I really don't want to date a girl addicted to the internet!

"So, does 'stand-in' refer to a game character?" Nagasaki Asuna looked down at herself.

“That’s right, a substitute is one of the functions of the Lock, which is a game character.” Cheng Fei looked at her curious, blinking eyes.

Shen Xi stared coldly at Cheng Fei.

"Teacher Shen, what does that expression mean?"

"I find the way you look at this vixen disgusting." Shen Xi's face showed the kind of disgust one would feel when "seeing a male rat staring at a female rat on the roadside."

“You’re mistaken, Teacher Shen. By the way, I’ve actually been wanting to ask you something.” Cheng Fei said seriously.

"what?"

"How exactly is the Stand connected to the corridor? We arrived in the other world without any delay?" The boy examined his hands.

“All I know is that the stand-ins are specially designed to forward data in most areas via deep-dimensional infrastructure,” Shen Xi said coldly.

"I see, Star Spirit Technology is indeed advanced." Cheng Fei nodded.

"Enough with the nonsense. You lead the way, and we'll figure out what's going on in this world as soon as possible." Shen Xi raised her chin.

“Okay.” Cheng Fei took the lead and walked forward.

Shen Xi and Nagasaki Asuna followed behind.

"Cheng Fei, is it dangerous here?" Nagasaki Asuna looked around.

How do you feel?

"I feel fine."

"Then there's no problem. This place looks beautiful and sunny, just like the outer edge of a magical forest in a fantasy novel. Usually, there are only slimes, and the most dangerous enemy is the third-tier magical beast, the Wind Demon Wolf." The boy looked relaxed.

"I don't know what nonsense he's spouting again." Shen Xi said coldly.

"Teacher Shen, you've never read this? It's an old-fashioned online fantasy novel."

"First of all, I have no interest in novels, which are just a way to kill time. Secondly, since it's an old story, why would I read some random 'Wind Demon Wolf' when I was a kid?" Shen Xi glared at him.

"That's right, I forgot you're only sixteen, little cutie."

"Disgusting. Also, I'm half a year older than you, so please don't comment on me like that."

"Has Cheng Fei always liked reading novels since he was little? I feel like he mentions it all the time." Nagasaki Asuna held her staff behind her back.

"I liked watching it when I was little."

"When I was little?"

"It's earlier than when you're a typical child."

"So Cheng Fei learned to read earlier than most people?" Nagasaki Asuna tilted her head.

"That's right, after all, I'm a genius too, although not as good as Teacher Shen."

Shen Xi responded with a sneer.

"Teacher Shen, by the way, in the beginning of those old-fashioned fantasy novels, after the protagonist travels to the outskirts of the Monster Forest and defeats the Wind Demon Wolf, he often saves a beautiful silver-haired elven girl, who might even be a saintess or something, or at least the daughter of a village chief." Cheng Fei's gaze fell on Shen Xi's delicate and pretty face.

"So this is where your absurd delusions started. You were indeed poisoned by those vulgar and boring books from a young age, which is why you turned out like this."

"That's why my affection for you is genuine, Teacher Shen. Whether you're the stand-in or the real you, you have an elfin quality that captivates me." The boy looked the aloof silver-haired girl up and down.

"Enough! How dare you claim that this perverted obsession with appearance is genuine? It's clearly just lustful behavior. You pathetic man who's deceiving himself." Shen Xi covered her chest with her hands and moved away from him.

"I haven't finished speaking yet, Teacher Shen. Your personality, which is sometimes arrogant and sometimes straightforward, and you can always speak frankly and criticize people, is also something I like."

"Shut up. It's one thing to take the opportunity to throw in your narrow-minded labels, but even if you say it like that, I still find it disgusting. It's clear that my disgust for your sweet talk has penetrated to the bone."

"Is this just a formulaic, disgusting act done instinctively to maintain your tsundere persona? Or does it mean your feelings for me have run deep? I understand you, my little cutie." The boy looked at her with an accepting gaze.

"I can't take it anymore, I might as well just kill myself and quit the game." Shen Xi looked around as if searching for a suitable place to hang herself.

Cheng Fei smiled and shrugged, not stopping her.

“Every time this happens, I can’t help but think that the two of you are truly an enviable match made in heaven.” Nagasaki Asuna sighed softly as she watched.

