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

Nanakawa Ren, standing nearby, was also very anxious. She and Hayashibe Kenta had conducted a very thorough search of the surrounding area, but they hadn't found a single useful clue. The so-called core object of obsession hadn't even been found, let alone a trace of it, or a hint of its presence.

Time passed by minute by minute.

If we can't find the core object of our obsession soon, once Shao Ye's side can't hold on any longer, the two of us on our side will also have no chance of survival.

Damn it, where did things go wrong? We've already confirmed the connection between Yamashita Masashige and Yamashita Masafumi, and we've focused on the possible locations of the testing area and the prison area, but why can't we find any clues about the brothers or anything useful?

Kenta Hayashibe reached out and smacked his forehead hard, but he didn't feel a headache. Instead, he felt an uncomfortable feeling of being plagued by troubles.

Where might the problem lie?

Is the search going in the wrong direction? Or are we missing some crucial key?

Considering that their mission this time was completely different from the past, and they didn't follow the normal dungeon investigation process at all, they often relied on the extraordinary power given to them by Gao Hai to push through. Now, looking back, trying to figure out if they had taken the wrong path or missed anything, Lin Bujiantai couldn't think of anything at all, and had no clue what to do.

Rumble, rumble——

Amidst the violent crashing sounds, Shao Ye dragged the hollow monster through the ground, pulling it deeper into the shattered rock formations.

The strength provided by Gao Hai can sustain the effort for about one minute.

The search efforts of Kenta Hayashibe and Ren Nanakawa have yet to yield any progress.

"This search isn't working; we need to change our approach. You're always coming up with new ideas, why don't you give this one a try?"

Finally, Nanakawa Ren couldn't stand it any longer and stopped to speak to Hayashibe Kenta beside him.

"How come I suddenly have so many ideas? I'm the kind of person who hates coming up with ideas the most, okay? My ultimate life motto is to slack off!"

Kenta Hayashibe's eyes widened suddenly as he looked at his companion, who was clearly talking nonsense, unable to believe what the other had just said.

Boom——

The ground tremors became more severe.

Caught off guard, both players swayed slightly, but neither lost their balance and fell to the ground.

However, everyone present could sense that this tremor no longer stemmed entirely from the battle between Shao Ye and the hollow, eerie creature, but rather from elsewhere—from other areas that belonged to the same instance as this dark experimental base and were currently inaccessible.

Such continuous commotion suggests that other teams within the "Slacking Off Gang" have likely encountered enemies at the core level of obsession, and battles have already broken out in more than one location.

"This search can't go on like this. Our evidence gathering is inadequate, and we don't have a deep understanding of the specific situation here. Following the usual methods won't yield any results, so we need to use unconventional methods. Phew... that's right, only unconventional methods have a chance of winning!"

In that dangerous moment, Kenta Hayashibe took a deep breath and finally made a new decision in his heart.

"What to do?"

Qi Chuanlian immediately asked again, clearly having great faith in her teammate's quick wit in critical moments.

Mr. Gao, please help us!

Then, the next sentence was not shouted out, but rather, Hayashi Kenta activated the temporary mental link established with Takami and shouted for help very loudly.

Seven River Lotus: ?

Gao Hai:? ? ?

Rumble, rumble, rumble——

The violent tremors continued.

Amidst the collapsed ruins, Shao Ye stepped forward, carrying a burning sword. With a swift movement, he nearly cleaved the hollow, strange creature that had just stood up in two, knocking it down once more.

Gravel was flying everywhere.

Many of the experimental instruments had already caught fire and been reduced to ashes by the power that Shao Ye had released with all his might.

Flames burst forth from the burning cloak, dissipating like flowers.

Once again, some kind of injury tore Shao Ye's body apart, turning her into almost pieces of flesh on the ground in an instant.

Still unable to find a proper way to evade the opponent's power, and with insufficient information on the rules and clues, the result of forcibly confronting this enemy with inadequate understanding is that Shao Ye can only endure every attack from the opponent, while his counterattacks are completely ineffective against the opponent.

The wound healed in the next moment.

A golden light flashed beneath the skin and slowly dissipated.

Shao Ye realized that the power Gao Hai had provided her had been completely exhausted, and now she would have to rely on herself to face the enemy before her.

"..."

Her body became sluggish, and in an instant, she realized that her body felt much heavier than it had been a second before. This wasn't due to some supernatural power; it was simply because Gao Hai's temporary enhancement had indeed increased Shao Ye's physical abilities. Once this power was cut off, she would have to return to her normal level, which would cause her some difficulty adapting in the short term.

The strange creature in front of them had already stood up again the moment it lost its suppression.

tear-

Even more severe injuries than before spread across Shao Ye's entire body in the blink of an eye.

It is impossible to defend against because even the form of the attack is incomprehensible.

There was no way to dodge it, because beyond the actual attack, there was an even more incomprehensible force forcibly blocking its mobility.

Then, Shao Ye's sword blade struck the monster again, causing it to sink and kneel on the ground.

The flesh and blood were writhing.

The power of the [Corpse Host] manifested as chunks of flesh of varying sizes, forcibly healing wounds and replacing some of Shao Ye's organs. Although this treatment method carries considerable risks and may result in residual aftereffects that would continue to affect Shao Ye's mobility, at least for now, it has temporarily restored Shao Ye's ability to move.

Bang!

Then her head exploded the next moment.

