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

Shao Ye answered Qi Chuanlian in a hoarse voice.

"Everyone here?"

Nanakawa Ren didn't understand the answer at first, so she asked again with some confusion.

"The hospital and research institute are all here."

So Shao Ye spoke again, clenched his fist slightly, and then, without warning, threw a punch at the concrete wall.

boom!

After a loud bang, Shao Ye easily shattered the wall with a single punch.

There was no time to ask the other party why they did this.

Light shone from behind the broken wall for Ren Nanakawa and Kenta Hayashibe.

That was not the sunlight.

It is not light produced by artificial light sources such as streetlights.

The light shone from inside the circular building, from the places where the lights should have been turned off, and could be clearly seen even by players high up in the building.

"So that's how it's structured."

Lin Bujian couldn't help but whisper. At this moment, compared to the oppressive feeling brought by player Shao Ye, it was more important to understand the true situation of the current dungeon.

"In that case, at least the timeline can be confirmed."

Qi Chuanlian also spoke up, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.

At this moment, what appeared before the two of them was a brightly lit hospital located inside this huge circular building.

The massive circular building, like a city wall, completely enclosed the hospital. The wall that Shao Ye had just broken through came from one of the floors within this circular building.

The hospital complex, though encased in walls, clearly showed signs of long-term abandonment and disrepair. Kenta Hayashi couldn't even find a sign for the hospital, making it impossible to confirm its name. However, beneath this surface decay, the hospital was brightly lit. Every floor, every room, every window shone with light, illuminating the otherwise dark and abandoned hospital as if it were daytime, allowing the players watching from afar to clearly see its entirety.

It's hard to imagine that such a building could exist in the real world.

A hospital that already occupies a vast area, comprising multiple different buildings, and a circular research institute built around it like a city wall, with an opaque glass roof to completely conceal the hospital's existence. This seems utterly illogical, yet the current scene clearly suggests that such a thing likely did happen.

Humans are always seeking to unravel the mysteries of the unknown, always wanting to bring the unknown into the realm of the known. However, in this dangerous world where "sacrifice games" exist, exploring the unknown often turns into tragedy—there is no solution. All we can do is try to resolve the problems left over from the past.

Gao Hai's voice rang in the ears of the three of them. They didn't know when he had re-established contact with the instance area.

"...Where are the others?"

Before the two members of the Red Knot Society could speak, Shao Ye had already asked a question.

[The investigation is currently underway. The lawyer is making the fastest progress; he has already found a clue that appears to be the core obsession. Xiong Mijian and Bing, along with Cat Brother, have been investigating separately after splitting up, and have also gathered some new clues. However, their operations are currently limited to inside the hospital. Only your group has successfully reached outside the hospital, reaching a different perspective that they cannot see.]

In the dark underground space, Gao Hai responded to the teams in each instance through his mental power while continuing to monitor the changes in the real world, providing support to players and rescuers as promptly as possible.

The situation remains unclear.

There has been no response from Yotsuya Miko and Kita Ikuyo yet, the pressure on Goto Ichiri's side is constantly increasing, Fujiwara Chika is still acting alone, and the battle between Shijo Maki and Shinomiya Kaguya has completely entered a white-hot state. But even though the intensity of the battle has reached an astonishing level, there are currently no [Doctors] present in the building that Maki and Kaguya are defending. All those currently participating in the siege are Red Moon-level monsters that have leaked from the dungeon.

As for the various player teams already inside the instance, the Red Knot Society's leader, Ishido Masaaki, hasn't yet discovered any clues to the core obsession. While [Market]'s Kagawa Tree and [Historian]'s Tangyuan have found some traces, they haven't been able to pinpoint the true target. In comparison, the Lazybones Gang is currently making the fastest progress. Of course, this is all contingent on them actually being able to grasp the tail of the core obsession by following the current clues; only then will the truly decisive moment arrive.

Thinking this, Gao Hai looked again at the small, semi-transparent panel in his mind's eye, which was designed and constructed by Alice and manifested by consuming Gao Hai's own mental energy, and the text displayed on the panel.

