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

"Aren't these the reinforcements you brought?" Cheng Fei asked, puzzled.

"I was called here, I don't know anything." The baby-faced girl shook her head.

Just as the two were staring at each other, a familiar voice rang out, "Actually, I'm helping you because I want to cooperate with you."

Accompanied by several armed civilians, the brown-haired youth with a katana at his waist entered the dock, approached the group, and saluted with a gesture completely different from the usual imperial etiquette of placing his hand on his chest. He smiled and said, "Gentlemen, we meet again. It seems all is well with you."

A red-haired half-elf, clutching a teddy bear, followed beside him with his chin held high.

The moment Cheng Fei and Shen Xi saw Haisen, they exchanged a glance and understood everything.

"What do you want to collaborate on?" Cheng Fei stepped forward and looked into the other person's eyes.

707. Defense of Riften

Haisen stepped forward and spread his hands in front of Cheng Fei, "Let me be blunt. The Lord of Riften has sided with the Empire. Now the First and Second Special Operations Fleets have joined forces to blockade the docks. You can't leave here safely without driving out the Empires."

"So?" Cheng Fei remained calm.

“Therefore, the Imperials are our common enemy, and we should stand on the same side.” Hysen looked around at the group on the Miriam.

Cheng Fei thought for a moment, then said seriously, "We can wait until you and the Imperials have fought to a standstill and then escape in the chaos."

Shen Xi glanced at him expressionlessly.

“Maybe, provided you have enough fuel.” Hysen gave a sly smile.

Cheng Fei paused for a moment, then said, "What's your plan for dealing with the Imperials? We won't be cannon fodder."

“Don’t worry, we have a plan this time.” Haisen said, gesturing for the young man behind him to hand over the blank map, which was then spread out on the cargo box next to him.

Cheng Fei stepped forward.

"We didn't expect the Empire to send two fleets to launch a surprise attack on Riften during the Festival of Light. Their forces far outnumber ours. Fortunately, the terrain of the lower city is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the Empire is not familiar with it, so we can hold out for now," Hysen said slowly.

"That's just waiting to die." Cheng Fei looked at him.

“Just hold out for one more day.” Hysen held up one finger.

Cheng Fei frowned. "Why one day?"

"We also have a fleet on the way. They received the message and are rushing here at full speed. They will arrive in Riften City by sunset tomorrow at the latest, at which time we can launch a counterattack," Hysen indicated on the aerial map.

Cheng Fei looked at Nagasaki Asuna, who was listening in, and saw the girl nod. He then looked at Hysen and asked, "Then what do we need to do?"

“Assist in the defense. The Imperial Army has brought a large number of Demon Knights this time, while the Allied Army consists of ordinary people, making them a difficult force to deal with,” Hysen said immediately.

"Then what can we change with just a few people? We don't have the ability to defeat so many people." Cheng Fei looked around.

“There’s no way out now. The more manpower we have, the better our chances of success.” Haisen looked intently into the boy’s eyes, paused, and then shrugged casually. “Of course, you can refuse to cooperate, but once the Imperials invade, we’ll all probably end up the same way.”

After he finished speaking, he shut his mouth and waited for the boy to make a decision.

The air in the dock fell silent.

Cheng Fei rubbed his chin, thought for a moment, and nodded. "Then I have a condition."

"What are the conditions?" Haisen asked quickly.

"Get us a few barrels of fuel before tomorrow ends, no matter how the battle goes," the boy said in an unquestionable tone.

Heisen gave a helpless smile and nodded, "Alright, if you fail, you can try to escape."

After the two finished their conversation, the silver-haired elf with her hair tied in a ponytail stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "I'll join too."

Cheng Fei and Haisen looked at Eve together.

"I will kill all the people of the Empire." The elf clenched his fists and squeezed out the words from his hoarse throat.

Leia stood silently to the side, her head bowed, clutching the rune-covered longsword of the elf named Sheila, which Cheng Fei had picked up and given to her earlier.

“Of course, you’re most welcome.” Hysen looked at the two thoughtfully and smiled.

After discussing the action plan with Cheng Fei, the brown-haired youth with a katana at his waist left with his familiars and subordinates, leaving only a portion of the allied forces to assist in defending the passage connecting to the upper city.

Cheng Fei called the entire crew of the Miriam back to the map table in the cockpit for a meeting.

"That's basically it. We might have to fight all the way until tomorrow," the boy explained.

"But what if we have class tomorrow, Friday?" Zhou Han, who had somehow regained her senses, quickly said.

"The only option is to ask for leave, right, Teacher Shen?" Cheng Fei looked to the side.

"Shut up about things that are obvious." Shen Xi said coldly.

"Okay, let's all take leave!" Miriam clenched her fist excitedly.

Cheng Fei opened his mouth, but held back and reminded her that there were only a few days left until the college entrance examination.

Well, judging from the looks of it, I didn't expect to get many points anyway...

"So we can't log off and rest either?" Nagasaki Asuna tilted her head.

“We still have time to eat, but forget about sleeping. At most, we can take a nap in the middle. Let’s just tough it out. He’s right. If we lose this battle, none of us will be able to leave.” Cheng Fei shook his head.

Just then, a very soft voice rang out, "But if I ask for leave..."

Ruan Jingyi looked at the group, hesitant to speak.

Asuna Nagasaki winked at her, as if sensing something, "Is it inconvenient to stay home on leave?"

"Mm." Ruan Jingyi nodded slightly.

“Me too! If my mother knew I took leave to play games at home, she would definitely scold me to death!” Zhou Han suddenly widened her eyes, as if she had suddenly realized something.

"Then...why don't you two pretend to go to school normally, and then come to my and Shen Xi's house wearing helmets?" Nagasaki Asuna tapped her chin with her fingertip, tilting her head and revealing an interested smile.

This made Shen Xi frown slightly and stare at her, seemingly displeased, "You vixen, you really are generous."

"Well, we have to help everyone solve this kind of problem, Your Majesty?" Nagasaki Asuna said casually, with her hands behind her back.

Shen Xi's eyes flickered, and she turned her head away with a displeased look.

"Wait, Miss Nagasaki and Shen Xi...home?" Milian hesitated.

"I had nowhere to live after I gave up my old house, and since Shen Xi lives alone, I moved in with her. Is there a problem, Miriam?" Nagasaki Asuna tilted her head, looking innocent and bewildered.

"There's nothing wrong, Miss Nagasaki, just be careful!" Miriam's expression hardened, and she quickly shook her head, turned her face away, and raised her chin as if to look at the scenery. But where no one could see, her eyes gradually filled with tears.

Although she didn't know what was going on, she had a feeling that something had happened without her knowledge, and she wondered why the world was like this...

“Ruan Jingyi, let’s go to Asuna tomorrow morning.” Zhou Han took her best friend’s arm.

"Nana, I'll come to your place in the morning too." Ye Shuang, who had been eavesdropping for a while, hesitated for a moment. "It's not really convenient for me to take time off to play games at home."

"Master Ye, you actually volunteered to take leave to help out, and even went to Shen Xi's house?" Cheng Fei looked at her with surprise and doubt.

The girl with pigtails froze for a moment, her mouth agape but unable to make a sound, as if she had come to her senses and realized something.

Before Ye Shuang could speak, Nagasaki Asuna pounced on her and gave her a bear hug, pulling her into her arms. At the same time, she looked at the boy in a firm tone, "It's decided that Cheng Fei will pick them up in the morning to begin the defense of Rift Valley Castle!"

Vino, Leia, and Eve watched the group of people from the side. The first two looked like they were used to it, while the latter looked completely confused.

708. Reinforcements arrive

After a brief pause following initial setbacks, the Imperial Army launched a more intense pincer attack on the lower city, simultaneously assaulting from both the upper city and the docks.

Allied forces, disguised as civilians, continued to emerge from the depths of the canyon, halting the enemy's advance.

Despite knowing that there were allied forces in Riften, Cheng Fei had to admit that he hadn't expected there to be so many. They had been lurking in the lower city for so many days without noticing any of their activities.

Because the dock has a passageway leading directly to the upper city, and because it was being closely watched by Edward, it became a primary target for the Imperial Army.

Originally, the Allied forces planned to assist them in defending the shipyard, but after some thought, Cheng Fei decided to simply blow up the passage.

It was clear that Vino wanted to reject the plan. She hesitated to speak when the Miriam and her crew were planning, but in the end she didn't say anything.

So Cheng Fei deployed bombs purchased from the corridor, and amidst the deafening roar that shook the entire dock, the passage connecting to the upper city was blocked.

Before dawn, the crew of the Miriam joined the ranks of those blocking the Imperial army.

The two sides engaged in the fiercest firefight on the most important road connecting the upper and lower urban areas.

The green particle beams surged back and forth at both ends of the gentle slope, weaving a dense net of fire. The raindrop-like light magic particles left red-hot marks wherever they hit, and even the air heated up.

At this moment, groups of demon-slaying knights, forming a shield wall, appeared at the top of the gentle slope.

