[010] Level 1 Hotel
When Zhang Jingze and his group stepped inside the apartment, long queues had formed in every corner. The joy painted on everyone’s faces surpassed even their own.
The front desk was the most crowded spot of all, with a sprawling line stretching far back.
Zhang Jingze and his team naturally dashed to the very end of the queue.
Although they had returned relatively early, they couldn’t compete with the people who were already inside the apartment. At this point, the big display screen showed that only a dozen or so tents remained available.
Yet there were over a hundred people waiting in line.
Those at the front were aiming for the tents, while those further back were hoping to catch the rooms vacated by people giving them up.
They had returned too late!
A hint of regret washed over Zhang Jingze and the others.
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“It’s fine—at least the news turned out to be true!” Yu Siyu offered words of comfort, though her eyes continuously scanned the entire lobby.
In just the short time they were away, such massive changes had taken place across the whole apartment.
Looking at the lively, bustling scene, Yu Siyu felt her heart inexplicably settle with a sense of peace. It was probably because she recognized the reason behind the Doomsday Apartment’s continuous expansion!
“Shall we check out what items can be traded for supplies?” Yu Siyu took the initiative to suggest.
For them, sources of point income were also of critical importance.
“Mm,” Zhang Jingze nodded.
So, they ran over to the Recycling Cabinet to check out the situation there.
In front of the Recycling Cabinet, a large crowd of people had gathered.
“Can those of you who traded earlier speak up—what items can be exchanged?”
“Gold can be exchanged.”
“Watches can be exchanged.”
“Snacks can be exchanged too.”
“Clothes work as well!”
“There’s also medicine—the trade value for that is relatively higher.”
“…”
“Basically almost anything can be exchanged, just at different prices. Ore and mineral items fetch higher prices, but overall, the rates are quite low. Still, it’s better than nothing.”
“Exactly! Today is so satisfying—I managed to grab a 2-point tent, got extra points credited, and my mood is fantastic.”
“Same here! Temperatures surged today and survival difficulty doubled, but now with good news, I feel completely energized again.”
“…”
A steady stream of voices drifted into the ears of Yu Siyu and Zhang Jingze.
Once the two of them confirmed this point, they quickly led their team away again.
Opportunities like this were rare; they couldn’t afford to miss out.
There were quite a few people who thought just like them.
In the days that followed, aside from rest time, players rarely stayed inside the apartment. Most spent every second racing against the clock to hoard supplies outside and hunt for items that could be traded for points.
Everyone could deduce that conditions in the game zone would only grow worse and worse.
As the tents were completely booked out, and rooms vacated by original players were gradually snatched up by others, Gu Weiwei received another system notification.
[Hosted 592 tenants, condition met]
[Possess Doomsday Apartment 1, Tent Area 1, condition met]
[Deduct 50 Points to upgrade Level 2 Apartment to Level 3 Apartment?]
“Yes.”
[Doomsday Apartment upgraded to Level 3 Apartment. Can unlock 50 additional rooms. Simultaneously, the control range has expanded from 20 meters to 100 meters.]
Following the upgrade, Gu Weiwei immediately checked the conditions required for the next rank.
The next upgrade would transform the Level 3 Apartment into a… Level 1 Hotel?
[Condition 1: Host 2,000 tenants]
[Condition 2: 100 Points]
*[Condition 3: Buildings 4]
[Note: One of the new buildings must be a main structure.]
After reading the conditions, Gu Weiwei remained completely calm. After all, she had already guessed last time that the Doomsday Landlady System would definitely push her to continuously expand her scale.
As for the main structure, it was likely referring to the apartments, homestays, or inns she had seen earlier, right?
She would buy them later!
For now, earning points came first!
Gu Weiwei then proceeded to unlock all the remaining rooms, setting them all as Octuple Rooms as usual.
This time, enough new rooms were released that they weren’t fully claimed in a short span of time.
After all, at present, there was a limit to the number of players operating around the Doomsday Apartment.
The number of users active on the player forum was also limited.
For the Doomsday Apartment to reach more players, it would take time to ferment and spread.
Time ticked away little by little.
Day 3 of the game: High temperature weather, rising another degree from yesterday to reach 46°C.
Players and NPCs continued to hoard supplies frantically, causing prices to skyrocket.
Water and electricity were restricted to 1 hour of supply per day.
Day 4 of the game: High temperature weather, reaching 47°C.
NPCs went on panic-buying sprees for supplies. Most players lacked enough money to purchase goods, and a small portion of players officially began committing robberies.
Official authorities in the game zone launched crackdowns on robbery; police stations were packed to capacity with arrestees.
Water and electricity were restricted to 30 minutes of supply per day.
Massive numbers of heatstroke and severe heat-illness cases emerged, leaving hospitals completely overwhelmed.
Day 5 of the game: High temperature weather, reaching 48°C.
More and more players joined in on robberies. Some players recruited NPCs into their groups to participate in plundering, causing police forces to run short.
Water and electricity were restricted to 10 minutes of supply per day.
Hospitals could no longer provide medical services. Pharmacies were looted clean, and medicine became nearly impossible to purchase even at exorbitant prices.
Day 6 of the game: High temperature weather, reaching 49°C.
Incidents of social unrest, arson, and destruction spiked. Private supermarkets suffered continuous nighttime burglaries, and home invasion robberies broke out. Emergency calls could no longer reach police in time, and all industries began shutting down operations.
Water and electricity supplies ceased completely.
Death tolls surged dramatically, with many people dying inside their homes with no one left to collect their bodies.
Day 7 of the game: High temperature weather, reaching 50°C.
Game zone officials advised residents to remain indoors and urged them to form self-defense security squads to resist theft and robbery.
The authorities were no longer able to maintain order in the game zone.
Civilian teams spontaneously organized squads to dispose of corpses while scavenging remaining supplies along the way.
Day 8 of the game: High temperature weather, reaching 51°C.
Social order in the game zone completely collapsed as more and more people joined in criminal activities.
Sick individuals surged, and epidemics began to break out.
Compared to the living hell on the outside, the Doomsday Apartment remained relatively peaceful throughout these days.
It wasn’t that no players who had experienced the dark side of society outside came around; in fact, quite a few had wanted to target the Doomsday Apartment. However, every single one that came was dealt with instantly—one by one, pair by pair, no matter how many arrived.
The deterrent of immense force left players terrified to make another rash move.
No matter how domineering or fierce they acted outside, inside the Doomsday Apartment, they had no choice but to cower obediently.
Inside the Doomsday Apartment right now, the layout had taken on a brand-new look compared to days prior.
On the open space near the vending machines and Recycling Cabinet, a new Trading Zone had been added.
This Trading Zone originally started with players conducting trades on their own—using items they possessed to exchange for things they needed from others, achieving resource swaps.
This area had now become the most bustling section inside the Doomsday Apartment.
Anyone capable of setting up a booth here had a team backing them.
By now, the only ones able to operate outside were teams; individuals could hardly survive on their own outdoors.
Aside from robbery incidents, there were also the various physical ailments caused by the extreme heat. Venturing out alone meant one might accidentally drop dead outside at any moment.
Incidents like that had been happening frequently of late.
[Tenant of Bed 5 in Room 904 has died. Bed cleaned and relisted for rent.]
Receiving news of a tenant’s death once more, Gu Weiwei paused for a moment and let out a gentle sigh.
Immediately after, a bed opened up in the main lobby display of the Doomsday Apartment.
The moment the bed freed up, players surged forward to scramble for it.
At times like this, it all came down to speed.
“I got it! I got it!” a player shouted in excitement after securing it.
The others could only look on, lamenting that they were a step too late yet again.
“Sigh, beds are getting harder and harder to snatch now.”
“Even though the Doomsday Apartment added Apartment Building No. 2 with several hundred more beds, it’s still not enough.”
“Tell me about it—more and more players are heading here.”
“I heard there are still plenty of people on their way right now!“
“Luckily, besides beds, food and other items in the Doomsday Apartment have no purchasing limits. Otherwise, with more people coming, everyone would become direct competitors.”
“Exactly!”
