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

It was a dilapidated area of ​​buildings that had been abandoned for many years, completely dark and without any lights.

This is the place the historian led Gao Hai and Kaguya to after their phone call. According to the phone call, Tang Yuan and the others chose this place to test the complex obsession, the Throne of Mind, and nearly killed three players who volunteered to participate in the experiment.

The reason for choosing this location for testing is quite simple: they hope Gao Hai will participate in the experiment. In case anything goes wrong, they also want to get help from Gao Hai. After all, after the [Infant Cry Village] instance, the [Historians] have a fairly clear understanding of how powerful Gao Hai is. In their view, if the [Throne of Mind] malfunctions, Gao Hai will be the one who can solve the problem the fastest and best.

These players didn't hide their intentions; from the beginning, they planned to use Gao Hai's power. While Gao Hai hadn't agreed to participate in the experiment, he would have agreed to help if problems arose. This became the cause of Tang Yuan's phone call tonight, and the reason why Gao Hai and Kaguya were in this abandoned area.

To be honest, Gao Hai was quite reluctant to come at first.

While it was true that he had promised to help if anything happened, the timing was truly inconvenient for Takahashi. He had just spent a pleasant afternoon with Kaguya and was planning to enjoy another pleasant evening. Then a phone call ruined his plans. Therefore, although he eventually came, Takahashi wasn't in a good mood and was quite annoyed, wanting to punch something.

"Did they really have to choose such a gloomy place to put that machine?"

Before even meeting the historians, Gao Hai couldn't help but complain as he looked at the eerie ruins ahead.

"Perhaps it's to cover up the truth, or perhaps they're worried that if the machine malfunctions, it will affect ordinary people?"

Having changed into clothes that allowed for easy movement, Kaguya cautiously observed her surroundings while simultaneously replying to Takami.

Not far away, countless tiny black insects, barely visible to the naked eye, were rapidly gathering. Soon, a gaunt, old-man-like figure emerged from the swarm. This person was none other than Ogawa Itsuki, one of the leaders of the important player faction [Market] in the Japanese region, and also the first large player faction leader that Takahashi had come into contact with. Takahashi had just finished contacting Maki and the others, telling them to be prepared for any problems, when this person sent a message, providing further details about the specific coordinates and situation on the [Historian's] side, and quickly began contacting other player factions in Tokyo.

However, before Gao Hai arrived, none of the players, including Xiao He Shu, attempted to forcibly break through these abandoned buildings. This was partly due to everyone's trust in Gao Hai's abilities, and partly because the abandoned buildings themselves were so unusual that everyone was somewhat hesitant to try.

"We still haven't received any response to our calls to the people inside the abandoned building. Those who went in earlier can't be located using spatial artifacts either, and they haven't answered our calls either. This situation is really strange. Our people suspect that the [Throne of Mind] may have encountered a serious problem."

Xiaoheshu, who came up to Gao Hai, didn't waste any words and went straight to the point.

Yes, since the Historian sent out the call, none of the players who arrived here have been able to find any members of the Historian. The players who entered the abandoned building area first have all disappeared without a trace, and no one has successfully returned.

Considering that the group of historians often does dangerous things, players who know them begin to suspect that they may have accidentally caused some big trouble. As a result, no one from any organization dares to explore this abandoned building until the arrival of Gao Hai, the recognized strongest expert.

Yes, so that's the situation.

Gao Hai listened to Xiao Heshu's explanation, nodded slightly, and did not speak.

His mental energy had already spread throughout the abandoned buildings, scanning them thoroughly multiple times. At first, Gao Hai didn't notice anything amiss, only discovering that there seemed to be no trace of any living people inside. After several more careful scans, Gao Hai vaguely sensed a subtle anomaly in one area of ​​this abandoned region. This anomaly was remarkably subtle; even stimulating it with his mental energy yielded no response. It was precisely because of this that Gao Hai believed it was highly likely that the historians and other players who had disappeared after investigating the situation had vanished after coming into contact with this anomaly.

{Alice, I scanned the area with unusual building patterns using my mental powers. Did you find anything?}

After some investigation, Gao Hai did not forget to seek more clues from another angle.

