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

"Hey, Mr. Gao, we haven't found Miss Zhenfei's parents yet, but we have a clue. I reckon they're no longer in this mixed area of ​​the instance. We'll be searching towards the edge of the space next. If we encounter any danger, we'll have to trouble you to rescue them. I suspect the enemy has left some clues waiting for us."

As for the historians led by Tangyuan, there are no clear results yet. However, being able to rule out the possibility that Zhenfei's parents are in the mixed area of ​​the instance is good news, at least they don't have to worry about accidentally harming them when destroying the instance. Even so, more and more survivors have been discovered in the instance area. Considering these innocent people caught in the crossfire, Gao Hai still needs to leave a few people in the instance to search for survivors after the location of the obsession objects is completed. He can't let those people fall into the void along with the collapsing instance.

【…】

As for Cat Brother in the unknown edge space, he hasn't woken up yet. Gao Hai can only ensure that the other party is not dead for the time being through a temporary mental and soul link. As for how to carry out further investigation, we can only wait until the other party wakes up.

The situation is still not very optimistic...

As he silently observed the various areas of Tokyo, Gao Hai's heart grew heavy.

His side had its advantages, and the hospital had corresponding advantages. With several key areas still undecided, Gao Hai wasn't sure if he could achieve final victory until the dust settled. Even though he knew that even in utter defeat, he could summon Bloodflower to take those he cared about and leave, he could never accept such a humiliating outcome. He had already paid a heavy price in pain and sacrifice to win this war. Without completely defeating his opponent and utterly crushing the hospital, Gao Hai would not stop advancing.

【Haijun, Auntie and I have arrived at the outer perimeter of the shelter】

At this moment, Zhenfei sent another message. Upon hearing this, Gao Hai quickly composed himself and focused his attention back on the current operation.

Be extremely careful and never put yourself in danger.

Still worried, Gao Hai spoke to Zhenfei once again.

Don't worry, if we encounter a situation we can't resolve, I'll just throw a bomb and run away. I won't get caught by the enemy.

A very serious voice came from the mental link, while in the real world, Maki gently patted the pocket at her waist.

The first aerial bomb, condensed through Takami's blessing power, is currently hidden in the storage space carried by Maki herself. As long as it is brought into the real world, the stagnation effect that Takami bestowed on the aerial bomb will be removed, and then this thing will instantly explode, planting a small mushroom in Tokyo.

This is the last resort Gao Hai can prepare for Zhenfei. Of course, if possible, he still hopes that Zhenfei will never actually have to use it. After all, when it comes to aerial bombs, the enemy is often one that aerial bombs simply cannot destroy or even suppress.

"I have reached the vicinity of the shelter entrance."

Princess Maki stepped into a large, dark shopping mall that had already closed, and walked down the out-of-service escalator towards the basement.

Beside her, Kaguya, holding a bow and arrow, stood silently on guard, ready to shoot an arrow at any unusual sign.

But even after the two girls reached the basement level and walked to the entrance of the shelter, they didn't sense even the slightest trace of the strange creature. The air here was surprisingly "clean," and they couldn't feel anything unusual at all, as if it were just an ordinary parking lot.

"There's no sign of anything at all; this is very strange."

Kaguya did not lower her guard because of this; on the contrary, she became even more vigilant, and Maki, who was walking further ahead, was equally on high alert.

step-step-

The girls' footsteps echoed far and wide in the empty parking lot.

They walked to the blast door in the corner of the first floor, standing before the shelter door that appeared to have survived no external damage. Without hesitation, Maki stepped forward, completed the identity verification, and easily opened the door.

squeak-

A chilly breeze finally arrived and blew onto the faces of Maki and Kaguya.

【■■……】

A muffled sound followed and reached Zhenfei's ears.

She couldn't hear what the voice was saying.

But she could tell that it was her parents' voices.

Chapter Sixty-One: Exploration in the Shelter and the Re-release of Bombs.

Sizzle...sizzle...

Under the flickering, pale light, the shelter was deserted, giving it a desolate feel.

Shijou Maki was the first to step through the heavy protective door. She closed her eyes, briefly assessed her surroundings, and then continued walking forward.

Behind her, Kaguya Shinomiya stepped into the hall of the shelter and once again sensed her surroundings before following Maki ahead.

step-step-

In the empty hall, converted from a parking lot, the footsteps of the two girls echoed, as if someone was following behind them, moving forward with them. Neither Maki nor Kaguya reacted to this, simply continuing forward, slowly moving deeper into the deserted shelter.

