Zi Sang Haoyun really had seen a lot.

His expression didn’t change, but he quietly replied in the private channel:

【Same as that Xu Gou just now, they’re both from Secret Realm organizations.】

【They probably crossed paths with Zhou Yuling during a Secret Realm run.】

【But Xu Gou’s with the first-rate Secret Realm organization Tianluo.】

【This one, though, is Peng Gu from the top-tier organization Blood Breath Pavilion. He’s doing quite well there, has plenty of VIP Player connections, and even personal ties with Apartment Bosses and other players from the Defenders’ Alliance. All in all, he’s way more well-connected than I am.】

Zi Sang Haoyun’s tone carried a faint trace of envy.

Jiang Ye, meanwhile, was surprised—Zi Sang sure had a wide network.

Not only did he know this guy, but he’d also known the background of that blood-marked Xu Gou.

Clearly, despite being in the relatively safe and stable Duoe Organization, Zi Sang had ventured into many Secret Realms behind the scenes.

That incident with him getting soul searched for using a Resurrection Item was probably also because of his restless behavior.

And during the short time the two were chatting—

Zhou Yuling, standing at the top of the White Tower, actually showed Peng Gu from Blood Breath Pavilion quite a bit of courtesy.

She didn’t strike him down like she did Xu Gou.

Instead, she lazily responded:

“Then in your opinion, what should be done?”

Peng Gu was about to answer,

but Zhou Yuling suddenly mimicked his earlier tone and cut him off:

“You’re not gonna suggest I prepare 9,999 Red Light Elevator Cards for all of you, are you?”

Jiang Ye’s eyes lit up—now that would be great!

Back when he signed the contract with Ouyang Lin Jing, the third-phase reward included a Red Light Elevator Card.

He’d been envious at the time.

But now that he was the Apartment 4444 Administrator, that contract clearly wouldn’t reach Phase Three anymore, and he wouldn’t be getting the card.

If he could snag one from this big-spending Defender, that’d be perfect.

He wasn’t the only one thinking that—players around them also visibly perked up.

Even Peng Gu chuckled: “Heh, now that’d be perfect!”

But Zhou Yuling clearly didn’t have a great temper.

As Peng Gu responded,

the sheer purple veil around her began to flutter without wind.

A chilling aura spread subtly around her.

The kind that meant she was ready to throw hands at any moment.

The whole audience instantly fell silent.

Peng Gu, however, didn’t seem afraid.

He suddenly sat down again and said calmly:

“But, see, I already have a Red Light Elevator Card myself, so no need for you to worry, Sister Yuling.”

“What I brought up earlier—just my personal concerns.”

“And I think there’s a simple solution to the problem—”

“Just—case-by-case.”

“If some Dark-type players are too afraid of the Light-type Newbie, they can stay in the White Tower and wait for the Light to be dealt with before coming out.”

“If others, like me, aren’t afraid and have Elevator Cards, they can leave the White Tower early and move freely.”

“What do you think, Sister Yuling?”

Jiang Ye inwardly rolled his eyes.

He’d thought this guy was advocating for the masses—

turned out he was just looking out for himself.

The others caught on too.

Another player immediately stood up and frowned as he asked:

“But the public contract probably doesn’t allow for different rules for different players.”

“Also, even before Brother Peng Gu spoke, I wanted to ask—”

“Since we followers are bound to Sister Yuling by contract, and she won’t abuse the follower link to force us into anything…”

“Then honestly, can’t she just dissolve the follower link once we arrive at the Newbie Apartment? No need to wait until we return to the Doomsday Apartment.”

“After all, we do need the follower link to bypass the limited quota to descend into the Newbie Apartment.”

“But to return from there to the Doomsday Apartment, there’s no quota—just need one Survival Stone per person.”

That made sense.

Immediately, some players voiced agreement in the group chat:

【Yeah! I think the same—since we’ve got the contract, we can just sever the follower link as soon as we arrive.】

Even a Rookie King chimed in—

Yan Cheng: 【Strongly agree! After all, maybe some of us won’t return to the Doomsday Apartment at all!】

That triggered more chatter:

【Huh? Not return? You planning to stay in the Newbie Apartment as a Reincarnated Player?!】

But someone who knew what’s up replied:

【Tch, he’s a Rookie King! If he’s not going back, it’s probably ‘cause he wants to become an Administrator.】

【I heard if a Rookie King kills an Administrator—even in a team kill—they don’t need any fancy identity checks. The privileges get handed over on the spot!】

【Honestly, for us old players, killing an Admin isn’t hard. The tricky part is doing it solo within the 3-minute time limit of the Madman Mask… Admins are sly as h*ll. The moment they see you put it on, they vanish for 3 minutes—you can’t touch them!】

【The Madman Mask only lasts 3 minutes, but Admin authority doesn’t. If you don’t kill them in time, you get erased!】

【Honestly, we old players shouldn’t even mess with Admins. Just mind our business and bully the newbs!】

The chat veered way off course.

