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

Kaguya had already walked up to the kitten and gently poked it to wake it up.

Gao Hai remained silent, reflecting on his previous exploration process and analyzing the specific situation bit by bit.

Of the five core obsessions currently, there are still some unclear aspects regarding Eriko Asamoto that require investigation; the situation regarding Koji Morihara is only just beginning; a glimpse into how to break through the "Void" has been made, but a definitive solution has not yet been found; Lord Urian is stuck on the "Void," and without fully understanding its situation, this core obsession will never be resolved; and Dean Jonathan has not appeared at all, and Gao Hai doesn't even know what he looks like.

Two playthroughs, three days in total, and it seemed like a ton of clues had been uncovered, revealing most of the darkness behind this instance. But upon closer inspection, none of the five core obsessions remained unresolved, all the clues were incomplete, and unsolvable problems were everywhere. Everything was a tangled mess, making it difficult to find the true answer. Meanwhile, the ruthless enemy was still lurking in the shadows, preparing to seize the opportunity to strike them down.

This dungeon mission lacked the tension of being chased by ferocious creatures and the despair of being relentlessly pursued by terrifying monsters, yet the immense pressure it brought was no less than that of previous dungeons. Too many challenges and difficulties intertwined, completely exceeding the capabilities of any single individual.

What he really wanted was for all his people to be safe and sound, for everyone to walk out of this hell together in a happy ending.

It's not that it's extremely difficult, but it's more like wishful thinking. You have to understand, this black watch doesn't give him unlimited rewinds. If he can't find the right path in time, and if things continue to go wrong, it's hard to say what will happen then.

I had even thought about whether I could solve the problem in one go during this cycle, but now it seems that I still can't quite manage it.

While pondering his next move, Takahashi glanced at the scruffy kitten in front of Kaguya. The kitten had already stood up, yawning, and stretched out its little paws, then looked at Takahashi with its slightly bluish eyes.

[Meow, are you alright now?]

The kitten asked very enthusiastically.

"Okay, it's alright now. Thank you for your help earlier, little meow. Let's continue our search for your master."

Gao Hai smiled and spoke.

【...Meow, let's keep going then, meow~】

The kitten tilted its head, licked the messy fur on its back, and then, while answering Gao Hai, moved towards the door.

Is it an illusion?

The kitten seemed to answer its own voice, hesitating for a moment.

Gao Hai turned to look at Kaguya, only to find her looking at him as well. Their eyes met, confirming that they shared the same thought. Clearly, this extremely special and rare living, obsessive kitten had undergone some unknown change. Whether this change was good or bad, and what impact it would have on their subsequent exploration, was not something that could be answered at this moment.

Could it be that my mindset, my emotions, and my thoughts were captured by this little thing, causing it to undergo some abnormal changes?

If that's the case, things will be in trouble...

squeak-

Open the door, which is covered in dust.

Under the cold white light, the kitten had run to the front of the passage, wagging its tail slightly, and occasionally looking back at Takahashi and Kaguya who were following behind.

But unlike before, this time Gao Hai could sense that something in this underground base was starting to become active.

{Fujiwara Chika: Umi, are you there? Are you okay?}

At that moment, Chika's voice suddenly rang out in the mental link.

{Gao Hai: I ran into a little trouble just now, but it's resolved. How about you? The communication went down just now, did anything happen? Do you know about the situation in the other two groups?}

Following the kitten in front of him, Gao Hai multitasked while simultaneously communicating with Chika through their mental link.

{Fujiwara Chika: It seems something's happened to Omiko, but according to Nanami-san, Omiko and Ai are alright for now, so the situation shouldn't be the worst yet. Maki was attacked by the enemy; those fanatics seem to have released something that Kuma-mi and the others haven't seen before, and they were injured because they couldn't withstand it. But the safe house you told them about, Ahai, is amazing; after they hid inside, the fanatics' powers couldn't get in. Kuma-mi sent a message a while ago saying that Maki suffered a slight mental shock and is unconscious, but it's not too serious, and she'll wake up soon.}

Without wasting any words, Chika immediately reported the situation to Takahashi. Fortunately, while it wasn't all good news, at least there wasn't any terrible news.

Thinking of this, Gao Hai felt somewhat relieved.

{Gao Hai: And you, Chika? How's the operation at school going?}

{Fujiwara Chika: I'm fine too. I just woke up from a nap in the dorm and am back in the teaching building waiting for the first class this afternoon. Xiao Yili and Ms. Nanakawa are helping me slowly control the students' actions. Currently, we have gradually gained the upper hand by using the rules of [atmosphere]. Next, we will try to further control the students' actions and then look for opportunities to investigate the teachers and school leaders. You said that [Asamoto Eriko] is in Class 10 of Grade 11, so we haven't touched anyone in that class yet. As for Class 3, because we are unsure which grade [Morihara Koji] will be in, I haven't touched any of the Class 3 students in the three grades.}

It sounds quite reliable. It was definitely the right choice to leave Chika, who is good at socializing, at school to conduct the investigation.

But she went back to her dormitory and took a nap?

Why should she take a nap? She's been enhanced, and her physical abilities are already beyond those of ordinary people. There's no reason why she should take a nap, right? Or is there some other reason for this?

While feeling relieved, Gao Hai couldn't help but be concerned about some of the illogical aspects of the Thousand Flowers operation.

Chapter 111: Continuing Deeper into This Blood-Soaked Dark Land

As they continued forward, clear signs of cleaning and tidying began to appear in the dark and secluded passage.

Every now and then, Gao Hai would see brooms carelessly discarded in the corners of the corridor, and piles of dust and trash in some empty rooms. Of course, all the mutilated corpses were also carefully collected, and they were generally not left lying in the corridor to disturb the mood of passersby.

It's clear that Koji Morihara thoroughly cleaned this place; he genuinely intends to turn this underground base into his secret hideout. Such initiative and courage are truly impressive for a high school student, and Takami, besides offering heartfelt praise, didn't know what else to say.

The kitten was still leisurely leading the way, occasionally letting out cute meows. The strangeness Takahashi had sensed earlier seemed to be just an illusion; the kitten, named Nyana, hadn't done anything particularly unusual. Even so, Takahashi couldn't completely relax. He had a vague feeling that, starting with Kita Ikuyo's unexpected death, the current situation might gradually spiral out of control.

No, I can't think like that; it's pointless to let such thoughts fill my mind. What I should do now is do what I'm supposed to do.

"This place is really too quiet in every sense of the word."

After passing through a fairly spacious corridor, she entered a large, empty room. Under the pale light, Kaguya looked around again and again, finally unable to resist whispering something.

"Indeed, but don't let your guard down. Danger might strike at any moment if you relax your guard even slightly."

Gao Hai nodded slightly, but then said in a serious tone.

"Ok, I know."

Without exchanging many words, Kaguya quickly ended the conversation and focused her attention on exploring the road ahead.

A short while later, the kitten led them to another small room, where Gao Hai and Kaguya found a simple sleeping bag and some notes written on the wall. The handwriting in these notes was clearly from the same person as the previous diary entries, but the style was more messy and casual, and there were many signs of deletions and scribbles.

[Secret Base]

The line was crossed out and rewritten, over and over again, but it was eventually crossed out again.

【refuge】

The line of text was written very carefully, but then a diagonal line was drawn across it. Below the line were additional words that read, "Too dangerous," and "We must find a truly safe area," as if the handwriting was deep in thought.

Looking for like-minded people

The marks on this line of writing are of varying depths, suggesting that the writer hesitated many times before writing it, though it's unclear what caused the hesitation.

On the wall outside the small room, a clearer message was discovered. Unlike the message inside the room, the message outside was much clearer, clearly outlining the three-step plan.

1. Clear out a sufficiently safe area.

2. Completely sever the connection between safe and dangerous areas to prevent curious individuals from accidentally entering.

3. Make the safe zone a home for people like me, a place where people can live normal lives.

From these plans, it's clear that the other side's investigation and utilization of this military base has indeed progressed to a certain extent. He may have already encountered the strange creatures lurking within the military base, but whether by luck or by finding a way, he managed to escape unscathed and even discovered a method to evade them.

What exactly is the purpose of Koji Morihara's actions?

Building his own secret base, a refuge not just for anyone, searching for like-minded people like himself... Could it be that he wants to save homeless people? No, this military base ultimately exists at Nightfall Mountain Middle School. Could it be that he... wants to find students like himself who have been hurt by their parents or bullied at school?

As Gao Hai was thinking this, he felt a slight stinging sensation in his head.

He frowned slightly, not revealing much. But the quick-witted Kaguya immediately noticed his subtle movement and looked over with some concern.

"I'm fine. There don't seem to be any more clues here. Let's go."

But Gao Hai just shook his head slightly, and after investigating for a little while longer, he indicated that they could continue.

Meow~ My owner's house is not far away~

The little mixed-breed kitten was still making excited meows.

Gao Hai remained silent, silently sensing the faint, indistinct sounds in his mind, as if some voice was calling out to him, or as if someone was communicating with someone else.

He knew that it belonged to the third core obsession, to the voice of that [nothingness] in Yeluoshan Middle School.

Unlike Kita Ikuyo, who was turned into a living dead, Takami, perhaps because he had written his name on the teacher's certificate, felt almost no discomfort despite being possessed by the strange power. On the contrary, his physical strength had subtly increased, and he could feel his regenerative abilities had also improved significantly. However, as a price, indistinct voices would occasionally echo in his mind, and sometimes he even had the feeling that he was about to become someone else. But these feelings were not intense enough to burden his mind.

This thing is really quite strange.

Having encountered more than one core obsession before, Gao Hai had to admit that this "nothingness" was definitely a strange thing.

While it was in Kita Ikuyo's body, this thing clearly displayed aggressiveness, possessing the ability to split open living people's heads and transform them into bizarre derivatives. But when it came to Takami's body, it became completely motionless, as if the power had been cut off, showing absolutely no movement whatsoever from its core obsession.

In a sense, this thing's current state is somewhat similar to Hirano Sousuke, who was bound in the Hiromoto Mental Hospital; both are almost like empty shells. Gao Hai still hopes this thing can remain like this, since he's currently researching the boy Morihara Koji's situation, and the clues he can grasp now are more important than something completely unpredictable that could erupt.

Then keep moving forward.

The environment then began to become dirty and messy.

Tissues, scraps of paper, snack bags, empty or half-empty beverage bottles, and even excrement were scattered haphazardly in the corridor.

The walls were covered with all sorts of strange graffiti. Some were hard to decipher, while others were simply obscene and vulgar language and simple drawings that were difficult to describe. They looked like they were left by bored young people.

If that were all, it wouldn't be too concerning, but then Kaguya discovered bullet holes in the wall, and Takami found a broken Type 38 rifle in the corner. After advancing a little further, more spent shell casings and guns were discovered, and the little cat that had been walking slowly ahead suddenly stopped, its fur slightly ruffled, and it hissed, as if it had seen something highly dangerous.

Takahashi and Kaguya quickly found out what the kitten had seen.

Hello? Hello?

Something dressed in a school uniform, covered in blood, stepped out from the darkness around the corner of the corridor.

Without hesitation, Gao Hai quickly pulled Kaguya to a small room not far away, closed the door, and locked it, thus avoiding the other party.

Is anyone here? Is anyone here?

Slow footsteps, accompanied by a strong smell of blood, approached gradually.

Through the blurry glass window of the door, Gao Hai could roughly tell that the other person was a high school boy, not very tall, and his body... well, it was probably no longer intact; at least half of his head was gone.

As the thing approached, Gao Hai could smell the smoke and fire, like the smell of a bullet being fired.

Thinking back to the traces found in the corridor earlier, it's likely that the students whom Morihara Koji brought into this underground base, whom he considered like-minded, ended up having a real-life PUBG competition in this place.

How could a group of perfectly normal high school students do something like this? But after all, this is Yoruyama Middle School, where the "atmosphere" has become part of the rules, and at that time, it was essentially a place where humans and monsters mingled. It's likely... among the students Morihara Yukiji brought into the underground base were some deceased students who were monsters completely subservient to the rules of ghost stories. Those things probably looked no different from normal human students, and were likely bullied like Morihara Yukiji himself. But because they were monsters without a true sense of self, once they escaped being bullied, they would immediately change their state, becoming bullies at the first opportunity, making normal communication impossible.

If that's the case, then I have to say this plot development is quite morbidly funny.

Hello? Is anyone there? Is anyone here?

More students, covered in blood, walked down the corridor, making indistinct sounds that they probably didn't even know the meaning of, as they trudged through the filthy passage.

They did not find Takami and Kaguya hiding.

It wasn't because the two hid it well, but because Gao Hai took out an item he was obsessed with that could conceal his aura.

Gao Hai decided to call this object of his obsession the "Bandit Burban." Although it was actually just an ordinary burban, seemingly made of woven material with just enough space for the eyes and mouth, its design looked exactly like a bank robber's hood. Moreover, it was even marked with numbers 1 to 4, matching the four burbans Gao Hai had obtained. This made Gao Hai involuntarily think of a certain robbery gang, and an ominous bank theme song unconsciously echoed in his mind.

Although it looks a bit strange, the hood is actually quite practical. First, when the user wears it, the monsters will to some extent ignore the user's presence. As long as there is no direct visual contact, the player can use this to evade the monsters' pursuit. Second, when humans see a user wearing the hood, they will not be able to recognize who that person is, even if the person is someone they know very well.