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

Although I've never been there before, this is actually just another cave, a mountain tunnel that's almost indistinguishable from any other cave.

The only difference was a light yellow safety rope.

A safety rope, its exact length unknown, stretched out parallel to the ground, its destination a mystery, supported by nails driven into it.

In the darkness, Gao Hai looked to both sides of the safety rope, but could only see the rope stretching endlessly towards both sides of the cave, with no end in sight.

Chapter 5: You traversed this narrow area alone.

Safety rope.

This is an essential item for explorers who venture into dangerous locations such as mountains and caves.

However, in this strange and ever-changing cave, what this safety rope means requires careful consideration.

"The rules mention three safety ropes: one for a large slide, one for a large cliff, and one that crosses three areas: a large space, an artery, and a heart. The last safety rope is damaged and should not be held, especially if you are lost."

Gao Hai didn't touch the safety ropes nailed to the wall; he just squatted down and carefully observed them.

"So, which area are we in now? The big slide is a very long slope, right? This doesn't seem like it. The big cliff is even less likely to be there. So, are we in the artery area?"

Chika, who had squatted down with Gao Hai, spoke with some curiosity.

"But the safety rope doesn't look damaged."

Gao Hai shook his head. Although it was only a rough observation, he didn't think the fixed rope could be described as "damaged".

"No, this rope is indeed damaged."

But Qianhua shook her head at this moment, objecting to Gao Hai's idea.

"Is it damaged?"

Gao Hai was taken aback, somewhat confused about Qian Hua's reasoning.

"Gao Jun, look closely. This safety rope is already fraying. Many of the originally woven threads have broken, and the color of the rope has also changed noticeably, with some parts being darker and others lighter. Safety ropes with these changes are substandard and are damaged safety ropes that cannot be used anymore."

"Ultimately, safety ropes are the life guarantee for explorers. Every explorer must check the safety rope before each activity, from tension and swing to static electricity checks. Every aspect must be done properly, including any abnormal discoloration on the surface of the rope."

"And this safety rope, well, I just took a look. The hook that should have been there has been removed and it's knotted. Plus, with all this damage, by the standards of a safety rope, this rope is definitely a substandard, damaged item that would be thrown into the trash by the explorers. I have an elder who knows people who do extreme sports, so I know these things very well, and that's absolutely right."

At this moment, Fujiwara Chika was earnestly explaining the science to Takami.

Although Gao Hai had already recalled the knowledge about safety ropes that Xu Sheng had taught him during her explanation, he realized this as well.

I subconsciously thought about ropes in the same way that ordinary people do. Perhaps simply receiving the blessing of knowledge is not enough. I also need to read relevant books and constantly reinforce the skills that Xu Sheng taught me.

"In that case, let's follow this rope and walk in one direction until we reach the end."

After giving himself a pep talk, Gao Hai stood up and then made his decision.

"Hey, but according to the rule sheet, this rope should be very dangerous, right?"

Chika was surprised that Gao Hai would make such a decision, so she immediately asked him about it.

"Yes, the original text of the twelfth rule is: 'The safety rope connecting the heart to the artery in the large space is broken. Do not grab it while moving forward, especially if you are already lost.' In other words, if we reach out and grab this rope, something bad will happen, and it will be even more dangerous if we are lost and don't know where we are. Unless the rulebook is a fake rule, this rope is extremely dangerous for us right now."

Gao Hai nodded slightly. He looked at both sides of the cave and at both sides of the rope, but could not see the end of the rope. Then he turned back to look at Qianhua and a smile appeared on his lips.

"But does this rule say anything like 'this safety rope will lead us to the wrong place'? It is dangerous, that's true, but it is also the only fixed [coordinate] we can find in this place. Following this rope, we will definitely reach one of the places in the large space or the heart."

The only question is, what will they encounter along the way?

Gao Hai didn't say the last sentence.

He simply gestured for Fujiwara Chika to follow behind him, then randomly chose a direction and started moving forward.

"Hmm, I see. Analyzing the visible and invisible information from the text, that's right, just like a game, just like a game..."

Perhaps because she was still a little nervous, Fujiwara Chika muttered to herself for a while before quieting down and obediently following Takahashi.

It has to be said that this Fujiwara Chika is quite different from the lively girl Takami remembered. The willful and unreasonable behavior of the girl in the original manga is completely absent in this girl behind him. On the contrary, she can be described as extremely obedient. Except for being confused at the beginning, she has been very well-behaved ever since.

