Chapter 6: How Can I Live Without My Phone!

Although Chen Shijin didn't believe a trashy guide could dictate his life or death, he had to admit that something capable of draining twenty-six years of his energy with just six words was indeed brutally formidable.

This brutality likely stemmed from stealth, but—

He had been running freely for over two hours now.

And yet, he was still running, without a glimpse of escape.

The Pop-Eyes chasing him had grown from none to many over these two hours, and now hundreds of elite creatures, unwaveringly loyal, brandishing phones and knives, were swearing to follow him to the ends of the earth, bellowing ferociously.

This was quite ominous.

Even if uttering "Little Chen, run fast" could boost his speed, there was a physical limit to his stamina. Continuing to run would greatly diminish his speed and reaction time, inevitably leading to his being surrounded and either fervently 'liked' or viciously slashed to pieces by his pursuers.

Chen Shijin, panting incessantly, checks the condition of his throat. Good news, although still hoarse, his strength and throat seem to have recovered somewhat after more than two hours.

There's still hope.

Then, that trashy guide's voice ominously creeps in.

[Detecting Chen Shijin's current energy level at N, N=10.

Oh! Poor 10!

This detection report is free of charge, free!

Haha! Utterly useless 10!]

A vein throbs on Chen Shijin's forehead.

If it weren't for you, this shameless thief, I was once an undetectable big shot N!

You've forgotten the time when a single sentence from me made you shut up, haven't you?

But in the end, Chen Shijin just sneers coldly and says nothing.

"The energy required to silence this guy must be no small feat; he suspects that this 'Guide' itself ranks above the devourers of the City of Phones, perhaps even standing at the pinnacle of the entire land of exile."

"Otherwise, it wouldn't be possible to bypass the devourers of the City of Phones to act as a 'Guide' and steal energy from every person entering."

"And if every life that falls into the land of exile is guided and drained of energy by it, one can only imagine how immense its entity is and how high its level must be—it's unfathomable."

"At least, a direct confrontation is not an option now."

"Until he has gathered enough energy."

"He must cripple it beyond recovery."

"Chen Shijin lowered his head, eyes downcast, as a slow smile spread across his lips."

"No rush, what he fears least is temporary endurance."

"However, the army of likers behind him can no longer be tolerated; he must quickly find a solution."

"After two hours of running and observing, Chen Shijin realized these big-eyed beings indeed harbor a deep love for the smartphones in their hands. Despite the long chase, their eyes are always glued to their screens without deviation."

"This also explained why the eyes of these big-eyed beings move independently, never in sync—because they ensure to always keep an eye on their phones."

"Probably one eye is for navigating daily life, while the other is for looking at the phone. This way, they manage both living and phone-watching without missing a beat, truly convenient and smart."

"Like the big-eyed lady chasing him the fastest behind him, during these over two hours of running, one eye was firmly fixed on her target, not falling behind, while the other eye successfully binged three episodes of a melodramatic series."

"Her left-hand-held phone continuously emitted lines like 'You are heartless! You are being unreasonable!' while her right hand wielded a machete with precision, nearly striking Chen Shijin twice."

"If it weren't for their obsession with chopping him, Chen Shijin would highly rate their 'one-eye-on-the-phone' skill with a six."

"However, their fixation on phones could well be turned to his advantage."

"Chen Shijin's breathing grew louder as he quickly recalled the tourist map he had seen in the hotel and the routes he had run. Then, opening his eyes, he grinned."

"He turned and headed towards the south of the city, running while holding up his middle finger high, guiding the big-eyed pursuers to keep up without falling behind."

"Though he didn't speak, the clear message of the silent middle finger was understood by the big-eyed followers, who roared in unison and closely followed Chen Shijin."

"'Chop, chop him!'"

"'Chop first, then, then like!'"

"After another ten minutes of frantic running, Chen Shijin could see the shimmering silver of the water ahead under the moonlight of the night."

"The 'Irrigation Lake' in the south of the city."

"A most beautiful spot for phone browsing, according to the travel brochure."

"The brochure claimed that lying on the grass by the lake, enjoying the breeze, and listening to nature while scrolling through videos, playing games, or liking posts was the most comfortable experience."

"Although Chen Shijin couldn't understand why anyone would prefer their phone over the scenic view by the lake, he admitted the lake was indeed beautiful."

"Especially advantageous for the big-eyed monsters following him."

"Lost in thought, Chen Shijin had already reached the lakeside and spotted a small, smooth, and beautifully shaped stone platform extending into the lake."

"Beside it, curiously, was a broken branch, resembling a mallet."

"Chen Shijin thought to himself: Brilliant."

"Then, he dashed onto the small stone platform, grabbed the mallet-like branch, and despite the pain in his hoarse throat, took a deep breath and yelled at the big-eyed creatures swinging their knives at him: 'Hey! You dropped your phone!'"

"'Ahh! Your phone fell!'"

"With that one sentence, his energy level returned to one."

"But that single sentence was enough!"

"What's the most terrifying thing for the monsters in the City of Phones?"

"Severe injuries, no food to eat, nearing death—all these are negligible concerns, but how could they live without their phones!"

"Not a single big-eyed creature in the City of Phones could withstand the horror of the words 'Your phone fell.'"

"Even though they were clearly looking at their phones, certain they were holding them securely, and all were in a collective sprint! Hearing those four words still inevitably caused them all to jolt and instinctively look down to pick up their phones."

"How could their phones possibly fall!"

"If it broke, how could I go on living!"

"'Hey, don't, don't push, ah—'"

"Splash."

"'Let me look, look for my, ah—'"

"Splash splash."

"'Don't, don't run! Stop! Ah!'"

"Splash splash splash."

"Like dumplings being dropped into a pot, the madly chopping army chasing Chen Shijin jostled and pushed each other, and in a very short span of time, a large number plunged into the lake. From a distance, it resembled... rats lured by a pied piper."

"What Chen Shijin found admirable was that these big-eyed beings, even after falling or being pushed into the lake, were still frantically searching for their phones on the water surface with utmost seriousness."

"Only this time, there really were phones dropping into the water."

"'Ah! My phone, it, it fell into the water!'"

"'Help! Help! My, my phone fell into the water—'"

"Suddenly, the lake was filled with continuous cries of despair, as if a collective tragedy had struck."

"Then, Chen Shijin saw one of the big-eyed beings whose phone had fallen into the lake, its large eyes revealing a shade of frantic crimson before diving into the water in search of its phone."

"A minute later, Chen Shijin heard the Guide's voice, sounding as if it had eaten shit, announcing:"

"[...You have drowned a level 1 anomaly 'Bulge-eye,' gaining residual energy +8.]"

"Chen Shijin: '...'"

"Chen Shijin: '!' This counts for me too?"

"[...] Even the Guide must be thinking, 'the hell, can it even work like that?'"

"Chen Shijin: 'Ha!'"

"If this counts, then... isn't this a golden opportunity to strike it rich right in front of him?!"

"Instantly invigorated, Chen Shijin, eyeing the nearly hundred big-eyed beings still on the shore and not yet in the lake, swung the dead branch mallet and charged at them."

"Big-eyed beings: '?!'"

"'Your phone has fallen.'"

"Big-eyed being: 'Where did it, ah!'"

"Splash."

"Another big-eyed being: '!!!'"

"Chen Shijin, wielding the mallet, shouted, 'Your phone's alarm is ringing!'"

"Startled, the big-eyed being looked down, and bam!"

"Was also swung into the lake by Chen Shijin."

"The remaining big-eyed beings: 'Mine didn’t fall or ring!'"

"Chen Shijin nodded indifferently: 'Hmm, right, then why don’t you show it to me so I can give it a like?'"

"The big-eyed being, ecstatic, handed over its phone."

"Bam!"

"Watching the parabola it made flying out, Chen Shijin remarked, 'See, it flew into the lake.'"

"Big-eyed being: 'Ow, ow, ow, ah!'"

"Splash."

"This was the sound of him chasing his dreams."

"So, in the next twenty minutes, Chen Shijin swung the branch mallet, tricking or swinging all the level 1 big-eyed beings chasing him into the lake."

"Then, like a detestable scalper, he squatted by the lake with a blade of grass in his mouth, preventing any of the pitiful, waterlogged big-eyed beings from climbing back up."

"'Bro, keep looking for your phone a bit longer, what's the point of climbing up without your phone?'"

"'You should learn from your friend. For the sake of a phone, they'd sacrifice their life!'"

"Finally, after an hour, all the big-eyed monsters that couldn’t climb ashore became energy points for Chen the Scalper."

"From N=1 to N=10987, it could be said he struck it rich overnight."

"In the end, the disgusted Guide, broken and defeated by this maneuver and adhering to the principle of 'if I'm not comfortable, neither can you be,' added an extra sentence to all notifications."

"[You have drowned a level 1 anomaly 'Bulge-eye,' gaining residual energy +8. The Guide also extracts 8 residual energy simultaneously.]"

"[You have gained a total of 10987 energy points, and the Guide has gained 10987 energy points as well—haha! What does it matter if you survive, you're still a laborer for the deity!]"

"Chen Shijin: 'Ha.'"

"Great, this thing has successfully disgusted him."

"Chen Shijin took a deep breath and declared on the spot: 'Silence yourself for an hour for this part!'"

"[I, crackle, damn, zzzt zzzt ％￥＃＆!]"

"Finally, the world was silent."

"Energy visualization."

Chen Shijin saw his energy level drop to 10487, a decrease of 500 energy points.

Twirling the dried branch mallet in his hand, he pondered. So, a part of that devious guide was around him, or on him? The energy drain reduced to 250 when his spoken power targeted only this nearby segment instead of the guide’s main body.

Chen Shijin smiled at the moonlight reflecting on the lake.

"250, can a worker yell at his boss to shut up?"

"Someday, I’ll finish you off."

"Alright, workout's over! The moonlight tonight is truly beautiful～"

Stretching lazily, Chen Shijin turned to leave, ready to enjoy a sweet dream.

But as he turned, his gaze inadvertently swept across a patch of tall grass by the lake, catching a glimpse of the flickering blue light of a phone.

？！

Instantly on alert, he tiptoed towards the grass with the branch mallet in hand.

A few seconds later, he burst out of the bushes, raising the mallet high:

"Let's see which silly fool is still glued to their phone!"

In that instant, his gaze collided with a pair of deep blue, abyss-like eyes, which had a hint of bright gold in them, reminiscent of a cold moon over the deep sea.

For a moment, Chen Shijin thought something was wrong with his eyes, and he even momentarily lost his ability to speak—

Because the owner of these eyes wasn't human.

It was a dog!

The dog, with its blue-gray fur, was at least two meters long. Its large, triangular ears stood erect, trembling slightly, and its limbs were sturdy with sharp claws. Even though it was just lying in the bushes, its formidable presence was palpable.

No, to call it a dog would be an understatement; it was more like a wolf!

If it bit his neck, it would probably be as crisp as biting into a duck neck.

The atmosphere turned awkward.

Chen Shijin didn’t dare to move, while the wolf squinted at him.

A tablet in front of the wolf's paws emitted shrill screams and dance music.

Chen Shijin couldn't help but glance sideways at the tablet.

He almost let out an unmanly scream.

"This world must indeed be sick. Shouldn't a dog be watching 'Animal Planet'? Why on your tablet is there a sexy male dancer?!"

"Right, and it's not even a sexy female dancer."

"Could this possibly be a female wolf?"

"Chen Shijin ranted internally like mad, making a great effort not to glance at the dog's underbelly."

"After a standoff, the large wolf seemed to lose interest in a lakeside snack, finally turning its head back to continue watching the sexy male dancer, its huge paw naturally hitting 'like' twice on the tablet."

"Chen Shijin: '............'"

"Speechless with too many complaints."

"He cautiously turned and moved his hind legs, finally retreating to a safe area before bolting away."

"As he left, feeling somewhat cowardly for his departure, he couldn't resist lobbing a verbal grenade:"

"'Do you, a dog, even understand sexy dance moves!'" he said without looking back.

"Had he looked back at that moment, he would have seen the wolf-dog standing up, its blue-black eyes with golden flecks fixed on his retreating figure, its broom-like tail swishing, its black nose twitching slightly, then slowly revealing its sharply white teeth."

"It's the energy of an exquisite delicacy it had never tasted before."

"Even the butt was perky."

"Give a like."