After Meeting My God-Tier Teammate in Person, I Was Forced to Join the Crew

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In the year 2180 of the Star Calendar, technology on Blue Star was advancing rapidly. Underlying tensions simmered among the various factions, and danger lurked everywhere.

Ordinary people in the Ziwei Federation still lived ordinary lives.

Tian Zhishi was a laid-back programmer at a startup internet company and a veteran hacker. He loved CTF capture-the-flag competitions, but had no regular teammates. His handle was CHEESE.

One day, he recruited a teammate called MIAOMIAO. They worked together seamlessly and had a great time. He was convinced that "Miaomiao" was a cute girl who was great at math.

Until he arranged to meet her at a cafe, full of romantic fantasies, and a bespectacled nerd who was six foot three suddenly walked over to him.

"Are you Cheese?"

Scary. He was calling him by such an intimate name right off the bat!

"I'm Luo Mi'ao."

What, Romeo? I was supposed to meet Miaomiao!

"I'm Mi, Ao, not Miao."

Tian Zhishi felt his worldview crumble.

"Then why are you called Miaomiao?"

"Because the website requires usernames to be at least five characters long."

This seemingly aloof man became the beginning of a whole series of adventures for him.

They learned to understand each other as they grew, and to trust each other in battle.

"He can do a lot more than crack passwords. I want to fight by his side, for the rest of my life."

Mischievous hacker-programmer Tian Zhishi x dessert-loving cryptography expert Luo Mi'ao

Teammates and romantic partners, both strong, with mutual top energy (or no clearly defined top and bottom).

Set in an alternate future. The locations are fictional but based on real places. Traditional holidays and food are retained, with some fictional high technology.

A plot-focused, serious story involving information security and battle scenes, with the protagonists growing quickly. A slow-burn friendship at first, with hints of romance, fighting side by side, and a happy ending.

The technical content has been simplified as appropriate. Please forgive any inaccuracies.

Any resemblance to real events is purely coincidental.

About the title: The original titles were Under the Undertow and Invisible Decryption. Nobody wanted to read those.

- Bonus chapters finished updating from late February to May 20, 2024.

- Three bonus chapters, including ones about the main couple and a character-focused chapter about Lei Ting. [Caveat] Lei Ting's bonus chapter touches on women's hardships and personal growth, and may be upsetting. Feel free to skip it if that bothers you. Really, don't force yourself.

[There are quite a few older works on my profile, of varying lengths. Feel free to add my upcoming stories to your reading list, too.]

Theme: By a twist of fate, they join hands to fight for peace.