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

Lin Sen spoke in a low voice. Among the people present, this forest ranger valued honor the most. At this moment, he had already taken out a lantern shaped like a human head and was eager to rush in.

"Don't get excited, we're not here for a picnic, let's be careful. I'll go first, Lin Sen and Qin Shou, you two take the left and right flanks respectively, Lake, you stay back, and Qiu Shui, you keep an eye on our condition in the middle. Alright, let's go!"

Yan Hui nodded slightly and took the lead, heading towards the entrance of the office building.

"I actually still think we can consider the kindergarten across the street... well, never mind, this is really rushing up there to our deaths."

Qin Shou shrugged, and although he said discouraging things, he still obediently followed behind the group.

However, before actually entering the office building, he suddenly turned his head and carefully observed the dark street and the seemingly empty kindergarten not far away.

Qin Shou could already roughly sketch out the outline of this neighborhood in his mind. After all, once past the partition, it was quite obvious that the other side was where the survivors who had accidentally entered the dungeon had woken up. All sorts of details matched up perfectly, such as the location of the traffic lights and the signs.

In this way, the outline of the area outside the block can be pieced together completely.

The apartment is Zhenyang Apartment, the company is Dansu Company, but what about that kindergarten?

Instinctively, Qin Shou felt there was something wrong with the kindergarten, suspecting it might hold some clues. However, the captain had already made a clear decision and solemnly declared that the reason for doing so was to resolve this instance as quickly as possible and try to destroy everything at its source. Therefore, something that seemed suspicious, possibly from an area attached to the instance, naturally became less important.

Well, the captain has already made his judgment, so there's no need to force a confrontation. I can only hope that the captain's decision this time wasn't wrong.

While she was thinking, Yan Hui, who was walking at the front, had already pushed open the company door.

crunch--

With a heavy thud, the heavy door slowly opened, and soft light shone down, making the clean, slightly reflective tile floor momentarily dazzling.

Liang carefully pushed open the door and came into a narrow corridor.

The door behind her closed automatically. The girl noticed this and tried to stop it, but found that the door seemed to have its own will. The more she tried to resist the force of the closing door, the less she could stop it.

[Stop blocking it. Just close it. This spatial passage can't be maintained for long anyway. Leaving it open will cause big problems.]

Only after Gao Hai spoke somewhat helplessly in the girl's heart did Liang reluctantly let go of the door and allow it to close. After the door closed, she noticed that the sign on the door read "Duty Room". Opening the door again, she could see a very simple small room with a single bed. As for the way back to Zhenyang Apartment, it was naturally impossible to find it again.

In this way, there's no turning back.

Thinking this, Ryo turned around again, facing the front of the corridor, but was troubled by a new problem.

Where should we go next?

Holding a dismissal notice in her hand, Liang moved cautiously. Although she wasn't quite sure what to do, her body had already started moving forward involuntarily. Of course, as always, despite being very nervous inside, the girl's face remained expressionless, appearing very calm.

On the surface, this place seemed to be just a reasonably simply decorated corridor. But Liang, with her keen senses, could clearly perceive the eerie chill in the air. She knew something lurked here—something dangerous, something terrifying that shouldn't be touched lightly. Yet, the surrounding environment offered no indication of anything amiss; everything was peaceful and serene, except for the fact that there wasn't a single person around, which made it slightly sinister.

Right, it's a well-known local company, but there's not a single person here... No, there shouldn't be any people here in the first place. This isn't the real world, this is a dungeon. It would be a problem if we kept encountering people, okay?

Don't go through the door on the left.

Gao Hai's voice suddenly rang out, and Liang's gaze subconsciously turned to the left. At this moment, she noticed a room door on the left, and could vaguely hear voices coming from inside the room. It sounded like there were quite a few people behind the door.

However, upon seeing this door, Ryo was certain that she hadn't heard anything.

What's inside?

The girl asked in the temporary mental link.

This is a problem you can't handle right now, so don't worry about it.

Gao Hai's answer was concise. He had actually wanted to add "a shoddy Red Moon-level" to describe how unstable Liang's forcibly boosted strength was. However, considering that Liang, being a newbie, might not understand this kind of humor among players, he didn't say it and simply continued to observe the surroundings for the girl.

