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

In the dark underground area, parking lots and restaurants blend together, school desks and chairs are next to supermarket shelves, shopping mall billboards are in the middle of the movable blackboard, subway lines and garbage stations intersect, escalators turn from the wall to connect to the morgue on the ceiling, and on the counter of the library piled with toy foam, a hotel poster is mixed in with a pile of movie posters, all flashing under the lights.

Just like the seven-in-one twisted dungeon we explored before, this place felt less suffocating to me. I'm sure the monsters in this area aren't too strong, so I don't have to worry about being instantly killed by some super powerful creature.

However, the overly complex environment made the search for the person more difficult. Even without searching, Cat Brother probably wouldn't have been able to find his way out anyway.

"The spatial structure here is very strange. It's clearly distorted beyond recognition. Logically, such a chaotic structure should make the space unstable, right? But why is the spatial structure here so stable that there's no way to escape? After working for so long, this place feels like it's only accessible but not exitable."

After exploring more than a dozen areas without finding any living people or people who had left the road, Cat couldn't help but complain.

That's why this area needs in-depth investigation. I still can't pinpoint your location; this level of interference is highly unusual. I suspect there's a very special source of interference within this distorted area. Finding that source should allow you to escape this area normally, instead of being trapped inside. But be careful. Judging from the current situation, I suspect that the source has absorbed a considerable amount of power; its strength is probably not low. Dealing with it with your current strength might be dangerous.

Gao Hai responded quickly. Strangely enough, even though he couldn't pinpoint Cat Brother's location, Gao Hai was still able to contact him normally. The communication between the two was very stable from beginning to end, unlike the Red Society of the Fishing Gang exploring the composite dungeon, which would occasionally lose contact due to poor signal.

At first, Gao Hai didn't pay much attention to it, thinking it might just be a temporary signal strength. But as time passed, and he found the signal remained unchanged while his location tracking remained unreliable, he couldn't help but start to suspect that something was wrong with this place. After all, considering that Cat Brother himself arrived here directly from the chaotic space, and that the missing survivors were sent to this area by unknown, special creatures, Gao Hai couldn't help but suspect that this area was quite likely a specially chosen "hunting ground" or "execution zone," and that Cat Brother might encounter some very troublesome enemies here.

However, given my current state, I don't seem to have any good way to intervene. I'll wait until Miko and Kita leave the residential area and see if they have time to investigate... no, they probably won't have the time, since things seem a bit unsettled in Ichiri. But overall, the problem shouldn't be too serious for now. After all, dealing with the [psychologist's] clone has been a significant blow to the [hospital]; we can settle the score later.

On the blood-red throne in the darkness, Gao Hai closed his eyes, continuously connecting with various areas of Tokyo through his mental power, while secretly analyzing the current situation in his mind.

He had a feeling that the hospital wouldn't just swallow this loss. After suffering a setback with the psychologist, given the hospital's modus operandi, they would likely try to get back at him. It was even possible that the hospital was already preparing some kind of countermeasure at the same time that the psychologist's clone was killed by Gao Hai's avatar. However, Gao Hai's side was currently unsure what methods the other side would use.

step-step-

Meanwhile, Catman, navigating the dark and chaotic area, had arrived at a rather dimly lit, strange region comprised of crisscrossing alleyways and various air conditioner units. It resembled a basement, yet also the passageways between old-fashioned houses, with large amounts of dust being kicked up as Catman moved forward. Furthermore, as Catman advanced further, these narrow paths began to reveal garbage bags, sewage, and all sorts of other strange and unwanted discarded items.

The temperature is gradually dropping.

There has been no trace of the strange creature yet, but Cat Bro is certain that he has begun to approach it.

Faintly, the smell of blood seemed to waft from ahead.

I don't know if it's the creature's own scent, or if something nearby died recently. Well, whatever the case, it's not a good thing. The enemy will probably show up in front of us soon.

Cat Brother, having pulled out a deck of cards, slowed his pace and carefully sensed his surroundings.

The temperature has dropped noticeably.

A slight stinging sensation was felt on the skin, and white mist began to spread between the mouth and nose with each breath.

Cat Brother was certain that he had been discovered by the strange creature, and that it had likely locked onto him as well. However, for some reason, the creature hadn't immediately revealed itself and attacked, but instead maintained a certain distance. This made Cat Brother suspect that the creature might possess some kind of special, rule-based ability, and he became even more cautious.

tread--

A loud footstep landed, causing Cat Bro to freeze in place.

tread--

The second crisp footstep sound came from Cat Brother, who tentatively took another step forward; the sound of his footsteps landing on the ground was the most resounding.

"...Does such rule-making ability still exist?"

Looking down at his feet on the ground, Cat Brother shook his head and said with some emotion after a moment of silence, then continued walking forward.

Step—step—step—

Regardless of whether he tried to control the force of his steps, with each step, Cat could clearly hear extremely loud footsteps, like someone stomping their feet. He could even hear his own footsteps echoing in the dark and narrow space, weaving into increasingly dense footsteps.

