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

After receiving the protective suit and oxygen cylinder, Gao Hai did not rush to put on the clothes. Instead, he continued to move around with them, fighting against the increasingly strong urge to look up.

He could sense that the thing on the ceiling wanted him to understand him.

Attention, thought, observation… all cognitive biases intensify Gao Hai's understanding of the thing on the ceiling. This unknown entity possesses a far stronger information-contaminating and invasive effect compared to those strange soldiers. Although it doesn't directly appear, its very existence compels the player to pay attention to it. Clearly, this must be one of the rules inherent in that thing.

This tactic might be useful against other players, but Gao Hai has already experienced this type of enemy before.

Close your eyes.

The brain begins to function.

The image of the four slender, fair legs of the True Princess, and the voluptuous figure of Chika, began to take shape in Gao Hai's mind.

Those were fair, slightly plump thighs; the feeling of pinching and kneading them was wonderful. If she wore white stockings, the feeling would be even better. While it might not be particularly noticeable on her front armor, it has to be said that Maki's legs are truly amazing. As for Chika, there's no need to describe the "cotton candy" sensation; the feeling is truly indescribable, only those who have experienced it truly understand. Moreover, Chika herself is very open-minded, accepting virtually any kind of play compared to the slightly reserved Maki, which is really nice. Oh, and of course, we can't forget the little maid Hayasaka; her service skills are truly amazing. Those little hands, that tongue—it's nothing short of pure power.

While he was thinking, Gao Hai completely ignored the strange creature on the ceiling. Although the distorted sounds still had a strong mental pollution effect, Gao Hai was never afraid of places that required willpower to resist, so he continued on his way smoothly.

Well, this can be considered Gao Hai's unique way of relieving stress and diverting attention. As long as he still has those bittersweet memories in his mind, his mental state can be maintained in a relatively healthy state.

While he was thinking, Gao Hai had already passed the location of the armory. The thing above his head seemed to be unable to trigger some kind of rule, and the sound began to gradually become quieter. The dripping of blood also began to slow down, no longer as frequent as it had been at the beginning.

{Yotsuya Miko: Senpai, we've arrived at a place that's almost a safe house. How's the situation on your end?}

The mental link was suddenly established at that moment, followed by the voice of the child entering the mind.

Gao Hai: I'm safe for now. I managed to escape, but everyone who came in with me is gone. I'm currently investigating in Zone 3. I found something here that might provide useful clues.

To be honest, Takami was somewhat surprised that Miko and Hayasaka had managed to investigate so far without incident. He had actually prepared for the two of them to die together, and had even considered how to comfort Miko, who had died tragically once again, at the start of the next playthrough. Yet these two newbies had actually been wandering around this haunted base without any problems, as if the terrifying monsters lurking there didn't exist at all.

Wait a minute, speaking of which, Hayasaka does seem to have a certain degree of immunity to those cognitively polluting monsters. Back in Hayate Elementary School, due to being turned into a dog for a long time, her mind seemed to have suffered some damage, and her cognitive abilities regarding those things had definitely declined. If that's the case… then with Miko's help, maybe Hayasaka really could withstand those things?

While he was thinking, Gao Hai had already arrived at the processing room.

The so-called "processing room" is actually a toilet and washroom. At this moment, the door is open, the inside is pitch black, and there is a strong smell of excrement and sour sweat. The two smells mixed together are quite pungent.

The thing on the ceiling had stopped and was no longer following Gao Hai. After confirming through the blessing of malicious perception that the thing had gone far away, Gao Hai began to put on his protective suit. It took him a little effort to put on the black, full-coverage protective suit and turn on his oxygen tank.

Unsurprisingly, the feeling of having established a connection with something did not cease because of the protective suit.

Gao Hai continued forward, but at that moment the mental link re-established contact.

{Fujiwara Chika: Ugh, my head is spinning. Umi, what's wrong with you? Why haven't you woken up yet? Goto-san and Kuma-chan are awake, only you and Miko-san are still asleep.}

Chika's communication?! Her mental link has been restored?

{Yotsuya Miko: Huh? Fujiwara-san… wait, are we in Alice's room right now? Don't you remember being locked in the bunk bed with your senpai?}

{Fujiwara Chika: Huh? Huh? Did something like that happen?!}

Seeing the surprised question from Jianzi and the bewildered reply from Chika herself, it was clear that Chika had completely forgotten her experiences in Baidos. Gao Hai wasn't surprised by this, as he had already deduced that players would lose their memories of exploring Baidos.

However, Qianhua's safety made Gao Hai realize something else.

{Gao Hai: Are our bodies inside Baidos... fake?}

Although it wasn't certain at the time, looking back now, Gao Hai did manage to escape from the bunk bed, but Fujiwara Chika behind him should have been killed by the monster.

Who knows, if he goes back to find that thing on the ceiling now, he might find Chika herself among the corpses it took away.

The situation was unavoidable; Gao Hai's escape at that time was largely due to luck. He genuinely couldn't have saved Fujiwara Chika as well. The problem is, if Fujiwara Chika in Baidos was indeed dead, what about Chika who has now awakened in Alice's cabin?

Gao Hai stopped in his tracks.

First, Nightfall Mountain Middle School and Baydos Research Institute are deeply connected. Something called the "Overseer" exists on both sides of Nightfall Mountain and Baydos, and the players who entered the instance this time played the role of the "Overseer".

When awake, players will conduct investigations and explorations at Nightfall Mountain Middle School. The only way to enter the Baydos Research Institute is to enter a dream, which involves losing consciousness in the Nightfall Mountain area. Only then can players wake up in Baydos. Upon waking, players will be unable to move freely and will forget all their memories of Baydos.

Then, players who are killed at Nightfall Mountain Middle School, or even those who appear to have died but are actually dead, will trigger a chain reaction in Baydos and be disposed of as some kind of "waste" by the monsters there, thus allowing players to experience the fun of dying in two different ways in one playthrough.

One more thing is certain: if a player in the Bydos region is killed, even by a mysterious entity with unknown rules, and is contaminated by the [Divine Blood], she can easily awaken in the Nightfall Mountain Middle School region after her death, forgetting all related memories. Of course, this is provided that a corresponding body of the player still exists at Nightfall Mountain Middle School.

It's so weird.

According to the rules, the players are actually in Baidos, while the players in Nightfall Mountain Middle School are more like being in a dream.

However, the case of Fujiwara Chika completely shattered this perception. Now it seems that the players' bodies in Baydos are completely unimportant; even if they are executed or destroyed, it has no impact on Nightfall Mountain.

The line between reality and imagination is not indistinguishable.

Gao Hai suddenly recalled the first game tip he received from Baidos.

{Gao Hai: Chika, you need to find a way to fall asleep, as quickly as possible, preferably right now.}

{Gao Hai: I need to confirm something. This is very important. Talk to Sister Xiong Mi and Goto and ask them to help you fall asleep quickly.}

After a brief moment of thought, Gao Hai decided to conduct a thorough verification to confirm the situation.

Qianhua didn't ask many questions about Gao Hai's idea and carried it out very decisively.

Not long after, Gao Hai sensed that Chika's consciousness had disappeared from the mental link.

And after disappearing, it reappeared almost immediately.

"..."

Gao Hai's expression froze at that moment.

Through Andres' blessing, he clearly sensed Chika's presence and realized that she was now in the same space as him, whereas they had seemed to be far apart.

Splash—splash—

The wheels of the metal bunk bed made a screeching sound as they moved across the floor.

Gao Hai turned around and looked at the end of the corridor, in the direction from which he had been pushed out, strapped to the iron bunk bed.

He saw Fujiwara Chika, motionless and locked to a metal bunk bed, being pushed out by monsters in protective suits.

Yes.

It can be confirmed.

When the players' physical bodies in Bydos are destroyed, and the players awaken and return to Nightfall Mountain Middle School, if the players' consciousness returns to Bydos, this place... will create a new body for the players who were previously "dead"!

Chapter 89: The Problem of Distinguishing Truth from Falsehood and Reconnected Communications

What is going on?

Gao Hai's mind started to get a little confused.

Although he already knew that Nightfall Mountain Middle School and the Bydos Research Institute were closely connected, and that the players participating in this mission had the ability to travel between the two areas due to some special identity, Gao Hai still felt that, after two playthroughs, Bydos was more of a "core" location than Nightfall Mountain Middle School. This place, essentially behind the scenes, was more likely to possess the characteristics of the "root."

But the current situation has left Gao Hai somewhat uncertain.

After faking her death, Fujiwara Chika entered the Baydos area with him, and it's highly likely that she didn't survive the initial escape from the bunk bed scene. However, after her death, Chika quickly awoke again in the Yoruyama Middle School area, in Alice's cabin, as if her experience in Baydos was nothing more than an illusion, a nightmare she would forget upon waking.

This situation sounds extremely beneficial to the investigation of Bydos. After all, since they can repeatedly enter and exit this place, and even if they die, they can regain consciousness at Nightfall Mountain Middle School, it means that players in the Bydos area don't need to worry about any possible consequences and can just rush in recklessly without any problems. However, Gao Hai knows that things are never that simple and easy in Red Moon-level dungeons. Often, the mystery mechanics within dungeons are not as simple as they seem, and there is definitely something wrong with the current situation.

Putting everything else aside, since the "Overseer" was created by Urian, the mastermind behind the Bydos Research Institute, and is an existence with special properties after being fused with divine blood, thus enabling it to exist simultaneously in both the Bydos and Nightfall Mountains regions, then what exactly is the "Overseer"?

A player who dies at Nightfall Mountain Middle School must die again in the Bydos region to truly die. If a player can be rescued in the Bydos region before their execution, they will remain alive.

If a player dies in the Bydos Research Institute, but a player survives in Nightfall Mountain Middle School, that player will regain consciousness in Nightfall Mountain Middle School and be able to return to the Bydos area after entering a dream.

If we combine these two pieces of information and conduct a logical analysis, perhaps the players at Nightfall Mountain Middle School are the real ones?

But that doesn't make sense. According to the information gathered so far, the "Overseers" the players are playing underwent brain surgery at the Baytos Research Institute, which allowed them to appear in the three schools in Japan in a special way. Furthermore, I've seen other players from my team imprisoned in cages at the Baytos Research Institute while my sensory abilities were activated. Based on this, Baytos should be where the players are actually located, right?

If the players at Nightfall Mountain Middle School are the real side, then could that mad scientist named Urian possess some kind of power that transcends space, remotely performing surgery on the [Overseers] and leaving their consciousness in Baydos? But that doesn't make sense either. The players at Nightfall Mountain Middle School are just students; their identities aren't special at all, and there's absolutely no connection between them and the Baydos side.

Which side of the players is real? Which side is fake?

Or is it that there is no distinction between true and false, and both sides can be true or false? Under the power of ghost stories, there is no need to distinguish between true and false; they can actually be transformed into each other.

Gao Hai's brows furrowed even more.

He took a step forward, intending to go towards Chika and rescue her, but something in the darkness had already moved first. Therefore, Gao Hai had no time to act, and the pink-haired girl was killed again on the spot, then woke up again at Yelu Mountain Middle School. Hmm, this time she woke up noticeably faster, and like before, completely forgot that she had just entered the Baytos Research Institute again.

{Gao Hai: Are you sure you haven't felt anything unusual since waking up this time?}

In the mental link, Gao Hai pondered and hesitated for a long time before finally asking the question.

{Fujiwara Chika: Hmm... I didn't really feel anything strange. I didn't retain any related memories, and I didn't feel like I was missing or having gained anything. It felt like a dreamless sleep, and even quite refreshing. It's just that one second I remember being hit on the head and passing out, and the next second I woke up on the ground. It felt a little weird.}

Judging from the girl's answer, there should indeed be no problem.

However, you never know. Just like the wall clock in Shirakawa Apartment, it looked normal when it was first rolled back and used, but who knew that at the last moment when the dungeon was destroyed, that thing would grab the player who had turned the clock and prevent them from leaving.

{Fujiwara Chika: Kumako-san asked if you need her and Goto-san to come in and try. There are no enemies in the safe house now, and the threat of the curse seems to have been lifted. They said they'd like to try coming in to help. With two more people assisting, Akai, your exploration should be much easier, right?}

{Gao Hai: Don't do that yet. There's clearly a big problem on Baidos's side. Don't act rashly before you figure out what's going on. Oh, and tell Xiong Mi and Goto that if I give them any urgent information, they can consider forcibly waking me up.}

After a brief exchange, refusing to let any more people in to assist him, Gao Hai refocused his attention on the road ahead.

Walking a few more steps, you can see the recreation room on the side. This seems to be a recreational area for the soldiers and researchers stationed at the research institute to have fun. At this moment, the door of the room is wide open, broken bottles are scattered all over the floor, along with playing cards and some small objects that Gao Hai doesn't quite understand.

There were obvious bloodstains splattered in the room, and gun holes could be found in various places throughout the room, but there was no body, not a single one.

Looking into the house from the doorway, Gao Hai could see twisted, blood-red writing on one of the walls. The message was simple: "Why don't they die?" The question mark was quite large, suggesting the person who wrote it was probably quite puzzled at the time.

Is this a standard plot device in horror movies? No matter how dire the situation an NPC encounters, they always manage to leave behind various small messages before they die, trying to convey something.

With that thought in mind, Gao Hai glanced at the room briefly before continuing forward toward the dormitory area.

Despite many unanswered questions, finding the truth isn't the most important thing right now. First, we need to confirm the details of the [dormitory area] situation, then think about how to get rid of Urian's core obsession, and what to do if Jonathan, who is currently nowhere to be found and whose return to the instance is uncertain, suddenly reappears.

{Fujiwara Chika: Umi, is something bothering you?}

For some reason, Chika's voice suddenly rang out in the mental link again. She seemed to have sensed something from Gao Hai's words.

Gao Hai: It's okay, I'm fine.

At this point, Gao Hai, who had no intention of stopping to study and discuss the issue, simply replied with this sentence.

{Fujiwara Chika: If Akai is certain there's something seriously wrong here, well, while I certainly can't do it, Miko-kun probably isn't, right? Since she, like Akai, stayed through unconventional means, maybe she has some clues?}

{Yotsuya Miko: Eh, me? I'm just looking through some documents with Hayasaka-san. We haven't found anything useful yet. It's all experimental records, nothing but experimental records. Neither of us can understand the technical terms or the various calculations and verifications.}

{Fujiwara Chika: I'm not talking about what you're investigating, Miko-kun. I'm talking about the strange and unusual things you've seen. Hmm, perhaps you could try recalling when you first woke up, and think about whether anything happened then, or if you saw anything odd.}

Although they didn't have much contact, Chika's way of addressing each other became clear and polite after just a few casual words.

{Yotsuya Miko: ...The strange thing you saw at the beginning?}

{Yotsuya Miko: Hmm, this... wait a minute? Oh right, I remember when I first regained consciousness... I think I was attached to something? That thing... it wasn't quite the same as the person who underwent surgery in the cage that you described, senpai. Hmm, that person... that person... it seemed to be someone without hands or feet, someone whose body had undergone extensive amputation. That person was placed in some kind of completely sealed container, connected to many pipes.}