The apartment door opened automatically, which was way more convenient than her old place, saving Mo Bai a lot of trouble.

As soon as Mo Bai stepped out, she saw several people wandering in the wide, clean hallway. When they noticed her door open, every pair of eyes focused on her.

Mo Bai instinctively reached for her metal bat, only to realize it was gone.

That made her tense up.

Xiao Qi quickly explained, "Do not worry, Player! Peach Blossom Land is very safe. All these people are players, too. You are living in an apartment building, so there are a lot of people on each floor, and the hallway is a public area. Everyone's just hanging out."

"Hanging out? Then why are they all staring at me? And where's my bat?" Mo Bai asked in her mind.

Xiao Qi replied, "Of course, you left it in the instance. Aggressive items, such as metal bats and food, are strategic resources that cannot be taken out of the instance. The only things you can bring out are clothes and a few essential items. Your wheelchair, thin blanket, and grabber stick count as extensions of your body or clothing, so they were taken along with you."

Thanks to Xiao Qi's explanation, Mo Bai felt a bit more at ease, but she still didn't understand why everyone was staring.

She gripped her grabber tightly, thinking she could always turn it into a makeshift blade if needed.

Just then, a young man with an ordinary, friendly face walked over and said gently, "Don't be nervous. Players aren't allowed to fight each other in Peach Blossom Land. Even if you have a blood feud, you can only settle it inside a dungeon. We're just curious because there's a new player. You know how people are, gossip is basically a human nature."

Xiao Qi chimed in, "He's right!"

Mo Bai remembered a text she'd seen earlier. Someone named Sheng had been punished and banned from using their abilities for a month because of fighting. She realized that Peach Blossom Land was actually quite orderly, and she finally relaxed.

"How did you know that I was new?" Mo Bai asked.

Her voice wasn't sweet, but it was clear and pleasant to the ear.

The young man glanced at her face, his ears turning a little red. "This block is usually where newbies start out. All the new residents stay here for a while. Your room was empty before, but today the door sign lit up, so we knew a new player had arrived."

Mo Bai turned back to check her door sign. It was Room 514.

"That number isn't auspicious. It sounds like 'I want to die,' so most players apply to change rooms, so it's usually empty," the young man explained.

(T/N: 514 (wǔ yī sì) sounds like "我要死" (wǒ yào sǐ))

"What do I need to apply for a room change?" Mo Bai asked.

Xiao Qi and the young man answered in unison, "Just ask the smart assistant for an application form and pay a 1,000-point processing fee."

Mo Bai responded without hesitation, "I'm not superstitious. This room is fine."

This Peach Blossom Land is full of consumer traps. Don't even think about letting her spend her 1,000 points!

The young man laughed. "It's not really about superstition. You're new, so you've only done the newbie level. You don't know how tough the later instances get. In the infinite world, people really die in those, and the death rate is high. Players go in and don't always come back, so everyone avoids numbers with 'death' in them just to feel a little luckier."

So beginner dungeons… are easy?

Mo Bai carefully thought back to the whole 'Playing House' game. She didn't want to brag, but she felt that if someone else had played her game, even with the System's walkthrough, it would still have been hard to clear.

"What was your beginner instance?" Mo Bai decided to ask for some intel.

The young man said, "Mine was terrifying. I was in a building being chased by a man-eating monster. However, it was slow and large, so it often got stuck in doorways. I managed to survive the day and clear the instance thanks to my nimble movement."

Mo Bai asked, "What about the others?"

He replied, "Most players I've met started with a C-rank monster chasing them. The monster was just a little stronger than an adult man. But 90% of players awaken special powers, so hiding for a day is pretty easy. Some strong players even manage to kill the C-rank monster right in their first level."

"Oh." Mo Bai replied calmly.

On the surface, she looked calm, but inside, she was frantically calling out to Xiao Qi: "Xiao Qi, are you sure my newbie instance was on easy mode? I had a B-level monster while they all just had C-level ones, and only one at that!"

Xiao Qi replied, "The main system always arranges things fairly and reasonably."

Mo Bai felt like she was being targeted by the Main System. But the thing was, she was disabled, weak, and ordinary, so why would the System make things harder for her?

Xiao Qi defended the Main System, "But if you had followed the system walkthrough, you could have cleared it easily. If you were placed in someone else's instance, you would not survive since you have trouble with mobility. The Main System actually designed yours fairly."

Mo Bai thought about it and realized that it was true. The System's idea of fairness just worked in a weird way.

The young man said, "We've been chatting for a while, but I don't even know your name. I'm Wang Fan. And yours?"

"Mo Bai." She reached out and shook his hand, friendly as could be.

After exchanging names, Wang Fan became even friendlier. "Where are you headed? Need a hand?"

