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

In the dim light of the flashlight, Ryo, who was walking at the front, walked down the dark corridor for about half a minute before discovering that many paths had appeared ahead. The once straight corridor suddenly had many different bends, with at least four or five forks. The walls on both sides had turned into staircases going up or down, there were several elevators, escalators, and various circular paths like those used in an indoor parking lot, as well as doors that were either open or closed. Upon closer inspection, Ryo found that there were at least twenty or thirty different entrances and exits.

What's wrong with this place?

Unexpectedly, Liang was caught off guard by the sheer number of choices and didn't know what to do next. She stood there dumbfounded, unsure of what to do next.

"This...is this not the same subway station as before? What on earth is going on..."

Standing behind Liang, Hongxia was also stunned. She looked at the area in front of her in the corridor, which seemed unreal and had some strange phenomena such as clipping between the passages. She couldn't think of any direction to look for it.

"There seems to be something over here, like someone wrote something. Is this some kind of bulletin board? Can you come and take a look?"

Xingge, being at the very back and constantly watching behind her to avoid being followed or attacked, didn't immediately notice the numerous and confusing side paths leading down the corridor. Instead, she first noticed a strange object hanging on one wall, resembling a blackboard, and a tattered piece of paper pasted onto it, seemingly containing some important information.

It feels like I've returned to the Sheep Apartment, back to the time when I was in the instance space, cautiously exploring and gathering all sorts of intelligence.

To be honest, I really don't want to go back to this state. Although I don't know how Hongxia and Liang feel, Xingge really doesn't want to recall the various experiences she had in that instance space a dozen hours ago, and doesn't want to repeat the situation again.

But now that things have come to this point, there's no going back. There's no going back to the bus and starting over... No, even if we went back, it wouldn't change anything. After all, the three of them are the main targets of the attack, and no matter which way we go, there will be big problems. So for now, we can only continue the operation.

As Xingge was thinking this to herself, she noticed Liang approaching with a serious expression, so she made way for her. Then Liang stepped forward and tore the paper off.

"...Let me take a look."

With calm words, the girl's gaze had already fallen upon the words on the page.

Want to play a game? Want to play a game with me?

The writing appears to be from watercolor pens or paintbrushes. The user probably hasn't practiced writing much, as the characters are crooked and distorted, like a child's, making them quite difficult to decipher.

Let's play a game that everyone loves! Let's play a maze hide-and-seek game! Everyone will enjoy this game!

Fortunately, although Liang didn't have the information reading ability of high-level players, with Gao Hai's help, it didn't take Liang too long to figure out what this thing was saying and understand these distorted words.

Passengers will come looking for you; passengers will come looking for you again and again.

But the passengers are stupid, they've always been stupid. If you don't let them notice, they won't know it's you.

I will hide. Are you going to come looking for me? You won't find me.

There are other people here too. Some of them like to play with us, some don't, and some get angry when they see us playing together.

Only those who played the game can leave through the exit; only those who are allowed to leave can leave.

Let's have fun together! As long as we play together, we can be happy together. We can be happy together!

However, not every place is suitable for playing games; some places are off-limits, and some places are off-limits to us.

Please be careful not to go to the wrong place or get lost here.

A lost person no longer remembers whether they were a passenger or a security guard; a lost person can no longer recall where they were supposed to go next.

Do you remember where you're going?

[I am no longer able to read... (The remaining content is unreadable due to incomplete pages)]

Yamada Ryo read the pages over and over, which seemed to have been written by a child, yet contained strange and bizarre content.

At first glance, the text on the page seemed like a child inviting the reader to play some kind of game. But in the middle, it became more like a survivor's record, with some content even matching the smudged text seen earlier. The last part, at first glance, seemed to be some strange phenomenon caused by mental pollution, but Ryo was certain that after reading the information on this page, neither his mind nor his soul had suffered any damage; both were still perfectly intact.

This puzzled her somewhat, although she had found herself constantly bewildered since arriving here, as if unexpected situations were endless and wouldn't subside. But after receiving this piece of paper, she felt that her confusion had almost reached its limit.

"...I've finished reading it, Hongxia, come and see."

She silently memorized all the parts of the paper that she could understand, ensuring that she could quickly recall and respond to any unusual situations that might arise later. Ryo then carefully checked the paper again, making sure there was no hidden information or traps, before handing it to Hongxia standing beside her for quick memorization.

Next, Ryo turned his gaze to the area in front of him, to the strange area that had previously had a piece of paper stuck to it, but now, after the paper was torn off, was just a black, blackboard-like area.

What is this?

Liang extended a finger and, after confirming that the protective power from Gao Hai was only slightly flowing, gently touched the darkness in front of him.

It has a strange feel to it – firm, cold, and slightly slippery.

Is this... a screen?

After a brief moment of thought, Yamada Ryo was certain that the black thing was not a blackboard, but a screen—a thick, seemingly old display screen with a black glass casing that had not yet been turned on.

It should be able to start up like a real television and play a variety of images.

It's hard to confirm whether there's sound during playback, because Liang didn't see any speakers and isn't sure if they're hidden under the screen.

However, Liang couldn't help but think that they were currently in an area that seemed to be another dimension. These places controlled by strange entities were incredibly bizarre, and anything could happen. Could this strange screen suddenly light up and start playing some strange things?

[Sizzle... sizzle...]

The instant this thought arose, Ryo actually saw the pitch-black screen in front of him light up. Accompanied by a piercing noise, distorted colors began to emerge from the screen, slowly combining into some unsettling shape.

Chapter 84: Journey Through a Blinding Illusion and the Twisted One's Delusions

Something is gradually becoming apparent.

[Sizzle... sizzle sizzle...]

From the distorted screen flickering with snowflakes, from the strange patterns that converged and dispersed in chaos, a pattern seemed to gradually spread outwards, as if someone were shouting at the top of their lungs with their mouth wide open. But if you looked closely, you could find nothing unusual; it seemed that everything just now was nothing more than an illusion.

But Yamada Ryo knew very well that this could not be a hallucination; she truly sensed something, something unsettling, something that was gradually approaching.

The feeling was truly bizarre. Liang struggled to describe what she perceived in the screen before her. It seemed to her as if the screen had transformed into a door, a medium connecting their underground passage to something else entirely. Furthermore, she could vaguely confirm that this unusual door couldn't be opened from their direction. This meant she had no way to stop the unknown entity from reaching them; even smashing the screen probably wouldn't change anything.

"Come on!"

Without even a second to think, Liang made a decision and turned to run away.

Although she couldn't be sure what the thing about to appear on the screen was, in this eerie place, something that appeared in this way couldn't possibly be normal, much less be something that could understand and communicate with her.

Therefore, rather than waiting for this unknown enemy to appear in front of them, it is better to take advantage of the time difference before this thing actually arrives to increase the distance as much as possible. Maybe this way they will have a chance to escape the pursuit and shake off the opponent.

Splash—splash—

The water, which was above their calves, rippled as the three moved, constantly splashing water.

In such an environment, it is not easy to escape the threat quickly. Even though their physical abilities have been enhanced, the three of them are still much slower than when they are moving normally. The splashing water makes them even more noisy, which obviously makes them more likely to attract some unfriendly things.

"Huh...huh..."

Yamada Ryo, who was leading the way, had already frowned.

She noticed that, without her noticing, the already dark and damp underground passage seemed to have become even colder. When Liang realized this, she discovered that she could feel a stinging pain in her lungs when she breathed, as if every breath she inhaled contained tiny ice crystals that were piercing her respiratory tract all the way to her internal organs, continuously causing intense pain to her senses.

coming.

The moment Liang sensed this chilling aura, he understood the current situation, and his expression became even more solemn.

In contrast, Hongxia hadn't yet clearly sensed anything, but she had heard some noises. She quickly realized that all the sounds were coming from behind her, from the dark area they had fled from, which was now completely devoid of light.

