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

Liang's voice came from outside the door a step late. She sounded very anxious, but the reason for her anxiety did not seem to be entirely due to the current situation of the team members being separated. Rather, it was a problem that should have been taken seriously earlier, but had been ignored because of the monster's attack.

time?

Hongxia turned her head and looked at the clock hanging in the foyer, which she hadn't noticed before.

22:28

The hands of the clock and the electronic display showed Hongxia this extremely critical moment.

There are only two minutes left until curfew.

The three people present didn't actually know what would happen when curfew arrived. But that didn't stop them from understanding the potential danger of this repeatedly emphasized time, nor did it prevent them from trying their best to avoid that period. Therefore, Hongxia immediately realized the problem and quickly warned the two people outside the door.

"It's already 10:28, only two minutes left. It'll be dark in two minutes, hurry up! Let's go!"

Hongxia slammed her fist on the door and shouted at the two people outside.

"What a joke! I would never leave you here! Why can't I break down this damn door?!"

But Xingge obviously couldn't abandon her sister and run away, so Hongxia's words only made her angrier and made her bang on the door even louder.

No, this can't go on.

Hongxia only had a vague feeling, but Liang, who was in the corridor, could clearly sense that something's gaze was beginning to be directed in her direction.

The time is almost up.

If we can't leave before those things actually appear, I'm afraid...

[It's time to go. I have too little power at my disposal right now. If those things catch up, I won't be able to protect all three of you at the same time, especially with one of you already "isolated." You know what to do, so be quick.]

Gao Hai's voice had already resonated deep within Liang's heart.

"...Then can you protect Hongxia?"

Liang's voice trembled, yet she still managed to ask the question with difficulty.

Yes, just like you think.

The subsequent reply calmed the girl's breathing.

Pull the string off the doll hanging around your neck.

Liang rushed to the door of room 109, which remained locked, and shoved the doll through the crack in the door.

It was amazing. No matter how you looked at it, the squirrel plush toy couldn't possibly fit through the narrow door gap, but Liang only needed to apply a little force, and the toy was successfully stuffed inside and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

So, Hongxia's safety issue has been temporarily resolved. In contrast, I will be unprotected for the time being.

"I'm so sorry, manager. And Hongxia, please don't die!"

Clenching his fist, Liang punched Xingge on the head, knocking her unconscious, and then carried her upstairs.

For Liang and Xingge, the biggest test of survival at this moment was whether they could get into 304 before those things appeared.

As for Hongxia, after confirming that Liang's footsteps were far away and that Xingge was no longer banging on the door, she collapsed to the ground, exhausted, and only recovered slightly after catching her breath for a while.

Next, I'll be all alone here.

The girl trembled at the thought, overwhelmed by a strong sense of fear.

Are you scared?

But the next moment, when Gao Hai's gentle voice entered Hong Xia's mind, and when she saw the little squirrel doll crawling in through the crack in the door, Hong Xia's heart, which was originally in extreme fear, suddenly regained its confidence and support.

"I...I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid."

Although her tone of voice still lacked confidence, it was clear that her mental state had stabilized.

[If you're not afraid, then start taking action now; this apartment building is about to become even more dangerous.]

Then, Gao Hai's voice, now carrying a teasing tone, entered Hongxia's mind. Hongxia reached for the squirrel plush toy, hugged it to her chest, and then picked up her own flashlight, which had fallen to the ground. Hmm, the light is flickering a bit; it seems to have been damaged in the fall, but it still works for now and can be used for illumination.

Then, Hongxia took a deep breath, trying to suppress the trembling in her hands and feet, and looked again at the clock hanging in the foyer of room 109.

22:31

This time, the numbers look rather ominous.

Chapter Fifteen: The Investigation of Nijika Ijichi's Dark Room

Nijika Ichi is not a very brave girl.

Like most ordinary girls, she's afraid of ghost stories and horror movies, especially those sudden, startling scenes. She can even cry from fright when visiting haunted houses. In this respect, Hongxia's courage is actually below average. Her older sister, Xingge, is even more timid, unable to sleep after watching horror movies and needing to hug a pillow to feel safe.

It's obvious, however, that some things in this world are beyond your control, whether you like them or not, accept them or not. When they truly come before you, all you can do is face them. After all, problems don't disappear just because you choose to run away, especially problems that are clearly meant to kill you. The choice between life and death is always incredibly cruel, but it's precisely in such situations that people can unleash a tenacious will they couldn't normally muster. Perhaps that's a kind of rock and roll?

Ugh, did I really use a metaphor like "cold" to describe myself? Seriously, am I going insane?

open one's eyes.

The girl's dark red eyes followed the flickering light of the flashlight and looked into the dim room covered with large and small dark yellow paper strips, like the talismans used by Taoist priests and Yin-Yang masters in movies. Her breathing gradually became rapid.

You can hear faint sounds coming from inside the room, and you can feel the increasingly unsettling atmosphere gradually building up in this place.

Hongxia knew it wasn't her imagination; she, like Liang, was also a person with talent. However, unlike Liang, whose extraordinary talent had already manifested, Hongxia was currently similar to a spirited girl eating heartily under the gaze of a doll in a rotting room—she was still in a stage where her power hadn't awakened, and she only vaguely sensed some things.

Even with such a vague perception, Hongxia was already aware that she was in a very dangerous and critical situation.

"Huh...huh..."

There was no way to stop my heart from racing wildly.

I could feel every hair on my body standing on end, goosebumps all over my skin, and my hands and feet trembling uncontrollably.

Fear had gripped every vein and nerve in her body. If it weren't for some other reason, the girl might have already lost the will to resist and might have fainted from extreme terror.

However, there are no "what ifs" in this world. At least for now, she is still conscious and can still do something. Therefore, remaining motionless in place is definitely not the right choice. She must move, she must move as soon as possible. Liang and her sister are still outside, still heading towards 304. She must leave this place as soon as possible to join them. No matter what obstacles lie ahead, she must overcome them!

Are you scared?

A gentle, warm male voice, like basking in the winter sun, suddenly resounded in the girl's heart.

"N-nothing... I'm fine... I'm okay, I'm not scared, I won't be scared!"

The girl's answer was reluctant, probably because she knew that her words wouldn't be very convincing. Hongxia imitated Ichiri by patting her chest a few times, taking a few deep breaths, and then raising her head with a resolute expression, looking as fierce as a warrior about to go to the battlefield.

Of course, it's certain that Hongxia's current demeanor will immediately crumble and she'll revert to her original state once she actually sees the monster. After all, Gao Hai can clearly sense just how terrified the child is right now.

However, he wasn't exactly a pressure drummer, so there was no need to make the atmosphere too tense, and he didn't think Hongxia needed to put in too much effort in this matter. In fact, Gao Hai already had a vague premonition that as long as he could successfully defeat the [Hospital] this time and completely resolve this crisis, then the [Sacrifice Game] would be pretty much over and wouldn't be able to continue.

In other words, whether it's Nijigasaki, Ryo, or Yurikawa Hana whose current situation is unknown, as long as they survive this crisis, they won't need to worry about the [Sacrifice Game] anymore. From this perspective, they're actually quite lucky. After all, the high school girls Takahashi rescued in the [School Ghost Stories] instance had to continue participating in the instance after surviving, and it's unknown how many of them are still alive.

In short, while the progress of other players is going relatively smoothly and I don't need to expend too much effort on this phase, I'll try to find ways to guide Hongxia and provide assistance, in order to help her survive as much as possible.

You've probably already noticed, haven't you? The surrounding environment has changed.

Gao Hai said earnestly to Hong Xia.

"Yes... the rooms here are completely different from the ones I had last time."

Hongxia nodded with difficulty, then looked around again.

If the room felt old and decaying when Shizuko Ogiyama and the others were still there, then what Nijika feels now is that it's almost rotten.

