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

In this respect, Maki really couldn't understand it, especially considering that even she and Chika couldn't defeat Takahashi when they were fighting together. If it came down to a life-or-death situation, she would have to be helped out of bed by him the next day. She just couldn't comprehend it.

Forget it, now is not the time to think about such trivial matters. Haijun should be about to set off by now.

Thinking this, Maki tried to sense Takahashi's location through Andres's blessing, and quickly determined that he was hiding in the woods not far away.

With the team now divided into four groups, the fourth group, consisting of only two members, is tasked with finding the area related to the second core obsession, [Morihara Koji], and attempting to search for clues related to it and decipher its core obsession.

Because the underground military base area, which is strongly linked to Koji Morihara, is located in the forest area outside Yoruyama Middle School, the Fourth Squad is actually in the same area as the Second Squad, which is responsible for fighting the enemy. In this situation, for Takami and Kaguya to act, they must wait until Kumami and the others have officially engaged the enemy, ensuring that the fanatics' attention is not on Takami's side. Therefore, Takami will wait for Kumami to give the signal before taking Kaguya into action.

Maki was slightly dissatisfied with this. She felt that if she and Takami were to cooperate, they would definitely be much better than her stupid aunt. However, as one of the teammates currently holding the mental link, she had to stay here as the liaison between the second team and Takami, which truly made Maki feel somewhat helpless.

Speaking of which, this mental link was originally only between Haijun and me, but now there are two more people. Hmm... but I don't seem surprised at all. Is it because it already happened once in the second playthrough, and because of some unknown reason that Haijun mentioned, I've already retained some "impressions"?

What exactly happened last week?

Well, anyway, I should just focus on doing my job well.

Zhenfei took a deep breath, clearing her mind of the jumbled thoughts, and continued to look ahead.

At that moment, a strong red light suddenly spread through the woods, and something terrifying began to watch over all living things in the woods.

After feeling the chilling gaze upon her, Zhenfei couldn't help but gasp. She knew that Xiong Mi and the others had used a Red Moon-level artifact called the "Headless Buddha," and the fact that this item had been used meant that they had officially engaged the enemy and successfully drawn their attention, allowing Gao Hai to begin his operation.

{No matter what, you must protect yourselves, Maki and Chika}

Within the mental link, Gao Hai's very solemn voice rang out.

Yeah, I will. You be careful too.

Princess Zhenfei responded quickly, then turned her attention to her surroundings and began to be on guard.

As for Gao Hai on the other side of the woods, he had already squatted down, and Kaguya was carefully lying on his back.

"Um, is it really necessary to do it this way?"

While she was happy to be working together, Kaguya hesitated somewhat because she hadn't expected things to unfold this way.

"We need to act as quickly as possible from now on, we can't afford to waste time, so let's not be picky now."

Gao Hai simply shook his head slightly as he spoke. After confirming that Kaguya was already on his back, he supported her thighs with both hands, then started running, accelerating towards the front of the woods and into the unknown depths of the shadows.

Chapter 98: Arrival at the Abandoned Wind Farm, and a Special Kitten

Are you a little nervous?

Gao Hai suddenly asked.

"Hey, nervous? Are you talking about me?"

Kaguya, who had been cautiously observing her surroundings, paused for a moment. Only after confirming that Takami was speaking to her did she reply with some confusion.

"Your legs are very tense, they feel like two stones to the touch. Relax a little, don't worry too much."

As he spoke, Gao Hai lightly pinched Kaguya's thigh. Just as he said, Kaguya was extremely tense at this moment. Even though she hadn't actually done anything, merely being carried on Gao Hai's back, knowing that this was the third time the event had been rewound, that there were still many unsolved mysteries in the dungeon, and that there were also hostile players lurking around, Kaguya simply couldn't maintain a calm mindset.

Even though that's what you're saying, what do you mean my legs are like rocks? At a time like this, you're still concerned about how my legs feel to the touch?

Kaguya, who was already somewhat neurotic because she inexplicably felt as if she had been sexually assaulted, felt a sense of déjà vu after hearing Takami's words, and her mood worsened immediately.

"I'm OK."

Even so, she simply shook her head slightly and answered firmly, not letting her emotional fluctuations affect her actions.

Thanks to the extremely distorted way the Shinomiya family raises their offspring, Kaguya Shinomiya is gradually changing because of her interactions with Maki Takami and others. However, if she wants, Kaguya can enter an extremely rational, even somewhat indifferent, state of mind at any time, which is the so-called "Ice Kaguya" form.

In this state, Kaguya's way of thinking undergoes a drastic change, and she can suppress all kinds of emotional fluctuations. Although it sounds like something akin to a split personality, Kaguya can indeed do it, and it can only be said that this is a special skill that only an anime character could reasonably possess.

