Once their minds were set, Li Yuanzheng and his team issued orders down to a specific squad.
In truth, all the work involving communication with players fell on this squad.
After all, Li Yuanzheng and the higher-ups had plenty of work on their hands as well.
Once order broke down outside, they naturally couldn’t enforce control over lower levels, but completely abandoning the people was equally impossible for them.
It was just that they were unwilling to rescue those who acted with utter impunity by taking advantage of the chaotic world.
So their squads below evaluated personnel while clearing corpses off the streets.
Under these circumstances, they gradually brought some people into this small-scale base.
Furthermore, additional evaluation took place after people joined: job assignments.
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Right now inside the base, distribution was based on work—only by working properly could one receive “wages.”
Although life was tough, they could at least get by; hence, this base managed to operate quite smoothly.
The word “official” had been erased completely as well.
After all, under such a background, waving the “official” banner made it far too easy to become a target for moral blackmail and attacks by others.
However, clever individuals could likely still figure it out.
At least Zhang Weiming’s crew had picked up on it.
After all, in an environment like this, where would you find good people clearing corpses off the streets without demanding any compensation?
Thus, upon realizing the other party likely possessed official background, Zhang Weiming led his brothers to join this large-scale organization without hesitation.
He felt that relying on the authorities gave them a high chance of surviving to the end.
As long as they endured for a month, they could clear the game.
What they hadn’t expected, however, was that they would learn about the existence of the Doomsday Hotel directly from the authorities.
“The NPCs in the game zone can’t see the Doomsday Hotel—how could the authorities know about it?” Tu Peijie, a member under Zhang Weiming, muttered in a low voice. “And they even had us exchange so many points from the Doomsday Hotel to buy so much heat-resistant equipment. They really don’t look like the NPCs we know! They’re just like real people.”
Precisely because these NPCs were far too life-like, after their team was formed, they had genuinely never robbed an NPC. Many widows and orphans looked far too pitiable for them to ever bring themselves to make a move.
Fortunately, they later proved sharp-eyed enough to latch onto the NPC authority’s thigh. Though the work was tiring, things were ultimately much more stable.
“They’re the authorities—maybe they’re key plot NPCs!” another member, Du Yihe, added quickly.
“True that,” Tu Peijie nodded, then said: “Speaking of which, that Doomsday Hotel is honestly amazing. As long as you have enough points, living over there is truly great. Setting everything else aside, the inside feels like it’s air-conditioned—compared to the outside, it’s a world of ice versus fire! Not to mention the hot meals inside—living over there must be exceptionally nice.”
“You want to go?” Du Yihe asked directly.
“Of course I do! But as long as life isn’t completely unlivable, staying here is better—wages are settled in points after all!” Tu Peijie grinned, slinging an arm over Du Yihe’s shoulder. “What about you? Haven’t seen you spend any points—must have hoarded quite a bit, right?”
Du Yihe paused, replying calmly: “Not much. The main thing is to spend as little as possible in this game zone—maybe the next game zone will be a bit easier.”
“True, but don’t forget to hoard physical supplies too,” Tu Peijie reminded him.
“Mm,” Du Yihe replied simply.
Just then, a knock sounded on the door of their residence.
Hearing the sound, the group halted their conversation.
Seeing this, Du Yihe let out a gentle sigh of relief.
The visitor was none other than Squad Leader Ke Fanglan from the squad dispatched by Li Yuanzheng.
“Captain Ke,” Zhang Weiming stood up hurriedly to greet her.
They had originally been recruited into the squad by Ke Fanglan and subsequently worked alongside her, taking instructions for follow-up missions directly from her.
“We have tested the Doomsday Hotel’s equipment performance on our end—it’s exceptionally effective. We hope to enter into a deeper level of cooperation with the Doomsday Hotel,” Ke Fanglan stated directly. “We want to send you as representatives to meet with the boss of the Doomsday Hotel, hoping she will agree to supply goods to us on a regular basis.”
Listening to this, Zhang Weiming froze for a second. Although he had realized that the previous reason for having them exchange points and buy equipment was for long-term cooperation with the Doomsday Hotel, he hadn’t expected things to develop this fast.
Subsequently deducing the meaning behind Ke Fanglan’s words, he continued with a question: “Do you hope for the boss to meet with you personally?”
Ke Fanglan nodded: “After all, the quantities we require are substantial. Facing each other to talk is more convenient, and we can also find out what kind of items the Doomsday Hotel requires in trade.”
Hearing this, Zhang Weiming nodded in agreement: “I’ll try asking her.”
Thinking about how they had entered the Doomsday Hotel several times and seen that boss walking around inside the hotel, it shouldn’t be too difficult.
“If this succeeds, we won’t treat you guys poorly,” Ke Fanglan added meaningfully.
Zhang Weiming’s eyes lit up in an instant—won’t treat us poorly, huh!
“You’re too kind,” Zhang Weiming said hurriedly—if his tone weren’t quite so joyful, it might have sounded a bit more convincing.
“Shall we… set off now?” Ke Fanglan continued.
“Set off! Setting off right away!” Zhang Weiming said without a second thought.
No matter how hot it was outside, enduring a bit would net them a massive sum of points!
On the spot, the group packed up their gear and headed out the door again.
The moment they stepped out of the underground structure onto the pavement, they felt the ground scalding their feet.
It was currently near noon, the time when the sun beat down hardest. Paired with temperatures of at least 56°C, the air felt scorching, leaving their skin with a sharp, burning pain as if steam were rising off their bodies.
Just then, Ke Fanglan handed them several sunshade umbrellas.
Looking at the Doomsday Hotel logo on them, Zhang Weiming’s pupils shrank involuntarily.
These were sunshade umbrellas bought for 15 points each! Giving them to use just like that?
“Equipment bought back is meant for people to use. The commander distributed them to all our operational squads—you guys are members of an operational squad too, so share them together!” Ke Fanglan said with a smile, opening up an umbrella herself at the same time.
“Thank you,” Zhang Weiming didn’t stand on ceremony, opening one up to use right away.
The moment it opened, he felt the intense heat above his head vanish instantly.
He gained an even deeper appreciation for the effectiveness of equipment produced by the Doomsday Hotel.
This performance… top-notch!
“The researchers examined it—the umbrella body is made of a special material that blocks wind, resists cold, and withstands heat,” Ke Fanglan added as if recalling something.
Zhang Weiming was taken aback, blurting out instinctively: “So if it’s extreme cold, this sunshade umbrella can be used too?!”
If that were the case, he’d high-key have to buy one no matter what! It could be used in future game zones!
After all, if there was extreme heat weather, there was bound to be a possibility of extreme cold weather too.
Hearing this, the other players grew thoroughly excited.
Once they reached the Doomsday Hotel later, they’d hurry up and hoard one!
With such thoughts, the group’s footsteps walking toward the Doomsday Hotel felt noticeably lighter.
Meanwhile, inside the Doomsday Hotel.
Happening to be mealtime, it was the most bustling hour in the Doomsday Hotel.
People gathered in twos and threes, planning out their afternoon and evening trips.
Of course, there was also a portion of players who hadn’t managed to snag a bed. They took advantage of mealtime to rest up properly inside the Doomsday Hotel and catch a breather.
In truth, players without beds were absolute standouts at a glance inside the Doomsday Hotel.
Not for any other reason, but because of their red, peeling faces.
Sunburn couldn’t fade away so easily.
Even with protective measures taken, any small area of skin exposed turned completely black like charcoal.
And in this kind of weather, being stiflingly hot made it hard for many people to wear layer upon layer of clothing.
This resulted in mottled marks across these people’s faces and bodies, with uneven skin tones everywhere.
“Way too hot, way too hot!”
“Staying outside for even one minute makes me feel like I could faint on the spot.”
“Can’t be helped though—can’t grab a bed!”
“Actually, I see the Doomsday Hotel’s current land area is pretty massive—why don’t they build a few more buildings?”
“Didn’t they just build four buildings with 3,200 beds this morning?”
“But there are tens of thousands of people waiting! A quick scramble and they’re all gone.”
“It’s because way too many people are arriving. Just over the course of this single morning, several thousand people entered the Doomsday Hotel.”
“Why are so many people coming?”
“Looks like they saw it on a player forum.”
“What? Player forum? Such a thing exists? How come I didn’t know?”
“It was built by a player—heard it was set up on day one of the game. If you search ‘Apocalypse Game’ on a phone, it pops right up.”
“Holy crap! What did I miss?!”
“Under most circumstances, nobody with money would go buy a phone.”
“But phones are everywhere outside right now! Even I could go pick one up!”
“It’s already too late. Power is cut off outside now, so phones can’t be used either!”
“Looks like mobile data can still be used a bit, right?”
“Would be great if so—even offline games could help pass the time!”
“…”
Right at this moment, in a fixed trading zone inside the Doomsday Hotel, someone spread out a cloth over an empty spot and shouted out loud: “Smartphone blow-out sale! One smartphone for only 2 points! 2 points! Guaranteed to connect to the network—limited quantity, pre-order fast!”
In an instant, crowds of players rushed forward.
Buying a phone for 2 points might have been something many people pondered over in the early stage, but the situation was different now. The game duration was nearly halfway through, essential supplies were fully gathered, and psychological pressure was significantly relieved. Add to that the increasingly harsh environment outside, and most people had already planned to stay inside the Doomsday Hotel much longer.
At a time like this, entertainment items were desperately needed to kill time.
A smartphone was perfect for the job.
Especially with a guarantee of working connectivity.
Add to that the player forum mentioned by someone just now, and it hit the sweet spot for these players in an instant.
The player forum could also be used to gather news from the outside world.
So did they even need to consider it?
No need!
One word—BUY!
“Don’t push, one by one,” the person selling phones was none other than Li Heng.
And the people spreading news about the forum were Lu Difei, Xu Zhao, and Ye Yongcheng—a complete division of labor and cooperation.
As for the smartphones, they had come across a phone shop while out scavenging supplies today, and Li Heng had come up with the idea on the spot.
Upon returning, didn’t he just find the perfect opportunity to sell the phones out?
In just a short while, Li Heng sold every single phone clean out. For each phone, he even bundled access to a satellite access code he had cracked.
And this scene was observed entirely by Gu Weiwei standing in the crowd.
This business mindset… is honestly pretty sharp!
It was also at this moment that Gu Weiwei confirmed one thing: the player who built the forum was highly likely one of these four individuals. After all, back when power hadn’t been fully cut off outside, the moderator on the player forum had already made satellite access codes available for purchase. She herself had spent 0.5 points to buy one, and now upgraded, they were actually bundling them in sales!
Still, it had to be said that doing things this way kept information from being so isolated, while enabling even more players to learn about the Doomsday Hotel’s existence.
With that thought passing through her mind, Gu Weiwei pulled back her gaze—if she needed them down the line, she could just look for them then.
As for right now, she had better build a few more structures!
When upgrading and building this morning, she indeed hadn’t anticipated that the rate of player growth would accelerate again.
Over three thousand beds had been swept clean in just a few short hours, leaving many people without beds once more.
Since there was demand, she had no choice but to build.
And build on a grand scale at that—especially given that land area was sufficient, building earlier meant earning earlier.
*[Spend 8,000 Points to purchase building: Apartment 8?]
“Yes.”
Following Gu Weiwei’s response, 8 building structures materialized directly on the map.
Yet Gu Weiwei knew this wasn’t even the bulk of the expense!
Unlocking rooms without system rewards required spending her own points to unlock—that was the major expenditure.
Her only hope now was that players could scoop out more wool from the Doomsday Landlady System, then spend it on the Doomsday Hotel so she could earn it back—that was true sustainable development!
Muttering to herself, Gu Weiwei released 800 rooms and 6,400 beds in one single breath.
And right at this moment, just as Zhang Weiming’s crew arrived outside the Doomsday Hotel, they saw several building structures suddenly pop up before them with a flash, leaving them completely dumbfounded.
Ke Fanglan and her team couldn’t see the Doomsday Hotel. Seeing them halt in their tracks, she was surprised for a second before asking keenly: “What’s wrong?”
“The Doomsday Hotel added several more apartment buildings—it can host several thousand more players now,” Zhang Weiming stated directly, his tone filled with utter amazement.
Listening to this, a complex flicker passed deep in Ke Fanglan’s eyes.
At this moment, she actually felt a bit envious of these players.
At least they had a place to shield them from wind and rain.
Can’t be jealous, can’t be jealous!
Jealousy makes one unrecognizable!
Letting out a soft breath, she forcibly pressed down that trace of discomfort.
Only then did Ke Fanglan continue: “It’s a pity we can’t see it; otherwise, I’d really love to see such a spectacular scene.”
Only then did Zhang Weiming realize his words were somewhat inappropriate for the timing.
He then added: “We’ll head inside first—you guys find a spot to take cover.”
“Mm,” Ke Fanglan nodded.
At this time, Du Yihe spoke up: “I’ll wait outside too! Being able to see the scenes inside, I can help Captain Ke and the team later.”
Hearing this, Zhang Weiming nodded: “Sounds good.”
Ke Fanglan’s group then found a spot along the edge of a building to stand, watching with open eyes as Zhang Weiming’s figure vanished before them.
Aside from that, people were passing in and out of that area every now and then.
“No wonder they never treated us as real people,” one of Ke Fanglan’s subordinates commented at that moment.
Ke Fanglan went silent—even they themselves were having trouble distinguishing things clearly by now.
However, they could be absolute certain of one thing: regardless of whether the world they inhabited was real or not, they possessed their own emotions, their own lives, and their own thoughts—which made them real! They hoped this world could exist long into the future.
Meanwhile, Zhang Weiming and his group had already entered the Doomsday Hotel.
Upon entering Apartment Building No. 1 and searching around the scene, they locked their eyes straight onto Gu Weiwei and walked up to her.
“Boss, I have a business deal to discuss with you.”
Being approached so suddenly, Gu Weiwei paused for a moment. Upon reacting, she looked at Zhang Weiming’s group, an idea surfacing in her mind.
Is it the official NPC authorities?
Sure enough, the next second, Zhang Weiming lowered his voice and said:
“It’s the people outside who want to discuss business with you, Boss!”
Listening to this, Gu Weiwei felt a sense of the dust finally settling.
“Discuss what?” Gu Weiwei asked directly.
“They want equipment and supplies,” Zhang Weiming stated directly. “They want to discuss it with you in person, Boss.”
As he spoke, Zhang Weiming was actually quite curious himself: would an NPC boss of a Doomsday Hotel that served players specifically be willing to negotiate business with NPCs outside?
Hearing this, Gu Weiwei was indeed willing to agree.
Except a concern arose deep within her heart.
The “NPCs” outside couldn’t see the Doomsday Hotel, so wanting to talk in person seemed to require her walking outside.
However, she was completely unwilling to step outside and place herself under risk.
How should this be solved?
Just then, a brand-new notification suddenly appeared on the Doomsday Landlady System’s control panel:
[Triggered new client demographic. Rewarded Special Building Trading Hall. Host, please inspect!]
Talk about arriving right on time!