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

983. Shen Xi asks Cheng Fei for the ring.

"Heh, I hope he doesn't know the truth but refuse to admit it, and is just pretending to be mysterious." The aloof girl looked away and continued to put the popcorn chicken into her mouth, her cool and soft cheeks bulging slightly and quickly.

The boy ate his food while staring at that pretty little face that always seemed unusually busy.

"Trash, disgusting." Shen Xi caught a glimpse of this out of the corner of her eye, her face turning disgusted, and she attacked him under the table.

"Why do I feel nauseous again?" the boy asked, puzzled.

"Cheng Feiyu's gaze is disgusting. I can't imagine what kind of filthy thoughts he's having while staring at someone's face even when they're eating." The aloof girl glared at him.

"Teacher Shen, I was just watching you chewing and chewing. I just thought it was cute, so I appreciated it. There was nothing filthy about it." The boy looked wronged.

Shen Xi covered her chest with her hands and shivered, feeling a chill. "Nonsense. It's one thing to stare at me occasionally, but to keep staring at me today? Is Cheng Feiyu's obsession with me getting worse?"

"If I had to say something, it would be that you looked cuter eating today, Ms. Shen," the boy said earnestly.

"Ridiculous, I think Cheng Feiyu is more disgusting than usual." The aloof girl glared at him without any politeness.

Nagasaki Asuna hesitated for a moment, then casually said, "Well, it's probably because Shen Xi was quite hungry, and fried food makes people more hungry, so she ate faster than usual?"

“That’s right, smart Nana.” The boy patted her head.

"Hehehe~ Not particularly smart either." This pleased the sweet girl.

"That's enough with the back-and-forth banter. I can't understand the thought processes of you low-level creatures." The aloof girl frowned slightly. This time, she simply held the box of popcorn chicken in her hand and ate it. Before she had even finished chewing one, she put the second one into her mouth, her little face still showing displeasure as she continued chewing.

The aloof girl, who usually savors her food slowly and deliberately, attracted attention for no apparent reason when she showed this side of herself.

"Teacher Shen, have you finished eating? There are still fries here after you finish. They're a perfect match with ketchup." The boy placed the food in front of her like a sacrificial offering, and continued to stare at her.

The aloof girl's eyes flickered as if she sensed something. She slowed down her eating pace slightly, regaining her usual reserved and ladylike demeanor. She raised her chin and said, "Let's get back to the main topic. Based on the available information, we can make some inferences."

"What speculation?" The boy looked at her change with disappointment, like a TV program he was enjoying being suddenly cut off.

“First of all, judging from the performance of this failed attempt, there is reason to suspect that it is an artificial life form.” Shen Xi picked up a French fry, dipped it in ketchup, brought it close to his eyes to examine it carefully, and then smelled it. His serious expression was as if he was conducting research.

"They do look quite alike?" Nagasaki Asuna rested her chin on one hand, took a fry, dipped it in ketchup, and put it in her mouth. However, she kept her mouth open without eating, so that people could clearly see her moist, pink tongue glistening under the light. Only when the boy opposite her couldn't help but look at her did she close her mouth and eat the food.

"It's not just what it looks like, but a very simple logic. The failed creations, including the similarly shaped Shadow, all use Protoss weapons." Shen Xi noticed her small movements out of the corner of her eye and turned her face away as if she couldn't bear to watch.

"Gun aside, so many staves and swords are Protoss weapons. Could it be that Her Majesty the Queen not only liked collecting alien species back then, but was also a weapons designer? This kind of kind yet violent feeling is also quite cute." The boy looked at her with great interest.

"The prototypes of those weapons came from other civilizations. They relied on the supernatural matter that naturally existed in those dimensions. After being collected, they were reverse-engineered using Protoss technology and transformed into Protoss weapons. That's why they use a unified battery as their energy source. Can't Cheng Feiyu even understand this?" The aloof girl glared at him.

"It's like, what if we took the light magic weapon from the fallen land and modified it? That would be something like that?" Nagasaki Asuna thought to herself.

"So it's obvious that since the failed creation used only Protoss weapons in battle, it's reasonable to assume that it was essentially some kind of Protoss Apostle," Shen Xi said softly.

"I see. No wonder Teacher Shen acted without hesitation. Attacking the Empress is no ordinary act of treason; it must be dealt with severely." Cheng Fei said with a serious expression, striking his palm with his fist.

The aloof girl squinted at him without saying a word.

"Teacher Shen, what kind of look is that?" The boy met his gaze without making a sound.

"If Cheng Feiyu dares to betray me, her fate will only be worse." The aloof girl spoke coldly and without emotion, as if stating a fact.

"Understood, Your Majesty's words of admonition will be remembered." The young man bowed respectfully.

Shen Xi looked away and continued, "Another piece of evidence is that there are failed works on every floor. If they are related to the Star Spirits, it makes even more sense."

