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

In the dark bedroom, on two of the four beds lay researchers, played by a strange figure, both motionless as if they were corpses. No, they were corpses to begin with; this was a return to their original state.

Shijo Maki was still thinking about the interview transcript she had recently read, which she had brought out from the archives.

Howard Smith.

This man appears to be a firefighter who, for quite some time after the anomalies in the Red Nut Grotto, was responsible for dealing with and covering up the problems within, and rescuing those trapped inside. It seems he organized the rescue efforts during the flood that inundated the Red Nut Grotto, and was apprehended by officials after everything had calmed down.

With the information provided by Gao Hai, Zhen Fei has basically figured out what happened in this instance and understands the basic timeline of everything.

However, some details remain unanswered, and the research base itself is shrouded in mystery. For example… what exactly is this "god" that the base seeks? Do gods truly exist in the world of ghost stories? If so, would a god allow ghost stories to wreak havoc on humanity?

Many mysteries swirled in her mind, but she couldn't find anyone to share her answers with. It was already lights out, and Kaguya was lying on another bed. Unlike with Takami, she didn't have in-game voice chat with Kaguya, so Maki could only remain silent and continue lying in bed.

Haijun is still not accepting communication, so he is probably still in a very dangerous situation. He had previously said that he was going to pass through the [Vessel], which is likely one of the most dangerous areas in the Red Nut Gray Hole. Perhaps he is still trapped there.

Please make sure nothing happens...

The deeply uneasy Princess Zhen prayed silently in her heart.

At the same time, Gao Hai slowly collapsed, falling onto... Fujiwara Chika's chest.

"Hey, hey, hey?"

Fujiwara Chika, who was also feeling weak, widened her eyes and her face immediately flushed. However, after hesitating for a moment, she did not remind Takami of the current situation, but let him lie on her chest.

Although Chika didn't say anything, Gao Hai quickly realized what he was doing, struggled to sit up, and then collapsed next to Chika.

The two are now lying in the only guard post in the Red Nut Gray Hole where the rescue team was located during the flood, a post that was neither flooded nor dripping water.

It seems that because the various rule areas are intertwined, this place can be used as a temporary safe zone as long as you don't enter the guard post wearing a security uniform. You can rest here or temporarily take off clothing related to your identity. However, the premise is not to open the door; if you're not dressed correctly when you open the door, there will most likely be problems.

Susan and Lixer sat on the other side of the guard post. Susan looked to be in bad shape as well. Although Gao Hai had blocked most of the torrent, her physical strength was still below human level. She had exhausted herself under the violent rush of the waterfall before she could barely climb up the big slide.

During the journey, the safety rope swayed three times. The first two times, although there were eerie illusions and the feeling that the rope was breaking, the rope would reappear and return to its original state after the illusion ended. However, after the third illusion ended, Gao Hai found that the rope had simply disappeared. He had to move with difficulty using a large iron nail to cross the last few dozen meters of the slide to the plain.

As for Susan behind, she couldn't move forward at all after the rope disappeared. She could only cling to the rock wall and lie motionless in place.

If Lixer hadn't appeared in time and dropped the rope, Gao Hai and Chika would certainly have reached the plain safely, but Susan would likely have died on the spot. After all, in that state, Gao Hai was too preoccupied to look back and check on Susan's condition.

"Huh...huh..."

Gao Hai quickly calmed his breathing and recovered his depleted strength.

He had roughly figured out and confirmed the regional coordination between the explorers and the rescue team, and had roughly drawn a map of the area where he was located.

If the area where the fire station was located hadn't become a closed loop, the explorers who had barely escaped might actually have been able to escape through this process. Gao Hai suspected that Wilbo's original intention was the same, but unlike the illusory being who could still maintain his own existence, Wilbo had now been completely assimilated by the Red Nut Gray Hole, becoming a bizarre being.

Speaking of which, rescue team firefighters are not allowed to enter the inside of the giant slide. In the last playthrough, a veteran player even went in and died, but when playing as an explorer, they came up from the giant slide. This contrast is quite strange.