[1/7 of the dungeon areas have been confirmed]

[Confirmed number of core obsessions in this instance area: 4]

At this moment, the panel displays the general situation of this combined hospital and research institute instance where the members of the "Slacking Off Gang" and the two members of the "Red Knot Society" are located. It shows the detection of four core obsessions, the discovery of three crucial human heads inside the hospital, and the current state of the research institute. Gao Hai speculates that the three human heads might correspond to three strange entities, all at the core obsession level, and that the fourth core obsession might be hidden in this research institute area, the deepest and most difficult to detect area within the instance.

I wonder if there's any hope of taking all four core obsessions away in one fell swoop.

While silently pondering, Gao Hai continued to observe the situation inside the instance.

Maki and Kaguya have now attracted an astonishing horde of monsters. Since the vast majority of these monsters originate from this seven-in-one super instance, the pressure within the instance itself has been significantly reduced. Communication between Takahashi and the players within the instance is becoming increasingly difficult to disrupt, and the frequency and number of successful contacts are steadily increasing. Currently, the status of each player team can be checked approximately every ten minutes. Given that the overall situation hasn't yet gained an advantage, this is a rare piece of good news.

[This research institute-type instance area happens to have connections to America, and its background is set in the last century. It might even be related to the researchers behind the "Red Nut Grotto." I'll share some relevant information I've gathered below; hopefully, it will be helpful.]

Following this clue, the possibility of finding the core obsession is indeed high. But what we really need to find is the object of that obsession, and your plan currently seems more likely to resemble the monster itself. Are you sure this is the right thing to do?

[Two new swimming pools discovered? Okay, I understand, I've recorded it. Based on the previous data... yes, these two pools are not duplicates. We can try to investigate further...]

If it were him a few days ago, Gao Hai was certain he couldn't have imagined the feeling of communicating with dozens or even hundreds of people at the same time, as if he were experiencing a split personality.

But for Gao Hai, who already has one foot on the path to godhood, this level of mental speed poses no problem whatsoever; he can handle it with ease. Of course, there are downsides as well. Gao Hai's perception is constantly shifting with these inhuman behaviors, and sooner or later he'll lean towards the inhuman side. But right now, he doesn't have time to worry about that; he must focus on fighting the [hospital] first.

"Woo..."

Beneath the throne, the girl let out another sob.

Gao Hai nodded slightly, and as expected, he saw Hayasaka Ai slowly open her eyes.

She woke up again, this time faster than before.

"Master, are you still here?"

The girl's voice was weak as she softly asked.

I'm here, I've always been here, don't worry.

Gao Hai reached out and gently stroked Xiao Ai's head, his voice responding to her senses.

"I seem to have had a dream."

Xiao Ai's body trembled slightly, and her weak voice sounded like a dream.

"In my dream, I saw my master's body burning, I saw my master's blood turn into flames, and I saw my master's body being torn apart and then healed repeatedly."

“I also heard people chanting the Master’s name, and I saw many people kneeling before the Master and praying to him, as if the Master had become their savior.”

“I… I hate this dream. I hate this feeling. I feel like my master is gradually becoming a stranger. Under the kneeling prayers of those people, he is slowly turning into some other kind of being, no longer the master I know.”

The girl's voice couldn't hide her fear.

She knew, of course, that it wasn't entirely a dream. It was a vision she had of Gao Hai's divine nature gradually growing and expanding in her hazy state of consciousness after establishing a deep connection with him.

Yes, I am indeed changing, and promotion is inevitable.

Gao Hai continued to gently rub Xiao Ai's head, but his voice, which had been responding, lost its warmth and became cold.

"Owner?!"

The girl, who had not expected this change, looked up in horror.

"But don't underestimate your master, Xiao Ai. Who I am, whether I am truly myself—these questions have never troubled me."

Then, she heard Gao Hai's confident voice the next moment.

It is not divine, but an echo of countless superimposed voices.

Instead, it was a voice that sounded like a real person's, belonging solely to Gao Hai himself.

"I've endured countless torments, one more won't make a difference. No matter what tricks my opponent has up their sleeve, I'll take them all. You just need to trust me. I will completely destroy this arrogant thing and return to you all safe and sound, without losing a single one of you. Trust me."

Hearing that familiar voice, the girl's panicked mood gradually calmed down and stabilized. After her mind relaxed, she quickly fell asleep again.

After coaxing Hayasaka Ai to sleep once again, Takami sighed softly and showed a slightly tired expression after confirming that she had indeed fallen asleep.

