Chapter 20: Rational Mobile Phone, Happy Life!

Chapter 20: Rational Mobile Phone, Happy Life!

Exiles and devourers outside of the All-Seeing Eye watched the young man at the center of the prayers, both shocked and hurriedly noting down his face and possible name—Mouth Bro, Jinzi... Chen Yijin.

Meanwhile, inside the All-Seeing Eye, everyone had reached the final stage of collective prayer, each face filled with immense devotion, finally raising their arms to the sky under the young man's lead: "I pray! I shall succeed!"

When they opened their eyes, their gaze was filled with the light of wishes fulfilled.

"Oh my god, I really, I must pray every day from now on! Unbelievable, I'm now level three [Unstoppable Movement, Godlike Positioning] with additional abilities to dodge and charge beyond my previous speed!"

Ah Fei, looking at his new skills, was on the verge of tears with joy, then looked up: "Mouth Bro! Big bro! I feel so powerful now, I'm ready to take on a big mission with you anytime!!"

Zhao Xiaofeng was surprised to see the tornado she casually produced. Her [Wind] ability had directly leveled up twice in a short span, skipping [Wild Wind] to reach [Tornado] level, and how much stronger is level three [Tornado] than [Wind]?

Indeed, the higher the level of natural forces, the more formidable they become.

Bear Bro at this moment roared and pounded his chest, his body rapidly expanding to three times its size, his skin covered in dense brown fur except for his head which retained a human appearance, while his limbs had completely transformed into bear form.

"Roar! Jinzi! Let's go and fight!"

The power gained from leveling up twice indeed made one feel inflated.

Even Song Fang, who usually kept a straight face, and Liu Chengli, who always looked gloomy, were now smiling.

Chen Yijin's gaze then turned to the silent Lv Jun and Zhoumo. Just a look from him made Lv Jun tremble with a tea-like aura: "Cousin, hello, I'm reporting to you. My ability is now [Tea Fragrance Fills the Sky], with an additional effect of 【Tea Aura Overwhelming】."

"It means the range of confusion has expanded a bit, the duration has increased a bit, and it also has some dispelling effects."

Unfortunately, no matter how overwhelming or fragrant, it couldn't surpass Chen Yijin, and it couldn't turn the tables. (dark) (twisted) (crawling) (...and a bit resigned)

What could Chen Yijin say? This ability perfectly fits the character.

Only Zhoumo's expression of weariness didn't change much, and if one observed closely, they might notice that beyond his fatigue, there seemed to be an added sense of loss.

"Now I am... Spring Festival holidays, 3+7=3, with an additional effect of mental shock. The downside is the missing seven could potentially come back to me in another form suddenly requiring me to compensate."

Well, Chen Yijin really had nothing to say about this ability.

Sometimes life is just that cruel.

Finally, there's Wang Baojie who advanced to the fourth level [Moving Mountains and Seas]. However, calling him level four is a bit of a stretch since, due to his high level, he expended the most energy. With his current energy reserves, one skill use might deplete him completely.

But Wang Baojie is thoroughly content.

Now, Wang Baojie's gaze at Chen Yijin holds no doubt, only admiration for a future boss.

If this isn't boss material!!!

Then those high-level exiles in the Exile Lands are mere trash!

Not to mention Bear Bro, who is now brimming with excitement to fight.

What makes Wang Baojie even happier is that, although the Phone City is one of the devouring worlds with the highest mortality rate, the devourer that constructed it isn't particularly high in combat ability or level.

It's estimated that the Phone City's devourer just barely reaches the energy value of a high-level devourer. This means their group of level three exiles genuinely has a fighting chance against its core!

There's great hope!

"Mouth Bro! Let's not waste any more time, let's head to the Phone Maze now!"

He's not foolish enough to think their collective leveling up was the result of their own prayers. It must be Mouth Bro's blessing working its magic! Mouth Bro's words are not merely the curse of a crow's mouth but the power of an Almighty Mouth!

And since Mouth Bro just mentioned an hour, they must wrap up the fight within that timeframe!

Chen Yijin, observing his remaining energy value of N=22, nods, having offered a prayer for everyone, which consumed his 88866 energy value, but it was enough to make him hold his heart in satisfaction.

