Redemption from the Abyss: The School Beauty Insists on Pulling Me Out of the Mire

"Oh my god! Bo'er, look! Isn't that Brother Wang and God Su?!"

A gasp, delivered with a strong Sichuan-Chongqing accent, pierced through the sound of water in the hotel lobby.

Xie Wang and Su Qinghe stopped and turned around.

On a sofa in the rest area not far away, two boys dressed in casual clothes were waving excitedly at them.

One is Chen Xi, who has naturally curly hair;

The other one is Wang Bo, who wears thick-rimmed glasses.

They are the twin stars of the Sichuan Provincial Team who forged a deep revolutionary friendship when they participated in the national competition in Jiangcheng.

"Chen Xi? Wang Bo?" A hint of surprise flashed in Xie Wang's eyes as he led Su Qinghe over.

"It really is you guys! I thought I was seeing things!" Chen Xi rushed over excitedly, instinctively wanting to give Xie Wang a bear hug.

"Brother Wang! Sister-in-law Wang! I knew you guys would come! Last night, after that tweet, our Chinese student group went wild! You guys really came to beat up that Shadow, right?!"

Hearing the barrage of questions, Xie Wang chuckled lazily and bumped fists with the two men: "They've practically thrown the challenge in our faces, we can't just pretend we didn't see it. And you two? Are you here for the summit too?"

"Hey, don't even mention it." Wang Bo, who hadn't spoken until now, pushed up his glasses. Usually so honest and composed, his face looked rather ashen.

He sighed and said with a wry smile, "We came here representing Sichuan Province for this exchange, but... yesterday afternoon, we got completely humiliated by that Shadow."

"You fought him?" Su Qinghe frowned slightly.

Wang Bo was, after all, a bronze medalist in informatics at the last national competition, and his strength is definitely among the top in the new generation in China.

"Hmm." Wang Bo clenched his fists, his tone revealing a deep sense of powerlessness and humiliation. "Yesterday at a breakout session of the summit, he set up a ring, and I went up to try... I couldn't last five minutes."

"He's too good. His coding style is very aggressive. He's like a madman."

Hearing this, Chen Xi gritted his teeth angrily: "That brat is so arrogant! Winning is one thing, but he even mocked us in English on stage! It's infuriating!"

Xie Wang listened quietly, his smile gradually fading. He reached out and patted Wang Bo's dejected shoulder twice.

"It's alright." Xie Wang's voice wasn't loud, but it inexplicably reassured people: "I'll get back what I owed you tomorrow, with interest."

Kang Ping, who was standing to the side, stepped forward at the right time and interrupted the boys' reminiscing: "We can talk about reminiscing later. X, since we're going to do a live broadcast on the entire internet tomorrow, I need to give you some background information first."

Xie Wang turned his head: "By the way, Uncle Kang, what's the specific format for tomorrow's competition? The traditional CTF (Capture the Flag)?"

"No, if it's a traditional capture-the-flag game, it's too uninteresting and not lethal enough." Kang Ping shook his head:

"Tomorrow we'll be using the most brutal AWD extreme mode of the international hacking competition. The organizing committee has given this mode a name—Dark Forest."

"The Dark Forest?" Su Qinghe asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Yes," Kang Ping explained.

"Tomorrow afternoon, you and Shadow will be assigned to two identical virtual servers with gigabit bandwidth and top-tier defense AI, which is equivalent to each of you owning a city."

"The match lasts two hours. You not only need to patch the system vulnerabilities in your own servers, but also exploit the opponent's vulnerabilities to conduct penetration."

"Most importantly, for the visual effect of the live broadcast, Tianqi's technology department will render your code attack and defense in real time into a red and blue 3D data matrix and project it onto a large screen, so that the audience across the network can see intuitively who has the greater advantage."

Kang Ping looked at Xie: "The person who breaks through the opponent's core and seizes the Root Flag (root key) first is the winner. This is a zero-sum game, and it is a hellish test of the players' computing power allocation and stress resistance."

After hearing these rules, Chen Xi and Wang Bo both gasped. This competition format not only tests skills but also mental fortitude.

Xie Wang not only didn't feel pressured, but a spark of excitement ignited in his peach blossom eyes.

"Integrated offense and defense, real-time matrix rendering?" Xie Wang flexed his wrists: "Great, I was worried the scale wouldn't be big enough, not befitting his status as a world champion."

Kang Ping nodded in satisfaction: "Alright, that's good. I've booked your rooms, the top-floor executive suite. Don't think about anything today, just get some rest and recharge."

"Then we won't bother you any longer!" Chen Xi pulled Wang Bo back a step, looking at the charismatic couple before him, and couldn't help but exclaim, "Brother Wang, sister-in-law, it's been half a year since I last saw you, and you both seem to have gotten even more handsome and beautiful! You're a perfect match! Good luck tomorrow! We'll be there to cheer you on!"

Thanks.

Upon arriving at the top-floor executive suite, the two went back to their respective rooms to wash up and rest.

Su Qinghe went into the bathroom and washed his face with cold water, washing away the dust and grime from his journey.

She looked up, water droplets sliding down her pale, delicate cheeks. She looked at herself in the mirror, but her gaze was somewhat unfocused.

She recalled how Xie Wang patted Wang Bo on the shoulder downstairs just now.

The Xie Wang of that time was no longer the dejected and resentful figure he had been in that dark attic in the Happiness Community.

He stands there now, upright and with clear eyes.

He is transforming at an astonishing speed into a man who can truly weather any storm.

She was involved in all of this and was deeply fascinated by it.

Su Qinghe picked up a towel and dried her face, a gentle smile unconsciously curving her lips.

Just then— "Knock knock knock." There was a gentle knock on the door.

Su Qinghe put down the towel, walked to the door, and opened it. Outside, Xie Wang had just finished showering.

His hair was still a little damp, hanging messily over his forehead, and he smelled of a refreshing and pleasant shower gel.

Su Qinghe was about to ask him why he hadn't dried his hair.

However, the next second.

Xie Wang looked at the girl standing inside the door, without any makeup, her eyes as gentle as a pool of spring water. He didn't even say a word. He stretched out his long arm, grabbed her waist, and pulled her into his arms.

"Mmm—" Su Qinghe was caught off guard and bumped into his broad, warm chest, his nose filled with his pleasant scent.

The hug came suddenly and was extremely forceful.

"Xie Wang..." Su Qinghe was a little breathless from his embrace. She reached out and pinched Xie Wang's handsome face hard, pretending to be angry: "What's wrong with you? You're strangling me, let go!"

"I won't let go." Xie Wang not only didn't loosen his grip, but tightened it even more, letting her pinch his cheeks. His voice was low and slightly hoarse, with a hint of coquettish murmur: "I just think... how come my girlfriend is so beautiful? Just one look and I can't help but want to hold her tighter, afraid that you'll run away."

Su Qinghe's ears burned from his straightforward words of love, and she unconsciously loosened her grip on his cheek.

After hugging for a full minute, Xie Wang reluctantly loosened his grip slightly.

"Teacher Su," Xie Wang called softly.

"I'll take you somewhere."