【…】

Princess Zhenfei could hear those sounds.

The sound was indistinct, and its exact location and distance could not be determined.

Her senses told her that it was the voice of her parents, that her father and mother were saying or doing something, just like in their daily lives, passing another uneventful day in the midst of ordinariness.

However, such voices should clearly not be heard in this place, nor in this shelter where large-scale anomalies have been confirmed.

Grandma, can you hear me?

"I asked through the mental link," Zhenfei asked.

[I have a vague feeling, but I can't get any clear information. I'm not really sure if it's your parents' voice. I suspect it's more of an information meme release. In reality, we didn't actually hear anything from your parents. We just received some kind of eerie power released by a strange entity, and under the influence of this power, we had an illusion that we heard such voices.]

Kaguya quickly responded through the mental link. Unlike before, she could now hear voices that resembled those of Maki's parents. However, Kaguya couldn't be completely certain that the intermittent voices were indeed those of Maki's parents. She could only confirm that the voices sounded very much like them. In this respect, the information transmitted back by the two girls' senses was completely different, which was itself an anomaly.

To ensure Maki's safety, Kaguya used the blessing power of "Existence Chain." Therefore, at this moment, with their minds deeply linked, theoretically, Maki and Kaguya should be perceiving exactly the same things. However, they are perceiving slightly different information, indicating an inherent discrepancy between them, suggesting that either Maki or Kaguya herself has encountered a problem.

[It seems the problem is bigger than expected. It's very likely that the hospital has used the connection between you and your family to exert some kind of influence on you. If the source of this influence isn't identified and dealt with in time, the subsequent actions may encounter even greater problems.]

Kaguya's expression turned serious, and Maki fell silent at that moment, feeling somewhat uneasy about the situation the other had described.

Keep moving forward, don't worry too much, I'm keeping an eye on things.

However, after Gao Hai's voice rang out, Maki and Kaguya stopped dwelling on this issue and continued to venture deeper into the area.

Sizzle... sizzle sizzle...

The lights continued to flash.

Even though the electrical equipment in each shelter had been repeatedly checked and should be able to maintain normal voltage, and even if the whole city lost power, it should still be able to maintain stable power for at least several hours, the lights here were flashing incessantly, as if many unseen naughty children were constantly pressing switches, deliberately playing tricks on the two girls who had come here.

We walked through an empty area piled with plastic tables, chairs, and sleeping bags.

Walk through the corridors that connect the different sections of the shelter.

It didn't take long for the two girls to have done a basic exploration of the entire floor, checking every room, before they arrived at the staircase leading to the next area.

No black cavities were found on the second underground level.

Empress Zhen let out a soft breath and reported in a low voice.

"There's no trace of any living person; their presence has completely vanished. But conversely, no spatial rift has been detected either. Has it closed? Or has it been moved?"

Standing at the back, Kaguya looked towards the deserted and quiet shelter area. The overly clean environment made her uneasy, and the complete lack of clues only added to her displeasure. However, the girl was well aware that the current situation was not simple, so she said nothing, but became even more cautious, constantly monitoring any place where something might be suspicious.

"The disappearance must have happened suddenly, so suddenly that no one in the shelter was able to react."

Instead of rushing down the stairs to go deeper, Princess Zhenfei stood at the top of the stairs, recalling what she had seen along the way, and spoke softly.

"There were many spilled water cups and several bowls of instant noodles in the shelter. Some of the instant noodle forks were also lying on the ground. At the same time, many sleeping bags had cell phones lying in or next to them, and many of the phones were still plugged in with their charging cables. Judging from these circumstances, these survivors were probably doing their own things. They were taken away by the supernatural forces in a very short time without any warning."

Kaguya quickly picked up the conversation, describing more details that ordinary people might overlook at a glance.

"The player responsible for guarding the shelter was originally in the monitoring room. Judging from the situation inside when we passed by, that player probably did not attempt to transmit any information. Therefore, during the spatial transfer, the members inside should not have sensed anything."

Consort Zhen nodded again, her expression becoming somewhat solemn.

"The information was exposed because there was no response to external calls, and Gao Jun also realized that it was wrong to take the initiative to investigate. If Gao Jun hadn't been keeping an eye on Yuanshan, the information here would probably have been delayed for a long time before it was confirmed."

