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

Hayasaka, who had been released by Takahashi, fell to the ground silently.

He looked down and saw the girl's pupils, which were almost unfocused. During the escape, although Takami had been carefully protecting Hayasaka, the intense mental pollution from being close to the core obsession had completely shattered her personality, turning the girl into a demented state where she could no longer think.

Therefore, the person who gave him directions just now could not have been Hayasaka.

Crouching down, Gao Hai showed no surprise as he looked at Hayasaka; having anticipated this, he simply pressed the pistol against Hayasaka's head and spoke in a cold voice:

"Anything to say?"

To an outsider, this action might seem somewhat comical, since he was pointing a gun at a piece of flesh that had lost all ability to think. But Gao Hai's expression was very serious, his finger already on the trigger, ready to fire directly.

"It's too late to play dead now. I knew something was wrong the moment she led me to the storage room. Tell me your identity."

Gao Hai's voice already carried a hint of warning.

"..."

The silence lasted for several seconds.

A small hand reached out from behind Hayasaka and gently grasped Takami's hand that was holding the gun.

Even though Hayasaka herself was still lying on the ground, with absolutely no space beneath her to accommodate a hand, this thing appeared in Takami's sight in a way that defied common sense. And immediately afterward, he heard a voice resound directly in his mind.

【I am not your enemy, Mr. Gao. I was just using this girl to help you find a way to survive. Your act of trespassing into this space was far too reckless. As the "teacher" most hated by Ms. Beehive, you are in great danger in this space. This place is close to the very bottom of her materialized consciousness, and it is no longer a place that players can easily delve into.】

It sounded like a very pleasant female voice. Although the content of her words was serious, her tone had a touch of allure.

Of course, using this little girl as a medium is indeed very impolite, please forgive me. But just as you need my help, I also need yours. Let's work together to get through this difficult time, shall we? I am an advance explorer from the "Red Knot Society." I have been trapped here for a very, very long time, so long that I have almost forgotten what I look like. If you hadn't entered this place, I think I would have been waiting for death in despair.

The woman's voice became somewhat helpless and aggrieved as she spoke.

While expressionlessly giving Hayasaka the surging blood to drink, restoring the girl's shattered cognition to normal, Takahashi casually replied, "It depends on your performance."

"It's a pleasure to cooperate then, Mr. Gao."

The voice carried a pleasant and surprised tone, and sounded quite sincere.

It seems that Hayate Elementary School has not completely eliminated the influence of Takamagahara. The closer one gets to the deeper areas, the less Chiyo Hachiya can deny the existence of Takamagahara. That's why those guys were able to use Hayasaka after they entered this level.

It seems they don't want me to die here. They probably intend to use me to influence the real world and find a way back, just like Kita Ikuyo from Yoruyama Middle School.

Having previously guessed what was wrong with Hayasaka and used dice to verify his suspicions, Takami was naturally not surprised at all by what had happened to Hayasaka. It was that thing remotely influencing Hayasaka; that deliberately affected, seductive voice was truly nauseating.

"Well...I..."

Hayasaka Ai regained consciousness under the influence of the object of her obsession, her eyes widened and she sat up abruptly. Turning her head, she saw Takami waving at her.

At the same time, the police officers in the underground base finally arrived at a door that was not welded shut and pushed open the door of what appeared to be a lounge.

Chapter 52: The Room Filled with Sludge and Gao Hai's Reflections

hum-

A dull tinnitus kept ringing in my ears.

Various sounds kept ringing in his mind, constantly being transmitted to Gao Hai's perception through their shared senses.

Behind the opened door, a torrent of black mud gushed out, instantly engulfing the unsuspecting police officers.

Some of the mud appeared to be human-shaped, and they pounced on the police officers, revealing ferocious expressions and letting out mournful roars, as if trying to express something.

But Gao Hai, who was experiencing all of this through empathy, could only hear piercing sounds. He couldn't tell if they were crying for help, screaming, or trying to say something; he could only hear a rumbling vibration that sounded like tinnitus. The sounds those things made were completely beyond human comprehension, and the expressions on their faces were unreadable. All that came over Gao Hai was a strong sense of discomfort that made him feel dizzy and nauseous.

There are no lingering memories or emotions.

Gao Hai's senses were unable to obtain any feedback from these things.

Those black, muddy things that were once human beings have been completely destroyed, destroyed to the point that they could not leave even a single last word.

Plop... Plop...

The howling mud had melted away, completely losing its form.

The police officers, struggling to their feet from the mud, began moving deeper into the room.

One step, two steps.

The footprints led deeper into the dark, muddy room.

The marks on the walls and floor, resembling knife cuts, became even clearer.

Tables and chairs were all overturned on the ground, cups were smashed, and all kinds of paper documents were torn into pieces and thrown into the mud, stained with black grime and completely unrecognizable.

It was as if someone had unleashed their fury here, destroying everything in sight until there was nothing left to damage before finally leaving. The result was that the room was reduced to a complete ruin, devoid of anything Gao Hai could sense.

However, clues still exist.