But no worries, he believes there must be energy to consume within the Phone Maze! Off to feast it is!

"Our prayer-induced upgrade only lasts for an hour, so let's head to the Phone Maze at top speed now. Aim to finish the battle within an hour."

Chen Yijin reminded the ecstatic crowd.

Instantly, everyone's faces showed the agony of gaining a fortune only to lose it shortly after, with Ah Fei urgently saying, "Then let's run! No, let's grab a vehicle, I can drive super fast with the delivery van!"

Zhao Xiaofeng nodded in agreement: "Once we're in the car, I can use wind power to speed it up, guaranteeing we reach the maze entrance in twenty minutes!"

In reality, the combination of level three [Unstoppable Movement] and [Tornado] meant they didn’t need twenty minutes at all.

It took them just eight minutes, whisked away by a fierce wind, speeding towards the center of Phone City, the Phone Maze.

As everyone got out of the car feeling dizzy, they were once again struck speechless by the sight of the Phone Maze.

Even though it wasn’t their first time seeing the Phone Maze of Phone City, just the sight of the maze's outer walls invoked an indescribable shock, madness, and a chilling sensation.

This maze rightfully stands as the heart of Phone City, its emblem.

All the walls of the maze are made from countless oversized phones.

Each phone, as large as a door, stands with its screen turned off, representing a dark, endless world.

Approaching it, one can see their own silent, black and white reflection trapped within the largest screen.

Countless black-screened phones line up side by side, forming the serpentine walls of the maze, and as you navigate through, you see numerous black and white versions of yourself, trapped within the maze of phones.

Just looking at it can make one dizzy and hesitant to approach.

"…This is going to be the most terrifying maze I’ve ever walked in my life," Ah Fei couldn't help but murmur.

The expressions on everyone else's faces were also somewhat solemn.

Although they were prepared, they still felt immense pressure.

Chen Yijin, with the white dog and the pink sidekick, led the way.

Since the prayer, the white dog had become even more attached to Chen Yijin, its eyes shining whenever it looked at him as if he were a juicy bone.

But Chen Yijin knew the excitement wasn't because of his prayer.

There was definitely something fishy about it.

But for now, the white dog seemed to have no ulterior motives, even eagerly indicating it wanted to join the boss fight.

But sooner or later, its true nature would reveal itself.

"Welcome to the Phone—Maze—!!"

A girl in a puffy dress jumped out, her dress patterned after the phone maze behind her.

"I haven't welcomed guests wanting to brave the Phone Maze in soooo long!"

"Are you here to take on the challenge? You must be!"

Chen Yijin smiled and nodded: "Of course, we're here to take on the challenge." And they planned to make this challenge the last echo of the Phone Maze.

"Are there any challenge rules?"

The maze's puffy-dress girl smiled: "Of course! The rules for the maze challenge are simple. Just find a treasure chest within the allotted time and bring it out."

"Of course, if you, young man, have the strength to find more chests before getting caught, then whatever is in those chests is yours."

Chen Yijin raised an eyebrow: "The Phone City is this generous? What does getting caught imply?"

The maze girl in the puffy dress cheerfully jumped: "We're always generous to our guests!"

"Getting caught, hehe, just searching for treasure chests would be too dull, right? So, there are guardians in the maze waiting to capture treasure hunters. Make sure not to get caught, or you might be... oh-woof! Eaten up, wow!"

"Also, don't stay in the Phone Maze too long. If you do, you'll get lost and won't be able to find your way out."

Chen Yijin narrowed his eyes.

Is this 'eaten' what he thinks it is? Is not being able to get out what he thinks it means?

If the exiles of the Exile Land knew his questions, they would definitely confirm that being eaten means literally being eaten, being chopped means literally being chopped, and being lost means being forever lost in the maze, unable to exit!

After all, this is the core of the Phone City's devourer, and the city's biggest trump card.

"Are you all ready? Once you are, you can enter the maze one by one."

"To make it more interesting, you can't go in together; you must enter through different entrances."

"Additionally, to show our hospitality, you can use your phone's GPS, camera, and group chat features to share information."

"That way, you hopefully won't get lost in the Phone Maze."

The group exchanged looks, and Wang Baojie took the initiative to create a group chat for everyone.

