Rent Queen: Even Demons Beg to Rent My Rooms

“We’re all packed and ready to tour the world—these apartment blocks are yours to manage!” Zhou Zhengping announced, thrusting the tenant-registration computer at Zhou Bai with unbridled bravado.

“Got it!” Zhou Bai beamed, hardly able to contain her excitement. Today she would become a landlady—one who only collected rent, with no chores in sight. She’d already arranged for helpers to handle every last trivial task.

“You look ridiculous,” Zhengping teased, ruffling his daughter’s hair. Whose lifelong ambition was it to amass stacks of cash and coasting through life? But if she was happy, he had the means to indulge her for generations.

Ignoring his jibe, Zhou Bai called after them as they headed out, “Have fun! Send me tons of photos, so I’ll feel like I was there, too.”

“Sure—won’t forget to bring you back souvenirs from every stop.” Zhengping’s gaze softened as he spoke.

Before either of them could say more, a crackling buzz echoed inside their heads. Startled, they watched as a translucent screen flickered into view before them:

【Doomsday Game Loading…】

“Dad, do you see that?” Zhou Bai blurted, staring at the sudden apparition.

“I see it,” Zhengping replied, his face growing serious. Just then, Ding Qiurou burst in. “Honey, Xiaobai, words just popped up in front of me, too!”

“We all have it,” Zhou Bai said, yanking out her phone with trembling fingers. Sure enough, social feeds were ablaze:

#TheEndIsHere#WhatIsTheDoomsdayGame#AlienPrankOrWhat

She tapped into one thread, scrolling through panicked comments:

“My screen just flashed ‘Doomsday Game Loading.’ Is this it… the end?”“Asked everyone I know—seems global.”“I just bought my dream home—now it’s all over? Heaven, this isn’t fair!”“Aliens invading Earth?”“Zombies next?”“If there are zombies, I’m out—literally.”“Better stock up now—people are already hoarding!”“Yeah, food, water—get ’em!”“And weapons!”“Where do we even buy weapons in peacetime? At best, kitchen knives.”“Knives count. Something’s better than nothing.”“Compiled a doomsday essentials list here…”“….”

Her pulse racing, Zhou Bai turned to her parents. “We need to grab food, water, knives—lots of knives—before everyone else does!”

“Right,” Ding Qiurou agreed. “This game’s sure to trigger a shopping frenzy.”

“I’ll go,” Zhengping said. “You two stay home.” He could already imagine the chaos outside.

“I’m coming, too—Mom watches the house,” Zhou Bai insisted. “Someone has to guard our supplies.”

“I’m going as well,” Qiurou declared. Better they face the unknown together.

Seeing their determined faces, Zhengping relented. “Alright—but stick close to me.” He slipped a fruit knife into his pocket before they piled into their SUV.

Their villa’s driveway emptied onto a caravan of cars hurtling toward the nearest mega-mart. Just as Zhengping’s engine roared to life, the car stalled, and their screens updated:

【Doomsday Game Load Complete—Matching In Progress】【Match Found: Earth Fully Gamified】【Dear Host, convert all assets to universal game currency?】

In the blink of an eye, they stood in a mist-shrouded wilderness with no home, no car—only one choice: “Yes.” Without hesitation, each of them agreed.

On her personal screen, Zhou Bai watched:

【Asset Conversion in Progress…】【Detected extensive real estate holdings—hidden reward unlocked. Exchange assets for reward instead of currency? Confirm within 5…4…3…】

“Yes!” she tapped, trusting her instincts.

【Exchange Complete. Rewards will be distributed post-launch. Please wait…】

Her screen fell silent, but her parents’ faces mirrored the same mix of awe and loss. Years of hard work had just dissolved into virtual coins—worth who knew what.

“Xiaobai, did you finish?” Zhengping asked.

“I did,” she replied, voice trembling. “But my reward wasn’t currency.” She told them what happened, how the hidden bonus had activated.

“It’s fine—those buildings were yours anyway,” Zhengping soothed. “Even if things go south, we’ll take care of you. You’ve always had luck on your side.”

They shared a warm look—until their screens pinged again:

【Global Asset Transfer Complete. Doom­sday Game Now Live】【One­-Month New­bie Protection Period Enabled】【Warning: World Has Changed—Survive at All Costs】

The fog lifted. A mechanical voice resonated in Zhou Bai’s mind: “Host, bind your Lord’s Token?”

Her heart leaped. The reward for those buildings… was here.

Zhou Bai’s eyes fixed on the floating interface before her. Ever since the Doomsday System had gone live, the display had completely transformed. Dominating the center was her character profile:

【Name: Zhou Bai】【Race: Human】【Level: Lv. 0 (0/100)】【Status: Wanderer】【HP: 86/100】【Attributes: Constitution 4/10, Intelligence 7/10, Agility 5/10, Defense 2/10】

To the left sat the “Friends” tab—currently locked—and below lay icons for Map, Inventory, and Mail. It looked like any other MMORPG UI, yet above it all hovered a single urgent prompt:

【Host, bind the Lord’s Token?】

“Yes.” Without hesitation, Zhou Bai clicked “Confirm.” The notification vanished; a tiny red dot appeared on her Inventory icon. Opening it, she found the Lord’s Token nestled among the empty slots.