With just a little observation, it's easy to determine that the person who caused the damage was no taller than 1.2 meters. After all, there are hardly any knife marks on the wall that are in relatively high places. If we combine this information with the evidence, we can be certain that the person who did it was Chiyo Hachiya.

Gao Hai could almost picture the little girl smiling as she walked into the room with a knife, hacking everyone inside to death and then destroying the entire room.

It seems this girl's hatred for the researchers was so deep-seated that she couldn't have acted this way. Furthermore, at the time she chose to do this, Chiyo Hachiya herself had probably already become a monster, or had begun the process of transforming from human to monster; otherwise, a malnourished elementary school girl's physical condition couldn't possibly have accomplished such an action.

Tsk, this is really something... First there was Hirano Gun Bro who bravely stormed the Crazy Idol Concert, killing thirty people and escaping unharmed, and then there was the Bee House Elementary School Student who wielded a knife and slashed through the research base, causing a tornado to destroy the researchers. What kind of hidden talents are these?

Regardless, this can be considered as obtaining some clues.

The life of the little girl named Chiyo Hachiya has been largely pieced together into a complete narrative. However, there are still some unclear aspects, such as how she acquired her extraordinary powers, how she formed a friendly relationship with the nearly completely corrupted Butcher, and various other questions, including how she summoned the Chomper.

And what is the reason that the regret left in the heart of this girl who ultimately destroyed everything, preventing her from finding peace even after completing her revenge and destroying everything?

Gao Hai recalled the words "Get out" he heard when he was kicked out of the orphanage during his hallucination.

I wasn't directly harmed at the time; I was simply driven out of that place by some force.

I hadn't paid much attention before, but now that I think about it, if I had been attacked by the power of a strange creature, he should have been killed instantly. But he wasn't injured; he was just thrown back. Could it be... that what attacked me wasn't a strange creature, but a living person?

No, no, no, that doesn't make sense. The core obsession should be the supernatural, right? The core of the ghost stories at Hayate Elementary School is built on Hachiya Chiyo, so she should be dead without a doubt. Moreover, I've seen and been killed by this core obsession more than once. I even managed to survive once by using the mechanisms of this ghost and other supernatural beings to fight against it. Therefore, Hachiya Chiyo has completely lost her humanity, leaving only the core obsession of the mechanism.

However, the Shirakawa Apartment has the case of Xusheng, a half-human, half-ghost, and the Red Nut Gray Hole has the mentally challenged research director, Folneng. Folneng can even appear in different forms, both human and ghost. This means that the ghost and the human cannot be seen as two distinct entities; they can transform into each other and coexist harmoniously. Therefore, Chiyo Hachiya, who has become a ghost, and Chiyo Hachiya who retains her personality and emotions, can coexist in the same instance.

In that case, perhaps… if he finds another opportunity to enter that orphanage, he can connect with the more humane Chiyo Hachiya and thus understand her obsession. No, that's not right. The fact that she still retains some humanity in that area of ​​the orphanage is enough to explain things; her lost family members must be her greatest obsession. But the question is, what exactly does she want? Does she want her family to return to the orphanage? Does she want to go back to the carefree life before everything started? Or is it simply to seek justice and have the injustice of that year redressed?

Although Gao Hai had some guesses in his mind, he didn't dare to draw any conclusions before the results were confirmed.

But how do I get back to that place?

I was able to get there before because during my fall from the inner space into the deeper space, my mental energy resonated with the strange power of the instance, allowing me to sense its existence and enter for a short while. And at that time, my state... well... it was probably similar to a mental journey; my mind only wandered around before being expelled. To truly find the orphanage, I'll probably have to find a way to delve deeper into this instance. But does this mean that the Hayatei Elementary School instance area has a fourth depth? Is there a place deeper than this school filled with black stains?

Gao Hai knew he would probably have to continue playing the jumping puzzle, but this time finding the map boundary would probably not be so easy. After all, based on his previous escape experience, the space inside the school was likely infinitely extended, and he would have to find a way out from other places.

Moreover, the problem of Takamagahara still needs to be solved.

As a veteran player who has been trapped in this instance for a long time, my condition is quite poor. If it weren't for a special blessing, I think I would have died here long ago, instead of being able to talk to you, Mr. Gao, like this. My body has been completely assimilated by this instance, so some of my behaviors might resemble those of a monster. But please rest assured, I am perfectly fine, and I won't be like those monsters who think they're still alive and try to take advantage of others' unpreparedness.

The woman's voice rang out from behind Hayasaka.

Despite turning his head to search many times, Hayasaka, whose body was stiff, could not find where the thing was.

Gao Hai couldn't see that thing either. He could only occasionally notice that there seemed to be another hand sticking to Hayasaka's body behind her arm, as if it were glued on with double-sided tape, and it would move with the movement of her arm.

That thing should be stuck to her back. If it were Miko, she should be able to see the whole thing clearly, but I can only notice the problem by observing from the side. Hmm, that's enough. Impersonating the Red Guild is quite an idea, but based on what I know, those scum from Takamagahara are probably trying to escape the instance world and return to reality. So this guy might try to lead me down the path of escaping the instance.

