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

Gao Hai inspected the supply boxes and found that the rule sheets left behind were the rules of the "Explorers," and the contents of the boxes were all exploration equipment and food.

Is the identity of an explorer the mainstream in this region?

tick-

I could faintly hear the sound of water droplets falling.

Although most areas inside the cave remain dry, water drips from a few caverns, making the air feel somewhat damp.

I remember reading some player information that there seems to be a lake above the Red Nut Gray Hole.

Gao Hai continued forward while reflecting on his thoughts.

Although somewhat confused about the winding caves, Gao Hai, blessed by the power of the Void after completing the first instance, had mastered the ability to orient himself within caves. Therefore, he could tell from the breeze inside that he was gradually approaching a larger cave area.

Without the skills he was taught as the rescue team leader, I probably wouldn't have been able to get out of that cave even if I walked until I died.

"Be careful, if things don't look right, retreat back into the tunnel immediately."

Just before stepping into the larger cave area, Gao Hai turned back to Qian Hua and spoke earnestly.

"Yes, I guarantee we'll escape as fast as we can and won't hold you back."

Chika stood up straight with a serious expression and bowed to Gao Hai in response.

The next moment, Gao Hai walked through the tunnel, turned off his headlamp, and carefully stepped into the suddenly open large space.

They immediately discovered four light sources that were flickering and moving slightly inside the cavity.

Chapter Three: Please Remember the Identity You Are Playing

At this moment, there are four people gathered in this open area.

It's a very unlucky number.

The good news is that, after careful examination, all four have been identified as human.

The news, which is hard to say whether it's good or bad, is that these four don't seem like new players. They don't seem to have any clear sense of goodwill or malice, and it's quite obvious that they've already discovered them, with four spotlights shining in their direction.

"Hey, sir over there, are you an explorer? Or an adventurer player who's here for a visit?"

One of the four people stepped forward and spoke; judging from his voice, he seemed to be Japanese.

"We are all human beings, so please rest assured that we are not monsters. I am Dennis, an outdoor broadcaster, and an explorer."

Another man waved his hand and grinned at Gao Hai. Judging from his appearance, he didn't seem to be a veteran player; he seemed to be a newcomer who had stumbled in by mistake.

Besides the two people who took the initiative to greet him, there was a man and a woman who didn't speak, but just stood at a slightly distance and observed Gao Hai.

Judging from their actions, they seem to be prepared to use their obsession objects at any time, and they appear quite vigilant.

"I am an explorer."

Knowing he had been exposed, Gao Hai stopped hiding and stood up calmly.

"I'm a player/explorer, here to explore. I haven't been to the Heart yet. What about you?"

He didn't ask Fujiwara Chika behind him to come out immediately, but instead asked her to wait a moment before asking the four people on the other side.

"We haven't yet. This is a large space, and we haven't determined which direction leads to the artery. You don't need to be so vigilant. Just call your companions out. There's no danger here, so don't worry."

The neon-speaking man then asked another question. He seemed to have some way of sensing the situation here and seemed very concerned about Chika, who was hiding.

"Really, all three of them are quite nice. I definitely wouldn't have made it here without their help."

Dennis continued, speaking with great enthusiasm.

"No need, this is fine. Where did you all come from? Didn't you see anyone else?"

Gao Hai was unwilling to go over. Of the two people on his side, he was actually the only veteran player with the object of obsession. Qian Hua was a complete newbie and did not have the physique of Kaguya Maki. On the other hand, there were at least three veteran players on the other side. If an internal battle broke out, he would be under a lot of pressure. Therefore, he had to maintain a safe distance no matter what.

"There are cave entrances all around, just like you can see. This place is completely different from what the intelligence said. The only thing we can be sure of is that it leads to the turnaround point. But we're explorers, aren't we? We have to find a way to locate the [Heart], otherwise, going straight back like this wouldn't make us explorers. How about we travel together? I think it would be much better if we all went together."

The neon-skinned man took a step closer and began to speak with a cheerful smile.

"Then let's forget about it. The two of us are fine. I wish you a safe journey to the heart."

After a fruitless conversation, Gao Hai frowned and decided to retreat back to the cave where he had started.

Based on current experience, there are indeed dangerous corpses inside the cave, but as long as you maintain your identity as an explorer and wear full explorer clothing, you can safely avoid attacks from those creatures.

However, there are too many uncertainties surrounding these three people. Putting aside the two players who have remained silent, this Japanese man seems to be constantly extending goodwill, but Gao Hai's blessing does not respond to him in a friendly manner. In fact, because he is somewhat uncooperative, Gao Hai has begun to sense some subtle malice.