Meanwhile, Chen Shijin placed his hand near his left eye, gazing deep into the Phone Maze, where a massive energy orb was located at the very center.

At that moment, the puffy-dressed girl suddenly jumped in front of him.

Her smile was standard and polite but carried a hint of danger: "Guest, what are you looking at?"

Chen Shijin looked at her: "This maze is quite large, I was wondering if there might be a huge treasure chest at its center."

The girl watched him quietly for a few seconds, then suddenly clapped her hands: "Oh dear, I forgot to remind everyone! If you venture deep into the maze and see the yellow mobile phone caution tape, make sure to turn back immediately."

"Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely do not cross the caution tape."

"That area is the forbidden land of this city, leading only to despairing death."

Chen Shijin looked at the puffy-dressed girl speaking to him and slowly smiled: "Of course."

"Those who know me understand how mild-mannered and polite I've been for these twenty-six years, never speaking out of turn or seeking trouble."

Lu Jun: "..." That's right. You're mild-mannered and polite, and those who have sought trouble with you have never ended well.

If you were to speak out and seek trouble, wouldn't you poke a hole in the sky?

Ah. Isn't this capable, dreadful nuisance about to poke a hole in the sky right now?

By this time, Wang Baojie had already set up the group chat.

"Once we're in the group, we can share our locations. If anyone is in danger, just shout in the group chat, and those nearby can provide assistance. Or you could just shout at the wall."

"However, I suspect this location sharing might be two-way; we can see it, and the maze guardians might see it too. So, I suggest turning it on and off intermittently to avoid exposing our locations for too long. When there's no danger, just look for treasure chests on your own."

Everyone nodded in agreement, then turned their gaze towards Chen Shijin.

Under the watchful eye of the puffy-dressed girl, Chen Shijin said nothing but shook his phone and turned towards the maze entrance.

He moved quickly, reminding everyone of the one-hour time limit.

Encouraging glances were exchanged, and then everyone quickly found other entrances to enter the maze.

Upon entering the maze, everyone heard the group chat notification sound from their phones.

People at different locations checked their phones simultaneously.

They saw the message sent by their Mouth Bro.

Chen Mo is Jin: [Observe and familiarize yourself with the surroundings, head towards the center of the maze.]

Chen Mo is Jin: [Find the yellow caution tape.]

These messages existed for ten seconds before being retracted.

But every other person in the group queued up to reply with [Received].

Then, they fully entered the giant maze, as large as two football fields.

*

As everyone took their first step into the maze, the long-dormant Phone Maze began to light up from their starting points, one phone after another, with blinding brilliance.

Simultaneously, the entire maze echoed with the startup sounds of phones, countless identical and different startup tunes reverberating around, announcing the awakening and power of the maze alongside the glaring lights.

"This is... quite the grand gesture."

Even Chen Shijin, usually composed, was momentarily stunned by the giant walls of phones lighting up around him.

Truly worthy of being called the Phone Maze.

With all the phones previously turned off, navigating the maze, akin to a cage of black mirrors, was already challenging enough to discern directions, but now all the phones had powered on.

The content playing on the phones was incredibly diverse and without any discernible pattern.

One moment, a game was playing, and the next, it switched to a romance TV show. Then music, card games, action movies, and even passionate dances continuously rotated on the screens, overwhelming the senses.

Chen Shijin's thoughts drifted slightly at the sight of the passionate dancing. The white dog, also tasked with entering through another entrance as part of the challenge, made him wonder if the dog could find its way out amid the dazzling array of dances.

After all, each phone seemed to possess a strong allure, enticing viewers to stop and watch.

Indeed, lacking strength means failing the world task.

If it were before the upgrades, the mesmerizing walls of the Phone Maze alone might have been enough to ensnare them, halting their progress.

But now, everyone should be able to persist for at least ten to twenty minutes.

Thinking this, Chen Shijin began to stride forward.

The corridors of the maze were about as wide as two doors, not feeling crowded. However, walking for a long time still led to dizziness and a complete loss of direction.

After wandering in the Phone Maze for three minutes, Chen Shijin's face showed signs of annoyance.

Too noisy.

Too glaring.

Too, frustratingly irritating.

Don't these phones understand that silence is golden?