"A vixen is a vixen, and only you would have such a shameless and absurd fantasy," Shen Xi sneered.

"Delusion?" Nagasaki Asuna looked at her with her hands behind her back.

“Nana, she’ll never admit to something like this. Give up.” Cheng Fei, who was walking ahead, suddenly squatted down, picked something, and turned around. “Here’s a flower for each of you.”

The boy offered two small white flowers with both hands.

"Huh, what's this?" Nagasaki Asuna leaned closer to take a closer look.

“Dawnflower,” Cheng Fei said, holding up the flower. “Teacher Shen, do you think this might be the place where the Dawnflower originated?”

Shen Xi frowned slightly and examined the area. "It's possible. The species in the corridor were originally collected from various dimensions."

"Then accept it, little cutie, don't you like it?" Cheng Fei waved his hand.

"You dare to openly take it out when it wasn't specifically for me? Do you think I'd be as shameless as this vixen and accept it? Don't even think about it." Shen Xi turned her face away.

"You really are my little sister Shen." Cheng Fei smacked his lips. "By the way, Nana didn't accept it either."

“If Shen Xi doesn’t accept it, I think it would be better if I didn’t accept it either.” Nagasaki Asuna glanced at Shen Xi and put her hands behind her back.

"I give up on you two. If you don't want it, fine. I'll give it to a real elven beauty later." Cheng Fei shook his head and sighed.

"It's one thing to treat novels as reality and refuse to give up absurd fantasies, but now you're openly being fickle. Cheng Feiyu is truly beyond redemption." Shen Xi's face turned cold, and she gritted her teeth as she strode forward.

"So what should we do now? We can't go back, and we have no direction." Nagasaki Asuna stood on tiptoe, shading her eyes with her hand, and looked around at the lush bushes and trees.

306. Cheng Fei's powerful secret

“Professor Shen, this is your territory, right? Where is your ecological observation post? Where is your large research station? Why is there only a dilapidated teleportation station?” Cheng Fei said.

"That's why we need to search. We need to find a Protoss facility with warp capabilities before going offline," Shen Xi said coldly.

"A save point? That's good, but there's no map either. How long will it take to find it?"

"When you find it."

"Sleepless nights? Teacher Shen, that's why I said you're addicted to the internet. You call everyone online in the middle of the night without even thinking about logging off. What if we still haven't found you by the day after tomorrow? Are you going to skip school again? I'm going to tell Uncle Shen that you're renting a place outside and not studying properly, but playing games all day long."

"I'm warning you, don't spout this nonsense. If you really don't want to, then kill yourself, or I'll do it for you." Shen Xi kicked him angrily.

"Look me in the eyes. Can you really do it? Killing the person you love with your own hands, even if it's just a substitute." The boy looked at her seriously, as if offering his neck for execution.

"Enough, shut up. If you have the energy to spout such disgusting nonsense, please concentrate on doing something important." Shen Xi quickly walked forward, leaving the boy behind.

"Actually, I was just trying to lighten the mood. Teacher Shen, you have absolutely no sense of humor. Staying up late and working overtime will drive you crazy if you're under too much stress."

"I told you to shut up. I think you're already crazy, and it's your incessant chatter that's driving me crazy." Shen Xi glared at him and continued walking forward.

"On the contrary, it's actually because of my attentive companionship that you can be so carefree," the boy said, following closely behind her.

"I told you to shut up! Didn't you hear me?" Shen Xi felt like she was going crazy.

"Sweetie, you're so irritable now, you actually yelled at me! Don't you remember how polite you used to be, you never raised your voice..."

"Cheng Fei! I order you not to utter a single word without my permission!"

Under Shen Xi's unbearable glare, the boy made a gesture of zipping up his mouth and watched her without saying a word.

Shen Xi took a deep breath and walked forward, feeling as if her eyelids were twitching and she was on the verge of a volcanic eruption.

Asuna Nagasaki was trying hard to suppress her laughter.

The three of them walked through the beautiful woods. After a while, Shen Xi stopped in front of a towering tree, pointed to the trunk at Cheng Fei, and said, "Let's climb up and take a look."

The boy saluted without saying a word, handed her the weapon, and retreated towards the tree trunk. After a running start, he transformed into a blur, leaped off the wall, and disappeared among the branches.

"That's amazing." Nagasaki Asuna exclaimed, looking up.

