Steel torrents pioneering a different world.

Chapter 337 A Crazy Idea, A Self-Repairing Forbidden Zone in Space and Time (Please Subscribe)

Eating, sleeping, working, and occasionally exchanging and discussing software optimization projects with my lovely friends!

This is Lin Li's daily routine lately.

"Huh, they actually took it to the airshow, stayed for a day, and then left!"

Li Weiguo rubbed his chin, thinking that he had been so busy these past few days that he hadn't even paid attention to Lin Li's actions!

Li Weiguo thought for a moment, sent some mission messages to Zhong Mengyao, and then went to rest.

The burden of coordinating the follow-up work of the pioneering team and ensuring security and confidentiality rested entirely on his shoulders. The pressure on his shoulders was immense!

When Li Weiguo's message reached Zhong Mengyao's phone, she had already returned to Shanghai.

The Huangpu River was ablaze with lights under the night sky, but she had no time to appreciate it. Her fingertips swiped rapidly across the screen, accessing all the updates about Lin Li.

She confirmed that Lin Li had been behaving himself lately and had not been running around outside of his daily work.

She made a few more calls to confirm with her colleagues in charge of the perimeter, and indeed, no fools were bothering him.

"Oh, right, Sister Zhong." The person on the other end of the phone suddenly remembered something, "A couple of days ago, a female college student, probably from watching too much of those apps, wanted to talk to Lin Li about breakup compensation, but some people discouraged her."

Zhong Mengyao's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

It's that kind of thing again.

When both parties are willing, everything is easy to discuss; once things fall apart, they want to make a quick buck.

It is because of the existence of women who take shortcuts, want to gain without effort, and want to lie down and relax that many things have become chaotic and messy.

"Handle this cleanly, don't let this kind of mess reach Lin Li's ears and affect his mood."

"clear."

After hanging up the phone and cutting off all these trivial matters, Zhong Mengyao felt her agitation subside slightly.

She walked into a private beauty salon near Lin Li's residence, a place she frequented, intending to get a back massage and relax with skincare. Lying on the soft beauty bed, feeling the beautician's gentle touch, she couldn't calm down no matter what.

The mirror reflected my flawless face, well-maintained, and because I am still very young, there is absolutely no trace of age.

But so what?

Lin Li's figure involuntarily appeared in her mind.

This guy clearly had strong feelings for me at the beginning, so why is he like a block of wood and never takes the initiative?

The more I think about it, the angrier I get.

Zhong Mengyao took out her phone, tapped on that familiar profile picture, hesitated for a moment, and finally sent two words.

"Are you there?"

He replied almost instantly.

"Yes, what's up? I'm about to take a shower!"

Upon seeing this message, Zhong Mengyao's heart stirred, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved into a smile.

"Want to grab a drink after you've finished showering?"

"No, no," the other person replied strangely. "I'm afraid you'll commit a crime against me! I'm going to bed after I shower, early to bed and early to rise, a healthy routine!"

Zhong Mengyao's smile froze instantly.

boom!

She slammed her fist on the cushion next to her, making a dull thud.

"Ugh, damn it!"

"Madam, please calm down. Getting emotional can affect your skin's absorption of skincare products," the beautician whispered, startled.

"Okay, okay!" Zhong Mengyao took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down, but when she thought about Lin Li's endless stream of women while she was being ignored, a nameless anger rose up again.

"Men are all the same!" she gritted her teeth and squeezed out the words.

Beautician: "???"

"The lady is right, men really are all the same!"

"What do you mean there are no good men? There are plenty of good men out there! What are you looking at? Get to work!" Zhong Mengyao snapped, then realized she had lost her temper and softened her tone, "I'm sorry, I—I lost my temper just now."

"It's okay, I understand. It's just a young couple arguing, it's normal!"

"I didn't argue!"

"Haha, Ms. Zhong, you're so beautiful, it must be him begging you to get back together. We old-fashioned women, we have to grasp the core framework, we can't give up! We can't—"

"Shut up now! Or I'll find someone else!"

The beautician immediately fell silent and focused on her work.

Zhong Mengyao closed her eyes and stopped speaking.

When the organization initially assigned her to contact Lin Li as a bridge for communication, she felt ashamed and annoyed. However, upon learning of Lin Li's importance, she was secretly delighted.

In her view, with her looks, figure, and abilities, it was only a matter of time before she won over Lin Li.

This girl is one in a million.

This is a task, and also a challenge she is happy to accept—a challenge to showcase her charm.

But reality gave her a resounding slap in the face.

She overestimated herself and underestimated Lin Li.

That guy isn't the kind of person who would give up the whole forest for one tree.

He enjoyed the freedom of being surrounded by countless women, yet he maintained a polite and distant safety distance only from himself.

This distance drove her even more crazy than a direct rejection.

unless----

Unless he can become the most unique and unforgettable presence in that forest.

The beautician's gentle movements made her drowsy, but a thought took root and sprouted wildly in her mind, like a seed buried in fertile soil.

The methodical approach was completely useless against him.

He was used to others going along with him and to handling all kinds of relationships with ease.

What if—you don't play by the rules?

Thinking of this, Zhong Mengyao's eyes suddenly opened, a sharp glint flashing in them.

Or perhaps we should switch tracks and take the initiative?

"Why can't I be a female demon?"

Thinking of this, Zhong Mengyao, whose appearance was already somewhat aloof, gradually smiled.

Lin Li's home.

Hot water gushed from the showerhead, washing over his well-defined body, but a thought swirled in his mind.

Women are so annoying.

He complained to the air, or rather, to a particular being in his mind, "Laplace's demon, don't you think women are the most troublesome creatures in the world?"

Meow~

A lazy meow echoed from the depths of my consciousness, tinged with a hint of mockery.

It means you only want to enjoy the process, but don't want to bear the consequences.

"What was the result?" Lin Li scoffed. "I'm still young. I can live a carefree life for another twenty years, then go back in my forties and find my innocent first love to settle down with. Isn't that great?"

Meow~

The spiritual tabby cat shifted into a more comfortable position.

[Scumbag.]

"That's called being dashing and debonair!" Lin Li turned off the water and retorted casually.

With a thought, the water droplets clinging to his body instantly suspended in mid-air, then transformed into a fine mist before falling from the sky.

Not a single drop of water was left on my body.

"The ability to develop energy vibrations is truly an essential skill for both home and travel." Lin Li walked out of the bathroom naked, feeling much more relaxed.

These are energy utilization techniques that he figured out on his own as his body grew stronger.

In an alien world teeming with energy particles, this technique can create a powerful defensive force field. Bullets from light weapons, even when fired from a hundred meters away, will simply bounce off with a clang, without even scratching the skin.

On Earth, due to the scarcity of energy, it can only absorb scattered energy sources such as solar radiation and electromagnetic waves, resulting in a significantly reduced effectiveness.

In another world, it can stop bullets, but on Earth, it can only stop rain and be used as a dryer.

However, Lin Li is quite satisfied with his current strength.

If he were to fuse another five hundred portions of spacetime essence, his physical attributes would undergo a terrifying leap.

At that time, the so-called transcendence and sainthood, comparable to gods, may be nothing more than this.

Even now, with some special protection, he can stroll leisurely through the shockwave of small-caliber shell explosions and launch a counterattack unscathed.

A bullet traveling at supersonic speed is slow enough in dynamic vision that its spinning trajectory can be clearly captured.

He even had a premonition that before long, tearing apart missiles with bare hands might no longer be a fantasy.

As for withstanding a nuclear explosion, that's still a long way off.

Lin Li lay down on the soft bed and completely relaxed.

He was too lazy to even think about Zhong Mengyao's little schemes.

The other party is a contact for the Industrial Cthulhu in the rear; just maintain a certain level of contact with them.

As for provoking the other party.

Isn't it too much trouble?

The reason I don't become part of the Industrial Cthulhu is to maintain mutual respect.

If you reach a cooperation agreement with the other party, you need to significantly improve your morals and certain other aspects.

This will seriously affect Lin Li's performance.

For example, something that an organization can't do but turn into a wheel, Lin Li, an individual, can do on his own.

Once you join and become an official member of Industrial Cthulhu, you'll be unable to do anything.

Lubricating oil fills the gaps between gears, allowing the massive machinery to operate smoothly.

Lin Li naturally took on the task of cleaning up the dirt.

However, none of these actions have been carried out so far. Lin Li has at most used the pseudonyms of other ancestors; he hasn't gone to the most extreme point yet!

Lin Li's consciousness sank into the deep sea, instantly transcending the barriers of time and space.

His perspective suddenly shifted, transforming into a bird's-eye view overlooking the target in the other world.

The exploration of the forbidden area, which had been suspended due to the celestial convergence, has now resumed.

The pioneering team has already dispatched personnel to those mysterious forbidden areas and unknown regions.

Laplace's demon previously stated that the magic had disturbed some powerful beings.

He needed to observe carefully to make sure it wouldn't have a fatal impact on the pioneering team.

He, the pioneering team, and the industrial Cthulhu behind them complemented each other.

Initially, Industrial Cthulhu was his backer and cheat code.

But now, he can also become the cheat code of Industrial Cthulhu, and he has a backer.

Lin Li didn't dream of lying down; rather, he lacked the ability and was extremely cautious, so in a peaceful environment, he had no choice but to lie down.

Now that we are powerful, we must also silently shoulder some of the responsibilities that should be borne.

There was no way around it; although he had some minor flaws—selfishness, greed, and lust—Lin Li considered himself a good man.

At least he saw the pioneers' warriors, and he was inspired by their spirit of self-sacrifice when they faced the invasive species converging from the sky.

Since I'm not going to die anyway, why not do something within my power?

Being a mysterious old man who doesn't give a penny and contributes nothing is quite nice.

But if the exploration of another world fails due to some uncontrollable factors, then Linli will suffer even greater losses!

Closer to home!

Lin Li's consciousness descended, and his perspective instantly locked onto the anchor point in the other world.

Countless pieces of information began to flash before his eyes.

He quickly caught the trend that interested him.

"Hey, lucky you're already getting a good show as soon as you arrive!"

It turns out to be a forbidden area exploration team, and he just happened to be caught up in a new round of exploration into the forbidden area!

His gaze pierced through the deep seawater, focusing on a submersible that was descending.

After obtaining the rune technology to evade sea monster attacks from the dwarves, Professor Huang Shikai's team immediately made major modifications and upgrades to the existing underwater vehicles.

The effect is immediate.

Back then, every exploration of the forbidden area beneath the Devil's Sea felt like a wasteful and exhausting undertaking.

During the operation, not only did it consume a massive amount of resources, but it also required the elite combat team of the pioneering group to escort it throughout the entire process. Even so, it was still fraught with danger, and many underwater vehicles could not be recovered.

Now, this submersible, codenamed "Deep Diver XV," is able to navigate stably in this once lifeless area.

This is inseparable from the support of the dwarven ocean navigation secret inscription.

"Professor Huang, at a depth of 1,000 meters, the low-frequency sonar echo is normal, and no signs of large biological activity have been detected." Inside the submersible, a young man wearing black-rimmed glasses stared intently at the screen as he reported the information.

"Don't be careless." Professor Huang Shikai, with his gray hair, adjusted his glasses and said in a deep voice, "The dwarven runes can conceal our energy fluctuations, but active sonar is a special kind of provocation in another world. Even if we maintain low-power travel..."

"Understood." The technician muttered under his breath as he operated the equipment, "Professor Huang! It's strange, but the sea monsters in the southern part of the Devil's Sea seem to be lazier than the ones in our northern Devil's Sea!"

Humans spent considerable resources to conclude that the predatory tendencies of marine life in the south are completely different from those in the north.

If we rate them out of ten, marine life in the north, especially in the Devil's Sea further north, would be one point in tolerance for sonar and invaders, while marine life in the southern Devil's Sea would be three points in tolerance for invasive marine creatures.

The further south you go, the weaker the survival instincts and aggressive instincts of marine life become.

"This isn't the time for that!" Professor Huang Shih-kai ignored his witty remark and said sharply, "Prepare to deploy Ghost One through Fifteen."

"OK!"

Lin Li watched all of this with great interest.

The belly hatch of the Deepdiver XV slowly opened, and more than a dozen small, flat, and entirely black underwater vehicles were silently released.

These ghosts are the real focus of this exploration. They contain not a single magic stone and are powered entirely by a human technology.

His outer shell showed no trace of the runic stealth navigation technology he had absorbed and digested from the dwarves.

The ghosts detached from the mothership and began to sail steadily toward the deeper, darker trench.

"Huh? What's going on here?"

Lin Li's consciousness clung to the anchor, watching the various small underwater vehicles emerge from the mother submarine's abdomen, and a sense of unease arose in his mind.

Previously, thanks to the dwarves' mystical rune technology, they barely managed to become familiar with the sea monsters and thus be able to sail safely.

Now look what's happened! They've taken off their invisibility cloaks and are barging into the forbidden area completely naked?

Could it be that the seal on this forbidden area is allergic to the dwarves' technology and special energy particles?

The thought had barely formed when several small underwater vehicles passed through the invisible barrier, and the view suddenly opened up.

Immediately afterward, Lin Li's pupils contracted slightly.