"Phew... So, did you find anything here?"

While Fujiwara Chika was still exhausted, Gao Hai had almost caught his breath and then looked at Lixer and Susan, asking them seriously.

These two people are not simple.

He and Fujiwara Chika finally arrived at this place after overcoming numerous hardships, while Ricker and Susan were ahead of them. Ricker even had the energy to explore and investigate the surrounding area, which made Gao Hai very concerned and wary. Originally, Gao Hai thought Susan, who seemed to have some knowledge of the dungeon, was worth paying attention to, but now he began to feel that Ricker was more mysterious and more worthy of vigilance.

"I don't know if it counts as a discovery, I just feel... this place looks familiar. Even though it's a mess now, this cave feels very familiar to me."

After hesitating for a moment, Susan first exchanged a glance with Lixer, and after seeing him nod, she turned to look at Gao Hai and Qian Hua, and then slowly began to speak.

"Familiar? You mean..."

Although he already roughly knew what the other person was going to say, Gao Hai still pretended to listen attentively and asked questions in response.

"Yes, I mean... I should have been here before, before I was chosen to be a player."

After a brief hesitation, Susan finally nodded firmly and spoke earnestly.

"Although I can't remember the specifics, I feel very familiar with every area here, at least the cave area."

“I’ve definitely been here more than once, and the fire station too. I can’t remember the specific reason, but I’ve definitely been here.”

"How should I put it? These memories... seem to have been forgotten by me, but after I returned here, they started to resurface, and I'm slowly starting to remember them again. I remember returning here, I, I came back to, uh, I think... to participate in some kind of operation, to... save people? It seems so... I probably need some more time; those things can only be remembered slowly, little by little."

It seemed that Susan herself wasn't entirely sure about the state of her memories; the confusion on her face didn't seem fake, and her words were tinged with obvious hesitation. Even so, the content was enough to give Gao Hai much to ponder.

Will she be the one who takes her final bow?

Gao Hai couldn't help but ponder.

One side of the clothes was gently tugged at that moment.

Takahashi turned his head and saw a somewhat frightened and scared expression on Fujiwara Chika's face.

She didn't speak, but gestured to Gao Hai with her eyes, indicating that he should look to his side. So Gao Hai turned his head and looked in the direction the girl was pointing, and found that she was referring to the location of the guard post's window.

At this moment, outside the window of the guard post is a dark rock cave. There is no flood, no floating clothes, and no firefighters or rescue teams moving around.

A man dressed in casual clothes was standing outside the window, reaching out and knocking on the glass. Gao Hai hadn't heard any knocking until he saw the man, but as soon as he spotted him, he immediately heard the clear sound of the man knocking on the window.

dong dong dong -- dong dong dong --

And along with the sound of the knocking came the words that came out of the man's mouth, words filled with anxiety and fear.

Please help us! Please, please come and help us!

[A friend of ours is stuck in a blood vessel below! He can't move or get out! Please, please come and help us quickly!]

Chapter 47: A Moment of Respite Amidst the Muddy Current

dong dong dong -- dong dong dong --

Amidst the dull thumping, the person stood outside the window, repeatedly calling for help.

Please, I'm begging you to help me!

[Someone really has something stuck in their blood vessel; they'll die if nothing is done.]

Please, please help us!

A sincere voice kept ringing out from outside the window, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

But the four people inside remained silent, sitting there unmoved, not even glancing at the person seeking help.

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat oppressive. Susan, unaccustomed to this kind of atmosphere as a newcomer, curled up. Fujiwara Chika leaned against Takami, then hesitated for a moment before sitting down next to him, their shoulders pressed close together. Perhaps only in this way could she feel a sense of security and remain calm in the current strange situation.

Gao Hai didn't react to this; he didn't mind the pink-haired girl showing a more intimate and dependent attitude towards him at this moment.

That being said, I feel like the way this girl looks at me is gradually changing. What's going on?

Gao Hai looked at the pink-haired girl sitting silently beside him, her hands wrapped around her knees. He felt that there was a subtle difference in how she spoke to him and how she acted when they were together.

