Chapter 14: How Can I Live Without a Phone!

Chapter 14: How Can I Live Without a Phone!

Although he had set his minor goal of becoming a god, one must eat meals one bite at a time, and divinity too, must be achieved step by step.

For instance, the biggest obstacle on his path to divinity right now was… insufficient energy.

With this thought, a cold smirk spread across Chen Shijin's face.

His gaze shifted to his surroundings.

The green bushes swayed in the wind, the wide road underfoot, and the orderly streets ahead. Every element felt excessively real.

Yet, this place was a devouring world, an illusion created by the devourer.

Those who failed to complete the survival task would be assimilated as part of it, while the surviving exiles could live on with an energy shield.

Following this line of thought, some things became interesting —

Viewing the world as a monster, or rather, the world itself being a monster, weren’t they inside the belly of the beast? Staying here too long meant being digested, and only by finding special locations or barriers could one survive.

Therefore, whether it was the flora, the orderly streets, or even the cute girl in a fluffy skirt who just jumped in front of them, they were all parts of this monstrous entity.

Of course, it's also possible that they weren't inside the body of a monster but in a space specifically isolated.

But even in a secluded space, creating these illusions requires a substantial amount of energy, right?

So, all he needed to do was find a way to "see" and then "acquire" this energy.

Chen Shijin pressed the corners of his eyes, pondering earnestly.

“Welcome to Melodious Street! Here, everyone can enjoy a fantastic 360-degree surround sound musical festival!”

While Chen Shijin was deep in thought, the group had arrived at Melodious Street. A beautiful young girl in a fluffy skirt, with shiny gemstone earrings on her large earlobes, jumped out from the street corner.

Wang Baojie glanced at Song Fang.

Song Fang pursed her lips and stepped forward to initiate a conversation.

This was the price Wang Baojie had agreed to for sharing food with them - those who hadn't participated in the little cart activity would take the lead in asking questions for the rest of the card-punching journey.

“Hello, little sister. We’re tourists in Phone City. We heard that this place is one of the must-visit attractions. Can we check in and take photos here?”

The earring girl blinked and smiled upon hearing this: “Of course! You can definitely check in and take photos on Melodious Street! However, the only check-in point on this street is at the end, near the golden gemstone loudspeaker.”

“If you want to check in, you’ll need to walk to the end of the street.”

Song Fang seemed surprised: “Is that all we need to do? Just walk to the end of the street? There are no other challenges or competitions?”

The earring girl blinked: “Oh my, walking and listening to music isn’t a challenge. You just need to walk there before the street closes at dusk.”

“The only rule on Melodious Street is once you enter, you must listen to the music seriously without covering your ears or shouting loudly to disturb others. There are no other requirements!”

“So, are you ready to start checking... Ah, I almost forgot.”

"The girl with earrings suddenly paused for a few seconds, and after the pause, she glanced disdainfully at Chen Shijin's pink underpants-wearing big-eyed follower, snorted in disgust, then turned to Chen Shijin:"

"'Handsome brother, we also have a 'Best Sympathizer' luxury gift pack on offer in Pleasant Street!'"

"'As long as you can walk to the end of the street within an hour, listening to music without making any impolite noises, and with a smile on your face, you'll get a better gift than this pink monstrosity!"

"Of course, normal conversation won't be considered noise. Please enjoy the pleasant music!'"

"Chen Shijin was suddenly singled out, lifting his head from his thoughts, finding the requirements of 'making no sound' and 'smiling' quite interesting."

"Inferred in reverse, does it mean that it's easy to make noise when listening to music and hard to smile?"

"And with the pink underpants in front, he had no expectations for this luxury gift pack from Pleasant Street."

"'So now, everyone is free to go.'"

"The girl with earrings twirled around happily: 'Make sure to prick up your ears and listen carefully.'"

"As she finished her last sentence, the Pleasant Street in front of them, stretching a thousand meters and flanked by countless speakers of all sizes, suddenly 'came to life'—"

"Music of different timbres, rhythms, and melodies instantly filled the entire street, with invisible notes flowing either quickly or slowly."

"Buzz—"

"Chen Shijin felt a momentary buzzing in his ears and instinctively wanted to cover them with his hands."

"But he quickly remembered the girl's words, that covering one's ears was not allowed on Pleasant Street."

"He could only press his earlobes, then smiled."

"Heh."

Although he wasn't particularly eager for the extravagant gift pack, Chen Shijin wasn't one to back down from an implicit challenge, nor refuse a gift laid out before him – after all, it's hard for anyone to reject a free gift.

He then looked around and was relieved to see Wang Baojie, Zhou Mo, Zhao Xiaofeng, Ah Fei, Lv Jun, Song Fang, Liu Chengli, and Lao Shi, all maintaining stiff smiles on their faces.

Clearly, they not only remembered the rule of "not covering their ears" but also, like him, intended to claim the free luxury gift pack.

However, aside from them, the rest couldn’t muster a smile –

"Ah! This sound is too loud, and it’s making my ears buzz. I think I'm going deaf!" Yang Mianmian pressed her hands against her ears, her face contorted in pain, her mouth moving as she spoke.

But on these streets filled with blaring sounds, normal speech was inaudible. Only Chen Shijin, who had feigned muteness for twenty-three years and could read lips, knew what she was saying.

Yet, she wasn’t the most pitiful one there; the person in the worst state was Chen Shijin’s detestable fiancé, Liu Dakai, whose expression was the most distorted and body trembling violently.

His awakened talent amplified the impact of the street's noise on him several times.

"Ah, it’s so painful, so unbearable."

"Ahhh, the noise is too loud, it's excruciating!"

He was immersed in the roaring music, but it was to no avail.

Chen Shijin, observing from a distance, had a more natural and charming smile on his face.

At that moment, Wang Baojie shook his head and pointed forward.

The sound was overwhelming and chaotic, causing dizziness and ear swelling; it was best to move forward quickly.

[Text not comprehensible]

It was only a kilometer away; by picking up the pace, it would take just about ten minutes to cross.

Seeing his gesture, everyone nodded stiffly with forced smiles. Lv Jun thought for a moment and then, pretending to be considerate, walked to Liu Dakai's side and pulled him forward.

This was certainly not love but a scapegoat for the green tea b*tch.

However, just a few steps into their walk, the surrounding sounds abruptly changed!

Thousands of speakers simultaneously emitted a thunderous and vigorous sound that resonated in their ears like a stampede of horses or a raging river, deafening and overwhelming.

At the moment these sounds erupted, Liu Dakai, already in agony from "Hearing Everything," couldn't bear it anymore and let out a loud shout, covering his ears with his hands.

Lu Jun let go in a second, his face still straining to maintain a stiff smile.

The stirring music nearly shook everyone's soul out of their bodies. Although everyone clenched their fists, trying not to cover their ears, Liu Chengli and Zhou Mo already donned masks of pain, unable to smile anymore.

But the thunderous music continued to resonate in their ears, growing more forceful and urgent. Liu Chengli eventually couldn't control himself and let out a roar—

His shout was loud, creating a slight ripple in the booming sound. Everyone looked at him, their smiles freezing on their faces.

Somehow, the look of pain on Old Liu's face had been replaced by excitement. He seemed like a hero, raising his arms, rapidly waving them in sync with the vigorous music.

The faster the music played, the quicker he moved his arms, as if completely immersed in the music.

Xiong Ge tried to stop him from getting too carried away but was harshly repelled the moment his palm touched Liu's arm.

"He's too forceful! I can't stop him!" Xiong Ge gestured, signaling to everyone that Liu Chengli's state was abnormal. Forcibly pulling him might break his arm.

Unable to intervene, everyone gritted their teeth, leaving the writhing Liu Dakai, who was covering his ears on the ground, and the frenetically arm-waving Liu Chengli behind, as they continued forward.

After walking about one-tenth of the distance, the deafeningly vibrant music finally ceased.

By then, half of the group had pained, expressionless faces, incessantly pressing their ears and rubbing their earlobes.

The ones still smiling were Chen Shijin, Wang Baojie, Ah Fei, Lu Jun, Song Fang, and Old Shi – all tough characters.

At this moment, a gentle breeze-like voice arose in the streets. Despite emanating from thousands of speakers, the sound wasn't harsh at all; rather, it soothed everyone's ears, which had just been jolted painfully.

Yet, despite its softness, the voice wasn't cheerful. The melody shifted, turning mournful.

It was like the lament of a bereaved lover, or the last straw crushing a suffering soul.

Like a returning wanderer finding only the graves of parents, or... having to redo a month's work.

Even Chen Shijin, usually wearing the most natural smile, stiffened a bit at this melancholy tune.

Others found it even harder to resist—

The quickest to succumb was Zhou Mo. He knelt down, overwhelmed, weeping and wailing, "I can't do this job anymore! I worked a whole month for nothing, and you expect me to redo it? Don't I, a corporate slave, deserve better? And without overtime pay! Wahhh!"

Followed by the distressed Bear Brother squatting and lamenting, "Ah, my bear cub! My bear cub I raised for ten years, dead! Killed by poachers! Ah, the pain!"

Zhao Xiaofeng, unlike Bear Brother, didn't cry loudly but was quietly touching an old red string on his wrist, shedding silent tears.

Finally, there was Yang Mianmian, her eyes red with tears, shaking her head in denial amidst the music, "No, no, I can't believe it. My brother, you loved someone else, not me! Wahh, don't leave, don't abandon me, how can I live without you!"

This wave of tragic music directly incapacitated four exiles, immersing them so deeply in the music that they couldn't pull themselves out.

At this moment, Wang Baojie forcefully slapped his own face, his eyes red, and turned to leave.

Those who continued walking were only Chen Shijin, Wang Baojie, Song Fang, Ah Fei, Lu Jun, and Old Shi.

"Initially, there were six people who managed to maintain a smile, but now, only Chen Shijin, Lyu Jun, and Old Shi were still smiling."

"Aside from Chen Shijin, Lyu Jun and Old Shi were truly unexpected."

"This time, as they walked to the center of Pleasant Street listening to the sad music, the sad tunes finally stopped, and the remaining six instinctively heightened their vigilance."

"Then, what rang in their ears was a cheerful tune, completely opposite to the sad melody before, just listening to this tune made one feel an endless joy rising in their heart."

"So happy, truly so happy!"

"The corners of their mouths turned up involuntarily."

"Then, Old Shi burst into hearty laughter."

"'Hahaha! Hahaha! I won a billion in the lottery! I won the lottery! Hahaha, I knew I wasn't just anybody. That nagging wife of mine doesn't deserve me! Pah, saying I'm useless! I'm going to divorce her right now, kick her out, hahaha! Then I'm going to support ten or eight college students! Eat the finest delicacies! Become a VIP!'"

"He continued to laugh crazily, waving his hands as if his wildest dreams had come true."

"Following him, Song Fang laughed joyfully, 'After struggling for so long, I've finally become a general manager! I sold a building! Haha, I make tens of millions a year! I'm the national sales champion!'"

"Delivery guy Afly was so happy he cried, 'Positive reviews! All positive reviews! I've finally gathered enough good reviews to buy a house!'"

"Chen Shijin watched them go crazy with a smile, already understanding where the pitfall of this street lay."

"Now then,"

"He was just about to touch the corner of his eye, about to say something."

Suddenly, a crazily laughing Lu Jun sprang in front of Chen Shijin.

"Hahaha! Chen Shijin! Finally, I've surpassed you in every aspect! I've got a bigger gold mountain than yours now! Everyone who liked you now adores me, and you're just a pitiful, unloved soul! Hahaha!"

Chen Shijin: ...

Chen Shijin: .

With a standard, fake smile, he slapped away his tea-scented, laughing cousin.

Amidst the sudden chaos, with music blaring, the near-total annihilation, escalating madness, Liu Chengli breaking his hands, Yang Mianmian beginning to dig out her heart, and Lao Shi tearing off his skin and flesh as if they were money, Chen Shijin pressed his hand to his eye corner, murmuring with eyes closed:

"The Heavenly Eye sees all – beings and objects in the six realms, near or far, coarse or fine, no color unseen."

The young man's eyes suddenly opened wide.

His previously dark left pupil now sparkled with flickering silver light.

Nothing could escape his sight.

Even the chaotic voices revealed traces of energy.

"Word Spirit: Activate Heavenly Eye."

Amidst the shrill, clamorous voice of the rubbish guide: "Your energy has reached zero! Your energy has reached zero!!"

Unmoved, Chen Shijin stretched out his hand, precisely grasping the "invisible sound" swirling around his ear.

"Heh."