"Chapter 7: How Can I Live Without a Phone?!"

"The journey back to the hotel was remarkably peaceful; Chen Shijin hardly encountered any of the big-eyed monsters wielding phones and machetes chasing after him."

"The only one he saw across an alley screamed and ran away with its phone before Chen Shijin could react, as if Chen was some kind of phone assassin."

"'...Tch.'"

"It seems that even though the big-eyed monsters have mutated, they still share the human trait of ganging up on others. They chicken out in a fair fight."

"By the time Chen Shijin returned to the Royal Hotel, it was nearly 10 p.m."

"Having had some of his energy stealthily drained, he had learned to economize, such as entering through the main door instead of vaulting the wall."

"When he appeared in front of the hotel's glass door, the tailcoat-clad waiter was already there waiting, his face bearing the standard polite service smile, seemingly not surprised at all by Chen Shijin's presence outside the hotel."

"'Welcome back.'"

"The tailcoat-clad waiter bowed slightly: 'You seem to have had a splendid night.'"

"Chen Shijin raised an eyebrow. If not for that pesky Guide and the last big wolf dog fascinated by the dance, the night was indeed not bad."

"Unfortunately, both had a strong presence."

Chen Shijin nodded nonchalantly, ready to return to his presidential suite for rest, but he hadn't walked far when he saw a group of people rushing out from the multi-person room on the first floor. Liu Dakai, running at the forefront, bombarded him with questions:

"Chen Shijin! What's the matter with you? Where did you go in the middle of the night? Why didn't you join the group discussion? Do you want to die here?"

Chen Shijin lifted his eyelids and glanced at him, confidently replying, "You could die a hundred times and I still wouldn't."

Liu Dakai was left gasping for air from the retort.

At this moment, Lv Jun emerged from the crowd, exuding a scent of tea: "Cousin, Dakai is just worried about you; he means no harm. Besides, in this perilous place, shouldn't we be united and pooling our ideas for better survival?"

Chen Shijin found himself engulfed in the tea aroma.

Seeing Lv Jun about to speak again, he raised his hand to stop him.

"Your pp and jj are rotten, aren't they?"

This single sentence ended all the tea talk.

The girls and hotel staff, unaware of this news, were shocked: !!!

They instinctively glanced at the two men's lower regions.

"You're not wrong; it was my attack."

"You and Liu Dakai are just trying to find out about my abilities," Chen Shijin said to the mortified pair, smiling wickedly. "Well, listen closely."

"My awakened ability is [Mouth Cannon]."

"It's not just verbal or psychological attacks through speech. I mean a real Mouth Cannon, capable of firing energy directly from my mouth at a target."

"Surprise or not?"

As Chen Shijin revealed this ability, he watched his energy level, displayed before his eyes, plummet from 10,487 to 8,487, indicating that disclosing his ability had cost him 2,000 energy points.

Interested, Chen Shijin glanced around the hotel lobby and finally set his sights on the tailcoat-wearing waiter.

The waiter, sensing something ominous: …?

That foreboding feeling.

"I'll fire at you."

Bang!

A stream of light shot out from Chen Shijin’s mouth, hurtling towards the waiter.

Chen Shijin’s energy level dropped by 10.

The waiter managed to block the Mouth Cannon, struggling to maintain his faux smile: “Esteemed guest, please refrain from firing at the staff.”

If it weren't for you staying in the presidential suite, I'd smash your mouth!

Hearing this, Chen Shijin’s mouth twitched, suddenly thinking that his ability’s name could actually be more appealing.

"Seeing Chen Shijin's retort, Lyu Jun and Liu Dakai were utterly flabbergasted, with Lyu Jun screaming in disbelief, 'How is this possible, how can a mute awaken such an absurd ability?!'"

"Compared to his 'Tea Fragrance Overflowing,' Liu Dakai's 'Hearing from All Directions' couldn't even begin to compare to the ferocity of Chen Shijin's newfound power."

"How could a mute awaken to become a master of verbal retorts! Ah!"

"Seeing them like this brought Chen Shijin joy, and after a moment of contemplation, he sincerely responded:"

"'Perhaps it's because I've been silent for too long, it finally erupted.'"

"'Even the heavens think it's time for me to speak my mind.'"

"Having said that, Chen Shijin ascended the stairs with light steps, leaving behind Lyu Jun and Liu Dakai, their faces filled with self-doubt and life's queries, along with other exiles wearing envious expressions."

