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

The residential area, which had been out of contact for some time, is now finally accessible. More rescue personnel will be dispatched to try and evacuate the residents. Hopefully, the casualties won't be too high… Oh, by the way, regarding the "edge space," let me think of it as enemy-occupied territory. That earthquake just now was because my men blew up a portion of the "hospital's" grounds.

Although this isn't directly related to you, it's a crucial step. Humanity's disadvantage in this war is gradually being reversed. I guess it's something Miko did; only she could have achieved such a change. Ah, you might not know who Miko is, but that's okay. Just know that this earthquake isn't a bad thing, but rather good news—that's enough.

However, Gao Hai clearly knew that his previous answer was not a proper answer, so he quickly explained in detail so that Liang could understand the reason for his happiness.

Do you want to see him?

Liang noticed the name Gao Hai mentioned, which sounded like a woman's name.

Could this woman named Miko be one of Mr. Takahashi's girlfriends? It seems quite likely. Come to think of it, Mr. Takahashi has saved me so many times, and even my current body was reshaped by his power. That means I'm practically bound to Mr. Takahashi now, right? So, in this state, how will things develop between us? Will I join his harem?

Thinking about it, this kind of thing is actually pretty rock and roll. Especially if Hongxia joins me, this guy would essentially be taking the entire End of the Band with him in one fell swoop. If that were to happen, it wouldn't seem so bad; we could even try holding some special private concerts…

[Ahem, Ms. Yamada Ryo, it's about time we moved on. Don't forget we still have important things to do.]

Gao Hai's words pulled Liang's wandering thoughts, which were drifting in unorthodox directions, back to reality. She blinked, looking at the dark corridor ahead and the door at its end that read, "Work Area, No Unauthorized Personnel Allowed." Without saying anything more, she immediately started walking towards the door.

A little awkward.

Although Liang wasn't usually shy, she had to admit that her cheeks were still a little hot.

Even though she knew that her thoughts were connected with Mr. Gao Hai's, and that it would be easy for him to see her daydreaming, Liang couldn't help but relax when she heard the joy in Gao Hai's voice. And once she relaxed, she couldn't help but start daydreaming, even thinking about some very unhealthy and incomplete things.

But that's okay, that's the kind of awareness band members should have.

Since Pochi and Kita have already made their choices, there's nothing to hesitate about; they should just follow their hearts.

With this thought in mind, Liang's heart quickly felt at ease, and her already meager sense of shame was completely calmed down.

Get ready, I'm opening the door. What lies behind this door is completely unknown, so be prepared!

Gao Hai didn't pay much attention to Liang's wild thoughts. He simply emphasized the current situation to get the other party to focus, and then focused his own power on the door.

It was more difficult than expected.

This feeling… there’s no mistaking it; this door involves a transformation of space and time. But why does 302 possess this transformation effect? ​​What’s the reason behind it? Tsk, Liang doesn’t have time to concern herself with these trivial details. She must get to Dansu Company’s corporate area as soon as possible and find a practical way for the survivors trapped here to escape this instanced area and return to the real world. As for breaking the instance, that’s definitely not the focus right now.

However, it's not impossible. After all, the female ghost with dismembered bodies that can crawl out of the sewers is indeed a concern. If the related dungeons cannot be destroyed, will that thing continue to attack, causing the number of victims to increase and eventually affecting the overall battle situation? This is indeed a problem that needs careful attention.

Click——

The door was already open.

An increasingly strong stench of blood emanated from the darkness behind the door, and a chilling aura permeated the air. Even Liang, who had grown much stronger after his growth, felt an extremely powerful sense of oppression at this moment.

Regardless of where the opposite side leads, it's certain that the danger there is far greater than that of this apartment building.

But there is no other choice now. Since we have come this far, there is no reason to turn back.

Therefore, without Gao Hai needing to remind him further, Liang, knowing what he should do, strode forward and unhesitatingly plunged into the darkness ahead.

