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

Meanwhile, the woman's murmurs from the other side slowly began to rise.

Mice have gotten into the house again...

Chapter 52: A man named Sanchez was buried here.

"call……"

Kaguya could feel how heavy her breathing was.

Just a moment ago, as she ran past the cardboard box, she felt two gazes converge on her for a split second—two incredibly cold gazes that, though not directly into each other's eyes, were so intense that she could immediately sense them and know the consequences.

[If you're seen, you'll die]

A strong instinct nearly made Kaguya's body stiffen.

But at that moment, music suddenly started playing on the other side of the living room, right where the two of them had first come out of the mouse hole.

The woman and man slowly shifted their gaze to the source of the music.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Kaguya quickly left, with Maki, who was holding a phone, following closely behind her. The two of them slipped into the bedroom one after the other.

stench.

This was their immediate impression upon entering the place.

The pile of dirty clothes was thrown in the corner.

The bed sheet lying on the floor on one side of the room had clear yellow-orange stains.

A little boy, who looked to be about two years old and had a runny nose, was lying on the only large bed in the room, snoring loudly. One of his feet was dangling off the bed, emitting an unbearable stench, as if it hadn't been washed for many days.

Kaguya frowned deeply, and the expression on Maki's face beside her was no better.

Regardless, let's investigate this place first.

Thinking this, Kaguya took a step forward, then stopped abruptly.

No, that's not right. The smell isn't from infrequent cleaning.

It was the smell of rotting dead people, which is why it was so unbearable that I almost couldn't help but vomit.

It was only then that Kaguya realized that the enormous boy was not asleep, but had already died.

His body was covered in purple spots, from which white maggots crawled out, and then he opened his eyes—

Snapped.

Maki gently patted Kaguya's shoulder, bringing her back to her senses.

The boy, who was almost sitting up in bed, lay back down and fell fast asleep again.

Was it because of hearing snoring that a weak interaction was formed, causing hallucinations?

Realizing this, Kaguya quickly took out her earplugs, while Maki behind her had already plugged her own ears.

Turn off communication on your phone.

The phone that Maki had left in the mouse hole in the living room stopped ringing.

Although this godforsaken place prevents you from making phone calls outside, it somehow still allows you to connect to other cell phones in the apartment. Therefore, Maki left her cell phone at the entrance when she entered, so she could use it as bait in case of an emergency.

The reason why this strange "normality" was forcibly maintained amidst the anomaly was something that Maki did not understand, but that did not prevent her from using it.

It's a little of a shame about my newly bought phone; I wonder if I'll ever have a chance to get it back.

Fragmented thoughts flashed through my mind.

The two girls had already ventured deeper into the darkness under the bed.

It was covered in dust.

With each step, a large amount of dust is kicked up, so much so that it almost obscures the view.

Meanwhile, in the living room on the other side, Gao Hai sat silently on the sofa with his eyes closed and his brows furrowed.

Those voices are getting louder and louder.

The sounds that still linger in that room continue to echo.

Get out of my way, don't get in my way.

What good are you? You only bring me trouble.

When I was very, very young, I saw the disgusted faces of men and women.

Finally, we have a son! Haha, that's more like it!

Finally, we have one, but this money-losing product is even more annoying.

The happy expressions on their faces after the birth of their second child, and their even greater self-loathing.

This candy was bought for your younger brother, not for you.

[You dare eat me? I'll beat you to death!]

And there are many more, those ugly faces.

This is never going to end.

Gao Hai opened his eyes, refusing to look at the blurry figure standing above him.

He didn't want to see any more of these things, but the doll's senses continued to transmit these images and sounds to him.

At first, he could cut off the connection with the doll and ignore the sounds and images from the other side. But after staying in 304 for a while, the doll seemed to have established a closer connection with him. Not only could he not block it, but the signal became stronger and stronger.

He learned the child's age: 5 years old, the age at which her life would stop.

Before the age of three, she only suffered beatings and verbal abuse. In her hazy memories, the treatment she received wasn't particularly bad; at least it was merely a matter of "suffering." But around the age of four, after her younger brother was born, she became a disliked burden, and the torment she endured intensified.

From beating and kicking her for the slightest disagreement, to increasingly strict curfews and restrictions imposed purely for her amusement. Her father would even hit her a few times whenever he saw her, otherwise he would feel uncomfortable. Her mother would point at the clock in the house while scolding and hitting her, and would also prick her arm with a needle to watch her cry.

She didn't know how to resist, or rather, the concept of resistance was unrealistic for a child her age.

Of course, she wasn't entirely stupid. She once secretly adjusted the clock, leaving her mother with no reason to punish her, and in the end, she just kicked her once.

On that day, the debt collectors broke into the house again, taking away the old television, smashing the tables, beds, stove, and other things, scaring her younger brother who was home at the time. On that day, her mother was beaten again by her angry father, leaving her raging all day. What happened that day was something she could never have predicted, never imagined. Who could have foreseen such a thing?

