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

Xiong Mi paid no attention to these twisted things; her gaze was fixed on the depths of darkness, as if she had already seen something in that direction.

What exactly is it that occupies the core position of obsession in this instance?

Xiong Mi had thought about this problem repeatedly not long ago, especially after receiving fragmented information from the lawyer and confirming some ideas from him. Xiong Mi then explored this problem more carefully and in greater depth.

The deeper she went, the more she realized that this subway instance contained far too many stories, far exceeding what a regular instance should contain.

Whether it's a cult story, a serial killer emerging from a train station, or some kind of monster train, otherworldly train, or hell train, all sorts of bizarre things seem to have become a real existence in this place. Each story has a victim, each story has a strange object that can prove its existence, and each story exists distinctly within this distorted space, forming an extremely complex world where it's impossible to find a single dominant entity.

Then, unlike the lawyer's group, who were forced to continuously fight deep into the instance space, Xiong Mi's trio didn't forcibly intervene in the instance by breaking the rules. Instead, they spent more time finding alternative paths, thus encountering fewer enemies and having more time for a more thorough investigation. As a result, Xiong Mi's group observed an important clue that the lawyer had missed, or rather, hadn't had the time to focus on.

Those are the dead in these stories. If strictly categorized into different stories, their numbers are insufficient to qualify for a Red Moon-level dungeon.

Twilight, Night, and Crimson Moon dungeons. Regardless of the variations in their format or differences, these dungeons adhere to a strict structure regarding the number of deaths. While this "strictness" is currently only a rough overview, no dungeon has ever violated this rule. At its core, this rule states that the number of casualties during the formation of a Twilight-level dungeon is around several dozen to a hundred, a Night-level dungeon typically requires a thousand to several thousand casualties, and a Crimson Moon dungeon requires at least ten thousand casualties, possibly exceeding one hundred thousand, though this number is generally difficult to reach.

Too few people died.

Although this sounds hellish, in Xiong Mi's opinion, the number of victims in these different versions of the eerie stories is far too small.

The story with the most casualties, such as the one about the mass extermination of plague-infected individuals, involved at least several hundred more victims.

As for stories like The Lost Train, which are fewer in number, Xiong Mi doubts whether the total number of victims exceeds twenty.

Does a story of this level even deserve to be called Red Moon level?

Compared to the Red Moon-level dungeons these players have faced, there's no need to even mention the heavyweight "Campus Ghost Stories" dungeon. A few lower-difficulty Red Moon-level dungeons could easily crush these supernatural tales. Keep in mind that the items in Red Moon-level dungeons are capable of causing devastating damage to humans in a given area; how could they possibly be compared to this trashy thing that lures tourists onto a bus at midnight and causes them to disappear?

It was during this process of exploration and reflection that Xiong Mi finally made a bold guess.

All the stories are true; every eerie anecdote about the subway station, and the people who sacrificed themselves for it, are real. These anecdotes represent one aspect of this instance, and all these stories combined constitute the instance itself, the true form of the ghost story world of [Kisaragi Station].

Although individual stories may involve few casualties, the accumulation of numerous stories is enough to build the foundation for a Crimson Moon-level dungeon. This is why [Kisaragi Station] achieved Crimson Moon level, and also why it's impossible to find the core obsession within a single story.

In this instance's system structure, the story is merely the most basic element. While it forms the foundation of this instance, it cannot be the core. Just as blood is the basis of the human circulatory system, what truly distinguishes a human from an animal is always the brain, not other organs. Therefore, after combining the lawyer's information, Xiong Mi believes that the core obsession in this instance should occupy a position similar to that of the creator.

Indeed, since this instance is based on countless horror stories that extend from subway stations, its core must be in a position that is above the story itself, that can have an overview of the whole story, and that can observe and modify everything from the perspective of a creator or manipulator.

For example, the subway train driver—the one who will never be depicted in the story, the one who controls the train's operation. No matter what, for a bizarre train to enter the victim's field of vision, there still needs to be a driver to control the vehicle, right? So, isn't this driver, who is never depicted in the story, whose gender, or even whether they are human, uncertain, one of those beings sitting in the audience?

Continuing to think along these lines, Xiong Mi immediately thought of another possible place that could fill this role.

"They seem really anxious, which proves we've come to the right place."

After a sneer, Xiong Mi casually glanced at the things that were gathering, then looked at the surveillance camera above the platform that was watching them closely.

Yes, those stories from a long time ago are one thing, but for eerie stories set in the modern era, surveillance cameras are not just for show. However, in those stories, the surveillance cameras, which should have been effective, were never actually used, and were almost never even mentioned.

Therefore, either the surveillance itself was indeed blocked by some supernatural force.

Either the observers monitoring the other side weren't on the side of the victims from the beginning.

"Prepare for a charge."

Xiong Mi said in a low voice, and then the blade of Shao Ye's sword lit up with flames, while Jian Bing quickly operated, and a large number of garbled characters appeared on the computer screen in his hand.

The next second, without needing any more words, Shao Ye took the lead and swooped down like an arrow, instantly unleashing a violent explosion and a wall of fire.

The twisted monsters began to scream and charged one after another at the three living people on the platform.

The ground was melting, stretching out twisted arms and protruding heads that screamed in pain.

The mutilated corpses fall from the sky, and as soon as they get close to a living person, they immediately extend arms of all sizes, trying to grab them.

The victims came from the front, from the back, and from all directions.

Some were stripped of their skin, walking bloodied and howling in agony; others were completely charred and deformed, with dust and sparks falling from their bodies as they moved; still others were tightly bound by restraints, their exact form obscured, but as they throbbed and floated along, fresh blood dripped from the gaps...

These dead figures remained in their most painful and desperate state before death, having lost all emotion and reason, leaving only endless madness and hatred, which they unleashed without reservation on every living person who came here.

Although Xiong Mi knew that it was unreasonable to impose the idea of ​​"victims becoming perpetrators" on the dead after understanding the relationship between the monsters and divine blood, since turning into monsters under the influence of divine blood was not something the victims could decide, and even if there were a few exceptions, it depended on the role they played in the instance, she still really hoped that the monsters would go to the "hospital" that turned them into this, instead of fighting each other until their brains splattered out, with these people who were actually there to help them find relief.

However, the fact that I'm thinking about such meaningless things instead of preparing for battle shows that I'm probably still influenced by that kid Gao Hai and have lost the sense of urgency I used to have.

When I first met him, he was just a complete newbie. How did he become so amazing in less than a month or two? The difference between people is truly huge. Now, thinking back to what I saw of him at Fujika Middle School and comparing it to now, it's quite a contrast.

"Support from behind, I'll take care of the flanks, everyone get moving!"

With a few distracting thoughts quickly cleared from his mind and his gaze hardening, Xiong Mi let out a low roar and charged forward alongside Shao Ye.

A crimson light accompanied by flames flashed, instantly carving out a long crack.

Shao Ye and Xiong Mi moved forward alternately, advancing at least ten meters with each breath. At least dozens of large and small monsters were torn apart, burned, and cut into pieces by their attacks.

Behind the two, Jianbing followed closely, moving forward while performing various operations on his computer, causing this obsessive object to constantly modify the surrounding reality.

Attacks that should have struck Xiong Mi and Shao Ye missed, and obstacles that should have blocked their path either vanished or appeared out of nowhere. No matter how fierce or terrifying the enemy's offensive, there would always be gaps that could be found and breached. Thus, amidst a series of explosions, the three figures fought their way through the defenses formed by these strange creatures, penetrating deep into the corridor on the other side of the platform, sprinting through the darkness until the [Monitoring Room] appeared before them.

bang——

Xiong Mi, who chose to smash open the door, stepped into the room amidst the smoke and gradually a smile appeared on her lips.

"I was lucky; I found it on my first try."

Facing the core obsession hidden in the monitoring room, Xiong Mi spoke calmly and launched an attack without hesitation, causing the entire monitoring room to be engulfed in a violent explosion in the next second.

Rumble, rumble——

The violent tremors continued unabated.