Chen Shijin stood expressionlessly in front of a phone screen that was taking turns displaying videos of sultry male dancers. The dancers inside the phone seemed to mock him for reaching a dead end so quickly.

At this moment, rapid footsteps and excited panting came from behind him.

Without turning around, he could see in the phone screen's reflection the mutated creature brandishing a machete, baring its teeth.

It seemed he had no choice.

"Haha, hahaha! Caught, caught you!"

The creature behind him lunged forward excitedly, its eyes wide, the blade gleaming coldly.

Chen Shijin coldly spoke just a second before the blade swung down: "Explode!"

Thus, all watchers in the land of exile saw that at least a level three world monster instantly burst into a fireball and turned to ash within seconds.

N-22

N+66

"What happened! Does Mouth Bro have such an ability?! Wasn't he just good at praying?!"

"Clearly not. At least he has the ability to, well, fire with his mouth. Hiss, we must remember his face, we have to find him later!"

However, before these exiles could finish discussing his mouth-firing ability, they saw him press his hand against the screen of the dead-end phone in front of him, fiercely grab something from it, and stuff it into his mouth.

Then, the young man frowned and lifted his leg, delivering a kick straight to the dead-end phone!

"Damn!"

"What is he doing?!"

"Is he out of his mind, trying to forcefully dismantle the Phone Maze?!"

"Impossible, the Phone Maze is reinforced by the core power of the City of Phones. Unless one's energy level is higher than that of the Devourer of the City of Phones, it's absolutely impossible to forcefully break through—"

Under the shocked gazes of countless exiles, this young man indeed kicked down the phone in front of him, as sturdy as alloy steel, with just one foot.

Utterly preposterous!

"How could this be—"

Chen Shijin kicked down the giant phone wall blocking his path, finally revealing a polite smile on his face.

Good, it's finally a bit quieter now.

Also, these phones indeed contain energy. Or rather, the entire Phone Maze is infused with energy. Just by looking carefully with the eyes, one can see the small square of energy at the center of the phone screen.

Unlike the musical energy in Melody Street, which manifests as musical scores, the energy in these phone walls appears as squares in the "Third Eye." One square holds an astonishing 666 energy points!

As for the taste of consuming it...

Chen Shijin wore a mask of slight discomfort.

Compressed biscuits.

It was actually compressed biscuits.

Fortunately, the energy from these phone-compressed biscuits doesn't fill the stomach; it transforms directly into energy points upon entering the mouth. Otherwise, he would have truly burst from overeating along the way.

Now, knowing that the phone walls can be eaten and kicked through, he can directly eat through the walls and take a straight line to find the boss.

"Ah! Help! Is anyone nearby? I can't hold on much longer! Save me, please!"

Suddenly, Chen Shijin heard a cry for help coming from the front left, the voice urgent and quick, unmistakably that of Courier Afei.

At the same time, a cry also came from the front right: "Yiyiyi! Don't come over here!"

Chen Shijin's mouth twitched slightly as he looked towards the front left, grabbed the energy from the phone wall, swallowed it in one gulp, and then lifted his leg—kick!

After kicking through two walls in succession, Chen Shijin saw the disheveled courier running around the wall, with no less than seven mutated beings trailing behind him.

"Mouth Bro!!"

The moment Afei saw Chen Shijin kicking through the wall, he was moved to tears, rushing over excitedly: "Mouth Bro! You are my god, ahh!"

Chen Shijin dispatched those seven mutants one by one and firmly rejected Afei's hug with an outstretched hand. Don't be clingy like that white dog.

He paused but still turned to the right.

It wasn't that he felt a profound brotherly bond with that repeatedly defeated and shameless green tea cousin; it was just that they were, reluctantly, comrades-in-arms at the moment.

Since the green tea cousin didn't abandon everyone to run back to the hotel alone before, now that he had the ability to save others, he shouldn't just ignore them.

Not to mention, his very character-consistent green tea ability might prove highly useful in the final battle.

Of course, the most important reason is that over the years, this green tea's attempts to act petty in front of him have never succeeded, often resulting in him being firmly disciplined. It's probably this lack of success that led him to a powerless rage and perversion, eventually siding with Liu Da Kai. He finally had his moment of triumph in front of him.

Chen Shijin: ……

Thus, he always felt out of sync with this green tea due to his excessive rationality.

