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

Faced with this inexplicable anomaly, the two girls made a very simple choice: to slip away and investigate in another place.

Even though they've obtained several usable items from Gao Hai, the fact remains that the two girls are essentially powerless to resist. Therefore, given the anomalies already discovered, and without the assurance that they won't encounter danger during the investigation, it's best not to delve too deeply into areas where the problems are too obvious.

After all, the best time to explore will be when Gao Hai wakes up and can obtain various support through the connection between him and Jianzi.

pat-

The 20-sided golden die spun on the ground for a while before settling down, revealing the number [11].

Is it just one more number than the completely neutral [10]? Well, at least it's not a number below 10 that represents [misfortune]. As things stand, if we're careful, we should still be able to achieve results.

After putting away the dice, Hayasaka Ai, who had already reached the second human testing area, took out her ID card that she had picked up and swiped it to unlock the door before entering.

……

Meanwhile, somewhere in this dark and damp underground research institute, Gao Hai slowly opened his eyes.

"Well……"

This feeling... have I come back in?

I originally thought that if I entered a state of "feigned death", I wouldn't end up in this place, but this is quite unexpected.

Still feeling slightly dizzy, Gao Hai looked around and saw the iron bunk bed that had bound him, the corridor that was constantly receding, and the fully armed soldiers in protective suits pushing the iron bunk bed forward behind him.

Wait a minute... something's not right here.

Gao Hai, who was still somewhat confused, suddenly opened his eyes wide and realized the problem.

Confined to Alice's Hut, isolated from other spaces, and rendered in a state of suspended animation by the power of the object of obsession, could he be considered "dead" in the eyes of Bydos?

If you are considered to be "dead", based on your experience from the first playthrough, will you be executed next?

Isn't the judgment mechanism of this thing a little bit unintelligent?

crunch - crunch -

Before Gao Hai could realize something was wrong and begin to struggle, the iron bunk bed gradually slowed down and stopped in the dark corridor.

What's the situation?

Gao Hai tried to observe the monster soldiers behind him, hoping to confirm if they had undergone some kind of change, but he couldn't discern anything special. Then he tried to observe his surroundings again, and this time he saw an unusual man dressed in white, a typical researcher's uniform from movies, rapidly approaching with two monster soldiers.

Chapter 83: Smashing things is always faster than repairing them

"Uh...wu..."

They heard a muffled groan coming from behind, from another iron-framed bed being pushed along.

That voice... yes, it's Chika's voice.

We haven't heard from the third or fourth person yet, so we don't know what's going on with Xiongmi and Goto Ichiri. Given their abilities, maybe they can find a way to escape? However, considering the nature of this place, it's hard to say. After all, no one successfully explored Baidos in the entire first playthrough. The only successful exploration in the second playthrough was based on the extreme situation where Yotsuya Miko, a girl with exceptional spiritual vision, happened to encounter Hayasaka Ai, who was killed on the side of Yoruyama Middle School.

Tsk, things are not looking good. We need to find a way to solve the current problem.

Gao Hai was 100% certain that if he couldn't come up with a way to escape, he would likely face the same tragic death he experienced in the first playthrough.

No, things might get even worse, since the situation here is clearly different from before. Gao Hai hadn't forgotten that on the rule list that Jianzi had seen, the person wearing a white researcher's uniform was a dangerous target that had to be killed immediately, and such a thing was now walking towards him.

step-step-

The distinct sound of footsteps continued to approach.

Despite possessing superhuman physical abilities, Gao Hai, lying on the iron bunk bed, was completely unable to break free from his restraints; he couldn't even move his body. Having entered Baidos in a state of suspended animation, Gao Hai was now just like in his first playthrough, utterly unable to control his body.

They're already here.

Gao Hai could clearly see the figure who stood out from the surrounding soldiers in black protective suits, wearing only a white researcher's uniform that looked like a white lab coat.

Judging from its appearance alone, this thing looks quite human, with a standard Caucasian face. Although it clearly suffers from a deathly pale complexion due to being underground for a long time without sunlight, it doesn't have the twisted features typically associated with the undead or ghostly. It still gives the impression of being a living person. However, given the current situation, this only makes it more unsettling.