Meanwhile, Liang had already advanced some distance and soon discovered an open area on the right side of the corridor.

This appears to be an elevator lobby. Liang noticed that there were four passenger elevators on each side of the lobby, as well as a freight elevator that was noticeably larger.

These details immediately made Ryo realize her current location and connected it with the map she had seen before. However, compared to this, what was more important to the girl at the moment was the notice posted on the wall.

[Daily Precautions for Dansu Company Employees]

[1. Becoming an employee of Dansu Company means becoming the face of Dansu Company. You should pay attention to your daily attire and personal hygiene, and always maintain the best possible appearance.]

[2. Working for Dansu Company is a source of pride. You should complete at least 10 hours of work each day before leaving your post.]

3. The honor of Dansu Company is your honor as an employee. You must not make any statements that damage the image of Dansu Company anywhere. At the same time, you have an obligation to protect the company's reputation and stand up for the company when you encounter such statements.

4. As an employee of Dansu Company, your time should not be wasted on going to the toilet or eating. Each toilet break should be limited to 5 minutes, and you may only use the toilet once a day at the company premises. Similarly, each meal should not exceed 15 minutes, and you may only eat at the company premises a maximum of twice a day.

5. In response to the curfew policy, Dansu Company will implement a shift system. As an employee, you must complete 48 hours of work before you can rest. You can only rest after your shift leader comes to relieve you.

6. Dansu Company does not keep cats. There are no cats here, and no one here has seen a cat. Please focus on your work.

7. Dansu Company respects the privacy of every employee and we do not monitor our employees.

8. The board's resolutions are absolutely correct. As an employee, you must uphold all the company's resolutions and obey them.

9. The water here is fine; you can drink it anytime.

[10. To prevent the spread of infectious diseases, our company has implemented a separation policy between upper and lower floors. The elevators are currently out of service; please use the stairs to access the upper floors of Dansu Company. To access the lower floors, please use the freight area on the first floor of our office building. Employees working in the upper or lower floors are prohibited from contact with each other.]

【11. ■■■No■■Disease■■■■■■】

Of the 11 basic points, except for the last one which was inexplicably mostly blacked out and made unreadable, the remaining 10 points are quite clear and easy to understand.

So, are these the so-called rules? No matter how you look at it, these are rules that exploit people.

The girl, who was muttering to herself, was about to tear down the notice and take a closer look when she suddenly noticed faint footsteps approaching from not far away. Something was getting closer to her.

Chapter 34: Yamada Ryo's Investigation of the Upper-Level Area of ​​Danso Company

Tread - Tread -

Something was moving slowly down the corridor, accompanied by steady footsteps.

Yamada Ryo didn't think it was anything friendly or something she could communicate with. Even though she hadn't actually seen what it looked like, just feeling its aura gave her a chill, and she could clearly sense that some strange and unfamiliar thing was approaching.

To be honest, it's actually quite novel. This kind of sensory ability was something I could never have possessed in the past. It must be a change that occurred after Mr. Gao Hai reshaped my body; it's a passive sensory enhancement resulting from the excessive increase in the strength of my physical body. Although the experience wasn't actually that great—I felt a bit dizzy and unable to control my body—I, an ordinary person, should definitely thank Mr. Gao Hai for helping me so much, since he has such clear and distinct sensory abilities.

No need for thanks. Don't forget why you came here; that thing is getting closer and closer. Have you made up your mind about what to do?

Gao Hai's voice interrupted Liang's thoughts in an annoyed tone. In fact, despite having some random thoughts in his mind, Liang acted very quickly and immediately began to avoid that aura, preparing to hide on the other side of the corridor.

The ability to conceal one's presence may not be effective against an unknown enemy.

Based on his assessment of the intensity of the aura, Liang decisively returned to the corridor where he had started, intending to evade his opponent by using the corridor surrounding the elevator hall.

Are you confident about the places you'll be exploring next?

Gao Hai once again asked a question from the depths of her girlish heart.

I plan to try and see if I can get to the boss's office first.

