The group stared at the young man before them, unsure whether to remain silent or offer a polite greeting.

 

The atmosphere was utterly incongruous with his demeanor, he’d been driven to exile, nearly devoured by monsters, yet he acted as if he’d won the lottery!

 

And hadn’t he just easily obliterated that ferocious, big-eyed monster? Unless someone in the group was incredibly lucky and they were randomly matched with a true powerhouse, this guy seemed more like a disguised NPC than a fellow member!

 

The atmosphere was excessively silent.

 

Fortunately, a new notification sound soon reached their ears.

 

[Welcome to the Devouring World-Mobile City.1]

 

[World Mission Now Issued.]

 

[Survival Mission: Find five checkpoints within Mobile City within five days and take photos at the designated times and according to the requirements.]

 

[Mission Reward: Obtain a protective barrier, preventing you from being devoured by this world, and successfully survive.]

 

[World Mission: Mobile City has been invaded by an unknown virus, causing a large number of mutated monsters. Exiles, please find the source of the virus and eliminate it, restoring peace and tranquility to the world.]

 

[Mission Reward: Mobile City’s gratitude.]

 

[Devourer Core x1.]

 

[Countdown begins. Exiles, please act quickly, and may you not become food to be devoured.]

 

Upon hearing this, everyone abandoned any suspicion of Chen Shijin. All the newcomers present subtly changed their expressions, beginning to ponder the “Survival Mission” and the “World Mission.”

 

Were these two missions key to their survival here? What were the differences between the Survival Mission and the World Mission, and were they both mandatory?

 

While the newcomers were still contemplating, the old man Wang Baojie, who had initially urged everyone to run this way, spoke calmly.

 

“Everyone, to make a long story short. You all heard the mission the system just released, right? Please remember, in all the Devouring Worlds, the “Survival Mission” is the highest priority and the most important first mission.”

 

“Only by completing the Survival Mission can you survive in this Devouring World. Otherwise, once the time limit expires, you will become nourished for this world and be completely devoured and digested.”

 

“Therefore, the “Survival Mission” must be completed.”

 

“Then there are the “World Missions”.World Missions are advanced missions based on completing the Survival Mission. Generally, only extremely powerful exiles can complete World Missions, and completing a World Mission is equivalent to finding and destroying the core of the Devouring World, which is equivalent to fighting back against the monster that devours us.”

 

“The rewards for completing World Missions are quite generous, and the energy points obtained are extremely high. It can be said that as long as you can complete just one World Mission, you will have the power to live well in the “Land of Exile”However, high rewards also represent huge risks. Before becoming an “Advanced Exile”, I advise you not to attempt to complete World Missions.”

 

Wang Baojie’s words answered everyone’s questions about the missions, but a new question immediately arose.

 

“Shall we go on a survival mission now? How do we find the checkpoints? It’s getting dark, won’t it be dangerous to move around at night? Or should we go tomorrow?”

 

The one who asked the question was a woman who looked very capable. Chen Shijin remembered that her ability was something like “Let’s discuss it again.”Back then, she kept shouting to the monster chasing her, “Big brother, let’s discuss it again! Please don’t chase me!” Then the monster chasing her actually stopped and thought for a moment, but only for a moment, and quickly caught up again.

 

But at least she managed to escape by going back and forth to discuss it.

 

As she said this, she naturally took out her phone from her small backpack, wanting to check the exact time.

 

But as soon as she held the phone up in front of her, Wang Baojie shouted and snatched the phone away. Under everyone’s surprised gaze, Wang Baojie’s expression was serious:

 

 

“In this world, don’t look at your phone unless absolutely necessary!”

 

“Why…why?” Lu Jun asked in a low and teasing voice at this moment. “Brother, you told us not to look at our phones or like anything before. Is it dangerous to look at our phones or like anything?”

 

Liu Dakai, who had been forced to like something, glanced at Lü Jun upon hearing this, then turned to listen attentively to the seemingly experienced old man.

 

Wang Baojie didn’t hide anything either, his expression still carrying a hint of helplessness and frustration.

 

“Of course it’s dangerous. Mobile City is one of the “most unwanted devouring worlds” on the All-Seeing Eye’s ranking list. Although this devouring world can only be classified as mid-to-high level according to energy, its missions are extremely difficult to complete, and one wrong move can lead to an inescapable addiction.”

 

 

 

“An inescapable addiction means that when you look at your phone, there’s a very high chance you won’t be able to control yourself and keep looking, and eventually lose control. This kind of inescapable invasion is very difficult to resist.”

 

“In addition, the devourer changes every time it devours and evolves a world, so we can’t know the mission content or how to deal with it within the devouring world. But all the survivors who came out of Mobile City agree on one thing-don’t look at your phone!”

 

“So not looking at your phone is the most reliable advice in this world.”

 

Everyone fell silent.

 

“But the mission requires us to take photos with our phones.”

 

the overworked office worker, who had been on a 3+7 holiday,said wearily.

 

“Besides, this place is called the Mobile City, and a lot of things can only be done with a phone, right?”