While thinking this, Chen Shijin, consuming energy and kicking phones, finally saw his trembling little cousin cowering in a corner after toppling four phone walls.

About two meters in front of him were at least a dozen mutated creatures, snarling and clawing, trying to break through the tea aura.

！！！

"……Cousin! Wuuu cousin!! You actually came to save Junjun! Wuuuu I knew you cared about me! I care about you so much too!"

When the wall of phones collapsed thunderously, the cowering Lu Jun lifted his tearful eyes in disbelief, which then turned into genuine joy, as if he had seen a deity.

He had been truly frightened, thinking his end was imminent.

He knew he had been too petty over the years, and his taciturn cousin might have grown to detest him. Others might receive help by calling out and being heard by Chen Shijin, but even if he screamed his lungs out, Chen Shijin probably wouldn't come to his rescue.

But he couldn't reconcile himself to this fate.

Who would want to die if they could live?

As the number of mutated creatures surrounding him increased, with the end of his life in sight, Lu Jun couldn't help but reflect on why he had treated his cousin the way he did.

Perhaps it was because he had everything Lu Jun envied—loving parents, inexhaustible wealth, consistently top grades, and a charisma that drew everyone's attention even without speaking.

He never admitted his envy, hence always derogatorily called him mute.

But now, upon reflection, he realized he always envied, even admired him. Deep down, he desperately wished to be as radiant. Yet, he couldn't.

Unable to achieve this, he resorted to belittling him.

This way, he appeared better, more outstanding, more loved.

"..." Now thinking back, such behavior was incredibly foolish.

No wonder he always looked at him as one would at a buffoon or an idiot. Hmph. His mocking gaze was unmistakable. As if he couldn't understand it.

So, seeing the person he believed would never come to his rescue flattening paths and crossing mountains to save him, Lu Jun almost couldn't believe his eyes.

At that moment, the demon he despised shone brilliantly, enveloped in a redeeming golden light.

"Wuuu cousin! Cousin!"

"Cousin, you are my god! Wuuu, I was wrong, I'll never act petty or snide towards you again! I just greatly admire you, wuuu."

Chen Shijin looked at the tearfully sobbing green tea cousin, his face contorting. For a moment, he truly wanted to turn around and leave him to fend for himself.

Damn your "you have a place in my heart, I care about you deeply, goddamn my great admiration for you."

Is your family's admiration expressed through pettiness?

This green tea's deity has nothing to do with him.

Yet, in the end, Chen Shijin eliminated those dozen or so stronger mutated beings, continuously increasing his N. He also stopped the green tea's attempt at a devoted hug with a cold glare.

"Don't touch me. Or I'll beat you to death."

Lu Jun: "Ying."

"I understand, cousin. I will never act petty again, I'll just watch you from afar, bless you, pray for your ascent to the pinnacle!! No one is stronger than you! I will protect your glory with my life!"

Chen Shijin: ……

For the first time in twenty-six years, he felt slightly overpowered by this green tea.

Chen Shijin turned and left, quickly moving on with Afei's help, eating through phones and kicking down walls as they encountered them.

By now, they had been in the Phone Maze for ten minutes, subtracting the eight minutes it took to get there, their upgraded abilities would last another forty-two minutes.

Time was tight; they had to reach the center of the maze and start the battle within twenty minutes.

So, Chen Shijin simply sent a voice message in the phone group.

Silence is Golden: "[Where is everyone? Shout out your locations, we'll come to assist.]"

Immediately, the group was filled with several exclamation marks.

Then, Chen Shijin and his two companions heard heartfelt calls coming from all directions.

"Mouth Bro! Mouth Bro, you are my god! Please come help your little brother!"

"Jinzi bro, I'm here, where the wind is!"

"Brother Jinzi, I can hold on a bit longer, gather the others first and then come for me, Old Bear, it won't be too late!"

"Mouth Bro, save me! They won't listen to reason anymore!"

The last urgent shout came from Song Fang, and Chen Shijin remembered her ability was [Let's Discuss Again], which after upgrading became 【Listen to Me, Thank You】 with a half-price discount effect.

It seems her skill wasn't very effective on creatures with less-than-stellar intellect.

Thus, Chen Shijin, recognizing the voice, had Afei swiftly lead the way, flattening five phone walls to reach Song Fang.

By then, Song Fang had sustained injuries to her right arm, with eight advanced mutated creatures in front of her shaking their heads wildly, refusing to listen to her.

Seeing Chen Shijin and his group, Song Fang's eyes reddened, "Mouth Bro, listen to me, thank you!"

Chen Shijin: .

Fine, I'll listen.

Afterward, Chen Shijin, with his three companions, consuming phone energy and flattening walls, appeared like divine soldiers before their teammates time and again, elevating his Mouth Bro reputation to its peak.

And when he had consumed hundreds of phones, demolished several hundred walls, and gathered all eight companions, as if by fate's design, they saw the yellow caution tape directly ahead—

The wall was made of phone cases, all in a bright, eye-catching yellow. Unlike the phones outside that played various games, movies, videos, and dances upon startup, these yellow phones powered on simultaneously as Chen Shijin and his team arrived. Inside the screens stood people with expressions of sorrow, numbness, madness, or obsession.

At first glance, this yellow caution tape resembled a wall of people trapped behind glass display cases.

"My God, what is this...?" Zhao Xiaofeng uttered an incredulous whisper.

Were the people inside the phone screens real or fake?

Or rather, were they alive or dead?

Everyone instinctively quieted their breaths, afraid to disturb these individuals within the phones.

However, there was no need for them to make a sound; the person in the yellow phone directly in front of them, upon seeing them, suddenly slapped the phone screen from the inside, and his frantic voice came through the phone's speaker:

"Do not proceed! Do not proceed!!"

Then, the people in the phones on his left and right also suddenly looked at them grimly, simultaneously raising their hands to slap the screens: "Do not proceed! Do not proceed!!"

And then, like a spreading virus, in a very short time, all the people in the yellow caution phones began frantically and ominously beating against the screens, yelling at them: Do not proceed!

At the same time, all the phones in the maze turned into vivid red exclamation marks, emitting a warning in the altered voice of the girl in the puffy skirt.

[Warning! Warning! Guests have arrived at the yellow caution tape, please turn back immediately! Turn back immediately! Do not enter the restricted area.]

[Do—Not—Enter—The—Deadly—Restricted—Area—]

At this moment, there were twenty-one minutes left until the prayer upgrade expired.

Amidst the myriad warnings from the phones, Chen Shijin directly approached the yellow phone facing them.

He reached out and grabbed a mass of energy wrapped in blue light, wailing in agony.

He fell silent abruptly.

Then, he crushed the wailing energy mass and kicked down the now black-screened, giant yellow phone.

N+444

He declared, "I insist on entering!"

Turning to his companions, he commanded, "Smash these phone cages! You can do it."

N-34768

Instantly, it seemed as if some force had augmented Wang Baojie and the others' strength, and they collectively began to furiously demolish the yellow phones, imprisoning the remnants of human souls.

With every phone they destroyed, unseen screaming souls were released from the devices, merging into their bodies as faint points of light.

When the first yellow phone wall leading to the core crumbled, the outer phones' warnings abruptly ceased.

Instead, a sharp, icy alarm sounded over the entire Phone City.

[Alert! Alert!]

[World Mission initiated! World Mission initiated!]

[All citizens of Phone City, proceed to the core area to protect the core! All citizens of Phone City, proceed to the core area to protect the core!]

In that instant, whether it was uncles and aunties chatting beside pushcarts, male and female servers cleaning in hotels, or every citizen in Phone City absorbed in their phones, all stopped their actions and looked up.

A waiter polishing silverware paused, looked at the bright silver tray reflecting his non-human face, and suddenly smiled: "Oh my. So this iron plate really does have its limits."

The next moment, he set down the tray and vanished from the spot like a ghost.

Countless citizens of Phone City rushed towards the Phone Maze.

Within minutes, the massive maze was flooded with an uncountable number of "people" from all directions.

By then, Chen Shijin and his team had already breached the second yellow wall.

When the soul of a girl, weeping blood and tears, was released from the third wall Chen Shijin grasped, inside the collapsed wall was a giant golden phone inlaid with various gems.

How familiar is this description?

But in front of them, the giant golden phone's screen contained a vivid red, ugly heart of flesh.

