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

He was hit on the head and body by rocks falling from a height of tens of meters.

There were also the times he choked on water during the fight and the bruises from hitting the wall.

I won't go into details about climbing the cliff and the giant slide afterward, but even with Gao Hai's near-superhuman physical abilities, he was exhausted after all that.

It seems that a flaw in the rescue team badge has been discovered. While it greatly enhances the user's physical abilities and grants them considerable self-healing capabilities, it cannot compensate for losses already incurred before using the badge.

As Gao Hai pondered, he took out the last energy bar from his pocket and began to consider his next move.

Regardless of what Lixer's intentions are, Gao Hai is ready to try the normal end walkthrough he has guessed.

Releasing obsessions and destroying the instance sounds cool, but it's not something that can be done casually. With a limited number of rollbacks, Gao Hai still prefers to try to clear the instance using conventional methods. He's even already decided which "good friend" he should ask to help him clear it.

Those were the two players who participated in the dungeon as rescuers and forgot their names during their first playthrough.

Having lost their names, the two had virtually no hope of clearing the level. Given this, although it was inhumane, Gao Hai still considered using them. However, lacking the strength to move, he could only rest there for a while.

One hour.

Gao Hai secretly set aside time for rest in his mind.

I can only rest in this guard post for a maximum of one hour. After that, I will have to go out and find the players I met in my first playthrough.

In addition, he also needs to collect enough security guard uniforms, at least enough for himself, Maki, Kaguya, and Chika to each have a set, and ideally, he should also keep twice as many extra uniforms as a precaution.

However, Fujiwara Chika might not be able to recover quickly enough for the upcoming operation. If not, it would be best to let her stay in the guard post and rest for a while longer.

As Gao Hai was thinking this, he suddenly felt the shoulder leaning against him become heavier.

He turned his head and saw Qianhua's head fall down into his arms.

The girl seemed even more exhausted than he had anticipated. She hadn't reacted much during Gao Hai's conversation with Lixer, likely battling drowsiness. Now that the two had left, she probably realized from Gao Hai's expression that there was no need for vigilance anymore, and thus, relieved, she fell into a deep sleep, collapsing into his arms like a small animal.

This girl must have trusted herself too much, sleeping in the arms of a guy she'd only known for a day. Is she really that brave in the character's mind?

"..."

After a brief silence, Gao Hai reached out and gently stroked Qianhua's head.

Go to sleep while you still can.

Before we clear this dungeon, there won't be much more time to rest like this.

Thinking this, Gao Hai turned to look out the window at the churning mud and water in the cave, and closed his eyes to rest in silence.

Chapter 48: The Moment to Prepare for the Escape Plan

Dream.

Perhaps I was dreaming?

Gao Hai felt as if he were trapped in darkness, stuck firmly in the cold rock wall.

It was as if he had never left that cave, never truly escaped that crowded and narrow world, just as if everything that happened afterward was merely a dream.

tick-

A sound of water dripping rang out in front of him.

There is no way to move it.

It was almost impossible for him to breathe.

The dizziness surged up more and more intensely.

His body remained motionless, stuck in the dark abyss.

tick-

Water droplets fell onto my cheek.

Icy.

Thick and sticky.

It had a slightly fishy smell.

Is it... a water droplet?

Gao Hai suddenly realized something.

tick-

The second drop of water fell.

He had already raised his head and was looking up into the narrow cave.

tick-

Dark red liquid dripped onto his face.

Amidst the foul stench, suppressed sobs rose from above.

It was only at this moment that Gao Hai realized he was stuck in a vertical cave, unable to move forward or backward.

And above him is...

……

"Uh……"

Gao Hai opened his eyes.

I can feel a slight pain in my body.

Did you just want to rest for a bit, but you actually fell asleep?

Was I just too tired?

Even after waking up, Gao Hai still felt a little dizzy, as if he was slightly oxygen-deprived, and the things around him seemed a little blurry.

He reached out and covered his head, gently massaging his temples.

After about a minute or two, the dizziness in his head subsided a little, and only then could Gao Hai see the surging water outside, which was still lying on top of him, and he reached out to hug Fujiwara Chika, who was sleeping soundly.

"Hehehe... Pace..."

She even rubbed against his chest a few times, looking like a little fool.

Taking out his waterproof phone from his pocket and checking the time, Gao Hai confirmed that he had slept for seven hours. His original plan to rest for a while was now completely ruined. However, the power of his blessing didn't detect anything unusual; it seemed that Susan and Lixer hadn't returned to the guard post.

"Get up, don't sleep anymore."

Gao Hai reached out and patted Chika's face several times. The girl's face was a little chubby, and he had to admit that it felt pretty good to pat. It reminded him a bit of Maki's... uh, Maki's breasts?

I feel that this analogy is a little hurtful.

"Ugh... Is it already morning? Hey, hey, Gao-kun?"

Fujiwara Chika's processing speed was quite fast. From opening her eyes to looking dazed to fully waking up, it only took about five or six seconds. Then, the girl's body suddenly stiffened, and she slowly lowered her head, realizing that she had unknowingly fallen completely onto Takami, even wrapping her arms around his neck, and had just used Takami as her bed to have a good sleep.

