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

I feel like I've really been looked down upon. But if I hadn't been looked down upon and instead taken seriously, I probably wouldn't have been able to hold on until now; I would have been killed long ago.

Is the "doctor" still with you? How is the situation there now?

Gao Hai's communication came through at this moment. The other party had obviously been paying attention to Cat Brother's situation. When he noticed that Cat Brother's breathing had stabilized, he quickly sent a communication to inquire.

"The other party left. It seems they were called away for something else. I'm fine here."

While replying to the communications, Cat Bro carefully observed the "eye" not far away. He noticed that the thing was slowly becoming active again, and estimated that it would restart its pursuit of him in a few seconds.

The core item strategy for the "Slacking Off Gang" is basically complete. No need to stay on the second floor any longer; go and meet up with the others.

Gao Hai's new message came quickly. After confirming that his teammates had not made any mistakes, Cat Brother breathed a sigh of relief and replied to Gao Hai with "Completely OK". Then he prepared to take the elevator on the second floor to evacuate the area and return to the first floor.

Of course, he didn't forget to summarize the relevant information about the "Doctor" and inform Gao Hai during this process. Although the other party only appeared for a very short time and did not truly demonstrate its power, this was already one of the very few cases of players surviving after contacting the "Doctor," and it would be good if any clues or information could be collected.

[Great, with these things, we might be able to summarize some of the rules regarding "doctors".]

To defeat these shameless individuals, we need to find a way to understand them.

Thank you so much for your help. I'll take care of them soon. I'll cut off the "hospital's" claws that have reached into the real world, one by one.

Gao Hai's voice sounded very ambitious, but also carried a hint of gritted teeth.

Cat Bro wasn't sure if he had any grudge against [Doctor], so he just gave a few casual replies and then planned to escape the floor before [Eyes] started chasing him again.

However, before Cat Brother actually reached the elevator door, as he passed by a medical cart placed in the corridor, a report that inadvertently caught his eye made him stop in his tracks.

"This is……"

Reaching out to pick up the report, Cat Brother's gaze lingered on the beginning of the report.

[Report on Transferred Patients: Four Items]

[Destination of transferred patients: ■■■■■■■■]

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Problems on the Side of Shin-Hime and Kaguya, and the Countermeasures of the [Hospital].

Some time ago, at the same time that the "Slacking Off Gang" officially began investigating and exploring the fusion instance space, in another place, other people were also working hard to fight against the "Hospital" in their own ways.

Zhenfei had lost count of how many strange creatures had attacked her.

After she and Kaguya made the decision to attract the hospital's attention, the area located in the abandoned building area began to expand. The hospital, which quickly realized the problem, immediately responded, attracting wave after wave of strange creatures to continuously attack the area. The fierce battle even completely destroyed many surrounding buildings. Maki and Kaguya also consumed a lot of energy in this high-intensity battle, so much so that in less than an hour, they were both so exhausted that they were about to faint.

"Phew... Is there anything else...?"

After catching her breath a few times with her clothes soaked with sweat and covered in wounds, Princess Zhenfei slowly asked.

"They seem to have retreated for now, but I don't think they'll really stop like this. It's very likely that the [Hospital] has realized that a direct assault on the stronghold won't succeed anytime soon, so they're plotting to get rid of the two of us. We can't let our guard down; we have to be careful."

Exhausted as well, Kaguya sat on the ground, answering in a weak voice.

After repelling another wave of strange creatures, and watching the distorted shadows slowly dissipate, the two extremely exhausted girls disregarded their personal image and sat down directly on the roof of the mostly collapsed abandoned building. They received the replenishment from Gao Hai's domain power while easing their overly tense minds.

How are things now? Do you need any help?

Gao Hai's voice reached the two girls' ears at this moment. Clearly, he had been paying attention to the situation and, seeing that the monster's attack had slowed down, he immediately inquired through the mental link.

"For now... there are no problems. Whew, I just need to rest well; I'm a little tired."

Hearing the undisguised concern in Gao Hai's voice, Zhen Fei tried her best to show a gentle smile, and while speaking, she waved her arms and made a "I am very strong" gesture.

"We can hold on here, Gao Jun. How's the investigation team doing? That's more important now."

Kaguya also heard Takami's voice. She subconsciously wiped away her sweat, smoothed the hair that was sticking to her cheeks, and then asked in a low voice.

There's no progress yet. The "hospital" has mixed 30 core obsessions in the same instance, which probably can't be resolved in the short term. However, everyone is trying their best to find a way to crack it, and several teams have found some clues by now.