From what Miko overheard, we learn that Kita Ikuyo was secretly manipulated by the people of Takamagahara. Originally, they wanted Kita Ikuyo to leave the instance, but she chose to stay, becoming a half-human, half-monster. Now, Hayasaka is possessed by one of these guys—and it's a direct possession, which is probably only possible because she's just an ordinary person with weak mental strength. In short, this guy's purpose is clear.

Regarding how to escape the instance, or the triggering method for the so-called normal end, Gao Hai had never learned about it due to the unique nature of his own need to break through the core obsession. However, considering the current characteristics of this instance, he suspected that he might start with the school, which he hadn't investigated much before. Perhaps he could try to obtain an expulsion notice or something else. Of course, it was also possible to start with Chiyo Hachiya, for example, by obtaining the identities of the orphanage members, or by having multiple people impersonate each other, with some acting as researchers and others as students to carry out the escape. No matter which method it was, there should ultimately be clues to follow.

"Tell me what you know about this instance first. I really need information right now."

While thinking, Gao Hai's expression remained unchanged as he looked at the back of Hayasaka's head, who was fidgeting, and asked.

Of course, having been trapped here for so long, I've learned quite a bit. So, what do you want to know? However, there's some information I can't clearly convey to you. After all, while this place is barely considered a safe zone, speaking carelessly will still attract attention, as you're well aware, aren't you?

The voice rang out again, and after a moment's thought, Gao Hai quickly spoke.

"Yes, I know, so I only have one question: how do I get out of this place and return to the real world? That's all."

Chapter 53: The Moment of Advancement for Those with Hidden Intentions and Those Who Know the Truth

[How do you escape...? Are you planning to find a way out of this instance? I thought you were determined to break through the core obsession of this instance...]

The "player" possessing Hayasaka spoke with just the right amount of surprise, sounding as if he was quite puzzled.

Hmm, this reaction... it seems those scum from Takamagahara were very observant of me back in the Fujika Middle School instance. Luckily, according to Miko's observation, these guys can only see things through reflective objects like glass and mirrors, and fluids like water droplets can't be used as observation points. Otherwise, if a bunch of these humanoids really saw Miko taking a bath and Hayasaka changing clothes, it would be incredibly unpleasant.

“I do intend to do that, but to be honest, it wouldn’t be a problem if I were alone, but Hayasaka isn’t suited to stay here. After all, she’s just an ordinary person who accidentally wandered into this dungeon, and I wouldn’t have brought her into this dangerous place if I could find a way out. If you know a way out of this place, or any clues related to it, that would be great.”

Gao Hai's voice was completely calm and sounded very casual.

Okay, that is indeed a problem. I do know some clues. When I was exploring this instance before, I found a "Notice of Expulsion" in the principal's office. That notice required a teacher's signature and the principal's signature, followed by the student's name to be valid. Although I haven't found out whether any students were actually expelled and escaped, I think it is indeed a possible way out. Ahem, are you really going to crack the core obsession of the Red Moon-level instance all by yourself? Are you confident?

The thing quickly answered Gao Hai's question, and belatedly showed some shock and emotion.

“I naturally have my reasons for doing this. Hmm, a dismissal notice? That’s certainly a clue.”

Gao Hai nodded slightly, his expression remaining unchanged.

Okay, I wish you success. I'm glad you can help, since I need your help to get me out of this predicament.

The creature's voice in response to Gao Hai was still light and airy, even somewhat like a coquettish tone.

In terms of acting skills, this guy isn't particularly bad.

Unfortunately, with the help of the dice, Takami had already made a prediction and confirmed that Hayasaka had been possessed since arriving in the deep area. Therefore, no matter how Hayasaka acted, he could not fool Takami.

Furthermore, even if Gao Hai didn't have his obsession with the 20-sided die, he still wouldn't easily believe the other party was a player. Seriously, after being trapped in a Red Moon-level dungeon for an extended period, to still maintain normal thinking and communicate with people like this, and to conveniently be impersonating the player team that Gao Hai released in the Fujika Middle School dungeon—the team Toyama Akira had once been part of—this deliberate act, coupled with the events involving Takamagahara and Kita Ikuyo, was enough for Gao Hai to become suspicious and take action.

Now it seems that this thing's performance style was based on the communication process between Miss Xiongmi and me. It didn't realize that Miss Xiongmi's reaction was actually quite indifferent. If other players heard my behavior, they would have reacted more dramatically, and it would not have been able to brush it off in just a few words like this.

"So, that means we've established a cooperative relationship. What's your name? We need to address you, right?"

Gao Hai stood up and looked out the window of the power distribution room at the empty rooftop as he spoke.

Please call me Watanabe; I'll address you as Mr. Taka.

The possessed entity, which called itself "Watanabe," immediately provided an answer.

"Oh, as long as you don't call me Takanoki, it's fine. Hayasaka, are you alright? Does your injury still hurt?"

As he spoke, Gao Hai’s gaze returned to the power distribution room itself, while he continued talking as if he were just chatting idly.