Cat Brother didn't pay any attention to this and just continued to move forward, step by step amidst the increasingly dense and noisy footsteps.

【call……】

There seemed to be faint breathing mixed in with the footsteps, quietly approaching the man in front.

The light is getting dimmer.

Even though he was using a special flashlight, under the influence of some unknown force, the area around Cat Brother became darker and darker, and he could no longer see his surroundings clearly.

[Huff... Huff...]

Sometime later, the light had completely disappeared, and everything was plunged into complete darkness.

The noisy footsteps gradually faded away, disappeared, and gradually fell into dead silence.

And that faint breathing continued to draw closer, little by little, until it was almost within arm's reach.

Cat Bro didn't react at all. He seemed to feel nothing at all, continuing to walk forward in absolute darkness, his expression unchanged as if nothing had happened.

pat-

The falling footsteps splashed up filthy liquid.

The footsteps seemed to step into puddles, but as the pungent smell spread and the liquid splashed on the skin felt sticky, it seemed that it was not a puddle at all, but something else entirely.

【call……】

Then, that breath landed on the back of Cat Brother's neck.

The intense cold reached its peak in that instant.

Cat Brother's seemingly indifferent attitude suddenly turned tense in the next moment, and he turned around abruptly to look behind him without warning.

bang——

The next second, a burst of fire exploded in the darkness, instantly illuminating the dark alleyway and the twisted, eerie creature that appeared behind Cat Brother, revealing its sharp teeth and deformed eyeballs.

boom! ! !

A crimson light erupted instantly, and a terrifying gale swept through, tearing the entire corridor apart in a flash.

Blood-stained paper money fluttered everywhere, and amidst the bloody storm, Cat Brother's figure swept through the rubble, disappearing, reappearing, and disappearing again... constantly shifting his position and launching attacks at a speed almost invisible to the naked eye.

When he stopped and caught the playing card he had thrown, the eerie figure had completely vanished, leaving only a broken path and some dirty bloodstains.

It's a little regrettable that we weren't able to keep them.

The strange creature seemed more like a derivative in terms of its aura, but its strength was a genuine Red Moon level. Cat Brother thought his counterattack was swift enough, but after a series of clashes, he found that he had not been able to subdue it, and didn't even know when the thing had left.

But then again, is that thing... a strange creature transformed from a human?

Cat frowned as he recalled what he had just seen—a deformed face that didn't look like something a human could have. He couldn't help but wonder what he had just seen.

zizi...

The flashlight beam has been restored.

After the unknown creature disappeared, the original effects of low temperature and darkness vanished, and everything returned to normal.

Apart from the corpse lying not far away, which looked to be in a very miserable state.

I have absolutely no idea when this corpse appeared.

Cat Brother looked around. Although the alley had been blasted to pieces by his actions, he could still recognize that this was the corridor he had just been in. He had not been teleported anywhere out of thin air.

Not long before that strange creature appeared and caused the lights to go out, Catman was absolutely certain that there was no corpse in front of him.

That's interesting. Did that monster bring this corpse here?

Cat Brother walked forward while thinking, squatted down in front of the corpse, and began to examine it carefully.

The victim appeared to be over fifty years old, male, slightly overweight, with his face gouged out and unrecognizable. His body was covered in numerous injuries. Judging from the wounds, it seemed more likely that he died from shock due to excessive blood loss, and the facial wounds were likely removed after death.

The body was very fresh, and the time of death should not have been more than 5 minutes.

As for who this corpse belonged to...

"Is anyone ahead?!"

A slightly tense voice sounded from behind Cat Brother, and the voice sounded somewhat weak.

Stand up.

Cat Brother turned around and looked at the middle-aged man not far away who had a slightly confused expression and was more or less injured.

The other person was slightly overweight, and one could still see the various ailments that come with middle age. Of course, after becoming a player, the problems of the past no longer bothered them. Even though after several months they still hadn't broken through the limitations of the Twilight-level dungeon and were still struggling at the bottom, they had still obtained genuine extraordinary power.

As one of the missing persons rescue team members, and the one Gao Hai had specifically marked, Cat Brother naturally recognized him at first glance. Yes, he recognized both the person and the corpse.

"You look quite well, Mr. Sun Dajun. Can you tell me what you've encountered since you arrived here?"

Cat Brother's expression remained unchanged. He casually walked past Sun Dajun's "corpse" lying by the wall and headed towards the Sun Dajun in front of him, who looked no different from a living person.

Chapter 46: Sun Dajun's Reappearance and the Mystery of the Unknown Land.

Sun Dajun's body trembled slightly from the cold.

Since first witnessing the strange creatures and the "Sacrifice Game" at Shirakawa Apartment, this 46-year-old man has completed the Twilight-level dungeon a total of 4 times.

Theoretically, after participating in the Twilight-level dungeon once more, he should choose a higher-level Night-level dungeon. Otherwise, he will be targeted by the rules for repeatedly participating in dungeons of the same level, putting him in a huge crisis from the start.

