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

I don't want to die, ...—

Where is the doctor...?

The monster had regained its ability to move and, in its confused murmurs, continued to hold Xiaohua down tightly, choking her throat as if trying to kill her.

The girl, who had briefly regained her senses, struggled frantically, using all her strength to break free from the monster's grasp and escape the approaching death.

Thump—thump—

My heart was beating louder than ever before.

His trembling arms gradually stabilized, and his unfocused pupils regained focus.

The warm current originating from my chest and abdomen became clearer than ever before at this moment.

As the intense emotional stimulation spread through her body, resonating with this warm current, Xiaohua, who had been in a daze, suddenly regained consciousness. It was as if everything that had just happened was nothing but a dream, and now she was truly awake, just getting into the state of mind.

Then, her gaze shifted to the humanoid monster that was pinning her down, its cheek already mangled.

boom! ! !

In a flash of light as loud as thunder, the monster was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the barbed wire wall behind it. Its entire body was covered in burn marks from the high temperature, and its already battered head was smashed to pieces.

Black, foul blood began to flow from the severed opening at its neck, and within the foul blood, one could almost see howling human figures writhing.

Xiao Hua had already gotten up from the ground.

Stumbling to his feet amidst the golden light that enveloped his entire body, he reached out to steady himself on the overturned sofa beside him. High temperatures surged from Xiao Hua's hand, instantly igniting the sofa and turning it into a burning fireball.

"Is this... my extraordinary power talent?"

The girl, who hadn't expected to unleash such power, spoke with undisguised excitement.

What she didn't know was that the golden light emanating from her body had broken through the limitations of this distorted space. As a result, Miko, who was worried about whether Xiaohua had received the warning and hint she had sent out with her last effort, quickly turned her head and looked at the light and shadow spreading in the house with a surprised expression.

Meanwhile, further away, on the edge of this residential area, a figure was gazing into the distance, looking at a fleeting golden light in the darkness.

"The coordinates have been confirmed. The location of the energy reaction matches the refuge point for Ms. Yotsuya provided by Mr. Gao. There are no other rescue team signals around, so we should be the first rescue team to successfully enter this area."

"Is this the case? Then there's even less time to hesitate or delay. Even if the main Red Moon-level player team hasn't arrived, we still have to take action. Everyone, get ready. This might be the swan song of our [Sunflower] team."

"Everyone, let's go!"

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Girl Protected by Golden Light and Her Last Words from the Dark Land

light.

Bright, burning, intense light.

At this moment, Baihechuanhua seemed to transform into light, shimmering with golden light, dazzling beyond compare.

The monster that had previously grabbed Xiaohua by the neck, intending to strangle her to death, now had its clothes completely burned away, and its entire body was covered in ugly, terrifying black spots and cracks. It was only then that Xiaohua noticed that the monster's body, like its head, had a ceramic-like structure, and was extremely bizarre. Xiaohua found it difficult to describe this grotesque feeling in words; she could only say that the creature's body didn't look like a single person at all, but rather like the result of many different people pieced together.

Whether it's the distinctly different skin colors across its entire body, or the abnormally large and small limbs, the changes clearly exceed the limits of what a normal human body can tolerate. Moreover, although it's clearly a ceramic doll, after being burned, many parts of its body somehow acquire a fleshy texture, making it impossible to determine what it is. Furthermore, Xiaohua couldn't determine whether it was male or female, because after its clothes were burned away, the body revealed no gender characteristics whatsoever, not even a buttock crease.

But one thing is certain: this thing is still alive.

Having already made contact with the monster before, Xiaohua was certain of this.

The red light initially failed to work on this thing because it wasn't a fully-fledged monster, but rather acting as if it were alive. Therefore, within the blood-red domain's perception, this monster would be considered human, or an animal like a cat or dog, thus rendering it ineffective.

However, its structure does indeed contain eerie elements, though these twisted things are hidden within its shell. Without revealing themselves, the red light cannot detect and expel them. This is precisely why the red light was sometimes effective and sometimes ineffective when Xiaohua was attacked.

Such a thing... is a shell made by living people, specifically designed to contain the power of ghost stories.

Although the exact mechanism is unknown, it seems that this is how beings originally belonging to the world of ghost stories can more easily enter the real world. That "hospital," that place that constantly proclaims its mission to "save" and "bring happiness," did it end up doing this kind of thing?

"I'm angry."

Xiao Hua puffed out his cheeks and spoke very seriously.

