Chapter 178: Chapter 178

As soon as the message came through, Jiang Ye’s heart gave a sudden jolt!

What the hll—even if the Apartment Trader is all-knowing and all-seeing…

The Duoe leader’s eyes are covering the entire Doomsday Apartment too?!

Just how ridiculously vast are the intelligence networks of these top-tier bosses?!

Jiang Ye couldn’t help but start to worry—

Did the Duoe boss already know about him purchasing two Little Eeries from the Mysterious Eerie Nurturer?

He didn’t use those two Little Eeries himself but stored them in the Replica Shared Space…

But speaking of that, surely the Duoe boss can’t see into the Replica Shared Space, right?

Just as he was thinking that, Zi Sang Haoyun sent him another example:

【Not long after, the boss summoned me privately and asked me to explain why and how the item got used.】

【After all, since we handle Duels and build trust, we rarely run into danger. Cases where a Resurrection Item is needed are super rare.】

【But even after I explained every detail of how it was consumed, the boss still performed a soul search to personally verify my entire experience…】

【Sigh, meaning—our conversations aren’t the only thing he knows. Even when we gain or lose any item, the boss is totally in the loop.】

【And he’s got a strong need for control—whatever we experience, he has to know it inside and out.】

Zi Sang Haoyun was probably just casually commenting on how all-knowing the Duoe boss is about members.

But for Jiang Ye, it was another heavy jolt!

If earlier he had only suspected the Duoe boss might’ve sensed something off about him…

Then now—it was a real problem!

Back when Wu Ying was transferred to the Secret Graveyard by Jiang Ye, he used up a Resurrection Item!

But after using it, he didn’t revive in the Duoe dormitory.

He revived directly in the Underground Graveyard of Apartment 4444.

Afterward, worried things might go south again, Jiang Ye simply finished off Wu Ying right away…

And now, according to what Zi Sang Haoyun just said.

Wu Ying used a Resurrection Item back then…

If that consumption didn’t escape the Duoe organization’s watch either…

Then it won’t be long before the Duoe boss summons him!

To interrogate and soul search him over the Resurrection Item’s use!

Interrogation alone might be fine, but a soul search…

That’s a huge problem!

This Duoe organization… this sht’s getting seriously unlivable!

In Wu Ying’s memories, the first group he joined—the Asura Organization—never managed their members this strictly!

But then again, makes sense when you think about it.

An organization like Asura had a super high turnover rate.

Someone joining today could be gone tomorrow.

Most of the members were cannon fodder anyway.

So there was no need to manage things that tightly.

But the Duoe Organization claims to be a retirement-type group.

Its personnel turnover is relatively low.

Today’s member is most likely still around tomorrow.

So stricter management is understandable.

Still… this is a little too strict…

Jiang Ye suspected that behind this strict control might be other secrets of Duoe.

Like those so-called core members… where exactly did they go?

Why have they never reappeared after becoming core members?

If a regular member started to get curious and wanted to secretly investigate the whereabouts of core members…

Under this level of Duoe surveillance, it’d probably be impossible to dig anything up!

Clearly, the Duoe leadership is hiding some big secrets.

But whatever those secrets are—they’re not Jiang Ye’s concern right now.

His current issue is—

How to avoid this incoming soul search for the used Resurrection Item!

Leave the Duoe Organization?

That might be even messier than explaining the item’s use!

Ask the Mysterious Eerie Nurturer for help?

That would only drag more people into this!

Then what—abandon the identity of Wu Ying?

The biggest benefit of the Wu Ying identity was the early freedom to move around the Doomsday Apartment.

Maybe he could give up Wu Ying, and use the Dark-Type Replica’s Mental Control to switch to a less attention-grabbing identity and continue moving in the Doomsday Apartment under the radar?

Either way, there’s one thing for sure—soul search is absolutely off the table!

Just as he was tensely thinking—

Zi Sang Haoyun suddenly sent him another message:

【D*mn! This latest news, what do you think? Gonna join the fun?】

Huh? What latest news?

Jiang Ye realized he must be talking about something from the group chat.

He instantly snapped out of his deep thoughts and switched to the Duoe group chat.

