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

Clearly, Liang, who was standing on the table and whose floor was covered with strange creatures, had no way to avoid the sunlight.

As she was illuminated by the flashlight beam, the headless security guard, who had been moving languidly, suddenly stopped and then rushed towards Liang's location as if he had gone mad.

hum-

A piercing whistle rang out in the darkness.

Tap tap tap tap——

A series of disordered footsteps followed from all directions.

Liang knew very well that he was now being tracked down by all the headless security guards on the entire floor.

The headless security guard who rushed over first, moving at incredible speed, had already been... well, it had been grabbed by a group of headless employees and was struggling on the ground, but it couldn't break free. It could only kick and flail its legs in helpless rage.

So this thing is really that weak?

Liang stared blankly at the security guard being held by the headless employees, unsure of how to react.

Soon after, four more headless security guards appeared out of nowhere and charged toward Liang. They were grabbed by the employees and fell to the ground, where they were torn apart and unable to break free.

I didn't expect it to end like this. Let's just say it was a close call.

Ryo was somewhat worried about whether the [Crippled Pursuer] would appear, but it seemed that although a sharp whistle had sounded earlier, it wasn't enough to trigger its activity. Therefore, she should be safe for the time being. However, considering that the number of security guards would increase by one every half hour after they discovered her, staying here any longer was definitely not a good idea. So Ryo quickly started thinking about how to escape her current predicament.

Should we jump directly outside the activity area of ​​these employees' strange creatures?

No, that won't work, it's too far. I don't have enough control over my body yet, and whether I can jump that distance is completely unknown.

So, perhaps we could try to get through these monsters?

That idea... probably won't work either. Although these things lack hearing and sight, the slightest physical contact—even before any physical contact—might trigger a gust of wind, causing them to go berserk and frantically try to grab whatever is passing by. Moreover, triggering one will set off several others, resulting in a group of strange creatures surrounding the employees at the same time, making them extremely difficult to deal with.

With his current skills, it's probably unrealistic to expect him to get past these employees.

So, are there any other options?

Liang looked up thoughtfully, confirming once again that there were no chains or anything like that hanging from above that she could use for support, and that there were no walls around her to lean on. Then she turned around and looked at the safe under the table behind her, which had not yet been touched by any employees.

These employee ghosts crawling around on the floor appeared after I had checked everything in the safe.

So... is it possible...?

Slowly, Liang stood up from the table and stood at the edge of the table.

Then, she suddenly kicked the pile of documents on the table, sending them crashing to the ground and hitting one of the employees. The next moment, a dozen or so employees scrambled over like madmen, tearing and snatching the papers, while Liang took the opportunity to land on the ground and pick up the safe.

Hopefully this will work.

Thinking this, Ryo jumped onto the table again, then reached into the safe and took out the small items, scattering them directly at the employees crawling on the ground.

Hua Hua Hua——

With a crisp sound, an employee reached out and grabbed a family photo that had fallen on him.

【…】

The next moment, Liang vaguely heard some sound.

It sounded like someone sighing, or perhaps sobbing softly, fleeting past my ear before vanishing without a trace.

Has anything changed among those strange creatures?

【…】

Another indistinct sound came, this time the marble was caught by an employee's ghost.

Liang had no way of finding the source of the sound.

It seemed that at that moment, all the headless employees sighed together, sobbed together, and rejoiced together.

She suddenly recalled the note she had just seen, and the sentence written on it: "We are merging, we have become one, we are becoming the same, we are becoming unimportant."

More sighs followed as the strange creatures scrambled for the items falling from the safe, grabbing them one by one. Strangely, upon closer observation, Liang discovered that all the items grabbed by these creatures vanished without a trace the next second, while the creatures that had grabbed the items would pause briefly before resuming their actions. Aside from that, there seemed to be no other apparent effect.

Is that all?

Ryo, who had been expecting even greater chaos so he could escape, was stunned.

Are these things, which embody the employees' life obsessions, only capable of evoking such a reaction from these strange creatures?

How am I supposed to escape...?

The girl, frowning, turned to look at the dense swarm of strange creatures outside, and then she froze again. The employee-themed creatures that had been so numerous and scattered across the ground just moments before were now less than a tenth of their original number. If it weren't for the many employees gathered around the security guards, Liang would have barely seen any creatures blocking her path.

We have to leave right away!

Without the slightest hesitation, the girl jumped off the table and started running towards the road ahead.

In that instant, in the blink of an eye, she had noticed that one of the employees holding down the security guard had vanished into thin air.

The objects that held the attachments to the employees' ghostly creatures seemed to have a kind of overall liberation after coming into contact with them, causing them to disappear one by one.

