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

Cheng Fei's performance came to an abrupt end, leaving only the buzzing sound on the deck. The sound wasn't loud or particularly jarring, but at that moment it had a deafening effect.

"Could it be a malfunction of the equipment?" Cheng Fei asked Shen Xi.

"Impossible, I've been working normally for so many days." Shen Xi shook her head firmly.

"What does a few hundred milligauss mean?" Nagasaki Asuna tilted her head.

“Even the difference in gravitational acceleration between the equator and the poles is only a few thousand milligas. Variations of a few hundred milligas are usually caused by large-scale differences in geological composition.” Shen Xi paused here, her voice becoming very soft, as if afraid of disturbing something.

"However, I've calculated that if a rocky landmass of thousands of square kilometers in area and sufficient thickness were located above the Earth's surface, it could cause the same kind of change..."

As soon as the words were spoken, the three of them looked up at the space above them and re-examined it.

The once clear and boundless sky was gradually being covered by thick, light gray clouds. Twilight was rapidly moving away from this sea area and retreating toward the horizon, as if being forced back by some incredible behemoth.

Nothing could be seen, but the endless buzzing of the laptop seemed to herald its arrival. As if trembling before a great being, the ever-rising curves in the coordinate system seemed to be tracing its outline, as if a trembling hand was drawing the silhouette of a colossal object that was so close at hand.

Cheng Fei imagined a stack of floating continents passing over the Miriam. It was beyond description; it was like another world silently hanging upside down in the sky. It was like a ghost, impossible to see, but its very existence was a huge anomaly, enough to attract matter on Earth to it.

Cheng Fei had a strange premonition that this time he really wasn't joking.

Perhaps many years later, the boy will recall that afternoon when he pushed open the door to room 601 of the Sakura Club activity building, where a cool girl with long black hair sat by the window, drawing him from his mundane daily life into another bizarre world.

In a daze, he saw the seawater flying backwards towards the sky, the glistening droplets turning into long, thin lines that reflected a faint light in mid-air...

The torrential rain came without warning; that's how unpredictable the weather is at sea.

Fortunately, the upper deck was semi-open, and all the items that were afraid of water were kept indoors. The three of them quickly hid under the deck canopy.

"Among the four fundamental forces, the corridor seems to have blocked electromagnetic interaction with the outside world, so it is almost completely invisible. However, it will cause changes in gravity, which means that gravity still exists normally..." Shen Xi analyzed, pinching her chin. Perhaps it was because of the rain and the sudden drop in temperature that the girl trembled slightly.

"Banning basic force interaction? Such an exaggerated setting is probably something even science fiction writers wouldn't dare to use lightly," Cheng Fei couldn't help but say.

Shen Xi ignored the boy and went to check the gravimeter readings. She hurriedly pulled out the large box from under the table and opened it.

"Teacher Shen, what are you planning to do?" Cheng Fei asked as he watched her unfold the rotors of the large drone.

“The gravity fluctuations are more severe than I expected, which means the corridor is very close to sea level. Let’s fly the drone up there and take a look.” The girl picked up the remote control.

What if we get hit?

"It's good that it collided with something, because it means that electromagnetic interaction has not been completely eliminated."

"Damn, you're really generous." Cheng Fei looked at the expensive drone and sighed as he helped her move it outside into the open air.

In the rain, the drone lit up its red and green navigation lights. As its motors hummed, its large rotors began to spin, pushing out a strong airflow that rippled the water on the ground.

Even the heavy rain couldn't stop the drone from taking off. Under Shen Xi's control, it wobbled and soared straight into the sky.

"Speaking of which, shouldn't we report when we fly to a certain altitude?" Nagasaki Asuna stood on the edge of the deck and looked out.

"It's too late, we can do whatever we want on the high seas anyway," Cheng Fei said, pursing his lips.

The drone quickly disappeared from sight until, at a certain moment, the remote control's feed stopped abruptly, indicating a signal loss.

"Did they collide?" Cheng Fei asked in surprise.

"The wires shouldn't break instantly when you hit something." Shen Xi was equally confused.

The two began examining the remote control, trying to figure out what was going on with the drone.

