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

She felt as if she had sensed a gaze upon her just now.

"what?"

In the blink of an eye, the feeling of being watched returned and quickly enveloped the girl's entire body.

This time, the gaze was undisguised, staring directly at her. Liang even had the feeling that the other person was scanning her body from head to toe, scrutinizing every inch of her skin. This eerie feeling immediately sent chills down Liang's spine, and goosebumps rose all over her body... No, that's not right. This feeling... I can't seem to feel any distinct hot or cold temperatures? How strange, and my senses seem to have become more acute?

[Looks like you've recovered pretty well. How are you feeling? Not everyone gets to experience the kind of death where you're torn apart and dismembered.]

The next moment, before Liang could figure out what had happened to her, Gao Hai's voice rang in her mind.

"Mr. Gao Hai?"

Liang was stunned for a moment, not expecting to hear this voice.

Yes, it's me. You are currently under my protection, hidden inside that squirrel plush toy.

Gao Hai's reply came quickly, his voice carrying a faint echo.

"Am I... really dead? Was it all not a dream, but something that actually happened?"

Liang hesitated for a moment, still unsure of what was happening to her.

[Yes, you died. To be precise, your body died. You didn't discover the hidden information in time, so you were captured and killed by the strange creature moving in that room. This definitely happened. I think this experience must have been quite memorable for you, right? Have you learned anything from it?]

Gao Hai's voice sounded slightly lazy, but Liang had already confirmed the source of Gao Hai's voice based on her own senses. It was the invisible force that was always watching her.

So, was he observing and scrutinizing my body? Sigh, someone like Mr. Takami, who can practically be called a god, would also pay attention to a girl's body? And specifically, my body? It feels a bit out of character, but it's not so bad, considering he's already dating Pochi-chan and Kita, it's actually quite reasonable.

After a moment's thought, Liang slowly lowered her hands from her hands and sat up slightly. A faint blush appeared on the girl's cheeks, showing that making this decision was quite a challenge for her.

"If I am already dead, then what about me now? Am I a soul?"

The girl looked in the direction her gaze was directed, and although she uttered a question, her tone clearly indicated a confident answer.

That's right, you're just a soul now, which is why you can fit into such a small space. And in fact, I was able to save you largely thanks to your own efforts, though you may not have realized it.

Gao Hai had no intention of keeping Liang in suspense and immediately began explaining the situation.

I estimate that when that strange creature began trying to kill you, the physical pain and fear of death acted on your mind, causing you to instinctively separate your soul from your body in an attempt to escape the scene. In short, you essentially committed suicide before that thing could kill you; after all, for an ordinary person without powerful blessings, if the soul were completely separated from the body, it would be practically equivalent to death.

In short, because your soul left your body next to the cabinet, and coincidentally, the laptop containing a fragment of my domain's power was there, that fragment activated on its own, absorbing and protecting your soul. Then, sensing the soul fluctuations emanating from the domain fragment, I naturally had to check what was happening. And so, I discovered your already severely damaged consciousness, and through the connection between myself and the domain, I took your soul to my side for protection and healing.

[It seems the treatment is almost effective. Although the absence of a physical body might make it difficult to fully detect all the issues with your consciousness, at least you've recovered. However, there's something I need to tell you. Because you lost your body after your soul left your body, I can only use the limited power I've gained to try and create a new one for you. This new body will be directly connected to your soul, so it should be stronger than your previous one, but it will also require more time and effort to adapt to. Prepare yourself and adapt to the new body for a while.]

After briefly explaining the situation, Gao Hai successfully saw Liang's expression turn blank again. It seemed that knowing she could be resurrected with a new body had still quite shocked this snow-white-clad girl; it would probably take her a while to recover.

"I understand, thank you, Mr. Gao Hai. Without your help, I don't think I would have been able to survive here."

However, Liang's ability to accept things seemed to be better than Gao Hai had expected. This time, she only paused for a few seconds before reacting and bowing deeply to express her gratitude.

[There's no need to be so serious. After all, you're friends with Ichiri and Kita. If you can help take care of them, I certainly won't stand idly by.]

Gao Hai's tone remained casual, and he quickly noticed that Yamada Ryo, who had been quite serious, was gradually relaxing. It seemed that after Gao Hai had talked to her for so long, the girl had finally calmed down. It could only be said that she was quite vigilant.

"Will the new body be significantly different from the previous one?"

Liang raised her little hand to ask a question.

