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

Don't think I'm exaggerating or being alarmist. I don't believe we're the only lucky ones in the world who have been given the perfect opportunity to access secrets beyond common sense. It's always an extremely dangerous and terrifying endeavor, with completely unpredictable risks. There must be more than one person who has encountered something similar before us, but we're unaware of their existence. Did they hide their presence after success, or were they erased from the scene after failure? Don't always assume you're unique; caution and prudence are essential for ultimate success. This is my sincere warning.

【——Kanahara Microo】

Liang spent a considerable amount of time reading the report that appeared in the monitoring room after the Minghui team had resolved the crisis in Industrial Zone One.

{...This man named Kambara Mio seems really scary.}

After reading the report, Liang gave a serious evaluation in the mental link.

[Oh, why do you say that? So far, you've only seen two reports written by this person, right? And with just that little bit of information, you're already able to judge their personality and know what kind of person they are?]

Gao Hai had read the report earlier than Liang and uploaded it to the network system Alice had established using the Crimson Domain, allowing the Minghui Squad, currently located in Industrial Zone 1, to also see its contents. Seeing Liang's serious attitude in presenting his conclusion, he was now curious about the basis for his assessment.

No, I can't deduce a person's complete personality from this single piece of information; I can only discern certain personality traits.

Liang shook her head slightly, frowned as she looked at the report in her hand, pondering how to respond through the mental link.

{The previous report by this man was about those infected by chemical pollution. The establishment of the Jin Yang Apartments was very likely the idea of ​​this Kambara Mio; he must hold a very important position in the company to be able to propose the plan and be responsible for various important matters.}

{While the previous report only revealed the man's cold-blooded and cruel side, this new report has begun to terrify me. This man is evil, yet extremely cautious. He seems to be the kind of person who... consciously commits evil deeds, striving to do his best, meticulously attending to every detail, and never becoming arrogant or complacent.}

I find this kind of person extremely terrifying. In comics, such villains would definitely be the hardest for the protagonist to defeat, far more terrifying than villains who can simply overpower the protagonist in terms of strength.

Liang's tone was very firm; although it was just a guess, she was very confident in her own thoughts.

Upon hearing her say that, Gao Hai couldn't help but pay attention to the report again, his gaze once more falling on the name written on the last page.

Kambara micro hero?

In fact, judging from the contents of these two reports, this guy does indeed play the role of overseeing the overall situation, providing advice and support for various actions.

The ghost story dungeons are never short of monstrous villains. So far, I've seen quite a few truly despicable characters, almost like a constellation of stars. But the only one truly unwavering in their evil is Kenichi Egani from Nightfall Mountain Middle School. He pursued his ideals without a shred of remorse, even after ultimately failing and being devoured into a monster. Although he's currently being subjected to unimaginable punishment by being thrown into endless flames, and like other villains, he's just screaming in agony, he's undeniably a die-hard, unrepentant individual.

However, Jiang Gu Xianyi himself didn't occupy a significant portion of the dungeon, practically having no presence, and the trouble he caused Gao Hai wasn't too great overall. But this guy, Shen Yuan Wei Xiong, whom he hadn't actually met yet, and who didn't even know if he had become a monster or something else... After Liang's words, Gao Hai couldn't help but start to wonder if this mysterious Dan Su Company executive would become a problem for the players, and whether he would need to spend more effort to deal with him.

However, regardless of the circumstances, we haven't actually found them yet. Instead of being suspicious, we should continue our investigation. Clues don't just appear out of nowhere; we need to keep searching.

Alright, imagination can't replace solid intelligence. Let the team move on. Hmm, let me think... Read what I say aloud, repeat it word for word.

Gao Hai quickly interrupted Liang's thoughts and gestured for her to pick up the microphone and speak. The girl, who had cooperated with Gao Hai many times before, naturally wouldn't disobey him this time and obediently followed his instructions.