Just then, the ship's loudspeaker blared overhead. Sebastian said in a serious tone, "Ladies and gentlemen, radar indicates an unidentified speedboat is approaching us from the 11 o'clock direction. It could be pirates. Please remain indoors and do not move around..."

"Huh? Eleven o'clock..." Nagasaki Asuna muttered, shading her eyes with her hand as she looked out to sea.

Behind her, Cheng Fei and Shen Xi also saw the Clippers that Sebastian had mentioned, a blurry gray-white shadow in the rain.

"Teacher Shen, give me the binoculars."

Cheng Fei took the binoculars and looked again, and immediately had a bad feeling.

It was a sleek catamaran with no deck or portholes, resembling an unmanned vessel. There were no flags or markings, and a small twin-mounted machine gun at the bow. Though small, its caliber was deadly enough for a civilian ship.

If that was a pirate, then this pirate's equipment was a bit too sophisticated.

Moreover, how could there be pirates in such a remote sea area?

"Something's not right." Cheng Fei put down his binoculars, confirmed that the ship was getting bigger and bigger in his field of vision, and then quickly picked up his binoculars again to observe.

At that moment, a still-burning wreckage fell from mid-air and crashed into the sea.

"Hey, was the drone shot down?" Asuna Nagasaki's observation was still sharp.

Shen Xi frowned, perhaps heartbroken over the drone worth hundreds of thousands of yuan.

"Teacher Shen, do you think there might be guards or something near the corridor?" Cheng Fei asked seriously.

“Possibly.” Shen Xi thought for a moment, then looked up to meet the boy’s gaze.

He picked up the ship's phone next to him and contacted Sebastian, "This isn't just pirates, turn around and get out of there!"

"clear."

The ship, Miriam, began to tilt noticeably, and Shen Xi and Nagasaki Asuna had to hold onto something to keep their balance.

Cheng Fei continued to observe through his binoculars and could vaguely see the machine guns of the unmanned boat turning towards the Miriam in the dim rain.

The boy realized that playing "My Heart Will Go On" on the boat might really be unlucky.

……

198. System Dimension

In a flash, Cheng Fei recalled the out-of-control machinery in the corridor, and the déjà vu of being locked onto by a deadly weapon made him feel uneasy.

Without hesitation, he tackled Shen Xi and Nagasaki Asuna to the ground together.

Before the two girls could figure out what was happening, he had already tackled them to the ground.

Less than two seconds later, several deafening thuds rang out from the side of the Miriam, as if underwater giants were striking the hull with heavy hammers, and the entire ship could feel a noticeable vibration.

In that instant, Cheng Fei's brain was working at lightning speed.

The enemy opened fire, which means they have no intention of negotiating at all.

The first few shots were just to calibrate the trajectory; what awaited the Miriam was likely a storm of metal and explosives.

Even a small-caliber machine gun would be far beyond what the Miriam could withstand.

With modern weaponry, there is no possibility that the Miriam could maneuver and escape.

In other words, if we don't find a way to deal with it, we're doomed.

Cheng Fei opened the system and spent 100,000 points to exchange for items.

[System Backend Key (Incomplete): Consumes energy to bring yourself and selected objects in the surrounding area into the system dimension. There is a chance of damage that will prevent you from leaving. Please use with caution.]

I never expected to use this item under these circumstances.

But time was of the essence, and he could not afford to hesitate any longer.

Cheng Fei selected the entire Miriam and confirmed its use.

Lin Xuanqi, please bless your husband.

Between praying to gods and worshipping Buddha, he decided to find someone with whom he had a relatively close relationship, though not a very close one.

The next moment, Cheng Fei felt as if all his strength had been drained, and his whole body went limp.

The boy, whose vision was blurry, had only one thought: the energy he was consuming was actually depleting his physical strength...?

"Cheng Fei..."

"Cheng Fei..."

The girl's exclamation faded into the distance.

As a long, winding bolt of lightning descended from the sky, the Miriam vanished instantly from the stormy sea.

A barrage of machine gun fire swept through the air in vain, flying further away.

……

The exhausted boy almost fainted. Hearing Shen Xi and Nagasaki Asuna's conversation, he vaguely confirmed that the Miriam had arrived at a safe place. He decided to take a nap to recover his strength.

