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

另一条则为：【绝对不可前往以下房间：308；302；206；211；212；109；2楼西侧洗衣房】

These seem to be messages left by survivors, but we don't know if they're accurate. But... 109? Was this room problematic from the start? If so, doesn't that mean Shizuko and the others were doomed the moment they got the key? They couldn't possibly have survived? That doesn't make sense. How could such a thing happen?

Clearly, due to a lack of dungeon experience, Xingge was somewhat dogmatic and subconsciously assumed that all survivor information was accurate, failing to consider that this information might be inconsistent with the actual situation due to different perspectives and various information errors.

Regardless, she confidently read through all the information she could easily find in section 304 and memorized it thoroughly. As a strong woman who had played in a band and held live performances in her youth, and even single-handedly opened a livehouse, Xingge possessed an exceptional memory—a photographic memory. For instance, she had already memorized all the information she had seen. Even if it was a superficial memorization without understanding the content, at least Xingge could recite the original text verbatim when she needed it later.

Meanwhile, while Xingge was investigating intelligence in room 304, Hongxia had already walked out of the iron gate that Gao Hai had damaged. After carefully observing her surroundings, she prepared to go upstairs via the side stairs.

Do you remember how many times you've used the stairs?

"Is Gao Hai asking aloud, 'What's going on in the girl's mind?'"

{Huh? This... this should be... the first time, right? Ah, that's right, this is the first time using the stairs. I was originally going to the third floor, but because I went to room 109 first, I got stuck in the room and didn't go upstairs.}

At Gao Hai's request, Hong Xia was required to use mental communication instead of speaking as much as possible. She spoke somewhat awkwardly, and after thinking for a while with a reminiscing expression, she gave her answer with some uncertainty.

Keep track of which staircases you've used and which haven't. Since the rules specifically state that a staircase can only be used once a day, try not to violate this rule. Anomalies clearly marked without much embellishment in the basic rule list are usually quite reliable. Remember, rule lists that are readily available in dungeons and whose bias towards humans is uncertain are generally for "maintaining the status quo." Information in such rule lists won't help survivors escape the dungeon and may even lead them to their deaths, but the relatively explicit information within them is generally credible; otherwise, it's unlikely to serve the purpose of "maintaining the status quo."

Gao Hai acted as if he had truly become a teacher, explaining various common knowledge about players to Hong Xia at a leisurely pace.

Okay, I'll remember that. Anyway, I'll go up the stairs from here next.

As if she had truly become Gao Hai's student, Hong Xia responded earnestly to Gao Hai before cautiously taking a step and beginning to walk up the dark stairwell.

Tick-tick-tick-

It seems like you can hear the sound of dripping water coming from somewhere.

In the damp underground environment, Hongxia could feel the moisture entering her lungs with each breath, which made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, Gao Hai silently watched the staircase itself, using the squirrel plush toy that Hong Xia was hanging on her body.

Where will it be?

There was a rule sheet in the lobby on the first floor that Gao Hai knew Hongxia hadn't remembered, but he didn't intend to remind her. Firstly, this could serve as a lesson to remind her not to forget any rules next time; secondly, whether she knew the rule or not, Hongxia was now obligated to break it. Therefore, Gao Hai decided to hold off for now and observe how the rule would take effect.

hum-

Then, as the piercing alarm sounded, Hongxia turned her head in a daze and saw something that looked like some kind of monitoring device on the edge of the stairs. After she passed by it, it started to make a sharp sound and flash a red light.

[You've probably forgotten this rule, Hongxia. There's an automatic alarm system installed in the basement to prevent apartment residents from entering. That means entering or leaving the basement will always trigger the alarm. Don't forget this information next time.]

Gao Hai's voice lingered in Hong Xia's ears.

"Then...what should we do now?"

Hongxia stood there stunned for a moment, and a feeling of fear began to spread through her.

Of course, I'd run away. Oh, for now, I'll lower my head.

"Huh?"

Although she didn't understand what he meant, Hongxia instinctively lowered her head at Gao Hai's command.

Then, the next second, she felt a gust of cold wind sweep over her head, and a strong chill swept over her whole body, making her quickly realize that a strange thing had just passed over her head.

Chapter Twenty-Three: A Chilling Escape and Unexpected Encounters Amidst the Chase of Strange Creatures

From the strange occurrences in the city after the torrential rain, to the attack by the dismembered female ghost, and then to entering the dungeon until now, these past few hours have felt like Hongxia has personally experienced an extremely thrilling horror adventure movie.

It must be admitted that this was both incredibly exciting and incredibly terrifying, and she really didn't want to experience anything like it!

Especially in this godforsaken place, one second there's nothing there, and the next second a terrifying, grotesque creature suddenly lunges at your face. It's enough to make your heart and lungs stop. Can't you give people even a little bit of time to prepare?!

It's about to catch up, so hurry up and run!

Gao Hai's unhurried, even slightly amused voice resonated from the depths of the girl's heart.

Turning around, Hongxia clearly saw the twisted figure, revealing the completely deformed, blood-soaked, hideous face of Hondou Haruka, grinning at her before suddenly accelerating and lunging forward.

Hongxia: QAQ

There was no time to hesitate. Despite being terrified and looking like she was about to cry, the petite girl reacted promptly after Gao Hai's reminder. She took off running upstairs with all her might, using all her strength and speed to escape the thing behind her.

【sideways!】

Gao Hai's orders arrived once again.

Instinctively obeying commands, Hongxia immediately stopped and dodged to the side of the stairs, almost crashing into the wall.

The next second, a foul-smelling wind swept past her side, and the monster that looked like Hondou Haruka slammed straight into the spot where Nijika had just been standing. Its forehead and teeth hit the stairs with a crisp sound, but it seemed to feel nothing at all. It immediately straightened up and turned to look at Nijika beside it.

[You owe me...]

"what?"

I think I heard a sound.

From that completely distorted, twisted human face—as if torn apart and then pieced back together—a voice entered his ears from beneath its face overflowing with hatred and terror.

"...You all owe me..."

"...You all deserve to pay me back..."

[...all of you should have done this for me...]

It's as if you can hear such self-righteous words, as if you can see Haruka Hondo dressed in bright colors saying such things with a serious face, without feeling that she has any problem at all, and even showing a smug expression.

Until the distorted colors covered her, until something corrupt began to brew and grow from her body, she became increasingly distorted, gradually transforming into something terrifying and horrible.

distortion.

Yes, it is a distortion.

A person who cannot reflect on their own mistakes, who succumbs to temptation and then blames others, is transformed into someone who righteously believes that everyone in the world should benefit from them, and who harbors a deep-seated hatred for anyone who doesn't revolve around them, viewing everyone who treats them badly as an enemy to be killed. The deeper the conflict, the deeper the hatred. Thus, after transforming into a monstrous creature, after becoming inhuman, they begin to follow this chain of hatred to find enemies and seek revenge.

Perhaps Hondo Haruka was originally just a pathetic, hopeless low-class woman, but the way she became so twisted in our previous interactions must have been due to some external influence, right?

Is it because we drank the water here?

Subconsciously, after triggering that moment of spiritual vision, Hongxia began to try to analyze and think about the root cause of this.

However, it is clearly not a good time to think about such things right now.

[Don't just stand there, run!]

Gao Hai's voice quickly interrupted the girl's thoughts. Hong Xia realized that the monster hadn't stopped chasing her and quickly started running upstairs. The monster that Hondou Haruka had transformed into grinned and was about to pounce on Hong Xia again. But this time, just as it made a move, a huge force pressed down from nowhere, causing the thing to fall face-first onto the stairs, its head hitting the stairs heavily once more.

A piercing scream echoed through the dark stairwell.

Without turning around, Hongxia could feel the intense gaze, the hateful look that thing was giving her.

Mr. Gao Hai said that supernatural beings have no emotions? Does that mean this twisted emotion is a remnant of Hondou Haruka's own past life? It's truly baffling. What kind of person is this? Have I even known her for ten minutes? How could she develop such intense hatred? Even if there's a twisted element involved, isn't this still a bit too strange? Wouldn't someone like this have enemies everywhere by now?

Hongxia desperately wanted to stop and earnestly advise the other person, telling them that such a lifestyle was wrong, that such a mindset was problematic, and that it wouldn't be good for their future or their life. However, considering that the other person was already dead and couldn't understand human speech anymore, and that if she dared to stop, the other person would definitely kill her, this petite but still mature girl continued running forward. She quickly ran up the stairs to the first floor and planned to continue to the second floor.

Stop and move into the hallway!

Gao Hai's voice suddenly rang out again at this moment.

He doesn't need to explain why he changed direction.

Because Hongxia had clearly seen something coming down from upstairs, something that she could only see as a pair of shoes and didn't know what it was.

A strong chill swept over me.

There was no need to get any closer to confirm whether the other person was human; the chill that could be clearly felt at this distance was enough to prove a lot. So, without the slightest hesitation, Hongxia turned around and quickly ran into the corridor on the first floor.

"Woo..."

Then I discovered that the temperature in the entire first-floor corridor was actually lower than that in the hallway.

On the left side of the corridor, in the middle of the path leading to the nearest stairwell, the doors to the laundry room and room 106 were both open. Dark red light shone from inside, and one could clearly sense something moving inside.

Turn right, but avoid the open doors.

Gao Hai's voice immediately rang in Hong Xia's mind, and the girl could also sense that something was moving inside the open red doors, so she quickly turned to the right and came to the corridor where room 109 was located.

Then, Hongxia was stunned once again by the situation before her.

call--

Amidst the gusts of cold wind, sheets of yellow and white paper money drifted down, scattering across the corridor and completely covering the floor.

You can hear the sound of some kind of harsh, rough, yet exceptionally loud musical instrument being played, seemingly from a very distant place.

And amidst the fluttering paper money, Hongxia vaguely sensed that something was standing there, watching her. She couldn't make out its appearance or pinpoint its location; the mere fact that she could feel its presence was enough to send chills down her spine—an unknown entity.

Why did this corridor end up like this?

This eerie appearance makes it seem as if it has transformed into another place, no longer within the apartment.

One unexpected development after another left Hongxia feeling completely numb and utterly clueless about what to do.

This is really beyond my expectations.

The voice of Gao Hai echoing in his mind also seemed to carry a hint of shock, as if the current situation was also beyond his expectations. Perhaps from the moment he chose to break the rules, he had prepared himself for enemies, but the current level of popularity was indeed a bit excessive.

What should we do now?

A chilling aura was approaching from ahead, and something dangerous, whose form was obscured, awaited them.

Behind her, the pursuing monsters were approaching. Whether it was the thing that Hondou Haruka had transformed into, the thing that was coming down from upstairs, or the things in the doors that emitted red light, they all clearly did not intend to let Nijika go and were rapidly approaching her standing at the top of the stairs.

"What...what should we do?"

In a state of extreme panic, not knowing what to do, Hongxia could only ask Gao Hai again. And because she was so flustered, she once again forgot to use the mental link for communication, instead speaking aloud. Immediately, the chill around them intensified; clearly, more things had heard Hongxia's words and were drawn to her.

Oh no, oh no, what should we do if this continues?!

As soon as she spoke, Hongxia realized that she had made a mistake in her panic, but before she could do anything else, Gao Hai's instructions came again.

Go straight ahead, just keep running forward, don't worry about anything else.

The next moment, Gao Hai's calm voice rang out, his words carrying an undeniable firmness.

Charge forward?

Hongxia did not expect Gao Hai to give such an instruction.

【quick!】

But the next moment, the other party's orders became urgent, and Hongxia felt a chill approaching from behind.

Knowing she had no other choice, the girl gritted her teeth and dashed out, stepping directly onto the paper money. Before today, Hongxia had never imagined she could run so fast. Her eyes were fixed ahead as she sprinted through the life-or-death crisis, momentarily giving her the illusion of pushing her human limits.