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

If this were truly a high-ranking member of such a scoundrel company, even if they were dead and transformed into a ghost, they wouldn't be able to let go of the old hierarchical structure. Therefore, if this ghost in the photo were indeed a high-ranking member of the company, at the very least, the employee ghosts would definitely bow and scrape, perhaps even prostrating themselves. However, this didn't happen, which means that this is likely not the case.

So what exactly is it? Where did it come from?

The more Liang thought about this issue, the more eerie it felt.

I have a feeling that this thing was deliberately created to target me and prevent me from achieving my goals. It appeared when I restored power, in other words, it suddenly appeared and began hunting me down after I finally gained the ability to explore the top levels of the investigation company.

Could it be that it's actually a special defense mechanism prepared against any means that could potentially uncover the secrets within Danso Corporation?

"Huh...huh..."

As I pondered, my breathing became rapid.

Even though Liang's physical strength had exceeded human limits after being enhanced by Gao Hai, he was still inevitably approaching his limit after a long chase and was about to give up.

The strange object in the photo continued to float slowly, as always, before suddenly closing the distance in the blink of an eye, during a moment of inattention from the girl. The person in the photo also opened their mouth, smiled at Liang, and murmured fragmented, distorted words that were impossible to decipher.

There's no way to escape this thing; I can't avoid it. I'll be caught and killed within minutes at most.

Realizing she was once again in dire straits, the girl found herself surprisingly calm. It seemed that after experiencing this kind of thing more than once, she had become more or less able to accept it and no longer felt despair because of it.

Well then, let's try again.

Liang knew that she didn't really have any other choice.

She came to this eerie place to uncover its secrets, not to play tag. Now that she was trapped in a deadlock, the only thing she could do was try to break the stalemate through death.

I really don't want to do this...

The girl's body was trembling slightly.

Her gaze swept across the window next to the reception hall. She took a deep breath and, without hesitation, rushed to the window, deciding to jump directly from the building.

Even though this would likely result in her resurrecting on the first floor, making it extremely difficult to return, it was currently the only way Ryo could think of to escape this thing. Of course, choosing to be killed by it directly might also be an option. However, Ryo had a vague premonition that this strange entity, existing in the form of a "photograph," might not kill its captured victim on the spot, but instead pull them into the "photograph" and imprison them in an alternate dimension.

Although this is just Ryo's unfounded speculation, if it were true, she would truly have no chance of escape. After all, she is just an ordinary person whose physical abilities were forcibly enhanced by Gao Hai's forced growth; she would be completely helpless against time-space blocking methods.

tread!

Having made up her mind, the girl took each step with increasing speed.

Even knowing that using this life would leave only one chance to revive, Ryo didn't intend to dwell on it any longer. Since he possessed the ability to revive after death, life itself was merely a currency for exchanging for victory. When it was time to use it, he had to use it without hesitation.

whoosh-

Then, she heard the sound of wind behind her.

Almost instinctively, sensing the danger, the girl threw herself to the ground beside her, avoiding the extremely fatal blow.

She rolled on the ground, looked up, and saw that the photo, which had been slowly chasing her not long ago, had suddenly become incredibly fast and almost caught her on the spot.

This isn't right.

Liang noticed something was wrong at that moment.

There's no reason why this thing suddenly became so fast. That acceleration just now was very strange and didn't conform to the pattern it has shown since its appearance.

Could it be because it realized I was planning to commit suicide?

But since the creature doesn't possess the ability to think, how could it possibly discern my intentions? It's impossible that this thing isn't actually a monster—

boom! ! !

Before the thought process could yield an answer, violent tremors began to reverberate between the buildings.

The intense earthquake initially made me think something terrible was about to happen, but upon closer listening, something seemed off. This time, the tremors appeared to originate from inside the building, rather than affecting the entire instance.

Before Liang could even process what was going on, the photograph flew over at an even faster speed. The actions depicted in the photograph were now completely different from the previous playful behavior, and the aura emanating from it had become noticeably colder.

Ryo dodged the attack with an even more clumsy roll, and then rolled on the floor to avoid the thing's next attack.

