Black tactical jacket…

And that familiar voice…

It was Yang Wenchao!

Jiang Ye turned around and sure enough, Yang Wenchao was walking toward him from the direction of the mall entrance.

Or rather than “walking,” it was more like he was blinking forward.

He moved so fast that his legs barely seemed to move at all—

It was like watching a beam of light shoot from point A to point B, then B to C in a flash.

In just a few flickers, he was right in front of him.

That strange way of moving…

Jiang Ye was a bit surprised and glanced down at his legs.

He saw that Yang Wenchao was wearing a pair of black cloth shoes—

They had a vintage, almost ancient-Chinese look to them.

Totally clashing with his modern black tactical jacket.

So…

Most likely they were some kind of footwear-type Equipment—possibly even Bronze-tier.

Jiang Ye was thinking this through while also staying alert.

Ready to activate Replica Fusion at any moment to deal with Yang Wenchao.

But this time, Yang Wenchao didn’t seem hostile.

He simply said in a calm tone,

“Heading to the High-End Mall? Let’s go together.”

Go to the High-End Mall together?

Honestly, Jiang Ye didn’t want to go anywhere with Yang Wenchao.

Sure, if he used Replica Fusion, he’d probably outclass Yang Wenchao in raw Combat Power.

But Replica Fusion had a time limit—best used right before an actual fight.

And even then, strength was just one part of the equation.

Real situations didn’t always play out as a simple contest of power.

How many times had we seen protagonists in novels or movies win fights by outsmarting stronger opponents?

What if Yang Wenchao pulled something sneaky and caught him off guard?

Even if Yang Wenchao didn’t plan anything shady—

There was zero trust between them.

Even just walking around a mall together would mean constantly watching his back.

So deep down, Jiang Ye really didn’t want to go with him.

When he was weaker, he had no choice.

But now that he had power, he was ready to just flat-out refuse.

But then, Yang Wenchao suddenly gave him a meaningful look, stepped half a pace closer, and lowered his voice:

“You’re probably not a Doomsday Apartment game player, are you?”

What?

Not a Doomsday Apartment game player?

Jiang Ye froze for a second.

At first, he thought Yang Wenchao had mistaken his identity—maybe thinking he wasn’t one of the 80 Beginner Players.

But for some reason, when he looked at Yang Wenchao’s cryptic expression…

He had a feeling that wasn’t what he meant at all.

So… what did he mean?

Doomsday Apartment… Game player…

Sure, what they’d experienced in this Beginner Apartment did feel a lot like a game.

The initial messages even referred to them as “Beginner Players.”

When someone died, people in the group chat sometimes used the term “logged out.”

But in day-to-day talk, no one actually used the word “game.”

They always said “Beginner Player” or “Veteran Player”—

Almost never “Game Player.”

And now, paired with that loaded look Yang Wenchao gave him…

A shocking thought suddenly struck Jiang Ye.

A game.

Could it be that—before the whole nation transmigrated into this world—

Some people had already played a game based on this very Doomsday Apartment?!

That would explain why Yang Wenchao seemed to know so much, and why he leveled up so fast compared to everyone else!

Wait—

What about Yang Xiaoman, the first person to find a Survival Stone?

Could she be a game player too?

Maybe that’s why, when she spoke in the chat, she referred to classmates as “players” instead—

Because she had already played a game called Doomsday Apartment!

Jiang Ye didn’t know if his guess was right.

When he looked back at Yang Wenchao, the guy gave him a cool smile.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he repeated his earlier offer:

“Heading to the High-End Mall? Let’s go together.”

Well, damn.

So he’d been waiting for him to connect the dots.

Jiang Ye thought for a moment, then finally nodded. “Alright.”

And so the two of them walked toward the High-End Mall together.

The Low-End Mall was like a massive shopping center, open to all players.

But the High-End Mall had its own separate entrance—

Only accessible to residents from the 20th floor and above.

There was a security gate at the entrance to verify your identity.

As the two of them passed through the gate, it let out a normal “beep,”

and instantly deducted 1000 Survival Points as an entrance fee.

Elsewhere, some classmates in the Low-End Mall spotted the two figures entering the High-End Mall.

