To be precise, he ran into a group of people.

Among them was a familiar face—Chen Cang!

Chen Cang wasn’t wearing a Disguise Mask at the moment.

So on the surface, he still looked like the young man who had left the underground graveyard of Apartment 4444.

Who knows what that guy had been through.

But one thing was certain—

He was also a game player, and had once gone off-grid in the game!

Not long ago, he must’ve died unexpectedly, then got revived in the 4444 Graveyard and was dug up by Lin Ling’s group.

And because of his 【Protagonist Halo】 skill…

When Chen Cang walked away coolly, even Lin Ling didn’t stop him.

After leaving the graveyard, the guy came straight back to Room 6996 of Apartment 9669…

Was he still obsessed with the bounty on Light-type players?

Or was there another reason?

Whatever it was…

Jiang Ye scanned the group with his eyes.

Seven or eight people, led by another arrogant-looking young man.

Chen Cang was mixed in with them, appearing completely unremarkable.

But Jiang Ye knew…

This whole group probably wouldn’t meet a good end.

After all, he trusted human nature.

In a world without laws, where the strong ruled, it was perfectly normal for people to harbor malice toward strangers.

Sure enough, he’d barely stepped out of Room 6996…

When the leader of that group rudely raised his weapon and barked:

“Who the hell are you? Why’d you come out of Room 6996?”

If it had been some random passerby, Jiang Ye would’ve just farmed some Survival Points and moved on.

But this group had Chen Cang in it.

Jiang Ye thought for a moment, then politely replied to the leader:

“There was that terrifying explosion earlier, so I thought the source might be over here. Figured I’d gather my courage and check it out.”

The leader clearly looked surprised by that and frowned as he asked:

“So you’ve already explored inside? Did you find anything?”

Jiang Ye shook his head naturally: “The old Mirror Palace in the Void is completely in ruins now. The mirrors that used to block everything are all shattered into bits…”

“But without those mirrors in the way, you can travel freely between Apartment 6996 and Apartment 9669 now. The only thing I’m unsure of is whether the ruins still hide any dangers—like another sudden explosion or something.”

What he said also explained why he was leaving.

Obviously, he didn’t want to be caught in another blast.

But the leader still looked skeptical. After studying him for a bit, he questioned:

“You had the guts to come all the way here, and you’re just leaving without getting anything out of it?”

Jiang Ye frowned: “It’s all rubble in there. There really isn’t anything valuable. Staying longer won’t help and might be dangerous.”

The leader remained suspicious, pressing further:

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed—you’re wearing a Disguise Mask.”

“If you weren’t guilty of something, why hide your real face?”

“Show me your data panel right now!”

“……”

Jiang Ye was speechless. Like h**l you’re qualified to look at my data panel.

If I showed you the real one, you’d drop dead on the spot.

But…

He didn’t even glance in Chen Cang’s direction. After a quick mental calculation, he calmly pulled up a data panel for the leader to see.

Of course, it was a fake one.

A feature built into the 【Disguise Mask】.

The one He Xingyue gave him had definitely been modified by the Mask Master.

Not only did it change his name from “Huang Bo” to “Lu Renjia”—

Even the data panel was perfectly disguised.

Because if he didn’t mask his data, his Light-type talent would be exposed.

And that would ruin Guan He’s disguise as Huang Bo.

Clearly, the Light-type organization had hidden themselves in the newbie apartments for so long not just by concealing their aura.

They must have stacked all sorts of identity-masking buffs.

The modified version of the 【Disguise Mask】 he got was probably just one small piece of a much bigger system.

Jiang Ye displayed the fake panel without hesitation.

But the leader immediately raised an eyebrow and said:

“Lu Renjia? That name… sounds totally fake.”

Jiang Ye replied with a deadpan face: “Can’t help it. My parents were abstract thinkers.”

Someone else in the group actually nodded in agreement and muttered:

“Yeah, some parents really do name their kids like they don’t care if they live or die…”

Jiang Ye had a sudden idea and secretly used a True Sight Eye to peek at that guy’s real info.

Turns out, his name was perfectly normal.

“Xing Yishan”—how was that abstract?

It clearly carried the well-wishing intent that the kid would “do a good deed a day.”

Kids these days… really getting out of hand.

Since he already had True Sight Eye up, Jiang Ye casually glanced over at the arrogant team leader too.

What he saw surprised him—that guy was also someone he knew—

Li Aoliang.

That name rang a bell.

Wasn’t he the one who exposed Wan Xin’s death in Apartment 9999?

After Wan Xin was confirmed dead in 9999, this Li Aoliang had been one of the most active chat spammers.

Back then, Jiang Ye had only seen the name, never the face.

Didn’t expect the guy to show up in Apartment 9669.

