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

"No, that won't work."

However, Gao Hai then waved his hand, indicating that Zhenfei should not waste the opportunity to rewind.

Given that the previous backtracking failed to get rid of that thing, it's certain that even if we backtrack again, the situation won't improve.

Ultimately, the clock's ability to rewind is essentially the power of the eerie place that is Shirakawa Apartment itself. This thing is definitely the true core of Shirakawa Apartment. There's no reason why a junior should be able to overpower the senior. Therefore, for Gao Hai, who has already "understood the taboo," rewinding a few more times is useless.

I don't know if a rollback will work. Theoretically, a rollback should be the highest priority, but this thing's power lies in [understanding]. Tsk, now is not the time to consider such questions. This thing is just standing here, not taking any action. We can't do anything that would provoke it. We finally obtained the clues and items, so we have to hold out until we get more information.

"Is it something that can't be mentioned?"

Kaguya stepped forward at that moment, looked at Takahashi calmly, and asked.

Gao Hai nodded slightly.

"right here?"

Kaguya asked again.

Gao Hai blinked. Then he noticed that the figure that had been standing in the room was gone. He thought that the other person might have left temporarily, but when he turned his head again, he found that the other person was standing on the ceiling, right above his head, staring at him with a completely broken neck.

"..."

So he nodded again.

"is it safe?"

Kaguya continued to ask.

Gao Hai knew she wanted to ask if his current state was dangerous and might endanger others. He lowered his head and thought for a while, realizing that he had seen this thing because he had witnessed a key scene. Therefore, as long as he didn't reveal it, this thing shouldn't undergo any further changes. Although this strange entity was theoretically the most terrifying thing in the Shirakawa Apartment, it still had to abide by the rules of [information exchange]. It had received information but hadn't yet interacted with it, so in this situation, a temporary balance could be maintained.

Thinking about it this way, the outdated first version of the rules wasn't entirely useless. It's a pity that by the time we found out, it was already too late.

"Don't ask, don't mention, don't think."

Gao Hai slowly opened his mouth and solemnly addressed the people inside the room.

It appeared that some yellowish-red blood mixed with pus had dripped onto Gao Hai's body, but upon closer inspection, nothing was found.

Then, before Kaguya and Maki could think any further, Takami took out the key to 304 and the tape.

He gave a general account of his experiences in 109, avoiding any mention of the "children." Green, having already turned the clock once, was now ashen-faced and huddled in the corner, refusing to listen. Sun Dajun, being too old and having poor mental processing, couldn't listen very carefully either. Only Kaguya and Maki were able to quickly understand what Gao Hai was saying and engage in deep thought.

"The key and tape to 304... Sanchez's investigation in 109 is quite thorough. Following in his footsteps, we will gradually uncover the truth deep within the entire apartment... However, I don't see how such a truth can help us leave the apartment. On the contrary, I feel that the more we know, the harder it will be to leave."

After leaning against the wall and thinking for a while, Kaguya slowly spoke, a hint of worry in her eyes.

“That’s true, but we don’t have any other clues to use right now. Maybe 309 is a new direction for our investigation, but we know nothing about the third floor. Hmm… however, Haijun said that the stairwells on the second floor all lead to the third floor, so I think we can shift our focus to exploring the third floor in the next phase of our investigation.”

Knowing that there were some topics that couldn't be discussed right now, Consort Zhen clapped her hands and then spoke, thus shifting the focus to the next step.

Then, the people in the room discussed for a while. During the discussion, neither Kaguya nor Maki completely avoided the topic of "children." It was clear that they both realized what kind of taboo Takami had touched.

It was getting late, and the light outside the window was starting to dim.

Both Takami, who has conducted two explorations, and Maki, who is injured, need rest, so today is no longer suitable for exploration.

When asked whether to attempt any action at night, everyone answered no. Operating in this eerie and dangerous apartment at night was simply too risky; it was better to use that time to rest.

"Haijun, are you sure you're really okay?"

Before nightfall fully arrived, around 5:30 PM, everyone returned to their rooms to prepare for the darkness. Before heading back to her room, Maki, whose head was wrapped in gauze, stopped and looked at Takami with some concern, asking him a question.

"It's alright, at least for now the problem shouldn't be too big, there's no need to worry."

As Gao Hai spoke, he raised his hands, bent his arms, and placed his fingers on top of his head, making a heart shape with his hands.

"Ha, who's worried about you? If you're alright, don't look so sickly. We still have to continue our investigation tomorrow. And could you please stop making such disgusting gestures? Men don't look cute at all when they do that."

Almost immediately, Zhenfei frowned, snorted, crossed her arms, and turned to enter room 208.

That's quite the classic tsundere.

Faced with the other party's reaction, Gao Hai couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Turning around, Gao Hai stepped towards the door of his room, 204. But before he could actually enter the room, a voice rang out from behind him.

"Also... don't push yourself too hard. If you're really not feeling well, it's okay to stay behind."

When Gao Hai turned around again, Zhen Fei had already closed the door to room 208, and the expression on her face was no longer visible.

She clearly wants to care about someone, but she can't just say it directly; she has to use this awkward way... But, isn't this just typical tsundere behavior? I feel like she's the type who's easy to bully.

