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

[Preliminary Diagnosis:]

[Extremely aggressive, very dangerous]

[Unpredictable behavior, extremely dangerous]

[This has caused serious casualties multiple times and is extremely dangerous.]

Current diagnosis:

【■■■■■■■■ (Unrecognizable illegible handwriting)】

[Unable to diagnose, unable to diagnose, unable to diagnose, unable to diagnose, unable to diagnose, unable to diagnose, unable to diagnose, unable to diagnose, unable to diagnose, unable to diagnose...]

【Diagnosis】

Why is he still alive? Why is he still here?

Drive him away, kill him, bury him alive, cut him into pieces, throw him away.

He's not here, he's not here, he's not here, he's not here, he's not here.

Maintain the existing treatment plan. He hates us, he will never forgive us, and we must avoid being seen by him.

He must be eliminated.

He was once wiped out.

He hasn't been eliminated yet.

[Treatment Priority: He came back after all]

Compared to the medical record Xiong Mi received, the two in the lawyer's hands were significantly more bizarre. However, all three records could be gleaned from a considerable amount of information. The key items related to patient A-1107 were clearly the father's belt and broom, and the paints and canvases he desired. For patient D-2003, the keywords were the daughter's bills and templates, and the wife and daughter's belongings. As for patient 0-0001, although the record was a jumbled mess with little useful information, players could deduce that the doctor and nurse treating this patient held extraordinary significance for him. Therefore, identifying the person connected to him might prove effective.

Regardless, that's the current lead. Whether it can be found or how long it will take is not the issue we need to consider right now.

"Are you okay?"

Xiong Mi turned to the lawyer beside her, yawned, and asked somewhat impatiently.

"It's almost done. The [Law Core] has recorded the three medical records and the hospital map. There is no new information at the moment, which confirms that the hospital itself is indeed maintaining a stable state. We can proceed with the exploration."

The lawyer, who was sitting on the floor of the hall and flipping through a thick book, closed his eyes and pondered for a moment before speaking to Xiong Mi in a calm tone.

Similar to Jianbing's [Reality Intervention Procedure], the heavy book in the lawyer's hands is also a Red Moon-level obsession object capable of interfering with and modifying the real world through specific methods, and it's even higher-level—a genuine Red Moon-level core obsession object. The Lazy Gang paid a considerable price to obtain this item, and the lawyer, after acquiring it, lived up to expectations, indeed completing many high-difficulty tasks.

In practical use, compared to the computer artifact that requires a specific programming language to start, the [Law Core] artifact operates in a more complex way. First, it needs to be bound to a user, who must offer their true name to truly control the artifact. Moreover, the right to use it can only be transferred after the previous user dies; otherwise, it is impossible to take it away by any means.

After the lawyer reveals his true name and becomes the holder of this item, its primary function is to continuously collect and analyze various information from the surrounding environment, thereby constructing analytical text within the book. This analysis is effective on almost anything, whether it's the rules of the strange object or its core essence; with continued contact, the book will eventually be able to decipher its relevant content. And what is thoroughly analyzed by this book is, in a sense, equivalent to being completely controlled, at which point the lawyer can easily control the life and death of the other party through this book.

Just like when he slayed those flesh-and-blood monsters not long ago, the lawyer analyzed their information after a short battle, then casually opened the book and killed all the remaining monsters. In fact, the reason the lawyer always used this book like a flail was not only because the book itself was indeed thick, heavy, and indestructible, but also because he used it as an attack tool to analyze the enemy during contact.

Beyond this function, the [Law Core] has another important function: it can be used to record various rule documents. Furthermore, for a certain price, lawyers can directly write rules on it. Rules written in this way can actually take effect within a certain scope, forcibly impacting both allies and adversaries, thus achieving a conceptual level of effect.

Of course, lawyers rarely use this rule. Firstly, it's extremely resource-intensive, and secondly, the [Law Core] has a troublesome condition for use: the rules constructed using it must possess a certain degree of [fairness and impartiality]. Creating rules entirely targeting the enemy using this thing is impossible; it would only backfire on the user. This is why lawyers rarely use this function. However, there are exceptions. One exception is when the existing rule list within the instance is written onto this thing. In this case, the [Law Core] can strengthen the rule content, and under certain circumstances, it can even use these rules to restrict the original monsters within the instance.