As Kaguya spoke, her gaze swept over some footprints on the ground and followed those marks into the darkness below the corridor.

"The time should be after the loss of contact. Although I can't be completely sure, intuitively it should be after that. After the survivors and players disappeared, someone appeared in this shelter and went down this staircase to the deeper part of the shelter."

As she spoke, Maki silently activated the blessing power of [Deep Perception], greatly enhancing her observational skills. This allowed her to confirm the approximate time of the footprints and deduce the approximate height and weight of the person in question.

It was about 1.9 to 2 meters tall and weighed over 600 kilograms. This was definitely not something a normal person could achieve, especially considering that the footprints themselves were very stable. It was hard to imagine what kind of thing could have such a height and weight yet still maintain a near-human shape... No, it wasn't necessarily completely human-shaped. Creatures distorted by supernatural forces could very well take on a monstrous form. My thinking was getting a bit limited.

While pondering, Maki looked again at the source of the footprints, which was the stairwell where the two of them were now.

The footprints were clearly sudden; the unknown entity appeared out of nowhere at the stairwell entrance and then walked down the stairs step by step. It left no trace, making it impossible to determine if it was a monster. Of course, even without confirmation, it's safe to say that the physical characteristics are unlikely to be human. Considering the current state of the shelter, this thing is highly likely to be the culprit that led to its fall.

So, is this thing still down there?

"Get ready for battle."

Kaguya took a deep breath and spoke solemnly.

The two gifted girls, who already possessed extraordinary observational skills, exchanged a glance, nodded, and then continued their journey downwards.

tread--

The echoing sound seems to be becoming more pronounced.

Zhenfei vaguely felt a chill, but couldn't confirm whether it was just a simple cold or the presence of a strange creature.

Kaguya, following behind Maki, remained vigilant, keeping a watchful eye on the path they had come from. She deduced from the footprints that the unknown entity likely possessed some form of spatial teleportation ability; if she only focused on what was in front of her, she might be attacked from behind at any moment.

The space is becoming unstable. Can you feel anything now?

Gao Hai's voice rang in the two girls' ears. Having been monitoring the entire situation, he had already noticed that the spatial structure of the area where Maki Kaguya was located was beginning to malfunction. His vision was gradually blurring, making it impossible to see the situation around Maki Kaguya and Maki Kaguya. At the same time, in Gao Hai's powerful perception, the previously normal shelter area itself began to show obvious abnormal reactions, as if the area itself was gradually mutating in some direction, about to be detached from the real world.

Is the enemy hiding behind the scenes finally itching to make their move?

Sensing something amiss, Takami didn't hesitate to increase his power, causing golden light to emanate directly from Maki and Kaguya. Kaguya, sensing Takami's actions, also unleashed her full blessing power, simultaneously channeling the power of [Existence Chain] onto the power released by Maki and Takami, temporarily uniting the three into one.

hum...

The unstable spatial phenomena began to subside rapidly.

[Chain Effect] This blessing caused the forces projected by Maki, Kaguya, and Takami to form a chain, forcing the force that could have pulled Maki and Kaguya into the abnormal space to also pull Takami in. The mastermind, realizing this, unhesitatingly chose to give up. The constantly distorted spatial structure stabilized again, and the perpetrator's aura had long since vanished, making them impossible to catch.

It's now certain that this is a trap, a strategy aimed at Kaguya and Maki, an attempt to restrict the two girls on Takami's side who still have the freedom to move around.

Whether the other party was deliberately targeting them from the beginning and made thorough preparations, or was merely using existing methods to test the waters, remains unknown. After all, their actions were so cautious that they chose to flee as soon as they sensed a problem and were unable to take action.

Gao Hai desperately wanted to use his power to keep the other party there, but the spatial disorder had not been completely eliminated yet. All he could do was release his own power to ensure that Maki and Kaguya were not captured. He was unable to track the enemy further and launch a counterattack.

Tsk, are we just going to have to watch them slip away this time?

As he was thinking this, Gao Hai saw the aerial bomb that appeared in Zhen Fei's hand.

Is it for use here?

The question had barely surfaced in Gao Hai's mind when Zhen Fei answered it with her actions.

boom--

The violent explosion unleashed a torrent of flames that instantly engulfed the entire shelter.

In the terrifying shockwave, the entire building collapsed and was destroyed in the explosion, raising a huge amount of dust. The monsters that had escaped and were about to completely leave the area were also hit by this merciless attack and were swept into the flames and debris.