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

But this raises a question: if the paper doll can't teleport the player to another dimension, then where did the force that initially moved the player from [Li Family Village] to [Liu Family Village] come from?

Isn't this a bit too hasty? Or do you have some compelling reason to do this?

Soon, as the team regrouped, Maki walked up to Gao Hai and asked in the mental link with a hint of complaint.

{This is just a small thought. The strange creatures in this instance possess extremely strong mind-reading abilities, and the mountain god, currently suspected of being the mastermind, is likely an unconventional being with self-awareness. Considering this, and taking into account our earlier encounter with the paper figure, I'm starting to suspect our previously agreed-upon plan might be flawed. If something manages to detect our mental link and react accordingly, that would be troublesome. Therefore, I think it might be better to immediately change our course of action based on any changes that occur.}

As Gao Hai explained, he quickened his pace, leading everyone toward the village ahead.

As night fell, a faint red glow appeared in the distant village, and paper figures carrying red lanterns could be seen wandering aimlessly.

At the same time, at the entrance of Lijia Village under the sunlight, Li Ziyong took the old pipe out of his mouth, turned around and looked back at the village with an uncertain expression. His gaze seemed to penetrate the buildings and go directly to the ancestral hall located in the village.

"Chief, what happened?"

A villager standing next to Li Ziyong asked cautiously. Other villagers standing at the village entrance also seemed uneasy. The violent explosion that had just come from the forest seemed to have startled everyone, and these villagers were now unsure of what was going on.

"...Without further instructions from the Mountain God, all operations shall proceed as usual."

After a moment of silence, Li Ziyong gently shook his head and spoke in a calm tone.

Meanwhile, on the forest path leading to [Li Family Village], the man nicknamed [Cat Brother] had stopped with his two teammates and looked at the blurry figure in a black suit that had suddenly appeared ahead.

That was a "teacher" that Gao Hai had deliberately left behind before kicking the paper figure away, intended to provide support for the operation in Li Family Village.

Further away, police officers were also hidden in the shadows, standing silently in the woods, waiting for Gao Hai's instructions.

Chapter 31: Stepping into the Village of Paper Dolls and the Gazes That Reappear

Liu Family Village

According to what Gao Hai overheard at the banquet, this so-called "Liu Family Village" was actually fake and not the real Liu Family Village.

However, judging from the villagers' behavior, Gao Hai didn't think they were capable of playing any tricks involving alternate dimensions. Therefore, this fake "Liu Family Village" was very likely created using the power of the mountain god, and even if it was, the mountain god might not be able to fully control this space.

Otherwise, the villagers wouldn't have worried that their group would come into contact with something they shouldn't, and wouldn't have specifically discussed it at the banquet. Furthermore, based on the events of the first playthrough, these villagers have consistently only appeared near the mountain god temple within the [Liu Family Village] space, without ever approaching the village itself. This is also a very obvious issue. Whether they didn't want to approach, were unwilling to approach, or were unable to approach, the difference between the two is quite significant.

So, the next step is to verify this.

While deep in thought, Gao Hai had already spotted the entrance to the village ahead.

Be careful, there are night watchmen in Liu Family Village. If we encounter that thing, we must immediately go inside and hide. We absolutely must not confront it head-on.

At this moment, Miko Yotsuya earnestly reminded everyone through the mental link, while Ichiri Goto, who was following behind the group, had never put down his guitar from the beginning, and had been preparing to use this blessing item.

In the distance, paper figures carrying lanterns could be vaguely seen. Perhaps because they had not yet entered the village, these paper figures did not approach and continued to wander aimlessly.

Gao Hai's attention had shifted from the village entrance to Goto Ichiri at the back. After his first playthrough, a crucial question he needed to answer was whether Ichiri could enter [Liu Family Village] normally. After all, among the players present, she was the only one whose name wasn't on the invitation, and it would be troublesome if she were teleported back to that abandoned village.

"call……"

Goto Ichiri herself was aware of this, so as soon as the girl approached the village entrance, she quickly played the guitar and created a clone beside her.

If they are unable to enter the village and are teleported again, Ichiri will use the guitar's ability to change the order of her and her clone's actions, allowing the clone to be teleported in her place, and then stay outside the village to support Takami and her group.

Floating in mid-air, Kita was also looking at Ichiri with great tension, worried that his friend might encounter problems again and be forced to be alone.

Fortunately, Liu Family Village on this side didn't seem to have the same problems as Li Family Village. Yili easily stepped into the village without encountering any rejection.

I successfully logged in without any problems.

Through the temporary link established by the object of obsession, Ichiri said to Takahashi with a little nervousness.

Okay, let's move on. First, find a safe house, then start searching for houses that might contain fox statues!

Gao Hai nodded, then turned his attention back to the village ahead.

At this moment, the entire team had already stepped into the village, officially crossing the stone inscribed with "Liu Family Village" and entering the area covered by earthen houses.

You can feel the temperature around you continuing to drop.

However, so far the atmosphere inside the village is not much different from the first playthrough. It seems that even if the existence of the paper dolls is confirmed, as long as the paper dolls in the line of sight are killed on the spot with aerial bombs, the paper dolls in other areas will not trigger chain hatred.

So next...

Ok?

I instinctively sensed something.

A split-second instinct for danger caused Gao Hai's attention to quickly shift in a certain direction.

Then, before he could react, his thinking had already slowed down rapidly.

In that instant, I felt the gaze of something, projected from a distant place.

A chilling cold almost instantly enveloped my entire body.

Even though it was just a gaze, merely a gaze fixed on him, Gao Hai felt incredibly uncomfortable, as if his consciousness and body were being torn apart at that moment, as if his layers of structure were being uncontrollably peeled away, and as if every cell was being spied on and observed at will.

"call……"

The next moment, that feeling vanished completely.

The gaze that was watching him merely glanced at him casually, and then ignored him completely.

What's happening here?

Gao Hai was somewhat confused. He could certainly recognize that it was the Mountain God's gaze, but he couldn't understand why the Mountain God would suddenly cast its gaze upon him and observe him. After all, this was only the beginning of the second playthrough; he hadn't interacted with any villagers or had any formal interaction with Li Family Village. Under these circumstances, the Mountain God shouldn't have noticed him at all, yet it inexplicably glanced at him right from the start.

Even though the other party only glanced at them casually before losing interest and no longer paying attention to Gao Hai and the others, displaying the same arrogance as in the first playthrough, this unusual behavior itself spoke volumes, and Gao Hai simply couldn't ignore it.

Why is this happening?

When Jianzi and the others entered Liu Family Village during the first playthrough, they didn't attract the attention of the mountain god. Why is that thing looking at them now?

"Um...that is..."

The girls beside them also reacted at this moment. Cold sweat broke out on Maki's forehead, and their forward movements became more or less distorted. Miko even almost fell to the ground. They had all been watched by the mountain god for a split second, and this caused a strong reaction.

Was everyone being watched?

Was it because our large group entered Liu Family Village that we attracted the attention of the mountain god? So, it's just because there are so many of us?

If that's the case, it seems there's no need to worry too much for the time being.

Gao Hai breathed a slight sigh of relief.

{senior……}

Then, he heard Miko's slightly trembling voice beside him.

The moment he realized the situation was dire, Takami turned to look at Miko and activated Chiyo Hachiya's blessing, preparing to adjust Miko's memories.

But even faster than Takami's was the rate at which Yotsuya Miko's condition deteriorated.

Click!

A crack appeared on the girl's beautiful face.

Bang! ! !

The next moment, Jianzi's head exploded, and the splattered blood stained the street and splashed onto everyone.

Dark red vines spread across her neck, and a vibrant blood-red flower followed, growing from her mutilated neck.

"See……"

Gao Hai's shout didn't even get out.

The girl, whose head had been replaced by flowers, reached out and ripped out Gao Hai's heart in the next moment.

Chapter 32: It's beautiful, it's gorgeous, it's inside you, accept it!

A sharp pain spread through my chest.

The bright red color is scattering and splashing everywhere.

The girls around him reacted differently, all of them shocked and astonished, and immediately began to respond.

Gao Hai did not move.

In that instant, he made no move, but silently stared at Yotsuya Miko in front of him, or rather... something that should have been Yotsuya Miko.

The blood-red flowers have replaced the girl's head.

The flowers, covered in vibrant colors, defied identification of their specific species, only conveying their splendor and magnificence. The flowers themselves appeared to be entirely formed from the congealed blood of the seed, yet upon closer inspection, they seemed to be still flowing, maintaining a dual state of liquid and solid.

If he had simply discovered and admired such a unique flower somewhere, Gao Hai estimated that his feelings would not have been so complicated.

Hmm... Now that my heart has been ripped out, can I cosplay as Bi Gan?

Feeling the intense pain of having his heart ripped out of his body, Gao Hai's thoughts drifted slightly before returning to normal.

Regardless, this attack was incredibly fast.

So sudden, so unexpected, without any clear warning, that Gao Hai had no time to prepare and was immediately hit hard.

The question now is, why did it turn out this way?

Gao Hai must figure out the specific reasons for this change and the root cause of the problem.

He could clearly sense that the strange power had now taken over Miko's body, and that the girl's own consciousness had been annihilated and ceased to exist.

Even with Hirano Sosuke's blessing of immortality, resurrection is impossible if the holder has already lost their own self. At most, they would only be able to resurrect a humanoid lump of flesh devoid of humanity and reason.

Once again, Yotsuya Miko died right at the start of the dungeon.

And this was the fastest time yet, less than half an hour from the start of the second playthrough until now. Unlike last time when Takami wasn't around to protect her, this time Miko died right in front of him. Throughout the entire process, Takami had no time to react effectively; he could only watch helplessly as she died before him, then was possessed by a strange power and transformed into a manipulated monster.

Why is this happening?

Time seemed to stand still at that moment. The pain from the wound in his chest did not interfere with Gao Hai's thinking speed. He stared at the girl in front of him whose head was broken and replaced by a strange, bright flower, and his thinking speed became faster and faster.

The mountain god of Little Black Mountain cast a gaze toward itself and the entire player team.

The gaze held little emotion; it seemed to merely glance at him casually before ignoring the situation. Indeed, just like its behavior during the first playthrough, it held a contemptuous attitude towards all players. Therefore, even though Gao Hai had acted so strangely and irrationally at the start, the Mountain God merely glanced at him, without seriously observing or confirming the situation.

But just that one glance was enough to kill Yotsuya Miko.

There was no doubt that she saw something.