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

So, if you have a powerful backer helping you cheat, and you still hesitate to move forward, then your backer's cheat is useless, isn't it?

Gao Hai's voice had calmed down.

Xiong Mi opened her eyes, and a faint golden-red light flickered in them. Jian Bing, who was advancing alongside her, did the same; his aura solidified in an instant to a level that players at this level could not possibly possess. To say that his strength had increased exponentially would not even begin to describe his current state.

So the two of them rushed forward towards the house that was gradually taking shape ahead, and the shadows that were emerging from the house, and took the lead without fear.

boom--

A violent tremor followed, accompanied by the sound of buildings collapsing and the eerie howl of some dangerous entity. Xiong Mi and Jian Bing immediately engaged the core monster in combat, further distorting the already warped space.

While a fierce battle was raging on one side, in another ward, the lawyer was also facing pressure from the core obsession of the Red Moon level.

Unlike Xiong Mi, the lawyer didn't see anything. After he jumped into the hole that appeared in the room, no past light or shadow appeared. The lawyer didn't see anything about the past of patient 0-0001. All he felt was a continuous feeling of falling and darkness enveloping him from all directions.

"call……"

I could feel the air I was exhaling becoming increasingly heavy.

My heart was racing, and I was experiencing intermittent, electric-like stinging sensations in my body. My back felt like it was being chilled by a cold wind.

The lawyer knew that this was his body's instinctive reaction to sensing danger.

Although his emotions and feelings have been almost completely eroded by his obsession with the "core of the law," his bodily instincts seem to have remained intact. Therefore, by simply observing his various bodily reactions, the lawyer can accurately determine the situation he is facing.

Is he hating himself? Is he hating the clothes he's wearing? Or is he hating the person the clothes represent?

The feeling of falling is gradually subsiding.

But the biting cold continued to rise, and there was no way to calm it down.

coming soon.

The lawyer silently prepared for battle, one hand gripping a heavy book and the other a black alloy chain, waiting for the moment when the enemy would truly appear before him.

As for the rescue team member who jumped down with him, the lawyer had no idea where he was. It seemed that he and the rescue team member had been separated into different spaces when they jumped into the hole, and since the rescue team member was a strange creature and couldn't sense the location of his teammates, the lawyer could only hope that the other person was alright, since he simply didn't have the energy to look for him at the moment.

tread--

The footsteps touched the ground.

It was still pitch black all around, and nothing could be seen.

But the lawyer could vaguely sense that something was slowly approaching from afar.

Could it be Patient Zero, the one with the core obsession?

The lawyer looked toward the figure in the darkness.

Then he saw a doctor in a white coat who looked very haggard. Judging from his appearance, he should be around 40 years old, but with his dejected look, he could easily be mistaken for 60.

Why a doctor?

The lawyer frowned.

This should be the cave belonging to Patient Zero, the place of obsession for the strange creature 0-0001. Why is it that a doctor, whom he should hate, appears here?

We shouldn't have done this, things shouldn't have been like this, Dean.

As the lawyer pondered, he heard the doctor's voice, as if it were an echo from a long, long time ago, from some forgotten corner.

I will not give up treating those patients.

I don't know what you're planning, but doing this is wrong.

I won't change my mind. I know I can't stop you, but I'll stick to my position and find a way to cure them.

The doctor's voice was firm, and the lawyer could not detect the slightest wavering in his words.

Treating patients?

The lawyer recalled information from the intelligence gathered by the team earlier, including a recording of a doctor's voice.

Yes, not everyone succumbs to evil; there are always those who resist, those who choose to fight against it after discovering it. And clearly, the doctor featured in that recording is one such person.

[Perhaps you see these patients as an opportunity, a possibility for you to climb higher, but I don't agree with that idea. I will do everything I can to cure them.]

This is my duty as a doctor, and it's the kind of person I promised myself to become after choosing this profession.

Whatever you want to do next is none of my business. I won't change my mind. If you're going to try to stop me, then go ahead.

The doctor's voice quickly faded away after those resolute words.

Is this a memory from the past?

Could it be that Patient Zero remembered the doctor so well that he could still manifest him after becoming a monster?

As he pondered, the surrounding darkness remained unchanged, but the lawyer noticed that new figures were appearing not far away, approaching him.

He is also a doctor.

Unlike the previous doctor, this man looked much younger, probably not even 30. He completely ignored the lawyer, as if he couldn't see him, and simply walked forward, muttering to himself as he went.

After the fever and drowsiness subsided, I seemed to be able to see some unusual things.

Could this hospital really be hiding some secret? I've heard rumors before that something happened in the psychiatric ward, and some people in town say that strange things have happened at the hospital, causing trouble for the town.

I need to investigate this thoroughly. The anomalies here can't be ignored. Consider it for the sake of those children who were frightened by the faceless man. Since no one else is willing to believe me, I'll investigate on my own.

The doctor muttered to himself as he moved forward, his figure gradually dimming and being swallowed by the darkness until he disappeared.

The lawyer remained silent throughout, observing everything in silence.