"Please receive the following information, Minghuijian Squad."

"Please continue forward, and be careful of the lingering memories. This is not a dream, so do not fall into a deep sleep."

The cool voice, transmitted through the microphone in a way whose workings were unknown to anyone, reached the players who were still in Industrial Zone 1.

Yan Hui stretched her body, walked to the rotten chemical pool, and frowned as she looked into it.

A cursory glance would likely reveal that the massive chemical pool was empty, devoid of anything. But Yan Hui could discern subtle details; she could see something hidden there, something concealed, something inconspicuous.

"call--"

She blew a breath, and the dust covering the dried-up chemical pool was blown up and scattered. It was then forcibly gathered together by Lin Sen, who walked up behind her, and all of it fell to the side.

Thus, the twisted corpses, which had been fused and overlapped together and were in a semi-melted state but had now completely solidified into stone, hidden beneath the dust, came into view of the players present.

"Wow, I've got so many good buddies hidden away."

Qin Shou, carrying a hammer, squatted down, looked at the pile of corpses, and whistled.

"The pieces of clothing were fragments of suits, high-end suits. These deceased were not workers; they were more likely high-ranking individuals with status and position."

Cui Qiushui walked up, reached out and gently touched the solidified corpse, closed her eyes to sense it for a moment, and then spoke.

"The executives of Dansu Company used a chemical pool to sacrifice living people, killing their own employees. In the end, they also died in the chemical pool, in the same way as their employees. Doesn't that sound like a traditional, vicious, and vengeful revenge story?"

Qin Shou stroked his chin and began to speak in a serious tone.

"Items that one is obsessed with."

After confirming that the corpse wouldn't suddenly jump up, Lake took the initiative to step forward, cut a few times in the pile of corpses with a small knife, pulled out a magnetic card, and threw it to Yan Hui who was standing to the side.

It was a black and gold identity card. The personal information on it was blurred and unrecognizable, but the remaining power of obsession within it was exceptionally clear.

Such a thing is not an object of obsession and cannot be used with supernatural powers, but it must correspond to some important area in the dungeon. If the right occasion can be found to use it, it may play a significant role.

"Keep moving forward, there must be more secrets hidden here."

Yan Hui put away the magnetic card and gestured for the team members to head towards the mysterious door behind the decaying chemical pool.

What awaits their team next?

While thinking, Yan Hui arrived at the door first, shining her flashlight into the darkness behind it, and immediately discovered that it was a narrow, slightly sloping ramp that stretched into the distance beyond sight, and she didn't know where it led.

tread--

Without hesitation, Yan Hui stepped into the corridor and slowly walked forward along the sloping path.

The surrounding walls had a strange, semi-melted appearance; the paint, bricks, and concrete all seemed to be dripping and flowing downwards like candle wax. This became increasingly pronounced the further they went, and the corridor itself began to warp, taking on a curved structure. This bizarre corridor also seemed to possess some kind of special power, weakening the players' ability to detect areas without direct line of sight, making it increasingly difficult for the team to predict what lay ahead.

Is something hidden ahead?

Yan Hui moved forward silently, her whole body tense, ready for battle.

As she rounded another bend, the dim yellow light from ahead made Yan Hui squint slightly.

What came into view was a small room.

Yan Hui's gaze fell on one side of the room, on a service elevator with a green light on and in operation.

The fact that this thing is here, could it be...?

[Sizzle... sizzle...]

[Please receive the following information, Minghuijian Squad]

Just as Yan Hui realized what was happening, the broadcast started ringing as she had expected.

hum-

However, what followed was a violent earthquake so intense that Yan Hui could barely stand, which was completely unexpected.

Something's scent is spreading.

In the sudden, earth-shaking tremor, Yan Hui steadied herself against one of the walls, raised her head, and looked up at the ceiling of the corridor.

The source of that aura was so far away that she couldn't determine what it was.