They immediately posted in the group chat with envy:

【Yang Wenchao and that mysterious bald guy just went into the High-End Mall together!】

【The High-End Mall? Isn’t the entry fee like 1000 SP just to walk in? How can they afford that?!】

【F*** me! 1000 SP could feed me ten meals in the Low-End Mall!】

【Ten meals? You’re eating too well! I could stretch that to twenty!】

【It’s really insane how rich people throw money around like it’s nothing while the rest of us bust our sses and can’t even eat or pay rent.】

【F**! If I hadn’t ended up in this hellhole, I’d still be rich right now! Spending 3k–5k per meal was normal for me!】

【What about now? How much are you spending per meal?】

【I just bought a bowl of plain congee… and even that felt too expensive.】

【D*mn, you’re killing me here. That’s the most extreme budget downgrade I’ve seen all year. QAQ】

【But seriously—Duel Rooms must really be money-makers, huh? Neither Yang Wenchao nor the bald guy has taken any jobs, but they both look loaded. They probably made all that from the Duel Room, right?】

【Wait, no. I heard from Xiao Likun and Wang Qiang that Yang Wenchao lost everything he made in his last duel! So how does he have money again now?】

【Maybe he made it from grinding monsters in the 3rd floor corridor?】

【Doubt it. Sister Ling and Brother Chang already said fighting monsters only helps with leveling—no money involved!】

【I got it! He must’ve made money by killing those two cross-apartment bosses! Those guys had to be loaded! Yang Wenchao killed them and took their money!】

【But then where did those cross-apartment bosses get all their money from?】

【Obviously from killing and robbing others! Same as in real life—rich people’s money usually comes from hardworking folks!】

The conversation about wealth disparity was starting to wrap up—

But then Wang Qiang suddenly piped up:

【I seriously suspect those players living above the 20th floor have other ways to make money!】

【Me and Xiao Likun have been watching the Duel Room for a while now, and we’ve noticed—those guys always seem to have cash!】

【That’s definitely not normal! There’s got to be some other way they’re earning!】

Everyone got curious again and jumped in:

【What method? I’m literally going crazy thinking about money!】

【F***! I used to think living on the 20th floor was tragic because of the insane rent. But now, all the big shots are from the 20th floor! So maybe getting into the 20th floor is the real way to unlock the game!】

【I’m starting to think the same—maybe only after you live on the 20th floor can you truly be considered a real “apartment player” and unlock the gates to the new world!】

【Dmn! Where’s Jiang Ye? Isn’t he also a 20th floor resident? Why isn’t he rich and OP like Yang Wenchao and the bald guy??】

【Pfft, Jiang Ye went to do cleaning jobs!】

【F**! What a total waste of that prime 20th floor starting resource! If I’d been assigned a room on the 20th floor, I’d already be a powerhouse like Yang Wenchao or the bald dude by now!】

【Seriously though, same 20th floor, and Jiang Ye’s clearly falling behind.】

【Hey, do you guys remember the original system announcement said we could “Cancel Lease” or “Sublet”? I’m wondering if Jiang Ye’s 20th floor apartment could be sublet to someone else?】

【Good point! He wanted to cancel his lease anyway—subletting it would cost way less than breaking the lease, right?】

A bunch of classmates, who had previously believed Jiang Ye would be doomed by the sky-high rent,

were now rethinking things after watching two 20th floor players thrive.

They began to feel that living on the 20th floor wasn’t a trap—

It was an honor.

A key to becoming stronger.

So, many began suggesting Jiang Ye sublet his apartment to a real powerhouse.

Since he had been planning to cancel the lease anyway, and the penalty fee for canceling was way higher than for subletting,

getting someone to take it over would actually be helping him save money.

Even Wang Lingling was considering the idea, planning to talk to Jiang Ye about it once he returned to the Mutual Aid Group.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ye—now walking through the High-End Mall with Yang Wenchao—

was fully aware of the chatter in the group chat.

But he didn’t care.

While staying alert around Yang Wenchao, he was also taking in his surroundings.

The High-End Mall looked significantly smaller than the Low-End Mall,

but its design and decor were far more extravagant.

Glass display cases shimmered with light, showing off all kinds of Equipment and Items.

There was even a row dedicated entirely to Treasure Chests.

Basically, players could choose to directly buy items—

Or buy chests and try their luck opening them.

Buying chests meant you might get a high-value item at a lower cost—

But you could also end up with something useless.

It definitely had a gambling element to it.

As Jiang Ye continued to look around—

he saw Yang Wenchao heading straight toward a display counter on the north end of the mall.

He thought for a moment, then followed.

But when he got there, he realized—

the counter didn’t display any items at all.