At that moment, the heart in the screen swelled and contracted, emitting a grating hum through the golden gem-encrusted phone—

"Intruders, die—"

The next instant, a massive fireball shot out from the phone screen, directly targeting Chen Shijin!

With a raised eyebrow from Chen Shijin, Afei shouted as he rushed to him, helping him dodge the enormous fireball.

Meanwhile, Wang Baojie, Brother Bear, and Liu Chengli, the three strongmen, attacked the golden gem phone from left, right, and behind, respectively.

Wang Baojie took a deep breath and swung his fist: "Mountain Lifting Strength!"

Brother Bear unleashed a palm strike, roaring: "Take this, Black Bear Heart Snatch!"

Though Liu Chengli used a prosthetic limb, he also exerted his full strength: "Unmatched Power!"

The three men's powers, each capable of shattering gold and gems, were unleashed.

Yet, after withstanding three punches, the golden gem phone merely showed cracks on the screen and dents on the sides.

The ugly heart inside the golden gem phone's screen remained almost entirely unscathed—

It seemed to mock them by displaying a long health bar on the screen.

And Wang Baojie's trio's attack only reduced the health bar by less than one-tenth.

"Foolish... humans! You will... pay the price for this!"

The next moment, the heart of flesh and blood on the smartphone screen expanded and contracted again, and then, more than a dozen bolts of lightning struck out from the screen. After breaking through the edge of the phone, the animated lightning became real!

(Line 7 is nonsensical or in an unknown code/format and cannot be translated as is.)

"Damn! Everyone, take cover! 3+7=3!" Zhou Mo, wiping the sweat from his forehead, quickly shouted, and the dozen bolts of lightning were instantly reduced by seven.

Afei narrowly dodged a lightning bolt, shouting from the side, "Damn, our team doesn't have a big shield!"

Chen Shijin narrowed his eyes, "Who says we don't? Brother Bear is our shield!"

"I pray! Brother Bear is as solid as iron!" N-1000

As others dodged the successive lightning fireballs, they were invigorated: "That's right! Bear Brother is our tank!"

Amidst everyone's cheers, Bear Brother suddenly felt a surge of strength, his already thick brown fur gaining a metallic sheen. With a roar, he jumped in front of Chen Qiang, swatted away a fireball with one hand, and withstood a bolt of lightning.

"Roar! I'm the iron tank! Orcs never surrender!"

Shouting so, he charged like a giant bear, slamming hard into the screen of the golden phone.

At this moment, Song Fang shouted sharply from the side: "Listen to me! Thank you! Bring your defense down to the lowest for me!"

The moment Song Fang's words fell, Xiong Ge also charged head-on into the phone screen.

This time, the screen of the golden gemstone phone didn't just crack but shattered completely.

Inside the screen, the ugly heart suddenly lost half of its health!

"Roar! That worked! Sister Song Fang, if talking helps, keep talking!"

Brother Bear became excited all at once.

The spirits of everyone else surged at that moment.

There's a chance! A possibility! Hope of winning, ahhhh!

However, just as everyone was looking to press their advantage, the citizens of the Phone City finally arrived.

The figure in the black tailcoat effortlessly blocked Brother Bear's charge: "Oh dear, sir, we simply can't let you destroy the core of our Phone City."

The fried chicken vendor, this time wielding his newly made oil cart, crazily splashed the excessively hot oil around.

"Hahaha, I'll scald you to death! Scald you! Kill you all!"

The initially dominant group was suddenly surrounded by countless citizens. Even as Lv Jun's voice went hoarse, he could only use [Tea Fragrance Everywhere] to keep the citizens at bay two meters away, but his increasingly pale complexion showed this couldn't last long.

But the worst was yet to come—the heart in the phone screen suddenly contracted and throbbed twice, and two thick blood vessels extended from its sides, then broke through the screen to madly absorb the flesh and power of the incoming Phone City citizens, each of whom wore an expression of utmost devotion and joy.

In just two minutes, the heart's health bar in the screen was restored to two-thirds.

"Damn! We can't let it continue sucking!" Brother Bear roared.

But almost everyone was stretched too thin at the moment.

Chen Shijin obliterated three aberrant creatures that charged at him with a single gesture, his gaze lingering on those two thick blood vessels, then he looked at the heart inside the golden gem phone screen.

Without destroying this shell, the heart cannot be killed.

How can we destroy this shell?

Just then, a loud wolf howl rang out. Everyone abruptly looked up, only to see the previously cuddly and praiseful white dog agilely hopping over countless aberrant heads, before leaping high and biting into the left, thick heart vessel.

Crunch.

A clean bite through the vessel, showcasing the white dog's impressive bite strength.

Screech—

The golden phone let out a piercing scream, its health bar dropping by a quarter. Ah Fei shuddered: "Lucky I didn't try to pet the white dog earlier."

At that moment, the struggling pink sidekick also threw his machete: "Long live my master! To death with you!"

Unfortunately, the blade only grazed the vessel's surface, and the pink sidekick was quickly slain by the citizens.

Chen Shijin frowned.

With a disdainful bark, the white dog leaped towards the second blood vessel.

However, this time, it managed to dodge the veins in a split second.

The white dog could only tilt its head, powerless to help.

Chen Yijin, observing the heart's veins swiftly retracting back into the phone screen, a flicker of dark light flashed in his eyes.

By then, Lu Jun's tea aura had shrunk to less than a meter in range, everyone crammed together, hanging like vegetables, quite in a sorry state.

The swallow-tailed coat waiter elegantly stood aside: "Ladies and gentlemen, why not stay in the City of Phones forever. You've already walked into a dead end."

The others remained silent.

Then, Xiong Ge suddenly spat out: "Stay my ass! Whoever loves this trash city can stay! Even if I die in battle, I want to take you down with me!"

Wang Baojie also laughed: "To push the core to this extent, I have no regrets about this battle!" Then he suddenly gathered all his strength, energy swirling around him in an invisible tornado: "Fight to the death!"

"Fight to the death!"

Everyone was mentally prepared.

At this moment, outside the eye-shaped sun in the sky, countless exiles watching them fell into silent silence.

"They can't win, right?"

"...Of course, they can't. They're just at such low levels."

"Ah, but why do I feel so uneasy about this? They've come so far."

"Deaths in the Exile Lands are numerous. It's just that, we've never seen them like this before."

It's only because the All-Seeing Eye of the past never allowed such scenes to unfold before them. Fearing they might harbor hope, a will to fight, or the courage of a desperate man ready to perish alongside his enemy.

Yet now that they've seen it, there's a sense of unrest in their hearts.

"Holy shit! Look! Mouth Bro is making his move!"

Suddenly, someone exclaimed in surprise, their tone filled with an unexpected hope, even to themselves.

Everyone's gaze immediately focused.

They saw the youth, encircled by the crowd, suddenly turn his head towards the smug golden gemstone phone, then with a swift leap, he charged right into the phone?!

"Ah, he's in! He's in! He actually went in!"

"My God! Mouth Bro is awesome, truly awesome!!"

"Enter!" N=0!

A single word exhausted all his energy, but Chen Jinyan saw that living, breathing heart of flesh.

Who would have thought that within this shell of gold and gems, the heart that controlled the entire city, so greedy and shameless, would be so small?

So small, it could be crushed by hand.

Thus, everyone, both within and outside of this world, human or not, saw the youth who entered the phone grasp the ugly, screaming, frantic heart and crush it in his palm.

【Ｋ.Ｏ！】

The red health bar abruptly dropped to zero, and then the gold shattered, the gems fell, and the youth, hands bloody, smiled at the astonished waiter in a tailcoat.

"See, even this phone cracked, didn't it?"

The waiter in the tailcoat was stunned for a moment, then revealed the most delighted smile. He bowed deeply with the utmost formality:

"The Royal Hotel is honored to serve you. You are destined for great success and to stand at the pinnacle of the world."

Then, he, along with the city's inhabitants, countless phones, and innumerable souls freed from within the phones, dissipated into the cosmos.

At that moment, a vast crack opened in the sky.

A ghastly howl emanated from the slowly parting black veil of the heavens.

[You have completed the World Mission of the City of Phones!]

As countless exiles screamed in excitement, the all-seeing eye at the gathering point angrily closed.

Thus, no one saw that just before leaving this devouring world, a fleeting white shadow and their newly risen Mouth God let out an indignant roar:

"You damn dog thing!"