Whether this situation is temporary or permanent, Liang couldn't tell, but she was certain that once all the employees disappeared, the security guards, now free, would get up and chase after her. Therefore, she had to get to the office area in time to retrieve the toolbox containing the switch device before that moment arrived.

We crossed another section of the prison area.

I stepped over what appeared to be an elevator, but had dissolved into a pool of twisted structures.

Liang finally found a relatively intact office area, which was likely the only one in the area, and quickly entered it, grabbing a flashlight and starting to search.

Cabinet number 3... Where is cabinet number 3? Ah, I've found it!

In a corner of the deserted office area, Liang found rows of cabinets lined up side by side.

She rushed to the cabinet marked number 3, opened one of the drawers, and froze, stunned by the sight of it filled with severed human legs. She quickly recovered and opened the second drawer, where she saw a row of severed kneecaps.

A strong chill was approaching, and footsteps were approaching from afar; the security guards had probably escaped.

There are still four or five drawers in cabinet number 3, and it would probably take too long to check them one by one.

Realizing this immediately, Liang grabbed the edge of the cabinet and yanked it out, flipping it to the ground with a loud crash. Several drawers came loose, revealing the human thighs, calves, toes, and feet inside the cabinet.

Several cabinets around it were also pulled and toppled over by the cold, falling off with a series of "clangs" and revealing the bloodied human anatomy inside.

The pungent smell of blood was spreading.

But Liang had no time to pay attention to any of that. Her eyes quickly locked onto a small toolbox, which she picked up and rushed out of the office area.

[Uh...uh...hmm...uh...ahh ...

An indescribable, piercing wail, accompanied by a fierce gust of wind, rapidly approached from afar.

Liang turned around and saw a pale monster, at least two meters tall and headless, rapidly approaching. The creature was completely naked, its body severely deformed and covered in large and small tumors. It was only vaguely discernible that it might have originally been female, but whether it was or not, it was now nothing more than a twisted and terrifying monster.

Rumble, rumble——

Most of the desks and chairs in the office area were broken and flew around under the monster's rampage.

There was no way to escape its pursuit.

In the blink of an eye, Liang confirmed this fact.

So, this is the only way.

The girl suddenly flung her hand, dropping a domino on the ground.

pat-

With a crisp sound, the domino landed and disappeared without a trace.

The crippled monster that had been chasing it suddenly stopped. Although its expression was not visible because it had no head, its bewildered state was clearly evident from its helpless movements.

Yamada Ryo had already rushed out of the office area and was heading back the way he came.

【Ohh ...

In just two or three seconds, the incomplete and eerie creature let out another terrifying roar, re-locked onto Liang's position, and chased after him from behind.

Three headless security guards rushed towards the girl in the corridor ahead, completely blocking her path.

Should I try to get past them? No, there's not enough time; the enemies chasing me are too fast. The chaotic dominoes will only buy me a few seconds; I don't have much time to waste.

The gaze shifted.

Liang looked towards the passageway leading to the prison area, located on one side of the corridor.

The next second she suddenly sped up, abruptly changed direction and fled into the prison area. Immediately after entering, she turned around and slammed the heavy prison door shut, even bending the lock to prevent it from being picked, before continuing her escape.

boom! ! !

A violent impact reached the door a few seconds later, and after just one impact, the door, which was strong enough to withstand heavy machine gun fire, dented.

Yamada Ryo simply continued running forward, passing the end of the corridor and entering another area before closing the door behind him, and then continuing to run forward.

The prison area is concentrated on the south side of the building. Once you get to the area near the elevator lobby, you can find a way to break through the iron fence and get to the guard room.

With that thought in mind, Ryo entered a new room, closed the door she had come from, and then, as soon as she took a step, she quickly stopped.

tick-

Thick, fresh blood fell to the ground.

Amidst suppressed sobs, Liang raised her head and looked up, seeing an iron hook extending from the darkness, and a blood-soaked human head hanging from it.

I almost forgot, there's this kind of monster here.

boom! ! !

From afar, Liang could already hear the sound of the iron gate being smashed open, as well as a series of footsteps.

Tick-tick-tick-

More blood dripped from those severed heads, from the dark areas where light could not reach.

They are crying, they are wailing, they are talking.

Why can't I leave this building? Where's the exit...?

I don't want to work overtime anymore, please...

Please let me rest for a while...

The same painful words, repeated over and over again, countless times.

Liang has started moving forward once again.

She avoided the heads, judging from the splattered blood on the ground where blood would drip, and walked briskly and safely to the door on the other side. She passed through, turned back to lock the door, broke the lock, and then continued forward.