The air was getting colder and colder, as if it were inside an icebox, or even colder than being inside an icebox.

After rolling around for a while, Ryo got up and looked ahead, only to see the photograph almost pressed against her face. Immediately, she noticed that the rotting face that had been on the photograph was gone, and the surface of the photograph had turned completely black. Faintly, Ryo could see jagged lines flickering within that blackness.

This monster isn't a photo ghost; it's just using this thing's shell.

It can no longer dodge the attack that it is about to launch.

At that moment, Liang clearly realized two facts, and the strange creature was about to launch its final attack.

"That won't do."

The next second, Ryo saw a pink flash pass in front of her.

A crimson hue enveloped Fujiwara Chika's eyes. Enhanced by the blessing of the Blood Flower, her berserk blessing, now at the Crimson Moon level, granted the girl immense power. She took a step, creating a sonic boom, easily tearing through the elevator shaft to reach the top floor. She rushed into the room, blocking Yamada Ryo's path, and with a backhand slap, sent the eerie photograph flying, crashing into the wall.

"what?"

Liang, who hadn't expected the rescue to arrive so suddenly, stood there stunned, unsure of how to react.

Chika didn't have time to turn around and introduce herself to Ryo, because at the same time she intercepted and knocked away the photo, she could clearly sense that something that had originally only acted through a strange object had begun to project its true form into the room.

I am a doctor, I am your therapist, let me heal you.

A gentle voice descends accompanied by intense mental pollution.

Just sensing the other person's presence made me feel like my entire consciousness was collapsing.

However, it was a little weaker than the overwhelmingly powerful force expected.

Chika could sense that there were flaws in the opponent's terrifying aura; it wasn't a truly perfect state.

It seems that the injury Ah Hai inflicted on it was quite serious.

"Ugh..."

The chill behind him was almost caused to collapse from the mere aura emanating from the "psychologist," and he nearly fainted on the spot.

"A psychologist, indeed. When it comes to treating mental and emotional illnesses, people usually think of a psychologist."

Chika simply stood there, smiling as she looked at the distorted creature with a body the size of a matchstick and a television head that emerged from the photograph not far away, and spoke calmly.

Yes, I am a doctor, a psychologist, a psychologist dedicated to healing everyone and bringing happiness to all. Your happiness will also be given by me.

The twisted monster murmured, unleashing its power even more recklessly.

"Doctor, can you heal yourself?"

But the next moment, as Chika uttered her next sentence, the "psychologist," who had seemed to be in high spirits, suddenly became stuck and his movements stopped.

Chapter Sixty-One: The Doctor Temporarily Sealed and the Girls About to Reunite.

As the first "Doctor" in the human faction with a documented record and one of his clones successfully eliminated, information about the "Psychotherapist" was quickly published on the Alice Network after it was confirmed that there was no information contamination. Therefore, all players in Tokyo could access it, and Fujiwara Chika naturally couldn't miss such important information. Having read the records long ago, she knew exactly what this thing was and was well aware of how dangerous it was for her to actively jump in front of it.

If we really go to war head-on, I don't think I can last long, right?

Chika, who was very clear about her own strength level, thought to herself.

But there's no way around it, we're already here, we can't just watch this thing kill our teammates, can we?

Moreover, with the player team that was exploring the lower area gone, only this one player is left investigating the office building. What if some crucial clues are missed? You have to understand that this is the [Psychiatrist] personally coming to kill someone; there must be a reason why he has to personally take action.

As for how to deal with this enemy, a head-on confrontation is definitely out of the question, as Chika is not a player skilled in direct combat. Moreover, to be honest, given the power disparity between the [Doctor] and the player, even a group of top-tier players specializing in direct combat wouldn't be able to defeat it. Therefore, after reviewing the rules and characteristics of the [Psychotherapist] beforehand, Chika's initial focus was on verbal attacks; she would try to limit its actions by inducing psychological trauma.

"You said you're a psychologist, right? Then you must have seen all sorts of people suffering from mental illnesses, and you must have empathized with those unfortunate people, right?"

