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

With this thought in mind, Kaguya followed Takami's steps, and the two once again walked through the twisted and chaotic building.

This time, it didn't take long. After passing a half-collapsed staircase, a dilapidated barbecue stall piled with empty bottles, a mahjong parlor with a "closed" sign, and a run-down corridor filled with all sorts of garbage, the two finally saw the end of the road and a rusty door under the dim red light.

The gate of 304.

Chapter 48: People with excessively high spiritual vision will encounter unseen attacks.

"Haijun, and Auntie, I wonder how the exploration is going..."

On the second floor, in room 206, Maki, sitting on one side of the living room, sighed softly, unable to hide the worry in her heart.

She didn't remember anything from the first timeline, but just from Gao Hai's description of "her and him dying together on the third floor," she was already able to understand how dangerous the third floor of the Shirakawa apartment was.

Now, Kaijun and Kaguya have been on their way for an hour.

There were still about two hours until their agreed return time.

Please make sure everything goes smoothly.

Please make sure you return safely.

"Please, please don't let anything happen to you... Auntie... Haijun..."

Instinctively, I reached out and touched my lips.

Maki was momentarily dazed, then recalled her last touch with Takami during the previous playthrough.

My heartbeat seems to be getting a little unstable again.

What is this? Could it be that I really... No, no, that's impossible. This is just a suspension bridge effect; it has nothing to do with personal feelings. I was simply experiencing intense emotional changes because he saved my life, causing my heart to race and other symptoms, which I then mistook for a change in my own emotions. But in reality, it's just a psychological illusion. I didn't actually have those thoughts. Yes, I actually... Sigh, what's the point of thinking about this...

Feeling her face getting hot, Maki reached out and gently patted her cheeks. Then, she couldn't help but think of her best friend, Kashiwagi Nagisa. And the boy she used to have a crush on, the boy who was now dating her best friend.

For Shijo Maki's love life, tragedy is probably the most direct word to describe it. Unable to express her true feelings directly, she encouraged her best friend, Kashiwagi Nagisa, to ask and mock the boy, hoping to find out if he had a girlfriend. For some inexplicable reason, the boy went and kissed her friend, and the two became a couple in a flash, going from holding hands to kissing to indescribable things in just about two months. Her first love, which hadn't even begun, was destroyed by her own idea.

Of course, I've pretty much come to terms with it now; what's not meant to be will never be. But how to put it? The thought of my most trusted best friend having a great time with the boy I used to have a crush on, while I've been inexplicably thrown into a death game, makes me feel like I can't laugh at all, and tears are welling up inside me.

Well, and actually, when you think about it carefully, Gao Hai is actually a pretty good person.

He is very reliable and has always been proactive in exploring and taking on the most dangerous tasks.

He has a decisive and ruthless side, capable of great things. After confirming the problems with Lao Guo and the fake Maeda, he acted without hesitation, eliminating them with lightning speed. A strongman with such character marrying into the Shijo family might be appreciated by the whole family, even becoming a vanguard against the Shinomiya family… Wait, why am I even considering his marriage into the Shijo family?!

Princess Zhenfei shook her head violently, feeling genuinely displeased with the instinctive thoughts in her heart.

However, Hai Jun also had a magnanimous side. Despite Green's serious act of betrayal, he was still willing to give him a chance to prove his loyalty. Although there was an element of consideration regarding his usefulness, this cautious approach to action truly demonstrates that he was a formidable individual.

And he actually has a gentle side, especially when he found out that I could remember things from the previous timeline. His reaction at that time was almost like he was about to cry.

He's incredibly smart and capable, seemingly as unyielding as steel, yet he occasionally reveals a vulnerable, childlike side. He's such an incomprehensible guy. What was he thinking when this jerk said he wanted me to kiss him?

Shijo Maki was unable to come up with the correct answer, or rather, even if she did, she would avoid the answer at this moment.

All we can do now is pray that they can move forward smoothly.

To be honest, Auntie isn't exactly a kind person. Haijun might have a hard time traveling with her.

It's possible that the two of them are having a hard time getting along and can't cooperate well.

Thinking this, Shijou Maki once again silently prayed in her heart.

Meanwhile, on the third floor at the same time.

Kaguya, who was only a little over 1.5 meters tall, looked like a large cat next to Takami, who was 1.8 meters tall. This made Takami have an instinctive urge to hug her. Of course, it was just a thought, and he couldn't actually do it.

As for Kaguya herself, even in her Ice Kaguya form, Kaguya's cheeks inevitably flushed slightly, and she felt extremely uncomfortable with this close contact with a man.

However, neither of them dared to take any action.

Because hundreds, perhaps even more than a thousand, of porcelain dolls were marching through the corridor like an army. And the cabinet where Takahashi and Kaguya were hiding was surrounded by these dolls.

What's with this number?

Gao Hai really wanted to curse.

Honestly, when Gao Hai arrived at the gate of 304 and was ready to open it, seeing the army of porcelain dolls surging towards him, he immediately felt that "the developers did something inhumane to prevent players from entering non-open areas."

Despite their inner turmoil, they still had to run. So, Takahashi and Kaguya quickly found the nearest cabinet and hid inside. Because there wasn't enough space on top of the cabinet, they had to stay pressed together.

That's so indecent...

Feeling incredibly embarrassed, Kaguya couldn't help but think to herself.

It took a full three minutes for this large group of children, carrying schoolbags and holding small flags, to completely disappear.

As Gao Hai jumped down from the cabinet, he recalled the costumes of the dolls and couldn't help but think of the spring and autumn outings that were often held in his primary and junior high school years.

