Genius Playground

Staring at himself in the mirror was genuinely unsettling.

Jiang Ran averted his gaze.

He shook his head.

’This line of thinking is getting more and more dangerous.’

Even if he absolutely had to impersonate Qin Feng, to impersonate the Magician, there was no need to actually become the world’s most wanted criminal, loathed by all, right?

’What on earth could have happened that would be worth going all out like this, just to take the fall for Qin Feng?’

Besides...

A public enemy, a criminal of this magnitude, had the eyes of the entire world on him. They even built a special prison just for him.

’With such a massive effort, they couldn’t have failed to figure out the Magician’s true identity, could they?’

Jiang Ran is Jiang Ran, and Qin Feng is Qin Feng.

They weren’t born from the same mother, or even in the same place. They each had their own ID card, their own personal records.

’How could the police possibly confuse two completely different people?’

Even now, in 2025, the police database system was already highly advanced. A direct facial scan would instantly bring up all sorts of identification information.

Not to mention technology like DNA testing. ’You can’t tell me the entire world mobilized to catch a criminal, only to end up not even knowing who they caught, can you?’

That would be a complete joke.

”Forget it. There’s no point dwelling on this.”

Jiang Ran stopped agonizing over it.

’If I really want to find out the answer, I’ll just have to deal with Goldbach’s Conjecture first, then use the same trick to break out of prison and get to the execution platform a bit earlier to see it with my own eyes.’

The Magician’s hood would be pulled off about two or three minutes before the execution, giving him plenty of time to see his face.

For now, he had to focus on the task at hand.

Grabbing the blackboard eraser, he wiped away all the thoughts he had organized on it. Jiang Ran then closed the door to the activity room and left East Sea University.

...

「East Sea College of International Trade and Economics, the library.」

With a student ID, one could borrow all sorts of books here.

The library had copies of the few mathematical works the elderly Zhang Yang had pointed out to Jiang Ran. He gathered all the books and laid them out on a desk to study.

They were certainly difficult.

But Jiang Ran was, after all, someone who had scored a 680 on the college entrance exams in World Line 0. He was a top student by any measure, and his ability to learn was still very strong.

Especially since he had already studied advanced mathematics for two years at East Sea University, his foundation was solid, so he had some idea of how to approach these books.

And so, another week passed of him studying so hard he’d forget to eat or sleep.

Jiang Ran studied with a life-or-death intensity, and he finally managed to get through most of the material in those books.

To be fair, the books weren’t impossibly difficult; at least, Jiang Ran was able to understand them.

Teacher Zhang Yang had said that the formulas derived by the super genius Lu Yu were incredibly clever, incredibly elegant—as beautiful as poetry.

Perhaps Goldbach’s Conjecture, which had puzzled humanity for over three centuries, was meant to be this beautiful to be worthy of the crown that no one had been able to claim for so many years.

”That should be enough.”

Jiang Ran closed his book and gazed at the dim yellow streetlights outside the library window.

”It’s time to go to 2045 and learn from Teacher Zhang Yang.”

...

The next day, after arranging things with Chi Xiaoguo early in the morning, Jiang Ran skillfully activated the Positron Cannon and connected the call. He opened his eyes to find himself back in the unchanging prison.

”Do you guys know what the most important part of a successful prison break is?”

Sang Biao’s question arrived right on schedule.

Jiang Ran didn’t make a sound, sitting quietly and motionlessly in the deepest corner of his cell.

He needed a lot of time to talk with Teacher Zhang Yang.

To achieve that, he absolutely could not participate in Sang Biao’s prison break plan.

Therefore, this time, Jiang Ran didn’t plan on engaging with Sang Biao or revealing his presence. He would just silently watch Sang Biao’s performance.

According to his calculations, as long as he didn’t show himself, the stupid young man, the Bookworm, and the Assassin wouldn’t join Sang Biao’s plan.

That way, once Sang Biao left by himself, Jiang Ran would get some time alone with Teacher Zhang Yang.

”I’ll ask you all one last time...”

Sang Biao stood alone under the corridor light, looking around. His voice held a hint of pleading.

”Are you willing to break out with me or not?”

But the only responses he got were a few taunts and dissuasions. No one was willing to go with him.

”FUCK!”

Enraged, Sang Biao fiercely threw the Silver Iron Wire to the ground.

”Then you can all just die here! Be buried with the Magician!”

With that said, Sang Biao stormed away, fuming, without a single look back.

A long time passed.

Even the distant footsteps faded into silence.

Only then did Jiang Ran emerge from the darkness. He knocked on the iron bars of his cell door, calling out to cell number 4 across the way.

”Teacher Zhang! Teacher Zhang Yang!”

Across the corridor, a white-haired old man walked over, his face full of confusion.

”Huh? Someone’s... moved in across from me? And you know me?”

”Teacher Zhang, I’d like to ask you a few math questions, if that’s alright?”

The two of them spoke through the bars, their voices carrying across the corridor.

The elderly Zhang Yang pushed up his glasses, looking Jiang Ran up and down.

’A very young man, looks like a college student. To be in jail at such a young age... I really don’t know what he could have done.’

”I can, I suppose, but my main field of study is physics. I’m afraid I might not be able to answer any overly complex math problems for you.”

”I want to learn the proof for Goldbach’s Conjecture.”

Jiang Ran got straight to the point.

”I have a foundation in advanced mathematics and have also studied the relevant mathematical works. Could you explain it to me? I mean the proof method used by your former student, Lu Yu.”

”Hmm...”

Zhang Yang seemed a bit troubled.

”Goldbach’s Conjecture... that’s a very complicated topic to explain. What part specifically don’t you understand?”

Jiang Ran smiled sheepishly.

”I’m completely clueless. I don’t understand any of it. Could you explain it to me from the very beginning?”

”...”

Zhang Yang was speechless.