The first thing that comes is the feeling of falling.

In the boundless darkness, it fell towards an ethereal and indistinct direction.

Then comes weightlessness, floating in mid-air, suspended in this directionless void.

But then, for a moment, the direction was successfully captured.

Suddenly, a suction force was generated, and gradually some color appeared in the darkness, revealing something beyond nothingness.

We've found the way.

Yamada Ryo stretched out his hand forward.

hum-

Then, a muffled sound rang in my ears.

That wasn't Gao Hai's voice, because Liang could sense the fluctuations in Gao Hai's thoughts. He might be contemplating something, or perhaps he was using his mental powers to try and do something that Liang couldn't yet discern.

but it does not matter.

I can gradually feel it.

It is becoming clearer and clearer.

That is--

"The Minghui squad reports that we have successfully entered the instance and felt continuous vibrations from the edge of the space the moment we entered."

"We have now confirmed that we have lost contact with the outside world. This storm in the edge space seems to have had some kind of chain reaction on this copy, or perhaps something we don't understand has reacted in the process. In any case, we are temporarily unable to use communication devices normally, so this report will be set to upload as soon as we are connected and will be uploaded as soon as our network devices are restored."

"The situation inside the instance is still uncertain, but it's certain that the place we've entered isn't entirely a single, enclosed instance environment. Based on existing intelligence, we believe we're currently in some kind of [public area]. This area connects different instances that are deeply intertwined, allowing access to different areas without using 'tickets'. We have reason to suspect that the [Hospital]'s control over its subordinate instances is facilitated by such [public areas]."

"Next, the Minghuijian team will attempt to go to [Zhenyang Apartment]. Again, we will try to go to and enter the [Zhenyang Apartment] area to rescue the survivors inside."

"Report complete. Hopefully someone will receive this report soon."

Yan Hui, a short-haired woman dressed in a neutral style, put down the walkie-talkie and put it back into her spatial equipment. Then she frowned and looked at the road that had been blocked in front of her.

She was standing on the street, with her teammates from the [Bright and Dark] squad she had formed beside her.

"This road is probably not feasible unless we can fly there directly."

As he spoke, Lake Samir, an Amerindian carrying a rather old-looking Springfield rifle with a scope, rubbed his bearded chin.

Half of his beard was already stained white, clearly indicating that this player, a former soldier, was quite old. But unlike middle-aged men like Sun Dajun whom Gao Hai had encountered before, this man named Lake had very sharp eyes and exuded an extremely calm demeanor, clearly a seasoned veteran player.

"It's best not to do that. These collapsed areas are essentially contaminated zones formed by the power released by the [Hospital]. Look closely, those black parts on the ground in the collapsed areas are not places where the light doesn't reach. Rather, those black things are actually some kind of solid entity, just disguised as shadows. Even if we manage to fly over them, these things might try to pull us down. If it comes to that, we might not even be able to die."

Standing next to Lake was Lin Sen, another member of the Minghuijian Squad. This player, who came from a forest ranger background, was an unexpectedly enthusiastic and talkative person. At the same time, he was also quite serious and meticulous. He quickly noticed the abnormal colors in the collapsed street area and immediately alerted the others.

"Yeah, it looks really weird. Just imagine what it would be like to be wrapped around this dark thing and dragged into that pile of black stuff."

Qin Shou, carrying a large hammer, stood beside Yan Hui, his face showing bitterness as he looked at the black things.

"By the way, have you all written your wills yet? I actually wanted to write one before I came, but I didn't know who to write it to."

"I've heard that some players prepare methods for suicide in advance, so that if they encounter an insurmountable danger, they can just kill themselves to avoid suffering. I'm actually a little skeptical about this stuff. After all, in ghost stories, even if you die, they can still haunt you. Isn't committing suicide just giving up your chance to live and letting others control your soul?"