[Alice's Map Assistant is activated! Ahem, the area marked by the teacher is the original site of a hospital in this neighborhood. However, due to economic recession and other reasons, this area was abandoned before development was completed. But the general outline of the hospital has been reconstructed, although only the outer shell has been finished. In addition, according to Japanese police records, this ruin was also used as a hiding place for some murderers. Yes, it's that abandoned hospital building.]

A cute girl's voice, tinged with a touch of mischievousness, quickly rang in Gao Hai's ears.

Just like when he and Miko went to a private hospital in the middle of the night to track down KP, this spirit form of Alice, who was usually nowhere to be seen and whose whereabouts were unknown, would immediately respond whenever Takami seriously called upon her when he was dealing with something important. It was as if she had always been by Takami's side, silently observing his actions and waiting for the moment when he truly needed her.

Thinking about it this way, I feel that my own split spirit is getting more and more out of sorts. Should I really not have used the [Alice] personality template?

"Kaguya and I will go in to investigate. You guys guard the outside and don't let anyone else in."

A few scattered thoughts did not disrupt Gao Hai's actions. He quickly gave instructions to Xiao Heshu, then exchanged a glance with Kaguya, and the two began to walk together toward the abandoned building area ahead.

In the dead of night, under the dim sky, a cold wind suddenly blew up, rustling up the fallen leaves on the ground and bringing a strange chill to the players guarding the area.

Aside from Kaguya, Takami had informed all the other girls on the way here, letting them know the general situation and telling them to be careful and not rush over recklessly. Therefore, none of the others had arrived yet; only Takami and Kaguya reached the entrance of the building whose exterior tiles weren't even finished.

"Our nice date turned into an investigation, do you need me to make it up to you in some way?"

As Gao Hai spoke, he turned to look at the black-haired girl beside him.

"Don't worry too much about it. Actually, I'm quite happy to have the opportunity to test my strength first. As for the compensation for the date, let's talk about that after Gao Jun and I figure out what happened here and rescue everyone."

Kaguya's attitude was quite carefree. Although she was a little angry when her date was interrupted at the beginning, she was now fully focused on the battle and had temporarily put aside less important things, including her sense of shame.

"Okay, let's go in together. Be careful, I suspect things might get ugly later."

Hearing this, Gao Hai nodded slightly and didn't say anything more. He took the lead and walked towards the dark, abandoned building gate.

Even at this distance, Gao Hai's senses still haven't given any feedback. It seems that only when he actually arrives at the destination will he be able to find something properly.

But it's a hospital again. Will this time be similar to the previous situation?

Gao Hai couldn't help but recall his investigation with Jianzi and Zhenfei, wondering if it would end in failure again. He also mentally replayed every word Tangyuan had said in his mind during the phone call. Hmm, those words… indeed, there was something off about both the tone and the content. Could she have been killed or possessed by something powerful?

[Mr. Gao, Mr. Gao, please come quickly! The third volunteer participating in the "Throne of Mind" experiment is having problems. He seems to have seen something, something that none of the rest of us can see, something only he can see. That thing is dangerous, that thing is sweet, it's trying to tempt us all, it's trying to reach us all...]

"Mr. Gao, Mr. Gao, the 'Throne of Thought' has experienced a loss of control over its obsessive-compulsive entities. Those entities pieced together on the experimental machine are going out of control at a speed we can't even react to. The entire experimental area is now almost in a state of chaotic flux between reality and unreality, and it seems something terrifying is using this change to gradually descend into the real world. I think the only person who can keep things under control at this time is you, Mr. Gao. Only you can enter here. Our coordinates are…"

[Mr. Gao, Mr. Gao, we hope you can arrive at our temporary testing area as soon as possible. Others have already begun to arrive. But they are not enough, they are far from enough. The problem here is becoming increasingly serious. If they come in, they will only become food, only become fodder. Only you, Mr. Gao, have the ability to solve this problem. Only you can. I can sense that thing seems to understand this as well, so perhaps... it is also looking forward to it...?]

Mr. Gao... please be very careful, something is wrong here...

Tangyuan didn't say much on the phone, and she barely responded to Gao Hai's replies, simply stubbornly continuing to speak at her own pace.

