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

The raging torrent seemed to have no effect on their movements, nor did the steep slopes pose any obstacle to their progress. Amidst the surging torrent, their figures had already reached the deeper part of the giant slide, disappearing from Gao Hai's sight.

Were firefighters and rescue teams able to enter the giant slide during the flood?

According to the rescue team rules, any rescue team that returns from the giant slide is unreliable. This means that none of the rescue teams that crossed the giant slide survived. What mysterious force kept them alive?

Gao Hai really wanted to stop and question Susan behind him, to ask this person who seemed to know some inside information, and to find out if she knew any important information.

But now is not a good time. Rather than gathering intelligence, we should escape this dangerous area as soon as possible, at least to the Plains region first.

Rumbling--

The current is becoming even more rapid.

And so Gao Hai pressed forward step by step against the torrent, ten meters, twenty meters, thirty meters... little by little, he began to approach the space above.

As long as this rhythm is maintained...

As Gao Hai was thinking this, he suddenly felt a slight tremor in the rope in his hand.

The movement was very subtle, and with Gao Hai doing his best to resist the scouring of the water, it was extremely difficult to notice this slight change.

But after he noticed it, Gao Hai realized that he had to take immediate action.

"The rope is swaying, stop grabbing it!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Gao Hai abruptly released his grip on the rope. While shouting a warning to Susan behind him, he pulled out the large iron nail he had previously used when climbing the cliff from his waist, and smashed it down hard, driving it through the rock to stabilize himself and remain stationary.

Whether Susan behind him had loosened the rope was no longer something Gao Hai had time to care about.

He simply bent down, lowering his center of gravity as much as possible to stabilize himself, and turned his head to look at the rope beside him.

It's shaking.

Shaking gently.

It gradually became more intense, shaking continuously.

In Gao Hai's eyes, the rope that hadn't moved no matter how he gripped it was now swaying gently.

It's like someone is holding onto a rope and climbing up it.

It's like a lot of people are pulling on a rope, desperately climbing upwards together.

Then, Gao Hai saw a hand.

A pale, tightly gripping hand, so close to the rope.

A swollen figure, gripping the rope, moved slowly upwards in silence.

Behind this figure, more figures dressed in tourist clothes, bloated, rotting and stinking, pulled on the rope one after another, slowly moving upwards.

Gao Hai looked ahead and saw a bulky firefighter blocking the front of the tourists, leading them slowly forward.

crunch - crunch -

The rope was shaking more and more violently.

More and more "people" grabbed the rope.

Emerging from the water, appearing from who-knows-where, those long-dead and decaying figures appeared at this moment, and at this moment grabbed the rope.

The rope trembled as if it were screaming in agony.

At that moment, Gao Hai heard a roar from above.

Rumbling--

In the swift current, the rope snapped silently.

Those who clung to the ropes, trying to escape this hell, along with the long-rotted things, fell together into the depths of the cave, where they were tossed about by the violent currents and plunged into the muddy water.

However, these are all just illusions.

Gao Hai, who stood motionless in place, was swept past by those things several times, and was even completely pierced through.

But he didn't feel anything, at most just a slight chill.

Perhaps only those who continue to cling to the rope when these things appear can come into contact with them; otherwise, these things have no substance.

As Gao Hai pondered this, his gaze followed the rope that had vanished and fallen below.

He saw it.

The rope had been cut.

With his enhanced dynamic vision, Gao Hai was quite certain that the rope had been cut by someone.

In the moment when the survivors were desperately trying to escape, someone cut the rope above, severing their path to survival.

then.

It only took a blink of an eye.

Gao Hai saw the rope reappear, as sturdy as ever, motionless in the torrent, showing no sign of being washed away by the water.

"Mr. Gao, what were those just now...?"

Chika murmured softly, surprised to see such a scene.

"Don't be afraid, it's okay, let's keep going."

Gao Hai simply took a deep breath, pulled out the iron nail, grabbed the rope again, and continued his arduous climb.

Chapter 46: A Record, and a Person from the Past

[Interview Transcript No. 6073]

[Interviewee: Howard Smith]

[Recorded during the official closure of the Red Nut Grotto]

[Interviewer: Mr. Smith, hello. According to the information we have, before the Red Nut Grotto was completely sealed off, you and your team were the last to enter and exit that place and blow up the entrance to seal it off, am I correct?]

Smith: Since you know it's me, why are you asking?

[Interviewer: Please adopt a proper attitude, Mr. Smith. We've brought you here to cooperate with our investigation. I think you should be well aware of what measures we will take if you refuse to cooperate.]

[Smith: So you just left that godforsaken place to fend for itself until things went wrong and you couldn't cover it up anymore?]

[Interviewer: Do you need me to help you recall your life in prison these past two days?]

Smith: ...