The Allied forces immediately concentrated their firepower, and beams of dazzling green particles swept across the shield wall, leaving red-hot highlights on the enchanted greatsword.

The demon knights, wielding massive shields, advanced slowly, providing cover for each other, their steps slow yet carrying an unstoppable momentum.

Imperial infantry advanced in coordination, using shield walls as cover to fire on Allied forces below the gentle slope.

The sword-and-shield-wielding demon knights followed closely behind, gripping their blades tightly, their eyes fixed menacingly on the allied forces hidden behind cover, their muscles taut, ready to close in and unleash a massacre.

The Allied forces at the forefront of the front line were forced to retreat, while simultaneously throwing strange light magic devices at the Imperial forces.

As those kettle-sized objects fell to their feet, the nearby Imperial soldiers didn't even have time to see them clearly before the suddenly expanding green orb of light instantly engulfed them, turning them into unrecognizable charred corpses. The soldiers affected were scorched by the deadly heat, screaming and rolling on the ground.

Upon seeing this, the nearby Imperial soldiers all showed expressions of fear and trepidation, and the Demon Knights carrying giant shields gritted their teeth and quickened their pace.

After finally passing through the open area on the gentle slope, the sword-and-shield-wielding demon knights bypassed the giant shield and charged out, rushing towards the allied forces' positions at terrifying speed.

The Allied soldiers, unable to retreat in time, could only watch helplessly as the enemy approached. They raised their Light Magic Particle Rifles and opened fire, but their insufficient firepower was easily blocked by the Demon Knights with their one-handed shields.

Without warning, a surging crimson beam of light, which dimmed the entire world, shot out from behind the Allied positions, sweeping rapidly along the gentle slope, like a paintbrush erasing everything it touched, and then dyeing the earth in its path a fiery red.

The Allied soldiers, still shaken, turned around and saw a cool, silver-haired girl holding a strangely shaped staff, coldly gazing down at the Imperial army in their dire situation.

Two elves with pointed ears followed closely behind, wielding rune-covered longswords wrapped in light blades as they charged towards the remaining Imperial army, their eyes filled with an intense, almost tangible, killing intent.

……

The fierce battle for Riften lasted from midnight until dawn. The Imperial army, at the cost of considerable casualties, captured part of the surface positions in the lower city and chose to hold their ground.

The crew of the Miriam participated in several battles as external support, and also distributed some of the Corridor weapons to the Allied forces.

After the battle ended, the group returned to the dock to rest.

Ye Shuang sat next to Nagasaki Asuna, staring blankly at the ceiling. "Nana, are you sleepy?"

"You're actually more energetic after staying up all night?" Nagasaki Asuna hugged her healing staff and yawned slightly.

She served as a medic all night, able to revive even those on the verge of death with her healing staff. In the latter half of the night, a steady stream of wounded Allied soldiers were brought to her, leading to her being revered as a deity within the Allied forces.

"Me too." Ye Shuang blinked, feeling herself in a state of mixed sleepiness and energy. She had never stayed up all night like this before, even when reading comics.

"Ruan Jingyi, I killed so many people, so many people..." Zhou Han buried her face in her best friend's arms, her round eyes losing their luster as she continued to repent.

Leia and Eve, covered in blood and exhausted after a night of fighting, sat listlessly on the side.

"It's almost time. I'll drive over to pick you up." Cheng Fei stood up, stretched, slumped into a chair, and logged out of the game.

……

Leaving aside the strange phenomenon of all the members of the Corridor Research Department taking sick leave on Friday, Cheng Fei drove his GLS and picked up Zhou Han, Ruan Jingyi, and Ye Shuang, taking them to Guang'an Street in one go.

Upon arriving at the upscale apartment building, the young man, familiar with the area, led the three into the elevator.

"By the way, Cheng Fei, do you live with those two?" Zhou Han asked, subtly observing the boy as she slipped into her helmet.

"No, I live across the street." The boy carried breakfasts he had bought for everyone in both hands.

"I see." The petite girl nodded, seemingly understanding.

“Scumbag…” Ye Shuang muttered to herself for some reason.

The boy responded with a nonchalant smile.

Her gaze met the boy's, then she immediately looked away.

Upon arriving on the thirty-sixth floor and opening the familiar door, Zhou Han immediately peeked inside to observe.

"Welcome~" Nagasaki Asuna, dressed in pajamas, was already standing in the entrance hall, her hands behind her back, giving the guests a sweet smile.

"Wow, Asuna, I didn't expect your rented house to be so big," Zhou Han exclaimed as she stepped forward.