"Honestly, if I weren't physically strong enough, I probably would have been completely exhausted by now."

Takahashi looked at Fujiwara Chika and said with a very serious expression.

"Yeah, sorry!"

Fujiwara Chika, who was apologizing, quickly climbed off Takami, and then collapsed to the ground because she was still a little weak from just waking up.

Gao Hai sat up, stretched his body which was a little numb after being pinned down for several hours, then stood up and bent down to pull Qianhua up from the ground.

"Stop making such a fuss. Tsk, sleeping on the ground for too long really does make my back ache. Let's go, it's about time to get back to work."

As Gao Hai spoke, he sent a communication to the other side through his connection with Zhenfei.

{Hello, are you there?}

The opening remarks were very simple and blunt, mainly because Gao Hai didn't have the mind to think about how to greet people at the moment.

{I'm here, Haijun. Where are you now? How's the situation? Auntie and I are in the command room. After Auntie was removed from her explorer role, C1 was replaced today by another new explorer played by a mysterious character. There are still three of them. I guess there are only three explorer slots in total, originally all played by mysterious characters. Once a player puts on the explorer's uniform, they directly take their place. As for what will happen if a fourth person appears, I'm not sure.}

Maki's message arrived almost immediately, a long message clearly indicating that the girl had been waiting for his reply, which made Takahashi feel somewhat ashamed. This feeling of shame was especially strong after thinking about how he had slept with another beautiful girl yesterday (although nothing had happened).

{I've reached the [Plains] area where the rescue team is located. I rested for the night in a guard post in this world. It seems that as long as I'm not in a world where I'm a [Security] officer, the guard post can be used as a safe zone. However, I suspect this safe zone is only temporary. I'm fine, and Fujiwara, who was with me, is fine too. How are you and Kaguya? Don't push yourself too hard. I've already figured out a way to leave this instance. Hang in there!}

After quickly explaining his situation to Maki, Gao Hai checked that his adventure suit was still in good condition and had Chika check it again before opening the guard post door and stepping into the water outside.

The clothes floated and sank in the water.

To meet the conditions for escaping the Red Nut Gray Hole instance, at least five security uniforms are needed. Four of these should be worn by Takami, Maki, Kaguya, and Chika to ensure safe movement within the caves in the security timeline. Additionally, one explorer's uniform is required, which Chika must wear to travel to the world where the research base is located, along with three security uniforms, to ensure Kaguya and the others are transferred to the security-side world.

Then, I will put on a security guard uniform and go to the cave in that timeline.

As for the two people who were originally supposed to be sacrificed, after rethinking it, Gao Hai realized that he didn't need to do that. He could have achieved the goal of everyone escaping without sacrificing anyone.

As for the method, it's very simple.

Put on the rescue team badge.

A rescue team with indistinct features appeared beside Gao Hai.

Through the power of the badge, Gao Hai had already given orders to the rescue team members he had summoned.

[Later, you and I will put on a security guard uniform together. Then, you will tell me, Maki, Kaguya, and Chika, "I'm here to cover your shift," and stay in the guard booth as a guard. Then, when we arrive at the cave entrance and are about to leave, you will shout three times in the guard booth, "I am human! I am human! Come and get me!" That way, we can be rescued, and you will have completed your rescue mission as a member of the rescue team.]

Gao Hai then sensed a strong will from this rescue team member. It was clear that the other party was ready to carry out this tragic rescue mission, and there was even a hint of impatience in it.

Gao Hai felt a little sorry for the other party's reaction. Although he knew that as a derivative of the obsession, the other party would never truly die or disappear as long as the rescue team badge in his hand was still there, this way of using it was indeed a bit unfair.

Speaking of which, now that Shirakawa Apartment has been liberated and Xusheng and the rescue team have been laid to rest, who was this rescue team member again?

Remembering this issue that he hadn't paid attention to before, Gao Hai couldn't help but take a closer look at the rescue team member.

He was wearing a very ordinary rescue team uniform, but it was soaked through, and his face was blurred, as if he had lost himself and therefore no longer had a face. However, this height, this build, let me think... doesn't it look a bit like Lao Guo?

Gao Hai paused for a moment, then looked the rescue team member over more carefully.

There's no mistake, this guy is definitely Lao Guo.

It was Old Guo, the one who had been given a badge and completely transformed by some strange power.

So that's how it is. Since the rescue team has already passed away, the lingering force of this badge is actually left behind by the guy I killed? No, that's not right. This rescue team member is no longer Lao Guo. His memories and emotions as a human have disappeared. Now, only his duty as a rescue team member and his disciplined style of obeying orders remain. And his obsession... is to carry out my orders as the "rescue team leader".

This astonishing discovery left Gao Hai deeply impressed, marveling at how Xu Sheng, even in death, had managed to arrange everything so meticulously. His admiration for Xu Sheng rose even higher. And—

They immediately felt no guilt about using this rescue team member as cannon fodder to commit suicide.