"The seal actually repaired itself?"

From outside the Devil's Sea, it is impossible to see any gaps in the seal within the forbidden area.

But once inside, the scar that tore through space becomes clearly visible.

Compared to last time, the grotesque chasm that was originally over twenty meters high has now visibly shrunk, and its height is less than twenty meters.

The violent spatial turbulence at the edge of the rift had also calmed down considerably, as if an invisible hand had smoothed out the wrinkles.

"It seems that the convergence of the celestial spheres isn't all bad."

Lin Li understood.

This reminded him of the ancient gods mentioned by the dwarves and elves!

Ancient gods left behind a system of seals in this world. It is estimated that these seals were activated when the celestial bodies converged.

Perhaps it was some kind of automatic energy absorption device that increased its power in the high-energy environment brought about by the convergence of the heavens, and began to accelerate the repair of the wounds of this forbidden place in the world?

If Lin Li hadn't witnessed firsthand the creations within this isolated space, far beyond human comprehension, he might have genuinely mistaken those ancient gods for powerful beings who possessed some kind of divine power.

Having seen the towering buildings inside the forbidden area, one knows that the so-called ancient gods were probably just a group of interstellar civilization engineers with maxed-out technological skills.

Given the vast technological gap, it's quite reasonable that he was regarded as a god by the natives of the other world.

He gathered his thoughts and, using a high-latitude perspective, continued to focus his gaze on the deep sea.

Those highly aggressive sea monsters still roam within the forbidden area, but these small submersibles that were deployed here seem to use some kind of extremely expensive special alloy, with an outrageously sturdy outer shell.

Even if it occasionally bumps into a sea monster, it only makes a muffled sound, sways a few times, and then stabilizes.

Lin Li's gaze fell into the trench, where he discovered at least several hundred human-made probes of various kinds.

No wonder it could withstand the attack for so long; the underwater vehicle has clearly undergone more systematic enhancements during this period.

Soon, the submersible completed its ascent and broke out of the sea.

Then, more scenes came into view from Lin Li's God-like perspective.

The scientists in the pioneering team could only analyze the footage transmitted by the submersible, while the towering aerial views provided a clear view of the changes in the vast forbidden area.

"It's lit up! It's all lit up!"

All that could be seen were those strange, multifaceted structures that had been silent for so long, almost forming a single building, with faint light flowing slowly through the intricate patterns on their surfaces, like breathing.

The energy concentration in the entire forbidden area, which was covered by thick fog, was also much higher than before.

He could even see countless points of light actively converging in the gaps and cracks in certain buildings caused by the erosion of the sun and moon.

That must be a technique used to repair the damage here.

The entire forbidden area was like a massive organic life form awakening from its slumber, undergoing self-healing.

"The problem isn't here; I feel much safer here than before —"

Lin Li carefully observed every detail, but his doubts grew stronger.

Something's not right.

Was the previous warning about Laplace's demon false?

[The forbidden magic has disturbed certain beings, who may very well attack the human exploration team.]

Thinking about this, Lin Li looked at the Laplace's demon curled up and resting: "Are you lying to me?"

[Aim~]

[I'm lying, you'll never get spacetime essence again!]

Lin Li frowned slightly, staring blankly at the thing in front of him.

Where is there even a hint of danger in this thriving scene where buildings are being rapidly repaired?

Lin Li activated his perception to the maximum, scanning the entire misty space inch by inch!

No hidden monsters were found, no strange fluctuations were observed, and apart from the ancient creations that were repairing themselves, there was nothing else.

Just then, my vision suddenly spun around.

It turns out that the human-made submersible completed its mission of collecting sea level data while being attacked by a sea monster.

These underwater vehicles have now begun their return journey.

After such a long period of exploration, the research team's technology for equipment recovery is now vastly different from what it used to be.

Under the precise control of the AI, several small submarines survived multiple attacks by sea monsters, and managed to pass through the shrinking spacetime rift with great precision, successfully returning to the other world.

As the anchor left, the towering God's-eye view slowly receded.

Shortly after his consciousness returned to his physical body, the higher-dimensional world once again turned towards Professor Huang Shikai.

At that moment, the research team involved in this operation was jubilant, thrilled by the tremendous discoveries made in this exploration.

Lin Li's heart, however, was still filled with a sense of unease.

The warnings of Laplace's demon still ring in our ears.

If the disturbed "existence" is not here—then where is it?

Is this forbidden zone of self-repair the beginning of an opportunity, or the prelude to a greater crisis?