She tapped the token, and its item description unfurled:

【Item: Lord’s Token】【Description: Use to found a domain. Domains offer sanctuary and defense against magical beasts.】

Magical beasts? Did this mean the Doomsday Game would unleash monsters upon them? What kind of creatures awaited? The unknown churned in her stomach like ice.

Still, Zhou Bai felt relief wash over her. With this token, she could carve out a haven—a true safe haven. Exchanging a few apartment buildings for such a gift already felt a steal.

She turned to her parents and breathlessly recounted the token’s powers and the cryptic prompt. Listening, Zhou Zhengping’s tense shoulders relaxed. He’d feared that the system’s unknown perils might overwhelm him and his family. Now that Zhou Bai held the key to a protected domain, at least their safety could be secured.

“Let’s find a good spot to claim as our domain,” Zhengping declared.

“Right,” Zhou Bai agreed. They needed a defensible location—and fast. Gathering whatever courage they could muster, the three of them ventured forth, moving away from the panicked crowds.

Nearly immediately, they encountered people fleeing in terror. “Monsters ahead! Run!” someone shouted.

“What sort of creatures?” Zhengping asked, scanning the haze.

“Like dogs…but ten times larger! They attack on sight—several people got mauled already. We scattered; no one knows where they went. Hurry!”

As more terrified refugees clamored past, the family pressed on—though off the main route. If these were the “magical beasts,” they couldn’t risk getting trampled or robbed in the chaos. Better to slip away and claim a domain quickly.

Zhou Bai had noted something on the map: though all buildings had vanished, the terrain matched exactly where they’d started. The villa district where they lived—chosen by feng shui masters, nestled at the foot of a mountain and bordered by a winding river—was still there, just masked by the system’s transformation. It had been the area’s most desirable development; surely it made an ideal domain.

“Dad, Mom—let’s go back to our villa community,” she suggested.

Zhengping and Ding Qiurou exchanged glances and saw it too: the familiar tree-lined patterns, the same gentle slope of the land. Without another word, they turned and headed back.

Along the way, they passed more bewildered survivors, drifting without direction as the world bent around them. Zhou Bai offered only a brief warning—“Be careful; beasts have appeared”—and moved on. This was no place to make allies yet.

Finally, the mountain and river reappeared on the horizon. They’d found it. Breathing deeply, Zhou Bai asked, “Is this where I should plant our domain?”

Her parents nodded, and she retrieved the Lord’s Token once more. The interface asked:

【Use Lord’s Token?】

“Yes.”

The token blazed with light and shot from her hand. A translucent map materialized, overlaid with a parchment blueprint of a tiny settlement.

【Select your domain’s placement on the map.】

Zhou Bai tapped decisively. The world shimmered, and before them rose a compact domain: a simple wooden palisade encircling a modest cottage—identical to the blueprint.

They stared, mouths agape. This was their domain? So rudimentary…

【Name your village. The name will appear on the global map.】

“Hope,” Zhou Bai whispered. It was plain, but it carried meaning.

【Congratulations, Host. You have founded the Domain of Hope Village. Reward: two buildable structures unlocked.】

Her screen now listed the village’s stats:

【Domain: Hope Village】【Level: Village Lv. 0 (Upgrade Available)】【Population: 0/100】【Tax Rate: 10 % (Adjustable)】【Treasury: 88 Gold 34 Silver 72 Copper】【Buildings: Lord’s Manor (Lv. 1), Palisade, +2 Unlocked Structures】【Marketplace: Materials Only】【Ranking: —】【Note: Newbie Protection for 1 Month; Only Lords May Be Seized】

Below, visitor and resident settings awaited—she accepted the defaults and finalized.

Zhou Bai turned to her parents. “Does your map show anything new?”

Zhengping grinned. “Hope Village is on ours, too.”

“Shall we go inside?” she asked.

“Yes.”

She stepped through the gate. To her surprise, her parents were held at the boundary as a prompt appeared for them:

【Wanderer, welcome to Hope Village! Choose your status: Visitor (10 Copper/day) or Resident (10 Silver/permanent).】

Without hesitation, they selected “Resident.”

【You are now a resident of Hope Village. Collect your Resident Token at the Lord’s Manor.】

A new notification popped up for Zhou Bai, the Lord:

【Hope Village has gained 2 residents. As Lord, you may view resident info and expel as needed.】

Her heart brightened. With that authority, she could keep unruly townsfolk in check—and ensure her family’s safety.

Together, the trio set off toward the Lord’s Manor. As they ventured, hope warmed them in a world gone mad—proof that even in doomsday, a new beginning could rise.

At that moment, the three of them—Zhou Bai, her father, and her mother—stepped into the Lord’s Manor. The building felt more like an administrative hall than a home: a single floor of roughly forty square meters, with two service windows at the far end. Above the left window, a sign read “Resident Registration,” and on the desk lay an unfurled parchment roll, alongside neat stacks of blank identity tokens. The right window bore the label “Territory Quests,” beneath which hung an empty bulletin board.

Everything before Zhou Bai’s eyes shimmered in perfect sync with the Lord’s Manor icon on her territorial interface. She blinked in surprise—this was real, not just a hologram.

When her parents approached the counter, two tokens engraved with their names slid across the wooden ledge. The instant they picked them up, labels appeared above their heads:

[Hope Village Resident]

“Dad… Mom, do you see a title floating above my head?” Zhou Bai’s heart skipped. It couldn