[Interviewer: Great, let's get back to the main topic. For a long time, the Red Nut Grotto had some minor issues, and your people were responsible for resolving them. We'd like to know if you know how it all escalated into that incident? Although it was indeed a once-in-a-century torrential rain, according to our understanding, the Red Nut Grotto had actually been flooded more than once during heavy rains; it was only after the tourist area was built that the entrance was blocked, preventing further flooding.]

Smith: I don't know the answer to that question.

[Interviewer: Sir, I hope you can take our questions seriously.]

Smith: Do I look like some kind of expert on mysterious phenomena? How would I know why that awful place inexplicably led tourists down the giant slide, or why a wall that was supposed to block people from passing would inexplicably collapse? I'm just someone who got dragged here to clean up the mess. If I knew what was going on, I wouldn't be sitting here. But if you really want me to say, fine, I guess it's because it's "full."

[Interviewer: Is it full?]

Smith: Yes, it's full. Do you know how many people are trapped down there? I've been in there three times. The third time, I entered the "veins," I passed through that area and reached the large space, and then I saw countless pieces of clothing piled on the ground.

[Interviewer: Clothes? You mean you only saw the clothes and not the person?]

Smith: Yes, there were clothes everywhere—men's, women's, children's, all kinds of clothes, like casual wear from tourists. They were piled up all over the cave. I'm sure no one but me had been in there. I could tell from the marks in the veins that no one had climbed that cave before me for many years, but now it was full of clothes, and all the people wearing them were gone. I don't know where they went, but I have a feeling they haven't completely disappeared. They're still in that cave; I just can't see them.

[Interviewer: So, you believe the hole was already full of people and couldn't hold any more, which is why the accident happened?]

Smith: That's the only explanation I can think of. That downpour wasn't normal; none of the weather forecast systems detected it, and it only covered this city, only the area where that damn cave is. Do you believe it's a coincidence? I certainly don't.

[Interviewer: Great. Next question: Which areas did you enter during the rescue operation? We need to know your actions.]

Smith: The entrance, the stone path, the plain, the large plaza—these are the only four places we searched for survivors. We brought out everyone who could still remember their name and identity. But in the end, we found that only the "explorers" and "tourists" could be saved. No, actually, basically only the "explorers" could be saved. Although I don't quite understand how there could be explorers inside, they were indeed trapped inside, the people we could rescue. In contrast, most of the tourists couldn't be brought out of the cave.

[Interviewer: How do you know those people are beyond saving?]

Smith: You can find the answer to this by reviewing our summarized rules and operation logs. Those people can't be taken out. Even if we managed to get them to the entrance, all we'd have left would be a set of clothes. They're already inside; they can't possibly get out again. Even if we rescued them, we'd only be rescuing a phantom.

[Interviewer: Why didn't you go inside the giant slide? You've gone inside and come back unscathed multiple times in previous rescue operations, why didn't you go in this time?]

Smith: ...The floodwaters had already submerged the cliff, and because the slide was a slope, the current was extremely rapid, making it too dangerous to go down. Moreover, the situation inside the cave had clearly changed. We had to follow the rules; rash action would only lead to unnecessary sacrifices.

[Interviewer: So you're saying you believe the people at the bottom of the giant slide are beyond saving, right?]

Smith: Even if there are still people alive inside, it's practically hopeless. Apart from the first two groups that left, no one else can climb up.

[Interviewer: Why?]

[Smith: I cut the safety rope on the big slide. It's impossible for someone without professional training to climb a 30-degree slope against that kind of water flow.]

[Interviewer: You cut the safety rope? Why? What benefit did you get from doing that?]

Smith: Because I saw something else climbing up that rope.

[Interviewer: Something else?]

Smith: ...

[Interviewer: Mr. Smith? I hope you can describe what you know in a detailed and intuitive way.]

Smith: ...You won't understand unless you see those things with your own eyes.

[Interviewer: Mr. Smith?]

Smith: I saw the survivors, clinging to the ropes, desperately trying to climb up. They were still alive; if they made it up, we could get them out of that hellhole. But those things were following them. They… wanted to get out too. They were chasing after those people. There were still many people in the plains and the main square who hadn't been rescued. If those things came up, maybe the others wouldn't be able to get out. I had to make a choice. I'm the captain; I can't let my good lads do this. This is something only I can do. So I cut the rope, preventing those things from getting up.

[Interviewer: So what exactly are those things?]

Smith: That's all I have to say. I've had enough of this. That place has nothing to do with us survivors anymore. What you're looking for in there is your business, but believe me, you won't find anything there except death and despair. Treating that place with arrogance and self-righteousness will not end well.

Interviewer: I don't think so, but at least this time you're willing to cooperate with us to complete a normal interview process, thank you.

Smith: Ha...

[Interviewer: So, finally, I have one more question. Besides the fire department rescue team, I remember there were some people with adventure experience who participated in that rescue operation. Do you know anything about them?]

Smith: You should ask the FBI about this, not someone you've locked up in a cell for six months.

[Interviewer: It's 5 months and 22 days, less than half a year, Mr. Smith]

Smith: Ha...

[End of Log]