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

If the first one wasn't Maki, but me, I would definitely hold onto Gao Jun tightly and never give any philanderer a chance!

This wasn't the first time such thoughts had crossed Kaguya's mind.

However, she is now a newcomer, and the relationships between the other girls and Takami are already established and cannot be erased. Therefore, Kaguya will try her best to set aside her instinctive possessiveness and carefully consider the relationships between everyone from multiple perspectives, and be more rational in deciding whether to accept new members.

While adding new members will inevitably reduce the time everyone gets, on the other hand, their arrival can also act as a check on the veterans. Especially Fujiwara-kun; she and Taka-kun are always so inseparable, and that guy is particularly shameless, capable of doing all sorts of lewd things. No one can match her in that respect. Hmm…maybe not entirely. Hayasaka sometimes acts even more lewdly than Fujiwara-kun.

No, no, no, that's not the point. The point is Fujiwara's figure; it's incredibly alluring to Taka-kun. And she knows how to use her figure to seduce him—such despicable tactics are infuriating. In contrast, Goto, while also having a striking figure, seems completely uninterested in dressing up. She's usually timid and reserved, never competing with others, and is remarkably sensible, which makes her very reassuring.

Yurikawa's figure seems even more exaggerated than Fujiwara's. With her joining the group, perhaps she could distract Takagi from Fujiwara's attraction to him, making him less fixated on that useless fat and more seeking a petite beauty? Hmm... that doesn't seem quite right either. It feels like Takagi might become even more addicted to the pleasure of fat that way. So, compared to the benefit of diverting attention, the risk is still quite significant...

Kaguya's thoughts were becoming increasingly complex and chaotic.

Although she knew she shouldn't be thinking about these strange things right now, several areas had recently been successfully cleared, and she needed to stay put to protect the evacuating survivors. Therefore, Kaguya, who was now temporarily free, probably couldn't stop these strange thoughts from running through her head for the time being. She could only try her best to prevent them from interfering with her guard duties.

Kaguya, what are you thinking about?

Soon, Gao Hai noticed Kaguya's intense inner turmoil. Out of caution and to prevent any accidents, he immediately used the mental link to inquire about her.

"Ah...no, it's nothing, I'm fine, don't worry about me."

Unexpectedly, her distraction attracted Takahashi's attention, and Kaguya panicked, quickly reassuring him via the mental link that she was alright. However, her attitude seemed more like an attempt to cover up her misunderstanding than to reassure him, and only fueled his suspicions.

[Are you sure everything's okay? Your thoughts seemed a bit scattered earlier. Were you thinking about something? The situation is slowly turning in our favor. Are you worried about something? Or do you think there's some hidden problem? It's better to just say it directly. We're not playing a game here.]

Gao Hai's voice sounded very solemn.

The girl could sense the seriousness in the other person's tone and knew that she really shouldn't be thinking about those things at this moment. This made Kaguya, who had a strong sense of pride, feel somewhat ashamed. She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Fortunately, the survivors had mostly evacuated by now, and it was time to head to the new area for their mission. Kaguya quickly sped up, moving as if fleeing, making it difficult for Takahashi to press her further.

"The question I'm thinking about has nothing to do with what's happening now. Anyway, Gao Jun, please ask me again after everything is over!"

After saying these words, Kaguya sped up and arrived at the designated new area before the lower and middle-level player groups.

According to Alice's calculations, this new area had been evacuated long ago, and the dozens of shelters within it were already at full capacity. However, not long ago, a large-scale monster uprising began, with monsters gathering outside a large shelter and seemingly attempting to break in. Because this area was relatively close to the rescue team, it became the next primary target location.

What is she thinking?

Gao Hai had confirmed that Kaguya was not mentally unstable, but this only made him more puzzled, as he couldn't understand why Kaguya would be so preoccupied with thoughts at a time like this.

[Hehe, maybe it's just a girl's first stirrings of love. After all, you haven't shown Kaguya-san much affection, have you? It's inevitable that she'll feel lonely and tired. But with your wicked sense of humor, maybe you enjoy this feeling? Well, you really are a bad teacher, hehehehe~]

Alice, who had finally found a little free time, quickly replied, and did so directly in the public chat of the mental link. As a result, everyone, including Kaguya Maki, Chika Ichiri, and Kita, heard Alice's words. For a moment, everyone fell silent. Takahashi didn't know what to say, so he could only pretend that he hadn't heard anything and continue with his work.