Due to morale concerns, Gao Hai only gave a general overview of the situation, without mentioning that several player teams exploring the dungeon were separated by spatial turbulence and have not been able to reunite yet.

Of course, although the players' current situation is not optimistic, Gao Hai still believes in their strength. After all, the fact that they have grown to the level of Red Moon players within the two years of the [Sacrifice Game]'s operation is enough to demonstrate their elite status. Ultimately, these players should be the original saviors of this world; they simply lacked the time to grow and therefore could not shoulder the responsibility. Now, with his own power to strengthen these elites and protect their lives, he believes that his efforts will be rewarded, and these top local players will definitely be able to complete the mission.

"Understood. We'll continue to hold our ground and draw enemy fire. By the way, is there still no news from the others?"

After absorbing a certain amount of domain power, Maki, who had almost recovered, took a deep breath, stood up, and asked again after a slight hesitation.

[There's no news yet, but Kita has already penetrated deep into the residential area where Miko is, so we should have results soon. The situation in Ichiri and Chika's areas is relatively stable, but are you sure everything's alright on your side? I'm starting to have trouble seeing my surroundings. The hospital's resources here are constantly increasing, and if this continues, I might lose sight of this area except for the territory's illusion.]

Gao Hai quickly responded, and it was at this moment that he noticed his senses seemed to have difficulty extending to the ruins surrounding the domain. Sometime during this time, the area inhabited by those strange creatures underwent a bizarre change, causing Gao Hai to see only a blurry scene, unable to truly discern the situation within.

It's like the picture quality has been downgraded from ultra-high definition 1080p to 360p or even 180p. The image, which should have been clearly discernible, became incredibly blurry, the sounds were indistinct, and the strange creatures within were impossible to identify. No, the last one isn't quite accurate. Gao Hai could still sense the aura of the strange creatures in these areas, and he could clearly confirm that the aura was quite dense and its intensity was constantly increasing. However, Gao Hai couldn't determine how many strange creatures were inside, nor what they were doing. He knew nothing but that these places were filled with those kinds of things.

To be honest, something feels off.

Regardless, the Hospital is, after all, a rational and thoughtful adversary. The ever-expanding territory created by Maki and Kaguya presents a tangible threat that the Hospital cannot avoid. Given the characteristics the Hospital has displayed in previous playthroughs, there's no reason it would simply resort to attacking with a bunch of strange creatures. Even if they might have guessed the intention to lure out high-level combatants like the Doctor, their reaction shouldn't be so subdued, almost as inactive as a robot.

So, the blurry surroundings must be a problem, right?

"Loss of sight? No, something's wrong, Haijun. The hospital is definitely planning something. We need to check the surrounding area immediately!"

At the same moment that Gao Hai realized the problem, Zhen Fei's expression changed, and she quickly said to Gao Hai.

“Indeed, it’s highly suspicious that the visibility is gradually decreasing in this area, especially since it happens to be around the edge of the domain. We need to confirm the situation. Gao Jun, can you find a way to enhance your perception? If not, then Maki and I can go and check it out together.”

Kaguya nodded in agreement, her small face filled with seriousness, clearly indicating that she already had many bad thoughts in her mind.

【I have a plan. You just need to stay where you are and don't leave the protected area easily】

Without wasting words, Gao Hai activated the power of the rescue team badge while communicating with Kaguya Maki, summoning new rescue team members.

This time, Gao Hai summoned the two ghost-suppressing figures he had recruited from the [Infant Cry Village] instance.

However, he did not send the two people to the domain. Instead, he used the two new members' special ability to create paper figures to create six small paper figures and send them into the domain. He then manipulated the half-meter-tall paper figures to spread out and explore the surrounding area.

The previously blurry vision became clear again after the addition of a controllable perspective of the monster.

Gao Hai saw the shattered buildings, collapsed in the battle between the monsters and Kaguya Maki.

Gao Hai also saw the strange creatures hidden in the darkness, appearing or disappearing with the pitch-black void. He also clearly sensed the twisted aura emanating from them, confirming that they were at least Red Moon-level creatures.

So that's really how it is? Most of the strange creatures in the 30-core obsession mixed instance were teleported to the Tokyo area through this eerie black void, and most of their forces are now deployed to the domain to fight against Kaguya Maki. From this perspective, the decoy plan was quite successful. The hospital's manpower was indeed tied down; if those creatures hadn't been released without the two of them, it would likely have caused enormous casualties.

As Gao Hai was thinking this, he then noticed that the perspective of one of the paper figures suddenly disappeared.

The enemy discovered that they were very fast.