“Those players who booked rooms early are truly fortunate. As long as they don’t die, they’ll always have a room and won’t need to suffer out there.”
“Today is day nine of the game, and the temperature outside has hit 52°C. Walking outside feels like you’re being cooked alive.”
“That’s why I save my full daily stay allowance for the daytime now and only go out at night. Even though it’s still hot at night, at least there’s no direct sun.”
“This is only day nine of the game—how are we supposed to endure the remaining 21 days?!”
“Especially with it rising by one degree per day. 21 days from now, won’t it hit over seventy degrees? Can anyone even survive outside?!”
“…”
When the conversation turned to those 21 days at the end, a heavy shadow fell over every player’s heart.
“So if you can’t land a room here, find a shelter in a basement or somewhere similar outside!”
“Endure one day at a time while we can.”
“Right, we’ve made it this far, so no giving up unless it’s impossible to survive.”
“Sigh, plenty of people are committing suicide too!”
“Everyone’s saying this is just the Beginner Realm and it’s already this brutal—what’s going to happen in the Intermediate and Advanced Realms?”
“I’m not dying! Committing suicide means bowing our heads to this Apocalypse Game. Why should our lives be turned upside down because of this absurd entity?”
“Yeah! I don’t even know how my parents, my wife, and my kids are doing in this environment… Are they all…”
“Let’s not talk about that! What new items did the Doomsday Apartment release recently?”
“The restaurant released cold drinks recently—it’s so refreshing!”
“Mung bean shaved ice, mango shaved ice, fruit shaved ice…”
“Every time I come back from a grueling supply run outside feeling half-dead, just thinking about these treats inside the apartment fills me with anticipation.”
“Yeah! I really don’t know what we would have done without the Doomsday Apartment.”
“…”
The players voiced their feelings one after another. Chatting about the Doomsday Apartment made them feel like life had a ray of hope again.
Conversations like these occurred frequently inside the Doomsday Apartment.
Gu Weiwei overheard them all, before turning her gaze onto her control panel.
All 800 beds in Apartment Building No. 2 had been rented out. Unlocking those 100 rooms had cost her quite a few points, so she had released them gradually.
Combined with the 792 beds in Apartment Building No. 1 and the 500 tents in the Tent Area, she now had 2,092 tenants in total—meeting the tenant condition.
What she needed now was a new building.
Without hesitation, Gu Weiwei bought another apartment building.
At the same price point, apartments offered the highest cost-efficiency.
Homestays and inns had better living conditions than apartments, but their room capacity couldn’t reach 100.
Under circumstances where room supply couldn’t keep up with player demand, choosing an apartment building was naturally the right move.
After purchasing the apartment building, it completely filled up the remaining land area within her current control range.
So it wasn’t that Gu Weiwei didn’t want to buy more buildings, but rather that placing any new structure required it to fit within the Doomsday Apartment’s controlled perimeter.
Once placed, a new notification popped up on her panel:
[Hosted 2,092 tenants, condition met]
[Possess Doomsday Apartment 3, Tent Area 1, condition met]
[Deduct 100 Points to upgrade Level 3 Apartment to Level 1 Hotel?]
“Yes.”
[Doomsday Apartment upgraded to Level 1 Hotel. Can unlock 100 additional rooms. Simultaneously, the control range has expanded from 100 meters to 200 meters.]
Upgraded again!
Without hesitation, Gu Weiwei unlocked all 100 rooms in Apartment Building No. 3 at once.
As the remaining bed capacity displayed across the apartment lobby, enthusiastic cheers instantly erupted throughout the hall.
It was also at this moment that a new message appeared on Gu Weiwei’s panel:
[Doomsday Apartment upgraded to Doomsday Hotel. Doomsday Landlady System can be upgraded. Spend 1,000 Points to upgrade?]
Gu Weiwei froze for a moment. The Doomsday Landlady System can upgrade too?
But 1,000 Points?
This was indeed a massive sum, but Gu Weiwei had a strong hunch that an upgraded Doomsday Landlady System would definitely be far more useful.
So, upgrade?
Of course! Upgrade!