Hmm, I can't quite put my finger on what the difference is... It seems to remind me a bit of how I met Princess Zhenfei. Hmm, why did I suddenly think of Princess Zhenfei?

Lost in thought, the knocking outside the window gradually subsided.

As the people inside remained indifferent, the figure knocking on the door gradually faded into the distance and soon disappeared without a trace. The view outside the window changed from an empty, dark cave to a flooded area, with clothes billowing and swirling in the water.

After Gao Hai confirmed that the thing was completely gone through the power of the blessing, he breathed a sigh of relief, and his tense body gradually relaxed.

"That thing probably won't be coming back anytime soon."

Lixer, sitting by the door, glanced out the window and then spoke in a low voice.

"So, what are your plans now, and what are your ideas for the next steps?"

Gao Hai looked at Lixer and Susan and asked.

"I'll just have to take it one step at a time. There's no way to leave this area. I plan to try on other clothes later and see how I can find a way to survive."

Lixer answered Gao Hai casually, his tone sounding very relaxed.

"That sounds rather casual."

Gao Hai raised an eyebrow.

"There's no other way. If I could, I wouldn't really want to move, but given the current situation, I have no other choice."

Like a traditional American, Lixer shrugged and whistled to express his helplessness. In Gao Hai's opinion, the man had a more indifferent and nonchalant attitude. He seemed to have no fear or apprehension about this strange world, as if he was not worried about not being able to leave the instance alive, or that he did not care whether he could leave alive or not.

This idea puzzled Gao Hai. Considering the man's earlier act of handing over important weapons and items to the new player Susan, he couldn't help but wonder if Lixer had already obtained some hidden clues and knew another way to pass the level.

After all, he's already been to the world where the security guard is, so theoretically he could know how to escape. If that's the case, could he already be secretly planning to use me and Chika as pawns?

But if that's the case, his malice shouldn't be hidden, since I'm blessed. But all I can sense right now is goodwill, so this explanation doesn't make sense.

"Looks like you have great stamina."

Gao Hai, who hadn't yet come to any conclusion, simply said this casually, and Lixer just smiled slightly and didn't say anything more.

At this moment, Maki should still be sleeping and resting, so Gao Hai did not communicate with her, keeping his communication silent. As for Gao Hai himself, although he did not want to stop, he had to admit that he had expended a lot of energy on the journey, and his current condition was not good. He probably needed to rest for a while.

As for Chika, she was already exhausted in the large slide area, and now she could barely stand up, so she was even less fit to continue.

You need to rest for a while.

Having clearly realized this, Gao Hai, after confirming that the post could be used as a safe zone in the rescue team's world, decided to stay here for a while to recover his strength before continuing his mission.

However, neither Susan nor Lixer could put his mind at ease. If these two stayed in the guard post, Gao Hai would definitely not be able to get a proper rest.

"It looks like you need to rest for a while."

Lixer had clearly noticed the situation on Gao Hai's side as well, and looked at him and Qianhua, speaking casually.

“In that case, Susan and I will leave here temporarily and return in five hours.”

Then, the man stood up decisively and spoke in a light tone.

Is he going to leave immediately?

Gao Hai was a little confused about what this man meant.

"Mr. Lixer?"

Susan looked at Lixer with some surprise, not understanding his reason for doing so.

“I know about other safe zones besides this one. As players, finding safe zones to rest in dungeons is a very important basic skill. Alright, whatever it is, let’s talk about it after we’ve both recovered. In a game like this, where it’s all about sacrifice, players often can’t truly trust each other. I understand that, so we’ll be leaving for now. I hope to see you both again soon.”

With these words, Lixer, accompanied by a somewhat puzzled Susan, left the guard post.

From beginning to end, the other party only showed goodwill. Gao Hai, who could tell this from the blessing, became even more puzzled. He carefully checked the situation around the guard post and found that the guy had really left without leaving any backup plan. He was even more confused.

Regardless of what the other party is planning, he needs to rest now, which is a real and urgent need.

Fight to the death with a bizarre player in the muddy water.