【￥％＃*@？！】

I couldn't make out what kind of sound it was; no matter how hard I tried to distinguish it, I could only hear distorted noise.

However, the instant the sound appeared, a sense of malice approached from behind. Without needing to turn around, Hongxia was certain that the thing that had emerged from the screen was now chasing after them. And without a doubt, that thing was coming to kill them; there was no possibility of communication, and their only option was to flee.

[Sizzle…]

The familiar electrical noise rang out once again.

Just like the sound I heard in that corridor, it started without any warning.

The only difference was that this time they could hear the sound chasing them from behind, and the noise getting closer and closer to them little by little.

The surroundings brightened up.

Silently, light seemed to gather all around, illuminating the place where the shadows lingered.

The panicked people didn't notice this subtle change; they just kept fleeing for their lives, disappearing into the distance amidst screams and cries.

But those who could sense the unusual things had already more or less noticed the problem and began to focus their attention on places that ordinary people wouldn't pay attention to. They started to try to explore in various ways and gradually approached and understood that darkness.

[Sizzle... sizzle...]

Just like at this moment, even though he knew clearly that something was chasing him from behind, Xingge was still carefully observing the beings he had come into contact with along the way, and those that would continue to follow after they separated.

Most of what she encountered was highly malicious, and would try to harm them in various ways. All she needed to do was escape, find a way to flee the danger alone or with others—that was enough.

However, occasionally some ambiguous individuals will appear, whose stance and attitude are difficult to judge. They may be more lively or more silent and rigid, but they will all demonstrate their unique position and attitude in communication, and depending on the situation, they may even help the three of them get through danger.

Although the friendliest individuals Xingge has encountered so far have only reciprocated after receiving small favors from them, through repeated interactions, she has developed a considerable amount of goodwill towards these strange beings existing in the labyrinthine underground passages. Of course, having encountered malicious individuals before, she still knows to remain vigilant and won't naively trust these beings who aren't even human.

[Sizzle…]

I can hear the loud noise again.

The thing chasing behind them seemed to never tire; it never stopped after the sound was heard and followed them from beginning to end.

The loud noise irritated the nerves, causing a sense of irritability and making one wonder if the unknown monster was carrying something like a television screen and chasing after them, imagining such a scene in their mind.

While on the run, Hongxia subconsciously had a strange thought, and then noticed that the voice seemed to be a little closer than before.

The opponent's speed is increasing.

In the dim light, Hongxia could see her own shadow floating and trembling on the wall, and she could feel her breathing gradually becoming erratic.

I can't remember exactly when, but lights appeared in this underground passage—a dim, yellowish light that was often turned off. It was far less effective than a flashlight, but it still provided them with some convenience as they fled.

However, they were still unable to shake off the thing behind them, that unknown entity that never uttered any intelligible sounds and whose nature was incomprehensible. It continued to pursue them relentlessly, regardless of the changes in their surroundings, seemingly determined to eliminate the three of them.

"Don't look back, keep a steady pace, it can't catch up with us."

Liang spoke in a deep voice at this moment, while slightly slowing down his pace.

Making such a slowdown during a life-or-death escape seems like asking for trouble. But Hongxia knows very well that Liang isn't the type to risk her life. Since Liang made such a decision, she must have her reasons. What Hongxia should do now is follow her lead instead of questioning her.

"Sister, quickly follow along."

Without hesitation, Hongxia slowed down her running pace to maintain a relatively stable speed, while reminding Xingge behind her.

"Ah."

Xingge responded and slowed her pace as well. Thus, the three of them slowed down, and naturally, the thing chasing them, which had been moving faster and faster, should have caught up with them immediately after they slowed down.

Slowed down.

After their pace stabilized, it took less than three seconds for Hongxia to realize that the thing chasing them had slowed down and was slowing down along with them.

This reminded her of the smeared texts she had seen before, and made her realize the possible circumstances of this pursuer.

There's something in the water.