More figures emerged from the darkness.

There were doctors and nurses who noticed something amiss and tried to investigate the truth; there were people who stepped forward simply to protect and treat patients; and there were people who were patients themselves, yet acted for the sake of others, trying to stop it all from continuing.

Some of them realized that the dean was the source of all this evil; these people would meet the lawyer's gaze and denounce his wickedness and cruelty. Others, however, never uncovered the truth, so they simply moved forward silently in the darkness, never glancing in the direction of the lawyer.

The only thing that will not change is the final outcome.

None of them were able to truly change anything; they all eventually disappeared into the darkness, leaving no trace of their existence.

This is to be expected, given that the instance is planned by the Keeper of the Game (KP). Guided by that inhuman being beyond the reach of time, the story is bound to end tragically. Even if the villains ultimately fail, the innocent and kind-hearted will still not find a happy ending in such a story. The best players can do is merely to satisfy the regrets of the deceased and bring this all to a close.

But... I see, is this the reason for such emotions? Would I still be surprised or astonished?

As the lawyer pondered, he looked at the last figure to emerge from the darkness, slowly approaching him.

He had come to understand the obsession of this strange creature and the source of hatred of Patient Zero, who represented the original origin of the copy.

To be honest, even though he was a veteran player, when the lawyer saw the director's suicide note, he subconsciously thought that Patient Zero's hatred for the director was simply due to the director's harmful behavior and subsequent experimental torture.

But now he knows that's not the case.

The real reason Patient Zero hated the hospital director was not because of the harm he himself had suffered, but because of the director's persecution of others, and the anger he felt towards the tragic fate of those who chose to resist.

You are never innocent, Dean; you are the most evil one.

I may spare anyone, but I will never spare you. Even if I die completely, my corpse will rise again, come looking for you, and kill you.

God won't protect you, just as you can never kill me. Your fate was already sealed; you can't escape it.

The man, locked in his hospital bed, grinned, his mouth dripping with blood, revealing a crazed smile.

The lawyer could sense that after he chose to play the role of the dean and put on the clothes, all the madness was directed at him.

So that's how it is. It seems I've chosen a dead end.

The lawyer nodded slightly, realizing that by choosing to assume this identity, he had essentially created a permanent target for his core obsession. In a normal scenario, he would now be in a dead end, likely to be killed on the spot.

Fortunately, he dared to make such a dangerous choice because he had someone backing him.

hum-

Golden light flowed beneath the skin.

The strange creature's figure suddenly appeared before them.

The heavy book in the lawyer's hand, with its alloy corner braces, also slammed down.

Boom! ! !

Chapter Thirty-One: The Strange Changes at the Research Institute and Witnessing the Hole in One's Own Self.

Tick-tick-tick-

The road ahead had become wet without us noticing.

Dense water droplets flowed continuously down the wall and dripped from the ceiling, gathering on the ground to form puddles of varying sizes.

A chilling coldness continued to spread through the darkness. Although nothing had appeared yet, the mere presence of this heavy atmosphere had already made Kenta Hayashibe and Ren Nanakawa tense.

"Could this aura be the core obsession?"

After taking several deep breaths, Hayashibe Kenta couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

"..."

Shao Ye, standing at the forefront, did not answer, but simply continued walking forward with his sword in hand.

"Stop talking nonsense and keep going. We've come this far, there's no going back now."

Nanakawa Ren elbowed Hayashibe Kenta on the shoulder, then followed Shao Ye ahead. Hayashibe Kenta, who had been elbowed, took a deep breath and quickly followed, glancing back cautiously a few times, afraid that something might sneak up behind him when no one was looking.

Well, there's nothing here for now, so it's relatively safe.

Although they've ventured deep into the research institute and traversed several chaotic spaces, they're now completely disoriented. However, with the incredibly powerful Sister Shao Ye leading the team, there shouldn't be any problems, right?

Thinking this, Hayashi Kenta turned around and found that his two teammates who were originally in front of him had disappeared. In the dark corridor, he was left all alone.

"Oh no, really..."

Realizing that he had been isolated to another space in the short time it took to turn his head, Kenta Hayashibe's chubby face instantly scrunched up.

Why am I the one who has been isolated?

Does that mean I'll be exploring alone? And if I encounter danger, I'll have to deal with it all by myself? No one will help me, no one will step up to me, I'll have to rely entirely on myself? That's just too exhausting! Can I quit? Can I quit now? Ugh, I just want to go home, eat chips, and play games. Being a gamer is just too troublesome and tiring…

With a bitter expression on his face, Kenta Hayashibe continued to stride forward.

The blessing power from Eriko Asamoto, which he received after clearing Yoruyama Middle School, greatly enhanced Hayashibe Kenta's hearing at this moment, allowing him to perceive various sounds around him. At the same time, through trying to use the spatial point positioning function, Hayashibe Kenta quickly realized that he was being watched by something, and therefore could not set a spatial point.

In other words, I was the first one they approached.

So why is it that they came to find me first?