"Has the captain's communication been restored? Logically, such a tremor should mean the hospital has suffered some serious damage, right? If that's the case, it should be a good thing, so why are we cut off from the outside world? This doesn't make sense. I'm starting to seriously suspect we've fallen into some kind of trap. Could it be that our whole team is about to be wiped out? Could it be that some super powerful monster is about to come and kill us?"

Qin Shou, who was obviously very nervous, opened his mouth and mumbled a whole bunch of words in one breath.

If no one interrupts him, this man could probably continue his neurotic ranting for a long time. Of course, in reality, even if someone does interrupt him, he often can't stop, and it can even escalate to the point where he's still talking even when he's fighting with someone.

Of course, the Minghui team has already found a suitable solution to this problem.

"Can you shut up?"

A cold female voice sounded from his side, followed by a small hand patting Qin Shou's shoulder. Hearing this, Qin Shou turned around and saw Cui Qiushui standing in front of him. This was one of only two female players in the Minghuijian team, and the only one who maintained normal female attire, had long hair, and was also considered young and beautiful (appearance 68).

Qin Shou: "Ugh..."

The sound of vomiting quickly interrupted the chatterbox.

Qin Shou, who developed mild misogyny after his ex-girlfriend ran off with the dowry money he had painstakingly saved, had this trait amplified after being tormented in a certain instance. This caused him to become unable to have contact with women, to feel nauseous involuntarily, and to vomit immediately after any physical contact.

Because Yan Hui dressed in a neutral style and always took the lead in dungeon missions, exuding a strong masculine aura, she had never triggered Qin Shou's PTSD. Originally, the team hadn't recruited any other female players. However, since this guy was really annoying when he talked too much, and there were times when the four team members were short-handed, the team recruited a female player. This not only expanded the team's manpower but also served as a controller for Qin Shou, who occasionally couldn't control himself.

"Captain, what's the next step?"

Ignoring Qin Shou, who was retching to the side, Cui Qiushui stepped forward and looked at Yan Hui, who was frowning in thought, and asked.

"...Risking through the collapsed area is not the best course of action."

After a brief moment of thought, Yan Hui spoke in a low voice, then turned her head to look at the other side of the street, at a tall building standing on the side of the road.

"Based on the known intelligence, there may be a core obsession hidden here."

"Then, let's change our approach. Since the path to [Sheep Apartment] to rescue the survivors is blocked..."

"Then, exploring directly to where the core obsession is hiding and trying to crack the entire instance is also a viable approach."

As she spoke, Yan Hui's gaze swept over the sign at the building's entrance, lingering for a moment on the words "Dansu Chemicals," before her expression quickly hardened.

"This is an unregistered Dark Night-level dungeon. To crack it on the first attempt? Only Mr. Gao Hai could do something like that, right?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Sen couldn't help but speak up, wondering if his captain was being a bit delusional.

“That’s right, and Mr. Gao Hai is with me right now.”

But Yan Hui became even more serious upon hearing this, and pointed to the red-glowing screen of her phone, which she had strung on a rope and was hanging around her neck.

Then, not intending to listen to any more opinions, Yan Hui pointed forward, took a step, and spoke in a steady voice.

"Regardless, we've gotten this far, and we're sure more players will come to our aid. But for now, as the pioneers, we need to make a breakthrough."

"Those survivors trapped in the dungeon, those ordinary people, have already managed to gather preliminary information for us. As players, we have even less reason to back down."

"Therefore, the Minghuijian Squad, commence operations now. Target: [Dansu Chemical] Company office building. Proceed!"

Chapter 33: The Squad's Operations Between Light and Darkness and the Discovery of the Employee Notice

Dansu Chemical Company is an unknown entity that no player has investigated before, or at least no player has ever left alive after investigating it. The Minghuijian team currently has very little information about it, and most of it is concentrated in the [Zhenyang Apartment] area, which is suspected to be an adjoining area of ​​the Dansu Company instance.