"You inexplicably appeared and harmed so many people, and even got me into this place. And Xiaojianzi's injury must be related to you and those things like you. You are all bad guys, all evil people, so I will punish you!"

The girl, who had made such a fierce declaration, took a step forward the next moment, and the golden light around her body followed suit, making Xiao Hua shine as if she had been made into a golden statue.

boom--

With a loud bang, the ceramic monster was struck by the golden light emanating from Xiao Hua's body, and was sent flying, crashing heavily into the barbed wire wall, its entire body covered in more cracks and burn marks.

Although Xiao Hua was completely unable to precisely control his power, he could only wastefully envelop his entire body in the scorching golden light and release it outwards. Therefore, the actual power he unleashed was not much; perhaps only 30% of his power successfully hit the enemy. However, it was clear that the ceramic monster was even weaker. As a result, after taking Xiao Hua's rather ineffective attack, it immediately began to fall apart, unable to even maintain its basic form.

Doctor...I need...doctor...

The monster, its entire body disintegrating over a large area, uttered a muffled murmur at its last moment.

"what!"

Xiao Hua had no intention of listening to the thing's continued rambling. She forcefully slapped forward with her palm, unleashing another golden flash that completely shattered the monster into a pile of blood-soaked ceramic shards.

Does this mean we've dealt with the monster?

The girl did not lower her guard because of the enemy's annihilation. Instead, she stood still and observed for a while. She was slightly relieved when she saw that the pile of fragments on the ground did not show any signs of coming back to life. But then she thought for a moment, slapped the fragments twice, and used the golden flames on her body to turn all the fragments into powder. Only then did she finally feel at ease.

Yes, as Mr. Gao Hai said, these strange creatures have extremely strong immortality. Even derivatives, which are theoretically killable, are often difficult to actually kill. So we must make sure that the enemy has really been eliminated. Even the corpse must be sliced ​​up and burned!

Xiao Hua recalled Gao Hai's teachings in his heart, and increased the force of his fire-starting technique until there was no more visible pile of ashes left before he finally stopped.

"Phew, this should solve the problem, right?"

The girl, who was muttering to herself, shook her hands, looked at her hands that were glowing with golden light, blinked, and her face was filled with curiosity.

This is my superpower.

It feels incredibly warm. It's like after this thing emerged from my body, I became completely oblivious to the temperature outside. Is this some kind of flame? Or is it some kind of ki like a Saiyan's? Hmm, it's hard to understand, but anyway, I've become stronger now, incredibly strong, right? Haha, with this kind of power in hand, I should be able to handle that monster that attacked me not long ago, right?

Thinking this, Xiao Hua raised her head, her heart filled with pride.

Undeniably, after successfully defeating a derivative monster that was not even at the Twilight level using her awakened extraordinary power, Yurikawa Hana was in a state of overflowing confidence and extreme inflation, and no longer took the monster she had previously feared seriously.

In short, let's move on to something deeper.

Before taking her first step, Xiao Hua glanced down at her phone and saw the message: "Defense: 7%". She immediately realized that the power of the red light could probably only protect her from one more attack from the monster. After that, the red light would dissipate without being replenished, and she would be completely unprotected, as well as lose the means to banish the monster.

But it's okay, I've awakened real superpowers now. Even without using the red light to protect myself, I can still defeat the enemy. No problem!

The confident young girl strode forward, jogging along the dark, gloomy, rusty wire mesh corridor.

The gloomy atmosphere that had been permeating the surroundings vanished without a trace under the golden light emanating from Xiao Hua herself. Under the influence of such a large spotlight, the girl no longer needed to worry about not being able to see the road and could simply keep moving forward.

After advancing for about two or three minutes, Xiao Hua successfully discovered another area that was different. This time, he found several small boxes, a soft mattress that looked like it was being used as a bed, and... a skeleton lying on the mattress.

"Hey?"

Unexpectedly, Xiao Hua saw a complete human skeleton. Her first reaction upon seeing it was to stop and observe. Then, remembering that she had become stronger, she boldly walked forward and went directly to the skeleton to observe the surroundings.

Judging from the dark marks on the cushion and the dagger in the skeleton's hand, Xiaohua suspected that the person might have committed suicide here. However, the girl didn't have any professional forensic knowledge, and the corpse had clearly been dead for many, many years, to the point that the flesh had completely decomposed, leaving only bones. Therefore, she could only speculate in her mind and couldn't make any professional judgment.

