Inside the chaotic and twisted structure of the cavern, Gao Hai walked forward with his head lowered.
Chika Fujiwara followed carefully behind him, glancing around from time to time.
Explaining the basic situation to Chika, shooing away the guy with a hole in the back of his head, waiting for her to put on the explorer's clothes, and then the two of them setting off. This standard procedure went off without a hitch, concluding in a very ordinary fashion.
{Maki Shijo: In other words, if Auntie and I stay in this research base until the 15th day, we'll be killed even if we do nothing? And you can't come over yourself, otherwise it will happen sooner?}
{Gao Hai: That's right. From this perspective, for this instance, the intel on the research base can only be investigated and explored by you and Miss Shinomiya.}
{Maki Shijo: And you also said that Chika Fujiwara, who goes to the same school as Auntie and me, is with you right now. You two are moving together?}
{Gao Hai: Yeah. I didn't expect her to become a new player, and she happened to be very close to where I started. She's a smart girl, she can help me out a little. You two should also be careful of other players whose starting point is the research base. Be as cautious as you can, okay?}
{Maki Shijo: Of course I'll be careful. Hmm... Chika Fujiwara, I don't know her very well...}
As he moved forward, Gao Hai would occasionally communicate with Maki, mainly to share some of the intelligence from the first run. Of course, he was selective with the information he shared; he wasn't foolish enough to tell Maki about things like bathing and sleeping together.
Speaking of which, this feeling was truly bizarre. It was like they had set up a voice chat group. Gao Hai and Maki could send and receive messages anytime, anywhere. Once a message came through, they could choose to listen immediately or wait a bit. However, messages that had already been played once couldn't be replayed.
It was a rather convenient and useful ability.
This watch, it seems the more I die, the stronger the power it gives me.
Maybe after my next death, I can directly wish to know how to break the core obsession or wish to clear the instance directly? Er... that feels unlikely. Or even if the watch did grant me such power, the cost would probably be something I absolutely couldn't bear.
After all, whether it's adding people to the rewind or establishing a mental link, although the watch granted me these powers, I have to expend my rewind charges to use them. This means the fulfillment of wishes isn't unconditional; there's ultimately a price to pay. And now, I only have 8 rewind charges left. Furthermore, there's currently no way to replenish them within this instance.
However, the wish to plunder Obsession Items through blood didn't require expending a rewind charge.
If I can get the hang of wishing, grasp the proper limits, maybe I can obtain wishes without a heavy cost?
These thoughts flashed quickly through Gao Hai's mind but didn't affect his actions.
Maki had stopped talking to Gao Hai by now. She had seen Kaguya and two other explorers step into the entrance of the Red Nut Gray Hole and were currently exploring inside, so she couldn't spare the attention to continue chatting with him for the moment.
Gao Hai didn't disturb Maki any further either, instead focusing his attention on the present.
Finding the safety rope was the most important thing right now.
After the trial and error of the first run, what Gao Hai needed to do now was find the safety rope as quickly as possible, complete the task to 'reach the Heart,' and then return to explore the large open area and the regions further ahead that he couldn't explore in the previous run.
Gao Hai could faintly feel it—a sense of being watched by something. He knew that because he had already come into contact with the core obsession and possessed memories related to it, he would be discovered and watched by it while inside the Red Nut Gray Hole. However, compared to the core obsession of the first instance, this thing's influence on him was minimal, at most giving him a vague feeling that someone was staring at him at all times.
However, this was because his current location was not in that research base. If he were in the research base, this seemingly harmless gaze would rapidly develop into a major threat sufficient to wipe everyone out. Besides, while this thing wouldn't do anything to him right now, when he decided to leave this instance, things definitely wouldn't be so easy.
Besides, could he really consider himself to be in an easy situation right now?
Gao Hai lowered his head and looked at the printed paper in his hand.
[Red Nut Gray Hole Explorer Type-II Regulations]
This was the title on the paper.
When Chika Fujiwara looked at this sheet of rules, she still saw the 'Type-I Regulations'—the very first set. But in Gao Hai's eyes, the text on the paper had become completely different, transforming into a brand-new set of regulations.