No, the body and soul correspond to each other, so there won't be much difference. What, are you unhappy with something about your body? I'm sorry, I'm probably not a good plastic surgeon, and I don't have time to waste on such trivial matters right now.

At this moment, Gao Hai was still instructing Hong Xia to carefully observe the situation in the corridor, so Liang's voice rang out a little later.

"No, I mean in terms of supernatural power. I can feel that there seem to be some changes happening to me, but I'm still not quite sure what those changes are. I think I'll only be able to truly utilize this power after I get a new body?"

Liang hesitated for a moment, but then said something else entirely.

Huh? She can actually sense it?

Gao Hai was genuinely surprised this time. Although he had guessed this possibility, he did not expect Liang's talent to be so exceptional.

Without immediately answering Ryo's question, Gao Hai's gaze lingered on one of her eyes. Even in her soul form, one of Ryo's eyes still shone with a blood-red hue, radiating a powerful aura that was imperceptible to ordinary people.

Ryo Yamada's soul was severely damaged. In order to heal her as quickly as possible, Takami used a considerable amount of his power. As a result, a portion of Takami's own power silently entered Ryo's soul and filled its depths.

In other words, Ryou has now become an extension of Takami's power, which is now close to godhood. Even if he cannot mobilize too much power due to limitations in strength, it does not prevent this blue-haired girl from becoming the person most closely related to Takami.

Hmm, the power is being channeled into her injured, bloodshot eye. I wonder if she'll be able to pull off something like "killing with her eyes" once her body is fully healed?

[Let's discuss this further after you regain your body; we can't give you an answer right now.]

Gao Hai ultimately decided to keep Liang in suspense and not tell her the possible situation directly, so as to avoid being proven wrong later.

“I understand. In any case, Mr. Gao Hai has indeed saved me more than once. So as a small token of my gratitude, if watching me like this brings Mr. Gao Hai some joy, please feel free to watch.”

However, the next moment, with Liang stretching his body with a serious expression and speaking words that were not at all false, Gao Hai suddenly couldn't hold back anymore.

Given this reaction, could it be that she can sense my gaze, and quite accurately at that?

Oh no, it seems my glorious image has been ruined.

I was just habitually and critically appreciating the primal beauty of humanity, so how come this girl's heightened perception allows her to precisely sense my gaze? Isn't that a bit odd? Shouldn't the focus be more on enhancing her perception of strange creatures?

Gao Hai wanted to defend himself, but looking at Liang's extremely serious expression, he thought about it again and again, and what came out was something else entirely.

Yes, it's really good. From a personal perspective, it's practically perfect.

Consider it a little lubricant for a tired mind. Besides, in a spiritual state, you can't see the pores. For someone with my extraordinary perception now, calling it perfect is not an exaggeration.

Perhaps due to excessive pressure, Gao Hai did not offer any explanation this time and simply went along with the other party's wishes.

Meanwhile, Hongxia, completely unaware of what was happening, continued forward. At the same time, Liang, under Gao Hai's instructions, shyly took action, Xingge slowly opened her eyes in the closet of room 304. She looked around somewhat blankly, rubbed the back of her head, which was a little sore for some reason, and then tried to sit up.

Boom!

"Ouch--"

Then it crashed into the cabinet door and went back.

Chapter 21: The Awakening and Observation Time of Ijichi Seika

"Ugh, my head hurts so much..."

She reached up and covered her forehead, which had been slammed hard. Her head was now throbbing from front to back, and tears welled up in her eyes. Her mind, which had been somewhat dazed from just waking up, quickly cleared up.

Where am I?

What happened before?

Why does it smell so awful? Did I get thrown into a septic tank?!

The stench was so intense, almost unimaginable and indescribable, that Xingge nearly vomited on the spot.

However, it was precisely because she could smell such a powerful scent as soon as she woke up that Xingge was now fully awake. She immediately recalled Hongxia being trapped in room 109, and in a panic, she jumped up from the closet, ready to rush out.

Boom! ! !

The next moment, she slammed her forehead against the cabinet door even harder, saw stars, and lay back down.

"pain……"

This time, Xingge, with tears streaming down her face and her forehead covered, lay in the cabinet for a long time before she recovered. She slowly got up and reached out to touch the cabinet door to avoid bumping into it again.

She rummaged around in the closet and quickly found a flashlight lying in the corner. Judging from the feel, it was probably the one she had used before. She guessed it must have fallen out of her pocket when someone threw her into the closet.

Come to think of it, why am I in this place? Where am I?