Looks like Li Aoliang not only inherited Wan Xin’s passion for group chats—

But also took on the cursed “Bad Luck Debuff” like a champ.

Jiang Ye silently roasted him in his mind.

Li Aoliang, clueless as ever, brushed past the obviously fake name “Lu Renjia” and sneered:

“You’re level 10 already? What a f**king joke—didn’t expect someone this weak.”

“With a B-tier Super Stamina talent like yours, how the hell did you even reach level 10?”

“No wonder you were ‘gathering courage’ just to check out the ruins of the Mirror Palace.”

Total provocation—he clearly didn’t expect an answer.

But Jiang Ye still gave him one with an honest expression:

“Nothing much—just a handsome face.”

“Clung to a few long, shapely thighs, and casually leveled up to 10.”

“……”

Everyone present was a little speechless. They couldn’t understand how he could talk about mooching off others with such honesty…

Of course, deep down, Li Aoliang also started to suspect that this guy said that on purpose—was he trying to hint that he had backing?

After all, “thighs” were a common metaphor for a powerful backer.

He’d originally thought that since this guy’s data panel didn’t show much, he could just finish him off.

But now, just hearing the word “thigh,” made him hesitate.

Still, Li Aoliang didn’t dwell on it long before he said to Jiang Ye:

“Since you’ve already scouted the ruins of the Mirror Palace, you won’t mind leading us back through it, right?”

Jiang Ye was still somewhat concerned about Chen Cang, who had that 【Protagonist Halo】.

And since he’d promised He Xingyue not to recklessly use Light-type abilities, he figured he’d play along.

So, putting on an act of giving in to power, he agreed to join the team.

They turned around and headed back toward Room 6996 and the ruins of the Mirror Palace.

Meanwhile—

The Defender clone made a few preparations and then tried using the card for 【Mask Master’s Shop】.

The card was unregistered—no name attached.

The way it activated was similar to that small iron tag from the Newbie King’s special identity access.

A voice rang out in his mind:

【Ding!】

【The Mask Master’s Shop has approved your entry. Do you wish to enter?】

【Yes / No】

After selecting 【Yes】, the scene around him changed instantly.

He had thought the so-called “small shop” would be like the mysterious Spirit Nurturer’s shop at T-2025 on the 20th floor—maybe just a few square meters in size.

He never expected what lay before him—a place vast beyond belief.

It was like some kind of ultra-luxury department store.

Only instead of luxury goods, everything on display was masks.

Some of the masks were worn by puppet mannequins.

Some were displayed in glass cabinets.

Others were just hung up in clumps on the walls, strung together with cord.

The moment Jiang Ye stepped into the “Mask Master’s Shop,” he felt like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden—totally overwhelmed.

But before he could fully absorb the scene, he heard a deep male voice.

The voice sounded like something from a TV show—like a kidnapper’s voice that had been altered to demand ransom over the phone.

Jiang Ye had once even looked it up while watching TV—it was the sound you got from inhaling helium.

When he was younger, he’d naively thought—

That if he ever became a kidnapper, he’d use that trick too.

He’d never actually tried it.

But now, he was hearing that exact kind of voice in person:

“Tut tut, what a handsome face.”

A handsome face? That must be referring to Zhang Minghan’s.

“The shop rules are posted on the wall to your right. Go take a look.”

Jiang Ye heard the voice, but had no way to tell where it was coming from.

Nor could he see the Mask Master anywhere.

But knowing there was someone watching, he dared not act rashly and obediently turned to check the shop rules posted on the right wall.

【Rules of the Mask Master’s Shop:】

【1. Without the shop owner’s permission, you may not touch any mask-type items.】

【2. Without the shop owner’s permission, you may not leave the shop.】

【3. Without the shop owner’s permission, you may not wear any mask-type items.】

【PS: If you entered the shop wearing a mask for the first time, you must remove it within 1 minute of reading this rule.】

【PPS: If you have a special reason for wearing a mask, immediately raise both hands and shout: “Please forgive me, Shop Master.” The shop owner will then decide whether to grant you leniency.】

【4. If the customer does not break the rules, the shop owner is not allowed to kill, rob, or force the customer in any way.】

【5. If the customer breaks the rules, the shop owner has the right to deal with them as they see fit.】

Five rules—pretty straightforward.

At first, Jiang Ye thought Rule #2 was unreasonable.

He thought, “If customers can’t leave freely, wouldn’t they be trapped in here forever?”

But Rule #4 made it clear—you just had to check out with the shop owner before leaving.

Just as he was thinking this, that deep voice spoke again:

“Today’s Special Offer is on the back of the rule board.”

A special offer?

Jiang Ye instinctively reached to take down the thin board with the rules on it to check the back.

But just as his hand stretched out—

He suddenly froze.

Wait a minute…

This board with the rules on it—could it also be a mask-type item?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep