Genius Playground

Inside, Chi Xiaoguo operated the Positron Cannon, beginning a synchronized countdown.

Jiang Ran looked down, staring at the drafted text message on his phone screen.

[To my past self, I am now informing you of two future facts:

1. Tomorrow’s college entrance exam essay topic is The Power of Stories;

2. The morning after tomorrow, Cheng Mengxue will die in a car accident;

You must make sure Xiaoxue takes her original route to the exam. Don’t let her take a detour!]

The content was the same as before.

The recipient was his own phone number. He had long since confirmed that the number was registered in Hang City; he hadn’t changed it since high school.

The send date had also been set on the Positron Cannon: June 6, 2023, the day before that year’s college entrance exam.

This would give his past self enough time to verify the message’s authenticity and provide a large enough window to save Cheng Mengxue.

”Senior! Are you ready?”

Chi Xiaoguo’s shout came from inside the Film Club room.

”I’m ready!”

Jiang Ran responded, ”Start the countdown!”

In the hazy morning light, Chi Xiaoguo took a deep breath.

”5!”

Jiang Ran closed his eyes, feeling the coolness of the breeze and the warmth of the sun.

’This time, there won’t be any sudden phone calls to interrupt the experiment.’

”4!”

’In a moment, amidst the roar of the Positron Cannon, I’ll press the send button just as planned and send this message, a message capable of triggering a Worldline Jump...’

’...to two years ago.’

”3!”

He took another deep breath. An image of Cheng Mengxue’s Tombstone appeared in his mind, along with the girl’s smiling face in black and white on its surface.

’You have to come back.’

Jiang Ran clenched his fists.

In a world without Cheng Mengxue, nothing felt real to him.

If this was all a dream, he couldn’t wait to wake up.

”2!”

In the blackness behind his eyelids, a Ferris wheel began to turn.

In every cabin sat a familiar face: Qin Feng, Cheng Mengxue, Wang Hao, Nan Xiuxiu, Chi Xiaoguo...

Everyone in the cabins circled a large eye in the center at a steady speed, like a prize wheel waiting to be spun, like a slot machine that hadn’t stopped, with no way of knowing if luck or misfortune lay ahead.

”1!”

The Ferris wheel spun faster and faster.

Soon, it was moving too fast to even see an afterimage.

The large eye in the very center suddenly opened.

’There’s another person inside!’

’It’s...’

’...me, on the other end of the worldline, holding my phone, completely dumbfounded.’

”0!”

As Chi Xiaoguo’s powerful countdown finished, the Positron Cannon instantly flared with blue light and let out a deafening ROAR!

Jiang Ran’s eyes shot open. The vision in his mind vanished in an instant, his gaze locking onto his phone screen, his thumb, the send button—

He slammed it down!

...

...

...

A few willow leaves drifted down. His breathing was ragged.

BEEP BEEP.

The phone instantly chimed with a text notification. A banner at the top of the screen announced a new message.

The sound of a bouncing basketball drifted over.

A few boys in jerseys were joking around as they headed for the sports field.

’Huh?’

Jiang Ran blinked, bewildered.

’What’s happening?’

’Why...’

’...is there no buzzing, no dizziness?’

’Why...’

’...is there no shift in spacetime?’

’Why... did a Worldline Jump not happen?’

He looked down to check.

’There was no mistake.’

His and Chi Xiaoguo’s procedures had been flawless. The Positron Cannon activated as planned, and he had definitely pressed the send button within 0.7 seconds.

This was the procedure that had worked every single time on World Line 0. But why... why did it fail now?

A sense of foreboding crept into his heart.

No.

Jiang Ran didn’t dare to think about it any further.

”Senior?”

Chi Xiaoguo leaned on the windowsill, poking her head out from the club room.

”How did it go, Senior? Was the experiment a success this time?”

”...”

Jiang Ran was silent.

Finally, he sighed.

”No.”

He pressed his lips together.

”It wasn’t a success.”

Chi Xiaoguo clicked her tongue. ”Well, then... should we try again tomorrow morning?”

She now understood that the Positron Cannon needed 20 hours to rest before it could be activated again, just like a Skill on cooldown in a video game.

So, if they wanted to try the experiment again, they would have to wait until the next morning.

”Yeah.”

Jiang Ran replied softly.

Though his heart was in turmoil, like a raging sea, Jiang Ran forced down the fear and unease, refusing to dwell on it.

...

「The next morning.」

”5! 4! 3! 2! 1! 0!”

...

「The third morning.」

”5! 4! 3! 2! 1! 0!”

...

...

...

「The tenth morning.」

Beads of sweat dotted Chi Xiaoguo’s forehead. Her fist was pressed tightly against the Positron Cannon’s activation button as she shouted out the window:

”5! 4! 3! 2! 1! 0!”

The Positron Cannon emitted the same blue light and roar as always.

Jiang Ran’s nerves were stretched taut. He immediately pressed the send button—

...

...

...

BEEP BEEP.

The phone chimed, indicating a new text message.

Just like always, nothing happened.

For the tenth time, the drafted message had been sent—with perfect stability—to his current phone, not to the one from two years ago.

”Ah...”

As his taut nerves finally went slack, as the teetering walls of his resolve came crashing down, a wave of exhaustion suddenly washed over Jiang Ran.

He staggered, his entire body falling back against a transformer box.

Then, his strength gave out. His clothes scraped against the metal casing as he slid down, landing with a THUD in the flowerbed.

”Senior!”

Seeing Jiang Ran suddenly collapse, Chi Xiaoguo’s face went pale with fright.

She frantically propped her arms on the windowsill, wanting to leap out.

But after gritting her teeth and trying a few times, she realized she was too short to manage such a difficult maneuver. She quickly turned and ran out the door instead.

From inside the transformer box, the BZZZZZZ of the electrical current filled the air.

Jiang Ran couldn’t hear it.

He sat limply in the flowerbed, head bowed, face in his hands, an icy chill running through him.

’It’s over.’

Cheng Mengxue’s frozen smile on the Tombstone.

’It’s over.’

Qin Feng’s burned-down house.

’It’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over it’s over.’