Perhaps this is the multifaceted and complex nature of personality in different situations.

Thinking this, Gao Hai noticed that the road ahead was starting to narrow again, so he bent down to move.

The passageway only spanned ten meters, from 1.9 meters to 1.4 meters, before experiencing such a dramatic change in height.

Chika, who is about 1.5 meters tall, can continue to move forward by simply bending over slightly, but Gao Hai, who is 1.8 meters tall, has to lean forward to move normally.

"call……"

Gao Hai took a deep breath and continued walking forward in the light of his headlamp.

The rock walls on both sides are gradually closing in.

This place is getting narrower and narrower.

pat-

Despite Gao Hai's best efforts to bend over, his helmet still bumped slightly against the top of the cave.

And further ahead in the cave, it continued to shrink.

"Gao Jun... here..."

Chika, standing behind him, couldn't help but whisper, already hesitating whether to continue along this path.

Gao Hai did not answer Qian Hua immediately, but squatted down and slowly turned around.

Under the cold light of the two headlamps shining on each other, Gao Hai could see Chika's pale cheeks and her slightly trembling body.

She was very nervous. In this increasingly narrow, dark, and seemingly endless cave, Fujiwara Chika, who had never truly faced danger before, still showed her fear and vulnerability.

“If the cave ahead is so small that we have to crawl through it and there’s absolutely no way to turn around, then we must remain silent and stop talking to each other, understand?”

Gao Hai placed his hand on Qianhua's shoulder and spoke earnestly to the girl.

"Ugh... I understand."

Knowing that Gao Hai was referring to the rules of those two narrow areas, the girl nodded emphatically. Although she was still afraid, she tried her best to alleviate her current state.

"Good. Under no circumstances should you grab the rope. If your body just touches the rope, it shouldn't be a big problem, but absolutely do not grab it with your hands. Okay, let's continue. Don't stay in this passage any longer."

Turn around and face the front of the cave.

Gao Hai took off his backpack, held it in his arms, and continued on his way.

The road ahead is shrinking even further.

Gradually, Gao Hai had to squat down to continue moving forward.

Moving forward in such a narrow cave, it was impossible not to touch the safety rope. However, after accidentally touching it a few times, Gao Hai was basically certain that the rope would not undergo any abnormal changes if it was only touched by the body.

Behind them, they could still hear Chika's slightly nervous breathing.

She followed him closely, cautiously, like a little puppy.

Gao Hai still wanted to turn around to check on the girl, but the cave was already very narrow. With a height of less than one meter and the rock walls on both sides almost clamping his shoulders, it would be very difficult for Gao Hai to turn around again, so he gave up on the idea.

The smell of blood gradually began to reappear.

Gao Hai noticed that bloodstains were starting to appear on the safety rope. Judging from the shape, it seemed that someone with bleeding hands had gripped the rope, causing it to be soaked in blood.

Dark red handprints began to appear on the rock walls on both sides, and blood-red marks began to spread along the way.

The bloodstains were very fresh.

It looks like someone just walked by here.

It's as if someone who was injured recently walked through here, leaving their mark along the way.

pat-

Gao Hai's helmet got stuck again.

It seemed like I had encountered a protruding rock, but it wasn't quite like one; it felt slightly softer than a rock.

"call……"

very quiet.

In this small cave, it was so quiet that you could only hear your own breathing and heartbeat.

Gao Hai tilted his head slightly, trying to dodge.

pat-

We still ran into a rock.

It feels the same as before.

So he held his backpack with one hand, raised the other hand, and reached out to adjust his helmet.

A cold and stiff touch.

He touched something that was already cold and stiff.

"..."

Raise your head and look up.

He met the gaze of that pale boy's face, his eyes bloodshot and the whites of his eyes no longer visible.

He lay on the top of the cave, one hand on his chest, his fingers just covering Gao Hai's helmet.

Hold on to the rope and keep moving out. Don't give up, we can definitely get out!

Keep up, don't fall behind, don't let go, hold on tight!

We will get out! We will all get out!

It sounded as if I heard such a sound.

Gao Hai turned his head and looked at the boy's other hand.

The hand gripped the safety rope tightly, never letting go.

He began to look ahead along the road.

He saw countless outstretched hands, one after another, grabbing the safety rope.

Gao Hai lowered his head, touched the ground with his knees, and continued to move forward in a position close to a prone position.

pat-