 

He checked the time on his phone more than thirty times a day, plus ordering takeout, watching stress-relieving videos, replying to group messages… If he got addicted to his phone, he’d probably die from it.

 

Wang Baojie obviously knew this too, but the survival mission had to be done. He sighed, “Anyway, don’t do it unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

 

Suddenly, a soft voice came from behind.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen. You have been standing idly in front of my hotel entrance for ten minute.Please allow me to politely inquire: Do you wish to check in? If not, please close the door from the outside.”

 

Wang Baojie was startled the moment the voice rang out, turning sharply to see a male waiter in a black tailcoat standing behind them.

 

The male waiter was tall and thin with an ordinary, average face and a standard service smile. Even under the suspicious and astonished gazes of a dozen people, his smile remained unchanged.

 

 

“Friendly reminder.It’s 5:45 PM now, and night will fall in 15 minutes.To prevent mutated monsters from infiltrating the population, Mobile City has implemented city-wide real-name authentication since yesterday.Without a real-name authentication security code, you won’t be able to check into any hotel, restaurant, or public service point tonight.”

 

“In that case, you’ll all be wandering the streets tonight.”

 

The waiter pointed towards the glass door, and everyone gasped-

 

a whole row of big-eyed monster had gathered outside the hotel’s glass door. They varied in height and build, completely surrounding the hotel entrance, each holding a phone in one hand and a weapon in the other, their bulging eyes staring intently at everyone inside.

 

Chen Shijin could even hear their earnest shouts through the door:

 

“Like! Or… die?”

 

Everyone:… Do they even have a choice?!

 

Wang Baojie wiped his face on the spot: “We’re checking in. Can we do real-name authentication at the hotel?”

 

The tuxedo attendant smiled even more perfectly: “Of course. This hotel is one of the registration points responsible for real-name authentication.”

 

‘However, there are only 10 minutes left until 6:00 PM. Please hurry to the front desk to avoid being forcibly removed from the hotel if you can’t complete the registration.”

 

Instantly, everyone’s expression changed, and one after another, they turned around and ran to the front desk as fast as they could.

 

Chen Shijin was the last one.

 

Having been forced to keep quiet for twenty-three years, he had long since become a calm emperor who wouldn’t change his expression even if Mount Tai collapsed.

 

After all, if he lost control, he might open his mouth and kill an entire family, or turn someone into an idiot, or even cause an ethical tragedy. Over time, elegance and silence became a mask that he couldn’t quite take off.

 

Although both Lu Jun and Liu Dakai thought it was just arrogant posturing, they had to admit that this mute was always as steady as an old dog; they had never seen him show any anxiety or fear.

 

Look. Now he’s showing off again!

 

Lü Jun, third in line, turned to look at Chen Shijin at the back and sneered.

 

Go ahead and show off, let’s see how long you can keep it up.

 

There were thirteen people in the line, and less than ten minutes left to register. Even if each person only had one minute, Chen Shijin at the back wouldn’t be able to finish registering before 6 o’clock

 

 

 

So what if he has amazing special abilities? In the end, he’ll still be thrown out and hacked to pieces by those big-eyed people!

 

Thinking this, Lu Jun slightly curled his lips, waiting to see Chen Shijin get hacked to pieces for his posturing.

 

Then, he unconsciously moved his buttocks, feeling a secret pain and itching in that indescribab le place.

 

Tsk, hurry up and finish registering. He was soaked from the rain, and there was still some other stuff he hadn’t dealt with; he wanted to take a shower as soon as possible.

 

 

At this point, the cousin, amidst the fragrant aroma of tea, hadn’t yet realized the seriousness of the situation.

 

Real-name authentication registration wasn’t difficult; all it took was opening your phone, locating yourself in the new app “Mobile City,” taking a photo, and then connecting it to the hotel computer.

 

Because this process could be done in advance, those at the back of the line could prepare beforehand. So, except for the first girl (Yang Ti) and the second deliveryman who took about two minutes, starting with Lü Jun in third place, faster people only needed ten or twenty seconds to complete the verification.

 

Lü Jun considered whether to delay during his verification, but behind him stood the serious-loo king Wang Baojie.

 

This prevented him from doing anything shady, so he could only slow down his verification, taking thirty seconds to complete it.

 

Even so, by the time the line reached the ninth person, seven and a half minutes had already passed, leaving only two minutes and thirty seconds for registration.

 

And there were still four people who hadn’t registered.

 

Four people in one hundred and fifty seconds-an average of only thirty-seven seconds per person.

 

Even though the people behind them had already completed their location and photos, and only needed to connect to the hotel’s computer for authentication, they were still sweating profusely with anxiety.

 

“Hurry up! Hurry up! Hurry up! We don’t have time!”

 

The two people standing third and second to last anxiously urged the fourth person from the back.

 

The middle-aged man fourth from the back wiped his sweat as he tried to connect to the front desk computer with trembling hands. But the more anxious he became, the less he could connect the data cable.

 

“Hurry up! It’s already 5:58!”

 

“Shut the hell up! What are you rushing me for! Don’t you know that rushing will only make things more chaotic?!”The man fourth from the back shoved the girl third from the back hard, because he had awakened the ability of [Great Strength), and pushed her several meters away.

 

“If you rush me again, do you believe I’ll drag this out until the very end and kill you?!”

 

The girl screamed on the spot, then looked at Chen Shijin and the burly man second to last, and quickly rushed back to her third-to-last position, trembling and lowering her head. This time, she dared not say anything.

 

The man with the “great strength” snorted coldly, then turned around as if he had won a battle and connected his phone to the front desk computer. It took him a minute and a half to complete the verification process.

 

At this point, only thirty seconds remained until 6 PM. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the golden wall clock in the center of the lobby, silently watching the longest second hand tick by.

 

Lü Jun and Liu Dakai exchanged a glance, a secret schadenfreude in their eyes.

 

Wang Baojie, however, keenly noticed a large group of people gathered outside the hotel lobby, engrossed in their phones.

 

They stood behind the big-eyed monsters, heads bowed, focused on their devices, which only amplified the inexplicable fear and oppression of the approaching night.

 

 

Indeed, the Mobile City at night was extremely unsafe.

 

Thinking this, Wang Baojie looked at Chen Shijin with some worry. It was a pity, this newcomer, who might have awakened a powerful ability, was likely to die in this series of early losses.

 

Wang Baojle sighed; even the most unlucky person couldn’t withstand the luckiest.

 

Chen Shijin subtly sensed Wang Baojie’s pitying gaze, and of course, the distant malice from Lü Jun and Liu Dakai.

 

Standing before him, Brother Bear Paw was sweating profusely and trembling slightly, while the big-eyed man outside the hotel’s glass door behind him was even more excited and agitated.

 

The tuxedo waiter had somehow appeared beside him, his smile widening, almost splitting his jaw. It seemed he could pick him up and throw him out of the hotel at any moment.

 

He felt like he had entered the worst possible ending, everyone waiting for his judgment.

 

Chen Shijin looked at the golden clock and scoffed.

 

Ah, this, really, is unnecessary.

 

17:59:42.

 

18 seconds until 6 PM.

 

The third-to-last girl completed her real-name registration.

 

Brother Bear Paw strode forward, his hands trembling as he reached for his computer. But he was too nervous, and his hand slipped, dropping his phone to the ground. Brother Bear Paw’s face turned deathly pale. Although he quickly bent down to pick up his phone, another 3 seconds had passed.

 

15 seconds remaining.

 

The tuxedo waiter’s smile had become quite eerie and terrifying, and the big-eyed crowd gathered outside the hotel entrance had their eyes glued to the glass.

 

“Oh dear, it seems this gentleman doesn’t have time to register,”

 

the tuxedo waiter said in an extremely cheerful tone.

 

Chen Shijin didn’t answer him, but simply looked at the golden wall clock: “Is the registration time calculated according to this wall clock in the lobby?”

 

 

The tuxedo-wearing waiter narrowed his eyes, understanding that this human was trying to struggle.

 

“Of course. Our hotel’s Royal Clock is the oldest clock in Mobile City; all time in Mobile City is based on our hotel’s clock!”

 

So struggling is futile. Look! The second hand is about to reach zero!

 

You’re about to die-

 

“Oh.”Chen Shijin nodded,revealing a composed and elegant smile:

 

“Then if your hotel’s clock breaks, the registration time won’t count, right?”

 

The tuxedo-wearing waiter burst out laughing: “Haha! Guest, you really love to daydream!”)”

 

 

“Our hotel’s Royal Clock has never broken in a hundred years! If it really breaks, I’ll register you upside down and give you a free stay in the presidential suite!”

 

After saying this, the tuxedo-wearing waiter grinned, closed his eyes, and tilted his ear, preparing to listen to the Royal Clock’s melodious yet terrifyingly precise chime.

 

At the same time, he planned to throw this rambling human out the door the instant the clock struck, letting the mutated monsters tear him apart.

 

Hmm?

 

What’s going on?

 

Why isn’t the clock chiming yet?

 

Just as the tuxedo waiter looked up in confusion, he suddenly heard a very soft, almost imperceptible murmur. The next second, the century-old royal clock exploded with a bang, shattering right be fore everyone’s eyes!

 

Exploded!

 

It even emitted a little smoke.

 

Everyone in the hotel lobby: “.!!”

 

The tuxedo waiter: “?!?!”

 

Then the tuxedo waiter heard the voice he hated most in his life:

 

“Wow. You can’t be too boastful. Look, your century-old royal clock is broken now, isn’t it?l”

 

The tuxedo waiter: “…….”

 

The tuxedo waiter stared intently at the huge crack in their hotel’s magnificent, antique, century-old pure gold royal clock… at the second hand stuck at 17:59:59, a deafening silence.

 

To make matters worse, the golden monster that would roar precisely on the hour was suddenly ejected, landing with a thud on the ground, never to roar again.

 

The tuxedo waiter: “……”

 

Chen Shijin: ‘Presidential suite, check-in upside down, a promise is a promise.”

 

The tuxedo waiter: “…….”

 

I’ll knock on the door! Did you hear that?! I’ll knock on the door!!!