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

So they sent two guys to deal with me? I wonder if these guys think highly of me or look down on me. Heh, but they're still quite far away, so there's no need to rush to deal with them.

Hirano Sousuke was still patrolling the forest, while the summoner was currently in automatic search mode. Takami gave this top member a signal through the rescue team badge, and it immediately abandoned the search and began running at full speed towards the wind farm to pursue the two fanatics who had entered the underground area.

I wonder if they'll run into me first, or if Gunner will run into them first. I hope it's the latter; that would be quite interesting.

"...The patrol has left, so it's time for us to go too, to move deeper into the area."

Unable to find the two, the strange students caused a ruckus before quickly moving on to other areas to continue their search. Meanwhile, Gao Hai seized the opportunity to slip out of the closet with Kaguya in his arms and continue deeper into the base.

After passing through a dimly lit corridor, the scenery before my eyes finally began to change.

Standing before a heavy metal door, Gao Hai closed his eyes and sniffed carefully. He quickly detected the indescribable smell of blood that could only be found in the Baydos Research Institute.

The area behind this door contains divine blood.

He took out his identification card, activated the door, and stepped inside.

Some of the students with strange appearances noticed the commotion, and in the blink of an eye, many figures with missing limbs emerged from the dark area of ​​the corridor and approached Takami and Kaguya.

However, none of these things could catch up with the two who stepped inside. Just like many years ago, these things could not stop Morihara Koji from entering this place. They could only chase after him to the closed door, knock on it repeatedly, and laugh loudly.

"It's so similar..."

Gao Hai couldn't help but sigh.

Kaguya, who had never seen this place before, was slightly curious, but after seeing some things, she couldn't help but frown and show displeasure.

Black metal cages lined both sides of the road.

One side of the cage contained bodies dressed in various clothes, which appeared to be corpses of prisoners of war.

One cage contained the corpses of Eriko Asamoto, all dressed in female school uniforms.

Although the actual decoration styles are quite different and the scale is not easy to compare, in Gao Hai's opinion, the atmosphere in this area is almost exactly the same as that of the Baydos Underground Research Institute.

Yes, he meant the filthy, rotten stench that represents hell on earth.

Chapter 127: The Little Maid Ventures Alone into the Darkness

"call……"

crunch - crunch -

With heavy breathing, Hayasaka Ai inserted a crowbar into the crack of the door, gritted her teeth, and pried it open little by little.

The beam of the flashlight swayed with her movements, illuminating the corpses lying on the dark corridor, or rather... things that were still corpses for the time being.

"Huh...huh..."

Hayasaka's breathing had become extremely disordered.

The bad news is that she was shot once each in the right side of her waist, left calf, and left shoulder; all three bullets penetrated her body directly. The good news is that because the bullets went straight through her body, the damage wasn't too severe, and stopping the bleeding was relatively easy. Additionally, she didn't escape the blast radius of a grenade in time, resulting in burns to her back, which are currently burning with pain, and there may still be fragments embedded in her flesh.

Well, besides that, she also had abrasions on her knees and elbows, after all, she fell several times after being shot, but she can hardly feel the pain from these minor injuries anymore.

In short, this is not a problem that needs to be addressed right now.

When Yotsuya Miko died, she left a message not only for Takami, but also for Hayasaka. Therefore, Hayasaka is still continuing to delve deeper into the second level of the underground base, searching for the yet-to-be-activated [Experimental Observation Procedure].

Regarding the possible location of that observation area, Hayasaka believed it should be somewhere far from the blood pool and dangerous areas. After all, based on Miko's observations of Urian, this madman, while willing to do anything to advance his research, was also someone who valued his life. Urian would never put himself in danger before he was truly certain that his research results would be realized. Therefore, the place where he could safely conduct his observation experiments must be the safest place in the entire underground experimental area.

Therefore, Zone 3 of the research institute, which is the lowest level closest to the blood pool, can be eliminated immediately. This floor is the most dangerous, and according to the known intelligence, Zone 3 was the first to fall. Therefore, the next two areas are Zones 2 and 1.

Hayasaka initially thought Zone 1 was the most likely candidate, given its distance from the Blood Pool. However, considering her previous encounter with a high-risk individual resembling Eriko Asamoto on the first floor, this assessment seemed less convincing. Upon closer examination, while Zone 1 was indeed far from the Blood Pool, the problem lay in the fact that this floor was responsible for human experimentation. Therefore, most of the individuals carrying divine blood, those resembling Eriko Asamoto, died on this floor, making Zone 1, which should have been safer, actually more dangerous.