[Identity confirmed. Test subject 2212. Decommissioned and undergoing disposal. Please do not interfere with the mission.]

A soldier completely encased in a black protective suit stepped forward and blocked the figure in the research suit.

No, this one is different, this one is completely different.

The person dressed as a researcher spoke, his words punctuated by a strange pause.

It seemed as if something was speaking along with the researcher.

Something that existed there, yet could not be easily seen, spoke at the same moment the researcher began to speak. Its voice was mixed in with the researcher's, and was noticeably lower, so much so that even though Gao Hai tried to discern its voice, he could not make out what it was saying.

No, why do I have to hear this thing's voice clearly? And why aren't these soldiers following the rules and attacking this thing that isn't wearing protective gear? Could it be that the special situation I'm facing is doubled?!

Realizing something, Gao Hai looked at the soldiers in full protective suits and quickly noticed some minor tears in their suits, barely noticeable without close inspection. This meant that both the strange creatures that were about to send him to the abandoned place and the strange creature blocking the iron bunk bed were extremely dangerous and uncontrollable entities according to the rules.

This is truly winning in every sense of the word.

{Gao Hai: Jianzi, little Jianzi, save him! He's about to die, save him quickly!}

With no other options to ask for help, Gao Hai had no choice but to seek assistance from a certain girl through a mental link.

{Yotsuya Miko: Huh? Senpai? Weren't you supposed to be dead? How could you get in here under these circumstances?! Wait, what's going on over there?!}

It was clear that Takami's sudden request for help in every sense startled Miko, but she quickly calmed down and, while relaying Takami's words to Hayasaka, hurriedly continued to ask Takami questions.

{Gao Hai: Same situation as the first playthrough, understand? I'm about to be dragged away and ground into mincemeat, and there's something really strange blocking our way. Can you do anything over there? We players who faked our deaths are all trapped on those metal bunk beds and can't move!}

{Yotsuya Miko: Um... um, senpai, are you sure about your exact location right now?}

There's no need for a detailed explanation; Miko herself knew perfectly well what happened to Takami in the first timeline. After all… she hadn't been behind Takami long before she was thrown into that meat grinder pipe. However, because Takami was ahead of her, he died before Miko was turned into mincemeat, so in a sense, the girl escaped a cruel ordeal. But it was precisely because of this that the experience of feeling the rotating blades grow larger and closer before her eyes before losing consciousness was unforgettable.

Despite this, Miko did not panic. While continuing to question Takami, she explained the situation to Hayasaka and instructed him to speed up his search for Takami in the corridor.

{Yotsuya Miko: There should be signs on the walls. Every corridor and every room here has clear signs. Senpai, hurry up and check where you are!}

{Gao Hai: It's probably in a corridor?}

{Yitani Miko:? ? ? }

{Chika Fujiwara: Hmm, Zone 3... Checkpoint B. We're at Checkpoint B in Zone 3. My location is at a corner of a corridor; there are markers on the wall.}

The answer that came at the crucial moment was provided by Fujiwara Chika, who was tied to an iron bunk bed behind Takami, but unfortunately, this answer did not bring hope.

Senior... in Zone 3?

Miko, who had originally intended to try to find Takami, paused for a moment.

They were currently in Zone 1. Zone 2 required descending via an elevator in the northern part of Zone 1, while Zone 3 was located deeper within Zone 2. During their previous investigation, Hayasaka and Miko had attempted to use the elevator, but it required a higher-level identification card and was heavily guarded. Hayasaka had only lingered there briefly before attracting the attention of those things, clearly triggering some hidden rule.

The situation with my senior is extremely urgent, but it's very difficult for me to get there in time. So... what should I do...?

{Pull the power switch and release all the test subjects.}

At the moment when Miko couldn't come up with a solution, Hayasaka decisively spoke up in the mental link and took swift and decisive action.