"Tsk..."

Gao Hai covered his forehead and took deep breaths to calm himself down.

Don't get caught up in it.

You must not let your consciousness get caught up in these things.

These fragments of the past, permeated with intense pollution and curses, existing in that room, will not help him solve his current problems; they will only make his situation worse. He must not allow himself to become too involved, whether out of sympathy or anger; he must not have any thoughts of concern for it.

What exists here is ultimately nothing but a bizarre existence devoid of any human emotion. These tragic memories will only corrupt everyone who knows their contents and drag them into the abyss; they have no other meaning.

Gao Hai could feel his clothes getting hot, as if they were about to be soaked in boiling water.

Please, we absolutely must find some useful clues.

Gao Hai prayed silently in his heart.

Meanwhile, Kaguya and Maki on the other side had stopped moving forward.

They found a body.

Unlike the excessively large family of three, the corpses, like Kaguya and Maki, had normal human-sized bodies.

The other party had been dead for a long time, and basically only a skeleton remained, along with a few remaining human tissues on the skeleton. There was no longer any foul smell.

Judging from the skeleton, this should be a tall adult male, wearing adventure clothing that allows for easy movement, and a backpack is placed next to him.

Kaguya stood cautiously to the side, holding the blood puppet, ready to throw it away as soon as the thing got up. Maki, on the other hand, carefully walked forward, moved the backpack away from the corpse, and opened it to check the contents.

The first thing she pulled out was a piece of paper with writing on it.

To those who come after:

I am a fool who will perish here, a sinner, Sanchez.

At the very top of the paper were these trembling words.

Sanchez?

Is this his body?

This discovery surprised both Kaguya and Maki, and also left Takahashi, who was watching this scene through the doll that could not be disconnected, slightly stunned.

These are my last words, the last things I leave behind in this world.

I erred; arrogance consumed my soul, judged my existence, and turned it into evidence of my sins that led me to hell.

I have harmed many people, many poor souls trapped like me who hoped to one day leave this apartment. I have dragged them down with me, and my sins are unforgivable.

I don't know if this sin will ever end after I atone in hell, or if God and those I have hurt will be able to forgive me, this sinner.

But for the sake of those who may never come to this place, I must write down these last words.

The real key is indeed room 309, but room 304 is also included. This cannot be accomplished by relying on a single isolated room; both rooms must be combined.

[This room keeps repeating the past, but it only repeats events from six days in total. One day is hidden; that was the last day, and also the day that ■■■'s death began. (Originally, someone's name was written here, but it was erased. Judging from the lines, it seems the person realized it and erased the name.)]

Turn the calendar in the room to the 17th, and on that day, the events of that day will begin to unfold in the room. Time in the room will accelerate from that moment until 1 a.m. three days later, which is the crucial opportunity to resolve everything. We can't wait until seven days later; by then, the rescue team will be too late. Only on the third day can we salvage the situation. I was so stupid; why didn't I realize earlier that 3 was also a key number?

Only someone wearing a rescue team uniform could open 309. I don't know if this was Xu Sheng's idea, but as the sole survivor of that rescue team, I really shouldn't doubt him. But what's the point of saying all this now? He should have completely become one of those fallen rescue team members by now, no longer able to retain his own identity as before.

[Open the door to 309, open it a second time, and take her to that place where she can hide, that place she believes she can find safety. This is the only flaw in her obsession, the only way to end this endless cycle of regression and repetition. I tried to sabotage this path; I listened to false intelligence; I thought that destroying the corpse, the root of all evil, would end everything. I soaked her in boiling water, which she feared most. This did destroy her body, but it only further distorted her existence, making this apartment even more insane than before.]

She no longer has a physical form, but she still has something she cares about; her existence depends on that thing. I think it must be a treasure she cherishes greatly, but I haven't been able to find it in the room. Maybe it's been thrown away somewhere; I guess I might find it under the bed. But I can't go on anymore. (The text here becomes fragmented, with a lot of meaningless content and scribbled writing; words like "Mom," "I was wrong," and "No" are barely legible.)

I'm going to die.

[I won't become one of those... I won't continue to harm people after I die. I got my hands on some kind of pill made with ashes and some unknown substance. It's said that if you eat it, you won't become one of those terrible things after you die. Haha, those people lied to me, saying that destroying the corpse would end everything. I wonder if they lied to me about this. Anyway, I still have one bullet left. I think I can still die as a human being, at least for now. (The handwriting gradually becomes clear again from its chaotic state)]

My daughter, I will never see you again, and I will never be able to fulfill my promise.

May my suffering in this life end here, so that it will no longer hinder your future path. I will go to hell to atone for my sins and repay those I have hurt.

Farewell, damn world, damn apartment.

—Sanchez

The content on the paper isn't much, and it won't take too long to read it all.