At this moment, no matter where you are in this distorted space, you cannot ignore the violent vibrations of the space structure itself.

"It seems that everyone else is working very hard. If this continues, we might fall behind. It wouldn't be good if people looked down on us."

Cat Brother lay on the ground, pressed his ear to the ground and listened carefully for a while. After determining the source of these vibrations and what was probably happening, he sat up and spoke with a somewhat emotional tone.

"Whichever side wins, it's a good thing, and I don't mind being the one criticized. Of course, it's not time for the dust to settle yet. Since everyone else is having a great time, we should also join in the fun."

Upon hearing Cat Brother's words, Ishido Masaaki smiled slightly. As he spoke, he waved his hand dismissively, then gestured for Toyama Akira and Kobo to continue forward into the dark, almost pitch-black area of ​​ruins.

At this moment, the players are in a space with a depth of [Depth 9].

The location of the most critical spatial node is quite close. However, the spatial structure in this vicinity has become very abnormal, to the point that it cannot be analyzed using normal spatial rules.

By now, the four players had encountered numerous situations, such as [being moving forward but finding themselves moving backward after a while], [spending hours exploring an area only to discover that a few seconds had passed and that the area didn't even exist], and [quickly passing through a place only to find that the power given by Gao Hai had been passively activated without their awareness, only to realize later that it had actually taken at least ten minutes to traverse that area]. Time and space had become unpredictable in this ruin, with all sorts of distorted landscapes constantly appearing, leading the players to sometimes wonder if they had taken too many hallucinogenic mushrooms.

However, regardless of the obstacles, the group eventually reached the location of [Depth 9] and began to discover many mixed areas of the distorted space itself and the Metro instance space.

Clearly, after the hospital recklessly poured all its remaining power into the situation, a contradictory state of conflict and merging arose between the two different spaces. Perhaps it was this violent collision that made the space so abnormal, causing the four of them to nearly die several times.

The aura of the strange creature could be felt to be growing stronger again.

Although they hadn't seen anything moving yet, Cat Brother was certain, based on the intensity of the aura, that another failed attempt at being a "doctor" had approached the four of them. It was probably lurking somewhere nearby, waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack them.

"Can you feel it? The concentration of the aura this time is higher than ever before."

Ishido Masaaki, who had also noticed this, said in a low voice, his expression turning serious.

"With such a strong smell, it's really hard to ignore it. How about we take a gamble and see how long it will take for the attack to arrive?"

Cat Brother casually spoke, tossing a coin into his hand, catching it, and covering it with the back of his hand before addressing the other three.

"I won't guess."

Akira Toyama, who has a relatively straightforward personality, shook his head, showing no interest in participating in Cat Brother's game.

"I'll guess for a minute."

Hu Baoxiong scratched his neck, yawned, and said.

"Then I'll guess within ten seconds."

Ishido Masaaki stretched his limbs and looked around as he spoke.

"In that case, I'll guess—"

Cat Brother dragged out his words slightly, seemingly trying to create suspense.

But before he could finish speaking, the police officer who had been walking quietly in the line suddenly looked up, and then a pale, ghostly figure appeared next to Cat Brother, reaching out towards his face as if to touch his cheek.

boom!

The next second, the fastest-reacting officer fired a shot that sent the thing flying. Several bullets then struck it again in mid-air, piercing the pale-skinned monster with several holes, and the peeled-off face skins it carried fell to the ground.

"Damn it, why are they coming for me again? Can't you guys find a different target to attack?"

Cat Bro, who had just realized what was happening, cursed under his breath. He clearly felt the terrifying aura of the strange creature from before, and his whole body felt cold and stiff. While cursing, he quickly used the power of his obsession to join the battle and assist the police officers who were already marching forward.

"That might be a bit difficult. After all, you recently used the power of your obsession to lower your luck, so it's normal that you were the first to be targeted."

While casually replying to Cat Brother, Masaaki Ishido also took action, combining the power of the obsession object with the fragments of Takami's Crimson Domain to drive back a dark figure that appeared from the corner and tried to ambush Cat Brother.