{Hey, wouldn't doing that just result in our Zone 1 being placed under martial law and locked down? The circuits for different areas seem to be separate, and our senior is still in the furthest Zone 3. Will doing this really affect him?}

Yotsuya Miko was taken aback by Hayasaka's idea; she felt it was somewhat impractical.

{This is a research institute studying extremely dangerous things, a place where people die every day, and everyone lives in constant fear. If a serious accident were to occur in one of the research areas, the other areas would inevitably be placed under lockdown. At least until it's confirmed that the danger from the area where the accident occurred won't spread, the other areas should take a cautious approach. So, if we want to save our master, this is the only way.}

crunch--

During their conversation, Hayasaka pushed open the old door of a power distribution room and stepped inside amidst a sound that seemed to be the scream of something.

Locating the circuit boards and various electrical fixtures wasn't particularly difficult, as these things were simply laid out openly inside the house, with absolutely no intention of concealing them. The original designers probably never imagined that someone would deliberately come here to vandalize them.

Da da da da da——

Guns spat fire, destroying the power facilities one by one and severing power lines on the spot.

From entering the room to identifying the target to opening fire, Hayasaka took less than two seconds in total. Destroying the entire electrical room and most of the wiring was also easily accomplished in just a few seconds. The two guns in the girl's hands seemed to have no recoil whatsoever; her precise bursts destroyed everything in the room.

Wait a minute, our senior told us to throw something into the electrical room before we leave.

Then, just as Hayasaka was preparing to leave for another power distribution room, Miko signaled her to pause, indicating that she would temporarily take over the body. Takami then used his ability to share obsessions to transfer two Twilight-level scalpel obsessions over, which Miko threw into the power distribution room. He then escaped before the two obsessions could go out of control and summon monsters.

Buzz-buzz-

An alarm sounded in the now completely dark corridor.

The two scalpels left in the power distribution room also began to bleed continuously at this moment, starting to have an increasingly obvious impact on the surrounding environment.

In the darkness, something seemed to be changing.

As the light faded, this already desolate place seemed to become even more like a haunted den.

However, neither Hayasaka nor Miko had time to pay attention to such details. The only issue the two girls were concerned about now was how to quickly disrupt everything and alleviate the crisis on Takami's side.

Chapter 84: Contaminated Blood, Strange Forms, Disordered Words

Buzz-buzz-

The piercing alarm bells had begun to blare throughout the gloomy, damp base.

The lights were flickering slightly.

The air seemed to have become more humid than before.

A change is spreading throughout this underground base. Even though nothing seems out of the ordinary, Gao Hai can sense that this place is starting to change.

He looked around and saw that the soldiers standing around him had briefly and noticeably stiffened. It seemed that with the change in the surroundings, these creatures had triggered some kind of rule, showing signs of preparing to take action. But before they could actually act, it seemed that another rule was interfering with them, causing them to fall into a contradictory state for a short time, rendering them unable to move.

Is it because of something that Miko did?

At this moment, Gao Hai had not yet received a reply from Jianzi, so he did not know what actions the two girls had taken to help him out of the predicament. In order to prevent them from being disturbed at the critical moment and making mistakes due to distraction, Gao Hai did not dare to ask about their situation. Therefore, he simply observed the surrounding situation as much as possible, trying to confirm the movements of these strange creatures and trying to find something that could be used.

Tsk... I still can't move. If I can't regain my mobility, this passive situation won't be resolved. What should I do? What's the best course of action in this situation?

【Ah, the alarm's going off! Level 2 alert! Has something happened in Zone 1?】

The person in the white coat turned to look at the source of the alarm, making indistinct sounds. Then, step by step, it walked away, as if it had suddenly lost interest in Gao Hai, leaving without looking back.

In the dim light, Gao Hai seemed to see something else attached to that person's body, something wriggling, twisted and deformed.

Although it was somewhat indistinct, the thing appeared to have faint, blood-red skin and a limb structure somewhat similar to that of a human. To draw an analogy, one might describe it as a withered, skinned person. This person was lying on top of the researcher in the white lab coat, and every time the researcher spoke, the thing would speak along with him.

What is it saying?