Everyone initially thought it was a countdown timer that was specially prepared by the Ress government body and that chain of assumption continued on until it reached Jin who was staring at it with despair.
The System's confirmation made it even more terrifying as it indicated that no one in the government body had created that special countdown nor it was part of the event's script. The worst of all was that it had detected Celestial Energy onto it.
There was no denying despite the fact everyone was still a celebratory mood. The Celestials were coming and they had given Ress their ultimatum. Enjoy or prepare all you can. When the clock strikes 12, the new year will usher in the swift judgement and punishment that you might expect.
There were no other warning signs and this was the possible explanation that whatever time left was what Ress could afford. Jin and the System had no idea whether this would be a one off fight or this would be just the start of their survival.