Mo Bai was always a little wary of strangers who were too eager, but she wanted to get some info on the Infinite World, Peach Blossom Land, and the other players from Wang Fan. So, a bit sheepishly, she said, "I want to go buy something to eat. I didn't expect everything, food and rent, to cost points here, and the meals in the system shop are way too expensive. I can't bring myself to buy them."

Being genuine was the ultimate move in social interaction.

Mo Bai was a newbie, and her current struggle was something every Player here had gone through. Instead of hiding it, she honestly shared her trouble. That not only made her seem more likable, but it could trigger the other person's memories of their own early days, allowing her to gather more info.

When Wang Fan heard Mo Bai mention expenses, he couldn't help but add, "It's not just food, clothing, and rent! Everything costs points here. System medicine, trading item cards with other players, leveling up your citizenship, hiring help for mandatory instances, and even offsetting penalties if you fail an instance. Points are basically money here. You can buy almost anything."

Hearing that players could buy item cards from each other, Mo Bai perked up. She feigned ignorance and asked, "What are item cards?"

She actually already had two, but if she didn't kill the 'Homebody Corpse' and the 'Enhanced Mutant,' she wouldn't have gotten them, so she played dumb.

Wang Fan explained, "The beginner dungeons are relatively simple and don't contain any special items. However, future instances have side quests and cool items outside the main mission. If you're capable, you can explore further and turn the special items you get into cards that you can take out with you. Those cards can be traded freely."

"How do you trade them? What's the usual price?" Mo Bai asked.

Wang Fan said, "You'll find out later. There are player-run auctions where you can sell stuff. Prices depend on the card's ability, but most cards are priced by rank. C-rank is about 1,000 points, B-rank 10,000, and A-rank at 100,000, give or take."

Both her cards from the last instance were B-rank, so they were worth at least 20,000 points!

Mo Bai couldn't help but hear a mental soundtrack of 'Congratulations, you're rich!' and tapped the armrest of her wheelchair to the beat.

Xiao Qi: "It's just 20,000 points. Why is Player so excited? You did not even lose your cool when facing death. Are you still my Player?"

"You would never know how expensive food and fuel are until you manage the household. When you're broke, being alive can feel worse than being dead. Don't you understand?" Mo Bai was starting to show a more human side, no longer like the frighteningly calm Player she used to be.

Putting on a wide-eyed, innocent look, she clasped her hands together and said eagerly, "I hope I get more item cards in my future dungeons!"

Wang Fan glanced at her exceptionally beautiful face and suddenly said, "Actually, you don't need to work that hard."

"Huh?" Mo Bai looked up innocently.

"You're so beautiful. You're from the 'Observation Group,' right?"

Most of the onlookers in the hallway were plain-faced. Mo Bai knew she was now unusually good-looking, so she didn't bother hiding it. She nodded and asked while still playing dumb, "You're amazing! How'd you guess that?"

A complicated emotion flashed in Wang Fan's eyes, but he quickly covered it up. Mo Bai only caught a hint of contempt and jealousy.

He leaned in a bit and said quietly, "You probably don't know, but even among beginners, your looks are off the charts. Even intermediate and advanced players might not possess such beauty. That generally means that you are in the Observation group."

Mo Bai rolled her wheelchair back a little as she cautiously asked, "So earlier, when you said I didn't need to work so hard, what did you mean?"

"There aren't many observation group players. In the infinite world, you guys are super rare. If you'd like, many people would be happy to protect you, give you points, and help you clear hard dungeons. You'd just have to… give a little in return, and you could live like a pampered princess."

No wonder he was so chatty and nice to newcomers. He was basically a pimp. There really was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

Mo Bai wasn't surprised, but she still played the part of a naive rookie, showing obvious resistance to Wang Fan, "No thanks. I'm a player too. I want to rely on myself."

"Rely on you? A cripple?" Wang Fan sneered. "Well, you just cleared the newbie level, so you don't know how tough things can get. But it's fine. If you ever need anything, come find me. I'll help."

He took out a business card and placed it in Mo Bai's hand.

Then Wang Fan moved behind Mo Bai and tried to push her wheelchair. "For now, though, let me be a gentleman and take you to the supermarket."

"No need, I can go myself," Mo Bai said softly, looking as if she were afraid of him.

Only Xiao Qi knew Mo Bai wasn't afraid at all. She was actually thinking how nice it would be to have someone push her wheelchair, so she might as well take advantage while she can.

"Don't be shy. After all the things I just told you, we're friends now, right?" Wang Fan lowered his head and whispered in Mo Bai's ear.

Mo Bai tilted her head, ready to feign a nervous reply, when the door to Room 515 suddenly opened and a pillow came flying out, smacking Wang Fan in the face.

"She already said no! Do you still have any shame?" A person, so stunningly beautiful that it was almost too much, walked out of Room 515.

The person was about 175 cm tall, with an androgynous beauty that Mo Bai couldn't even tell at first glance whether they were male or female.