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

After exchanging a glance, Cheng Fei swam in first, followed by Lin Xuanqi. The two passed through an arched structure, and their heads suddenly emerged from the water.

They both gasped for breath, feeling an indescribable tightness in their chests.

Cheng Fei climbed ashore using both his hands and feet, then pulled Lin Xuanqi up as well, and the two walked into a narrow passage.

A faint, thunderous roar seemed to urge the two forward.

At the end of the passage, the space suddenly opened up, and the two looked up side by side.

In the pitch black, towering overpasses span the underground canyon, with haphazardly laid guide rails running through them. Iron-gray, windowless buildings of varying heights resemble densely arranged dominoes, with scattered indicator lights flickering among them.

Like a lost underground city, its builders have long since vanished, leaving only the stubborn roar of machinery.

"Could this be..." Even Lin Xuanqi's eyes showed surprise.

“...Foundry.” Cheng Fei slowly exhaled.

35. Honesty has always been Cheng Fei's strength.

Cheng Fei was glad that he hadn't made a bet with Shen Xi about the foundry last time.

Because the nonsense spouted by those corridor scholars online actually came true, what was presented to Cheng Fei and Lin Xuanqi was a living foundry.

It's not like the bright but lifeless foundry in the first three levels of the dungeon, where enemies pop up from fixed points, you encounter a boss at the end, and the results screen pops up after the battle.

On the overpass in front of us, unmanned cars are running around, overhead cranes carrying goods occasionally glide across the suspended guide rails, and various semi-finished parts are transferred between different buildings. The roar of the machinery intertwines into a heavy metal symphony.

The entire underground city resembles a loosely organized yet well-ordered automated factory, reminiscent of Cybertron, the planet filled with metal and silicon crystals from Transformers.

Cheng Fei imagined thousands of parts being manufactured one by one, assembled in sequence, and finally becoming a neatly arranged army of out-of-control machines. Hundreds or even thousands of these out-of-control machines marched out of the factory, their head detectors flashing red lights...

This place seems to be demonstrating just that.

After observing cautiously for a while, they found that the place was completely undefended, so Cheng Fei and Lin Xuanqi walked into the foundry openly.

The two were seeing this scene for the first time, and they were both very curious. They craned their necks and looked around, like mice visiting a metropolis for the first time.

After a while, Cheng Fei cautiously spoke up, "Miss, may I ask you a question, if that's alright?"

Lin Xuanqi glanced at him with interest. "Okay."

"As a wealthy person, why would you enjoy playing video games?"

Lin Xuanqi chuckled lightly, "What, can't I like it?"

"I'm just curious. After all, games use fake data to numb the brain and achieve cheap pleasure. Logically speaking, only people who are frustrated in real life become addicted to games," Cheng Fei said seriously.

Lin Xuanqi raised her chin. "You've got it backwards. I came to play in the corridor because I feel that real life is too simple, and only here is there a bit of a challenge."

"I was ignorant," Cheng Fei said, lowering his head.

"Aren't you going to take some of these things back with you?" Lin Xuanqi suddenly asked.

The girl pointed to a crane that was sliding away above their heads. Through the transparent window of the cargo box, they could see that it was full of high-end circuit boards.

Each piece is a rare material that can only be obtained from the BOSS in the first three levels.

"No need," Cheng Fei shook his head.

Lin Xuanqi observed him casually, "Aren't you working part-time while studying?"

"That was before. Now, the medical expenses that Miss Guang gives me are enough for me to live on for a year without working, so I quit."

"You're really honest."

"Thank you for the compliment, Miss. Honesty has always been one of my strengths."

"Is that so?" Lin Xuanqi remained noncommittal. "A little money is enough for you, nothing special."

"That's not it."

"So you mean you're still greedy?" Lin Xuanqi raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, if I weren't greedy, I wouldn't have dumped Shen Xi and gotten together with Lin Xuanqi."