"I understand. In other words, the failed creation was actually created by Her Majesty the Empress to guard the core of each level. It was only later affected by the altered order that it became the ruthless entity it is today." The boy continued to clench his fist and nod respectfully.

The aloof girl narrowed her eyes and stared at him again.

"Teacher Shen, I was just guessing, it's true." The boy looked into her eyes, his expression hardening.

Shen Xi lowered her eyes and took a deep breath, her cold expression unchanged. "Let's assume that it's the situation Cheng Feiyu described. Then, based on the so-called incomplete god mentioned by the black umbrella, we can make some guesses."

"What guess?" the boy asked curiously.

"The Protoss are trying to create a god." The aloof girl raised her head, her brows furrowed as she gazed into the infinite distance, as if pondering some profound question.

"Eh, creating a god?" Nagasaki Asuna put a French fry in her mouth.

"I've been thinking about a question: how exactly did the Failure or the Shadow manage to produce a weapon out of thin air?" Shen Xi then turned to look at Cheng Fei.

"Didn't we guess that it was achieved through the corridor?" the boy asked cautiously.

"Heh, does Cheng Feiyu think this is reasonable?" The aloof girl stared at him.

“That makes sense.” The boy nodded without hesitation at first, but then shook his head when he saw the change in her eyes. He gestured for her to speak, “Never mind, it doesn’t make sense. Ms. Shen, please share your guesses.”

"Assuming the combat style of the failed creation can only be implemented in the corridor, meaning it relies on the maze lock like the player, then there are two points of doubt." The aloof girl's expression was stern.

She paused, "First, the corridor is just a repository of species, it doesn't even have combat troops, so why would they specifically arrange such powerful apostles to defend it? Second, if it's just a stand-in that can act on its own, it's even stranger to call it a flawed god."

“That makes sense. In other words, even a failed creation can pull out weapons out of thin air anywhere. It comes with its own inventory. That’s what makes it godlike.” The boy said with a serious expression.

Shen Xi turned her head to stare at him, her stubborn, pink lips tightly closed.

Asuna Nagasaki also blinked at the boy.

The air in the room was silent for a second.

"I understand how you two like me, but girls should be more reserved." The boy covered his mouth with his thumb and forefinger, looking at the wall as if nothing was wrong.

"Cheng Feiyu, you're acting like a guilty thief." The aloof girl sneered, ignoring him. "This failed attempt has an invisible inventory, or at least that's how it's done, though it's unclear how."

"Teacher Shen, have you ever read any fantasy novels?" The boy asked seriously, then paused and began to gesture. "Never mind, you probably haven't. Anyway, there's a type of magical artifact, like a ring, that has a separate space inside that can be used to store items and access them at any time."

"Oh, then let me see Cheng Feiyu's ring." The aloof girl casually extended her small hand towards him.

"As a wedding ring?" the boy asked tentatively.

"Okay, Cheng Feiyu, put it on me." The aloof girl's expression remained unchanged. She turned her hand over so the back of her hand was facing up, and her ring finger was slightly raised, as if she was really waiting for something. Her pure, dark eyes reflected the boy's face without blinking, making it impossible to guess what she was thinking.

Nagasaki Asuna, observing the two, tilted her head and said, "Eh, they're getting married all of a sudden?"

"Teacher Shen, I didn't expect you to be so good at joking now." The boy chuckled twice and looked away first.

The room fell into a deathly silence, a palpable chill spreading outwards, causing the curtains to flutter slightly.

"Cheng Fei!" The cool and aloof girl's face suddenly turned fierce. She took a deep breath and launched a full-force attack on him from under the table.

"Teacher Shen, automatic attack is one thing, but why is it still a critical hit? Did you change jobs?!" the boy exclaimed in shock.

"I gave you a chance out of kindness, but you didn't appreciate it! Die!!!" He gritted his teeth and launched an even more ferocious attack.

"Teacher Shen, I know you really want to find an excuse to marry me, but I really don't have a ring!" the boy said, sounding wronged.

That's not the point at all!!!

Then, under the worried gaze of the sweet girl beside them, who covered her mouth and stared wide-eyed, a battle that could be described as bloody and brutal took place.

After a while.

Nagasaki Asuna rummaged through the first-aid kit, took out a band-aid, and handed it to the boy. "Cheng Fei, how about we disinfect this first?"

"It's okay, Teacher Shen probably doesn't have any microorganisms in her mouth." The boy grinned, temporarily covering the clear and neat little teeth marks on his neck with a band-aid.

As for the owner of the teeth marks, she was sitting in her original spot eating fries, her face as cold as ice, and she seemed to be chewing very hard.

"Teacher Shen, where were we? Let's continue," the boy said cautiously.

The aloof girl chewed and swallowed the food in her mouth before raising her head. Her face remained icy, and her tone was devoid of any emotion. "In short, the Protoss created such a powerful apostle, a failure, that it is called a flawed god."

"Is this what creating a god means?" Nagasaki Asuna carefully packed away the contents of the medical kit.

"There is reason to suspect that the Failed Creation's ability itself is imitating a real god, using beings like the Goddess of Time and Space as a blueprint, and creating an equally powerful apostle through Protoss technology," Shen Xi said coldly.

“I have a question,” Cheng Fei raised his hand.

“According to Black Umbrella, a flawed god cannot cocoon, and hibernation is equivalent to death. It can also be inferred that a true god possesses an ability called cocooning.” The aloof girl stroked her chin and spoke to herself, seemingly unable to see or hear him at all.

The boy realized she was deliberately ignoring him, and a slight twitch appeared on his lips.

Asuna Nagasaki looked at him with pity and asked, "Then what is cocooning?"

"Perhaps it's possible to be resurrected in some form after suffering severe injuries," the aloof girl mused.

"Maybe it's hiding in its inventory, but since it's a failed design, its abilities in this area aren't perfect yet, which is why Black Umbrella says that hibernation equals death." Cheng Fei thought for a moment, then realized something and glanced at Shen Xi, only feeling relieved when he saw that she wasn't paying attention.

"If one can die and be resurrected, and live forever, then one can truly be called a god," Nagasaki Asuna murmured softly.

"Teacher Shen, I have a question. Could you please answer it for me? You're the best." The boy leaned closer to the aloof girl and lowered his voice.

Shen Xi glanced at him, a hint of impatience on her face, but didn't say anything, though it seemed like she was tacitly agreeing.

"Does the Celestial Queen possess these abilities herself? Surely the Celestial Queen can't be weaker than her apostles, right?" the boy quickly said.

The aloof girl paused for a second, then shook her head. "I don't know either. Isena is unsure, and the research station's database lacks relevant records."

"Little Yi really doesn't know anything when asked," Nagasaki Asuna nodded and said casually.

"At least we know that Teacher Shen has the ability to create cold air, the ability to be exceptionally clever, and the ability to be the cutest in the multiverse." Cheng Fei counted on his fingers in a serious manner.

After he finished speaking, he was struck from an unknown source under the table.

"And the ability to attack automatically," the boy added.

Then it was attacked automatically again.

"That's all I can think of for now." Shen Xi dipped the last French fry in ketchup and put it in her mouth.

"Teacher Shen, you actually finished it all by yourself?" The boy stared at her. "Sure enough, you used to say you didn't eat junk food, but actually, a girl like you who's addicted to the internet is the perfect match for junk food."

"Shut up, you piece of trash." The aloof girl glared at him fiercely.

"If being trash is a good match for Teacher Shen, I'm willing to accept it." The boy nodded without any shame.

"You were like that just now, and now you're using sweet talk again. You're beyond help!" The aloof girl became angry again and attacked him under the table.

"Sigh, you two are really something." Nagasaki Asuna rested her chin on her hands and sighed with a sense of helplessness.

After the three finished their late-night snack, Cheng Fei cleared the table.

"Take a shower and get ready for bed." Shen Xi got up and left expressionlessly.

“Okay~ Shen Xi, would you like to shower first?” Nagasaki Asuna obediently replied.

The aloof girl turned and stared at her.

"What's wrong?" The sweet girl tilted her head, looking completely harmless.

"You come here too, you vixen," Shen Xi ordered coldly.

"Huh?" Nagasaki Asuna froze, covering her face and looking away with a serious expression. "Sharing a shower together? That's not a good idea, it feels so embarrassing."

"Stop pretending. Don't think I don't know what you're up to. If you dare say another word, you'll be going back to your room." The aloof girl's gaze was sharp.

"Okay." The sweet girl slumped down and followed her steps.

Looking at this scene, Cheng Fei had reason to suspect that she was taking revenge on him.

984. Shen Xi ordered Cheng Fei to continue testing.

As the sound of running water came from the bathroom, Cheng Fei idly went to the balcony, put his hands in his pockets, and gazed at the quiet night view of Academy City, pondering the conversation the three of them had just had.

The boy made a grasping motion with one hand, and a strangely shaped dagger appeared out of thin air. He examined it for a moment, then put the three-pointed dagger back into his system inventory, imagining what had happened during the process.

Cocooning, dormancy...

The system hasn't mentioned this ability yet, but there might actually be items that can do it.

If he had enough points to upgrade attributes and buy items, he would probably become even more of a failure than a failure itself.

Or rather, to become a complete god?

But on that day, will it be him or the system that truly become a god?

Such questions lingered in the boy's mind, plunging him into endless contemplation.

The text suddenly refreshed before the boy's eyes.

[Special Achievement Completed]

[A Failed Hunt (1/99)]

[Achievement Reward: Online Dating Accelerator Card *1]