitories. If we want to find and rescue the trapped students, entering the instance space is probably necessary."

"I propose that our [Between Light and Darkness] team take the lead in scouting the instance and try to establish a safe zone within it. Then, we can call in more rescue personnel and players to enter the instance and successfully conquer it."

The team leader, Yan Hui, is a young woman with short hair. She has a very capable figure and demeanor, but her expression is very cold, as if she is radiating a chill.

At this moment, the player was standing in Shizuko Ogiyama's own dormitory room, speaking through the temporary mental link established by Takahashi.

[Yes, but please be careful. This instance has been confirmed to have many abnormalities, so please be extra cautious.]

Although he was operating in multiple threads, Gao Hai, whose thinking speed was already superhuman, didn't encounter any problems. So, after listening briefly to Ms. Yan Hui's speech and roughly understanding her meaning, Gao Hai readily approved it and even warned her that the copy situation was not right.

"Captain, are we really going to go in? Even Mr. Gao said there are problems. What if we go in and get upgraded from Dark Night level to Red Moon level?"

Qin Shou, the team's second-in-command, who suffers from mild misogyny and vomits whenever he shakes hands with a girl, and can only communicate normally with androgynous men, was momentarily confused by Gao Hai's words and subconsciously had the idea of ​​running away.

"If I really become a Red Moon level, I will try my best to collect your body before I die."

However, Yan Hui had long been used to Qin Shou's unserious manner. After casually tossing out such a remark, she turned and stepped into the dormitory bathroom, arriving at the dark and gloomy crack in the wall that had appeared in the room.

"Sigh, so this is really a suicide mission. Why did I have to come all this way to die?"

Qin Shou sighed and, along with several other teammates, stepped forward, following Yan Hui's footsteps toward the rift leading to the unknown world.

The number of people getting involved is increasing.

Regardless of whether there is a person manipulating or guiding this event, this Dark Night-level dungeon has been attracting more and more attention without anyone noticing. More and more players have begun to notice the existence of this abnormal dungeon, especially the actions of the Corpse-Shattering Female Ghost.

Survivors who have already entered the instance, an unknown number of other survivors caught up in the instance whose fates are unknown, and players who are gradually venturing deeper into the instance to conduct investigations...

Gao Hai wasn't sure how many people were currently involved, or how many more would join the operation. However, he had a vague feeling that the hospital's attention to this instance was gradually increasing, and their investment was growing. At this point, regardless of their initial objectives, this instance had essentially become a contest, another game of strategy between Gao Hai and the hospital.

Of course, now that things have reached this scale, Gao Hai doesn't actually need to be in too much of a hurry. After all, determining a winner in this matter is quite complicated, and the outcome won't be immediately apparent. In comparison, since there's still some free time, it's better to focus on the girl who has just woken up in a daze and is currently confused about the situation.

Thinking this, Gao Hai mobilized a part of his consciousness and looked at the fragile and pure white soul that was covered and protected by his spiritual power.

As if sensing something, the girl who had just woken up and was curled up in a daze, looking confused and bewildered, also raised her head at the same time Gao Hai looked over, her pair of greenish-blue eyes meeting his gaze.

Chapter 20: The Girl Awakens as a Soul and the Incarnation of Power

Well……

Little by little, sensation began to return, and thought gradually returned.

Ugh...no...don't...

The first thing that comes to mind is the terrifying torture I've never experienced before; even just recalling a few fragments is enough to bring intense fear to my bloody scenes of torment.

No...no...I...what happened before...?

Next, as memories return, thinking abilities gradually recover, intelligence gradually returns to normal, and one begins to be able to rationally analyze the surrounding situation.

I'm not dead yet... I'm not dead yet...

In a daze, the girl slowly opened her eyes.

I should be dead by now...

The thought popped into my head.

Although I can't recall the specific experiences... I only felt intense pain, pain so intense it was maddening...

But those blurry images, even just fragments, were enough to confirm... I should have been killed, those terrifying monsters should have killed me.

As the girl gradually regained consciousness, the terrifying experience, which seemed to have happened just a second ago, became clearer and clearer in her memory, making her expression increasingly confused.

If those scenes in my memory were real, then I should indeed be dead.

After experiencing something like that, there's no way you could have survived, right?

After all, when he stepped out of the cabinet without seeing the warning message beforehand and was grabbed by the monster lurking in the room with the lights on, that thing tore his entire body apart, turning him into pieces of rotten flesh and throwing him on the ground.

Although the actual speed of death wasn't slow—the monster was merely desecrating the corpse in the end—the despairing pain was undeniably real. Therefore, I shouldn't be alive; I shouldn't still be alive now.

In particular, it shouldn't be like this, with all Os appearing in a strange place radiating golden light, its origin unknown.

Yamada Ryo frowned and looked down at his fair skin, which was completely exposed.

While it's good news that it wasn't torn into pieces of flesh and bone, the fact that it was in its original state at birth was still quite unexpected.

Why am I here? Did someone save me? Or am I already dead and have gone to heaven or hell? This place doesn't feel like one of those places. What's going on? Why do I feel a vaguely familiar aura about me?

Liang covered her body with her hands, keeping herself curled up to hide her figure, and began to carefully observe her surroundings.

Golden and red light intertwined, and the condensed mist made it seem as if one were in the clouds, giving everything a dreamlike quality. The only drawback was that I had appeared here naked, and the place I was currently in was a bed. Yes, that's right, a very large bed, big enough to sleep five or six people.

Even though Yamada Ryo had never seen such a special bed before today, with her bassist's intuition, she still felt the rock and roll vibe from this big bed, and it was a particularly raw, pure and direct rock and roll vibe.

Am I here to join some kind of party? Please excuse me for refusing this type of rock; I much prefer the kind of rock where the feelings are mutual.

While thinking, Liang subconsciously reached out to cover his body and continued to observe his surroundings, trying to find a possible exit.

Then, she suddenly turned her head and looked at a hazy, golden-red mist.

Is it an illusion?

Liang's brows furrowed even more.