Sofas, carpets, walls, ceilings... these things present an extremely bizarre appearance, like organic matter such as chunks of meat gradually rotting. For example, the sofa that originally looked normal is now a deep red color as if it has been soaked in blood, and there are many tears on the sofa. Looking into these tears, you can see a lot of blood and flesh residue mixed with cotton springs, emitting an extremely disgusting smell.

As for those notes, those notes that looked very strange no matter how you looked at them, Hongxia couldn't understand why they were there. She just instinctively felt that the incomprehensible words written on these notes were very eerie, and she felt a chill run down her spine just by looking at them.

So, have you found anything noteworthy or worth investigating here?

Gao Hai's voice rang out again, and Hong Xia was slightly stunned when she heard this. Then she realized that Gao Hai was reminding her that now was not the time to run away from the problem. If she wanted to survive, she had to overcome her fear and at least have the courage to investigate the current situation.

"here……"

The girl forced herself to pay attention to the room, which reeked of decay.

She quickly noticed that although the living room had undergone a complete transformation compared to before, the overall layout of the room was not significantly different from the previous 109 living room; in fact, it was essentially the same.

Of course, since the statement is "not much difference", it naturally means that differences still exist.

Hongxia had already figured out the source of the difference. In fact, she discovered it very quickly. For a little girl who had been responsible for housework since she was very young, changes in the furnishings inside the house were very obvious to Hongxia. She would quickly notice any subtle changes.

"The wall clock is missing."

The girl whispered the first difference.

She looked at the place in the living room where a wall clock should have been placed, but now there was only an old wall there, and she could faintly feel the wall itself trembling as if it were breathing.

[Very good, you've found an interesting point. The rules in the apartment lobby clearly emphasize the importance of time, yet the wall clock in room 109 has disappeared without a trace. This might hold some hidden meaning. Besides this, have you noticed anything else?]

Like a true teacher, Gao Hai gently guided Hong Xia's thinking.

"There's something else... Let me think... I feel like the bedroom door that was closed before but is now open... Hmm, I have a feeling there might be something behind that door? I just don't know if it's good or bad..."

With the help of Takami, Ichi Nijika's senses are gradually awakened.

She began to notice her increasingly different sensory abilities and started to gradually understand "another world".

Before, when Ryo was still by her side, because the exploration missions were always led by Ryo himself, Hongxia basically never had a chance to truly use her own talent, and therefore had no way of knowing what level her abilities in this area were at. Unexpectedly, now that they have been forced to split up due to the power of the monsters, she has had time to gradually understand and begin to truly know those things that she couldn't understand or had no chance to understand before.

However, this feeling is not pleasant.

The better her perception, the more Hongxia could sense the malicious auras that were spying on her. Being surrounded and watched by unknown monsters was an extremely unpleasant feeling. She could understand not understanding it before, but now that she could truly feel it bit by bit, Hongxia was momentarily at a loss in the face of this malice, unsure of what to do. It was only after Gao Hai coughed lightly in her mind that Hongxia snapped back to reality, took a deep breath, and continued forward.

tread--

As the footsteps landed, the beam of the flashlight flickered faintly in the dark room.

tread--

Amidst the clear sound of footsteps, the scattered slips of paper fluttered and trembled without any wind.

"Is this the bedroom?"

In the darkness, only the flashlight in the girl's hand emitted a cold white light, providing her with a little illumination.

She had reached the end of the living room. In front of her, the slightly ajar, dark red door swayed gently, as if wriggling like some living thing.

Hongxia remembered that when she was invited in by Shizuko Ogiyama, the door was closed. As a guest at the time, she didn't try to open the door out of politeness, but learned from Shizuko Ogiyama that there was actually a bedroom behind the door.

[What should you do next when entering an unknown area?]

Gao Hai suddenly asked a question, and after carefully adjusting her breathing, Hong Xia slowly walked to the half-open bedroom door.

A rotten smell wafted out from inside the door.