"After 'saving' so many people, as a doctor, haven't you ever suffered because of it? Haven't you ever been caught up in strong negative emotions, or felt the pain that patients have gone through?"

"When patients fall ill, they can seek help from doctors. As a doctor, have you ever been sick? When you were sick, how did you treat yourself?"

Standing in the chaotic reception hall, littered with furniture shards and broken glass, Fujiwara Chika asked the monster in front of her questions in a light and cheerful tone.

【…】

She did not receive an immediate response.

Unsurprisingly, when faced with such problems, the "psychologist" struggles to cope. Its nature and inherent characteristics make it extremely unstable and unable to confront issues involving psychological trauma and real-life tragedies. However, this is quite normal, given that, according to Yotsuya Miko's observations, the so-called "psychologist" is essentially a manifestation of humanity's tendency to escape all pain; it is destined to be unable to face "reality."

I... am in so much pain... and it is precisely because of this pain that I must create happiness...

However, verbal attacks of this level alone do not seem to be enough to restrain the other party.

Chika didn't attempt to replicate the attack method that Miko had tried before. After all, it had already been demonstrated once in front of the "psychologist," and Chika didn't dare gamble that the same move might be weakened or even lose its effectiveness. Therefore, she tried to choose a different approach. Now it seems that although this also works, it doesn't seem to reach the level that Miko achieved with the doctor's clone.

Strength is converging.

You can sense that some kind of invisible force is gathering around this monster.

Its ability to move has not been completely deprived; if this continues, it may recover.

As a doctor, I will overcome all kinds of suffering... I will bring eternal happiness... I will give to everyone...

"Yes, I know. I know the pain that doctors find hard to face. Doctor, do you know what kind of pain that is?"

The monster's murmurs mingled with Chika's calm voice.

A powerful spiritual force was spreading outwards, and Yamada Ryo was unable to withstand its corrosive influence, falling into a state of confusion and disorientation. Chika, however, remained steadfastly standing amidst the chaos of the room, her azure eyes fixed on the howling monster.

She could feel her spirit being gradually eroded and overwhelmed, but at least for now, in front of the "Doctor," whose attention had been diverted by her words, this level of attack couldn't control Chika. Of course, this was also related to the fact that the "Psychotherapist" couldn't ignore others' reactions and couldn't disregard words unfavorable to it according to the rules. Just like now, when Chika brought up the topic of "pain" again, the monster's focus shifted, and it was forced to wait for Chika's answer.

Then, it heard Qianhua speak:

"For doctors, the truly unbearable pain must be the cries for help from people who have no hope."

As if telling a story, the pink-haired girl took a step forward, looked at the monster's television head under immense mental pressure, and asked a question.

"Not every patient in this world can be saved. Some people come too late, and there is no turning back. But they come too early, early enough to be sober enough to face the fact that they are already terminally ill, early enough to still struggle for survival like ordinary people, but in fact they have no future to speak of."

"Like a victim in a traffic accident whose body has been crushed and who is still struggling to crawl, or a person in a fire whose skin has been burned off more than 9% of their body but who is still crying out. When they come to you for help, they must be hoping to survive, right? But you know very well, doctor, that they are beyond saving. Even if they can barely live for a few more days, the days ahead will be filled with endless despair, and there will be no light at all."

"As a doctor, no matter how serious the illness or how horrific the corpse, it should be impossible for you to shake your will. But how do you face the living who have no hope? Those who are still unwilling to accept their fate in their last moments, yet whose lives can no longer be changed, doctor, can you face them?"

In her calm words, Chika completely stopped her emotional reactions and spoke those words almost mechanically, without any fluctuation in her thoughts.

【…】

The psychologist did not answer Qianhua.

Under her questioning, the twisted monster showed no trace of the terrifying appearance it had when facing Miko and Kita. On the contrary, its slender limbs became extremely distorted and disordered, as if Chika's words had provoked it and were driving it mad.

No, you can't say things like "it's like".

This is indeed the case for something that is essentially a mixture of consciousness.

Why...why say such things to me...why bring up those despairing memories...when they could be sleeping soundly in their dreams...when they could choose not to remember...?