[You are an explorer. Please remember, you are an explorer. This is an identity you must never forget (There are marks of repeated smudging on the word 'explorer,' as if it underwent difficult deletions and revisions)]
[The fact that you can see these regulations means you have learned something you shouldn't have. Leaving this cavern will now be extremely difficult for you, but not impossible. It is not yet time for despair. These regulations will guide you to escape from here. Escape, just as every lucid person trapped here wants to do, escape from here.]
[1. Maintain the symbol of your identity as an 'explorer,' and check your clothes every 20 minutes. If your explorer uniform begins to feel sticky and difficult to take off normally, you need to find another explorer uniform to change into as soon as possible. Do not wear the original one again.]
[2. The 'Heart' is a place every explorer must go. Ensure you have been there once. Ensure your identity is that of an explorer who has reached the deepest part of the Red Nut Gray Hole and is preparing to leave the cavern. This is a mandatory procedure for leaving. And do not forget that you cannot grasp a damaged safety rope.]
[3. You do not recognize the word composed of the five letters h, u, m, a, n. You do not know its meaning. You will not speak this word. You are just an explorer. You only need to remember the identity represented by the clothes you wear and your own name. If you cannot remember your name, please refer to Rule 1 and find another explorer uniform to change into.]
[4. When changing explorer uniforms no longer helps you recall your name or slow the stickiness of the clothes, find other clothes to change into. A rescue team member's uniform is the best first choice. Try not to change into staff clothes or security guard uniforms. If you have no choice, find other replacement clothes as quickly as possible after changing. Do not change into a yellow and white striped uniform, a black protective suit, or a white coat. These three types of clothing do not exist in the Red Nut Gray Hole.]
[There is no bloodstained white dress here (This entire line of text is extremely messy and differs from the writing above and below it, as if added later)]
[5. The road from the Stone Forest Path to the Artery may have changed drastically in your eyes. You may see many incredible sights. Pass through as quickly as possible. Do not change clothes in these areas. Avoid all suspicious individuals who appear here. No matter how normal everything seems, do not forget where you are right now.]
[6. Look for the Artery. Look for the narrow cavern with no signs of man-made modification, where you can only advance by climbing. You can only leave by passing through the Artery. Only explorers who pass through the Artery, climb the Great Cliff, and return to the Great Slide entrance have any hope of leaving. No matter what, maintain your sanity. Ensure you still possess a clear sense of self when you reach the end. This is the only path to survival for an 'explorer.']
[7. Do not wear tourist clothes.]
[8. The tourists do not know what terrible things have happened here. They just keep smiling, just keep playing. Ignore them, unless you want to join their party.]
[9. Can you see this rule? Have you seen it already? Stay away from those pulleys; they will fall. (Added later in messy handwriting) Just like the time it failed before, it's all the same.]
[10. The dangerous situations that the Type-I Regulations required you to avoid still need to be avoided. They will not disappear; they will only become more dangerous than before. They do not think. No matter how much they seem to, do not disturb them.]
[11. But this is what we deserve.]
[12. ■■■■■... (Illegible text, as if deliberately blacked out with a gel pen)]
[13. Do not even think about saving anyone. Save yourself first, save yourself... (The text beyond this point becomes increasingly messy due to interference and is no longer readable)]
[If you cannot find the entrance to the Artery, go to my office. I am behind the red door. They always leave that door for me. I will leave a key inside. The red door, that is where I am. Please come find me. I will lead you safely out of here. You can call me Werbo. I am here to help you.]
Compared to the first set of regulations, this one was even stranger. Many of the articles seemed to have been repeatedly revised, and the handwriting was very messy, as if the writer was sleepwalking, making it much harder to decipher the content.
But why was he seeing these altered regulations, seeing content completely different from the first run?
Was it because he was being watched?
While thinking, Gao Hai had already found the narrow cavern where the safety rope was located.
But unlike before, there were already other people here this time—and they were people he had seen before.
"Two more players have joined us. It seems our luck is pretty good this time."
Looking at the four people already in the passage, Gao Hai couldn't help but frown.
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