However, Tangyuan's voice was clearly influenced by some force during those conversations. Gao Hai wasn't sure how much of her words were genuine and how much were influenced by something else. He could only be certain that the last thing she said before hanging up was probably her own voice; he couldn't be sure about anything else.

tread--

Gao Hai, who took the first step, landed inside the gate of the abandoned hospital building.

The whispers of the players who had gathered around vanished in an instant, as if they had never existed.

Absolute darkness enveloped Gao Hai's surroundings. In the deathly silence, Gao Hai had the illusion that he had arrived in a desolate place where nothing else existed and he was all alone.

hum-

A soft, shimmering light emanated from my side, dispelling the darkness and revealing the empty corridor and walls.

Kaguya appeared beside Takami, and the two held hands, exchanged a glance, and continued walking.

The source of that soft light was Kaguya Shinomiya's own [Crimson Domain]. Or more accurately, it was a [Domain] power that had been completely transformed into a new form after receiving the blessing of the Crimson Flower, under the combined influence of the power of the Crimson Flower and Kaguya's own consciousness.

The severed limbs and bloodstained marks that were originally formed from Chiyo Hachiya's own "mental image" no longer exist within Kaguya's summoned "domain." They have been replaced by an invisible, gentle aura and a mild light that will never sting the eyes. At the same time, the domain's healing abilities and spatial stability have been significantly enhanced, while its original life-stealing power has been somewhat reduced, making it arguably less aggressive than the original Crimson Domain.

In addition, Kaguya used a second power, a power directly derived from the blessing of the Blood Flower. This power can be seen as an anchor point, or rather, a series of anchor points. For this power to function, Kaguya needs to connect her spiritual energy with Takami or other close friends like Maki Hayasaka. With direct spiritual contact between them, Kaguya can activate the blessing, stabilizing the spatial structure between them. Even if someone is forcibly drawn into a special space by some supernatural force, others can use this chain of power to enter it as well, or pull them out of the special space—a remarkably useful ability.

Just now, after Gao Hai entered the special situation first, Kaguya activated this ability to enter it together, thus avoiding the situation where the two of them were separated to other places at the beginning.

"Alright, let's begin. Be careful, the atmosphere here isn't friendly."

Gao Hai, who had just said this casually, then took a step forward.

Interlude 4-26: Stepping into the depths of an abandoned building that is gradually becoming distorted and alienated.

Darkness stretched out at the end of the road.

The bare cement walls, devoid of any tile or wallpaper decoration, appeared murky under the light. Some bloodstains, clearly freshly splattered, exuded a pungent odor, while a chilling atmosphere gradually spread from the depths of the still-unending corridor.

tread--

With each step, a clear echo reverberated around them, as if someone was following behind, taking steps alongside the two who were moving forward.

This is no longer entirely a part of the real world.

Although there are still some differences between this and the real instance world, Gao Hai is certain that the place he and Kaguya are currently in has, to some extent, transformed into the spatial structure of the instance world. Therefore, the various physical and spacetime rules that would work in the real world have likely been corrupted and transformed here. Even if Kaguya's anchor point blessing can ensure that the two of them are not forcibly separated, there is still a possibility of danger if something attacks them.

It feels really welcoming; I never expected to adapt to this environment so well.

Even though a chilling sense of heaviness permeated the surroundings, Gao Hai felt a strange sense of peace. Compared to the sluggishness of daily life, he was much more at ease in this place teeming with strange creatures. It seemed that after experiencing multiple trials, he had become more adaptable to this dangerous environment, as if he was born to live in such a place. This feeling undeniably made Gao Hai somewhat nauseous, but he controlled this small emotion well and didn't show it in front of Kaguya.

{Gao Jun, are you still unable to sense any other traces?}

Kaguya's voice rang out through the mental link. The girl was closely following Takahashi's steps, carefully observing the surroundings. In fact, quite some time had passed since she and Takahashi entered the building, but the two had not detected any trace of any other players, neither the [Historians] nor the players who had entered the abandoned building first.