Amid a flurry of messages discussing the arrival of midnight, a pinned message from the Duoe boss appeared, tagging everyone:

【Among the old players arriving at Apartment 0000 at midnight, one Defender Player possesses a unique ability. She can bring along 10,000 additional old players without affecting the usual slot count.】

【However, these 10,000 old players will form a link with the Defender Player, effectively becoming her followers. Everything they say and do must obey her, and she must be addressed as Master.】

【Of course, the Defender Player has agreed to sign a contract beforehand, promising not to force followers to do anything against their will.】

【And after the Newbie Apartment phase ends, she will cancel the follower link according to the contract and return everyone their freedom.】

【This Defender Player has already posted an urgent quest in the Duoe department “Guiding the Fated.” The rewards are generous.】

【However, there currently aren’t enough players willing to accept the task in “Guiding the Fated,” so the quest is being pushed out to other departments—including ours.】

【Anyone interested can DM me for quest details. @All Members】

Indeed, Duoe has more than one department, more than one group, and more than one group owner named Duoe.

And as soon as this @all message dropped.

Their group immediately erupted in chatter.

You could tell most people were against the idea:

【Huh? Are you kidding me? Just sign a contract promising not to override our will and expect us to be followers? Who is this Defender Player anyway? She’s dreaming!】

【No wonder no one in “Guiding the Fated” wants the quest—what a bulls**t mission! Only an idiot would take it!】

【Also, seriously—if it were being a follower to a VIP Player, maybe we’d consider it. But now you want a bunch of elite players to follow some weakling? These Defenders this year are out of their minds!】

【Though honestly, I kinda miss the Newbie Apartment… The living conditions, the spending—pure heaven! Like having a $10K salary in the '90s, damn! Beautiful!】

【Too bad—back then, we could only dream of returning. And now we finally have a shot… but the Newbie Apartment has a Light-type Player!】

【Yeah, with that deadly Light threat in there, plus becoming a follower to someone without even a Glyph Pattern Ability… screw that! No matter how nice the Newbie Apartment is, not worth it!】

Clearly, most old players rejected the quest.

Partly because of the Light threat in the Newbie Apartment.

But also because they looked down on the Defenders—being a follower to one was beneath them.

However, Zi Sang Haoyun’s message showed he had a different view from the rest.

After all, he knew the Defenders weren’t simple. Updates are released by NoveI~Fire.net

So for him, there was no shame in becoming a follower.

Plus, a strong Defender meant the Light threat would be handled quickly.

Which would turn the Newbie Apartment into pure paradise for old players!

They hadn’t enjoyed the presidential suites of the Newbie Apartment in a long time…

Or the entertainment, the ridiculously cheap costs—all heaven for old players!

And Duoe members normally didn’t get a chance to return as old players.

Miss this chance, and there might not be another.

So clearly, Zi Sang Haoyun was tempted.

Jiang Ye was already a new player.

His base was already in the Newbie Apartment, and most of his Replicas were there.

While others wanted to go to the Newbie Apartment;

He was the opposite—he wanted to advance into the Doomsday Apartment.

So from that angle, this quest didn’t appeal to him.

But from another angle—

The quest came with rewards.

And a chance to interact with the Defender Player.

Maybe—just maybe—he could use the quest to dodge the upcoming soul search?

Thinking that, he replied to Zi Sang Haoyun:

【If we take the quest, wouldn’t we be soul searched again?】

Zi Sang Haoyun didn’t think too hard and quickly analyzed:

【During our time in the Newbie Apartment, the Duoe boss probably won’t be able to monitor us.】

【So most likely, once we return from the Newbie Apartment, there’ll be a second soul search.】

【Sure, soul search sucks. But the rewards and Newbie Apartment perks from this quest—this is a real opportunity!】

【I’ve already made up my mind. I’m going to ask the boss for details, and if it checks out—I’m signing up!】

Seeing that, Jiang Ye grew even more convinced—

If the Duoe boss really did plan to conduct a unified soul search after everyone’s return…

Then maybe he could push the Resurrection Item issue until then.

He was starting to lean toward accepting the quest.

At the same time, he figured—

The Defender Player posting this quest definitely wasn’t being generous for no reason.

10,000 follower slots meant 10,000 rewards.

And to win over players, those rewards had to be juicy.

A few good rewards? Maybe.

That Defender Player was definitely scheming something.

And who knows what Zi Sang Haoyun was even thinking…

Jiang Ye quickly replied to Zi Sang Haoyun:

【Then I’ll sign up too—let’s go together.】