The moment Gao Chang’s message dropped, the entire chat exploded!

After a brief silence, messages flooded in like an avalanche—

【Holy sht!! An S-tier ability?! Two skills right from the start?! Is this even real?! Gao Chang—no, Chang-ge! Chang-ye! Are you sure you’re not bullshtting us?!】

【48 Combat Power?! That’s literally ten times mine!! This is ridiculous!】

【With an S-tier ability and 48 Combat Power, Gao Chang has to be the strongest among all 80 of us, right?】

【Chang-ye, you’re a beast! You held onto this huge news for so long!】

【Chang-ge, please take me under your wing! I only have an E-tier ability, and I haven’t even comprehended a skill yet! There’s no way I can survive on my own!】

【Chang-ge! Chang-ye! Don’t you remember our late-night gaming sessions? We said we’d stick together if we ever struck it rich!】

Everyone was scrambling to cling to his thigh, trying to build connections and secure protection.

Even Jiang Ye felt tempted—should he try to get on Gao Chang’s good side too?

But after some thought, he decided against it.

Most of the people flocking to Gao Chang were either already popular or had a good relationship with him.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ye had barely any presence in the class.

He wasn’t particularly social, didn’t play video games, had average grades, no real hobbies, and didn’t like troubling others.

He had always been a lone wolf, going to and from school by himself.

If he suddenly tried to suck up to Gao Chang now, there was a good chance he’d just get ignored.

…Then again, maybe not.

Things were different now.

Classmates weren’t valued for their grades, background, or popularity anymore.

Now, it was all about Combat Power!

His replica had a C-tier ability, a D-tier skill, and a Combat Power of 5.5.

That might actually put him above some of the social butterflies in terms of strength.

But still—not by much. There were definitely people far stronger than him.

Just as Jiang Ye was pondering, Gao Chang finally spoke up again—

【Gao Chang: Everyone, don’t panic. The reason I’m revealing my ability and Combat Power now is because I want to organize everyone together—to help us all get through this Beginner’s Apartment!】

【To be honest, I’ve already left my apartment and found the Apartment Administrator on the first floor!】

【And I can confirm—there was no danger along the way.】

【If you trust me, I suggest we meet up at the Administrator’s office on the first floor!】

【What do you guys think?】

His words shocked the chat once again.

Soon, replies came flooding in—

【Hell yeah! My rent is 600—I was planning to go to the Administrator to cancel my lease anyway!】

【I agree! We should stick together—it’s way safer that way!】

【But… I’m still a little scared to leave my apartment. What if something happens?】

Gao Chang quickly reassured them—

【The hallways are just dimly lit—it’s really not dangerous.】

【Just head towards the red light in the hallway, and you’ll find an elevator.】

【Take the elevator down to the first floor, and you’ll reach the Apartment Administrator’s office in no time!】

【Plus, there are special facilities on the first floor that everyone should check out!】

This instantly got everyone’s interest!

【Wait, really?! What kind of facilities? Can they help us increase Stamina and Energy or comprehend skills?】

【Can we earn rent there?! I need to make money ASAP, or I’m gonna have a heart attack from stress!】

But instead of answering…

Gao Chang stayed silent.

After a long pause, a new message suddenly popped up—

【It’s true! Chang-ge wasn’t lying! I made it to the first floor safely and met up with him!】

【And he even showed me his Player Panel—his S-tier ability and 48 Combat Power are 100% real!】

The moment this was confirmed—

More messages poured in—

【I made it too! It really was just a simple elevator ride—zero danger!】

【Same here! Just got to the first floor, and I’m with Gao Chang now!】

【Me too! We’re all here!】

With more and more people successfully meeting up, the remaining students couldn’t hold back anymore—

【Damn! That fast?! No way I’m missing out—I’m heading down too!】

【OK, OK! I’m leaving my apartment now! Chang-ge, wait for me!】

【Same here! Be there in a sec!】

【I just stepped out too—looks like the hallways really aren’t dangerous!】

【Heads up—there’s no chat signal in the elevator, but don’t worry, it’s a quick ride! Absolutely safe!】

Just like that, almost everyone started moving, following Gao Chang’s instructions to take the elevator to the first floor.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ye’s replica stood at the door of his luxury apartment…

While his main body lay comfortably on the couch.

He hesitated—

Should he go meet up with Gao Chang?

Whether he joined the group or not, he had to leave his apartment anyway.

Especially since canceling his lease was his top priority.

So, he had to visit the Apartment Administrator no matter what.

And judging by the chat…

If only one or two people had met up, there was still a chance it was a trap.

But since so many classmates had successfully arrived without issue—

There was a very high chance that it was safe.

And besides—

Everyone else was going in person.

He, on the other hand, was just sending a replica.

Even if something went wrong, he had an extra life.

With this in mind, Jiang Ye became more and more convinced that going to the first floor was the right choice.

After all, these were his classmates.

Sure, in a new environment, human nature would gradually reveal its darker side…

But surely no one would immediately go crazy and start killing each other.

With this thought, Jiang Ye had his replica head into the kitchen, grab a kitchen knife, and carefully open the apartment door.

The hallway outside was just as dim and eerie as everyone had described.

It stretched out long and narrow, giving off a quiet, unsettling atmosphere.

He poked his head out, scanning both directions.

About every 3 meters, there was a door—likely leading to other apartments.

Each door had a room number displayed on it.

Jiang Ye glanced at his own—

【2025】

This probably wasn’t a year, but rather Room 25 on the 20th floor.

So this apartment complex must be massive…

After confirming that there was no immediate danger, Jiang Ye cautiously stepped out.

Glancing left and right, he quickly spotted a faint red glow in the distance.

That must be the elevator.

Following Gao Chang’s instructions, the red glow indicated the direction of the elevator.

Jiang Ye’s replica gripped the kitchen knife tightly, cautiously making his way toward the red light.

Meanwhile, his main body lay comfortably on the apartment’s luxurious sofa, monitoring the chat messages while lost in thought.

This apartment complex seemed to have at least 20 floors.

And based on what he had observed, each floor had a lot of rooms.

Yet, there were only 80 beginner players in total.

So what about the extra apartments…?

Were they empty?

Or was something else living in them?

Just as this thought crossed his mind—

His replica arrived at the elevator, its red glow flickering in the dim hallway.

But as he waited for the elevator, a system notification suddenly echoed in Jiang Ye’s mind—

【Ding!】

【Apartment Announcement: Congratulations to Wang Lingling for becoming the first player in this apartment to reach Level 1! Reward: Black Iron Treasure Chest ×1!】

Jiang Ye: “?!”

Someone already leveled up?!