But Zhou Yuling didn’t. She answered calmly and firmly:

“The follower link can be removed in the Newbie Apartment.”

“But if we do that, then you 9,999 extra players would each need your own Survival Stone to return safely.”

“For you players who’re cheating your way into the Newbie Apartment, the Apartment won’t generate extra Survival Stones.”

“Sure, some will become available due to player deaths—so there’ll be more stones than players.”

“But strong players won’t stop at just one stone.”

“And some dumb newbies might even exchange their stones for Survival Points or Game Coins…”

“So the competition for Survival Stones in the Newbie Apartment is absolutely brutal.”

“Can any of you guarantee you’ll definitely get one and return?”

“If you keep the follower link, then you can return with me.”

“In that case, I’m the only one who needs a Survival Stone.”

“So delaying the unlinking until after we return is not selfish—it’s for your benefit.”

That… actually made perfect sense.

Still, many players remained wary of the follower link. They wanted to get rid of it as early as possible.

Just as they were about to argue more—

Zhou Yuling’s aura suddenly grew fierce,

and every player in the stands felt a heavy pressure descend.

At the same time, in this seemingly enclosed space,

a gust of wind rose from nowhere, carrying a chilling aura.

The wind drowned out everyone’s murmurs—

except one voice, still clear and commanding from the White Tower’s peak:

“Your five minutes are up.”

“As for the concerns raised by players from Blood Breath Pavilion and Heaven’s Listening Institute, here’s my final answer—”

“First, about how we’ll reach the Court of Disorder, 18th floor of Apartment 0000.”

“Simple—I go in first, and then I release you from the White Tower.”

“That means, when you come out, you’ll land directly inside the Court.”

“As for your fear of the Light-type Player… I don’t believe that rookie has the guts to enter Apartment 0000 on Day 2, where old players swarm.”

“Even if he’s brain-dead and goes to Apartment 0000, he wouldn’t head straight to the Court of Disorder.”

“You all know the death rate in the Court is high. We’ve got numbers, and I’m a non-Dark-type Player who’s not afraid of Light.”

“If he shows up, it’s suicide—and a free Kill-on-Sight Order reward for me!”

“In my view, if you had the guts to take this quest and follow me into the Newbie Apartment…”

“Then the Light-type threat is something you’ve already considered!”

“So Peng Gu’s doubts? Purely making a fuss. I won’t waste more words on it.”

“As for when to dissolve the follower link, I’ve already explained—”

“After returning to the Doomsday Apartment, to save you from Survival Stone competition.”

“My public contract is flawless.”

“If anyone still objects—I’ll just kick them out!”

“Now—”

“Wind—rise!”

As Zhou Yuling spoke the word “rise,”

the howling wind in the room intensified—

And a long white ribbon, like a white serpent, suddenly swept across the entire stadium.

Before every audience member appeared a segment of the ribbon,

on which were the exact public contract terms from the group file.

Once more, Zhou Yuling’s voice rang out from atop the tower:

“The contract has arrived. Please sign immediately.”

“Midnight is fast approaching. Apartment 0000 is about to open!”

“If anyone keeps dragging their feet and delays my descent into the Newbie Apartment…”

“Then you’ll be offending the entire Defenders’ Alliance!”

That was a heavy statement.

By now, most players realized—the Defenders’ Alliance wasn’t some weak group like people thought.

On the contrary, their strength was far beyond anyone’s imagination.

No one dared stall any longer.

Especially players like Yan Cheng, eager for a spot in the Newbie Apartment—he didn’t hesitate before signing.

Jiang Ye, wanting to avoid the soul search, naturally signed too.

Besides, it was just a Replica.

Even if something happened to Wu Ying’s Replica, it wouldn’t affect him much.

But when he signed the contract on that white ribbon circling the audience…

he couldn’t help but feel a strange sensation in his heart…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep