Jiang Ye hesitated for only a moment before decisively taking his 500-loan and heading toward the Duel Room.

After all, he was still disguised as a bald uncle.

If he joined a large team for leveling, he’d definitely be questioned.

Even if he dropped the disguise and joined as himself, it would still be a bad idea.

He had previously displayed his data panel using No. 1 Replica, which had shown his ability as C-tier [Gold Element Affinity].

But if the team required him to show his panel again, and it suddenly revealed an S-tier ability [Hard Work Pays Off], it would raise way too many suspicions.

So instead, it was safer to avoid large groups and investigate the Duel Room first.

Meanwhile, back in Room 2064…

At the same time, No. 1 Replica, stationed in Room 2064, had finally finished cleaning the first bathroom—removing a total of over a thousand strands of hair.

Holding each wet, tangled strand, Jiang Ye couldn’t shake off a deep sense of unease.

Following the Personal Assistant’s instructions, he stored the thousand-plus hairs inside a large, water-tank-like container.

Then, he moved toward the master bedroom’s bathroom.

But then, he noticed something surprising—

A Bronze Treasure Chest was sitting openly on the bay window!

This Bronze Chest seemed completely out of place in the spotless, orderly apartment.

Jiang Ye’s eyes flashed, and a bold idea surfaced in his mind.

He walked directly toward the bay window, while casually explaining to the Personal Assistant Robot:

"For the master bedroom, I’ll start cleaning from the bay window."

The Personal Assistant Robot didn’t object. "Do as you wish, as long as you ensure all 10,086 strands of hair are found and intact."

Jiang Ye nodded, approaching the bay window, and placed a hand on the Bronze Treasure Chest.

His body stiffened, his mind tensed, but he pretended to be calm as he asked:

"Does this need to be cleaned too?"

The Personal Assistant Robot paused for a moment before responding:

"What do you mean? The blanket on the bay window?"

"The owner’s hair wouldn’t normally fall under the blanket, but if you’re unsure, you can check."

Jiang Ye’s eyes lit up with surprise!

This meant… the Personal Assistant Robot couldn’t see the Bronze Treasure Chest!

But was it just the robot, or were all non-player residents unable to see treasure chests?

Jiang Ye didn’t dare waste time.

He immediately stored the chest in his Pocket Space!

Then, as if nothing had happened, he continued cleaning the hair.

Back in the Duel Room…

No. 2 Replica, sensing No. 1 Replica’s loot, felt instantly better.

He entered Duel Machine #2, thinking:

There are only 20 duel machines in this room.

But if one day, I have 20 Replicas…

Wouldn’t that mean I could take up all 20 machines myself?

Hahaha…

Just the thought of it made him excited.

But with only 10 days in the Beginner Phase, it was unlikely he’d be able to control 20 Replicas at once.

Jiang Ye cleared his thoughts and focused on Duel Machine #2.

The machine resembled an ATM, and stepping inside felt just like using an ATM to withdraw cash.

The moment he entered, the door automatically closed, completely sealing him in.

A robotic voice verified his identity as a 20th-floor tenant, then automatically deducted 100 Survival Points as a machine usage fee.

Suddenly—

As Jiang Ye sat down, some kind of mechanism activated.

A high-tech helmet lowered onto his head.

In an instant, his consciousness blurred, and he felt as if he were falling into a dream—

—until he arrived in an entirely new space!

A New World—The War God Battlefield

The space was massive, resembling the lobby of an apartment complex.

Everywhere he looked, people filled the area—young, old, men, women—all of them were Doomsday Apartment players!

Above every player’s head was a black title:

【Nameless Black Iron】

The Giant Electronic Screen

At the north end of the hall, the largest crowd was gathered.

Behind them stood a giant electronic screen, displaying—

【War God Ranking】

【1st Place: Lin Jing (Stubborn Bronze, 100%)】

【2nd Place: Jiang Wenhan (Stubborn Bronze, 100%)】

【3rd Place: Sha Bo (Stubborn Bronze, 100%)】

【4th Place: Li Junqi (Stubborn Bronze, 100%)】

【5th Place: Wang Chengjin (Stubborn Bronze, 100%)】

【6th Place: Ke Peng (Stubborn Bronze, 92.3%)】

…

The entire leaderboard was filled with Stubborn Bronze players.

Meanwhile, everyone in the first-floor hall, including Jiang Ye, had the title "Nameless Black Iron."

It was obvious—

"Nameless Black Iron" was a lower-tier rank than "Stubborn Bronze."

And those who made it onto the War God Ranking were the elite of the elite—the true apex predators of the player base!

The War God Ranking displayed 100 names.

The "Stubborn Bronze" label seemed to be a title, while the percentage number likely represented their battle win rate.

Jiang Ye scanned the entire list from top to bottom—but didn’t see Yang Wenchao’s name anywhere.

Which meant…

Even Yang Wenchao, one of the strongest in their apartment, wasn’t good enough to make the list!

No wonder he had warned the chat group that "other apartments are filled with powerful players."

Just how strong were these ranked players?!

As Jiang Ye was lost in thought, a burly bald man beside him suddenly struck up a conversation:

"Brother, first time in the Duel Room?"

"You here just to check things out, or are you looking to fight someone?"

Jiang Ye hesitated for a moment but didn’t reject the conversation.

"I mainly came to take a look," he admitted. "As for fighting… I’m too weak to stand a chance."

"By the way, how does dueling work here?"

"Oh, that’s easy!" The bald man grinned, his tone growing friendlier after hearing Jiang Ye admit he was weak.

"This entire Duel Room is actually a giant virtual space connecting multiple apartments—just like an old-school online game."

"The structure is similar to our apartment building, with different floors."

"New players start in the first-floor hall, where we can admire the War God Ranking and gape at the monsters we'll never reach."

"The second floor is where actual matchmaking battles take place."

"If you’re willing to pay extra, you can even spectate other people’s fights."

"As for the third floor, only those who have achieved the title [Stubborn Bronze] can enter."

"So for us nobodies, we can only access the first and second floors for now."

Jiang Ye nodded and glanced around the hall. "No wonder all the players here have the title [Nameless Black Iron]. This first-floor lobby must be full of newcomers like me who just entered the Duel Room, right?"

The bald man’s eyes flickered, and he sneered inwardly—

Of course not. There aren’t just newbies here. There are also plenty of veterans who specialize in scamming newcomers!

But, naturally, he wouldn’t say that out loud.

Instead, he laughed cheerfully and nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."

Then, as if to reassure Jiang Ye, he added:

"Brother, you just said you’re too weak to challenge anyone?"

"But honestly, most of the newbies in this first-floor lobby aren’t that strong either."

"Think about it—anyone who can enter the Duel Room this early is just lucky enough to have been assigned to an apartment on the 20th floor or higher."

"Many of them have D-tier or even E-tier abilities. If someone awakened a C-tier ability, they’d already be considered one of the stronger ones!"

"In that case, if you fight a fellow newbie, your chances of winning are actually pretty good."

"Besides, the Duel Room is a virtual environment—just like playing a game. Even if you lose, you’re only losing money, not your life."

Then, the bald man suddenly leaned in closer, lowering his voice deliberately:

"I’ve been here a little longer than you and have gathered some intel on the newcomers."

"If you’re interested in trying a duel, I can introduce you to an easy opponent for a test match."