A moment later, the young hero made his entrance, stood up, stared at Shen Xi, and pointed to his mouth.

"Speak." Shen Xi said coldly.

"Your Majesty, there is nothing but forest ahead, nothing at all."

Shen Xi's eyes flickered as she handed the weapon back to him. "Then let's keep going."

"Ok."

"Well, if all else fails, we can find a place to sleep, right? Sleeping online isn't out of the question anyway." Nagasaki Asuna yawned, casting a subtle glance at Cheng Fei.

"That's true," the boy nodded cautiously.

"Cheng Fei, actually I've always had a question." Nagasaki Asuna took a few steps closer to him.

"please say."

"Why is Cheng Fei's substitute so strong? It's much stronger than the average player."

Shen Xi, who was walking ahead of the two, glanced sideways, her ears, hidden in her silver hair, perked up.

"Well, one of the biggest reasons is of course the good equipment, especially this sword, which is called the Hyperdimensional Separator. It was made using the reward materials from conquering the second layer of the Great Portal. There is probably only one in the entire server. Don't be fooled by its plain appearance. The description says that the blade, made of special principles, can cut through most materials. Its weakness is that it is only good for close combat."

"So that's how it is? That's amazing." Nagasaki Asuna's eyes widened.

"My equipment setup is also based on this sword. It's a full set of Tier 5 gear, focusing on agility and one-hit kills. Any enemy who gets stabbed in a weak point will hardly escape death," Cheng Fei boasted with considerable pride.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Nagasaki Asuna exclaimed.

"Nana, do girls from your island nation all like to repeat the phrase 'amazing' repeatedly?"

"It seems so. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be evasive, I really think it's amazing."

"It was just a casual question, so there's no need to apologize."

"Cheng Fei," Shen Xi, who was walking ahead, suddenly spoke without expression.

"What's wrong, Your Highness?" The boy looked up in a second.

"The new task is to help me build a top-of-the-line set of equipment as soon as possible." Shen Xi looked ahead.

"what?"

Is there a problem?

"You just feel it's unnecessary, right?"

“Considering that we will be operating in various dangerous environments in the future, a set of top-notch equipment is of course necessary. Or do you keep talking about love, but you don’t care if I’m killed off at will? Even if I’m just a stand-in.” Shen Xi stared at him with a condescending air.

The boy paused for a second, then said, "Teacher Shen, I have to admit you can be quite cunning sometimes."

"It's just giving them a taste of their own medicine. And if they're unwilling, they can just say so. Anyway, I won't be surprised at all by your insincerity." Shen Xi turned her face away.

"Not at all, I've decided. I'm going to make a top-of-the-line set of gear for you and Nana." The boy said seriously.

"Huh?" Nagasaki Asuna tilted her head.

"As expected, indecisive." Shen Xi sneered heavily.

"I think it's a case of being indecisive."

"Let's forget about boring word games."

"By the way, Teacher Shen, may I ask why these so-called equipment in the corridor, the armor which has defensive capabilities, also have various attributes, which is understandable, but many of them are similar to ordinary clothes?"

"Special-attribute equipment is of course made of special materials. By weaving together metamaterials, smart materials, exotic substances, and even super-alien substances, it is easy to achieve functions such as impact resistance and self-repair. Invisibility or anti-gravity is also a piece of cake. Any piece of cloth in the corridor has a microstructure that is more complex than the most sophisticated chip on Earth," Shen Xi said eloquently.

"I see, that's impressive." The young man examined his black coat, then looked up. "By the way, since we've brought this up, to prevent you two from wasting top-tier equipment in the future, I'll tell you a real secret to boosting your combat power."

Both girls looked at him.

"That means don't die." Cheng Fei held up one finger.

"What do you mean?" Shen Xi frowned.

"Literally, if you don't die in the corridor, you will slowly become stronger, with attributes like strength, endurance, and agility. Dying resets these attributes. I discovered this by chance a long time ago, and now I think it's probably some kind of mechanism of the Stand."

“It’s not impossible, after all, it takes time to improve adaptability, synchronization rate, and the growth of the Stand’s own abilities…” Shen Xi said thoughtfully.

"So how long has it been since Cheng Fei died?" Nagasaki Asuna blinked.

"Actually, I've never died once since I started playing Corridor." The boy shrugged.