Liang carefully made her way down the corridor while answering Gao Hai's questions through their mental links.

{The secrets hidden within Dansu Company must have clues in the boss's office. I currently only have a map of the upper levels of the company; if I choose to abandon those clues and head towards the lower levels, where I know little, I think I'd be taking a longer route.}

{Furthermore, if the dismissal notice actually works and can eject those whose names are on it from the instance world back to the real world, I can send Manager Hongxia and the others out first. Even if they're in the safe house now, it's still not safe in the long run; only by truly leaving this place can they be truly safe.}

As she spoke, the girl had already reached the corner at the end of the corridor. Directly in front of her, an office door was ajar, and she could vaguely hear some soft noises coming from inside, but she didn't know exactly what was going on.

Peeking around the corner of the corridor, I didn't see anything unusual, except for a faint dripping sound coming from the toilet on the right side of the corridor.

Should I go over there? I feel uneasy passing by the half-open door.

Liang still had some hesitation in her heart, but the approaching aura of the eerie creature behind her reminded her that she didn't have much time to hesitate, so the girl thought for a moment and decided to continue forward.

So, it turns out, our thinking is still limited.

Gao Hai's voice rang out before Liang Xing even started moving.

{Is it limiting my thinking?}

Liang didn't quite understand what Gao Hai meant.

【You don't want to go through the crack in the door, right? Then just jump! This corridor is only about 1.2 meters wide. With your current physical abilities, jump two meters high, use your hands and feet to support yourself against the walls on both sides of the corridor, and walk across the ceiling. You can easily step over the crack in the door, and make sure no one inside can see you, right?】

As Gao Hai spoke, he used his mental power to conjure a simple scene in Liang's mind, allowing her to understand his thoughts.

I see. Is there another way?

Liang had to admit that she hadn't thought of that, since such an action would be very difficult for ordinary people to accomplish.

{I see}

Without hesitation, the girl took a deep breath, then lightly jumped, leaping to a height almost reaching the ceiling. Then, she spun around in mid-air, her hands forward and feet back, easily bracing herself against both ends of the corridor wall.

I can actually do these acrobatic-like moves?

Many girls, who didn't yet fully understand their current physical abilities, felt a surge of secret delight at how easily they could complete such a task. However, as Gao Hai coughed lightly in the mental link, Liang, realizing she had been somewhat distracted, immediately sprang into action, moving swiftly along the wall. In just a few seconds, she had passed the half-open door and silently landed back in the corridor.

Tick-tick-tick-

If you continue walking a few more steps, you will get close to the toilet.

The dripping sound became clearer. Liang slowly walked to the toilet and saw a woman standing in front of the sink. The woman was wearing an office uniform and had her back to Liang, seemingly looking at the mirror in front of her. At the same time, the faucet in front of her was dripping continuously, making a constant dripping sound.

Ignore her and walk past her.

Gao Hai issued the command from the depths of Liang's heart.

Is it enough to just ignore it?

She clearly felt a chill creeping up her body and became slightly nervous again, but she had no intention of disobeying Gao Hai's orders. She simply ignored him and quickly walked across the corridor in front of the toilet, avoiding his gaze.

My heart is beating a little faster.

But it seems like you just have to walk over there. Does that thing not react to people who pass by?

Don't look back, and don't pay attention to what's behind you right now.

The next moment, as Gao Hai's voice fell, Liang heard the crisp sound of high heels clicking on the ground and clearly saw a shadow looming over from behind.

{…}

To be honest, there was a moment when Liang felt like her heart was about to stop beating.

Fortunately, she usually has almost no facial expression, so even though she was extremely nervous, she didn't show any abnormality and continued walking forward naturally.

It hasn't actually found you; your diminished presence is working for it. Keep walking, don't stop, but don't go too fast either. Maintain a steady pace, and that thing won't be able to find you. It will give up in 20 seconds at most.

Gao Hai's voice remained calm throughout, as if the strange creature following him was nothing to him.

After hearing this, Liang felt more confident and continued to move forward slowly. Soon, she passed two more closed office doors and arrived at the corner of another corridor.

Go through here, and you'll be on the other side of the elevator lobby.