"'Ah, that ability seems so powerful. Just with his mouth, he can unleash firepower! If he spoke a bit faster, he could totally become a human Peashooter, sweeping away everything with verbal barrages!' The delivery guy couldn't help but comment."

"'Yeah, and it's a long-range attack too. Almost like having unlimited ammo.' The chubby otaku added with envy."

"'But the size of his verbal cannon, cough, the attack cannon must vary, right? The way he uses it on the big-eyed monsters and the waiters feels different?' The top-selling female white-collar worker pondered seriously."

"Wang Baojie nodded: 'Each person's ability can be self-regulated and controlled. Of course, you can't unleash the big guns in a trial... cough. Moreover, as our energy grows and our understanding of our own power deepens, our abilities can evolve.'"

"'Like how my initial awakening power was [Strongman], and after upgrading to level two, it evolved into [Strength to Lift Cauldrons], so everyone shouldn't get discouraged if their initial awakening doesn’t seem powerful.'"

"'All powers are ultimately the same."

"'As long as you maximize your strength, you are the king in your own domain.'"

"'For us strongmen, moving mountains and filling seas eventually becomes just a matter of flexing an arm!'"

Wang Baojie encouraged the newcomers and waved everyone back to their rooms to rest.

"Tomorrow, we'll search for the check-in spots to complete the survival task. Although checking in might not take much time, the devouring world won't make it easy for us. The sooner we check in, the better."

Everyone nodded in agreement and went off to rest.

Meanwhile, someone couldn't help but speculate: "If verbal barrages could level up, what would they become?"

"Yikes... maybe a Mouth-Missile? Abbreviated as 'Mouthsile'!"

"That's still like a bomb. I think bigger – like shooting lasers from the mouth! Call it a 'Mouthaser'!"

Wang Baojie: "..."

Liu Dakai and Lv Jun: "..."

Eventually, Wang Baojie couldn't resist imagining it too, believing 'Mouth-Thunder' would be the coolest. Just open your mouth and call down divine thunder.

Chen Shijin in the presidential suite suddenly sneezed furiously.

"Caught a cold? Unlikely. Someone must be talking about me."

*

Early the next morning, everyone gathered in the lobby on their own initiative.

Chen Shijin also came downstairs.

Searching for check-in spots alone isn't as safe and fast as doing it in a group. Moreover, he's no longer the undetectable Big N. Now his N=9478, but after deducting the room fee of 3888, he's left with only a meager 5590 energy points.

Last night, he tried the "Verbal Wealth Strategy" but sadly discovered that energy points here equate to money. He could conjure a mountain of gold at home but couldn't add a modest goal of energy to himself.

Because he never had that much energy to begin with, his energy was depleting while using his abilities. And since energy can't be converted between different forms, he had no targets nearby from which to draw energy.

So, he needed to think more about a quick path to wealth.

Then Chen Shijin joined the group using the tourist map provided by the presidential suite.

"This map shows Phone City and highlights seven must-visit tourist spots. If you're unsure where to start, these spots might be good places to look for check-in points."

Wang Baojie, excited by the map, said, "Usually, there are hints for tasks within the world, but some hints are costly or well-hidden, making them hard to find."

"Finding a hint can save us a lot of unnecessary time and energy. Pao Ge (Cannon Brother)! Staying in the presidential suite really paid off for you!"

Chen Shijin was taken aback: "Just call me Xiao Chen (Little Chen)."

"No, no, how can we just call you Xiao Chen? You, Pao Ge, are the most powerful!" The middle-aged man, who Chen Shijin recalled had pushed the goat-hoofed girl during registration – likely having awakened strength ability – eagerly chimed in.

"Pao Ge, with you leading us, we can complete the tasks more confidently. It's only right to call you 'brother.' Let's go now, Pao Ge. You can call me Xiao Liu (Little Liu)."

Chen Shijin, looking at Xiao Liu who was at least ten years older than him, chose to remain silent.

He was the first to push open the glass door of the hotel, as dazzling sunlight showered over his head and body.

Unlike the dark and dangerous Phone City at night, the daytime version was teeming with life, almost excessively so—

For a moment, Chen Shijin thought he had returned to a bustling breakfast street back on Earth.

"Fresh buns for sale! Newly baked juicy meat buns! Only 1 energy value each!"

"Pan-fried dumplings! Shumai! Mini wontons! Only 1 energy value per serving! How can you swipe your phone without energy? Don’t miss out on this deal!"

"Soy milk and deep-fried dough sticks! Enjoy them while scrolling through your phone!"

"Double-layered big burgers, crispy fried chicken legs, today's special offer, one day only, come and buy!"

The area in front of the Royal Hotel had been occupied by various snack stalls, and the enthusiastic citizens of Phone City were beckoning from behind their stalls.

"Guests, time for breakfast! Aren’t you hungry? Come and eat!"

Chen Shijin heard clearly: when the snack stall owners across the street asked, "Aren’t you hungry?" a chorus of growling stomachs echoed around him.

Clearly, everyone except him was ravenously hungry.

Even though Chen Shijin had already enjoyed a breakfast of milk, egg, crab roe buns, and shrimp dumplings, the tempting aromas from the snack stalls stirred an urge in him to buy some snacks.

However, everyone was facing a major issue—

"What should I do, I'm so hungry. I haven't eaten anything since last night. I really, really want a bun," said Yang Mianmian, the girl who could transform her feet into goat hooves, as she deeply inhaled the scent and gazed longingly at the bun stall.

The others weren't faring much better than her; each person was fixated on their desired breakfast delicacies, their eyes glazed over with hunger.

The plump otaku seemed the least able to withstand hunger, clutching his grumbling stomach as he found himself in front of a cart selling double-layered burgers and fried chicken legs.

"Wow, those fried chicken legs look so delicious," he exclaimed.

The cheerful stall owner replied, "Of course! I use only the finest oil and free-range chicken. And our homemade bread is baked with milk, giving it a special aroma!"

Gulp.

Swallowing hard, the plump otaku said, "Really? It looks incredibly tasty..."

As he spoke, he couldn't resist reaching for a golden-fried chicken leg, only to be sharply slapped away by the stall owner just as his fingers were about to touch it.

The previously cheerful stall owner's demeanor suddenly turned grim, "Don't touch if you're not buying! This fried chicken leg is worth 3 energy points!"

The plump otaku withdrew his hand in pain, yet his eyes remained fixed on the fried chicken leg.

"'But I'm really, really, really, really, really, really hungry—I want fried chicken, I want fried chicken! Boss! I want fried chicken!'"

"He almost screamed it out with a somewhat fierce expression, but the fried chicken vendor, far from being scared, smiled at his demeanor."

"'If you want fried chicken, it's not impossible.'"

"The fried chicken vendor pulled out a smartphone from his pocket: 'How about giving me a like, young man? I'll give you a chicken leg in return.'"

"The moment 'like' was mentioned, everyone standing in front of the various carts stiffened collectively. Then, they came to their senses."

"'No, no, no, we don't do likes. We, we're not hungry,' the delivery guy vehemently shook his head and backed away, despite his stomach growling louder."

"'Hey, it's okay if you don't want to like.'"

"'Then you can watch our ads to earn energy points, though it'll be slower.'"

"Seeing this group about to leave, the snack vendors all changed their demands with smiles on their faces."

"'Just scan the QR code to watch our ads, watch a bit longer and you'll get energy points.'"

"Thus, nobody could move their feet anymore."

"A minute later, three people started watching ads after scanning the QR code. The rest of the group tensely held up their right hands beside them to prevent addiction."

"To everyone's surprise, merely watching a few seconds of ads seemed not to induce addiction."

So, three minutes later, the number of people watching ads increased to seven.

Another five minutes passed, and the count rose to twelve, with Wang Baojie joining them.

Chen Shijin observed for a while and didn't notice any issues. Finally, he opened his phone and scanned a QR code, only to be greeted by a tantalizing fried chicken ad.

After a full thirty seconds, he earned... 0.1 energy points.

A gentle female voice from the phone encouraged, [Keep going! You're one step closer to your goal. Watch nine more ads, and you might get to enjoy a delicious meal!]

Meanwhile, the phone automatically displayed a page: [Share this ad and get likes to earn 1 energy point! Any friend's like counts! No danger, no scams, why not click now?!]

Chen Shijin: "......"

Watching the people constantly bowing their heads to watch ads, especially the otaku who had already started asking everyone to like his posts, Chen Shijin was reminded of the days he was relentlessly pursued by someone with a knife.