Instead, there was an operation console on the right-hand side.

Yang Wenchao walked straight to the console and began operating it.

Jiang Ye watched for a while and quickly caught on:

“This is the player-to-player cross-apartment trading platform?”

Yang Wenchao nodded, continuing to work the console as he casually said:

“The stuff for sale in the mall is generally overpriced—low value for money.”

“If you want to sell your own items, players usually price them cheaper than the mall.”

“But still, it’s second-hand stuff, just like selling on a used goods app. Nothing’s brand new.”

Jiang Ye didn’t mind second-hand.

Saving money was always a win.

Plus, some of the gear he no longer needed could be sold through this system to get cash back.

This trading function was clearly popular among players.

Yang Wenchao was now listing his unwanted items for sale in the player trading zone.

Watching his smooth, confident handling of the system—

Jiang Ye once again thought about asking him about the “game player” theory.

But before he could figure out how to bring it up—

Yang Wenchao suddenly dropped a bomb:

“You’re Yang Xiaoman, right?”

…What?

Jiang Ye blinked in confusion.

Yang Wenchao looked at him and continued, “Guess not.”

“You’re Jiang Ye?”

…???

Jiang Ye frowned.

Yang Wenchao kept going, as if talking to himself, “Guess not either.”

“So, who are you really?”

“If you’re using a Disguise Mask, wouldn’t an Invisibility item be more useful?”

“But you chose Disguise over Stealth. Why? Do you have some identity you have to hide?”

At first, Jiang Ye thought Yang Wenchao was testing him, trying to gauge his reactions.

Now it was starting to feel like he was just posturing.

But Jiang Ye didn’t mind being probed—he had power to back him up now.

He was about to flip the script and question him about being a game player—

But Yang Wenchao beat him to it again, pressing on:

“I heard from Xiao Likun and Wang Qiang—you used an ice-type AoE skill to one-shot Zhao Yudie.”

“With that kind of strength… why bother hiding your identity?”

“And also…”

He paused, his expression suddenly turning more serious.

His gaze at Jiang Ye was complex.

“Your three-win streak…

Don’t tell me you actually won those matches yourself?”

Jiang Ye was just about to say he bought his win streak…

But before Jiang Ye could even finish crafting a lie—

Yang Wenchao cut straight to the point:

“The win-streak rewards the Duel Room gives players might seem random—like you’re just picking one of three random cards.”

“But that’s not actually how it works.”

“Normally, if you bought your win streak, you’ll only get trash like the Announcement Card—those useless low-tier ones.”

“But if I’m not wrong, in your fight against Zhao Yudie, you used a Privilege Card.”

“And the kind of reward that gives you a Privilege Card? That usually only shows up when someone actually earns their win streak themselves.”

Whoa!

No way!

There’s a hidden mechanic like that?

Jiang Ye had no clue.

But then he suddenly thought of something:

“The Level-Up Card is a high-tier card too, right? So… did you win your streak fair and square too?”

The word “too” in his sentence was basically a quiet confession—

He had, in fact, earned his own win streak.

Yang Wenchao’s expression turned even more serious.

His eyes on Jiang Ye grew visibly more cautious.

Then he shook his head and said:

“The Level-Up Card does count as a high-tier reward…

But no—I still bought my win streak.”

Huh?

Didn’t he just say if you bought your streak, you’d only get trash-tier cards?

Before Jiang Ye could even ask, Yang Wenchao explained on his own:

“It’s just like match-fixing. Some fake matches are super obvious—you can tell with one glance they’re rigged.”

“But some are so well acted, they look real.”

“I bought my win streak—but I added a special condition: the seller had to act convincingly enough to make me look strong.”

“So basically, I used performance to fool the win-streak reward system into thinking I actually earned my wins.”

Holy sh*t. That was actually possible?

If what Yang Wenchao said was true, then those win-streak sellers must know this too.

But shady sellers probably wouldn’t tell you about that hidden trick.

Only someone like Yang Wenchao—someone “in the know”—could really get the best value out of a purchase.

Which only made things clearer…

Jiang Ye followed up smoothly:

“Before entering the Duel Room, you killed four players and got 4 Survival Points.”

“That just so happens to be the cost of the five-win streak package.”

“So…”

“You already knew what was going on in the Duel Room, knew you could buy win streaks, even knew the pricing.”

“Because you’re… what, one of those so-called game players?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep