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

Surely we can find such a place, right?

"call……"

The girl's breathing became incredibly heavy without her realizing it.

[Go further in, there's definitely something wrong with this room.]

Fortunately, although Hongxia couldn't immediately spot the problem or find the source of her worry from the seemingly normal house, she still had Gao Hai by her side. Even though it was just a remotely controlled clone with insufficient power, it was enough for him to confirm the slight anomalies in room 303 and find the truly crucial point.

Follow my instructions!

Following Gao Hai's voice, Hong Xia opened the bedroom door on the right side of room 303 and went to the wardrobe in the bedroom.

She carefully opened the wardrobe labeled "Dansu Company," moved the clothes hanging inside to the side, and opened the inner sliding door. The next second, Hongxia clearly saw a small room with a faint light shining through behind that door.

Considering the structure of the Sheep Apartment itself, this small room should be impossible. Normally, based on its location, it would be in the air outside the apartment. But at this point, Hongxia was fed up with the illogical spatial anomalies in the dungeon world. She didn't even pay much attention to it, quickly signaling the others to follow. They all went through the hidden door of the wardrobe, closed it, and only breathed a sigh of relief after everyone had passed through and it was confirmed that the strange creatures that had followed them into the room had no intention of approaching the wardrobe.

"Phew...at least..."

Letting out a long sigh of relief, Hongxia disregarded any notion of being ladylike and sat down directly on the ground.

On the other side, Xingge gritted her teeth, pulled a long wooden splinter from her arm, and sat down next to Hongxia, clutching her blood-stained arm.

The two sisters sat side by side, their figures, one tall and one short, bearing a striking resemblance, making one marvel at how true they were sisters.

Fujiwara Daichi, supported by Fujiwara Manho and Fujiwara Toyomi, lay down on the carpet on one side of the room. He didn't seem too badly injured and was probably not going to die. Fujiwara Moeha sat down in the corner. The youngest girl seemed a little dazed, her mind wandering. Nijika noticed Moeha's unusual behavior and instinctively wanted to get up to comfort her, but Fujiwara Manho sensed her daughter's distress first and quickly went to hug her. After a brief silence, Moeha buried her head in her mother's arms and sobbed softly. Nijika, who had initially wanted to get up, silently sat back down, simply smiling at the mother comforting her daughter.

"Thank you both very much. Without your help, even if we had escaped to this apartment, our family would still have met our end. The Fujiwara family will remember this kindness and will definitely repay it in the future."

Seeing her mother busy comforting her youngest daughter, the eldest sister, Fujiwara Toyomi, after confirming that her father was not in immediate danger, reached out to comb her hair and tidy her somewhat messy, muddy, and dirty clothes. Then, she straightened her back, knelt properly, and faced Nijika and Hoshika, thanking them very solemnly.

"No, no, there's no need for such formal thanks. My sister and I are just trapped here trying to survive. In fact, having more companions would make us feel more at ease. And if we really want to thank someone, I think we should thank Mr. Gao Hai more."

Unexpectedly, the other party would act so formally. Hongxia said somewhat awkwardly, slightly stepping away and picking up the squirrel plush toy hanging from her waist.

Let's save the formalities for when we're truly back in the real world and completely safe. Right now, you've only temporarily escaped the imminent danger; it's far from time to relax. Even if this secret room could guarantee you'd be 100% safe from monsters, finding food, lodging, and shelter in such a small room would be extremely difficult. You can't stay here indefinitely; you'll eventually have to leave.

Gao Hai, who had quietly surveyed the room first, clearly didn't intend to waste time on overly complicated conversations. Therefore, he immediately got straight to the point in a cold tone.

Now, let me address some of the most obvious issues first, and then we can discuss the follow-up matters.

hum-

A faint, bloody light flashed past after Gao Hai finished speaking. Xing Ge blinked and suddenly realized that the wound on her arm no longer hurt. Looking down, she discovered that the flesh that had been pierced by the splinter had actually healed.

Immediately afterwards, the doll floated to Fujiwara Daichi, who was lying on the carpet. Then, a flash of blood-red light swept by, and the man's brows, which had been furrowed in pain, relaxed, his breathing became much more steady, and several of his injuries subsided.

He wasn't fully healed; the strange power within him is still corroding his body. Although it seems to have subsided on the surface, he shouldn't be able to regain his mobility for the time being. What exactly happened to him? How did he get injured like this?

Before Fujiwara Toyomi and Fujiwara Maho could even show happy expressions, Takahashi spoke up seriously, his gaze turning directly to Fujiwara Maho. He had confirmed from their previous actions that this mother was a smart woman, and he intended to get the answer directly from her.

Fujiwara Maho understood Takami's meaning and cautiously explained that Fujiwara Daichi had tried to fight the dismembered female ghost that emerged from the toilet with a broom and a kitchen knife, but was severely injured and sent flying. As for their family's presence here, it was because the dismembered female ghost, after seriously injuring Fujiwara Daichi, inexplicably slowed down. This gave the family some time to maneuver. After several failed attempts to escape the house with their severely injured father, and finding that neither the doors nor windows could be opened, they were forced to use the mysterious passage that appeared in the toilet to reach this area. They were then pursued by various strange creatures roaming the streets and finally arrived at this apartment building.

Although the whole thing took less than an hour, looking back now, everyone feels a bit helpless about the hardships we went through.

However, from Gao Hai's perspective, this situation was quite strange, with obvious signs of human intervention.

Although I had some suspicions after learning from Chika that her family had disappeared, after hearing Fujiwara Manho's words, I was now 100% certain. The hospital was deliberately targeting my social circle, using my real-world network to try and harm me. Thinking about it that way, maybe Xiaohua's disappearance in the instance, now that we've lost contact with her, is also because…

Gao Hai paused briefly to calm himself down before continuing to think.

These actions were likely not entirely under the control of the hospital itself, otherwise things wouldn't have been handled so carelessly. Gao Hai guessed that the hospital must have used some kind of conceptual, curse-like power, achieved through a special ritual. The advantage of this was that the curse became unpredictable, even Gao Hai was finding it difficult to handle; the disadvantage was that the hospital couldn't determine the extent of its effects or confirm the results in real time. So, although the Fujiwara family was now trapped in the dungeon, the situation wasn't at its worst yet.

However, if the hospital continues to unleash that ritualistic power, those connected to Gao Hai will become more vulnerable to attacks from supernatural entities, and will be extremely susceptible to causal danger. Furthermore, based on current events, the primary effect of the curse imposed by the hospital seems to be using causal connections to drag those associated with Gao Hai into a secondary world or a peripheral dimension. It's possible that the current situation has already achieved the hospital's goal, but Gao Hai, after much consideration, still believes the hospital is more likely planning to kill and modify those connected to him, thereby exerting a strong influence on him.

Ugh, it's all sorts of underhanded tricks and schemes, one after another, just thinking about them makes me want to vomit.

"Mr. Gao Hai, do you know us well? Do you perhaps know us?"

At this moment, Fujiwara Yutaka asked in a low voice. Although she was still not used to talking to Takami, who was controlling the squirrel puppet, she could tell from the details of her mother Fujiwara Manho’s conversation with Takami that her mother probably knew something about this Mr. Takami. Moreover, Mr. Takami’s reaction was not like that of a stranger. So she decided to interrupt and try to learn more information.

【Fujiwara Chika is my girlfriend. I've been observing you without your knowledge. In fact, I originally planned to protect you beforehand, but I didn't expect the enemy to act so quickly and suddenly, which led to this situation. In that respect, I cannot deny my mistake. Anyway, I will try my best to protect your family from now on.】

Without any intention of hiding anything, Gao Hai came out and made his point clear.

"Hey, is that your boyfriend, sister? He's... your boyfriend, right?"

Having calmed down somewhat with her mother's comfort, Mengye reacted the most strongly at this moment, staring wide-eyed at the doll floating in mid-air, unsure of what to say.

"Wait a minute, whose boyfriend is he? Hongxia, didn't you say he and Yili were close?"

On the other side, Xingge also showed a shocked expression, and quickly recalled some details, and couldn't help but look at Hongxia hoping to get an explanation.

[This doll is just a tool I control remotely; don't mistake it for me. I am a 100% human male. As for relationships, Fujiwara Chika is my girlfriend—well, to be precise, one of my girlfriends. In fact, I've dated seven girlfriends so far. I know this might seem abnormal to many, but I won't hide it. After all, you're Chika's family, and Nijika is Ichiri's good friend, so I'll just say it directly.]

Gao Hai's voice remained calm. He didn't care at all that both sides looked a little dumbfounded. He even gave them a brief introduction so they could get to know each other.

[The Fujiwara family is a political clan. The parents are Fujiwara Daichi and Fujiwara Manho. The eldest sister is Fujiwara Toyomi, and the youngest sister is Fujiwara Moeha. My second sister, Fujiwara Chika, is my girlfriend. She's not here now, but she's on her way. Like Ichiri, she has gained extraordinary powers beyond the norm. Once she arrives, she'll definitely be able to help you all; perhaps she can even find a way to get you out of here.]

[These are the Ijichi sisters. The older sister is Ijichi Seika, and the younger sister is Ijichi Nijika. They are friends of a powerful player named Goto Ichiri. Yes, Goto Ichiri is also one of my girlfriends, and she's the strongest besides me. She's currently busy ensuring the safety of the citizens and probably can't attend to things here. There's also a girl named Yamada Ryo who knows these people, but she's currently carrying out a mission I assigned her and won't be able to come for a while.]

After giving a brief overview of the situation at a rapid pace, Gao Hai turned his gaze back to Hong Xia, regardless of whether anyone understood.

[You've rested enough, Hongxia. It's time to get down to business.]

I think this room was indeed where a "survivor" stayed. Let's search this room carefully; we might find some very important clues.

I have a feeling that the key to unlocking the mystery might be found in this very room, beneath the surface of this apartment replica.

Gao Hai's voice was very serious.

The girl, who had gradually gotten used to following instructions, stood up and once again looked around the not-so-large room.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Investigation of the Secret Room and Tastes Different from Those of JK Girls

One thing is certain: this peculiar hidden room was most likely used by the survivors as a secret base.

Whether it's the sofas, carpets, tables, chairs, and other furniture that clearly came from different residents' rooms and were smuggled in secretly, or the large boxes of empty mineral water bottles piled up in the corner, it's enough to tell a story. Furthermore, outside this room, which serves as a living room, Hongxia noticed two other doors; perhaps some useful clues are hidden inside.

So, it's probably time to take action and investigate thoroughly. After all, we can't be trapped in this room forever; we have to find a way out.

"Big sister, are you looking for something? Can I help you?"

Having regained some of her energy, Fujiwara Moeha saw Nijika get up to prepare to move and, out of curiosity, mustered up the courage to ask.

"It's just an investigation to confirm whether the place we're in now is safe or not. Um, I'll call you Moeha-chan from now on. Moeha-chan, why don't you stay with your family for now? Let me investigate the surrounding area first, okay?"

To this seemingly petite and immature junior high school girl who, in some ways, had already surpassed her own, Nijika naturally offered her usual gentle smile. Meanwhile, Fujiwara Manho, who was taking care of Fujiwara Daichi, also called Moeha back to her side, scolding her for causing trouble for Nijika.

Without paying much attention to the situation of the others, Hongxia turned around and exchanged a glance with Xingge. The two sisters then acted in unison.

Soon, the two carefully approached one of the doors. Xingge gently opened the door, and Hongxia slowly entered, holding up the doll. Gao Hai then used his mental power to scan the room. After confirming there was no danger, she put the doll down and hung it back on her waist. The two sisters then began their investigation inside the room.

This room looks like a small bedroom. Inside, there's a somewhat dirty and messy quilt that seems to have been used by many people, but hasn't been touched for a long time, along with various clothes and shoes piled up in the corner of the room.

For Hongxia and Xingge, who had been walking barefoot for quite some time, a pair of comfortable shoes was absolutely essential. Although neither of them understood why there were so many clothes in the bedroom, after Gao Hai nodded to confirm that everything was alright, Hongxia and Xingge found some women's sneakers that were close in size and put them on, which relieved some of the pain of walking barefoot. However, when Xingge found a relatively clean women's T-shirt in the pile of clothes and looked at her own dirty clothes, she thought for a moment, then went to the door and closed it to prevent anyone outside from seeing what was going on inside. Then, she actually took off her own T-shirt and put the T-shirt she had found on over herself.

"Hey, sister, wait..."

On the other side, Hongxia was rummaging through the pile of clothes, wondering why there were so many seemingly clean men's and women's clothes in the bedroom, and various styles ranging from adult to children's. By the time she turned around and saw Xingge's actions, it was too late to stop her, and she could only watch helplessly as her sister took off the torn T-shirt.

Compared to Nijika Ijichi, who is only 1.5 meters tall and petite enough to be easily lifted up, Hoshika, who is over 1.6 meters tall, has very long legs and a beautiful figure. Furthermore, because she is an adult, her style of dress differs from Nijika's, appearing quite mature.

【Oh~】

Gao Hai, who hadn't initially paid attention to the situation here, exclaimed in surprise within Hong Xia's mind.

It's lined with black and red lace!

And this size, well, it's about the same as Miko's. But the difference is, little Miko gives off more of a youthful and innocent vibe; only through deeper learning and interaction can one gradually appreciate the charm that slowly unfolds. This one, on the other hand, completely exudes maturity. With a gentle twist of her slender waist and a slight stretch of her body, one can feel the allure of adulthood emanating from her, as if one could see her opening her arms, smiling softly, and saying, "Would you like to come into my arms?" It's just like that feeling.

Don't look around!

Hongxia hurriedly reached out to cover the squirrel doll's eyes, but Gao Hai was merely using the power of this object of obsession to project his mental energy. If he truly wanted to see, how could he be hindered by the sensory abilities of a mere soulless doll? Therefore, even though Hongxia quickly covered the doll's eyes, Gao Hai still diligently completed his academic observation and research on Xingge, who was changing clothes.

It's truly unexpected that little Hongxia's older sister possesses such remarkable adult charm. However, it's a pity that Xingge herself doesn't have that mature older sister persona. On the contrary, she usually seems aloof and cold, but she actually needs a pillow to fall asleep and has a childlike nature, easily bursting into tears when emotionally agitated. Therefore, expecting her to say something like "Let big sister take care of you" with a seductive expression is probably unrealistic.

Well, unless there's been some careful research or development, judging from Hoshino's behavior, she's probably never been in a relationship by the time she's 29. She might be just as incredibly naive in this regard as her younger sister, Hongxia—a completely unexplored frontier. Sigh, it's not a good time to discuss this now. Gao Hai has actually considered breaking free from the "JK killer" label in other players' eyes, and thinks someone like Hoshino might be great. Oh well, let's put that aside for now.

On the dark, blood-red throne, Gao Hai, amused by the unfolding events and Hong Xia's panicked reaction, curled the corners of his lips into a slight smile.

Of course, while this brief interlude somewhat eased Gao Hai's mind, the bad news from the other side continued, making it impossible for him to relax.

The Sunflower Squad, which went to the residential area to provide support, has already lost two members while trying to break through the node of the edge space, and they couldn't even retrieve their bodies. As for Kita Ikuyo, who also entered the residential area, and Yotsuya Miko, whose current location in the edge space is unknown, Takami has absolutely no news of them.

I hope everything will be alright... There's already been enough bad news tonight...

"Why did you suddenly call me in such a hurry? I closed the door properly, and no one saw me changing clothes here."

Xingge had already changed her clothes and tidied her slightly disheveled hair, answering in a very calm tone.

"But... Mr. Gao is a man, isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

Realizing that her older sister was being a bit forgetful again, Hongxia hesitated for a while before finally leaning close to Xingge and whispering a reminder.

"Hey……"

The next moment, Xingge's cheeks were quickly flushed red, as if she had become hot and her whole body was burning up. For a moment, she trembled and couldn't say a word.

Sister, you really are an idiot.

Regarding what had already happened, Hongxia could only sigh softly and had nothing else to say. Thinking about it carefully, since she hadn't really revealed anything she shouldn't have, it was actually alright overall. In fact, she was still a little worried about Gao Hai's reaction. After all, being inexplicably blindfolded and not being allowed to see was bound to be unpleasant, right?

{Um, I'm so sorry, Mr. Gao Hai…}

No need to apologize, this is a normal feeling of shame, and my vision doesn't require the doll, so covering its eyes won't bother me.

{Huh? Really? That's great... Uh? Ah? Unstoppable... you mean?}

Before she could finish her apology, Gao Hai interrupted her, offering a perfectly natural explanation. Hong Xia was instinctively pleased, thankful that she hadn't offended Gao Hai. However, she quickly grasped the meaning behind Gao Hai's words and began to feel genuinely troubled, unsure how to respond to him.

It seems that perhaps both sisters are fools.

The investigation of the small bedroom quickly came to an end; the place was too small and too rudimentary, offering no useful clues. At most, one could deduce that many different people had lived there, which explained the large pile of clothes in the corner.

When Hoshika, dressed in new clothes, and Nijika, carrying a doll, came out of the small bedroom, the two noticed that the Fujiwara family members seemed a little nervous, unsure whether they were afraid that the girls would turn into something else or what.

"This room is a small bedroom. It's safe inside, and there are many clothes, pants, and shoes of various styles piled up. Most of them are relatively clean, and you can take a look if you need. However, the bed in the bedroom looks very worn out, so please don't try to sleep on it."

As she spoke, Hongxia walked towards another door inside the room. Xingge was still in the midst of her overwhelming embarrassment, so she simply followed Hongxia without saying a word. The two of them arrived at the room door together, and it was the same routine as before: Xingge opened the door, and Hongxia held up the doll.

squeak-

This time, as the door slowly opened, the faint light from inside shone on Hongxia's face.