However, if we rule out Zone 1, Zone 2 is also unlikely to contain that [experimental observation process]. Firstly, it's closer to the blood pool than Zone 1, and an experimental point for direct observation of the blood pool has been set up there. Although the level of contamination isn't as high as Zone 3, it's still not a place where one could survive. Secondly, according to Hayasaka's current observations, the experimental area on this floor actually contains weaponized monster forces.

That's right. Unlike the three major Japanese academies, which failed to develop any weapons with practical combat applications from beginning to end, Area 2 of the Baytos Research Institute has already produced something with practical combat applications.

However, whether it was an obstacle of fate or the secret machinations of some fate-weavers, the experimental results were ultimately not brought out of the research institute. Urian, who later abandoned the research institute and went to the Bydos Academy, did not reproduce the experimental results from the research institute, whether due to some lack of conditions in the experimental environment or something else. Instead, he caused a bizarre power surge that sent the entire academy to hell.

Therefore, none of the three areas were safe, and none of them seemed like places that madman who valued his life would choose. In this situation, Hayasaka didn't know which way to go, so he simply decided to explore area 2, where he was currently located.

"This kind of thing... is really..."

In a laboratory filled with large, crudely designed instruments whose purpose was unclear, Hayasaka picked up a document and read it with a frown.

[Weapon Verification Report: Blood Plague Bomb]

[Efficacy Description: Combining the blood extracted from the body of "Eriko Asamoto" after her death with a mixture of potent poison gas and hallucinogenic drugs, this substance is dispersed over a wide area using specially designed explosives. Preliminary tests have shown that a single blood plague bomb can spread over 100 square kilometers.]

[Experimental Project]

[Experiment details: In an isolation room, release a blood plague smoke bomb onto 3 test subjects, and 3 new test subjects will be introduced into the isolation room 6 hours later.]

[Experiment Results: All three test subjects died within 10 minutes. One of the bodies exhibited abnormal reactions such as convulsions and screaming within 2 hours, but regained the ability to stand and move after 4 hours, even though observation indicated that this individual had lost all physiological functions. Six hours later, three new test subjects placed in the isolation room were immediately attacked by this individual and died within 3 minutes. The attack method was visually incomprehensible, but based on the manner of death of the three test subjects, it can be determined that the transformed individual recreated the electrocution execution process they had witnessed.]

[Experimental Losses: The isolation chamber was completely lost. It was rebuilt by filling in the wasteland according to procedures. Four soldiers and one researcher assistant were lost during the filling process.]

[Experiment Report: The test subject was completely unaware of the experiment's content and had no knowledge of the Baidos Research Institute. They inhaled the Blood Plague Bomb's components without any prior knowledge and underwent a transformation from human to monster. This proves that the Blood Plague Bomb can indeed overcome the "cognitive barrier" typically imposed on monsters, spreading among uninformed individuals. Given the current limitations of Blood Plague Bomb raw materials, if production were expanded, approximately 14 Blood Plague Bombs could be produced monthly. It is believed that this new weapon can significantly improve the unfavorable situation on the front lines.]

[It should be noted that we currently have no means to eliminate the monsters transformed from the Blood Plague Bomb. It is recommended to use this weapon only in completely abandoned areas, and permanent quarantine zones should be established in areas where the weapon has been used. Furthermore, due to the influence of monsoons, there is a possibility that the weapon may spread beyond its intended range; therefore, if its use is approved, please carefully consider the location of its deployment.]

[Report Comments:]

[Approved for small-scale trial]

Next to this report, Hayasaka could see rows of artillery shells neatly arranged.

These shells are about 10 centimeters tall, with bright red warheads and danger markings, and appear to be ready for packing and transport.

Hayasaka roughly counted the number of shells in the laboratory, and the final number was over a thousand.

It seems these shells were prepared for transport from the lab to the battlefield just as the lab encountered an accident—quite a coincidence. According to their owner, the KP group is like a bunch of people who specialize in creating tragedy, yet their existence also seems to have subtly confined the power of the strange creatures to closed areas, preventing them from truly leaking out and causing long-term, lasting harm to human civilization.

Information gathered from player forums indicates that all instances are confined to different areas. Some are as small as a building, others are just a single floor, and still others are only the size of a single room. The largest instance discovered so far is located on an island, but that's about it.

All the strange creatures, regardless of whether they were Twilight, Dark Night, or Crimson Moon level, were confined to specific areas. Even if the strange creatures in the Crimson Moon level dungeons could affect the real world, someone still needed to be aware of their existence. This was true for every dungeon; from beginning to end, no strange creature ever truly spread widely in the real world, not even Alice, whose head was blown off by Hirano Sosuke. Was this development truly just a coincidence?

Hayasaka felt that, guided by the black watch, and as its owner gradually cracked higher-level dungeons and delved deeper into their secrets, something quite terrifying might be unearthed.

However, they will only know about such things in the future. For now, I must focus on the things at hand.

[Large Blood Processing Room]

The large characters on the wall allowed Hayasaka to quickly determine his location.

This was deep inside the innermost part of Zone 2. Hayasaka considered it a miracle she had even reached this point alive. The tangible monsters were manageable; bullets could at least temporarily disable them. But dealing with the invisible and imperceptible ones required considerable effort. After analyzing the information in the message, she fired specially loaded explosive bullets indiscriminately, using the ripples on the blood-covered ground to gauge the movement of anything passing by. In this way, she barely made it to an ammunition depot. Then, she began using grenades to create noise and attract the monsters, slowly advancing step by step until she finally reached the inner area.

In fact, her decision to continue exploring the dangerous Zone 2 was also due to the blood. Although she couldn't see or feel those things, the blood would ripple subtly when those unseen creatures passed by. These ripples were so faint that even Takami might not be able to detect them, but Hayasaka's keen observation wouldn't overlook these details. This was the only way she could identify those things given her limited sensory abilities.

"call……"

The chilling sensation from blood loss was spreading, and the numerous wounds all over his body were causing him constant pain.

I lay on the ground, avoiding the figures of those in white coats who were busy in the pitch-black laboratory after the power outage.

Amidst the occasional cries, Hayasaka could see deformed things wandering around in the beam of his flashlight. Blood splattered continuously, as if someone was stepping on it, even though no one was around.

Sometimes, the beams of some flashlights would be blocked, and the flashlights that Hayasaka had left around to ensure he could see his surroundings attracted some strange creatures. However, these creatures would only stay near the lifeless flashlights for a short while at most, and would not bother to damage them.

Arrived!

Hayasaka looked toward his destination: the power supply room located in the blood processing area.

The power supply rooms in Zone 2 are located in the innermost area; to restore power to this area, you must come here.

Hopefully, the power will be restored. I wonder what caused the power outage here.

Thinking this, Hayasaka first quietly stood up. After confirming that no strange creatures were approaching, she walked to the door of the power supply room, grabbed the door that was tightly closed due to the power outage, took a deep breath, and used her strength to forcefully pull it open little by little.

crunch - crunch -

Amidst the piercing buzzing sound, something in the dimly lit laboratory raised its head and looked this way.

faster! Faster!

Knowing that now was not the time to hesitate, Hayasaka gritted his teeth, unleashed a burst of powerful strength, and forcefully pulled the door open, stepping into the pitch-black room without any light. He then turned around, threw a grenade, and then grabbed the door and slammed it shut.

You can hear footsteps approaching from outside.

bang——

And then, amidst the subsequent explosions, the sound of footsteps being drawn away and their direction shifted.

Finally, we've arrived here successfully.

Thinking this, Hayasaka breathed a slight sigh of relief, then took a step back and bumped into something soft.

Someone was standing behind her.

Chapter 128: The Lone Traveler Moving Through the Darkness and the Unheard Curse

"..."

With heavy breathing, Hayasaka's body was completely tense.

There was something behind me.

It felt slightly soft to the touch, somewhat like a girl's body, but it completely lacked the feel of a living person. A faint, unpleasant stench wafted from it, and the surrounding air grew increasingly cold, making the eerie presence even more pronounced.

Did we encounter something strange in the power supply room? Ugh, of all times, at this time... what should we do... what's next...?

My heart was pounding harder and harder.

An uncontrollable sense of fear spread through my heart.

Even knowing that her master possessed the ability to rewind time, and that even if she died here, her master could bring her back to life, Hayasaka Ai still couldn't suppress the intense fear that gripped her as she faced the real threat of death.

Don't panic, don't panic, don't let your emotions fluctuate!

The girl shouted to herself in her heart.

The strange creature standing behind her did not launch an attack.

No attack means no rules were triggered, meaning you are actually safe. In this situation, panicking is pointless. Calm down, think about why the other party didn't trigger the rules, and focus on how to protect yourself!

Yes, yes, I'm still alive. Since I'm still alive means I haven't triggered the monster's killing rules yet. Calm down. Now I'm all alone. If I fail too, it will be very difficult for the master to explore the research institute in this loop. I can't die, I have to live, I have to keep living…

My heartbeat gradually calmed down.