The hollowed-out monster slowly rose, never once glancing at Shao Ye.

But it was unable to get up.

Because Shao Ye's sword was still firmly pressing down on the thing's shoulder, and he even increased the pressure, trying to completely knock the thing to the ground.

"Die..."

An incredibly hoarse voice, more like the roar of a demon from hell than human speech, emanated from Shao Ye's head, which had been transformed into countless twisted chunks of flesh.

The fatal wound was forcibly negated by Shao Ye's blessing, and her incomparably powerful mental strength allowed her to continue controlling her dead body to fight. She even further activated the various obsessions she carried, continuing to suppress the monster with an extremely tyrannical attitude.

【…】

The hollow, eerie creature finally raised its head and looked at Shao Ye.

One after another, eyeballs emerged from that black void and all turned toward Shao Ye's direction.

In an instant, it seemed as if many people were talking together.

In an instant, it seemed as if some even more incomprehensible force had enveloped his body and soul.

This attack is different from the previous ones. Without external protection, I probably won't be able to withstand this blow; I'll definitely die.

It seems that after persistently hindering this thing's actions, its not-so-rich thinking ability has finally made a decision: to use more power to try to eliminate Shao Ye and get rid of this little bug that always causes it trouble.

"stop!"

But before that attack could actually be delivered, Qi Chuanlian had already rushed forward, swinging her large hammer in a circle before smashing it into the thing's head, sending it flying and causing it to stagger back more than ten meters before coming to a stop.

The investigation of the inner plaza is up to you; I need to deal with other matters temporarily…

A few minutes ago, after giving instructions to Liang, Hongxia and Xingge in the Sheep Apartment, Gao Hai turned his attention back to the Red Moon level players.

Incidents are erupting all over Tokyo right now. If the Moyu Gang weren't currently dealing with three targets at least at the Red Moon level, Gao Hai would have already considered temporarily reassigning them to handle other matters. However, compared to other places, Gao Hai quickly discovered that Shao Ye of the Moyu Gang was facing a much bigger problem. Hayashi Kenta and Nanakawa Ren hadn't been able to find any clues related to the core obsession item within three minutes, while Shao Ye, after fighting the strange creature for a while, was almost exhausted and about to be completely at a disadvantage.

I have clues and a hypothesis, but I can't advance these clues, so I can only ask Mr. Gao for help. I hope you can find a way to bypass the restrictions and take action.

"I said earnestly in the communication," said Kenta Hayashibe.

What clue? I can't afford to invest too much effort in the dungeon.

Gao Hai was somewhat hesitant, but decided to listen to what the other party had to say before making a decision.

[Masashige Yamashita and Masafumi Yamashita, these brothers, after their collaboration between Dansu Corporation and the Hert Institute, one of them was brought in to become a test subject for the institute, while the other became a security guard at a place called "Sheep's Den." I believe these two are strongly connected to this hollow, mysterious object, but I can't pinpoint the key location of the specific clues. Mr. Gao, could you please help me find a way?]

Without hesitation, Hayashibe Kenta immediately voiced his guess.

【Masafumi Yamashita? 】

After hearing what the other party said, Gao Hai was slightly stunned.

This name sounds very familiar.

Wait a minute, the security guard at Zhenyang Apartment... isn't this the apartment where Liang Hong, Xia Xingge, and the other two are hiding? If it's the security guard... they really are here? This... no wonder they couldn't find any clues. Did they send the key character to another instance?!

In that instant, Gao Hai, who had finally confirmed the hospital's methods, began to equate the hospital with the writer in his mind.

Of course, he didn't hesitate and immediately deployed his forces to capture the strange security guard who was still diligently patrolling the Zhenyang Apartment. Then, he remotely airdropped him to the research institute area where Shao Ye and the others were located.

However, to avoid revealing his presence, Hayashi Kenta had to go to the edge of the research institute and find a weak point in the space. Meanwhile, Nanakawa Ren decided to rush back first to support Shao Ye in case she was defeated.

Whoosh—thump!

The heavy sledgehammer, usually only seen on construction sites, fell again as Qi Chuanlian swung it, slamming once more into the approaching monster.

But unlike last time, this time the hollowed-out monster didn't retreat an inch.

"No... really? He adapted to it in just one move?!"

Realizing that this thing had adapted to and neutralized the forced knockback effect of his obsession object, Nanakawa Ren immediately tried to retrieve his hammer, only to find that it was stuck to the thing's flesh and blood and couldn't be pulled out for a while.

Did you see it? Your own hole?

Twisted murmurs assaulted Nanakawa Ren's mind in the next second.

"So much nonsense..."

Amidst the burning flames, Shao Ye's hoarse voice immediately drove away the foul sounds.

The sword fell, striking the hammer with a loud bang, which then caused an explosion.

The hollowed-out monster was blasted away again. Shao Yecai pulled Qichuan Lian, who refused to let go of the hammer, back a few steps. At this moment, Linbu Kenta also ran up from behind carrying something.

The elusive and mysterious entity that had remained unmoved throughout has once again taken its first steps, heading unscathed towards the players.

But this time, before its power could spread towards the players, what arrived first was the thing that was violently thrown by Hayashibe Kenta.

"Come on, your brother's here!"

Amidst the roar, the pale-faced security monster crashed into the hollow monster, and was immediately absorbed by one of the hollows, disappearing into it without a trace.

is that useful?

Kenta Hayashibe stared nervously at the strange creature in front of him.