Of course, although there was no way to do an autopsy, Xiao Hua could still see that there were many cracks in the bones of the body, and one of the lower legs was broken in two. It is estimated that the body suffered a lot of pain before it died.

She then carefully searched the area, which resembled an abandoned outpost, and found a note pressed under the skeleton. The writing on the note was slightly blurry, but it was still barely legible.

Are these words...the last words of the victims?

This was a mistake; we've lost our way here.

Those voices were constantly ringing out, coming from outside the barbed wire fence, from all around us, tempting us again and again.

How long is this road? Why can't we reach the end, and why can't we return to where we started? Did this corridor become an endless, enclosed space the moment we entered? If so, why were we able to bring in supplies from outside to establish a safe point in the first place? Is this blockade based on how far we've traveled?

In any case, we're trapped. We can't leave this place, and this place... doesn't want us to leave either.

We have lost two companions. One of them suffered a mental breakdown and escaped into the dark area, never to return. The other suddenly broke down crying after a long period of activity, then suddenly said he heard a sound, and without hesitation set off to search for it, before also disappearing without a trace.

I wish they were both dead. Damn it, I can't even remember their names, and the memories of what happened with them are fading. The only thing I remember about them is their disappearance; I can still recall it now.

I know why. Having been in this awful place for so long, I'm starting to understand it better and better. All the good memories, even the less painful ones, can gradually fade under the influence of this place, becoming impossible to recall. Neither names nor experiences can be preserved.

[Only three people remained; the other two had gone ahead to scout. Did they still think we could get out of here? What a naive idea. I've given up hope. I can't remember many things anymore; all I can recall are the arduous days I spent in this hellhole, the countless painful experiences I endured. Continuing to live like this... it has no meaning for me anymore.]

But I know I have a way to be saved; I know I have another way to truly escape this hell.

I can hear that voice, growing clearer and clearer. It's telling me to cry for help, to seek medical help. Yes, yes, if I seek a doctor's help, my illness can be cured, I can recover, I can be happy, I can have eternal happiness.

[These past few days, that voice has rang in my ears countless times. As I repeatedly experience the torment of this terrible place, the voice keeps talking to me, trying to persuade me to accept it, trying to brainwash me and change my mind.]

[Sounds really appealing, doesn't it? Haha, all I can say is, screw you!]

I'm no longer afraid of dying.

Therefore, I will never be swayed by you, and I will never choose the agonizing "happiness" you offer. Don't try to fool me; I will not make that choice.

Next, I will leave this world. I can no longer remember if my parents are still alive, whether I am married with children, or whether I have any close friends. My memories are filled with fragmented pieces, a painful experience pieced together from one fragment after another. So, in the final moments of my life, I bid farewell to everyone who is still alive, hoping that you will not end up in such a miserable state as I have, that you will not forget all happiness like I have, and be forced to become a pitiful creature captured by pain.

I would slit my own throat. I imagine it would be incredibly painful, but compared to being trapped in this rotten world, it would be nothing to me.

That's it. This is my last thing to say. Whoever sees this note doesn't need to be too polite to my corpse. You can even kick me away if you want, I won't know anyway...

The handwriting on this hastily written last message was quite different from the handwriting on several other written records that Xiaohua had seen before.

The girl silently read through the last words, memorizing the part about calling for help from a doctor, and then placed the note back into the skeleton's arms.

As for kicking the skeleton away, well, Xiaohua really can't do such a thing right now; in her opinion, it's a bit too immoral.

Besides the bodies that have already been discovered, there should have been two other survivors who ventured deep into this area, right?

I wonder if they'll find those two bodies again... Sigh, is there no way to save these poor people?

Feeling rather down, Xiao Hua continued deeper into the dark corridor, sighing helplessly to herself.

As she continued walking, the girl soon noticed another anomaly ahead.

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Fiery Forge Deep in the Darkness and the Girl's Adventure

The narrow corridor is gradually widening.

The ground, which was originally made of wire mesh, gradually turned into pieces of rusty iron plates pieced together, with iron nails visible at the edges of these plates.

Xiao Hua smelled a strong metallic rust smell, accompanied by a foul stench like something rotting, and a choking fumes from something burning.

Where have I ended up?

Somewhat puzzled, Xiao Hua took a few steps and slowly walked forward. She felt that the temperature around her was getting higher and higher as she walked, and gradually she even had a strange feeling that a hot wind was blowing in her face.

Is someone making a fire up ahead?