"Let's put aside these trivial matters for now and be on high alert. The number of strange creatures that have appeared is at least ten... twenty... no, at least fifty or more. I'm afraid we've already penetrated into the border area between two spaces, and some strange creatures from within the instance have already appeared and started attacking us!"

While shouting loudly, Akira Toyama quickly mobilized his strength to join the battle, and together with Hobo Xiong beside him, they suppressed the strange creatures that attacked from all directions.

Various attacks unfolded one after another in the dark ruins, and the strange creatures that seemed to appear out of nowhere gathered in ever-growing numbers, making it difficult for the players to suppress them all no matter how they fought against them. The "failed product" from the [Hospital] possessed strength far exceeding the limits of Red Moon level players. Every time it appeared, the players had to rely on the police officers to confront it head-on, otherwise no one could withstand the terrifying power that thing possessed.

Rumbling--

In the fierce fighting, the already fragmented ruins became even more dilapidated under repeated blows.

The officer raised his pistol and pulled the trigger, forcefully shooting the pale figure that had appeared in mid-air back into the darkness, where it remained for quite some time.

It turned around and looked at Cat Brother, who was surrounded by hundreds of strange passengers. It pulled the trigger again, and a series of bullets quickly cleared away the strange creatures around Cat Brother, and also sent a group of strange creatures that appeared out of nowhere from a short distance back to where they came from.

The police officer took a few more steps forward, firing continuously. The monsters that had gathered from all sides were immediately thrown into disarray, forcibly separated in the tearing hail of bullets, and then quickly defeated and suppressed by the players.

The ghastly white creature, lurking in the darkness, launched another attack, but was instantly locked onto by the police and shot down from mid-air by several bullets. Before it could even get up, an officer stomped on it, slamming its head into the ground. Amidst the flying debris, the officer pressed his pistol against the creature's head, and in the next instant, thousands of bullets rained down on its body, blasting it into the rubble with incredible force. It was sent flying hundreds or even thousands of meters through the earth, its final destination unknown.

"No matter how many times I watch it, it still feels incredibly exaggerated. Why am I not lucky enough to have such a powerful assistant?"

Masaaki Ishido, who was watching the police officer's methods from the side, once again expressed his envy, jealousy, and hatred.

"Forget about such wishful thinking. Even if you had it, you couldn't hold onto it. Let's focus on our current situation. That attack was extremely dangerous. Even with Mr. Gao's help, it was very difficult. We need to be more careful from now on. Besides, it's very rare for monsters from two different instance areas to act together. It's almost impossible under normal circumstances. I think we're really close to the core now. I estimate that if we don't suffer any attacks, we'll reach [Depth 10], which is the final target location, within half an hour at most."

Yuanshan Ming wiped the sweat from his forehead. The continuous battles had taken a toll on the player's spirit, but he had no intention of taking a break. Instead, he continued to move forward while analyzing the situation, clearly intending to pass through the area as quickly as possible while the surrounding monsters were being suppressed.

"It's a real pity that Qichuan and Linbu didn't find a rendezvous point and couldn't see the scene of monsters from different regions working together. I estimate that when we actually reach [Depth 10], we might see even more incredible things. When we get back, we can tell those two unlucky guys about it and see how envious they are."

As he casually knocked down and completely suppressed several struggling monsters, Masaaki Ishido spoke casually, looking relaxed and unconcerned.

However, upon closer inspection, one would notice that the man's fingers were trembling slightly. It seems that although he can outwardly appear to be in good condition, after fighting his way to this point, this veteran player's performance has actually declined considerably, and if things continue, he might not be able to maintain his current form.

This same situation occurred with Hu Baoxiong and Mao Ge. Hu Baoxiong would occasionally pant and stick out his tongue, mimicking a tired dog, while Mao Ge, like Shi Tang Zhengzhao, pretended to be relaxed to hide his physical and mental exhaustion. Undoubtedly, for these players who had already experienced significant physical exertion, their physical condition was nearing its limit, and they were on the verge of collapse.

How far is it from here, and how many more attacks are coming?

This question lingered in everyone's mind.