"That's good. Now, the next step is to push the limits of our previous explorations."

As he spoke, Gao Hai continued his rapid pace through the dense forest without slowing down.

He had already passed through the area where the abandoned school buildings and dormitories were located in the woodland. If he continued forward, he would reach an unknown place that he had never been to in the previous two playthroughs.

Kaguya tightened her grip on Takami's arms slightly at that moment.

Her heart instinctively quickened its pace.

Her eyes were already at work, and all her senses were fully engaged as she began to observe her surroundings quickly and cautiously.

Kaguya was carefully guarding against any possible anomalies or traps set by rival players. Although this level of vigilance wasn't particularly meaningful at the moment, Kaguya hoped to get herself into the zone as quickly and effectively as possible so that she wouldn't be in trouble when Takahashi truly needed her help or had to do something.

Tread-

Gao Hai's steps swept forward quickly.

Everything in the woods in his field of vision looked no different from what Gao Hai remembered from the first two playthroughs.

The dense, tall trees blocked out the sunlight, making the interior of the woodland dark. Various shrubs and oddly shaped plants grew intertwined in the areas where light could not reach, hindering people from moving through the woodland.

Occasionally, one could hear sounds coming from deep within the dense forest, like the flapping of wings of some kind of bird, or the faint chirping of some kind of insect.

Something seemed to be watching from the shadows, yet nothing seemed to be there at all; there was nothing unusual to be concerned about. The fragmented light and shadow cast through the dense forest created a sense of illusion, as the surrounding darkness deepened, as if to lead those who were trapped within it into a lost dream world.

Spending too much time in such an environment, even without encountering a deadly monster, would probably make one paranoid. However, Gao Hai was already used to this level of psychological pressure. He carefully kept track of the time, so he knew very well that only about an hour had actually passed since the start of the third playthrough.

During this period, even for players new to the dungeon and unfamiliar with the specifics, including Red Moon level players, there's not much they can actually do. This is, after all, a strange and eerie world teeming with monsters, so players must be extremely cautious during the initial exploration phase and can't afford to act recklessly. However, Gao Hai's team, having gathered previous intelligence, can take direct action. Therefore, the two who are now deep in the forest don't need to worry too much about whether any of the fanatical players are ahead of them, or about any man-made traps; they only need to focus on any potentially threatening monsters.

What will happen next?

Gao Hai wondered what might exist at the end of the darkness ahead.

According to the records of players who explored and investigated this area before the major anomaly occurred in the [Campus Ghost Stories] instance, the area outside Nightfall Mountain Middle School, besides the abandoned school campus, mainly contains a wind farm and the ruins of an underground military base. The wind farm, located at the summit of Nightfall Mountain, is an old power plant whose equipment has been neglected for a long time, essentially a ruin, and thus often used by students for exploration, hiding, and games. The latter is a deeply hidden secret area with multiple entrances, one of which has been confirmed to be inside the wind farm.

Although the instance has changed considerably, Gao Hai can still sense that he is gradually moving deeper into a mountainous area, traveling uphill. He should be able to reach the wind farm area soon, and then the outpost leading to the military base ruins.

"There's something ahead."

Kaguya suddenly reminded him in a low voice.

"Ah."

Gao Hai, who had also noticed the situation, responded softly, slowing his pace slightly.

Light was shining through the woodland from the front.

Among the bushes and weeds, there was a cement road that had clearly been abandoned for a long time and was so dilapidated that it was almost completely covered and obscured. Gao Hai noticed it at this moment.

Continue forward for a while.

A wrecked pickup truck came into view first. It was an old-fashioned truck that looked very old, covered in moss and bushes, and so dilapidated that there was no possibility of repair.

Then, the ever-growing tall trees suddenly stopped, and the entire area opened up.

In front of the lush green grass, behind the rusty barbed wire fence, a long-abandoned wind farm with several huge windmills came into view for Takami and Kaguya.

Compared to the vast, windmill-filled power plants of later generations, this power plant looked rather shabby and rudimentary. However, considering the era in which it was built and its function as a cover for an underground military base, it was not entirely incomprehensible.

Kaguya jumped off Takahashi and stood beside him, carefully observing the situation ahead. After resting for a while, Takahashi himself decisively started walking forward.

Through their mental link, Miko had sent a reply. After falling asleep, she had successfully arrived in the Baytos region. After spending some time, she finally found Hayasaka, and the two of them once again entered the state of two consciousnesses controlling one body, just like in the second playthrough. However, unlike before, because Hayasaka didn't enter Baytos after dying in the Yoruyama Middle School area, she wasn't tied to a metal bunk bed and taken for execution as before. Instead, she was locked in a cage. If it weren't for using the incense burner to establish a mental connection between the two, Miko might not have been able to find Hayasaka's location.

At this moment, Hayasaka herself is still trapped in the cage and has not yet found a way to escape. However, she herself said that this level of cage cannot hold her, and she just hasn't found a suitable opportunity to escape yet. Therefore, Takami only told her to be careful through Miko and didn't say anything else.

There's been no progress on Xiong Mi's side yet. Zhen Fei, who stayed behind, confirmed through communication with Xiong Mi that the fanatical players had indeed appeared, but both sides were still in a cautious probing phase and hadn't officially clashed yet. To avoid detection, the three on Xiong Mi's side were currently using their own artifacts, instead of the ones Gao Hai had managed to obtain in the second playthrough. According to Xiong Mi's reply, the fanatical players' tactics were noticeably "cowardly," suggesting that the fact that two of their teammates were inexplicably stripped naked at the start of the game had a significant impact on them.

Fujiwara Chika, who remained at school, planned to try to manipulate the students with strange abilities more deeply during the break of the second period. She hoped to win some of them over by creating a "cooperative atmosphere" and turning them into "heroes." Although she didn't retain the memories of the previous game, Chika quickly got into the swing of things after obtaining relevant information from Takami. Currently, she seems to be the least worrisome of the three teams.

So, the only thing we need to focus on right now is this abandoned wind farm.

With a light leap, Gao Hai easily crossed the three-meter-high barbed wire fence, and Kaguya behind him also successfully jumped over it, landing steadily beside Gao Hai.

The abandoned wind farm in front of us looked very quiet, with no wandering monsters or any unusual aura.

Gao Hai suspected that this place might be like the forest area, seemingly normal during the day, but turning into a chaotic mess of monsters and various other things at night. Nevertheless, he and Kaguya still carefully scouted the area, repeatedly confirming that there were indeed no supernatural activities in the building area before beginning a more thorough search of each building.

This didn't take too long. There weren't many buildings in the abandoned wind farm, and they were mostly single-story houses. Gao Hai and Kaguya searched each room thoroughly. They didn't encounter any strange creatures, but they also couldn't find any valuable clues. There were no documents, rule sheets, or anything else. The place was deserted; not even a scrap of paper remained. The entrance to the underground base mentioned in the records was nowhere to be found either.

"How come there's nothing there?"

Kaguya frowned. She even tried knocking on the floor of each room, hoping to find a hidden door or something, but she still came up empty-handed.

"Perhaps the necessary conditions are lacking."

Gao Hai wasn't too surprised. After a brief moment of thought, he turned his gaze to the black watch he was wearing.

The underground military base is a location associated with [Morihara Koji], one of his core obsessions. His object of obsession has been sealed inside the black watch since it was taken away and has never been taken out. In other words, this object of obsession has not returned to the game, so naturally, the scenes related to it will not be unlocked.

So, we need to let that kitten out.

"..."

Gao Hai hesitated slightly.

He had no idea how the fanatics had controlled the kitten. To be honest, Gao Hai had absolutely no idea how to control such a rare obsessive creature with the characteristics of a "living being." These things were incredibly rare. Even after the "Sacrifice Game" had been around for over two years, there were fewer than ten credible "living being" obsessive creatures mentioned on player forums. Players simply couldn't come up with a reasonable way to subdue such creatures. Even experienced veterans like Xiong Mi had never encountered this type of obsessive creature before.

If we let this cat out, it might howl at me and Kaguya, curse us, and then disappear in a flash. That would be a huge loss!

But since the entrance to the underground base cannot be found, this lame kitten must be released no matter what in order to find a solution to all the core obsessions.

"Let's find a slightly open space. I'll let the kitten out in a bit. If it tries to escape, the two of us will have to make sure we catch it without hurting it."

"clear."

After a brief moment of thought, Gao Hai arrived at an open area in the abandoned wind farm, gestured for Kaguya to stand opposite him, then half-squatted down and gently pressed his hand on the black watch he was wearing.

The next moment, a faint stench wafted into their nostrils.

A shivering kitten with one hind leg bent abnormally and covered in unkempt gray-brown fur appeared in the open space between Takami and Kaguya.

The cat was only about the size of two palms put together. It was dirty and smelly, with most of its eye sockets covered in eye discharge. Its gray eyes, covered with a blue film, cautiously looked at Takahashi and Kaguya. It looked quite pitiful and there was no way it could be associated with something like a [Red Moon-level Core Obsession Object].

"Don't be afraid, we won't hurt you, um, Mimi?"

Faced with this peculiar little creature, Gao Hai decided to try to make friendly contact first. So he gave the kitten a kind smile and called out the common name that Chinese people use when facing a strange cat.

【Meow, I... I'm not called Mimi, I'm called Miaonai~】

The next moment, the kitten answered Gao Hai cautiously in a tone as if it had been bullied.

Gao Hai:? ? ?

Kaguya: ? ? ?