For this reason, lawyers usually fill in the various information collected by players in the [Law Core] during dungeons, which may have a surprising effect at any time.

As for the third effect of this artifact, namely resurrection after death, there's not much to explain. After all, Red Moon level players have plenty of ways to save their lives, and compared to that, each time this item resurrects the lawyer, it wears down his humanity and emotions, making it quite troublesome in terms of side effects.

"Next, we can start by investigating a few examination rooms. The aura of the eerie creatures here isn't strong. I think it's probably some kind of effect caused by the distortion and fusion of the dungeons. Those eerie creatures that should have been active in this abandoned hospital have been swept away to other places due to the spatial distortion, so we are safe now."

The lawyer closed his book and pointed to a dark corridor on one side of the hall.

zizi——

The lights above their heads were flickering slightly.

Although it appears to have been abandoned for a very long time, the place does still have a power supply, at least in parts of it.

As Xiong Mi and the lawyer began their operation, the rescue team members who had been quietly standing by followed suit, marching ahead of the two players with resolute steps and submachine guns in hand, as if becoming their protectors. Even though, in terms of strength, the two behind were the stronger party.

"I wonder when Shao Ye will be able to come and join us."

Xiong Mi sensed Shao Ye's location and found that she was still dozens of kilometers away from here, and her coordinates kept fluctuating, so it didn't seem like she was coming to meet up.

"Let's focus on what's at hand. This place won't stay safe forever, so we need to hurry."

The lawyer didn't seem to care much about it, or perhaps he had always been in a state of emotional indifference.

Stepping forward, the lawyer walked to the door of a room with an English sign that read "Internal Medicine Examination Room." He reached out and grabbed the doorknob, opening the door. A musty smell wafted out of the room.

This room looks messy.

Many documents were scattered haphazardly on the desk, with quite a few lying on the floor. The hospital bed on one side of the room was overturned, revealing large, dried, dark green stains on the sheets, the nature of which was unclear.

The examination room window was broken, and the curtains were swaying in the cold wind. The rain outside made a pattering sound in the darkness, but no rain could be seen outside the window. All that could be seen was darkness, as if the world outside the building did not exist, as if there was only nothingness there.

Only the space inside the building is relatively stable, so the space outside the window is actually in a chaotic state, is that what you mean? In that case, the lawyer mentioned that there should be strange things active in this abandoned hospital, but they were swept away to other places by the chaotic space, and we don't know where they went.

Xiong Mi glanced thoughtfully at the darkness outside the window, pondered some random thoughts, and then, together with the lawyer, began rummaging through the dirty tables and chairs, searching for any potentially useful clues.

Meanwhile, as the two players were conducting their investigation, in a dark and deserted shelter in Tokyo, amidst a torrential downpour, four players were in a very disheveled state, having all expended some energy.

"Where did these weird things come from...?"

As Hayashi Kenta looked at the doctors and nurses whose figures were ethereal, faceless, and whose heads were replaced by huge cavities, he couldn't help but swallow hard.

"It's never-ending. These things have no physical form, so no matter how we attack them, it's useless."

Qi Chuanlian also spoke up, saying that she had tried many ways to suppress these strange creatures, but none of them worked. These strange creatures seemed to be different from the things she had encountered before.

"The Reality Intervention Program has little effect on them; they don't seem to have fully entered our world. If this drags on any longer, the situation may become very bad."

Jianbing, standing at the back of the line, kept fiddling with the computer in his hands, but his expression was extremely serious, showing no sign of ease.

Just over ten minutes ago, after discovering they could sense their teammates within the instance, the senses abruptly ceased in less than a second, as if the space itself had undergone a new change. Then, these strange doctors and nurses, along with some eerie creatures dressed in hospital gowns, began to appear before the players in flickering and distorted forms, causing them considerable trouble.

Normally, items of obsession and blessings that should be effective against strange creatures are largely ineffective against these things. In fact, even a single or two hits from them would cause enough damage to instill a strong sense of crisis in the group of Red Moon-level players. Furthermore, the sheer number of these creatures completely blocked their escape route, and the shelter's spatial structure itself became abnormal under their influence, preventing them from teleporting out.

They're trapped here.

Cat, one of the teammates, watched the strange creatures around him, a coin spinning gently in his hand.

"If conventional methods of suppression don't work, then let's try something unconventional and see if we can banish them."

After a brief moment of thought, Cat Brother spoke seriously.