Perhaps because he has now officially embarked on the path to godhood, Gao Hai's own aura has undergone a significant change, and the auras of the rescue team members under his command have also changed to some extent. Those who are too weak, like Lao Guo, or those who act independently, like Hirano Sosuke, are fine, but the paper figures, being completely derivative, are particularly susceptible to being tainted by the auras of other things. As a result, the paper figures shimmer with golden light and have a very strong presence, and are immediately detected by those strange creatures when they get close enough.

So what if they've been discovered? They were just cannon fodder meant for reconnaissance anyway, so now that they've been spotted, there's no point in hiding them anymore.

Without hesitation, Gao Hai immediately directed the remaining five paper figures to rush towards the ruins where the strange creatures were entrenched, while simultaneously using these paper figures to amplify his senses to the extreme.

A distorted aura could be felt spreading.

Mixed among the auras of those strange creatures was an ominous aura, subtly different from the others.

Another paper figure has lost its connection.

That was the breath of life, the blood that had not yet lost its warmth.

It was a sound filled with endless pain, despair, and constant wailing and crying.

It is a soul that is constantly tormented and unable to find peace.

Two more paper figures broke their connection, and the aura of the remaining three paper figures began to weaken rapidly.

The mangled flesh gradually magnified and became clearer in view.

On the blasphemous altar, piles of fresh skulls lay amidst spreading blood and bits of flesh, trembling incessantly.

Gao Hai saw those bound souls, those chosen sacrifices.

Under the actions of these strange entities controlled by the [Hospital], a deliberate altar of flesh and souls was erected, exuding a strong ominous aura even at a glance, and pointing to something unknown.

The last three paper figures also broke the link, and the dark area surrounding the golden-red domain became blurry and unrecognizable once again.

But this time, Gao Hai understood what was going on.

We can no longer stay put and wait for the enemy to attack. The enemy has changed their strategy, and we must take the initiative.

Through the mental link with Kaguya Maki, Takami quickly spoke to them.

"What happened? Have the problems in those areas been confirmed?"

Consort Zhen heard the seriousness in Gao Hai's voice and quickly asked.

[The other side is also building a domain, but it's completely opposite to mine; it's a domain constructed from the flesh and souls of living people.]

[The "hospital's" strategy was simple: after confirming that it was difficult to break through my domain, it created domain nodes of opposite nature around my domain and carried out mass killings, using people as sacrifices to strengthen the domain it created, ensuring that it could completely cover my domain in this space.]

If this thing continues unchecked, the domain you two have created will clash with the surrounding "hospital" domains, squeezing you in the middle and hindering your development. Meanwhile, the domains the enemy has created will continue to expand outwards, devouring more and more lives. If this continues, we will be at a significant disadvantage. Therefore, even if there might be traps, we must take proactive action. We must destroy those barrier nodes and stop them from expanding and devouring more lives.

Gao Hai sighed as he spoke, feeling somewhat troubled by the hospital's actions.

A smart opponent is always much harder to deal with than a brainless one, just like Alice back then. Those kinds of people who go back and forth and counter each other's moves are really the most annoying.

[Hehe, really? Has the teacher started to dislike Alice?]

I didn't tell you, go back to work.

Ignoring the person who was grinning in his mind, Gao Hai clearly explained the general situation. Knowing that the situation was urgent, Maki and Kaguya did not hesitate and immediately prepared to take action.

However, before the two girls left the domain to deal with the domain nodes of the surrounding [hospital] and rescue the survivors, there was one more problem that needed to be solved.

“This area can’t be left unattended. If the domain that Haijun set up here is destroyed, the hospital will be able to focus more on other things. My great-aunt and I need to leave one of us here; we can’t both leave.”

Princess Zhenfei gazed at the darkness in the distance, pursed her lips, and whispered.

"...However, if we leave one person behind and only one person goes, not to mention the problem of the trap, the speed of processing nodes will definitely not be fast, and in the end, there will still be problems."

Kaguya hesitated for a moment, then raised another question.

Don't worry about this. There are indeed people watching this area; nothing will happen. You two can leave now. Don't worry about anything going wrong here.

But Gao Hai wasn't worried about it at all, speaking with great certainty.

As for the source of this confidence...

He lowered his head and looked at Hayasaka Ai, who was sleeping with her eyes closed against the steps beneath the throne.

Gao Hai could clearly sense that even in the midst of a painful dream, the blonde maid was forcing herself to turn her consciousness toward the area, focusing her mind on that region and remotely controlling the changes in power within it.

Besides you, there are others fighting as well. Go ahead without worry. Others will take over here, and I will provide assistance in the following operations.

Gao Hai spoke earnestly to the two girls through their mental link, his tone concealing a hint of sighing and determination.