Is it a way for children to reproduce their memories?

Did they really have to recreate this in such a horrific way? With so many dolls, if he wasn't fast enough, how many times would he get scalded by boiling water? He'd probably be completely cooked, and then he could tell everyone he met, "I'm someone you know."

"call……"

Kaguya, who jumped down from the cabinet, took a breath after landing and calmed herself down.

"What's wrong? Is Miss tired and can't go on?"

Gao Hai teased Kaguya, then strode ahead towards the blood-red door.

"It's an incredibly boring provocation. I just really dislike this feeling of constantly dodging it."

Kaguya Shinomiya, who quickly caught up, said coldly, the blush that had just appeared on her face quickly fading as she returned to her calm state.

Unlike when interacting with Maki, Kaguya isn't a girl who easily understands others. Therefore, to cooperate well with such a woman, it's best to adopt a slightly assertive, even impolite, attitude. This will actually make her more likely to get into the zone and participate more seriously in the operation.

Having read the original work, summarizing this way of getting along wasn't complicated for Gao Hai, but... it was still quite awkward. After several conversations, Gao Hai felt that he was almost becoming that strange character who would give a wicked smile and then start provoking others.

"Be prepared, there's a possibility that I'll encounter an extremely dangerous situation as soon as I open the door."

Insert the 304 stainless steel key into the keyhole.

Gao Hai turned around and spoke earnestly to Kaguya.

"Take action."

Kaguya, holding the wall clock, had already placed her finger on the hands, ready to set the clock at any moment.

Click!

The next moment, with a crisp sound, the key was gently turned, and the dark red door slowly opened.

Gao Hai slowly pushed open the blood-red gate in front of him.

The darkness behind the door was somewhat dispelled by the light in the corridor.

It was a long, narrow passage.

The passageway was piled with broken bottles and garbage bags, and reeked of a foul stench.

"It stinks..."

With her keen sense of smell, Kaguya frowned, looking towards the end of the passage, at the empty end, wondering where it led.

Gao Hai was staring at the small, indistinct figure standing at the end of the passage.

And behind that figure, there was a tall, twisted, deformed body carrying a kettle of boiling water.

He heard the thing's voice.

[Disobedient bastard!]

A voice filled with rage, terrifying yet impossible to resist.

[Serves you right for being disobedient! Serves you right for being greedy! Serves you right for being disobedient!]

The roaring screams were almost inhuman.

The scalding hot water then poured down on Gao Hai's head, instantly soaking him.

The boiling heat spread out.

"Mr. Gao Hai!?"

Kaguya, who hadn't seen anything, turned her head in shock. She hadn't expected Takahashi to encounter such a bizarre attack, and without hesitation, she grabbed the wall clock in her hand.

The pointer jerked sharply.

Time begins to rewind at this moment.

Takami and Kaguya returned to 206 and stood before Maki.

But Gao Hai's clothes, soaked in boiling water, were still steaming.

The regression did not work.

When faced with the curse attack triggered within 304, the clock that could rewind time was unable to change Gao Hai's condition.

"As expected, it's not that easy..."

With a helpless sigh, Gao Hai collapsed to the ground the next moment.

The two girls beside him hurriedly began to help him take off his scalding hot clothes, cool him down and disinfect him to prevent his injuries from worsening.

The first round of investigation on the third floor ended with Takami and Kaguya Shinomiya failing to even get into room 304 after exploring for over an hour. Takami suffered severe burns and was unable to participate in the operation for a short period of time.

At this time, it was still the morning of the first day, and it seemed that there was still plenty of time and opportunity for the survivors in the apartment to continue trying.

Chapter 49: Some things require advance preparation.

Amidst the rushing water, Maki washed her blood-stained hands, then turned to look at Gao Hai lying on the floor outside the kitchen door.

The burns have mostly healed. The method is simple: repeatedly wearing and removing the rescue team badge. The badge's role in transforming a person into a rescue team member helps heal wounds and alter their physical condition, gradually restoring the injuries.

In a sense, this can be considered a unique way of using obsessive objects that only Gao Hai can do. A normal person who repeatedly uses obsessive objects with assimilative effects like him would have long since suffered a mental breakdown, lost their sense of self, and become part of a ghost story, or their body would have entered an irreversible transformation phase. But as long as Gao Hai can hold on mentally, he can remove the object before his body enters the irreversible assimilation phase, and then start over after he has recovered to a certain extent.

Of course, even so, Gao Hai still has his limits. Basically, after repeating this three times within an hour, he has to stop. He then has to wait at least a day before he can use the rescue team's artifact again, otherwise he will be assimilated immediately if he puts it on. After all, compared to his indestructible willpower, his body still has the limits of a mortal.

Meanwhile, Maki helped Gao Hai change out of the life jacket that had been conjured out of thin air due to the possession of the artifact. These things, created by the artifact's effects, formed a certain connection with Gao Hai's body, so it was inevitable that some of his skin would be torn when he took it off. Although this was much better than the initial full-body burns, Gao Hai's upper body was still wrapped in many bandages, and Maki, who was bandaging him, had her hands covered in blood.

"If we encounter such a situation on the very first preliminary exploration, the danger level on the third floor must be far too high."

After cleaning herself up, Maki returned to the living room and looked at Takahashi lying on the floor and Kaguya sitting on the sofa. She couldn't help but speak up.

"The key to the problem lies with Mr. Gao Hai himself. According to his own speculation, he has become more vulnerable to attack and harm because he knows taboos that should not be known. From this point of view, Mr. Gao Hai is actually not suitable to explore the third floor. That is the place closest to the core of danger, and he is more dangerous there than anyone else."