Although it wasn't to the point of harboring malicious intent towards him, Gao Hai felt that the attitudes of these three people clearly indicated they weren't the type to cooperate well.

Since that's the case, he should give up contacting and cooperating with the other party and continue to act with Qianhua, whom he knows at least well. At least he won't have to worry about someone stabbing him in the back in times of crisis.

Having made up his mind, Gao Hai took a step back, then suddenly felt a little confused. He vaguely sensed that he had overlooked something.

"At least consider your partner's opinion. Don't make decisions unilaterally. Cooperation is the key to survival, isn't it?"

The Japanese man, however, refused to give up and took another step forward, speaking earnestly to Gao Hai.

This guy's never going to stop, is he...?

Gao Hai was trying to recall what he had overlooked when he was interrupted by the other person's words, and he was a little annoyed and wanted to retort. But then, he realized something from the other person's words.

He just said, "His companion's opinion?"

Realizing something was wrong, Gao Hai turned around and saw that Fujiwara Chika had somehow slipped up to his side and was crouching down behind him, quietly creeping forward.

How did this thing get out?

Gao Hai frowned, surprised that the other party would act on their own. Just as he was about to say something, Qian Hua stared at him, opened her mouth, then turned to look in the direction of the Japanese man, and then took out her phone to type a message for Gao Hai to see.

[I just heard you talking to two people, but then one of their voices disappeared. Did you trigger some kind of death scene?]

This line of text made Gao Hai turn his head sharply and look in the direction of the man next to the neon man, the one who had greeted him warmly at the beginning and called himself Dennis.

It's not there anymore.

The man was no longer in his original position.

Were we attacked by a strange force?

Did it simply disappear?

But he and Qianhua had seen a corpse in the cave before, and generally speaking, the eeriness of this dungeon should leave behind a corpse.

Or……

Gao Hai raised his head.

His gaze went upwards, looking at the top of the cave.

He quickly found the other party.

The person staring at him was lying on the rock face with his mouth wide open, defying gravity and landing at the angle between the two rock faces.

In the dim light, that face was deathly pale, devoid of any color.

The man's eyes had rolled upwards, leaving only the bloodshot whites of his eyes facing Gao Hai.

The expedition clothes he was wearing were tattered and torn, or rather, they were dissolving little by little, like a tool that had lost its power and could no longer maintain its existence, so it began to collapse and disappear.

Gao Hai's gaze met the man's face, and he felt as if he could see the man unleashing a silent roar at him.

For a moment, he thought he was about to die and was ready to use his obsession item to fight back.

But after calming down a bit, he realized that it was just a corpse, just like the keyboard warrior he had seen lying on the ground before, the one whose ashes he had sprinkled on him before he died. It was just an ordinary corpse that had not been corrupted or transformed by the strange power.

The question is, why did he turn into a corpse so quietly?

Where is the thing that attacked him?

Gao Hai then slightly shifted his gaze to the top of the cave.

tick-

A corpse, pierced by a stalagmite and hanging from the cave ceiling, came into Gao Hai's view.

Another corpse, its belly pierced by a stalagmite, hanging overhead in a way that defies gravity.

One after another, corpses lay dead on the ceiling in various postures, buried among the dense stalagmites, hanging there silently. Gao Hai didn't notice them until he looked up and stared at them.

Welcome to the Red Nut Grotto!

I hope we have a pleasant time here.

A cacophony of sounds filled my ears.

The body seemed to move.

Those were not corpses hanging from the ceiling.

Instead, it was a group of tourists visiting the cave, led by a tour guide.

Tourists...

Are they tourists?

At this moment, Gao Hai felt that the sounds around him had become more piercing, more indistinct, and more difficult to recognize.

The neon-speaking man seemed to be saying something.

He moved a little closer, seemingly wanting to observe and confirm the situation of Chika beside Gao Hai, but because the girl was crouching down and there was a stone pillar blocking her view, he couldn't see her face at all.

Gao Hai simply tilted his head slightly, trying to hear the voice clearly.

The voice was saying...

They are saying...

Now everyone, please look up. See how unique the stalagmite structures are here?

The next moment, Gao Hai rolled on the spot, grabbed Qian Hua, and the two of them rolled together and rolled back through the hole they had just come out of.

Piercing screams, agonizing cries, chaotic footsteps...

Various sounds were mixed together, including the voices of the three players, as well as other unidentifiable sounds that gave off a creepy and eerie feeling.

The three players didn't seem to be defeated by the sudden attack.

However, Gao Hai had no interest in confirming the situation and simply left, choosing to go in another direction.

"Just now, the sound from that place..."