Incidentally, of the four dungeon missions Sun Dajun participated in, including the Baichuan Apartment dungeon, he only managed to get a B-rank rating and gain some extraordinary power by following Gao Hai. In the other three Twilight-level dungeons, Sun Dajun didn't gain much. Although he had tried his best, actively adventuring to obtain resources and opportunities, perhaps he simply lacked the talent, and there was no significant improvement. He didn't even achieve an A-rank completion rating once. As a result, he was practically ineligible to enter Dark Night-level dungeons; it's no exaggeration to say that Sun Dajun was essentially facing certain death.

Sun Dajun himself didn't have any particular thoughts on this. He knew very well that he was past the age of daring and fighting, having lost the youthful passion and spirit, and couldn't understand or comprehend things like so-called supernatural tales and rules. For him now, surviving one more mission was a bonus, and he would simply accept his fate with equanimity. In fact, after becoming a player and leaving a certain amount of wealth to his descendants through that identity, he felt he had lived enough, and every extra day he lived was a bonus.

It was with this in mind that, upon learning about the situation in Japan and the Battle of Tokyo, he proactively chose to join in, just as he had done years ago back in his hometown when, upon hearing of a fire in the suburbs and a shortage of rescue personnel, he had unhesitatingly ridden his tricycle to help. In the eyes of this man nearing fifty, in matters of life and death, he felt that contributing his share was the least he could do; there was no need for hesitation or indecision.

In fact, he even secretly rejoiced that such a horrific event hadn't happened in China, but in Japan. This feeling intensified after arriving here and witnessing firsthand how those monsters tortured and killed ordinary people. Sun Dajun felt somewhat ashamed, realizing his thoughts were wrong and he shouldn't have thought that way, and continued to dedicate himself to rescuing the survivors.

Then, I can't quite put my finger on what happened, but in the blink of an eye, the surroundings changed, and I found myself inexplicably in a strange place. I was also quickly separated from my teammates and the people I was rescuing, and I had to act alone.

Maybe I'm going to die here?

Unable to find a way out and with the surrounding temperature gradually decreasing and getting colder, Sun Dajun realized that he was likely being targeted by a strange creature and might be killed by something that suddenly appeared beside him at any time. He then understood that he probably wouldn't be able to leave this place alive.

Having thought this through, he felt quite at ease, and his pace slowed down to a leisurely stroll. Eventually, exhausted, he leaned against the wall and rested for a while, deciding to wait for the source of the chill to come to him. Surprisingly, after making this passive, death-waiting decision, the chill stopped approaching, and shortly afterward, Sun Dajun saw Cat Brother appear not far away—clearly no ordinary person.

"You look quite well, Mr. Sun Dajun. Can you tell me what you've encountered since you arrived here?"

Cat Brother waved and greeted the man with a calm expression, looking at the middle-aged man in front of him who looked a little reserved.

"Ah, um... you, hello, Cat Boss... ah no, Captain Cat."

Because Sun Dajun was still a Twilight-level player who hadn't yet achieved an A-rank rating, he had virtually no contact with top-tier players like the "Slacking Off Gang." He only knew of their existence through forum posts and conversations with other players. Even after joining the rescue operation, he only saw Cat Brother, Xiong Mi, and others from afar. He wasn't qualified to attend the high-level player command meetings held by Gao Hai; those were only for Dark Night-level players. Therefore, in this close encounter, the older man seemed somewhat reserved, unsure how to address the other player.

"Whether you call me 'Boss Cat' or 'Captain Cat,' it's too strange. Don't call me that. You're older than me, just call me by my name, Cat North and South. Okay, judging from your expression, you probably can't bring yourself to say it. Then just call me Captain like everyone else. How's the situation here? Have you met any other survivors? Tell me about your experiences since you came here."

Cat Bro maintained a calm expression and waved his hand, intending to appear more friendly. However, after noticing Sun Dajun's expression, he realized this approach wasn't suitable and quickly changed his tune.

As for the corpse on the ground, Cat Brother didn't look down at it even once more.

After he noticed that Sun Dajun couldn't see the corpse at all, nor could he smell its odor, he began to have a vague idea about the corpse and also anticipated what might happen next.

"I was originally with three players from other teams. I don't know exactly what happened; it seems like I just found myself in this place without realizing it... At first, we were all together, but as we walked, some of us disappeared. Nobody seemed surprised. For some reason, my reaction was a bit slow. Then, when I finally realized something might be wrong, I found myself all alone; everyone else was gone..."

As a storyteller, Sun Dajun is not particularly competent. He speaks with a slight stutter, sometimes pausing because he doesn't know how to describe what he's saying, and hesitating because he uses the wrong words.

Overall, as a player who has experienced many dungeon missions, Sun Dajun may not be considered an elite player, but he still possesses the basic qualities. Therefore, he was able to give Cat Brother a fairly complete account of what happened.