"what do you mean……"

Jianbing didn't immediately understand what Cat Brother meant by that.

"Throw them back into their respective instances, back into their own homes. Since the spatial structure within the instances is already severely disrupted, there's no reason why they could return anytime soon after being thrown back."

Cat Bro grinned and tossed the coin in his hand as he spoke.

Chapter 18: Faceless Shadows and People Throwing Trash at Each Other.

crunch--

Pushing open the visibly worn and creaking door, the first to enter were rescue team members, armed and on alert. They entered the room, circled around with their submachine guns, surveyed the surroundings, and then muttered, "No immediate threat." Only then did Xiong Mi and the lawyer enter one after the other to begin their formal investigation of the area.

Dust scattered as footsteps moved and the rummaging went on.

Even in the old photos where the figures are blurred, you can still vaguely make out a few figures leaning together.

The medical records, with their blurred handwriting and faded paper, were turned out one by one. Each page represented decades of history, but now only silent, blurred traces remained, and no information could be read from them.

"It seems there's nothing of value left here. Let's move on to the next room."

After a brief search, the lawyer stopped and said. Although he hadn't finished investigating the house yet, his intuition as a veteran player told him that the room definitely didn't contain the kind of information they were looking for, so he immediately abandoned the place and prepared to move on.

"If the internal medicine and surgical examination rooms don't have any clues, then... let's go check the pediatric examination room next. Let's go."

Xiong Mi nodded. She wasn't particularly concerned about the progress of the initial investigation. Anyway, there weren't any strange creatures around here right now, so she could just take it slow and find the clues eventually.

I pushed open the door and returned to the hallway.

Accompanied by the sound of rain pouring down outside the window, the two players and the strange creature sprang into action once again.

I'll lead the way! Let's go!

No excessive instructions are needed. Simply explain your thoughts to the rescue team member, or discuss the action and make a decision in their presence. This person, carrying a submachine gun and wearing a rescue team uniform, will immediately understand the player's intentions and will proactively lead the way and draw away any potential threats.

Despite its strength being only at the level of a Dark Night-class monster, meaning it would definitely be unable to defeat anything that actually appeared, Xiong Mi felt that this rescue team member was quite good as a guide and bait. She also felt a little envious of Gao Hai's luck in obtaining such a powerful and terrifying summoning artifact.

Why does Gao Hai call this strange creature "Old Guo" and forbid others from calling it that? It's a really strange name. I've never heard of it before. I wonder who this Old Guo is. To be able to transform into a strange creature like this after death, he must have been quite an ordinary person in life.

tread--

As she pondered, Xiong Mi's footsteps landed, their echoes clearly reaching far down the corridor and reverberating in the silent hospital.

The next second, Xiong Mi's raised foot froze in mid-air, and her expression instantly turned serious.

Something is coming.

Although it hadn't actually appeared before the two of them yet, the chilling aura it exuded had undoubtedly given everything away.

"The person who came here is not a good person."

In an instant, Xiong Mi was ready for battle.

"They came from the east gate; their number is unknown, but their strength is all at the Red Moon level!"

The lawyer also sensed the aura instantly and quickly located its source, abruptly turning to face the enemy's position.

A door was opened.

A large door, which had been tightly closed, opened silently and automatically on one side of the corridor.

Xiong Mi remembered the map; she knew this door led to the east side of the hospital. And because this thing led directly to the area of ​​spatial disorder, both Xiong Mi and the lawyer had previously given up on touching it after observing it briefly. They hadn't expected it to open on its own and attract strange creatures. Could it be some kind of automatic defense system?

No, wait, this aura...

So that's how it is. It wasn't that some strange creatures were attracted, but rather that the strange creatures that originally belonged to this place and were already active here were returning through this door.

Xiong Mi looked up and saw the doctor coming in from outside the door.

Wearing a dirty white coat, with a thin build, but a head that was noticeably larger than normal, and whose entire face had disappeared, leaving only a huge, seemingly bottomless, dark hole in the face, the doctor walked in slowly from outside.

It couldn't speak because it had lost its mouth, but Xiongmi felt as if it could hear its voice.

The voices came from a very, very far place, muffled by something like a mask, so indistinct that the content was incomprehensible, yet they could still be clearly felt.

【I'm looking for my cave...】

It stretched out its hands, its filthy hands, and walked unsteadily forward, as if trying to touch something or searching for something.