Chapter 35: Upgrading the Nightmare Bed, An Unfamiliar ID!

[Base Nightmare Coins 40, conversion rate 290%, 156 Nightmare Coins produced in eight hours]
[Total Nightmare Coins: 338]

The number of Nightmare Coins had surged!
Xu Lang clenched his fists, struggling to suppress a cheer.
There were so many things he could upgrade now!
For instance, the most critical item, the main door, only required 300 Nightmare Coins to upgrade.
Or meditation—perhaps because it was still at level one, it only cost 45 Nightmare Coins to upgrade, a price so low it was outrageous!

"Whew... I can't spend these Nightmare Coins recklessly yet. Upgrading the small bed is the top priority!"
Xu Lang’s lips curled upward, and he forcibly suppressed the urge to spend.
It wasn't a wise choice to go on a shopping spree right now.
If some unexpected situation arose mid-way and he desperately needed the coins, he would be in trouble.

Xu Lang got out of bed and glanced at the clock; it was just past five.
With nothing to do, he lay back down and began to meditate.
Meditation was the kind of thing that could become addictive.
But one couldn't persist for too long at a time, or the brain would start to ache.

Before long, Cao Yaxuan and the others woke up and began bustling about to prepare breakfast.
In the previous few days, without a stove, they had mostly been gnawing on bread. Now that they had the facilities, even eating two hot noodles felt like a luxury.
When the fragrance wafted from the kitchen, Xu Lang opened his eyes and went to the washroom to freshen up.
By the time he was ready, the noodles were already on the dining table.
In the white porcelain bowls, chewy noodles floated in broth, topped with two adorable poached eggs.

"Who made the fried eggs? They’re perfect," Xu Lang praised with a smile.
Cao Yaxuan’s red lips curved upward, and she finally couldn't hold back a laugh. "Haha, it was me! I used to attend cooking classes. It’s a shame there’s no oven here, otherwise I could have baked you a cake."
"Sss—that’s impressive. I guess the cooking duties are yours from now on," Xu Lang gasped.
Upon hearing this, Cao Yaxuan immediately pouted.
Why did it feel like he was assigning tasks?
Under the table, Tong Qi gave Xu Lang a subtle kick and said, "Sister Wang and I can cook too."
"Mhm," Wang Yazhi nodded. "I know Cantonese and Sichuan cuisine, it’s just that there aren't many fresh ingredients available right now."
"Sss—you three are all master chefs! Then the cooking duties will be left to you!" Xu Lang gave a thumbs-up.
Tong Qi covered her mouth and giggled, "We're not master chefs, we just know how to cook."

The atmosphere at the table quickly livened up.
During the meal, Wang Yazhi mentioned the situation with Wu Huihui and her group. Apparently, Wu Huihui had pooled their resources to equip everyone with iron doors.
People from other floors had tried to mooch off their resources, but the tenth floor had already closed its doors to new residents.
Even if someone did come, Wu Huihui wouldn't provide any material assistance.
This move had earned her quite a bit of prestige.

Furthermore, players had noticed that Zhang Dahai had not returned to his dormitory and was wandering outside, though no one knew what he was up to.
Although resources were still refreshing in those areas, their overall quality was lower than on the final day of the game.

"Xu Lang, when do you think those new residents will arrive?" Tong Qi’s eyes held a mix of anticipation and apprehension.
Wang Yazhi and Cao Yaxuan also looked at Xu Lang, waiting for an answer.
Xu Lang shook his head inwardly.
How could he possibly know something like that?
It had to be within this week, though.
"Probably within the next two days," Xu Lang said vaguely.
"Well, do you want them to come, or would you rather they didn't?" Wang Yazhi pressed.