How is Hongxia doing now? And where is Liang? I can smell a foul odor mixed with blood. Could something have happened to her? Oh, speaking of which, where did that computer go? Could someone have picked it up?

For Xingge, who had only recently awakened from her daze, the current situation was filled with too many unknowns, leaving her somewhat at a loss for what to do. However, being an adult who had been in a band, Xingge quickly calmed down and cautiously peered through the crack in the cabinet door.

The room outside the cabinet was quite dark, but Xingge could still tell how filthy and chaotic it was. If she hadn't quickly covered her mouth and taken a deep breath, she probably would have vomited right then and there. However, she also noticed that in this dimly lit room filled with garbage, on the floor directly in front of the large cabinet where she had just woken up, there was a large pool of dark red blood that looked almost dried. It seemed as if something had been disemboweled there not long ago.

So where did I end up? Am I still in the apartment?

While pondering, Xingge didn't immediately push open the cabinet door. Instead, she turned on her flashlight to check if the thing was working or broken. After all, it was too dark outside, with hardly any light, to see anything clearly. As soon as she turned on the flashlight, a beam of white light appeared, and Xingge immediately saw the repeatedly engraved, blood-red characters inside the cabinet.

"Don't step out of the closet when the lights are on?"

Xingge stared blankly at the engravings on the inside of the cabinet door. After thinking for a moment, she looked outside through the gap in the cabinet, but the light outside was too dim, and she couldn't see anything at all.

Snapped--

Then suddenly, the outside light came on. Although the light was still dim, Xingge found that she could see the outside situation through the gap in the cabinet door.

So, is it true that we can't leave the closet now?

As Xingge was thinking this, she suddenly felt the cabinet shake slightly, and then she heard a faint sound, like someone breathing heavily, coming from above. Something was perched on top of the cabinet. Although she couldn't see it, Xingge was certain that there was something on top of the wardrobe.

Could it be a person?

Xingge felt her hands and feet starting to go numb, and she couldn't help but tremble.

She could feel a chill.

It's hard to describe in words; it's like being stared at by something terrifying.

So she gently released her hand from the cabinet door, took a few breaths, bit her lip, and forced herself to concentrate on observing the words engraved on the inside of the cabinet door.

According to the all-knowing Mr. Gao Hai, the inscriptions found in the dungeon are very likely left by survivors who once lived there. So, if you're unsure what to do, referring to these messages from those who came before you might just lead you to a way out.

With this in mind, Xingge began to carefully examine the inscriptions on the inside of the cabinet door. After reading the one she had seen before, she started looking for other inscriptions inside the cabinet and soon found some of them.

If you see this inscription, it means you've encountered a monster that can crawl through a dog hole to enter this side.

You won't find any records of these monsters outside. They'll erase all inscriptions mentioning them. Those bastards are disgusting. Only the inside of this cabinet is safe from their tampering; it's the only truly safe zone.

[However, it's important to note that the area on the side where you enter through the dog hole is still dangerous, even if they don't come in. The lights here turn on periodically, and monsters will be active when the lights are on, so never go out when the lights are on. I don't know how many people have lost their lives because of this negligence, but since you've seen my message, you must be a cautious and intelligent person, right?]

I spent three days in the closet, eating, drinking, and relieving myself there. I observed the patterns of the lights turning on and off. Based on my observations, the longest the lights in this room were on at one time was 30 minutes, and the shortest was 4 minutes. The longest the lights remained off at one time was 15 minutes, and the shortest was 10 minutes.

Remember this time. If you want to live, I don't think anyone else can help you as calmly as I can.

I don't know who left the inscription, but compared to the blood inscription, this one is much neater. It's clear that the person who carved it was very calm. I wonder what kind of person they were, to be able to stay in this narrow cabinet for three days and three nights without changing their expression.

As Xingge pondered, she began searching for other inscriptions. Clearly, unlike Liang, who had gleaned information from the inscriptions under the table upon entering and knew that much of the information in these inscriptions might not be useful, Xingge's plan was to read all the inscriptions.

She knew we were here; she always knew. She was the homeowner; she was the true owner of this place.

But she won't come in, she won't come in. She'll wait for us to leave, just like she waited for those things to leave.

The inscription is quite chaotic and also stained with blood; it's hard to imagine the circumstances under which it was written.

Ugliness, ugliness, sin grows here, the sacrifices wail, and ultimately become the new perpetrators.

How can I possibly describe such an ugly scene? Oh, the "doctor" won't save you; he's just another monster in the guise of an angel in white.