[This is such a mess, can anyone give me some good news...]

Compared to the past when I relied on my own strength to advance through the dungeon, the feeling of now being able to only sit and watch the people I know and care about risk their lives to act is just too terrible.

If possible, I really want to get up from this broken torture device and find something unpleasant to give me a good beating.

Tsk, the problem is I can't get up in this body right now... Hmm, maybe not. If it's just a matter of temporarily separating a part of my body, it might not be impossible. Hmm, if I get the chance, I'll have to give it a try.

For now, let's focus on the most important things.

[You've received the general map of the research institute area, right? Unlike the relatively stable hospital area, the spatial disorder in the research institute is extremely severe. I can only identify the relatively stable areas, at least those that won't teleport you outside the research institute.]

Don't trust the maps inside the research institute. Shao Ye has tried them several times; they're all wrong. You could follow them your whole life and still not find your way out. I suspect that to truly unlock the secrets of this place, you need to find a way to go deeper inside.

The core obsession of this place is deeply hidden; I can't sense its existence from the outside. However, based on personal experience, I've encountered more than one mad scientist-type obsession. The obsession that sustains this research institute must belong to someone who will stop at nothing to pursue a certain research result. Perhaps searching the labs or similar places will yield some clues. Hmm… the communication interference has reappeared. Well, good luck to you all.

The conversation between Hayashibe Kenta, Nanakawa Ren, and Shao Ye didn't last long before the chaotic situation within the instance cut off the signal again.

Considering that Gao Hai had recently managed to guide Shao Ye to the vicinity of the hospital, only for her to somehow end up in this research institute, and despite numerous attempts to escape, she had been unable to do so until she encountered the two members of the Red Knot Society who had come to this place. At this moment, both Gao Hai and the three players inside the research institute were considering whether the core obsession within the institute itself was preventing people from leaving and was actively guiding others to seek themselves out.

However, no matter what the situation, it won't affect their actions.

"So, this counts as forming a temporary team. Sister Shao will be in charge of being powerful and cool, Sister Qichuan will be in charge of giving advice, and I will be in charge of shouting '666'. It sounds like a pretty good combination."

Standing in the dimly lit circular corridor, Kenta Hayashi stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Sister, my foot! You're eight years older than me, okay? Sister Shao, I'm counting on you for the rest of the operation."

Qi Chuanlian, who had just turned 22 this year, glanced at her always unserious partner, then turned her gaze to Shao Ye in front of her, a smile spreading across her face, and her tone became much more serious.

"……Um."

Shao Ye simply nodded slightly, gave a casual reply, and then started walking.

Before Hayashibe Kenta and Nanakawa Ren arrived, Shao Ye had already been lingering here for some time.

At first, she simply wanted to get through the area as quickly as possible and return to her companions. However, after numerous unsuccessful attempts to leave, and even with Gao Hai's guidance, she still couldn't escape the abandoned research institute and discovered a hospital surrounded by it, she began to realize that she might have entered an extremely special place. Now, with two new players joining her, she changed her approach, no longer trying to escape but instead attempting to delve deeper.

This approach was even more effective than expected. As soon as he took a step, Shao Ye immediately sensed the changes around him.

The passage became deeper.

The doors on both sides that had been sealed off were also loosening.

As her thoughts changed, the copy itself also changed. It was responding to her thoughts, or rather, her thinking was conforming to the rules that governed this place, getting closer to the origin of this strange tale.

Sizzling——sizzling——

A faint light appeared ahead, flickering in the distance. A light bulb that should have been off and was not powered on lit up with a pale white light as the three players approached.

sizzle-

Further away, lights flickered one after another, illuminating this long, eerie corridor that seemed to stretch on forever.

The doors on both sides that had been sealed off have somehow become normal doors, now open.

Occasionally, distorted writing appears on the wall, as if penned in blood, with phrases like "Lost," "Don't go into the light," and "Escape to the darkness." But the players simply continue forward, continuing towards the light ahead.

Undoubtedly, the actions of the three at this moment were essentially violating some kind of supernatural survival rule, and were actively venturing into danger.

However, this was their original purpose for coming here, so even though it caused more and more unusual phenomena, they wouldn't stop.

"It's getting more and more human and lively."