【I'm not having teenage angst!!!】

Oh, not everyone remained silent. At least Kaguya responded angrily, immediately launching into a long explanation. However, Alice always adhered to the principle of quick retorts, and no matter how much Kaguya shouted, she couldn't get any response from Alice, leaving her to sulk alone.

Meanwhile, in the gaps in the action on this side, a small farce was unfolding at the same time, a bus carrying more than ten players was speeding down the street in the pouring rain.

Unaware that Kaguya had already conjured up many possibilities for Yurikawa, she was currently feasting on the train, devouring all sorts of fast food and snacks she had picked up from convenience stores along the way, converting them into stored energy within her body.

After discovering that her body seemed to have become a medium that could continuously draw out Gao Hai's power, Xiao Hua accelerated her food intake, striving to maintain her physical and mental state at its best, so that she could continue to use Gao Hai's power to help others with full energy.

You must act within your limits. Your body cannot withstand too much force; excessive exertion can harm your body. You must be careful.

Occasionally, Gao Hai's voice would enter the girl's mind, instructing her on how to utilize this power even further. Xiao Hua, who wasn't particularly adept at thinking and learning, exerted all her strength and intelligence to comprehend this knowledge, and now her use of the golden-red flames had become even more efficient.

As for how to further master this power, that's something that can only be honed in actual combat. Having already experienced quite a bit, Xiaohua is no longer afraid. She earnestly and proactively joined the subsequent rescue operation. At this moment, the young woman was in a temporary group composed of the Minghuijian Squad and some other solo players. According to Yan Hui, the leader of the temporary group, they had now arrived in a dangerous area where strange creatures were active, and they could be attacked at any time.

Where will the attack come from, and when will it begin?

Now that she had fully awakened, Yurikawa Hana found it hard to describe her feelings. She discovered that she was not only no longer afraid to see those terrifying things, but she also felt a sense of anticipation. She looked forward to unleashing holy flames to scorch those monsters, burning them all to ashes, thus proclaiming true salvation.

brake--

With a screeching sound of brakes and a sudden jolt, Yan Hui, sitting in the front seat, stood up, turned to the players inside the car, and called out:

"We've arrived. Let's begin tactical deployment. Everyone, gather around!"

Without much preamble, Xiao Hua followed the other players to the group leader, who looked exceptionally dashing. He listened as the leader quickly began to assign tasks, and everyone present responded and cooperated with the arrangements.

"The frontal assault on the shelter and the evacuation will be handled by Minghuijian. This is the most dangerous part and only we can do it. You only need to send two people to assist with the evacuation!"

“No problem, my brother and I will come and lend a hand.”

"The eastern entrance to this shelter was opened recently, and about 300 people escaped and dispersed. At least 200 people have been confirmed to have entered the nearby pedestrian shopping street. You should send about four... no, five people over there, and keep them on call at all times."

"Okay, my team will handle this."

"There are about a hundred people in the furniture section of the shopping mall on the third floor above the shelter. The survivors here have completely lost contact. We need someone capable to go and check. Who among you is confident?"

"I, I'll do it!"

The last sentence didn't come from Yan Hui herself or the other enthusiastic players, but from Baihe Chuanhua herself, who had been quietly listening. At that moment, she raised her hand and gave the first answer in a somewhat nervous voice.

"Okay, then you can do it. Be careful."

Yan Hui didn't waste any words when the girl volunteered. She immediately nodded in agreement, explained a few details, and then moved on to the next action plan.

After finally confirming that he had indeed taken on the rescue mission, Xiao Hua had to admit that his heart was pounding. He was feeling nervous and excited, and he became restless and eager to get started.

Chapter 77 Team-based exploration of the Dark Mall and the delusion of taking everything.

Splash—splash—

Under the torrential rain, the once bustling shopping mall is now silent in darkness and stillness.

The girl stepped into the darkness, glancing around nervously. She took several deep breaths and tapped her chest to encourage herself. As she did so, her voluptuous figure, far beyond her years, trembled slightly, drawing the attention of another player who had followed her in. The player's gaze turned to her with a complex expression.

"Anyway, Sister Wengu, what should we do next?"

Before she could even express her feelings, Xiaohua turned around and asked with a slightly curious look. From the girl's expression, she could see a hint of eagerness, and this energetic feeling made her feel particularly envious and jealous.

"Let's explore slowly inside. According to the detection, the survivors who entered the mall area should be concentrated on the 3rd floor. However, after we officially entered, the effect of the detection artifacts began to be interfered with and became disordered. Under such circumstances, it is difficult to determine whether the previous detection results are correct, so we have to be as careful as possible."

A lone wolf player named Fumiya Otoha, a Dark Night-level character, spoke earnestly to Yurikawa Hana at this moment, successfully earning the girl's somewhat admiring gaze. Although, in truth, she didn't want this admiration at all, nor did she want to participate in such a perilous operation.

Not long ago, Yan Hui, the leader of this rescue team, approved Baihe Chuanhua's idea of ​​joining the rescue operation. A few minutes ago, when the operation officially began, she assigned Wen Gu Yinyu to Xiaohua's side, tasking her with teaching Xiaohua some basic knowledge as a player and ensuring she could assist in evacuating and protecting herself in case of danger. In a sense, this could be considered a task of looking after a child, but if you were to calculate the difference in strength between the two sides, it would be difficult to say which side is the child.

I'm just an ordinary player who plays solo in Twilight and Night dungeons, so why did I get involved in this? I should never have moved to Tokyo.

Unlike most local players who have lived in Tokyo from the beginning, Otoha Fumiya, a young female office worker in her twenties, was not born and raised in the city. Instead, she grew up in the countryside and worked hard to earn money for a long time. After becoming a player, she successfully improved her life and became wealthy. A month ago, she bought a detached villa in a wealthy area of ​​Tokyo and moved there to enjoy the real life of a city dweller.

In less than a month, the city was sealed by an extraordinary being from the dungeon world, and endless monsters spread to every corner, continuously causing terrifying slaughter.

If it weren't for Wen Gu Yin Yu's own abilities and the instinct she developed from experiencing multiple dungeons to always be alert to her surroundings, she probably wouldn't have survived even the first wave of attacks. The reason she joined the rescue operation was because she demonstrated some abilities while escaping those monsters, which led to her being discovered by other players who came to help, and they pulled her into the rescue team without any explanation.

As for why Otoha Fumiya, who isn't exactly a kind-hearted person who's willing to help others, chose to accept this mission, the answer is simple. From the beginning, she didn't believe that hiding in the shelter could guarantee absolute safety. Even though Takami's "House Rules" did protect her in the early stages of the crisis, she didn't think that such measures could guarantee absolute safety. On the contrary, staying with the rescue team members who were also players was the only way to truly survive.

Why has this become a job of mentoring newbies? I'm not good at this kind of thing. And what's with all this talk about Mr. Gao Hai's chosen one? What's so special about this mysterious Mr. Gao Hai? Can he really raise an ordinary person to the level of a Dark Night player or even higher in a single day?

At least for now, Wen Gu Yin Yu, a mid-to-lower-level player who hasn't witnessed any miracles, isn't entirely convinced of Gao Hai's power. In her view, both the fragments of the Crimson Domain and the golden domain gradually spreading from afar seem more like the result of using one or more extraordinary items. Anyway… at least, the title of "god" doesn't seem appropriate to her to describe that person. The title of "JK Assassin," on the other hand, seems more authentic, since players are supposed to be indulging in desires and self-centeredness, right?

Regardless of the circumstances, the task at hand must not go wrong. No matter who Mr. Gao is, she's definitely not someone to mess with, especially the team leader, Yan Hui. If anything goes wrong and this so-called "Chosen One" gets hurt, she'll be in deep trouble. For now, she needs to stay with the team, so she must follow orders as much as possible.

While she was thinking, Wen Gu Yin Yu had already led the somewhat eager Xiao Hua to the escalator on one side of the mall and gestured for her to follow her up the escalator, which was out of power, to the second floor.

Tread - Tread -

Even though they tried to keep their voices down, the sound of them moving forward still carried far through the deathly silent mall.

Compared to the daytime open mall, it was now completely shrouded in darkness. A chilling aura accompanied by a gentle breeze of unknown origin blew softly, as if someone was following the two of them and gently breathing on them.

Wen Gu Yin Yu knew that such an aura meant that there was more than one strange creature lurking here, and that all of these creatures were currently active.

Perhaps they are watching her from somewhere right now, perhaps they will leap out of the darkness around the next corner and attack her… These unsettling thoughts would occasionally cross Fumiya Otoha's mind, and it was precisely because she couldn't stop herself from imagining such things that she was able to maintain a high level of vigilance and focus. Although this would severely deplete her mental energy, at least for now, Fumiya Otoha was quite grateful for her mental issues in this regard.

"It's so quiet. Are there really survivors here?"

Suddenly, Wen Gu Yin Yu heard Xiao Hua's voice coming from beside her.

"...Don't speak, stay quiet, the enemy could appear from anywhere."

Why are you speaking so casually at a time like this? There are obviously strange creatures around, can't you just keep quiet? Aren't you afraid that you might say something wrong that will attract a particular strange creature and cause trouble?

Turning her head, Wen Gu Yin Yu hesitated, wanting to glare at her fiercely, but in the end she hesitated for a moment and replied to Xiao Hua in a relatively gentle tone.

Regardless, the other person was someone Yan Hui had specifically asked her to look after, so she had to treat them politely if problems arose. Otherwise, if she displeased the other person, they might go back and complain to Yan Hui, and she would be in trouble. Of course, this kind of thinking might be a bit extreme and belittle others, but as a lone wolf player who hadn't been able to form a team, Wen Gu Yin Yu had witnessed quite a few ugly things, so she had become somewhat accustomed to this cautious approach.

"I didn't say anything?"

This time, however, things seemed a little different. Upon hearing her words, the orange-haired girl walking beside her was slightly taken aback and gave such a bewildered answer.

Judging from his expression, he didn't seem to be lying.

But I did hear her voice just now, it's just that I didn't turn around to see her speak, my gaze wasn't on her at the time.

Wait, so it wasn't actually her?!

In less than a second, Wen Gu Yin Yu realized what the voice she had just heard was all about, and immediately pulled a pendant from her chest and held it tightly in her hand.

Xiao Hua, who had no idea why her temporary teammate was suddenly asking her a question, was stunned for a moment after seeing Wen Gu Yin Yu's reaction. Then, she instinctively realized that something bad might be about to happen, so she quickly activated the power in her body, and golden-red lights began to emerge from her body.

A pale face appeared next to Otoha Fumiya.

It appeared out of nowhere, filled with a sinister aura, grinning as it suddenly emerged, and opened its mouth to utter the voice of Fumiya Otoha herself.

It's so quiet and safe here, there must be no danger at all, right?

As the gentle voice fell, Xiao Hua herself subconsciously felt a sense of agreement and genuinely felt that "it's safe here."

"drink!"

But the next second, with a sudden wave of her hand, a stream of blood spurted from her severed palm. The blood-red light burst into a crimson bolt of lightning in the dark corridor, instantly striking the thing and causing its face to let out a shrill scream before disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"They start by putting on a show of force; these kinds of deceitful people are truly disgusting."

"I banished the strange creature," said Wen Gu Yin Yu in a low voice, the razor-sharp pendant hanging on her body gleaming coldly. It seemed this object of obsession could produce some strange effect by creating wounds. Xiao Hua looked on in amazement; she had never used such an object of obsession before. However, the focus now wasn't on this thing. Compared to this strange little gadget she was seeing for the first time, truly dealing with that talking imposter was far more important.

After all, that monster harbored clear malice towards him and Sister Wen Gu; it was a monstrous creature that only harmed lives and deserved no sympathy. If one wanted to protect the lives of ordinary people, if one truly wanted to protect everyone, one had to do everything in one's power to eliminate the monster—that was true protection.

"It hasn't been resolved yet, Sister Wengu. Your power has only temporarily weakened it; it's still nearby."

After a brief moment of curiosity, Yurikawa Hana suppressed the thought and instead spoke seriously to Fumiya Otoha.

"That's only natural. Monsters are immortal; they can't be completely eradicated. Being able to temporarily drive them away is already quite an achievement. Wait, what are you trying to do?"

Wen Gu Yin Yu had no interest in explaining further what Xiao Hua had just mentioned, which was common knowledge among players, and simply replied casually. But then, after sensing the ever-expanding aura emanating from Xiao Hua, Wen Gu Yin Yu realized something and her eyes widened.

“If we really want to protect everyone, we can’t let this monster go. Even if we can’t kill it, we have to beat it half to death and make sure it can’t hurt anyone for a very, very long time. This is what Mr. Gao taught us, and I have decided to do my best to carry out this operation.”

Xiao Hua, who looked no older than a high school student and should have been a naive and innocent girl, actually made Fumiya Otoha, who had experienced life and death many times, feel a sense of pressure at this moment.

The next second, she understood the source of this oppressive feeling, because the powerful golden-red flames were released directly from Xiao Hua's body and swept out in all directions.