"Interesting." Lin Xuanqi seemed to chuckle happily, but her expression immediately turned terrifying. "So, you'll dump me if there's a better target, right?"

"How could that be? There's no woman in this world more perfect than Miss. Those younger than you aren't as rich, and those richer than you aren't as young," Cheng Fei exclaimed. "Besides, betraying you would mean certain death. I'm not stupid."

The air was quiet for a second.

"A person who only cares about profit is like an ungrateful dog." Lin Xuanqi stared at him, her eyes flashing with a palpable killing intent as she finished speaking. "How dare you say such things to me?"

Cheng Fei's heart raced.

“My grandmother taught me from a young age that if you want something, you have to work hard to get it. If you worry too much, it will become someone else’s. I just wanted to tell you the truth so you could rest assured. Is it wrong to be a little more goal-oriented in this world?”

As the boy spoke, he couldn't help but give the girl a bitter, desolate smile, as if he were lamenting his helpless fate and protesting the injustice of this contradictory reality.

A pure smile

A genuine, unpretentious smile, like a ray of sunshine on a plateau, is simple and sincere, possessing an indescribable infectious power that touches the softest part of the heart, awakening the goodwill within everyone. Even the most stubborn enemy will lower their guard and feel guilt and goodwill towards you.

Lin Xuanqi stared at his face, stunned.

After a two-second pause, she took a deep breath and said, "You're an orphan, where did you get a grandmother from?"

“There’s an elderly woman living alone in the welfare home. She used to be very kind to me, and I’ve always treated her like family,” Cheng Fei said softly.

“There’s always a reason why someone is pitiful, but she didn’t teach you anything wrong.” Lin Xuanqi sneered. “Just make this clear: once you’ve made your choice, there’s no turning back, and you can’t expect to change masters.”

Cheng Fei lowered his head honestly, "I know, so I will try my best not to disappoint you. I am very smart, and my looks and physique are not bad either. I will study and exercise harder in the future. If I can marry into the Lin family in the future, I will definitely not disgrace the Lin family."

Lin Xuanqi frowned and glanced at him. "You're overthinking it. There are plenty of people more outstanding than you. I'm just temporarily agreeing to play along with you. If you want to marry into my family, you're far from ready."

"It was I who overstepped my bounds." Cheng Fei lowered his head again.

Perhaps it was the strange atmosphere in the foundry that made Lin Xuanqi a little uneasy. After wandering around the silently operating foundry with Cheng Fei, she stopped and said, "That's enough. This is not something the two of us can handle. We'll come back next time with enough people. Now let's go back and see if she's dead."

……

Cheng Fei and Lin Xuanqi returned the way they came. When they reached the edge of the fifth floor, Shen Xi was standing alone in the snow, quickly sketching something on a piece of paper by the faint light of the stars.

One after another, there were already more than a dozen manuscripts next to the silver-haired girl.

Lin Xuanqi walked behind Shen Xi, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and examined her work. "I thought you were dead."

"Don't worry, I'll definitely die after you," Shen Xi said defiantly as she drew.

Lin Xuanqi watched her draw for a while, then yawned as if she had lost interest. "Alright, I'm logging off now. Cheng Fei, you can play by yourself."

After saying that, she closed her eyes and knelt down behind Shen Xi.

Cheng Fei watched this scene and a twitch appeared on his lips.

It seems this crazy woman really doesn't know that her character kneels down every time she logs off...

Cheng Fei walked over to Shen Xi, looked at her work, and asked, "Teacher Shen, what are you doing?"

Shen Xi sighed heavily, "Can't you even tell? I'm recording the stars."

Cheng Fei thought for a moment, and a picture suddenly flashed through his mind: the hardcover book that Shen Xi was reading yesterday afternoon, the content of which was related to constellations.

After his intelligence reached the extraordinary level, Cheng Fei's mind seemed to have become much stronger. He was so scared by Lin Xuanqi that he didn't even notice this detail.

What's the use of recording celestial phenomena?

"Astrology can be used to determine direction."