Thinking about this made Gao Hai feel much better. If he hadn't seen that thing standing at the corner of the corridor after returning to his room, he probably would have felt even better.

Furthermore, Gao Hai kept using "that thing" to describe it not because he was deliberately avoiding certain descriptive words, but because, in his view, the other party could only be described with that word. This was because he couldn't clearly see the other party's specific appearance.

Judging from its size, it looks like a five or six-year-old child, very short and small, and its whole body is blurry and indistinct, with no discernible features. It can only be described as a humanoid mosaic.

If you observe carefully, you'll notice signs that the other person's image is gradually becoming clearer. However, Gao Hai isn't about to do anything reckless, so he continues to ignore the other person.

Ignore her.

Pretend she doesn't exist.

As long as you adopt this attitude, there won't be any problems.

Will there be no problem then?

Gao Hai stopped in his tracks, instinctively wanting to turn around and look at the other person, but ultimately restrained himself and continued walking towards the living room.

Is such a thing really possible?

Everyone adopted an attitude of indifference, showing no concern for the cruel acts happening right before their eyes.

Gao Hai wanted to deny this idea, but in the end he couldn't find a reason to convince himself, so he just remained silent and pretended not to see the thing behind him, and walked into the living room.

Kaguya, carrying a wall clock, was already standing inside the room.

When Gao Hai came in, she simply asked with a cold face whether the front door and the living room door were locked. After receiving an affirmative answer, she nodded and said nothing more.

It's worth mentioning that Sun Dajun has repaired the hole in the living room door of room 204. Although it was just a matter of nailing a wooden board to cover the hole, it effectively separated the hallway from the living room door, ensuring that nothing could peek into the living room from the hallway.

The light outside the window is almost gone.

The clock on the wall inside the room showed that it was almost 19 p.m.

I always feel that time seems to flow a little faster inside the apartment than it should, but I don't know if it's just my imagination.

Gao Hai glanced out of the corner of his eye at the small figure standing in the kitchen doorway, which appeared even more indistinct in the dim light. Then he closed his eyes and sat down against the wall, intending to rest. As the vanguard of today's exploration, he was incredibly exhausted; Gao Hai estimated he could sleep until eight o'clock the next morning without any problem.

"Mr. Gao Hai, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

Kaguya, who was sitting not far from Takami, suddenly spoke up at that moment.

"what is the problem?"

Gao Hai turned to look at Kaguya, and only after confirming that it was her speaking and that nothing was imitating her voice did he reply.

"You really like Consort Zhen, do you have a strong liking for her?"

The next moment, Kaguya's flat voice startled Takahashi.

What a strange question. Now we're sure this is a set of supernatural tales and not a set of dating games, right?

Or was she trying to ease the tense atmosphere of the past two days with this kind of question?

Gao Hai couldn't understand why Kaguya asked that question.

However, answering this question is very simple and easy; Gao Hai's answers to these kinds of questions are always simple and straightforward.

"Of course I like her. How could I not like such a cute girl?"

"My affection for Maki is the kind of affection where I want to marry her and take her home as my wife."

Gao Hai's voice was extremely serious, without the slightest hint of joking.

"Really? It's gotten that bad?"

Even Kaguya Shinomiya in her Ice Kaguya form was clearly taken aback by this answer, to the point that her voice became slightly shaky.

of course it's true.

Just like I will always love Laffey, Yukikaze, Akashi, Amiya, Rosemary, Skadi, Artoria, Tohsaka Rin, Illya, Jeanne Alter, Kafuu, Chino, Rem, Emilia, Furukawa Nagisa, Sakurajima Mai, Kato Megumi, Eriri, Rihira, Reimu, Kanna, Gokou Ruri, Tokisaki Kurumi, Misaka Mikoto... Ah, it seems like there are too many to list.

"Ahem, this is just my personal wishful thinking. Let's think about survival first."

Gao Hai coughed lightly, temporarily putting the topic aside.

"That's it..."

Kaguya, lost in thought, also fell silent, and the entire room became quiet.

It should have been quiet like this.

boom! ! !

A violent explosion suddenly rang out in the corridor on the second floor.

Amidst the violent shaking, Takahashi was thrown to the ground, while Kaguya Shinomiya was also startled and quickly stood up, leaning against the wall.

Then, before the two could react further, a series of intense gunshots rang out in the corridor, accompanied by the sound of someone running past quickly.

And a sinister and cold atmosphere permeated the entire second floor.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Fangs Don't Only Attack from the Front

It's Lao Guo.

The moment Gao Hai heard the explosion, he realized what had happened.

That veteran player who caused the first day's accelerated progression in the previous loop, pushing everyone into the most critical situation, the guy who was killed on the third floor by the anomaly that replaced Kaguya Shinomiya, and whose death was accompanied by a massive explosion—in this loop, he's actually alive until the second night? And with all the explosions and gunfights, is he planning to lure all the anomalies in the building to the second floor?

Click—click click—

At that moment, the wall made a shattering sound.

Gao Hai turned his head and saw cracks appearing on the wall in the living room, which was in the same direction as the front door.

Outside, Maki's screams and Green's heart-wrenching screams rang out.

The main gate was blown up?!

Gao Hai could already hear footsteps approaching the living room door rapidly in the corridor, one after another, sounding like there were at least seven or eight people.

Boom!