But she could never be wrong about this chilling feeling.

Just now, something of the Crimson Moon level probably descended into this instance.

Chapter 42: Fujiwara Chika's Memories and the Determined Exploration Goal

Fujiwara Chika opened her eyes.

A familiar, chilling aura spread around, and with each breath, it felt as if one's lungs were being frozen.

However, for a girl who had already entered the dungeon world many times, this level of trouble was nothing. Chika had already experienced things much more painful than this. Therefore, she adapted in a very short time, stood up, and carefully observed her surroundings.

This is a street.

Under the boundless darkness, only the dim light of a few streetlights flickered, illuminating the eerie street. In the distance, one side of the street was blocked by a tall structure that looked like countless pieces of building debris and fabric stitched together, while the ground on the other side had collapsed, and black air currents could be seen slowly writhing within it, as if something lurked beneath the collapsed ground.

Hmm, it really does feel familiar.

In this way, I've entered the dungeon world.

The girl with long pink hair closed her eyes, sensing the familiar yet repulsive aura.

Chika retained her memories from the previous four playthroughs. To maximize his side's strength and gain an advantage, Takami chose to absorb Chika's flesh and spirit during the first playthrough's utter defeat, which lasted only 10 minutes. This was to imprint her existence into the Blood City, thus avoiding the need to use up his scroll count to preserve her memories. After this, Chika, like Maki Miko and the others, was able to retain her memories normally after each playthrough.

To be honest, the situation on the first playthrough was truly dire. At that time, Akai hadn't yet found the right way to fight back, and as a result, in less than 10 minutes, all the living people in Tokyo were transformed into the [Hospital's] familiars. Therefore, Akai had to intentionally rewind time, ending his own life to salvage the situation.

In the second playthrough, although the initial outbreak was intercepted with better preparation, the hospital began releasing strange creatures throughout the city. Everyone was forced to fight off the commotion, resulting in few rescues and the hospital exploiting weaknesses to defeat them one by one. Furthermore, in the second playthrough, the hospital deliberately pretended not to know about the time loop, mimicking the actions of the first playthrough to lull everyone into a false sense of security. Then, at a crucial moment, the three doctors suddenly intervened, nearly capturing and sealing Ah Hai, almost preventing him from committing suicide and returning to the previous timeline.

From this perspective, the second playthrough was actually the most dangerous part of the war. Only this time did everyone truly fall into the hospital's trap, and Ahai, who hadn't yet made a choice, was powerless against the three doctors' attacks. Throughout the battle, Ahai was completely overwhelmed, and he was rendered incapacitated before he could even ascertain the doctors' specific abilities or relevant information.

At the most dangerous moment, the key to Ah Hai's successful reversal and comeback was Alice.

It was Alice, an entity created by Ahai himself, who destroyed Ahai's consciousness from within at the last moment, killing him and allowing him to successfully rewind time. To be honest, this incident left Ahai with very mixed feelings; he even complained in the mental link that this was Alice "killing me for the fourth time."

I have a feeling that Ahai might not have counted the number of times correctly, since I remember that he wasn't killed by Alice in his third time loop at Fujika Middle School. But if that's what he said, there's no need to point out any inaccuracies, and now isn't the time to worry about such things.

As for the third playthrough, that was the playthrough where Ahai made his choice.

Seated on the composite obsession machine called the "Throne of Mind," he amplified his mental power without limit, accepting the power of the "Rules of God," thus conceptually becoming a "god" of human civilization. He then began, with the help of Alice's network manipulation and the power of modern technology, to truly rescue the living people of the entire city.

From that moment on, Ahai took a real step from human to god, and the so-called "infant of a god" began its incubation process.

But this is also a trap.

Over 96% of the materials used in the [Throne of Mind] originate from the obsession items of the [Hospital-type dungeons]. From the very beginning, these items have been secretly controlled by the [Hospital] and governed by its rules.