When I opened my eyes again, the orange-red sunset was a bit dazzling. In the distance, I could hear the recurring sound of waves and the cries of seagulls, a peaceful sound that made me drowsy.

The previously murky sea, the buzzing of the gravimeter, and the sudden attack by the unmanned gunboats—everything seemed like a distant dream.

The first thing Cheng Fei did after waking up was to open the system and check his inventory.

[System Backend Key (Incomplete): Not damaged, consumes energy to leave the system dimension]

He breathed a sigh of relief.

After so many bad luck incidents, he finally got his chance to have some good luck.

"Is Cheng Fei alright?" Nagasaki Asuna, kneeling next to the boy, leaned forward, her gaze intentionally or unintentionally overlapping with the system interface in his field of vision.

"Is there anything to eat?" Cheng Fei felt an intense hunger.

On the other side, Shen Xi took out a chocolate bar from her body, broke off a piece without expression, and put it into the boy's mouth.

He chewed it, intending to open his mouth and let Shen Xi feed him again, but Nagasaki Asuna's nonchalant gaze made him give up the idea. He reached out and took the chocolate himself, eating it in no time.

Feeling his strength recovering at an inhuman speed, Cheng Fei straightened up and observed his surroundings.

With clear water, white sand, and the shadows of coconut palms, on a sunny evening, a young man sat on the grass by the beach.

"Where is this place?" the boy asked, looking bewildered.

He had expected that the system-level dimensions would lead to scenarios beyond his imagination.

"It's still unclear. The ship ran aground not long after Cheng Fei fainted," Nagasaki Asuna said, shaking her head softly.

Cheng Fei looked at the Miriam near the shore, still thinking that the yacht was just moored there.

"What about the corridor?" the boy asked again.

Shen Xi shook her head, seemingly lost in thought. "I don't know. It's strange here; we can't receive satellite signals."

"I see." Cheng Fei nodded to indicate that he understood.

The system is quite intelligent; it seems there's no need for him to explain anything.

At this moment, Ye Shuang and Milian walked side by side from a distance.

Cheng Fei pricked up his ears to listen to what they were saying.

"It's been confirmed, this is just an uninhabited island," Ye Shuang said.

"I'm exhausted after walking around like this." Miriam plopped down on the ground.

Sebastian also came ashore wearing a wetsuit, goggles, and a snorkel. "Guys, the damage to the hull isn't too serious, and the grounding isn't deep. We can try to resurface it when the tide comes in."

"No matter what, it's good that everyone is alright." Nagasaki Asuna breathed a sigh of relief.

"So the yacht was indeed hit?" Cheng Fei couldn't help but confirm again.

Sebastian nodded. "Rest assured, the impact points were all above the waterline, and no important components were damaged. I have completed the emergency procedures, and there is no risk of the ship sinking."

Cheng Fei was relieved; it seemed that the others had handled the situation well while he was away.

The boy and the others returned to the boat, replenishing their strength with emergency food while waiting for the tide to come in, intending to use the rising tide to get out of the shallows first.

"So, we can now confirm that the corridor really exists? And that we were almost sunk by the guarding gunboats," Nagasaki Asuna concluded.

To the first part of her sentence, Shen Xi, with her head down, responded with a disdainful snort.

Shen Xi was engrossed in studying the data recorded by the gravimeter, calculating something on a draft paper, her brow furrowed.

"Master Ye, senior sister, now you won't have any more doubts, right? As the vice minister, I formally welcome you to join the ranks of discovering new continents." Cheng Fei said seriously, as if he had never questioned Shen Xi.

"I'm more worried about whether the enemy will come after us." There was a hint of coldness in Ye Shuang's eyes.

She was reading comics in her cabin when a machine gun shell hit the passenger seat next to hers, causing her to experience tinnitus for a while.

"How outrageous! No matter who they are, how dare they attack my Miriam! When I get back, I'm going to contact my father and get in touch with the Royal Navy..." Miriam was furious.

"Does the Royal Navy have the authority to manage the corridor?" Cheng Fei managed to hold back from asking.

After a long wait, night fell and the tide finally came.