Xu Lang rubbed his nose.
Was this the pressure of being the head of the household? Truly terrifying.
The three girls didn't know that he was actually just as clueless as they were!
But since they were all looking to him, he had to keep up appearances.
Xu Lang said in a deep voice:
"It’s impossible to draw a conclusion yet, as we don't know what those new players are like."
"If they are newcomers like us, it would be beneficial for us."
"If they are veteran players, then the situation is dire!"
"Because that would certainly increase the game's difficulty, and veteran players aren't necessarily friendly to newcomers!"

The three of them found this reasoning sound and couldn't help but feel worried, their anticipation fading.
Veteran players might not be friendly to newcomers; they could even pose a greater threat than the monsters!
In fact, the chat room had been full of discussions about the so-called new residents, with all sorts of speculations.
Xu Lang’s view wasn't particularly unique, but his logical chain was clear.

As they chatted, the night deepened.
The four of them could see the night sky through the monitor screen.
The night sky, tinged with a blood-red mist, had neither moon nor stars; it was eerie and hollow.
When Wu Huihui and her group returned from scavenging that evening, they had brought a deck of cards for Wang Yazhi.
The three women were now playing "Fight the Landlord" on the sofa, while Xu Lang meditated.
Wang Yazhi hadn't played the game before and was fumbling through learning it, losing the most miserably.

Time slipped away quietly. Because they had spent so much time during the day, no one felt particularly sleepy, and it wasn't until dawn that Cao Yaxuan and the others went to bed.
Xu Lang took a deep breath and walked over to the bed.
Desolate Nightmare Bed, upgrade!

[Cozy Nightmare Bed (Permanently Bound)]
[Type: Facility]
[Level: 1]
[Durability: ???]
[Comfort: 20 (Can increase Nightmare Coin conversion rate by 20%)]
[Effect (Sleep): The Master of the Nightmare gains 7 Nightmare Coins for every full hour of sleep, limited to 8 hours per day]
[Effect (Permanent): Cannot be dismantled or detected; the Master of the Nightmare can re-summon it if damaged]
[Exclusive Upgrade Requirement: 1000 Nightmare Coins]
[Description: Time to sleep!]

The three women weren't fast asleep yet and, feeling the change in the Nightmare bed, opened their eyes.
They saw that the bed beneath them had suddenly grown larger, the touch was warm, and it smelled as if it had been dried in the sun. The blankets that had been tossed carelessly to the side were also larger and folded into neat, square shapes.
Although the bed was peculiar and could clean itself, Cao Yaxuan had never seen it look this "new"—it seemed to be glistening.

...

[Base Nightmare Coins 56, conversion rate 304%, 226 Nightmare Coins produced in eight hours]
[Total Nightmare Coins: 364]

Over two hundred Nightmare Coins in one night!
When Xu Lang woke up and saw the haul, his mouth curled up to his ears.
Now, the main door could be upgraded immediately!

"Xu Lang, what's wrong?" Cao Yaxuan was startled awake and asked softly.
"Something good happened," Xu Lang said with a mysterious smile.
No matter how smug he felt, he wouldn't reveal the secret of his sequence.
It wasn't a matter of trust; some secrets were meant to be kept to oneself, or else he’d be a total fool.
"Annoying~" Cao Yaxuan teased, opening the chat room, thinking something had happened to the other players.
Then, this exchange caught her eye:

[44 Wang Ao: I’ve filled both my dorms with Swift Crossbows (Image)]
[57 Liu Quan: Psh, what’s there to brag about with a few broken wooden crossbows!]
[84 Li Wang: Brother, everyone only has about a thousand copper coins in their hands right now; being able to buy stuff worth eight thousand copper is already amazing.]
[5 Zhu Yan: Yeah, and many people are still in level 0 dorms; they can't even afford to install offensive facilities.]
[32 Ye Fan: Never mind that, who is this person? We don't have anyone like that in our school!]
[1 Jin Xin: Holy crap, who are you?]
[88 Cao Bin: Holy crap, who are you?]
[40 Zhao Shuang: Holy crap, who are you?]
[44 Wang Ao: Who the hell are you?!]