"Only real-life examples will work, right?"

Shen Xi glanced at him without saying a word.

Cheng Fei understood. "Okay, so you're planning to use celestial phenomena to find the location of the corridor? Assuming the corridor actually exists."

"Don't say things that are obvious." The girl said impatiently.

"Teacher Shen, even though I am as smart as you now, I still admire your imagination."

Shen Xi sneered, "I admire your delusions as much as I do."

36. Topic Two

"Speaking of which, we just went down to the frozen seabed, and guess what we found? You'd never guess," Cheng Fei said, looking at Shen Xi's face.

Shen Xi put down her pen, turned her head to look at him, and frowned slightly. "You found the real foundry?"

"Why?" Cheng Fei was taken aback.

"Why what?" Shen Xi frowned even more.

"Why is it that even though we're both equally smart, I still feel like you're a little smarter?" Cheng Fei fell into deep thought.

Could it be that Shen Xi also possesses some kind of extraordinary ability?

Cheng Fei thought it was very likely.

Her extraordinary abilities might have a negative effect, such as causing her to develop chuunibyou (middle school syndrome).

It made sense immediately.

Cheng Fei realized that he had become a genius.

Shen Xi glared at him. "Explain yourself. You went to the bottom of the frozen sea, and then what?"

"Jealous? I didn't touch her."

"Try spouting more nonsense." Shen Xi lowered her eyes.

Cheng Fei raised his hands in surrender, "Okay, we did find the real foundry, alive, and it's still producing runaway machinery."

Shen Xi revealed a victorious smile, "What did I tell you, Cheng Fei? I won again."

"Tsk, so what if I win? I don't care at all, that's why I told you." Cheng Fei shrugged.

Shen Xi snorted and turned her attention back to her work. "I'll win again soon."

Cheng Fei rolled his eyes. "So what if you can see real-world celestial phenomena in the corridor? Game designers can certainly put real-world elements into the game."

“As long as we observe certain constellations, we can determine the approximate location of the corridor, and even precise location is not impossible.” Shen Xi’s expression seemed to say, “I’m about to kill the game.”

Cheng Fei was utterly speechless. "Are you really crazy? Do you know how big the corridor is? And it has thirteen continents. If the corridor really exists, it must be a sky city floating on the sea."

Shen Xi stroked her chin, head bowed in thought, "Sky City? That's a possibility."

Cheng Fei slapped himself on the forehead.

It even inspired her.

"But why is it floating on the sea?" the girl wondered.

"Because all you can see below the endless sea of ​​clouds is seawater, not land," Cheng Fei said casually.

"Is this the conclusion of my observation? I'll write this down." The girl said seriously.

"I give up. How about we make a bet, like we always do?" Cheng Fei glanced at her sideways.

"What are you gambling?"

"I bet you can't see any results by looking at the stars. If I win, you have to call me husband."

Shen Xi's gaze turned cold. "You already know you have no hope of beating me in the next monthly exam, so you're just making up another excuse to try and fulfill your despicable wish?"

Cheng Fei got angry, "Damn it, I just didn't want you to suffer too much. Since you can't tell right from wrong, then if I win, you have to kiss me."

"Don't even dream about it." Shen Xi's expression was extremely cold.

"Tch, if you don't dare to gamble, then forget it." Cheng Fei scoffed.

Shen Xi lowered her eyes. "Besides, I'm not sure if the corridor is on Earth. It might be on another planet, or even in a parallel universe. Although I'm right, I might not be able to prove it this time."

"Okay, then I'll let you have your way. If the observed celestial phenomena don't belong to Earth, then it's a draw and nothing happens, okay?" Cheng Fei changed his mind.

Shen Xi was silent for a moment, then said, "If the constellations correspond to a certain location on Earth, from now on you will be my dog."

One can imagine that when Cheng Fei was not present, Lin Xuanqi and Shen Xi had a friendly exchange, and Lin Xuanqi revealed Cheng Fei's humiliating history.