Of course, even so, the current intelligence is enough to deduce a lot of things and basically figure out the general cause and effect.

"Based on existing intelligence, it can be confirmed that after taking control of the local leadership, the company began to deliberately discharge highly polluting chemical waste. Moreover, it discharged the waste into rivers, oceans, and underground simultaneously, resulting in comprehensive water pollution in the city."

"The vast majority of animals die quickly after prolonged exposure to polluted water, but a few animals do not die immediately after being exposed to this toxic sewage. Instead, they exhibit various bizarre symptoms. For example, cats may go into a frenzy, appearing to be photophobic and seemingly launching a frenzied attack on people. Humans exposed to sewage for a long time may develop mental disorders, experience various hallucinations, and their bodies may gradually develop symptoms such as spasms and convulsions. In the later stages, they may even gradually decompose."

"Based on the existing documents, Dansu Company probably didn't think about the subsequent solutions when it first discharged the waste, nor did it anticipate the consequences. However, some intelligence suggests that this company didn't just come to this city to set up a factory for profit. They probably had some hidden plans from the beginning, and I speculate that their real target is something involving supernatural elements."

"Dark Night-level dungeons often involve elements beyond common sense in their background. These elements may be represented by gods, demons, monsters, and so on, but without exception, these supernatural beings existed 'before the dungeon was created.' The formation of Dark Night-level dungeons is more or less related to these elements, and it's even possible that these special beings are the very origin of the dungeon."

"Therefore, we must not only be prepared to face the core obsessions of the Dark Night level, but also to face enemies that are not core obsessions, but whose strength may be no less than or even greater than that of core obsessions. This trip is extremely dangerous, so please, everyone, be prepared not to return."

Standing calmly in front of the four people in the dimly lit street, Yan Hui finished explaining her analysis and then turned to face the seemingly ordinary company building.

"In short, there may be monsters that mimic animal forms, especially cats, and there may be humanoid monsters dressed in security uniforms or full protective suits. Hmm, considering the illnesses mentioned in the intelligence, we also need to consider intangible hallucinatory monsters and the environment that can continuously inflict harm. This situation is indeed very troublesome, so it might be quite difficult for our good lads and good ladies to come back alive."

Lake, who was smoking a cigarette, chuckled and took out a small white flower, tucking it into his shirt pocket.

This white flower is naturally an object of obsession, and a Dark Night-level one at that. Its effect is simple: it directly reduces the mobility of surrounding monsters. Furthermore, if the monster had a funeral before its death, the suppressive effect of this object of obsession will be even stronger.

As for the Springfield rifle he carried on his back, it was a core-level artifact of the Dark Night, a powerful weapon truly only a step away from the Red Moon level. When used, this rifle could guarantee a direct hit on an enemy aimed at the chest or head within a kilometer, suppressing their movement. Furthermore, if Lake aimed at an enemy target for three seconds before firing, a salvo of long-range mortar support would be deployed to bombard the area where he was attacking, achieving an even stronger suppression effect.

Unlike the pistol Gao Hai wielded, this rifle had no limit on ammunition. As long as Lake, the wielder, maintained a firm will, he could continuously pull the trigger and fire an endless stream of bullets. Of course, relatively speaking, the suppressive effect of this rifle was far inferior to Gao Hai's suppression rounds, even the unenhanced ones. In a sense, this could be considered a trade-off.

As for the cost, to use this rifle, the wielder must have war-related trauma, and the more the weapon is used, the more severe the trauma becomes. Furthermore, this object of obsession has an extremely terrifying effect: it forces the user to wake up after falling asleep. Therefore, Lake can only sleep for a maximum of one hour at a time, resulting in significant dark circles under his eyes and a generally poor mental state.

Even so, Lake still became a key member of the team, and even during the analysis time before the operation began, he was the one who took over the captain's words.

"Let's go, this is a real fight for humanity."