Forced to ascend to godhood prematurely through the [Throne of Thought], Ahai was nearly controlled by the [Hospital] on the spot. Of course, he ultimately triumphed in his confrontation with the enemy, forcibly erasing the [Hospital] traces from those objects of obsession. But this came at a price; the [Hospital] left Ahai with incurable hidden wounds and a curse deep in his soul during the confrontation. This forced Ahai to commit suicide again to rewind time, and even then, he was unable to completely eliminate the influence of the [Hospital].

That curse is not something a hospital can produce.

Although Ahai didn't explain the matter clearly, it's obvious that a soul curse of this intensity is something the [Hospital] doesn't possess. This power likely comes from some higher-level entity hidden behind the [Hospital].

Because of this curse, Ah Hai was forced to interrupt the growth of his own power and forcibly stop the process of becoming a god.

Ah Hai explained that if he were to become a god without lifting the curse, he would become a god subordinate to the [Hospital], fundamentally transformed into something else. Therefore, he must do everything in his power to slow his ascension, stabilizing himself more in a [human] state, even having to deny his own divine power in the process. Honestly, just thinking about how he endured all of this is heartbreaking. But in this particular matter, there's absolutely nothing I can do to help Ah Hai.

So, more or less, Chika had to admit that she was a little jealous of Hayasaka Ai.

After failing in the third playthrough, Ahai hadn't completely escaped the influence of the [Hospital] at the start of the fourth playthrough and was still in a very dangerous state. It was at that moment that Xiao Ai voluntarily connected herself to the [Throne of Mind], burning away her own consciousness and soul to help Ahai completely break free from control. She died in the process, and her own existence was forced to bind to the [Throne of Mind], so that at the start of the fifth playthrough, she was fixed in the [Throne of Mind] like Ahai, unable to break free.

If Ah Hai hadn't saved Xiao Ai by rewinding time, she would probably have been reduced to ashes and died completely.

However, it was precisely because Xiao Ai was also connected to the network system established by A Hai that A Hai was able to combine her exorcism ability with Alice's power to find a way for ordinary people in the city to escape the monsters.

After that, several of the others, including Qianhua, considered connecting themselves to the [Throne of Mind] to see if it would alleviate Gao Hai's burden. However, Gao Hai refused, telling everyone that what he truly needed now was someone to lead the survivors in battle, to guide them to various safe zones, and to save as many victims as possible. That's why Qianhua appeared in this eerie neighborhood and used her clone ability for the first time, projecting her consciousness into this instance that had already drawn in more and more people, whose ultimate fate was unknown.

In the few hours since the start of the fifth playthrough, Chika has successfully saved a considerable number of survivors. However, compared to the others, her Blood Blessing tends to work more on individual targets, and becomes limited in larger situations. This is why she became the supporter who ventured into the [Dansu Company instance] to come to this district.

Well... this is, after all, a clone of myself. Although the body is made of my own flesh and blood, and the consciousness is essentially controlled remotely by my own consciousness, there's no such thing as a "clone consciousness." But compared to my original body, which is full of vitality, the clone is much weaker. Whether it's the length of its health bar, mana bar, or the variety of skills, it's all lacking. If we really run into trouble, it's hard to say who will win or lose.

Therefore, Chika was very clear about her purpose in entering the instance. She knew that there was only one task she needed to complete here, which was to rescue all the unfortunate survivors trapped here and bring them back to the real world for protection.

Especially her older sister, younger sister, mother, and father—if Gao Hai hadn't informed Chika beforehand that her family was hiding in the safe house within the instance, Chika estimated she wouldn't have been able to remain calm. She is certainly a kind and compassionate person, willing to risk her life to save others. But when it comes to weighing the value of family, the young girl cannot be entirely selfless. Therefore, now, until she successfully rescues and sends her family away, Chika estimates she won't be able to maintain a calm mind.

"Does Dansu Company also own a kindergarten?"