The spatial anomalies are becoming increasingly pronounced. On the first floor, we traversed the entire floor in less than two minutes, but now, on the fourth floor, the depth of the corridor is clearly abnormal. I suspect that as we venture further in, this place might gradually be distorted into some kind of alternate dimension. Only then will we have a chance to truly find the missing people. So until then, we must be extremely careful.

As Gao Hai continued forward, speaking through the mental link, the inhuman, abnormal aura he sensed grew increasingly stronger.

It was so dense, it felt as if you were already surrounded by those things.

But nothing has appeared in front of me yet. They seem to still be in another world, still... trapped in the instance space.

To be honest, I'm actually a little bit looking forward to it.

After all, only after truly facing these strange creatures can one know just how strong one is now. Although he managed to capture that strangely behaving KP in one move, the other party's state was quite abnormal and could not be considered a normal and complete KP. To truly get to know him, one must first look at the various monsters and demons in the dungeon.

Of course, Gao Hai did not lower his guard because of his strength. On the contrary, he had fully activated his mental power. Alice was also constantly scouting the surroundings at his command. It can be said that he was fully prepared to deal with any attack from any direction.

tread--

Stop.

Ahead, they reached the end of the corridor, and a staircase leading upwards came into view.

This building was originally intended to be used as an outpatient building. Its internal structure was not complex; it was simply a linear building with a straight corridor running through the floors, flanked by rooms for various purposes. However, because the building was abandoned before it was even completed, these rooms are all empty.

At each end of the corridor, there was a staircase leading upwards. Therefore, in order to explore the place as thoroughly as possible, Takami and Kaguya walked from one side to the other on each floor, reaching the end before going up the stairs. So, having reached the end of the fourth floor, they prepared to go up to the fifth floor and walk through the corridor there again.

As for why Gao Hai didn't try to directly destroy the walls or the building itself, but instead had to wander around inside, the reason is quite simple: doing so might mean those missing players would never return. After all, at this moment, the building has effectively become an alternate dimension. When inside the building, Gao Hai couldn't even use his mental power to sense the conditions of the floors above and below, which shows how severe the distortion inside was.

However, mere distortion wouldn't be a major problem. The key issue was that Gao Hai discovered that although the building was severely distorted, this distortion wasn't tightly integrated with the real world. It was like a piece of paper on a table; a slight breeze would blow it away, let alone destroying the table itself. Therefore, after confirming that the missing players had likely ventured deep into the alternate dimension, Gao Hai couldn't easily damage the place. Otherwise, the players would either be torn apart and killed by the shattered space or be swept into the instance space—a situation Gao Hai definitely didn't want to see.

So, the next floor is the fifth floor, or rather, the fifth floor as we currently understand it.

As Gao Hai spoke in the mental link, he stepped onto the stairs first, then instinctively glanced up and down the stairs.

{Okay, let's go together, Gao Jun}

Kaguya followed up with a powerful statement in the mental link, and immediately stepped into the stairwell in sync with Takahashi.

I could smell blood more clearly, along with the smell of disinfectant alcohol and various medicines.

There's no mistake, the higher the floor, the more severe the degree of spatial distortion.

With steady footsteps, Gao Hai and Kaguya slowly approached the upper floor, venturing deeper into the dark stairwell without any light source. This feeling made Gao Hai feel somewhat strange. Although they were clearly walking upwards, he couldn't help but have the illusion that he was falling into an abyss, gradually sinking into some bottomless darkness.

It's probably not just a misperception.

As Gao Hai pondered this, his gaze became increasingly sharp.

So, what exactly is hidden here, and what will greet me?

Even though he hasn't really sensed any movement or encountered any enemies yet, Gao Hai's fists have been clenching and unclenching repeatedly, and his aura is becoming stronger and stronger.

Snapped--

The footsteps as I stepped onto the fifth floor were noticeably crisper than before.

The reason is simple: this floor has tiled floors instead of plain concrete pavement.

Are we finally starting to see some interesting changes?

Looking up, under the power of Kaguya's luminous domain, Takahashi could clearly see the white tiled floor extending forward and the pale white walls painted on the surrounding walls. The rooms, which originally only had basic structural frameworks, were now blocked by doors, and each door was clearly sealed shut.